*beeeeeeeeeeeeee…*
“Have you got anything?!”
“Negative, doctor! No blood pressure, no pulse, damn!”
“Okay, back up, I’m going to try hitting her again.”
The white earth pony with pink mane and tail in the nurse’s uniform backs away from the body of the azure unicorn on the operating table. The body is surrounded by an amber glow of magic and shakes as the spell goes through it.
The heart monitor continues its monotone beep.
“Okay, Red. Start compressions again.”
Nurse Redheart gets to her rear hooves and begins chest compressions on Trixie once more. “Are you getting anything, doctor?”
Doctor Stable grimaces and shakes his head. He is shining a light from his horn into the eyes of their patient. “No. Pupillary response is negative.” He looks up at the clock on the wall. “We’ve been at this just over ten minutes since she was brought in. No response to anything. Time to call it, Red.”
“No!” the younger earth pony nurse snaps. She moves to the patient’s head, pressing her muzzle to Trixie’s and forcing breath into her lungs before going back to working the chest. “We are not going to let her die like this!”
“Red,” doctor Stable says as gently as he can. He knows how his colleague can get in the heat of the moment. “Red, we’ve done all that we can for her. It’s time to let her go.”
With angry snarl, nurse Redheart backs off and settles down panting on all fours again. She’s young and hates to lose, willing to do everything in her power to fight for her patients. That’s a quality in her that doctor Stable admires, he knows from experience that there comes a time when a pony has to admit that defeat is inevitable. Just as he’s reaching for the chart to note time of death, the doors to the operating room swing open to admit the imposing form of Princess Celestia. Trailing close behind is the shorter form of Zecora.
"Doctor Stable, Nurse Redheart." Celestia nods to each of and approaches the operating table. "Is it..?"
“Too. Late,” Redheart finishes her voice a tired croak.
“We tried, your highness,” explains doctor Stable regretfully. “She was totally unresponsive. I’m… very sorry.”
Celestia sighs deeply, her wings and even her flowing mane seeming to slump. “I see.”
“Even if the deceased did bad, any demise is always sad.”
“We’ll be moving the body for autopsy shortly, then I’ll be free to answer…” Doctor Stable trails off with a puzzled look on his face, his ears perked and twitching about. The other three ponies in the room follow suit, trying to locate the source of the eerie buzzing that had suddenly started.
They all focus on Zecora, and she in turn focuses on her saddle bags.
“What could be doing this crazy buzz, of a swarm of insects in a fuzz?” Reaching into the bag she drew out the source of the sound; a wooden box that was humming and shaking very angrily.
Nopony has the chance to react further, as the box explodes, staggering Celestia back and knocking the rest off their hooves. The Princess is just barely quick enough to recover and respond with her own magic. Even through her magic, she is chilled to the core by the feeling of what she’s holding back.
The Alicorn Amulet is hovering just over the body of Trixie. Its own angry red aura is wrapped securely in a bubble of Celestia’s golden glowing magic. Try as she might, though, the solar princess can’t seem to reel it back. Digging in all four hooves and calling on her earth pony strength, she tries to back up and pull it off that way.
“No,” Celestia says in a low growl, “you cannot have her.”
Much to her surprise, the Amulet actually stops fighting her. Or rather it stops trying to advance. Instead, and before she can react to stop it, it reaches its red aura out and down through her own magic to envelop the body of the unicorn below it. Celestia barely has time to react before the Amulet’s magic pulls the body up to itself.
The magical shockwave of their joining is enough to knock all of the room’s occupants off their hooves this time.
Celestia is the first to her hooves, doing her best to shake off the blindness caused by the flash. Over her ringing ears, she can hear a voice, otherworldly and dripping menace.
“Trixie Lulamoon of Equestria,” it intones, “RISE!”
Her vision finally clear, the Princess gasps in shock at what she sees. Standing on the operating table is Trixie, only not. There are still small sparks of the Amulet’s magic dancing along her hooves and coat, and her eyes are two pools of livid red. The Alicorn Amulet is clearly visible on her chest, the straps that should be around her neck nowhere in evidence.
“Heh,” that new voice speaks once more as the corpse opens its mouth. “I live! Again!”
Even though she is prepared this time, Celestia is still staggered back by the lash of red lighting that rips across her golden shields. She just can see from the corner of her eye that Stable, Redheart, and Zecora have recovered and are taking shelter behind her.
Trixie jumps from the bed to the floor, standing pridefully in front of Celestia. “Now, bow before your master!”
Responding with a spell of her own, the Princess throws a bolt of her own magic only to see it dashed against the shield Trixie calls forth.
“Resistance is futile, for I, the Supreme and Almighty Trixie, am your new master.” Trixie laughs maniacally, only to be caught by Celestia shattering her defences with one spell and wrapping her in a golden restraining field with another, effectively trapping her.
“Release her!” Celestia shouts, the Royal Voice shaking the racks of medical instruments on the other side of the room. “I command you!”
“You command nothing here,” Trixie informs her, her voice dripping with scorn. “Soon you shall know true power. Soon you shall kneel before the Supreme and Almighty Trixie.”
This time it is Celestia that sends a lash of magic across her opponent. “You’re not Trixie Lulamoon,” she growls. “And you have no right to disturb my ponies’ rest.”
Celestia charges her horn with everything she has, ready to destroy the amulet for good.
At the same time, the red eyes of her opponent flash with power and hate.
“I know you Celestia. I know there are lines that even you won’t cross.”
Before Celestia can respond, the red glow in Trixie’s eye fade and they return to their once dark violet. “Pr-Princess? Where..?” She blinks and looks around the room, fright clear on her features.
Celestia stops charging her horn, too astounded at the sight in front of her. Again the Amulet is too fast, Trixie’s eyes turning red once more and an arrogant sneer creasing her muzzle.
“You would never harm one of your own, Princess,” Trixie spits at her. “Not again. I have her now. And I am not letting go!”
A surge of crimson magic breaks Celestia’s shield, dropping Trixie once more to the floor on all fours. Her eyes and the jewel at the centre of the amulet all glow with a sinister light. “You defeated me once, before I knew of your kind. That won’t be a mistake that will be--”
Years of battles had taught Celestia to exploit her opponents in ways they may never have expected. Seeing that Trixie had yet to fully re-raise her shields, Celestia channels her magic into a brief spell aimed directly at Trixie’s horn.
The summoned restraining ring snaps into place and the unicorn’s eyes roll up into the back of her head before Trixie Lulamoon collapses to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
The operating room is dead silent except for the panting snorts of the great white alicorn at its center.
“Is everyone okay?” Celestia asks, not even turning back to look at them. She hears a chorus of affirmatives. “Good. Granary, I need you to fetch your colleagues, any who have experience with dark magic. Red, I need you to bring me a set of full body restraints, the strongest you have.”
Princess Celestia advances on the pony lying before her, a gaze that would have struck heart-stopping terror into the heartiest of souls aimed squarely at the Amulet embedded in Trixie’s chest. She lowers her head and growls, “We’re going to get this accursed thing off of her.”
So this is what happened when Celestia first found out about the amulet? And what did the amulet mean by it's cryptic talk like Celestia knew what was going on!?!
I love how the amulet doesn't just turn her evil it turns her stupid as well, boasting in front of Celestia like that.
This line sounds really silly.
So, it wasn't that the Amulet was used to bring Trixie back to life...the Amulet has claimed Trixie's corpse as it's own. Trixie, right now, seems to be nothing more than Pinocchio. A puppet that can move and think, but still a corpse. Now, will Celestia actually separate the Amulet from Trixie, thus killing one of her ponies? It's obvious Trixie will be forced to live either in Ponyville or Canterlot under constant surveillance. Will Trixie even want to continue living this way?
I just thought of something. Redheart was there trying to revive Trixie. She was there when the Amulet took control of Trixie's corpse? So, why did she get on Twilight and her friends' case for 'the thing they brought here' when it was the Amulet that Zecora carried that made Trixie this way?
There is no Trixie, only Zu´ul!
I'm not really sure if I like the direction this is going, but I have to admit, that was a very nicely written and tense scene.
I think it would be better if "everypony" instead of everyone would be placed here.
Now back to the story. So you made the Alicorn amulet a sentient cursed artefact. Not the first time I have read reading that the thing has a mind of his own but still for story contents very intriguing. Keep on the good work.
6019561
We were debating that. Would Zecora be considered a pony? Given its Celestia talking we erred on the side of political correctness and went with the neutral "everyone"
There is no Trixie, only Zuul.
I had the idea that you changed the story. Huh?
Intresting one!
6019383 ZU'UL MOTHER BUCKER! ZU'UL!
6019128
Yes and it meant it knows about Celestia's "no kill" rule.
6019131
Considering that it also develops a paranoia towards wheels, I think that the AA works like a really strong drug.
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you the first Chilean unable to come up with a rhyme, even to save his life; me.
6019145
We thought that Trixie as wearing the Amulet, but it seems that we had it backwards.
I don't think so, I mean, Celestia seems pretty much determined to save each one of her ponies, no matter who.
And that's why this ain't over yet.
6019168
Ehh, because, uhh... Redheart was really tired and not really thinking?
6019383
6019983
6020231
6019544
Come again? I mean, if it's not too much to ask but, what's up with the direction?
6019561
6019700
Celestia, the politically correct Princess. *cue to theme song*
And who says that it was the Amulet the one speaking? *cue to evil laughter*
6020028
What?
6020103
Thanks.
6021763
Sorry, I'm kinda running on zero sleep today...
What I meant is, I'm kinda not terribly fond of demonic possession plots, as a personal matter of taste. I think they're, well, conceptually stupid. They sort of ruin the whole drama of a horror story for me, because they mean pretty much by definition that the possessee isn't responsible for whatever they do. There's no real conflict or character development possible for them from that side, other than in the embarrassment of getting themselves stupidly victimized like that. It's like telling a story about an axe instead of the axe murderer, if that makes any sense to you.
Huh, its a black lantern ring as well as a red lantern ring.
6021763 Actually this flashback chapter is a nice thing during the wait for progression chapters.
6021786
I think it's too soon to speak about demonic possession or not, she still recognized herself as Trixie while gloating. Also, all of the victims in the episode were Trixie's targets, which means that there was, at least, some of Trixie still on the surface when she had it on. With that, it could also be that the AA works like a magical Hyde Formula; it separates id from superego, leaving a person/pony without any restrains. When you put that in account, then Trixie still holds her share of guilt in all of this.
Or maybe I'm still making this up as it goes.
Also go to sleep, at least eight hours. Your health is important.
6021856
It surely works like one.
6021999
Yeah, and it kinda answers a lot of questions too:
Why was Celestia showing guilt?
Why was Redheart freaked out?
What where they doing for four hours?
Why the straps?
Where does the ring come from?
6021763 The way you described previous events. It's like I didn't notice they didn't happened in the order you showed me.
6022222
Well, so far, I'm not aware of changing anything in the cannon of the story already established in the previous four chapters. If you feel that there's a contradiction, please tell me so I can look over it.
Given that Trixie is a performer in her current 'state', I half expect her next act to have this song:
6022275 No but you going on telling the events of the past and me not recognizing it... confusion happened.
Damn you scared me at first, i mean...Celestia is nearly a goddess with a lot of powers, i understand that she can't really stop the Alicorn amulet, it bonded itself with Trixie
but getting a bit...staggered like this...okay she was caught of guard, but come on, i'm sure it would take more than that to actually make her flinch, it may b the Alicorn amulet, Celestia, got a lot of expériences, she fought Sombra before, she already faced Dark magic.
Actually wondering, what's making her this mad...the fact that she knows she can't really do anything against the alicorn amulet
or may be it just reminds her how the same kind of stuff actually took her sister away from her...
may hav to think about that.
Now it's true Trixie's state seems irreversible but what if she tried to tame the corruption from the amulet ?
It's already too late to save her body but she can still save her mind, it would be pretty difficult, but who knows, for a pony with enough willpower ?
may be she could use her magic again then
6022437
Yeah, the short chapter are a challenge. It's very different than how I usually write. Normally I'll try and have the whole thing done before it goes out, figuring out where to break up chapters as need be for posting. In this case I'm trying the as-written method that so many others employ here. Plus, Wave wants to keep the chapters approx the same length, so just 1-2 scene each.
6022362
If you look at the scene, she was caught very off guard. She went there to see if she could help Trixie, or at least with the magic that affected her. Zecora was brought along because she wanted to keep the Amulet close by, because it was such a dangerous artifact. They all thought it was inert, then it suddenly exploded out of the box. She just barely got ahold of it as is. From explosion to latching onto Trixie was maybe a 20 second timespan at the most. The whole thing is over and done in 1-2 min tops. I tired to convey it's very quick and very strong (when it can be). Sure she's powerful enough to keep it under control when prepared, but she just doesn't have the time to react in this case. She was caught off guard at the beginning and it just kept knocking her off off balance each time she tried to regain the upper hoof.
A couple reasons. She's mad because she couldn't stop it and now one of her subjects is paying the price. That's probably the biggest; she was right there and couldn't stop it. Another reason is that it taunted her, using Trixie's "soul" to do so. And underlying it all, certainly her subconscious guilt over Luna. Oh, and she doesn't like to lose, and this thing was quick enough and strong enough to do that.
6022346
Actually, I kinda had in mind Voltaire's repertoire:
6022362
Okay, nightwalker over there already answered your first two questions, so I'll take the last ones.
First, I think that, by this point, has been proved that the try is not worth it. I mean, for Trixie to try "taming" the Amulet, they would need to take the ring off, which would be pretty much taking the pin off a grenade to see if it doesn't explodes.
Secondly, her body still functions, and it seems that the necroplasm is not really harming it, just making it dependent on the AA to keep it running, just like Iron Man's arc reactor. Think about it.
6022437
Again, nightwalker beat me to the answer, but let me ad my two cents on the matter.
One of the reasons I decided to give this project a go was the new style. In my previous "period" I used to spend too much time overthinking some chapters, that I would inevitably lose the original inertia, sending my project to development's hell. Here, I'm trying to keep moving, so I can keep the inertia. Also, the new dynamic is really interesting.
About the Amulet, well, it makes it more menacing. In the canon, it was essentially powerless once Trixie took it off. Here? Be afraid, mate, because that thing is not going down without a fight.
6023114
To be honest, I really admire your writing style, I mean, I can only see at it and say "whoa!" But this one is closer to what I can do, glad you're liking it.
6022033 Well, I figured each one out before. Expecially the last one: a bad reference. XD
6023679
The restrainig ring is a reference? To what?
6024111 Now to nothing.
I am offically interested in this story. As I'm sure you've noticed by now, I have moved it from "Read Later" to "Favorites"... A rare occurrence indeed.
I have always enjoyed Trixie Fics where it shows some unforseen negative repercussions of her time with the Alicorn Amulet.
Though... I did see many errors. Minor ones, but as a Grammar Nazi I noticed them nonetheless. About... Two a chapter? Give or take. I was rather distracted by the good storytelling.
I shall continue reading this tomorrow. Expect another comment soon.
6246556
Anytime a reader just read one of my works, I call it a victory. But to have said reader expressing his/her opinion on the matter, now that's why keeps me writing. Thank you a lot for that.
Now, on the story; I always thought that the canon never really explored the potential of something as big as the AA. I mean, an antagonist with the effective power of an alicorn? That's something we should see on a two-parts episode, not in an auto-conclusive one. There's a lot to explore with it and I'm planning to do so.
P.S.: Yeah, when translating, a lot gets missed. Glad to hear it wasn't that much anyways.
I can't remember what exactly was said from previous chapter but someone implied Celestia put the Amulet back on Trixie, and I was thinking "No way, something else would have happened first given her knowledge of the dark magic curse." Looks like I was right. If they can't find a way to remove it from Trixie, they might have to destroy it. To the sun!
6594347
As Amulet!Trixie said, there are lines that Celestia wont cross, no matter the occasion, and harming a mostly innocent mare is definitely one of them.
I really like to think about Celestia as a mash-up between King Arthur and Superman; a leader with the weight of a kingdom but always limiting herself under a strict moral code that she will never, ever cross.
7285933
Well, score one for late night reading making this story invulnerable to criticism.
Nos vemos.
-Wave
Never fails. If there's an enemy and Celestia's in the area, even if she manages to win in the end it is always, always an indescribably overpowering threat to what's supposed to be the most powerful pony there is. Darn you Worf.
7317883
Okay, first of all, being a
regularconstant comic book reader, I'm already familiar with the worf effect, it's function and operation. So, trust me when I say there wasn't a worf in here and if it was, it wasn't intentional.For starters, it's never stated she's at disadvantage. In fact, she was winning! The Amulet had to take a hostage (Trixie) in order to stay in the game and even said that it was the only thing keeping Celestia from finishing the fight right there.
Come to think about it, at that moment Celestia was holding a shield to protect the others, restraining Amulet!Trixie and charging her most powerful attack all at once. Even when the Amulet pulled its gambit, she kept enough control to not let her attack go off and still held her ground. That's not worf, that's a competence spike. Celestia ended up winning. Granted, she lost the opening tug o' war, but at the end she came out victorious. So it wasn't much of a worf but more of preventing a curb-stomp battleI.
like to think of, and write Celestia as FiM's cape. A Pony!Superman archetype. So, I made her win not though the use of sheer force, but through the combination of it and wits, which makes her come more competent than just being stronger.
But that's just my humble opinion and the story's interpretation is up to every reader on their own. Hell, maybe I got it all wrong and it is a full-on worf what I pulled off. I was still new to the style of writing so there's a lot that passed over my head at the time.
Thank you for reading and sharing your opinion.
By the way, the last bit of the chapter stops being in Italic.
8437327
Hey, thanks for the heads up.