Trixie's Revenge

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"There. That's the last one." Twilight Sparkle said, putting a book back on its shelf and admiring the cleanliness of her library. It had been quite the week, preparing for her next royal duty in Canterlot. She'd poured over every book she could find in her library on Canterlot etiquette and tradition, not that she even needed it.

"What's next on the list, Spike?"

"Let's see…" the little dragon pulled out a scroll that toppled to the ground and extended half way across the room.

"Pack some scrolls and ink: check. Straighten up the library: check. Pack food and supplies for Owlicious: Check. Next we need to visit Sugarcube corner to pick up some cupcakes for Rarity's party tonight."

"Excellent! We're ahead of schedule, I think we should-"

Twilight was interrupted by a quick knock at the door.

"I've got it." Spike chimed, racing to open it. Spike stared in shock when he saw the blue unicorn standing so calmly on their doorstep.

"Who is it, Spike?" Twilight asked.

"Uh…"

"May I come in?" Trixie asked

Twilight heard the familiar voice and walked cautiously to the door. "Trixie? What are you doing here?"

Trixie looked Twilight up and down, her mouth agape.

"It's true! You /are/ a princess!" she exclaimed both in shock and jealousy. "How could you do that? There's no magic spell to become a princess, if there were I would have been one long ago! My magic is certainly as powerful as yours, why is it you get all the glory, the friends, the attention…"

"Is there something you wanted, Trixie?" Twilight asked impatiently.

"As a matter of fact, there is. As much as I hate to say it, I need your help, Twilight."

Trixie invited herself in and began to look around. "I figure since you forgave me for my last little mistake you might be willing to help me out this once, you know because that's what friends do."

"Well, we're not exactly friends." Twilight said, closing the door behind Trixie.

Spike crossed his arms and grumbled, "More like frenemies."

"Spike why don't you go upstairs and keep packing, I'll be up shortly?" Twilight suggested. Spike didn't need to be told twice; he was eager to get away from Trixie.

Trixie walked around the library, snorting in disapproval.

"You're a princess and they make you stay in this old dump? I wouldn't stand for it if I were you."

"This isn't a dump, Trixie, it's my home." Twilight's patience was running thin, "Why exactly to you need my help?"

Trixie turned suddenly and threw herself at Twilight's feet with big watery eyes.

"Oh Twilight It's terrible, just terrible! I tried a spell that I found in an old book, something only a powerful unicorn such as myself could pull off. Only it backfired, and now I can't seem to undo the damage. I know there isn't another unicorn with my kind of talent, but I figured you might come pretty close. I need you to reverse the spell right away."

Twilight raised her eyebrow in confusion, "What's the spell?" she asked warily, certainly not amused.

"It's a love spell. You see, I live in Canterlot now and there's a certain pony there that has taken a fancy to me. He's just an earth pony, and certainly not my type, but he simply wouldn't leave me alone. I tried to cast this spell to make him keep his distance but something went wrong and now everypony avoids me, except him! It's rather tiresome dodging a love-sick fool. I need to make everypony love me again. I was quite the important pony before that spell, and I don't want to keep my new friends from my delightful company any longer."

"No, we wouldn't want that." Twilight said under her breath.

"Oh please, Twilight, can't you just look it up? Be a friend and find me a counter spell, I can't bear to live this way any longer."

Twilight sighed and turned to her books. "I might be able to find something." She pulled a few books from the shelf and set them on the ground. She began flipping through the pages.

"Oh thank you, Twilight! I can even pay you for your troubles." Trixie pulled a strange green and black gem from under her cloak.

"You know, Trixie, love spells are dangerous. No pony should be meddling in that kind of magic."

"You're right, Twilight, you're always right. I should learn to use my power responsibly before somepony gets hurt. Who knows what I'm capable of?"

Trixie approached Twilight with her payment.

"Here, take this, as a token of my gratitude and our friendship."

Twilight sighed and looked up at Trixie, but as she did she felt an incredible head rush and suddenly very ill. A soft wind whistled through the library and she had to blink a few times to compose herself.

After a few seconds, Trixie turned to a bookshelf and squealed delightedly "Oh my! I think I've found the exact book I need! This is sure to solve my problem, I guess I won't need anypony else's help after all. You don't mind me borrowing it, do you?"

"Huh?" Twilight said, still a little dazed.

"I didn't think so. Thank you, /princess/, you really are a good friend." Trixie said, taking the book and letting herself out.

After Trixie had gone, Twilight felt very confused. She became too dizzy to stand and had to lie on the floor next to her books.

"What just… happened?" she muttered to herself and before she knew it she was fast asleep on the floor.

*~*~*~*

Twilight woke some time later with a headache. She groaned, trying to remember what had happened.

"Uuuugh, Spike where are you?" She called out. She put hoof to her head trying to ease the pain when she noticed her blue hoof. Frightened and confused Twilight rushed to a mirror hoping her hunch wasn't right. Unfortunately, it was for the reflection staring back at her was Trixie. She screamed and backed away from the mirror in a panic.

"Trixie! What did she do?! Oh my gosh oh my gosh… Okay Twilight, think. Ohhh I should have never let her in here in the first place. What was I thinking?"

Spike came bounding downstairs at the sound of her scream.

"Twilight? What's wrong?" He asked, then noticed it wasn't Twilight standing before him.

"Trixie! Where's Twilight, what have you done with her?"

"Spike it's me, Twilight. I need you to get a note to Celestia right away…"

"Woah woah woah, wait a minute. How am I supposed to know you're /really/ Twilight?" Spike asked, crossing his arms defiantly.

Twilight sighed.

"You have a crush on Rarity."

"Everypony already knows that!"

"Okay um… You're my number one assistant?"

"Is that the best you can do?"

"Spike! We don't have time for this, I need to find a reversal spell!"

"Okay okay how about this, when we were in the Crystal empire, what was my greatest fear?"

"That I'd send you away because I didn't need you anymore. I told you then and it's still true now; that'll never happen!"

Spike smiled and threw his claws around her in a hug. It did feel a little strange hugging the unicorn he loved in the body of the only unicorn he hated.

"Do you think one of your books can help?"

"I'm not sure, Spike I've never heard of anything like this before. Maybe Celestia will know something, can you take a note for me Spike?"

"Of course!" Spike chimed, pulling out a fresh piece of parchment. "But what about Rarity's party?"

"Oh my gosh, I almost forgot! We're running late, we'll have to send the letter from Rarity's. Come on, let's get those cupcakes and head over there now."

"Alright by me!"

*~*~*~*

"BWHAHAHAHAHAHA" Rainbow Dash erupted into laughter. "You're joking, right? Looks like Trixie finally got one up on you this time, Twilight!"

Twilight looked less than amused as her friends tried to soak in the news of her recent run-in with Trixie and the magical mess she'd made.

"But how do we know you're really the REAL Twilight? Ooo I know! What's my name?" Pinkie pie asked.

"Pinkie, even Trixie knows your name…" Twilight asked

"That's right! Pinkie Pie!"

"Now wait just a dog-gone minute, are you saying you're stuck like this?" Applejack asked.

"Only until I can find a counter spell, so far I haven't found anything remotely useful. It would help if I knew what she did, it happened so fast!" Twilight answered.

"When is Fluttershy's birthday?!" Pinkie asked through narrow eyes.

"Pinkie, you would have to ask her something only Twilight would know." Applejack said.

"Oooooooh. What was your very first visit to the zoo like?"

"Uh…. Good?" Twilight

Pinkie pie shrugs. "Beats me, only you would know that Twilight!"

"So somewhere out there Trixie is… you?" Fluttershy added.

"I think so, UGH I have no idea where she went or what she's doing to me!"

"And we can't get a letter to the Princess because she's already left Canterlot and none of my scrolls are going through!" Spike chimed worriedly

"Oh how dreadful! I can't imagine being stuck inside there… and with this awful costume too." Rarity sympathized. "At the very least can we find you a better ensemble?"

"Oh Rarity, I'm so sorry I had to ruin your party, I know how hard you had to work to get this fashion line done. I was so excited when you found out Hoity Toity wants you to come to a fashion show in Canterlot."

"Think nothing of it, darling. It's far more important that we get your situation resolved first."

"I'VE GOT IT!" Pinkie pie interrupts with a shout, the others look at her in confusion. "What if it Trixie is a wanted outlaw and she has to try to run away without being seen so she BORROWS your body so that she can buy a ticket for the train to Phillydelphia so that she can go see the Barn-and-Barley circus and then she JOINS that circus and spends the rest of her days as a RODEO CLOWN because she can never go back!?"

"A rodeo clown?" Rainbow dash asked sarcastically

"It could happen." Pinkie pie shrugged.

"I have to be in Canterlot tomorrow! The princess is expecting me and Princess Luna to take over for her while she's gone for a few days. I can't go like this!"

"What can we do to help, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked

"No one messes with our friend and gets away with it!" Rainbow Dash added.

"Oh thank you girls, I think maybe we should start back at the library; there might be something in one of my books that can tell us something. I didn't have a chance to look yet." Twilight said.

"We'll get this all sorted out lickety split, you'll see." Applejack said.

*~*~*~*

"Alright, Maybe Lickety split was a tiny bit of an exaggeration." Apple said, adding another book to her pile of rejects. "There's got to be a faster way of doing this."

"No…" Twilight said, looking quickly through the pages of one book. She set it aside and looked through the next one. "No no no! There isn't anything usable in these diaries!"

"I'm not having any luck either." Fluttershy said sadly.

Rarity groaned impatiently, "There isn't anything about this kind of spell anywhere. This is completely hopeless."

"There's got to be /something/! Spells don't just appear out of thin air, and I don't think Trixie could pull this off on her own." Rainbow Dash countered.

"She did mention something about a love spell she'd tried in Canterlot, but I don't think anything that she told me was true." Twilight said.

"Oooo what's this?" Pinkie Pie asked, holding up a unique black and green gem. "It's super extra sparkly!"

"Oh my, that's just lovely!" Rarity said, trotting over to Pinkie Pie to investigate. "That would go perfectly with my new line!"

As Rarity and Pinkie admired the gem, they were suddenly overcome with a headache and a soft wind whistled around them. Twilight recognized the sound and turned to see Pinkie and Rarity massaging their heads in confusion.

"Mmm that looks delicious." Spike said, drooling at the sight of such a prize.

As Spike was saying that, another wind whistled and Spike cried out covering his eyes. From across the room, Rainbow Dash was furiously shaking her head with her eyes squeezed shut.

"What's going on here, what's a matter with you ponies?" Applejack asked.

Twilight started putting the pieces together; she knew somehow that gem was the key to Trixie's spell.

"Applejack, Fluttershy don't!" Twilight shouted, but she was too late.

Using her magic, Twilight ripped the gem away from her friends and hid it behind a pile of discarded books.

"What in the hay just happened?" Applejack said from Fluttershy's body.

Rarity started shrieking from across the room as she looked at Pinkie Pie.

"Hey!" Pinkie pie said, coming from Rarity's body. "How can I be over there? I'm over here!"

As the other ponies began to realize what had happened they all began to panic.

"Twilight! What do we do?" Spike asked from Rainbow Dash's body

"…Spike?" She asked in astonishment

"I'm… I'm Rainbow Dash! This is so weird I'm… really tall."

"Hey! I'm not really appreciating the view myself!" Rainbow Dash said in the corner, trying to figure out how Spike could stand to walk around on two legs.

"I've never even heard of magic like this before!" Twilight said sadly.

"Don't you think that silly little rock had something to do with all this?" Applejack wondered, speaking from Fluttershy's body.

"Don't be ridiculous." Rarity interjected, "Gems aren't magical."

"Well obviously this one is!" Rainbow Dash countered

"Oh, oh my… this is very very frightening!" Fluttershy said from Applejack's body.

"Why don't we all take a gander at the gem again, two at a time, and see if we can switch back?" Applejack said

"It's worth a try!" Twilight said, "Fluttershy and Applejack should look, everypony else look away."

"Oh, um, okay" Fluttershy said, and Applejack just nodded. Twilight used her magic to lift the gem from behind the books and it floated a few feet from the ground.

"Did it work?" Rainbow Dash asked, still turned away.

"No." Fluttershy said sadly.

"Nothing." Applejack added.

Twilight moaned in frustration. "Rarity? Pinkie Pie?"

Pinkie Pie turned around quickly and picked up the gem, inspecting it. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both shouted to her to stop so that they could turn away first but nothing happened.

"Nope nope nope." Pinkie chimed.

Twilight turned around, everypony was watching her, hoping for some sort of solution.

"If this won't turn us back, what will?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Oh this is just terrible! TERRIBLE!" Rarity cried, "I'm due in Canterlot TOMORROW to present my new line to Hoity Toity!"

"And I've got the rodeo comin' up." Applejack said.

"I have to go to the individual qualifying rounds for the Equestria games in cloudsdale!" Rainbow Dash said.

All of the ponies began talking over each other, becoming more upset by the minute. Rarity started to cry, Pinkie Pie was all over the place in panic, and Fluttershy receded into a corner and looked down at her orange hooves, spike tried to figure out how to walk as a pony, and Rainbow Dash was running around on all fours.

"Calm Down Everypony!" Applejack called out.

"Applejack's right, we can't fix anything when we're arguing." Twilight added.

"Um, since this isn't in any of the books maybe…" Fluttershy started.

"Well this isn't in any books so I don't think sticking around here will do us any good." Rainbow Dash said, tossing the last book on the shelf over her shoulder.

"Maybe we could go see someone who might know something…" Fluttershy added.

"I have an idea!" Applejack said. "Zecora might know something about this here magic!"

The ponies all nodded and agreed.

"Well, right now it's the only thing we can try." Twilight said carefully wrapping the gem in one of her scarves. "I don't want anypony else getting hurt by this thing."

The ponies left the library with dim hope as Spike muttered under his breath

"I still think it'd taste good."

*~*~*~*~*

"This spell is quite complex, I'm afraid it leaves me perplexed. There is no mention of such a thing my book, but you are welcome to take a second look." Zecora said, finding it difficult to move around in her little hut with six ponies and a baby dragon.

"Oh great, NOW what?" Rainbow said in frustration.

Twilight was pacing, trying to clear her head and think. It was difficult to do when her friends were nearby. They were worried and disappointed that Zecora couldn't help them. Twilight knew all of this was her fault. She should have searched the library before she left. At least she could have put the harmful gem away before it had cast its spell on her friends.

"Twilight? Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, noting the tears welling up in Twilight's eyes. She threw her hooves around her in a hug. "It's not your fault Twilight." She said.

"But it IS my fault. It's my fault for trusting Trixie, my fault for forgetting about that gem. And it's my fault that you are stuck like this." Twilight said, some of her tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Aw sugarcube, nopony blames you for this mess, do we girls?" Applejack said.

The other ponies shook their heads.

"Isn't there anything we can do Zecora? I don't want to admit it but it seems like the Canterlot archives are our only hope. I'll go there first thing tomorrow morning," she said turning to her friends, "I'll send word if I find anything."

"Woah, wait a minute, you're not going there alone!" Rainbow Dash said.

"You all have places to be and duties to perform, I can't ask you to uproot your lives to go on a wild goose chase that might lead us nowhere." Twilight answered.

"I'm sure my appointment in Canterlot won't take too long. Pinkie and I can join you by midafternoon." Rarity offered.

"Yeah! I mean, Rarity is SURE to win Hoity Toity over with her amazing fantastical splendorific new designs. He'll be so impressed he'll offer her a fashion show in an instant!" Pinkie Pie said, finding it a little difficult to bounce around the room in Rarity's body.

"You're stuck with us whether you like it or not." Applejack said with a wink.

"But what about your plans? Applejack's rodeo and Rainbow Dash's appointment in Cloudsdale? Not to mention Fluttershy's little critters."

"Well I don't have any big plans, Twilight. Besides, you know better than to think you can go without me!" Spike said. He threw his hooves around her in a hug, wobbling on his back legs.

"Although my help might be small, I would rather do something than nothing at all. I am sure any task I can fulfill, while you are out of ponyville." Zecora offered.

"Do you think you could look after the animals while I am gone?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"It would be my honor my dear friend, until such a time that your nightmare will end." Zecora said with a smile. "And while you are all gone I reassure; that I will not stop searching for a cure."

"Zecora we are so grateful for your help. I promise I will send you updates if we find anything." Twilight said. The ponies filed out of Zecora's one by one, but before Twilight could leave she pulled her aside.

"One moment dear Twilight before you go, there is something I feel that you should know. Princess Twilight there is much you have learned here, but always remember to keep your friends near. Your friendships are strong I can see, I bet that they are the key. Do not be too quick to judge, and don't weight your heart with a grudge." Zecora advised.

"Don't hold a grudge? Zecora, Trixie has my body. I don't think there's any chance I can forgive her this time." Twilight replied angrily. She composed herself and thanked her again before leaving with her friends. Tomorrow was going to be tricky, but she knew what she wanted to try first. While the others were sorting out their business she would go see Princess Luna. Surely Luna could see through this spell and help them on their quest to find answers. At the very least Luna could help her find Trixie and get to the bottom of this.

Misadventures in Canterlot

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Upon arrival at the gates of Canterlot, Trixie demanded a carriage and an escort to the palace. Her intention was to appeal to the princesses for a room to stay. Along the way, she came up with a convincing excuse for her sudden desire to leave Ponyville. She ran over it again in her mind as she made her grand entrance to the Canterlot castle.

"Announcing her royal highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle." One of the Canterlot guards said. Trixie pushed past him with her head held high, but faltered when she noticed the absence of Princess Celestia. Instead, Princess Luna smiled from her pedestal and greeted her.

"Ah, Twilight Sparkle. You are early; although having been a star student of my sister's we expected no less. Come, there is much we must show thee." Princess Luna said.

"And Princess Celestia is…" Trixie started, slightly annoyed at having been stuck with the second sister.

"She has already departed on her journey and will return within a fortnight." Luna replied leading Trixie from the hall into a large corridor. "As princess of the night, we rest during the hours of sunlight. We are not able to run an entire empire on our own. This is why you are here."

"So you want me to stand on a pedestal and make decrees?" Trixie asked.

Luna sighed, slightly annoyed at Trixie's ignorance.

"Thou hast a narrow view of royalty, Twilight Sparkle. One should not take such things for granted. Our crown is a symbol to the ponies that we will justly watch over them and protect them. It is not a mere show of one's status." Luna replied.

"Forgive me, Luna." Trixie said, only partially paying attention. As they walked through the halls of the castle, Trixie admired its grandeur and tried to wrap her head around the fact that this would be home. She wondered to herself why Twilight would give up such an opportunity. Trixie always believed she would live a life such as this; with ponies catering to her every whim in a castle where she would always be respected and heard.

Luna paused in front of two large double doors where unicorn guards were stationed. When she approached them they moved out of her path and opened the doors for her. Trixie followed Luna into a giant room, decorated in purples and pinks. The bed post and furniture had stars carved into them, and the pillars in the room were sculpted with intricate design. There were large windows overlooking Canterlot and a canopy bed that looked as soft as cloud.

"We hope thou likest these accommodations and will be comfortable here during your stay." Luna said, watching Trixie inspect the room. "The royal guard will inform thee of any task that needs attention whilst I get some rest in the western tower."

"Don't worry, princess." Trixie said running her hoof over the blanket on her bed. "Equestria is in safe hooves."

Satisfied with her reply, Luna departed and Trixie was left alone to her spoils. She danced around her room in glee and then stepped out on the balcony to take in the view. Trixie let out a sigh of satisfaction.

"I could get used to this." She whispered to herself. "Now it seems there is only one loose end to take care of, my dear Twilight. I can't have you take this away from me; not now that I've seen what I can have." Trixie said, contemplating her next move.

*~*~*~*

"Oooo this one is pretty!" Pinkie Pie chimed happily poking her head through a rack of clothing eying a tasteful blue dress with white lace trimming.

"Pinkie, do try to pay attention!" Rarity said anxiously, grabbing her by the tail and pulling her away from the rack. "We haven't got the time for nonsense!"

Pinkie turned her full attention to Rarity with a determined look on her face, but she was far too excited to sit still for long. Being stuck as Rarity was kind of fun. There was one thing, however, that she could not get control of and that was magic. Pinkie's energetic personality interfered with the magic of her horn. A rather attractive feather hat caught her eye and she smiled.

"I like that too!" she announced happily, pointing her hoof at the hat on Rarity's desk. As she did so, the hat lifted up off the table and flew over towards the two ponies colliding into Rarity. "Oops…" Pinkie Pie muttered, holding out a hoof to help her up.

Rarity spat a few feathers out and shook her head. "Pinkie, you have to control the magic before something happens to-"

Before Rarity could finish her sentence she was knocked in the head by the same hat as it flew back across the room landing clumsily to the side of the work desk.

"No wait, I got it!" Pinkie chimed happily, trotting over to put the hat back in place. As she got closer, the hat moved further away. "Hey!" she shouted.

"Pinkie Pie! Watch out!" Rarity shouted just before Pinkie collided into a shelf of bobbins.

"Oops! Don't worry, I can fix that." Pinkie said, abandoning her pursuit of the hat to gather up the bobbins instead. Rarity didn't have an opportunity to protest before Pinkie's magic went awry again. This time, the many bobbins that had been scattered across the floor were now bouncing about every which way, knocking into more supplies and creating greater havoc. "Ha…ha… I can fix this! I swear!"

"Pinkie, please! Just stop and I'll-"Rarity started.

"Get back here you naughty bobbin!" Pinkie shouted, racing across the room her mouth already full of bobbins.

"Pinkie…"

"Hey! That hurt! GAH they won't stop moving!"

"Pinkie!"

"Oh no you don't mister!" Pinkie said, jumping on top of one bobbin while others scattered about.

"PINKIE PIE!" Rarity screamed, stamping her hoof in anger. At the sound, Pinkie's horn extinguished and all of the dress-making supplies came crashing to the floor.

"Yes Rarity?" Pinkie said unfazed by the massacre that was once Rarity's creative studio.

Rarity heaved a sigh and composed herself. This wasn't the first time she'd had to deal with a mess like this, Sweetie Bell could accomplish this in 10 seconds. This time, however, she didn't have her horn to help clean it up.

"We need to go over your lines again." Rarity said.

"Ooo Ooo I know! This is your, uh I mean my, Canterlot Cheek collection!"

"Chic darling! It means fancy, sophisticated." Rarity corrected.

"Right!"

"And these dresses were made for…" Rarity said, leading her to finish the sentence.

"Oh! I know this one too! These dresses were made for the Grand Galloping Gala this weekend!" Pinkie said proudly, bouncing up and down.

"Exactly! There isn't much more you need to say, these outfits do speak for themselves." Rarity said, eying the hem of one of her dresses.

"They're all so beautiful Rarity, and I especially like this one!" Pinkie said, pulling a dress loose of its hanger with her magic, accidentally sending it soaring across the room and into an unsuspecting Rarity. Rarity sighed; this would take a lot more luck than she had originally thought.

*~*~*~*

"It's settled then. We meet in the Canterlot archives at 5:00." Twilight said as the train to Canterlot pulled into the station. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were the first to exit and Rarity's luggage was piled onto a cart. She gave instructions to send them to Hoity Toity's boutique.

"Just think of the possibilities Pinkie Pie!" Rarity chimed happily. "I'll finally secure my place with the Canterlot elite. My status as a very important pony will be practically permanent!"

Pinkie bounced along beside her before Rarity held out a hoof to stop her.

"Pinkie Pie, remember, you must walk with grace. These ponies expect sophistication from me here." Rarity scolded.

"Oh, right. Sorry Rarity I guess I'm just soooo happy for you!" Pinkie exclaimed hugging her tightly.

Rarity smiled softly, and frowned when Pinkie was turned away. Her reputation was on the line and she wasn't so sure Pinkie could play the part. As they were walking to Hoity Toity's boutique Rarity spotted two familiar and judgmental faces. She gasped and snatched Pinkie to hide, choosing to duck into a modest café nearby.

"Woah!" Pinkie exclaimed in surprise.

"Get down! That's Jet Set and Upper Crust! Don't let them see you!" Rarity whispered frantically to Pinkie, but much to her dismay the familiar duo had seen them and crossed the street to talk.

"Why miss Rarity it is a pleasure to see you again." Jet Set said, his deep accent dripping with sarcasm.

"It's good to see you too!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily.

Jet Set and Upper Crust looked at Pinkie with wide eyes and then to each other before erupting into laughter.

"My dear whatever has happened to your voice? You sound ridiculous." Upper Crust said.

"Hahaha she's just a little excited." Rarity said, pushing Pinkie out of the way. "Her latest fashions will be featured in Hoity Toity's pre-Gala fashion show."

"Ah yes, an extraordinary event we wouldn't miss it for the world." Jet Set agreed.

"Don't we know you?" Upper Crust asked, eying Rarity suspiciously.

"You met her at the Canterlot Garden Party, remember?" Pinkie said with a smile.

"Ah…" Jet Set said, backing away slowly. "Yes the charmingly rustic Ponyvillian. I'm surprised to see you back in Canterlot, Rarity. Your sudden departure was most unbecoming of your new status. You say Hoity Toity himself wishes to showcase your line?"

"Well, actually…" Rarity started then remembered that they weren't talking to her. She nudged Pinkie Pie.

"We're on our way to secure our place in his show right now, so if you would excuse us…" Pinkie Pie said, in a rather impressive formal accent.

"Well, if it was at all inspired by your 'friends' then I wish you luck, dear. Hoity Toity doesn't particularly care for formal wear from a hoe-down." Upper Crust added. The two of them broke into laughter again.

Embarrassed, Rarity buried her face in her hooves.

"Hoe Down?" Pinkie exclaimed, feeling particularly protective of Rarity in that moment.

"Do you even /know/ who she… I mean I… am?" Pinkie asked, trying her best to talk in Canterlot snobbery.

"Wait, Pinkie!" Rarity shouted, but she was already too late, Pinkie had begun to sing:

"We know the Princess Twilight, she is our bestest friend. And rarity's new fashions are all the latest trend. Do you know how many times that we've saved Canterlot? Two or three or four, the point is: quite a lot! I'm singing she's the most important pony I know, oh the many places that she can go and her great new designs in Hoity's fashion show will probably be enough to really STEAL THE SHOOOOOOOW!"

Pinkie sang, a little out of breath near the end.

Jet Set and Upper Crust watched her, stunned.

"She?" Upper Crust finally asked timidly.

"She! I mean me! I! Ohhhh you know what I mean! Come on Pinkie Pie we don't need their approval." Pinkie said, turning up her nose and walking with Rarity out of the café.

They waited until they were sure Jet Set and Upper Crust hadn't left the café and could see them before they broke into a fit of giggles.

"I don't think I've EVER seen those ponies stunned into silence before! Thank you Pinkie, you are a great friend." Rarity said, nuzzling Pinkie appreciatively.

"Aw it was nothing; those two were just being bullies." Pinkie said. Rarity nodded in agreement.

"Rarity, look!" Pinkie exclaimed, pointing to a large dress shop with Hoity Toity's signature on the window where Canterlot's fashions were displayed. "We're here!"

"Thank heaven we didn't run into anypony else." Rarity said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Let's just get this presentation over with so we can help Twilight find a cure. I miss being me!"

"Me too!" Pinkie agreed humming along to a song in her head as they walked.

*~*~*~*

"Fabulous! Simply stunning! I must have these for my show." Hoity Toity said, looking through Rarity's work appreciatively. "Yes, this one is quite lovely!"

"And what about this one?!" Pinkie Pie asked, reaching for an outfit. Once again her enthusiasm caused a reaction with Rarity's horn and the outfit in question went soaring around the room. Rarity gasped, and tried to help Pinkie Pie catch it while Hoity Toity watched.

Rarity finally caught it in her mouth, pulling it down from the ceiling where it had been hovering. She blushed and shot a glare to Pinkie Pie who chuckled nervously.

"My dear… it seems your fashions are far too fabulous for the rack." Hoity Toity said, laughing at the display. Relieved, Rarity released the dress and hung it back on the hanger. "What is it you call this line, my dear?"

"It's um… the Canterlot chic collection, inspired for the Gala." Pinkie recited perfectly.

"Ah yes! I'd wager these will be quite popular for this weekend. You are indeed a talented pony." Hoity Toity complimented. "Now, let us talk about the details, the show starts in a few hours and I need you to come with me for a fitting. I believe the models are already out back trying on the other outfits for the show."

Rarity fought back a squee as she and Pinkie followed Hoity Toity outside and towards the backstage of the runway. Hoity Toity and Pinkie Pie passed through security without question, but Rarity was stopped.

"Only designers and models past this point." A particularly large pony said, blocking her path.

"I am a designer!" Rarity said angrily, trying to maneuver around him.

"Name?"

"Why I'm…" Rarity started then trailed off without an answer. "I'm not on your list."

"Then I'm going to have to ask you to go."

From the stage Rarity caught a glimpse of a rather intimidated-looking Pinkie Pie. She gave her a confident smile and watched in jealousy as Hoity Toity led her away. Dejected, she paced around outside. While she was excited to have her designs on stage, it hurt to think somepony else would receive all the recognition and applause. She was beginning to think this was a bad idea when her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of two unicorn guards. It was strange to see them wandering about so far from Canterlot castle. They had a pile of fliers with them, and would stop on every corner to post one before moving on. Intrigued, Rarity approached them. One of the guards saw her coming and offered her a flier from his pile.

"A message from the princess," he explained. Rarity read its contents in horror.

"The princess?" Rarity gasped unbelieving.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle." The second guard explained.

Without another word Rarity tucked the flier away and ran back towards the fashion show.

*~*~*~*

From back stage Pinkie Pie struggled to maintain Rarity's image. There were so many lovely things she wished she could see, but knowing the consequence of a magical mishap, she stayed calm at Hoity Toity's side. A wonderful aroma caught her attention and she spotted a modest buffet set aside for the designers and models. Following the growl in her stomach she practically floated towards a particularly delicious-looking daisy sandwich but was stopped by a mane stylist.

"What style do you want for this model?" She asked rather impatiently.

"Uh…" Pinkie Pie said

"Do you want eye shadow on this model?" A make-up artist asked

"What order will these designs be going down the runway?" A stage manager asked.

"Where is your logo? We must have it displayed over your designs." Another pony added.

"Uh… uh…" Pinkie Pie said, sweating nervously. "Is that Photo Finish?!" She asked, pointing in the opposite direction. While the others were distracted, Pinkie slipped behind a curtain and waited until the ponies had seen she'd gone and looked somewhere else. She set her sights once again at the buffet line but her daisy sandwich had been taken by one of the members of stage crew.

"Awww" she said sadly, looking at the other options and finally settling on a bowl of fresh fruit. She bounded towards it but was once again thwarted as a group of model ponies pushed past her. She was unexpectedly herded into a section back stage where each of the models were being fitted for the show. Pinkie tried her best to excuse herself, but was swept up by some of the stage crew and fitted for an outfit.

"Wait! I just wanted a sandwich!" She protested in vain. "Ow! Hey! Too tight!"

The unicorn dressing her pulled a mirror in front of Pinkie to see how the outfit was looking. Pinkie struggled to breathe in the impossible dress; this certainly wasn't Rarity's design.

"You don't understand!" she gasped, but she was pushed on to the mane and makeup department. She spotted the table again, this time more food was missing and her stomach growled. Her mane was being combed, pulled, and twisted while another pony drowned her in a sea of makeup. Pinkie tried her best to keep her cool, but none of these fashion ponies would listen to her protests. When she caught a glimpse of the food table there was one pastry left and a designer heading straight for it.

"THAT'S MINE!" she cried out, tripping over her outfit and other ponies trying to reach it first. She couldn't contain herself anymore and her horn lit up involuntarily. The make-up artist ponies pursuing her were being bombarded by their own make up brushes; they made clouds of blush that blocked their vision and pursuit of Pinkie Pie. The back-stage crew ponies that had been asking Pinkie for her instruction were being chased by their own clipboards and quills. The other designers had problems keeping their outfits together. Even Hoity Toity himself was affected, his rather large white wig was running away from him; he attempted to cover his bald head with various hats while he pursued it.

Oblivious to the mayhem she was creating, Pinkie Pie finally reached the buffet table in time and tried to dive face-first into the last pastry on the table. Before she could do so, she was pulled backwards away from the table by Rarity who had sneaked in during the confusion.

"Hey!" Pinkie protested until she saw it was Rarity who had pulled her away. She looked around to see the magical mistake she made and frowned. Her horn extinguished and she whimpered, ashamed of ruining Rarity's good name. "Oh Rarity I'm so sorry I just wanted…"

"Pinkie we have to find Twilight!" Rarity said interrupting her. "There's a flier and… Pinkie, what in Equestria are you wearing?" She asked, eying her rather ridiculous ensemble.

Pinkie burst into dramatic tears "I don't knowwww!"

Rarity put a hoof over her mouth. She motioned for Pinkie to follow her quietly out the back way. Pinkie had no objections; she wriggled out of the uncomfortable dress and darted for the exit. Somewhere behind them Hoity Toity was attempting to fix his wig.

"Ruined!" he cried, "My whole show is ruined!"

*~*~*~*

"Wanted: for Confidence Scams and Fraudulence" Pinkie Pie read.

"Highly dangerous, armed, approach with caution, manipulative, and wields dark magic" Rarity continued.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon!" They finished together.

"Look, there's even a reward!" Rarity added.

"30,000 bits! That's more than Sugarcube Corner makes in a year!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"We've got to find the others, warn them what Trixie's trying to do." Rarity said tucking the flier away. They didn't waste any time, running towards the Canterlot archives hoping against the odds that Twilight and the others were alright. When they reached the hill just above the archives they paused to catch their breath.

"Look!" Pinkie cried out, pointing at the swarm of royal guards surrounding the Canterlot archives. Rarity and Pinkie Pie watched in confusion as a royal carriage pulled up to the doors. There sitting proudly with a smirk on her face was Trixie. The guards near the entrance parted on either side and helped the princess down and into the archives. Pinkie Pie and Rarity exchanged worried looks. There was only one reason they could think of that Trixie would want to be here and that meant Twilight was still somewhere inside. They ventured closer and ducked behind a bush before they were seen.

"Eiw…" Rarity grumbled, trying to shake the "nature" from her tail and mane. Frustrated and uncomfortable Rarity mumbled quietly to herself.

Pinkie slumped to the ground and put on her thinking face. They had to figure out some way of getting inside. Then with a gasp Rarity declared, "I've got it! There, just behind those bushes and trees, I see a window. Do you think we could get in?"

"Ooo Ooo it's like a secret mission: Twilight rescue style." Pinkie chimed happily, humming the theme to mission impossible, darting her eyes back and forth and prancing about like she imagined a secret agent would be. Rarity pushed Pinkie's head down back behind the bush where they were hiding and shushed her with an annoyed look on her face; Pinkie merely smiled.

Pinkie managed to somehow lift the entire bush where they had been hiding and tip-toed it along with them towards the side of the archive building. They paused and dropped the bush whenever a guard passed by and continued tip-toeing until they reached their destination. Rarity tried her best not to make any noises of discomfort as she transitioned from hiding in one bush to another. She watched her mane and tail on Pinkie Pie becoming ratted and tangled and had to fight her distain for the sake of their "mission."

Without any direction, Pinkie hoisted Rarity up on her shoulders, causing Rarity to make a soft noise of surprise. Rarity reached for the small window and poked her head up to look inside. She couldn't see Twilight or any of the others from that window, only shelves of books and scrolls with little piles of them on the ground; probably from Twilight's searching.

"Higher!" Rarity whispered to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie had been distracted watching a ladybug until she heard Rarity, and quickly hoisted Rarity higher towards the window. Rarity hadn't actually meant for Pinkie to push her so quickly and had to steady herself before she opened the window. Rarity struggled, putting her front hooves in and pulled herself up to her waist. When she tried to move again she realized she was stuck; half in half out. "Pinkie. Pinkie I think I need a push!" she whispered frantically.

Before Pinkie could respond, one of the guards spotted Pinkie's purple tail sticking out of the bushes and trees along the side of the building.

"Hey you!" he called out, using his magic to pull Pinkie away from the wall. Pinkie's sudden departure left Rarity REALLY stuck, her back legs flailing helplessly outside while her front hooves pushed against the wall on the inside.

"This area is off limits!" The guard told Pinkie, eying her suspiciously. "You'll have to vacate the premises until the prisoner is detained and the Princess gives the word…" The guard said, continuing his lecture to Pinkie Pie. However, she wasn't paying much attention. Moments after he had pulled her away from the wall Pinkie spotted a modest rolling cart of delicious cupcakes for sale. The pony pushing it was calling out to ponies on the street to buy his delicious wares. Pinkie's eyes widened, her stomach growled, and she began to drool. She never did get a bite of the food from that buffet table, and having her favorite dessert so near was too tantalizing to pass up. Before thinking it completely through, Pinkie's horn lit up and the cupcakes from the cart all came flying towards her and the Canterlot guard at an impressive speed. Pinkie awaited their impact with an open mouth, while the guard who had been lecturing and a few of his companions nearby were pelted by cupcakes and their frosting goodness. The guards shouted in protest, alerting more guards to come see what was happening. The frosting covered their faces and made the ground slippery wherever they landed. Guards were tripping all over themselves, trying to wipe their eyes and regain their footing.

Rarity heard the cries of shock and protest from the guards outside but could not figure out what was actually happening. She tried to seize the moment by pushing even harder against the wall to get inside but to no avail. Then she felt her hindquarters being forcibly tugged back outside and she screamed in surprise.

Pinkie Pie, mouth still open and expecting a cupcake to land inside, was pulled sideways away from her treats. "Hey!" she protested, she didn't even get a single taste of frosting!

Escape from the Archives

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Let's go back to that morning and find out just exactly what happened to Twilight and the others...

Twilight hesitantly boarded the morning train to Canterlot. However, while her friends settled into their seats on-board she looked back at Applejack who was still standing on the platform. Twilight had a feeling that Applejack was withholding something from her, but being the element of honesty Applejack would never tell a lie, right?

"Fluttershy and I will see you soon, ya hear?" Applejack called to her as the train started moving. Twilight smiled and waved, ignoring that pesky feeling of doubt.

"Wait, where's Applejack?" Spike asked, rushing to the window to see their friend still back at the station.

"She and Fluttershy have to stay behind. She didn't really give me much detail but she said they'd meet us at the archives as soon as possible." Twilight answered, settling into the seat beside him.

"I bet she just didn't want to have to spend all day in a library looking through mountains of books again." Rainbow Dash muttered. She caught Twilight's expression and laughed it off saying, "Uh, I was just kidding of course."

"Honestly Rainbow Dash, I would think you would be eager to get your body back." Rarity said, checking her mane in the reflection of the window. No matter how many attempts she tried she could not get her pink mane to do anything she wanted; it would always bounce back to normal. "The only way to do that is to find the right spell book, isn't it?" She said, abandoning her attempts on her hair. Rainbow rolled her eyes and sighed curtly, resting her head on her claw.

"If we work quickly we might not need the extra help. I think I know where to start looking. Rainbow, Spike, and I will head straight to the archives. Rarity, when do you think that you and Pinkie will be done?" Twilight asked.

"Early afternoon at the latest I'm sure." Rarity answered with a smile.

"That may just work out perfectly. If we haven't found anything by that point I think I'll try to see Princess Luna." Twilight said.

"Why not now?" Rainbow asked. "Maybe we should go see her first?"

"Not just anypony can have an audience with the Princess. It might take longer to convince the guards to let us see her than it would to find the answer ourselves." Twilight pointed out.

"What if we just slipped past the guards? Ooo a break in, with long twiddly mustaches. We could be the pizza ponies delivering to the Princess!" Pinkie suggested with a smile.

"What's with you and mustaches?" Rainbow asked.

"No no, I get it." Spike answered; he certainly had no objections to that.

"I'm pretty sure the Princess would not be ordering a pizza at 7:00 in the morning." Twilight said.

"Ah ha but she's nocturnal! So it's like really late for her and maybe she skipped dinner." Pinkie said, attempting to defend her idea.

"Pinkie, you and I have to be at Hoity Toity's by 7:45, remember?" Rarity reminded her.

"Oh yeah…" Pinkie mumbled defeated.

Twilight giggled; somehow Pinkie Pie could always make a difficult situation a little more fun.

"Well whatever we do let's do it quickly. I haven't been grounded this long in… forever! It's one thing to work with scales, but no wings? UGH! No offense Spike, but you should have been a flying dragon." Rainbow Dash said, jokingly nudging him to show she wasn't being serious. Or was she?

"And I don't know how you ponies can pick up anything with these!" Spike exclaimed, holding out his hooves in frustration.

"Let's agree to meet in the Starswirl wing of the archives." Twilight said, getting everypony back on track. "I hate to admit it but… if we don't find anything by late afternoon then Pinkie's plan doesn't seem so ridiculous. Sneaking in to see the Princess might be the only plan we have."

"YAY MUSTACHES!" Pinkie and Spike shouted happily.

*~*~*~*

"Woah." Rainbow Dash said, her eyes widening as she tried to take in the massive size of the archives; and more specifically, the massive amount of scrolls and books. "It's like… headquarters for eggheads!"

Twilight rolled her eyes and sighed, walking towards the first shelf and started scanning the book titles. Spike followed close at her heels, scanning the bookshelf adjacent from hers. Rainbow, on the other hand, was still marveling at the archives and wandered about aimlessly.

"So… we're supposed to find a cure: just the three of us. Millions of books, thousands of scrolls, and the three of us. Seriously? We'd need all of ponyville to find anything in here!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed in distress.

"Rainbow, have you ever even heard of the Dewey Decimal System?" Twilight asked skeptically.

"Dewey who?" Rainbow replied. "Is he the librarian here?"

Twilight sighed, "No, Rainbow Dash, the Dewey Decimal System is a way of organizing the library so that you can find a book or scroll on any topic you'd like! All you'd need is to look up the topic in the catalog"

"No kidding? Wow. You eggheads are pretty clever aren't you?" Rainbow answered.

"I'm not an egghead!" Twilight protested, having to say it for the millionth time.

"I'm just kidding, loosen up Twilight!" Rainbow Dash said laughing. "Where should I start looking?"

Twilight's anger melted away and she even allowed a little smile on her face. Rainbow Dash was always looking for ways to push her buttons.

"I think there's a section upstairs on odd and unusual magic. Do you think you could-" Twilight started.

"I'm on it!" Rainbow replied, already racing towards the spiraling staircase.

"It's the second bookshelf on the left!" Twilight called after her.

"What about me, Twilight?" Spike asked.

"Spike, do you remember that time Celestia gave me a test on counterspells? Do you remember where I found that book? You know; the big red one. " She asked.

"Oh yeah! That's over here!" Spike said proudly. He took her deeper into the archives with determination. He wanted to prove just exactly how useful he could be, even as a pony.

Twilight had every confidence she would find answers here. Princess Celestia stocked this library herself; so anything she could have known about this spell would be here, somewhere.

Twilight and Spike stayed on the first level, pulling book after book from the shelves but with no success. After a couple hours, Spike had almost given up. He was lying on the floor flexing his wings in and out with fascination.

"Spike!" Twilight scolded. "Stop messing around."

"What? Huh? Oh! Yeah um… there's nothing in this one." He said chuckling in guilt and pushing a scroll away.

Twilight sighed and turned away. She couldn't blame him for losing hope. Twilight never imagined she wouldn't find a trace of it by now. She didn't expect an easy answer; but at least something that could take them in the right direction would have been nice! Using her magic, she sadly restocked the shelf of books she had just gone through.

While Twilight busily restocked the books a familiar grey pegasus pony passed by outside the archives. She caught sight of Twilight through a large window and gasped. She looked frantically around outside until she found a wanted poster posted to a pole nearby. Comparing the image to Twilight she was sure she'd found the right pony and ran straight for the castle.

*~*~*~*

"Hey Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called from the second story. "I think I found something!"

Twilight's head shot up and her face was lit with excitement and hope. She didn't even call out a response, she simply bounded towards the stairs and up to see what Rainbow Dash had found.

"What is it?" she asked looking for the book or scroll Rainbow had found with all their answers.

Rainbow smirked and pointed to a door she found hidden behind a tapestry of Princess Celestia.

"What better place to hide a book on this kind of magic than in some secret room?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Where did that come from? I've never seen that door here before." Twilight said in astonishment. She'd combed every inch of these archives and she couldn't remember finding a door like this. "How did you even find it?"

Rainbow Dash shrugged, "I uh… I guess I got a little bored."

"What do you think is inside?" Spike asked excitedly.

"Oh no, Spike. We aren't going in there." Twilight replied.

"What?!" Rainbow Dash and Spike asked in unison.

"This is obviously hidden for a reason! Maybe Celestia doesn't want ponies poking around in there. After all, these are her archives; it just doesn't feel right." Twilight said.

"Oh come on! It's not like we're having any luck finding information anywhere else. What have we got to lose?" Rainbow asked. "Just unlock it with your magic."

"No!" Twilight protested.

While Rainbow and Twilight argued Spike got an idea. He grabbed Rainbow Dash by the tail and stuck the end of it into the lock.

"Hey! Put me down!" Rainbow protested, hanging helplessly from Spike's grasp. Spike didn't respond, he shifted the tail around in the lock, pressing his ear to the door listening until he heard a clicking sound. He dropped Rainbow Dash and smiled smugly.

"I can't believe that actually worked." Twilight said astounded. She finally admitted to herself that she was too curious not to at least take a peak. "Alright fine we can look inside for a second. But if there's nothing in there that would seem useful we won't even go inside. Agreed?"

"Yeah sure." Spike said, pushing the door open.

The three of them poked their heads inside to see what wonderful secrets must be contained within. Much to their disappointment, the room appeared to be nothing more than a private reading room. Unused scrolls were stored in a cabinet nearby, soft pillows were laid out in front of a cozy fireplace and a small window let in the sunlight.

"Well that was a dud." Rainbow muttered.

"Maybe there's a secret compartment or something." Spike suggested.

"Oh no you don't." Twilight said, stopping Spike from entering the room. "We promised!"

"Everything's covered in dust, it doesn't look like this room has been used in years." Rainbow observed.

Twilight caught sight of something unusual, "If nopony has been in here in years… then why is there a book missing on that shelf?" she asked.

Rainbow Dash and Spike looked to where she was pointing. The bookshelf in question was full with the exception of one place on the bottom shelf. The three of them ventured inside to get a closer look.

"There's no dust here, somepony's taken this book recently." Twilight said.

"You don't think that's the book we've been looking for do you?" Spike asked.

"If that's what Trixie used to cast this spell, how in the hay did she get her hooves on it?" Rainbow demanded angrily.

"I don't know." Twilight responded, but while she and Rainbow Dash were distracted Spike heard a noise.

"Wait!" he said, rushing out the door to investigate. Rainbow Dash and Twilight exchanged confused expressions. Spike ran to the railing along the second floor and looked down to see the commotion below. His little heart nearly stopped when he saw Canterlot guards pouring into the archives. He raced back to his friends and announced: "We've got company!"

*~*~*~*

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Twilight said in fear. She used her magic to pick up Rainbow Dash and ran out of the room, shutting and locking the door behind her. "It must have been enchanted, to keep ponies out! Somehow it alerted the Canterlot guard! We've just committed a crime!" Twilight said in panic and exaggeration.

"A crime?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Breaking and entering. We'll be sent to the dungeon for this!" Twilight responded.

"I can't go to the dungeon! I'm claustrophobic; I'll never survive in there!" Spike cried in fear.

"Let's get out of here." Rainbow said, running away from the staircase where Canterlot guards were ascending. Spike was running beside her but they noticed Twilight was not with them. "Twilight, Come on." Rainbow shouted running back to grab her.

"No Rainbow, we have to try and at least explain ourselves." Twilight said.

"No time." Rainbow said, grabbing her tail and tugging it towards her. When her strength wasn't enough to move her she called out to Spike to help her. He gripped her tail in his mouth and tugged her away with him.

"Ow!" Twilight cried, "Alright alright!" She exclaimed, running beside them as the guards reached the top of the stairs.

"Stop!" One of the guards shouted after them. "In the name of the princess!"

"Luna!?" Twilight said happily. Maybe their luck had finally changed; she knew this was her only chance to appeal to the princess. She stopped running away from the guards and ran back towards them instead.

"Twilight!" Spike yelled after her. Rainbow stood in his path before he could sprint after her.

"Wait." Rainbow Dash answered skeptically. She wasn't so sure these guards could be trusted. It was already too late to stop Twilight.

"Get her!" One of the guards shouted, pouncing on Twilight in an attempt to chain her. "Trixie Lulamoon you are hereby under arrest for treason to the crown: as ordered by Princess Twilight Sparkle. You are coming with us."

"Trixie!?" Twilight asked in horror. The realization hit her like a massive blow. These guards weren't Luna's at all; they were all just a pawn in Trixie's twisted game. She dodged their first attempt at chaining her, but more guards swarmed around her holding her down.

"Get away from her you jerks!" Rainbow shouted. She barreled into the mass of guards and kicked one in the leg making him fall over. She didn't have the agility and speed that she did before, but for a baby dragon she still could pack quite a punch. The momentary distraction was all Twilight needed to cast a spell that transported her out from under the guards and next to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow hopped up onto her back without needing to be asked and Twilight ran away towards Spike who was calling out to them.

"Over here! Hurry!" he called, waiting at the top of the staircase prepared to make a break for the door.

"Spike look out." Rainbow called, she saw that there were more guards racing up the stairs. These guards were unicorns and used their magic to hold Spike in place. He cried out helplessly unable to get away.

"Twilight get me over to the railing." Rainbow said. Twilight didn't hesitate. She took Rainbow as close as she could to the stairs. Rainbow leaped off her back and out in front of Spike. The unicorns paid her no mind; they greatly underestimated her influence to stop them. When they got close enough, she jumped up and grabbed onto one of the guard's horns. That effectively disrupted his magic and he reared up trying to shake her off. Rainbow waited until he shook towards the right and let go of his horn jumping onto another guard and putting her claws over his eyes. The guard turned his head sharply to the left and he collided into the one beside him. The two of them fell backwards down the stairs and into the other guards in pursuit. Before Rainbow could celebrate her victory Twilight snatched her by the tail and swung her up on her back. The guards that were already on the second floor had caught up to them and Spike was trying to hold them off. He didn't know how to use Rainbow Dash's body right so instead he flailed his legs helplessly. Although it didn't keep them back, it did create quite a hilarious distraction.

"Come on, Spike!" Twilight called to him. The three of them wove in and out of the bookshelves leading the castle guard on a crazy chase. At one point, they decided to split up hoping they could take out more guards that way. Rainbow Dash was hiding one aisle over from a team of guards. She climbed up a ladder and hoisted herself up on top of the bookcase. With an excited and smug little grin she called out.

"Hey, clueless! Up here!" she shouted. When the group of guards looked up, she bombarded them with scrolls. The scrolls unraveled knocked into the guards. The scrolls themselves bounced off their armor leaving them unharmed, but the parchment draped over top them. She kept throwing scrolls, creating layer after layer of parchment that they had to try to wriggle out of.

Twilight used her teleportation spell to pop from one place to another, confusing the guards who would get close but always missed their opportunity to grab her. She hated to admit it, but this was kind of fun. She did her best to lead the bulk of guards away from her friends. She planned to get them as far away from the stairs as possible so they could make a break for it.

Spike made the unfortunate mistake of running into a dead end. Two guards that pursued him found him trembling in the corner. He couldn't use his hooves to throw books at them. Frustrated he kicked the book shelf next to him and it wobbled. He smiled and kicked it again much harder this time and it tumbled down on top the guards coming for him. Unfortunately the toppled bookshelf created a chain reaction like a row of dominoes and each bookcase in line came crashing down. Twilight was close by when she saw the bookshelf fall. She screamed and teleported herself away before it could hit her. The guards trapped underneath the toppling book cases were essentially unharmed; their armor took most of the blow. Rainbow Dash wasn't paying attention; she called out a cry of victory when the guards near her took off running. She believed she had scared them off on her own until she saw the bookshelf in front of her come crashing into the one she stood on. Rainbow screamed as she was thrown from the bookshelf and out of the second floor. She was heading straight for the ground at an alarming rate and closed her eyes in anticipation. Just before Rainbow hit the ground Twilight caught her with magic and set her down carefully. She and Spike had gotten to the stairs and had raced down to save her.

The three of them made a dash for the front doors. Rainbow had jumped up on Spike's back and was clinging to his mane.

"We're almost there!" Twilight said hopeful. She used her magic to open the doors and gasped. She stopped running so suddenly that she slid across the marble floor causing her to run into Spike and Rainbow Dash. Just outside the door more guards stood waiting. Seeing the wreckage inside and the lack of their peers nearby they stormed towards Twilight. Rainbow Dash and Spike collided hard against the wall near the left door. Then as the guards stormed towards Twilight the doors swung open further; completely trapping Rainbow and Spike behind them.

Spike opened his mouth to scream to Twilight but Rainbow threw her claws up over his mouth to silence him. They were no good to her trapped behind here; it was too easy to get caught. They would have to wait for the first opportunity to pounce and then they could take them by surprise. Twilight had seen where her friends crashed and breathed a little sigh of relief; at least they were safe. She knew it was futile to take on this many guards at once. They were coming at her from every angle now. The ones coming from upstairs were especially upset. She dropped down to the ground and covered her head with her hooves.

Rainbow had to make a decision; and she didn't have any time to think it through. They had the opportunity now to pounce, but there was very little chance they could get to Twilight from here. There were simply too many guards. She held Spike back, choosing not to let them make themselves known. Spike understood the decision Rainbow Dash made and reluctantly stopped fighting against her. Rainbow Dash winced when she heard Twilight scream, and Spike couldn't bear it. He screamed her name but it was muffled by Rainbow Dash's claws still over his mouth. The confusion of Twilight's capture kept any guards from hearing him. From the crack between the door and the wall caused by the thick hinges they watched Twilight's capture helplessly. One of the unicorn guards locked a strange device on her horn, essentially stopping her from using any magic to escape. She was shackled into chains and she did not fight against them. She made eye contact with her friends; glad that they were staying put.

"The Princess approaches!" One of the guards announced. The other guards stood aside and at attention, bowing to someone as they entered the library. Rainbow and Spike both gritted their teeth and growled when Trixie came waltzing into the archives.

"Well done." She said with a smile. Twilight growled and looked up at her with utter hatred.

"You won't get away with this." She muttered.

Trixie didn't reply she merely smiled. Then turning to her guards she said, "Bring the prisoner to the castle dungeon. I'll figure out what to do with her there."

The guards all bowed and forcefully led Twilight out following behind Trixie.

*~*~*~*

Rainbow and Spike felt even more helpless than before. They couldn't come out of hiding until the guards had all cleared out, but if they waited there would be no way to follow Trixie and Twilight. A strange noise in the corner caught Rainbow's attention. Much to her shock and surprise she saw Rarity pulling herself up through a window. Spike looked frantically from Rarity to the guards still inside the archives. He and Rainbow both feared she would be caught. Then for no clear reason they heard quite a commotion going on outside. The guards inside rushed out and around the building towards the noise. Rainbow and Spike seized the opportunity. Whatever was distracting the guards it was exactly the luck they needed to get out undetected. They dove into a bush nearby and saw what the fuss was all about. There were cupcakes soaring through the air attacking the guards. It didn't take them long to notice Pinkie Pie trying to catch one in her mouth.

"You grab Rarity and I'll get Pinkie. Let's get over to that hedge." Rainbow whispered to Spike, pointing to a tall hedge that lined a garden. He nodded and crept slowly along the wall of the archives hoping not to be caught. Rainbow ducked, tucked, and rolled towards Pinkie Pie. She gripped her tail with her claw and pulled her away, racing towards the hedge.

"Hey!" Pinkie cried in protest and disappointment. She couldn't see who had grabbed her until they were successfully hidden behind the hedge. "Rainbow Dash! You're okay!" She squealed in delight. She threw her hooves around her in a tight hug.

"Pinkie… can't… breathe…" Rainbow gasped.

Meanwhile, Spike had used all of his strength to pull Rarity from the window. She screamed in fear and tried to kick him away from her.

"Wait! Rarity it's just me!" he said frantically, holding out his hooves defensively.

"Spikey Wikey?" Rarity asked both surprised and happy to see him.

"Let's go!" he said, pointing towards the hedge where they caught a glimpse of Pinkie Pie disappearing into hiding. Spike and Rarity joined them just before they could be spotted.

"Ooooh we're so happy you're okay!" Rarity said joining Pinkie Pie's hug of Rainbow Dash. Spike joined them too, burying his face in their hug. Rainbow struggled to push them all off her to catch a breath.

"Where's Twilight?" Pinkie asked.

"SHE'S GONE" Spike said, bursting into tears. "TRIXIE'S GOT HER!"

Rarity and Pinkie both gasped in horror.

"Where did she take her?" Rarity asked.

"The Canterlot dungeon. She said she didn't know what to do with her yet." Spike answered.

"I can't just sit by and let Trixie take our friend! I say we get over there right now and figure out how to get her out!" Rainbow demanded. She felt incredibly guilty for abandoning her friend in the archives. She wished she could take it back, she would choose to fight instead of saving herself.

"Oh yeah, three ponies and a dragon are going to march in past all the guards and magically get her out." Rarity said sarcastically. "We'd need an army to do that."

"Wait! What about Applejack and Fluttershy? They'd want to help." Pinkie pointed out.

"Are they in Canterlot?" Spike asked. Nopony could answer to that.

"When does the next train get to Canterlot?" Rainbow asked.

"Soon! Let's see if they're at the station." Rarity suggested.

The four of them had to wait impatiently until the guards at the archives were distracted or gone, then barreled out of their hiding place towards the train station.

*~*~*~*

Twilight was shackled to the wall in one of the dreariest and darkest part of the Canterlot dungeon. She had never actually been in this part of the castle before, and had no idea what to expect. Without her horn, she could not even light the room for comfort. The only light she had was the sun shining from a very small window. Twilight usually wasn't one to give up, but she had no idea what to do. There wasn't any way she could see getting out of here on her own. She knew her friends wouldn't leave her here but part of her wished they would not try to save her; she didn't want them to get caught.

"Why?" She whispered to herself, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Because you had it coming, that's why." Trixie answered. Twilight's head shot up to see Trixie unlocking the door to her cell. She hadn't really expected anypony to reply to her question, it was supposed to be rhetorical.

"What's this? The great princess doesn't have anything to say? What's wrong, cat got your tongue?" Trixie taunted. She laughed at Twilight's expense.

"I never knew just how evil you really are, Trixie. There's no redeeming a pony like you is there?" Twilight answered bitterly.

"Evil? Gee… isn't that a bit harsh? After all, I thought we were friends." Trixie said.

"FRIENDS?! You'll NEVER be my friend!" Twilight screamed and pulled against her chains in anger.

Trixie scoffed and smirked. "Doesn't matter. I don't need friends; I've got an entire kingdom to love me. I couldn't have imagined how much I'd love being you. I mean, besides the goodie-four-hooves reputation I have to maintain it's really rather easy."

"Princess Celestia will see through you in a second. Do you really think you can fool everypony forever?" Twilight said.

"Princess Luna didn't seem to have a problem accepting me." Trixie replied.

Twilight's heart sunk; she couldn't believe Trixie was clever enough to fool Luna. For the first time she truly understood how Princess Cadance must have felt when Queen Chrysalis took her place.

"I'm sure I'll think of something before Celestia returns. Besides, I don't exactly need to convince everypony just the right ones. I've studied you and your pathetic little friends long enough to know how to act like you." Trixie said.

"If you're so confident then why are you here?" Twilight asked; sick of Trixie's badgering.

"And miss an opportunity to see the look on your face when I finally beat you? Never." Trixie said.

"My friends will come for me!" Twilight snapped but she regretted mentioning them the moment after she'd already spoken it.

"Oh I know all about their pathetic little rescue attempt back at the archives. They're in cozy little cells of their own. They have you to thank for that. You could have spared them this fate. I planned on convincing them I was you; if it weren't for your selfish actions they could be free but you just had to get them involved didn't you? Looks like that was a big mistake wasn't it princess?" Trixie lied. She would say anything to bring Twilight more pain.

Twilight curled up and cried. Her friends, her home, her life… everything was gone. Maybe Trixie was right, maybe she could trick Celestia like she did Luna. What next? Would she take her parents away too? What about Cadance and Shining Armor?

"Now you'll feel the pain I felt when somepony takes everything away from you. You'll see just how much you ruined my life!" Trixie said angrily.

"You're a monster." Twilight whispered trying to mask her tears.

"Not anymore, I'm a princess." Trixie said. She slammed and locked Twilight's cell door and laughed.

Dragons and Draconequus

View Online

Applejack was up at sunrise with a satchel ready to go. She fought back a yawn as she started for Fluttershy’s cottage. Her family had kept her up half the night trying to understand what had happened. Applebloom bombarded her with questions, Granny Smith started telling stories from the Apple family’s past of perplexing plagues, and Big Macintosh… well; he let the others do the talking for him, but was certainly as curious. Twilight had told them to meet at the train station at 7:30, which was still quite a ways away but Applejack knew Fluttershy might need an extra hoof getting her animals all rounded up before they left. As the best herder in Ponyville, she was certainly qualified for just that.

When Applejack rounded the bend she was surprised to see Zecora heading her way. It wasn’t Zecora’s presence that surprised her, she had probably come early to take Fluttershy’s critters; it was the look of panic on her face.

“Zecora? Is something wrong?” Applejack asked.

“Applejack you must come with me, there is something frightful that you should see.” Zecora said, urging Applejack to follow her towards the Everfree forest. They only traveled a small distance before Zecora stopped her from continuing on. Applejack looked below them to where Zecora was pointing and her jaw dropped. The forest was being terrorized by a trio of dragons. It wasn’t uncommon to see dragons in Equestria, nor was it unusual that they would be in the Everfree forest. However, these dragons were behaving strangely; almost as if they were too wild. They rampaged through the trees knocking each other over and setting fire to the forest. Animals had long since scampered away, but these dragons still wandered about causing unnecessary damage.

“What in the hay is wrong with them?” Applejack asked again.

“These beasts are not like their dragon kind, something has taken them out of their right mind. Their trail of destruction has been carved for a mile; they’ve been causing trouble for quite a while!” Zecora answered. One of the dragons below let out an ear-shattering roar that shook the trees and caused Applejack and Zecora to turn away.

“Whoa nelly, that’s one heck of a bad mood if you ask me.” Applejack said, shaking her head to help stop the ringing in her ears. “Does anypony else know about this? Though I suppose it’s kind of hard not to with a roar like that.”

“No other pony has wandered by, except our dear friend Fluttershy. She was the one who had found them here; her animals had been fleeing from the forest in fear.” Zecora said.

“Fluttershy!” Applejack exclaimed. “Poor thing’s probably beside herself with worry!”

“She did not know what she should do, so I told her I would help to see this through. Perhaps now it is best to find Princess Twilight, her magic could help us to make this right.”

“No!” Applejack replied forcefully. “The last thing she needs is another catastrophe to fix. No, I say we head on over to Fluttershy’s and see what can be done from there.”

Zecora did not necessarily agree with Applejack, but she nodded all the same. The two of them headed back towards Fluttershy’s cottage.
*~*~*~*

“Fluttershy, get down from there!” Applejack said, looking up at an appletree outside Fluttershy’s cottage where she clung to the branches shaking like a leaf. When Fluttershy didn’t respond, Applejack tried jumping up to grab her tail.

“I can’t!” Fluttershy cried.

“Just let go.” Applejack said matter-of-factly.

“I mean I can’t go back out there!” Fluttershy corrected herself, finding it strangely easy to hang on so long without the need of wings. Applejack’s body was far stronger than her own.

“You can’t stay up there forever sugarcube.” Applejack said, trying to calmly coax her down.

“Didn’t you SEE them? There were three of them! And they were so fierce and angry. I can’t confront them, I just can’t!” Fluttershy said whimpering.

“Are you certain that Twilight could not be of use? I don’t think the forest can take much more abuse.” Zecora said.

“Twilight’s not the one who can stop these creatures with ease. Fluttershy’s talent with animals has gotten us out of plenty of scrapes before; including a full-blown adult dragon. These ones in the forest seem like they're a might smaller and younger than the one we faced.”

“But you’re forgetting that there are three of them!” Fluttershy reminded her from above.

Applejack looked back up at Fluttershy and tried to reason with her.

“You saw how stressed Twilight was last night. Don’t you think we could lend her a hoof on this one? You’re the best dragon tamer in Equestria, Fluttershy. Won’t you come down here and join us?”

Fluttershy whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut, finally conceding and loosened her grip enough to let her back legs dangle down. With a frightened gasp she lost her grip on the branch and fell. Applejack soared across the room to catch her before she could hit the ground. Fluttershy smiled and thanked her.

“Well whaddya know? These things come in mighty handy if you ask me!” Applejack said flexing her wings and marveling at the fact that she could clumsily and temporarily fly. Shaking her head Applejack regained her focus on the task at hand.

“How do you suppose we stop these critters from fightin’ long enough to get Fluttershy to talk some sense into ‘em?” Applejack asked.

“I might know a spell that is easy to brew, but I need some leaves from a flower of blue. If somepony could help me seek out what I need; I could create a potion that would help us succeed.” Zecora said.

“Fluttershy, do you think you could help Zecora with her spell while I go talk to the others? I’ll send ‘em on without us; we can catch up with ‘em later when these dragons are under control.” Applejack said.

“I guess so.” Fluttershy said timidly. Applejack smiled and nodded to Zecora.

“We meet back here in half an hour.” She said then headed out the door.

*~*~*~*

When Applejack reached the train station the others were already there waiting to go aboard. Rarity was supervising her baggage being loaded onto the train.

“Be careful with that! There’s very delicate silk material in there.” She informed the pony holding one of her pieces of luggage.

“Yes ma’am.” He replied, making sure to set it down softly in the baggage car.

Applejack found Twilight and the others waiting for the all clear to get on board.

“Applejack, there you are!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Have you seen Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, Twilight about that…” Applejack began. She had to think on her feet and come up with a convincing lie; something that went directly against her nature. “There’s an issue at Sweet Apple Acres that I need to tend to before I can go to Canterlot. Seems there’s a pest threatening our apples. I’ve asked Fluttershy to help me out.”

“Is it parasprites? Do I need to go find my tuba?!” Pinkie pie asked.

“No no nothing like that. It’s just a few woodland critters from the Everfree forest is all. We’ll catch the next train to Canterlot.” Applejack answered.

It was at that moment the conductor called out for passengers to come aboard. Twilight looked from Applejack to the train and back.

“Are you sure? Do you need our help?” She asked concerned.

“No, I’m sure Fluttershy and I can handle it. Y’all go on ahead; we’ll get things sorted here.” Applejack answered.

“Twilight we have to go.” Spike urged.

“Alright Applejack, if you’re sure. Just meet us at the archives as soon as you get to Canterlot. Hopefully we’ll have found something by then anyway.” Twilight answered reluctantly. Applejack nodded and the others boarded the train. She couldn’t think of anything reassuring to say; the lie she told was already eating her up inside.

“Fluttershy and I will see you soon, ya hear?” Applejack called out to them as the train pulled away from the station. She waved until they were out of sight and heaved a sigh. She hoped she’d never have to lie to her friends again.

*~*~*~*

Back at Fluttershy’s cottage Zecora had the ingredients she needed and, with permission, she used Fluttershy’s kitchen to make her potion. While she was busy, Applejack still had some work to do convincing Fluttershy to help. They had come up with a few tentative plans, all of which were centered on Fluttershy. If the dragons could be reasoned with then it was Fluttershy who would do the reasoning. If not, her remarkable stare might get the job done.

“How do I even know if the stare works? I’m in your body; I’m only used to mine.” Fluttershy said softly.

“Why don’t we test it out?” Applejack asked.

“On one of my critters? Oh I couldn’t possibly do that to them!” Fluttershy gasped.

“I know it might be tough but I don’t see another option.” Applejack said sympathetically. “Maybe one of your critters would volunteer to help?”

Fluttershy’s animals were all gathered around and nodded in agreement. All except Angel bunny, who was sitting in his favorite spot on the couch munching on a few carrots.

“Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked, to which her animals repeated their gestures of approval. She sighed and closed her eyes, when she opened them again she gave them her famous stare. Much to her surprise it worked, and her animals watched her in frozen awe. Fluttershy only held the stare for a moment before returning back to normal. Applejack was smiling and Fluttershy returned the smile with a soft one of her own.

“That was mighty strange watching you make that look on my face. I don’t know how you do it Fluttershy!” Applejack complimented. “If all goes well we won’t need it, but we’ve got to be prepared for anything.”

Fluttershy nodded solemnly, she was still torn up about facing dragons, but she didn’t want to let down her friends. When Applejack saw she was getting frightened again, she attempted to distract her.

“What’s this here potion gonna do for us, Zecora?” Applejack asked. She and Fluttershy joined their Zebra friend and watched as she worked her mojo over a boiling pot of a strange green liquid.

“This potion will dispel with a resonating boom, a thick green cloud of a precarious fume. When the dragons inhale its strange earthy smell, they will be under a confusion spell.” Zecora answered.

“What if we inhale it?” Fluttershy asked timidly.

“I have a spell that will protect us from harm, it is not a potion it is more of a charm. We keep it close to the chest so we will be immune, but we must move with haste it will wear off soon.” Zecora said, adding another ingredient to her potion and stirring it slowly.

“Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to all that. I think Fluttershy can talk some sense into these creatures.” Applejack said.

Fluttershy whimpered and fought back the urge to cry. No amount of reassurance would make her fear go away. Some part of her regretted letting Twilight and the others leave without her.

*~*~*~*

“Um, mister dragon?” Fluttershy said in a voice barely over a whisper.

“He can’t hear you Fluttershy.” Applejack called from her hiding place behind a bush. Applejack and Zecora were only a few feet away. Zecora’s potion was contained in a small flask that she held in her mouth, ready to break it if needs be.

“Mister dragon?” Fluttershy asked again, her voice was even softer than before, her legs shook and she squeaked in fear.

Applejack sighed and joined Fluttershy putting a hoof on her back with a reassuring smile.

“Hey!” She called out. “Could y’all quit your ruckus and hear us out?”

The dragons, now alerted of their presence, turned to the ponies and narrowed their eyes. One of them let out another mighty roar which caused Fluttershy to scream. The three of them began to charge at them. Fluttershy was frozen in fear. Applejack pushed her aside before one of the dragons could snatch her. The third dragon breathed a long line of fire at them. Applejack grabbed Fluttershy by the tail and dragged her behind a boulder to avoid the flame.

“Zecora!” Applejack called out.

Zecora threw her potion at the feet of the dragons. It did as she had said; exploding into a thick green cloud of smoke. The dragons stopped dead in their tracks and swayed uneasy on their feet. Applejack seized the opportunity and snatched her lasso. Her first attempt to lasso the first dragon failed. Fluttershy’s body was far weaker than what she was used to. She had to put forth a lot more effort just to keep the rope in the air long enough to aim it for the dragon. Once she had successfully caught the beast around the neck and tried to tug him away towards a nearby shallow cave.

“Fluttershy! I need your help!” she called out. Fluttershy was still hiding behind the boulder, her face buried under her front hooves.

“I can’t!” she answered.

“Fluttershy! I don’t have the strength, I need you!” Applejack pleaded.

Zecora took ahold of the rope and tried to help Applejack. The dragon teetered on his feet and took a step in the right direction, but didn’t move another inch. One of the other dragons could see through his haze what the ponies were trying to do. He growled his head still fuzzy and disoriented. He charged at Applejack, who was too occupied to notice him.

“Applejack, watch out!” Fluttershy screamed, springing into action and head-butting the dragon before he could trample her friend. The dragon cried out and stumbled to the ground, rolling into a boulder and hitting his head. Fluttershy saw the dragon that had been lassoed getting angry, he opened his mouth to breath fire but she kicked him in the side before he had the chance. Applejack and Zecora took advantage of his unsteadiness and yanked the rope making him crash to the ground. Fluttershy helped them push against him, causing him to roll into the shallow cave. The third dragon roared in defiance, charging at them.

“Don’t move! Wait for my signal!” Applejack shouted, putting her hooves up in front of Zecora and Fluttershy to keep them from running away. The dragon continued to charge and Fluttershy started to cry in fear.

“Wait for it!” Applejack shouted.

The dragon was only a few feet away when Applejack shouted, “NOW!” They dodged out of the way and the third dragon crashed into the first who was still unconscious inside the cave.

“One to go!” Applejack added, attempting to push against the second who had just woken from his collision with the boulder. He sprang up and roared directing a line of fire at the ponies below him. Applejack called out in pain when her tail caught on fire. She flapped her wings and clumsily lifted herself up off the ground for only a second. When she came crashing down she rolled around on the ground attempting to extinguish it.

“HOW DARE YOU!” Fluttershy screamed, charging at him. Rather than making a full-on collision, she darted to the side stomping on his tail. The dragon cried in pain and snapped his jaw at her. Zecora helped Applejack extinguish her tail.

“Fluttershy!” Applejack cried, fearful for her friend. She watched Fluttershy move with amazing agility avoiding his teeth and claws. Applejack looked up above the cave and saw a pile of boulders waiting at the top. She turned to Zecora and pointed at them, Zecora nodded in agreement; understanding what Applejack had in mind. The two of them raced up the side of the cave and positioned themselves behind some of the smaller boulders that were holding up the larger ones. Fluttershy was oblivious to them; she just continued to annoy the dragon and caused him to chase her.

“YOU DON’T EVER GET TO HURT MY FRIEND LIKE THAT AGAIN!” she screamed, and using the same strategy as before she led him towards the cave and darted out of the way so that he would crash into the others inside.

Applejack and Zecora kicked out the smaller boulders and moved out of the way as the rockslide barricaded the entrance effectively trapping the monsters inside. The three ponies collapsed in exhaustion, breathing heavily. Applejack had a big smile on her face and she touched Fluttershy’s hoof.

“I… knew… you could do it.” She said, still out of breath.

Fluttershy smiled appreciatively. She was surprised at her own performance, and was glad it was over. Zecora stood up and helped up each of her friends.

“Do you think that will hold them?” Fluttershy asked.

“I sure hope so. At least till we figure out what to do with ‘em.” Applejack answered.

“These beasts’ behavior was far too strange; I wonder what trick might have caused them to change.” Zecora said scooping up the broken pieces of the flask from the forest floor.

“Three guesses and the first two don’t count.” Applejack replied. Fluttershy and Zecora looked at her, confused. “Isn’t it obvious? Trixie sent ‘em here.”

“Trixie?” Fluttershy asked skeptically.

“Are you sure she has the power to send them in rage? Seems rather complicated for a unicorn her age.” Zecora said.

“Well, I don’t reckon this is a coincidence. She’s been messing with powerful magic. I figure she’s gonna wanna stop Twilight from finding a cure and what better way to keep her busy than sending a bunch of hormonally crazed dragons?” Applejack asked.

“Do you really think she’s capable of something like that?” Fluttershy asked.

Applejack looked a little annoyed and looked Fluttershy up and down, and then herself. Fluttershy understood the reference.

“Maybe she got her hooves on the alicorn amulet again.” Fluttershy pointed out.

“I assure you that amulet is very much secure, of this fact I am certainly sure. No pony could find it without the Princess’s aid, only alicorn magic could find where it is laid.” Zecora said.

“Speaking of Trixie, I think it’s time to join the others in Canterlot. Maybe Twilight can shed some light on all this.” Applejack said.

“I sure hope so. I don’t want to face any more scary monsters.” Fluttershy added.

“Are you alright to watch the critters now and maybe even keep an eye on this here cave Zecora?” Applejack asked.

Zecora nodded in response. Applejack and Fluttershy returned to her cottage to grab their things. Fluttershy went over some basic care information and Zecora reassured her that her animals would be safe and well cared for. It was mid-afternoon when the two of them reached the train station to catch the next train to Canterlot. With any luck they could be there before evening.

*~*~*~*

When the train pulled into the Canterlot station Applejack and Fluttershy were met with a surprise. There were wanted posters blanketing the walls of the station walls and windows with Trixie’s face staring back at them. Applejack ripped one from the wall and read it; Fluttershy read over her shoulder.

“Oh no!” Fluttershy gasped. Applejack growled and crumpled it up, throwing it on the ground.

“Who does she think she is?” Applejack demanded. “Does everypony actually believe her lies?”

“Maybe Twilight did this. Maybe she found the cure and changed them back to normal. If Trixie is still out there somewhere she could cause more harm.” Fluttershy pointed out.

“I hope you’re right, sugarcube.” Applejack said, not convinced.

“Applejack! Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie shouted, running towards them and tackling them to the ground with a hug, relieved to see them.

“Thank heaven we found you!” Rarity added, helping Fluttershy up.

“Have you seen this?” Applejack asked, pointing to the wanted posters. Rainbow Dash, Spike, Pinkie, and Rarity nodded. The smiles on their faces melted and were replaced by sadness and worry. Then Applejack realized Twilight was not with them. “What’s happened?” she asked.

“Trixie did it!” Spike said, his eyes watering. “She’s taken her away; we saw them dragging her off to the castle!”

“Oh no!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“We barely escaped with our lives!” Rarity said, a little overly dramatic.

“Then what in the hay are we waiting for? Let’s go get her back!” Applejack said, ready and raring to go.

“I’m with AJ on this one; we can’t just let her take Twilight without a fight.” Rainbow Dash agreed. Applejack nodded in agreement.

“How exactly do you propose we get past all the Canterlot guards AND Trixie, into the dungeon, somehow get her out without a key, and back out again undetected?” Rarity asked rationally. No pony had an answer for that.

“Well there’s got to be a way to get in there.” Rainbow Dash said frustrated.

“How about we dress up as the pizza pony and deliver a pizza to the castle? We can distract the guards with cheesy goodness while we steal their key and get to the dungeon!“ Pinkie Pie said. “I think I packed us some mustaches...”

“I don’t think anypony would be able to get in tonight, if Trixie just caught her it’s unlikely she’d leave her alone for a while. If I know Trixie, she’d want to brag about catching her.” Applejack pointed out.

“Then what are we going to do for the night? I didn’t bring enough bits for a hotel…” Rainbow Dash asked.

“And we need to find somewhere a little more private to talk about this.” Rarity said, looking around for any eavesdropping ponies.

“Um, I think I have an idea where we could stay.” Fluttershy said shyly.

*~*~*~*

“Well, This IS a surprise. Everypony missed me so much you all came for a friendly little visit, did you?” Discord said, holding his door open scanning everypony’s faces. Fluttershy was the only pony who greeted him with a smile. Discord’s place in Canterlot was a last resort; otherwise the others would not have even entertained Fluttershy’s idea.

“We have a little problem; Do you think we can stay with you tonight?” Fluttershy asked sweetly.

“Fluttershy?” He asked in shock, he disappeared and reappeared smaller circling around her in confusion. “And let me guess… you’re somepony else?” he asked Applejack.

“Yes, Discord, we’re in somewhat of a pickle.” Applejack replied shorty.

“Oh my, what fun is this? Such a beautiful bit of chaos, why didn’t I ever think of that?” Discord said laughing. He began to change the color of each pony’s fur, cutie mark, and the style of their mane interchanging them several times like it was some sort of game.

“Cut it out Discord, are you going to let us in or what?” Rainbow Dash asked disgruntled.

Discord snapped his fingers and every pony returned to their original body-switched state.

“Now now now don’t be ‘short’ with me Rainbow Dash.” Discord said, holding a paw over her head indicating her smaller stature as a dragon.

“I’m just sharing a bit of laughter among friends, isn’t that right Pinkie Pie?” he asked. Pinkie Pie was trying her best not to laugh up until that point, but she let out a giggle when he mentioned her name.

“He called you short! It’s so ‘punny’!” she said, giggling again at her own joke.

“Do tell me how this happened to you all. And where is dear Twilight? Did she cast this hilarious spell? Perhaps we’re a little sore at her for mixing us up, hmm?” he asked, leading them in an attempt to get some backlash against the alicorn.

“For your information, Discord, Twilight was the first of us to be cursed this way. That dreadful Trixie did this to her; to us!” Rarity exclaimed looking Discord in the eye with an angry glare.

“Trixie… Trixie… now where have I heard that name before? Ah ha!” Discord said, disappearing again and reappearing on a flyer drawing a large bushy mustache on the picture of Trixie under the WANTED caption. “You mean to tell me poor Princess Twilight is a wanted outlaw?” He asked, snapping his fingers and the image on the wanted poster turned into an image of Trixie frightened in a dungeon somewhere. “What are we to do?” He asked, faking sadness.

“Well, I’m sure you could pop in and get her out couldn’t ya?” Applejack asked warily.

“Alas my dear Appleshy, The castle is enchanted. It seems Princess Celestia doesn’t trust me to pop in and out as I please.” Discord answered, reappearing as normal standing in his doorway.

“Do let us inside now, Discord. It’s freezing out here.” Rarity complained.

Discord turned himself into a scarf and wrapped himself around her neck.

“Yes of course my dear Pinkity. We wouldn’t want you turning into a popsicle now would we?” Anything for a friend, please come in.” Discord replied with a mischievous smile.

The ponies filed in and looked around in confusion. They appeared to be standing on the ceiling, everything above them held down by some sort of reversed gravity.

“Do you like the place?” Discord asked, sitting on the ceiling smoking a pipe of bubbles which floated down to the ponies.

“It’s lovely.” Fluttershy complimented.

“It’s weird.” Spike replied.

Pinkie Pie was trying to reach a plate of cookies sitting on a coffee table in the corner, getting close but still unable to reach them.

“What a terrible host I am, you all must be hungry!” Discord said, snapping his fingers presenting each pony with a covered silver dish. Pinkie Pie was the first to open hers and was surprised by a tray of lively vegetables running around and screaming in little voices. “Oh my, it seems the main course might be a trifle uncooked.” Most of the ponies backed away from their dishes, with the exception of Pinkie Pie. Pinkie had taken a bite of celery, it’s little legs still kicking about as she gobbled it down.

“So what’s the plan?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“We’ve got to figure out how to get inside.” Rarity pointed out.

“The Gala!” Pinkie shouted with enthusiasm.

“If everypony is busy with the Gala, maybe they won’t notice us coming in?” Fluttershy asked.

“Trixie won’t risk letting us in, I think the guards will be on high alert for any uninvited guests.” Spike said.

“Then let’s get our hooves on some tickets.” Rainbow Dash said, “Or… claws.” She corrected.

“They’re giving away Gala tickets to the winners of the rodeo this year, I bet I could get win us some.” Applejack said.

“And the Wonderbolts are always performing for the Gala! I’m sure Spitfire would give us some if we explained the situation, I could talk to her; she knows me.” Rainbow said proudly.

“And exactly how will you get to Cloudsdale?” Rarity asked.

“I could do it. If somepony could teach me how to fly.” Spike volunteered.

“I’m on it.” Rainbow Dash said with a smile.

After a few more minutes exchanging ideas and plans they had a rough idea what they wanted to try. When Fluttershy yawned Applejack noted the hour, although it was difficult to read on Discord’s backwards clock.

“Looks like we’ve got a big day tomorrow. Why don’t y’all get some sleep?” Applejack suggested.

Reluctantly, the ponies followed Discord to their assorted rooms. They hoped somehow they could manage some sleep in this den of chaos. Every pony worried and wondered what might be happening to Twilight. If all went according to plan they could get her out as soon as tomorrow night, but wondered if that might be too late. Trixie was unpredictable and vindictive now, she has proven to be an even greater threat than any pony could have imagined. All they could do now was wait and worry.

The Pursuit of Tickets

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The next morning was met with disappointment and fatigue. No pony could get a proper rest the night before; and only part of that was due to the distraction of the rooms where they were staying. Being the gracious host, Discord laid out a spread for breakfast complete with apples shaped like bananas, bananas shaped like oranges, and oranges shaped like apples. The ponies were grateful that this meal didn’t run away from them as it did the night before.

“I trust you all slept comfortably?” Discord asked with a smirk.

“I wouldn’t exactly call that comfortable. My room was swarming with fish that swam around in the air.” Rainbow said.

“You think that was bad? My room was a hologram! Everything was fake except the bed. I had to feel around for it; I finally found it in the middle of a dresser. I didn’t dare look for a bathroom.” Rarity complained.

“My bed was alive! It was like a cute little kitty, it even purred!” Pinkie Pie said laughing.

“My whole room was a bed. It was like one of those padded rooms at the hospital except it was too soft, I kept falling into the floor!” Spike said.

“Well if we’re comparing notes I guess my room didn’t seem so bad.” Applejack said, “everything was eatable ‘cept that all the fruit smelled like chocolate and the flowers smelled like pie.”

“AWWWW LUCKY!” Pinkie said in jealousy.

“What about you, Fluttershy?” Rarity asked.

Fluttershy blushed and tried to hide her face. After an awkward period of silence she answered in just a whisper.

“Well, um, my room was kind of normal. It was decorated with flowers and animals, I thought it was sweet.”

“Oh sure, YOU get special treatment.” Rainbow grumbled.

“Well!” Discord said offended. “This is the thanks that I get for opening my home to you ponies? And here I thought you were my friends.”

“Of course we’re your friends.” Fluttershy said putting a hoof on his arm smiling. “And I’m sure everypony is grateful. We’ve never stayed anywhere quite like this.” She shot a glare at her friends.

“Oh yeah… sure… of course” the other ponies answered.

“Can we get back to the task at hand?” Applejack asked in exasperation. “Twilight’s counting on us to get her out of that prison and we’re not going to let her down.”

“Spike and I can go practice flying in the southern hills; there are some awesome cliffs we can use.” Rainbow said smiling.

“Cl-cliffs?!” Spike stammered.

“Don’t you worry Spikey Wikey, I’ll go with you. I won’t let Rainbow hurt a single hair on your mane.” Rarity said smiling. She’d rather spend her day on a sunny hill than in a dusty and dirty rodeo anyway.

“And I’m going with Applejack and Fluttershy!” Pinkie announced happily. “If I’m lucky, I can get some caramel corn and peanuts and cotton candy…” she trailed off dreaming of the possilibities.

Fluttershy frowned. She didn’t /want/ to go to the rodeo, but she was the only one who could technically get in. The rodeo officials knew what Applejack looked like and wouldn’t believe her if she approached them looking like Fluttershy.

“Are we really sure it’s a good idea to split up? That didn’t work out well for us last time.” Spike pointed out.

“I know it’s not the best idea but if we don’t split up now we may not get tickets sugarcube.” Applejack answered.

“It might be a good idea to figure out a time and a place to meet.” Fluttershy suggested.

“How about the concession stand at the rodeo!?” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Pinkie, how are you still hungry?” Rarity asked in astonishment.

“Oh I’m NEVER too full for caramel corn. Or candy corn. Or regular corn… with butter!” Pinkie answered.

“How about we just agree to meet at the rodeo arena instead?” Rainbow Dash asked. “So long as Spike learns to fly quickly enough we can get Spitfire and the Wonderbolts here before it’s over.”

“Isn’t anypony going to invite me? How rude.” Discord said with a huff.

“Oh! Discord, would you like to come with us to--“ Fluttershy started.

“I’d love to my dear Fluttershy, but I’m afraid I have plans of my own and won’t have even a moment to spare.” Discord answered dramatically.

“Then what in the hoof are you going on about?” Applejack asked.

“It’s always nice to be asked.” Discord answered. The other ponies rolled their eyes.
*~*~*~*

“Alright Spike, just flap a little faster, no wait… slow down! NO! Don’t tilt like that you’ll just--“ Rainbow shouted just before Spike collided with a tree. He groaned and slid down the tree landing on his back.

“I stayed up longer this time!” He announced happily when Rarity and Rainbow Dash came over to check on him.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Rainbow said, rubbing the back of her neck. She didn’t have this much trouble teaching Twilight to fly so it was disappointing that Spike wasn’t half-way to Cloudsdale by now.

“Oh you are doing just fine!” Rarity said with a smile. She was probably just as concerned as Rainbow Dash but she knew better than to make him feel bad about it.

“I just need to get a little more speed going before I take off!” Spike decided, he sprang up and dusted himself off before racing towards the top of a small hill.

“UGH he’ll never learn to fly in time!” Rainbow muttered as she and Rarity watched Spike take off, hover for a moment, then come crashing back down rolling all the way to the bottom of the hill. Rarity turned to her and jabbed her lightly in the side.

“Of course he will! He just needs a little more encouragement.” Rarity said. She trotted over towards him with a charming smile. “You’re doing so well Spike. I’m sure you’ll be an excellent flyer in no time! Look at all the progress you’ve made.”

“Aw thanks Rarity but, you don’t have to lie to me. I know how much is at stake. I mean, what if Applejack doesn’t win the rodeo and no pony gets a ticket into the Gala and Twilight has to stay in the dungeon even longer because I can’t get to Cloudsdale to find Spitfire because I CAN’T FLY! I’m sorry you got stuck switched with me Rainbow Dash, I wish you could have at least traded with Fluttershy.” Spike said, burying his face in his hooves.

“Now what kind of attitude is that?” Rainbow Dash said sternly but with a smile. “I’m GLAD you’re the one who gets to fly up there and save the day, you wanna know why? Because you’re the most determined little pony, er dragon, that I’ve ever met! Now come on, Twilight’s not going to sit in that cell if we have anything to say about it!” Rainbow Dash concluded.

“Yeah!” Spike replied his face lit up with a smile.

“So get out there and show me some flapping!” Rainbow shouted.

“Okay!” Spike replied, running towards the hill again with a resolute smile.

“How did you do that?” Rarity asked in astonishment.

“Do what?” Rainbow wondered.

“Cheer him up like that. I’ve been trying all morning to give him some encouragement; usually he’s always so pleasant around me.” Rarity said in huff.

“Maybe he just can’t take you seriously.” Rainbow said, chuckling to herself as she looked Rarity up and down. Rarity snorted angrily and looked up at her pink bouncy mane.

“What? Not serious… Are you kidding me?!” Rarity asked, her tone of voice going an octive higher. “Pinkie Pie or not I am STILL the best motivator to my little Spikey Wikey and I’m going to prove it!”

Rarity stormed off towards Spike, who was caught in the higher branches of a tree. He spit out a few leaves and tried to pull himself free from his current predicament.

“Oh hey Rarity, I know I know: I’m doing so well and I’ll get it soon.” Spike said, almost robotically. It was like he had no idea he was even talking to his pony crush.

“Now you listen here Spikey Wikey!” Rarity shouted up to him. “You’re going to get up there and you’re going to maintain your altitude and you WILL land on the ground with grace, do you hear me?” She said.
Spike looked down at her, mouth-a-gape.

“Uhhh…” was all he could muster.

“Flying is not just about speed: it’s like a dance, there are many different factors you have to take into consideration. Use the breeze to lift your wings and allow it to carry your whole body. Flap your wings in unison, make them work together to lift you up off the ground…” Rarity said, getting a little dreamy-eyed as she talked. Spike tried flapping his wings again. He closed his eyes and put forth as much effort as he could to keep the rhythm constant and the speed in check. He only opened his eyes once he had successfully hovered above the ground for a minute and realized he wasn’t hovering at all, he was airborne! As he celebrated his victory, and teetered his balance in the sky Rainbow looked at Rarity in shock and awe.

“That’s exactly what I’ve been TRYING to teach him all morning.” She said both pleased and bitter. “How do you know all that?”

“Don’t you remember my fabulous debut in Cloudsdale with my beautiful… beautiful wings? Well, I wasn’t going to say anything but even a graceful pony like myself needed to take a few flying attempts before she got the hang of it. Honestly, I don’t see what the fuss is all about.” Rarity replied with a shrug.

“Rainbow! Rarity! Look at me!” Spike shouted, spinning around in the air.

“That’s great Spike, now it’s time to put it to the real test, let’s head on over to those cliffs.” Rainbow called up to him. Spike stopped looping and his eyes grew wide. He teetered in the air a few times before losing his balance completely and crashing to the ground again. Rarity and Rainbow exchanged concerned looks and hoped AJ and the others were having better luck.
*~*~*~*

The Canterlot Rodeo was a highly populated event held on the grounds just to the east of the castle. Brightly colored tents surrounded the dirt arena where the other nine contestant ponies were practicing their moves. Unlike in the past, the qualifying rounds were already completed from different rodeo arenas across Equestria. Even Appoleoosa hosted an event for the rodeo this year: the bronco buck. The final rodeo event was being held in Canterlot to crown the overall rodeo champion. Applejack had four gold medals from the nine previous events; a new personal record. She was one of the ponies rumored to have this “in the bag”.
On the one hand, getting past the officials was easy once Fluttershy convinced the pony judges that Pinkie and Applejack were her coaches. On the other hand, performing would be an entirely different story. Today’s event was a combination of the different activities the contestants had already faced in the weeks past. This time, however, each activity was placed on an obstacle course; the first to cross the finish line would win the gold medal and the tickets. It didn’t take long for Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy to come up with a scheme that could get them out of trouble. They decided to use the same technique that Applejack and Rarity used at the sisterhooves social. Fluttershy could start the race and perform the hay bale lasso then cake herself in mud over at the pig-catching pen where Applejack would seamlessly take her place and finish out the race.

“Ya gotta really use those leg muscles sugarcube, try aiming for that there fence post.” Applejack said. Fluttershy was having a difficult time with her lasso, despite the improved strength of Applejack’s body. She released the rope and smiled when she felt it land on something. She tugged the rope tighter and turned to see if she’d lassoed the pole.

“Good job Fluttershy!” Pinkie exclaimed happily. “You just caught an Applejack!”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Fluttershy said, helping to loosen the rope from Applejack.

“Don’t be sorry, that was great! Just gotta work on your aim a bit.” Applejack said.

“Yeah! And you’ve still got a whole ten minutes to practice!” Pinkie Pie said.

“TEN MINUTES?!” Applejack and Fluttershy shouted in unison.

“Contestants to the starting line!” An announcer pony said, their voice echoing from a megaphone somewhere out of sight.

“Oh, strike that, I guess my watch is a bit slow.” Pinkie said, holding up her right hoof where a watch had been drawn onto her fur.

Fluttershy started hyperventilating. Somehow she had managed to spend almost two hours practicing this one move and she still couldn’t get it right.

“Calm down now sugar cube, you’ll be just fine! All you have to worry about is reaching that mud pit, okay?” Applejack said calmly. Not wanting to waste any more time Applejack excused herself and ran into position on the other side of the arena.

“Oh dear, oh dear.” Fluttershy whispered, shaking on her hooves.

“Come on Fluttershy.” Pinkie Pie said, pushing her friend along with her head. Fluttershy’s hooves dug into the ground as she was pushed.

“I don’t think this is such a great idea. All those ponies watching me? Judging me?” She cried.

“Aww it’s not that bad! I have to perform in front of ponies all the time! Nothing terrible’s ever happened to me before.” Pinkie said, stopping Fluttershy on the starting mark while the other contestant ponies got into place.

“Really?” Fluttershy asked smiling timidly.

“Sure! Unless you count the time I slipped and fell into the table and had the punch bowl land on my face. Or maybe the time I accidently tripped over that tree root and I knocked over Mayor Mare just before she was about to take that first yummy bite of cake at the Ponyville Day Celebration.” Pinkie said, trailing off on the many mistakes and embarrassing moments that she had had to endure. Somehow, that didn’t make Fluttershy feel any better.

“Contestants at the ready? On your mark…” the announcer pony started.

“You can do it Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie said with a smile.

“Get set…”

“No I can’t! I’ll ruin everything!” Fluttershy countered.

“I know you can! Besides, you’re the best-- oh hey! Look! I found the cotton candy pony! “ Pinkie Pie said distracted mid-sentence.

“The best what?” Fluttershy asked frantically.

“GO!”

The other ponies raced past Fluttershy leaving her behind in a cloud of dust. When the dust settled Fluttershy was shaking on the ground, her hooves over her head. Pinkie Pie was already gone, arguing prices with the vendor pony. Fluttershy squeaked and started a much slower pace towards the first obstacle: the lasso. The ponies were supposed to lasso a bale of hay and pull it towards a red marker on the ground. The weight of the hay didn’t bother Fluttershy, she knew this body was more than capable, but it just seemed so far away. This was the only thing she needed to do right, and she couldn’t let Applejack down. She picked up the rope with her mouth and reared up on her back hooves getting the lasso started. Applejack watched hopefully from her hiding place, seeing the other rodeo ponies move on to the next event before Fluttershy even had a chance.

“Go Fluttershy!” Pinkie cheered loudly from behind her, cotton candy smeared down her face. Other ponies around her looked at her in confusion; seeing a sophisticated pony like Rarity with blue and pink smeared all over her mouth was quite a sight.

Fluttershy released the lasso and completely missed the target. The crowd moaned in disappointment and Fluttershy gingerly reeled it back in. Applejack had to watch helplessly, unable to give herself up to help comfort her friend. When Fluttershy missed the hay barrel again the crowd was less than pleased, a few of the ponies began booing. Fluttershy immediately receded into herself, backing away from the crowd timidly. Before she had the chance to run away completely the rope in her mouth sprang up on its own and twirled around in the air. Fluttershy opened her mouth in astonishment and yet the rope did not fall.

“Hey I think I’m getting the hang of this!” Pinkie Pie called from behind Fluttershy. Fluttershy bit back down on the rope and turned to see Pinkie Pie using her magic to assist her. The rope landed perfectly around the bale of hay and Fluttershy smiled. She pulled against the rope and dragged the hay over to the line. She raced confidently towards the pig wrangling challenge and splashed into the mud. Applejack grabbed her hat and winked to Fluttershy as they traded places.
Applejack knew she had to make up for a lot of lost time but with each section she came to she was able to pass more ponies. Fluttershy wiped the crusted dirt from her fur. Once she was safely out of the lime light, she felt like herself again. The clock on the scoreboard showed that only ten minutes had passed and the lead pony was only on the fourth challenge. By that point Applejack was in 6th place and still finishing up the third challenge. Pinkie joined Fluttershy on the sidelines and was cheering so loudly that she had to stop and take a break just to catch her breath. So far so good!
*~*~*~*

The clock on the scoreboard indicated that it was just over forty minutes into the rodeo and the crowd was going crazy. The contestant ponies were closing in on the final challenge. Applejack was one of the four ponies in the lead, battling for first place. Pinkie Pie was so nervous that she was clutching onto Fluttershy tightly, both of them holding their breaths in anticipation. Applejack leapt over the last hurdle in the ninth challenge, now in second place, and made her way towards the bull pen.

The last challenge was the hardest of them all: bull herding. The contestant ponies were expected to guide some of the largest and meanest bulls in Equestria through a track of twists and turns quickly but without getting trampled. Each bull had been trained to react to a certain bright and blinding color and each contestant pony would wear that color on a vest to attract a bull's attention. Each bull had a different course to run; large walls of hay separated each course from the other to keep the bulls apart. The contestant from Appleloosa was in the lead. He donned his orange vest and the rodeo officials released his bull. The bull snorted angrily, his eyes growing wide at the sight of the vest and followed the pony through the twists and turns of the track towards the finish line. Applejack arrived next; donning a bright green vest she signaled to the rodeo ponies to release her bull.

"YEEEE HAW!" Applejack called happily when the gate was lifted; this was one of her favorite events and she was sure she would win. As she began the chase, one of the front runner contestants from Phillydephia decided he wasn't about to lose this race without a fight. He went off course thinking he could find a short-cut to the finish line. Unfortunately, the bull ran too fast for the contestant pony to control. The pony screamed and dodged out of the way as the bull ran into the sidelines of the course causing the wall of hay between courses to come crashing down. Now this bull had crossed into the path of a different contestant and her bull. Angry at the collision, the first bull gave out a mighty cry and chased the second rather than the pony. The crowd screamed in horror as the walls separating each bull from the other were destroyed by the fighting animals. Being very territorial, the bulls charged at each other while the ponies ran away helplessly trying to avoid their wrath.

The Phillydelphia pony laughed when he saw the chaos he'd created. He found his bull, the one who would follow his bright yellow vest, and kicked out one of his legs from under him. After the bull came crashing down he looked up at the pony in rage and charged at him. He raced towards the finish line, paying no mind to the ponies scrambling behind him. Applejack had avoided this mess and was oblivious to the chaos going on behind her. The crowd was cheering, gasping, and crying out so loudly it was difficult to understand what was going on.

"Woah nelly!" Applejack cried in shock when she saw the Phillydelphia contestant's bull zoom past her. She knew these bulls were supposed to be upset but this one seemed particularly dangerous. She turned around to see what state her own bull was in and was met with an eyeful.

Applejack didn't even have to think; she ripped off the iridescent green vest and raced to help the other ponies. Confused, her bull stopped in his tracks and trampled the vest into the dust before looking around wondering what he should do next; he eventually caught sight of the other bulls and joined their fiasco.When Applejack jumped from one course to another her wings broke free of the restraint she wore to keep them hidden. The crowd gasped in confusion when they saw them and Applejack knew it was too late to pretend anymore. She was barely able to pull a frightened pony away before a bull collided with the wall where she had been cowering. The rodeo officials were racing onto the track trying to contain the situation. Applejack wove in and out of the bulls with her sight set on a group of three ponies who needed her help.

"Hey you big BULLies!" Pinkie Pie called out. She was standing on the wall near the stampede wearing a large ridiculous rodeo clown outfit. "Betcha can't catch me!" She challenged with a giggle. The bright colors of her outfit only served to anger the bulls further and they took her bait; chasing after her and leaving the others a chance to escape. Applejack helped to get three more pony contestants over the wall to safety. She looked back into the arena and spotted five more ponies that were trapped inside. Pinkie Pie was having far too much fun leading the bulls in various directions, but as they ran past Applejack her long tail was caught under one of the bull's hooves and she fell to the ground.

"Hey! Look at me!" Pinkie Pie called out when she saw Applejack fall. She tried desperately to distract the bull so Applejack could get away.

Applejack struggled to find her footing, tripping on the dusty arena floor. Beads of sweat were pouring down her cheeks as she realized they were closing in on her and she couldn't see where to run. But before she even had a chance to scream, something pulled her up off the ground and into the air.

"Gotcha!" A familiar Pegasus pony said. The bulls that had been pursuing her collided into each other and snorted in anger when she was whisked away. It was Spitfire who had caught Applejack and she set her down safely with a smile. Applejack sighed with relief when she saw that the other Wonderbolts had rescued every other contestant pony. All that was left to handle now were the stampeding bulls below them; well out of harm's way.

"APPLEJACK!" Spike cried out, throwing his hooves around her in a hug.

"You were almost trampled!" Rarity gasped.

"I would have been if it weren't for Spitfire here." Applejack said, trying to catch her breath.

"Looks like we came just in time." Spitfire agreed.

The crowd erupted into cheers again as the Wonderbolts smiled and took a bow. The rodeo officials were attending to the pony contestants making sure every pony was alright. Applejack and the others saw pony officials leading the Phillydelphia contestant from the arena. His head was lowered and he plead for them to let him go; he claimed he had no idea what could have caused his animal to go crazy like that. Hearing this, Applejack was reminded of the state that the dragons had been in back in Ponyville… this outburst of crazed animals was a coincidence, right?

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was working with a few of the ponies that were attempting to calm the poor creatures down. She couldn't seem to get through to them, nor could she understand what they were trying to say. She exchanged worried glances with Applejack; she too saw the connection to the dragons in the Everfree forest.

"You're the only pony who even came close to the finish line... does that mean you win?" Spike asked excitedly.

"Uh… I don't think so Spike. They know we cheated." Applejack said sadly extending her wings and pulling them back in again.

"Aw come on! You should get extra points for saving lives!" Pinkie said.

"Doesn't matter, the Wonderbolts are here!" Rainbow Dash said with a grin. "We don't need the rodeo tickets, Spitfire will get us in."

The ponies all exchanged words of relief and happiness at that news.

“Yeah… about that…" Spike said awkwardly."I think we need to go somewhere a little more quiet to talk."

Spike and the others left the arena fearing the worst while the Wonderbolts stayed behind attending to the thankful and excited crowd. Spitfire caught the group leaving from the corner of her eye and excused herself to join them; she had bad news to deliver.

*~*~*~*

It had taken a few minutes but with Fluttershy’s help the bulls finally calmed down. They were collapsed on the arena floor sweaty and panting for breath. She rejoined the others just as Spitfire had pulled them aside. The group of them wandered away from the rodeo far enough to where they could hear themselves think.

“But I don’t understand, you’re the Wonderbolts!” Rainbow said defensively. “What do you mean you can’t get us in?”

“I’m afraid it’s not like that Rainbow Dash.” Spitfire said calmly. “We don’t use tickets to get into the Gala, we just join in after the performance. No pony gets through unless they’re a Wonderbolt.”

The others sighed in disappointment. It turns out that by the time Spike could reach Cloudsdale the Wonderbolts were already on their way to practice in Canterlot. If he had been there even half a minute later he would have missed them completely. Rarity and Rainbow left for the rodeo as soon as Spike had disappeared into the sky and they arrived there at the same time Spike and the Wonderbolts did. Spike’s description of their problem piqued Spitfire’s curiosity which ultimately persuaded her into going to see the others to explain.

“If you can get in the Wonderbolts and I can help you get past the phony princess. From what Spike tells me Trixie is the kind of pony that likes a lot of attention. We sure get plenty of that.” Spitfire offered.

Before any pony could respond they were interrupted by the sound of Discord’s laugh. He appeared beside them wearing a matador’s costume.

“I can’t believe how much fun it is to watch you ponies in a crisis. Priceless!” he said, waving his red cape.

“Are you telling me you’ve been watching us ALL ALONG? I thought you had more important things to do today than help us.” Applejack asked angrily.

“Well, the more I thought about it the more I didn’t want to miss out on seeing the performance you ponies gave me. I think my favorite part was watching the flying lesson for our little dragon friend. ” Discord said still laughing.

“You watched that and you didn’t even offer to go to Cloudsdale for us?” Rainbow said, her patience running thin.

“You were getting along just fine without me.” Discord countered.

This time not even Fluttershy could offer a kind word to him.

“What do we do now?” Fluttershy asked sadly.

“We’re doomed!” Rarity cried.

“Maybe we could sneak in?” Spike asked.

“It’s mighty risky.” Applejack commented. “Every guard in Canterlot will be there.”

“I find the best way to enter a party is with a ticket.” Discord said. He snapped his fingers and six golden tickets appeared fanned out in his claw.

“Are… you… KIDDING ME?!” Pinkie Pie Screamed. She ran up to Discord and pulled him down to her level by his beard. “You had these the whole time?!”

“No pony ever thought to ask me if I had a way into the Gala.” Discord said, crossing his arms.

“Why… but… when… HOW?” Rarity demanded.

“Princess Celestia gave them to me. She told me to invite you ponies while she was gone; she said you six might keep things interesting while she’s away and that somepony would need to ‘reel me in’.” Discord replied matter-of-factly.

“UGGHHHH” Rainbow Dash said, ramming her head lightly into a tree over and over in frustration. Unable to find a kind word to say everypony looked to Fluttershy. Fluttershy did nothing except stare at him unblinking in disbelief.

“If you don’t want my tickets then I can just invite somepony else…” Discord started.

“Don’t you even think about it.” Applejack said, snatching the tickets from his claw.

“Er… right… maybe I should rejoin the others, our performance is soon.” Spitfire said awkwardly. “If you need us once you’re inside come find me.” And without another word she was gone, flying back towards the rodeo.

“If looks could kill!” Discord said, amused.

“Discord, I think you need to go.” Fluttershy finally said. Discord looked over at her in surprise when he heard that.

“Pardon?”

“I think you need to go.” Fluttershy said again, more sternly this time.

“Ohhhh I get it. Every pony is mad at me, boo hoo hoo…. Does everypony really feel this way? Would you really turn away a friend who has saved you in this hour of need?” Discord asked with sarcasm.

“Don’t you lecture me mister. You’ve hurt your friends feelings and you need to give us some space until you can say you’re sorry.” Fluttershy said, looking him in the eye.

“Sorry?” Discord asked in surprise. “What about you Pinkie Pie, surely you can take a good joke?”

Pinkie Pie shot him a glare with a frightening-sounding growl.

“Alright everypony, I can take a hint. Maybe I’ll just give you all a little time to appreciate my humor. When you’re ready to be friends again you know where to find me” He said with a huff then snapped his fingers and disappeared.

“Remind me again why we continue associating with that creature?” Rarity mumbled.

The Gala

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Canterlot castle was glorious that evening, shining as a beacon for all of Equestria when it opened its gates for the guests of the Gala. Sophisticated ponies from across the nation were pouring into the castle courtyard wearing their finest. Rarity took pride in seeing some of her previous designs enter the Gala. She knew her new line would not be showcased after that disaster at Hoity Toity’s fashion show; which ended up working to their advantage. With the outfits no longer needed, Rarity and the others could sneak them out of the boutique to use as their disguises for the Gala.

“Do I really have to dress up like a girl?” Spike grumbled, he was wearing one of Rarity’s blue gowns with his mane done up in a beautiful and complicated pattern.

“Darling you look amazing! You shouldn’t be ashamed of that.” Rarity said with a smile.

“But I feel so ridiculous!” Spike protested.

“YOU feel ridiculous? What about me? That’s MY reputation you’re tarnishing in there! I’d never be caught dead wearing… well, something that froo froo.” Rainbow countered angrily.

Rarity sighed; she had given up trying to impart some fashion wisdom on Rainbow Dash long ago.

“Will you two knock it off already? It’s not the clothes that are important; we’ve just got to get inside without raisin’ any suspicion.” Applejack said.

“Yeah… about that, what’s the plan and how exactly am I gonna get in?” Rainbow Dash asked. Although they technically had a ticket for Rainbow Dash, it was unanimously decided she couldn’t join them walking in through the front gates. There wasn’t going to be another dragon in attendance and who knows what Trixie had told the castle guard. She was smart enough to have them on the lookout for Twilight’s friends and Spike would be a dead give-away.

Without missing a beat, Pinkie Pie reached up into the branches of a nearby tree and pulled down a chart. No pony knew where it came from but thought better than to ask. She used a stick to point to the image of Rainbow Dash in the corner near a crudely drawn diagram of the castle grounds and ballroom.

“Rainbow Dash will enter here, through the gardens, to find the dungeon tower.” Pinkie started.

“Pinkie and I will go in through the front and make our way out back to join you.” Applejack added.

“Fluttershy and I will be looking for Princess Luna, of course.” Rarity said.

“And I’m supposed to keep an eye on Trixie and get the Wonderbolts if she starts to suspect anything.” Spike concluded.

“Yeah yeah, I know all that, but how exactly am I going to get into the gardens without being seen?” Rainbow Dash asked skeptically.

“Like this!” Pinkie Pie said. Once again, out of nowhere, she pulled a costume out from behind her and threw it over Rainbow Dash. “You’ll blend right in!”

The other ponies took one look at her disguise and broke into a fit of giggles.

“What?” Rainbow Dash asked. “What am I wearing?” She looked down at her claws and gasped. She was covered in feathers! She felt behind her and found a feathery tail. “I’m a…. DUCK?!” she asked in horror.

“Oh wait I almost forgot!” Pinkie Pie chimed; she strapped a paper beak over Rainbow Dash’s nose and mouth. “NOW you’re a duck.”

“Aww it’s so… cute!” Fluttershy squealed in delight.

“Yeah, I’m not going to wear this.” Rainbow Dash said, less than amused.

“Do you have a better idea?” Rarity asked sarcastically.

“Yeah, it’s called ‘not getting caught’” Rainbow answered.

“We can’t take that chance.” Applejack decided. “It’s not going to kill you to wear it for a little while, till you’re in the clear at least.”

“Who wouldn’t want to be dressed like a duck? That would be so much fun!” Pinkie Pie said with a giggle; secretly wishing she could have been the one for this assignment.

“Unless you’d rather be a chicken.” Applejack teased, implying that Rainbow wasn’t brave enough to handle this sort of task. As she hoped, Rainbow took her bait and took Applejack’s remark as a challenge. She led the six of them over towards the hedge wall of the Canterlot garden.
Canterlot guards were stationed nearby, so the ponies had to find a secluded part of the garden wall that was unlit and out of sight; a difficult task. The original plan was to have Spike fly Rainbow Dash over the hedge and fly back before any pony could see him. Unfortunately, the only part of the garden they could find that was unguarded had a thick series of trees on both sides of the hedge wall. Spike wouldn’t have enough room to fly and the branches where too far from the ground to climb. Even though Rainbow had the advantage of claws she could use for climbing, they were hidden under layers of feathers and she hadn’t spent enough time in Spike’s body to know how to climb like that. Realizing the issue of timing, the ponies frantically began searching along the wall looking for a weak spot for Rainbow to crawl through. However, after a few minutes Rainbow decided it was pointless.

“Well I don’t see any weak spots over here and I can’t climb this thing so I guess I don’t have to wear this after all. Looks like we’ll have to make a plan B.” Rainbow said, reaching for the zipper on the back of her costume.

“We don’t NEED to go through the hedge.” Pinkie Pie observed.

“There isn’t enough time to tunnel under it, and I can’t fly over it.” Rainbow countered.

“Who said anything about needing to fly?” Pinkie asked. She picked Rainbow Dash up off the ground.

“Pinkie… what are you…” Rainbow Dash started, but she stopped mid-sentence when she realized exactly what Pinkie had planned. She tried to protest, but was too late; Pinkie had already flung her into the air and over the hedge wall. The other ponies gasped and pressed their ears up against it listening for her to land on the other side.

“Are you alright, Rainbow?” Applejack whispered through the hedge leaves.

“Ow.” Rainbow replied sardonically. She had gotten caught in the branches of a tree on the garden side of the hedge. Knowing that she had to get out of line of sight quickly Rainbow tried to untangle herself by prying one of the branches loose from her foot. In doing so, however, she tipped over backwards and plopped onto the ground. She cried out again in surprise and stood up dusting herself off. “Thanks Pinkie, that was invigorating.”

“You’re welcome!” Pinkie replied loudly. Rarity and Fluttershy gasped, covering Pinkie’s mouth.

“HEY! Who goes there?” a pony guard called out. Pinkie offered her friends a guilty smile and a small shrug. “Haha…. Oops…” she whispered.

The security guard and his companion had been passing by looking for anything suspicious. They shone their flashlights on Rainbow Dash, but were only able to partially see her through some bushes. They started towards her and Rainbow began to silently panic. She pulled the beak over her face and tried to think of something to do.

“Pssst!” Pinkie Pie said, much more quietly this time. “Your line is: Quack Quack.”

“Uh… Quack Quack Quack Quack.” Rainbow said, mustering the best duck impression that she could. The guards looked at each other then back at Rainbow. From where they stood they could only see her feathers and fell for Rainbow’s little charade.

“Ah just another stupid animal.” The second guard said to the first, both of them turning and walking away.

“Stupid?!” Fluttershy gasped in anger. “Just who do they think they are!? Animals are ponies too you know!”

“Guys, I’m good! Get going!” Rainbow Dash said, heading into the gardens and towards the southernmost towers to begin her search.

“Come on every pony, we gotta get inside there isn’t time to lose.” Applejack said urgently. The others nodded in agreement and followed her towards the front gates.
*~*~*~*

“Thanks for coming, yes it is the ‘Grandest’ of any gala, isn’t it? Let’s move things along now please.” Trixie said impatiently. She was standing proudly in the middle of the receiving room wearing an impressive amount of jewelry and had her wings extended out to show off her regality. Much to everypony’s dismay they soon discovered that the receiving room stood directly between them and the ballroom; there was no way to avoid passing through. Trixie looked far too pleased with herself as other ponies bowed before her.
“Ugh, it just makes me sick.” Rarity muttered, trying to take in Trixie’s performance. She and Fluttershy tried to maneuver quietly around the line of ponies waiting to approach the phony princess.
So far the five friends had gained entrance to the Gala without arousing suspicion. They decided it would be best not to enter as a group and broke off in pairs, with the exception of Spike. Spike went in first with the primary objective of finding the Wonderbolts. Every pony had counted on seeing Princess Luna standing with Trixie in the receiving hall and were surprised when she wasn’t there.
“Did we really expect anything less?” Applejack asked rhetorically. She and Pinkie had found Rarity and Fluttershy and joined them in the corner of the room.

“Glad you made it in okay.” Fluttershy said with a warm smile.

“It was easy… too easy.” Pinkie Pie replied cautiously.

“The guards didn’t seem all that interested in checking faces.” Rarity added.

“That’s just what they WANTED you to think.” Pinkie Pie said, darting her eyes back and forth suspiciously. “WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?” She screamed out at a pony that had only been innocently passing by.

“If Princess Luna isn’t here with Trixie… do you suppose she’s in the Gala?” Fluttershy asked getting the others back on track.

“I don’t ever recall seeing her at a Grand Galloping Gala before. I suppose she might not be here at all.” Rarity pointed out.

“That would mean she’d be in the western towers, probably overseeing her duties as the night Princess. Unless she’s in the ballroom with the other guests.” Applejack said.

“Then where do we look?” Pinkie asked in confusion.

“Why don’t we split up again. Pinkie and I can check the ballroom before we join Rainbow Dash. Rarity and Fluttershy can head up to the tower.” Applejack said.

“The only way to the tower is up those stairs.” Rarity said, pointing to the staircase where Trixie stood. “How do you propose we get past her?”

“I think that’s where we come in.” Spitfire said. The four ponies turned to see Spitfire, Soarin, and Fleet Foot accompanying Spike. The gala guests took notice of their arrival and began to crowd around them. Soarin and Fleet Foot tried their best to maintain crowd control while the others talked. “Me ‘n the Wonderbolts will keep Trixie outta your hair.”

“That’ll give us some time to sneak behind her.” Rarity said confidently.

Fluttershy whimpered softly but didn’t protest. She wasn’t so sure about all of this sneaking around business; it seemed mighty risky.

“Alright, we’ll do our best. Wait for the signal.” Spitfire said with a nod.

“Let’s try it.” Applejack answered. Spitfire nodded and tapped the other Wonderbolts pointing at the Princess before making her way through their fans towards the stairs. Spike and the others got into position and waited.

“Princess Twilight.” Spitfire said, interrupting Trixie as she greeted yet another guest. “What an honor it is to see you.”

“Oh… the Wonderbolts.” Trixie said with a smile. She certainly liked the attention they had brought with them. “My dearest friends!”

Spitfire stood beside her and put a hoof around her, posing for a picture.

“Be sure and get my good side.” Trixie said to the pony photographer, posing for her adoring public. Soarin stood on Trixie’s other side effectively blocking her view of the staircase to her right. He flapped his wings once to the others as their ‘all clear.’

“Best get a move on you two. Good luck.” Applejack said, urging Rarity and Fluttershy forward. It was easier than they thought to get past the other ponies and guards without being seen. Applejack, Spike, and Pinkie Pie waited until they were successfully out of sight before they started towards the ballroom.

Once they were in the Gala the three of them split up and began the search for the Princess. Pinkie Pie had immersed herself in the crowd of Gala guests and moved around with impressive agility; she poked her head up now and again from the crowd in various places always alert. She even managed to somehow stick her head up through a punch bowl on the Hors d'œuvre table and was met with surprise and disgust by gala guests who had come over for a drink.

“Punch?” she offered with a smile, her mane soggy and dripping. The other ponies shook their heads and backed away slowly.

While the three ponies searched, they were unaware of a pair of eyes curiously watching them from afar.
*~*~*~*
From a secluded balcony above the ballroom an intrigued Princess Luna watched the Gala guests and spotted the trio as they searched. She recognized them immediately; she could never forget the ponies who had taken away her dark power. This wasn’t the first peculiarity she had seen that evening; although it certainly began raising more questions in her mind.
Luna had not had the privilege of spending a lot of time with Twilight Sparkle in the past; but she couldn’t imagine her behavior changing so drastically from the pony she had seen to the one staying here now. Twilight was acting vain and selfish, and had made no effort to see any of her friends. Luna was equally as surprised when she learned from the Canterlot guard that Twilight had requested not to allow her friends access to the Gala. When she confronted Twilight about it, she claimed that they had gotten into an argument back in Ponyville and that she needed more time and distance to heal the wounds they had made. Luna had decided to keep an eye on Twilight Sparkle, and try to understand the change that had occurred; so when she saw her Ponyville friends poking around the ballroom it only served to make her feel even more uneasy.
Luna watched as the three ponies gathered back together to discuss something then head outside towards the gardens. The balcony where Luna stood was connected to a small hallway passage nopony knew about with the exception of Celestia. This hallway took Luna to a similar balcony outside; this one much smaller and concealed well with the design and layout of the castle stone. For now, she decided to keep her distance, watching ever vigilantly to see what these ponies were planning.

“Took ya long enough!” Rainbow Dash called to her friends when she finally spotted them outside. Applejack, Spike, and Pinkie had already ditched their Gala outfits and were wandering aimlessly around the castle grounds looking for her.

“Sorry, we had a bit of a situation inside to take care of first.” Applejack pointed out.

“Hey! Where’s your costume?!” Pinkie Pie asked.

“I got rid of that ages ago! I wasn’t going wander around looking like a duck.” Rainbow said bitterly.

“Aww but you looked so cute!” Pinkie Pie said, hugging Rainbow.

“Did you find her?” Spike asked nervously.

“Not specifically, but I did find the dungeon tower.” Rainbow said, leading them along the path towards the right tower. “It wasn’t easy either. There’s so many towers around here it’s a wonder anypony can figure out where they are. Here we go, this is it.”

The tower in question certainly looked the part; it was hidden between two other towers much taller and overpowering than this one. It looked like it was older than some of the other architecture around; the bricks had moss growing out of its crevices and the windows were smaller and differently shaped. The overall appearance was stereotypically creepy; the ideal place for the dungeon to be.

“How do we get inside?” Spike asked, wandering along the tower looking for a door or a window large enough to crawl through. He paused in front of a large old iron door and his eyes widened. “Oh.”

“So what are we waiting for?” Pinkie Pie asked happily.

“It’s locked Pinkie Pie.” Rainbow pointed out. “I’ve been fighting with it while you ponies took your own sweet time in there.”

From behind them, Luna waited. They had been seeking out the Canterlot dungeon? It didn’t make any sense. Perhaps there was more to this than she previously believed? Using her magic, she unlocked the iron door without making herself known. She thought it better to remain hidden for now; there’s no telling what may happen.

Pinkie Pie went up to the iron door and pressed her hoof against it. The door swung open easily with a low creak. Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped and the others fought back a smile.

“How did… what the…” Rainbow started.

“Locked, huh?” Applejack teased.

“It was, I swear!” Rainbow said defensively. “I must have loosened it or something.”

“Right.” Applejack with a chuckle. The three ponies and dragon warily poked their heads inside. All that could be seen was a stone staircase leading both up and down. There was no light coming from either direction.

“It’s awful dark, isn’t it?” Spike said nervously.

Pinkie Pie made her thinking face for a moment and then got an idea. She bounced over to an unlit torch on the wall and pulled it free. Then, turning to Rainbow Dash, she straightened out her tail and pushed down on it as if it were an old-fashioned water pump. Rainbow Dash let out an involuntary burp of flame that successfully caught the torch on fire.

“I wish you would stop doing that!” Rainbow protested, snatching the torch from Pinkie’s grasp. “Next time you have to be the dragon.”

“Ooo and you can be a unicorn!” Pinkie said.

“Um, I’d actually like to be the dragon.” Spike offered shyly.

“Cut it out you three. Which way should we go: up or down?” Applejack asked.

“I think up.” Spike said, the thought of going downward into darkness seemed far scarier for some reason.

“Don’t worry Twi, we’re coming!” Rainbow said, stepping out in front of her friends and leading the way up the stairs.

Luna raised an eyebrow when she heard that. The more she heard the less she understood. As always, she waited and gave the ponies a good head start before she followed them up the winding stairs.
*~*~*~*

“Oh I’ve never seen this part of the castle before!” Rarity said excitedly. “I just love the décor, it’s so reminiscent of the pony renassience, don’t you think?” She asked Fluttershy.

Fluttershy was a little too preoccupied with the ominous-looking suits of armor to really understand or appreciate the beauty of the décor, as Rarity had said. Even though this castle had nothing on the scariness of the ruined castle in the Everfree forest, anything looked more frightening and intimidating at night.

“Oh Rarity, are you sure we’re going the right way?” She asked.

“To tell you the truth I have absolutely no idea, darling. I wish I had my horn, at least then we could see where we were going.” Rarity said, pulling Fluttershy out of the way of a side table and vase before she could knock it over.

“Thanks.” Fluttershy said.

Rarity suddenly let out a frighteningly loud shriek. Fluttershy screamed and ducked behind the side table causing the vase on top to wobble. “What? What is it!?” she whispered frantically.

“It’s GORGEOUS!” Rarity said in awe. She was looking up at a beautiful tapestry hanging on the wall of a small room nearby. Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief and quickly joined her friend. The light of the moon shone through a tall window illuminating the tapestry that Rarity was admiring. “Just look at the detail…. There is so much to take in! Do you see that? Those colorful lanterns look as if the fire was stitched into the fabric itself; like magic! Oh how I wish I had my sketch pad; can you imagine having a dress patterened with something like this?” Rarity gushed.

Fluttershy didn’t respond right away, she was noting a peculiarity in the tapestry that Rarity had not seen. In the center there appeared to be an outline of an object that was no longer there. Rarity turned to see what Fluttershy was looking at and she too was puzzled.

“That’s odd.” She said, running her hoof over the fabric.

“It’s like someone unstiched it there.” Fluttershy said meekly. The best she could make it out the outline appeared to be of some sort of flower, a rose perhaps.

“Oh how dreadful!” Rarity exclaimed, she held up one of the corners of the tapestry to show Fluttershy a tear in the side. “A beautiful piece like this deserves to be mended!”

Fluttershy felt a shiver of cold run down her spine and she turned around to see what could have caused it. The door where they had entered was closing itself. Fluttershy raced over to keep it open but it latched shut and locked. She tried desperately to get it to open again. Rarity was too busy mourning the tapestry to notice. Fluttershy gulped and took a look around the room for the first time. It seemed rather odd for a tapestry to be hanging in a side room rather than in the hall where most other tapestries would be. This room wasn’t a spare bedroom; there was no bed. In fact, there was hardly any furniture at all, merely some old boxes and trinkets layered under some dust.

“Who would ever try to keep a piece like this locked away in some dusty storage closet?” Rarity asked.

“Rarity…” Fluttershy said softly. That same chill when down her spine again and she ducked behind her friend. She tried to convince herself it was the wind. “Do you think maybe we could find a way out of here now?”

“What do you mean, darling?” Rarity asked. Fluttershy pointed to the locked door and Rarity went to investigate. “Ugh. Typical, just typical. A gust of wind closes the door and it locks from the outside!”

“Yeah… a-a gust of wind.” Fluttershy said, trying to convince herself that that must have been what happened.

“Well, here we are!” Rarity said, pushing a few dusty objects aside. “Another door.” She pushed it and it opened freely. “There, see? Nothing to be afraid of. I promise I’ll try not to get too distracted again. Although I must remember to ask the Princess about seeing to that lovely piece’s repair.” Fluttershy followed Rarity back out into the hall but it didn’t appear to be the same one where they had entered.

“Are we… lost?” She squeaked.

“Nonsense. Look, I can see the western tower from here! It looks like that little detour might have been a happy accident after all.” Rarity said, leading Fluttershy away. She started talking about the décor again but Fluttershy wasn’t paying attention. Every turn she made she had the uneasy feeling that somepony was watching them. The sooner they found the Princess the better.

“Did you hear something?!” Fluttershy said when she thought she heard a noise coming from somewhere up ahead.

“Fluttershy, do you remember how pointless it was to be afraid at the pony sisters’ castle? That was a creepy old castle but this is Canterlot castle, there’s no reason to fear this place.” Rarity comforted. However, before she could continue she too heard the noise and felt a flicker of doubt. “Well… I think it might be best to hurry this along a little bit. I’m sure the others have need of our help, right?” she said.

Fluttershy couldn’t answer; she was shaking as she walked. When Rarity and Fluttershy turned another corner they were greeted with a comforting sight. Down a wide hallway there was a room that had a light on from the inside. The room had large double doors with moons carved into them.

“That must be it!” Rarity exclaimed happily.

“Thank goodness.” Fluttershy said, letting out a sigh of relief. The two of them hurried quickly towards the door and knocked on it politely.

“Princess Luna?” Rarity called. Nopony answered. “Princess Luna it’s us, Rarity and Fluttershy? I’m sure you remember us. There’s a matter of great importance we must speak to you right away and--“

Rarity was interrupted when Luna’s door opened for them. Rarity smiled and let herself in, Fluttershy staying close behind. Once they had entered, however, the door slammed shut and both ponies screamed.
*~*~*~*

Twilight was curled up in the corner of her cell with a look of despair on her face. She hadn’t moved a muscle in what felt like hours. The food that had been given to her was left untouched in the corner. Despite her efforts to call out for her friends nopony ever answered her cries. Left alone to worry, she could only imagine the worst possible things that Trixie was doing to her friends. The anger she had for that unicorn was festering inside her and she hated what it was doing to her.

Twilight’s ear twitched when she caught a faint sound of hoofsteps outside. Usually she would only hear one set or two; Trixie or a guard. This time, however, there were several hoofsteps and they were moving very quickly. She stood up and and strained to hear who was coming.

“OW that was my tail!” she heard the familiar sound of Rainbow Dash’s voice say.

“Oops, sorry.” Came the reply from Pinkie Pie.

Twilight choked on a gasp, her heart swelling when she heard them.

“Pinkie Pie! Rainbow!” She called, her voice hoarse from crying.

“Twilight!” Spike cried, he rushed towards the sound of her voice and found her cell door at last.

“Spike? Girls?” Twilight said, tears streaming down her cheeks in joy and gratitude.

“Twilight, are you okay sugarcube?!” Applejack asked.

“How do we get in?” Spike called.

“There’s a key on a hook just outside the door.” Twilight replied. She heard somepony pull it free and fit it into the lock on the door. The door clicked and opened to reveal her friends’ relieved and smiling faces. Spike burst into the room first and tackled Twilight with a hug. He too was crying, though trying his best not to show it.

“Twilight!” The others said rejoicing. They all swarmed around her in a group hug. No pony could say anything for the first few minutes; they just embraced their friend in gratitude.

“Girls, Spike, how did you escape? Where’s Trixie? What did she do to you?!” Twilight gasped.

“Escape?” Pinkie asked in confusion.

“Sugar we didn’t escape from anywhere we just came lookin’ for you.” Applejack added.

“Trixie told me she had you all locked away.” Twilight said; and for the first time grateful that Trixie had lied.

“Why that good for nothing… slimey…backstabbing…” Rainbow Dash said through gritted teeth.

“Twilight we were so worried!” Pinkie said. “We tried everything we could to get here sooner but there was Discord’s trick and then the Wonderbolts and the bull thing, not to mention Rainbow Duck and..”

“Wait, what?” Twilight asked thoroughly confused.

“Nevermind.” Applejack said, covering Pinkie’s mouth. “Let’s get you outta here.”

Rainbow reached down with the keys and unlocked Twilight from her chains.

“Where’s Trixie?” Twilight asked.

“She’s at the Gala, puttin’ on the show like she runs the place.” Applejack said.

“And Princess Luna?” Twilight added.

“Rarity and Fluttershy are looking for her now.” Rainbow said.

“Trixie, she… she fooled everypony. It’s just like Queen Chrysalis, even Princess Luna fell for her act. I’m not so sure the Princess would believe us if we told her what she’s done.” Twilight said.

“We wouldn’t say that,” came a voice from outside the cell.
“Princess Luna?” everypony said in shock and relief.
Princess Luna entered, using her magic to illuminate Twilight’s cell with light. She was startled when the group of ponies threw a group hug around her; she wasn’t used to that kind of embrace.
“Art thou saying somepony has been lying and manipulating the princess of the night? Tell me more of this Trixie at once.” She said angrily. She had heard enough outside the cell to know these ponies were telling the truth. Now all she wanted to know what who to punish. The ponies looked at each other and back at Luna. Where should they start?
*~*~*~*

Trixie had had the night of her life. She was crowded by all the most important ponies all evening; each of them trying to get her attention and pleasing her with compliments. She could never have dreamed of a more perfect Gala. It seemed such a shame to have to bring the evening to a close; but even she had to admit she was getting tired. The guards were escorting the guests from the castle and Trixie was once again standing in the center of the receiving room bidding them all farewell. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if she should pay her little prisoner friend a visit. She hadn’t seen a trace of Twilight’s friends all evening; nor had any of her guards. Maybe her power and influence finally scared some sense into those ponies.

“Don’t get too comfortable Trixie.” Twilight said.

Trixie gasped and looked down to see Twilight and her friends emerging from a side door under the stairs.

“You!” she screamed angrily. She shook off her jewelry and raced down the steps to confront her; fuming at the incompetency of her guards. “Guards! Arrest her immediately!”

“They shall be fooled by thy tricks again, Trixie.” Princess Luna said, appearing from behind Twilight and her friends.

“P-princess Luna?!” Trixie gasped. She stopped running and slid on her hooves trying to stop herself from reaching them. She turned around and attempted to run away.

“GET HER!” Rainbow Dash cried, running as fast as her stubby little legs would allow. Spike took off like a bullet after Trixie, tackling her to the ground.

“Let me go!” Trixie screamed, wriggling from under him.

Twilight used Trixie’s magic to transport herself in front of Trixie. Spike finally let Trixie up where she came face-to-face with her long-time enemy.

“What are you going to do to me, Princess? You wouldn’t risk losing your precious body now would you?” Trixie said with a strange combination of anger and pleading in her voice.

“I’m not going to do anything. YOU are going to switch us back and face the consequences of your actions.” Twilight said sternly.

“Well well well… if it isn’t the wise ruler in you trying to show the diplomatic answer. After everything I’ve done to you; you STILL think I can be reasoned with?” Trixie said, circling Twilight.

“Why I outta…” Rainbow started, but Applejack picked her up by her tail to stop her.

“Easy there Rainbow, we need Trixie in one piece to fix this mess.” Applejack muffled as she gripped Rainbow’s tail.

“Hah! You think I’ll give you an answer just like that?” Trixie laughed.

“It would be in thy best interest to do as thou is told, Trixie Lulamoon. For the punishment of your crime is dependent upon your cooperation with us now.” Princess Luna said calmly.

“You’re LUCKY the princess will take it easy on you!” Rainbow shouted.

Trixie turned to make a snide comment to Rainbow when she realized what had happened. Without thinking, she burst into laughter surprising Twilight and her friends.

“You actually got your friends switched? How foolish can you be, Twilight?” Trixie mocked.

Twilight growled and pinned Trixie to the ground, her horn shining brightly readying herself to cast a spell. Her patience was running very thin and she wasn’t sure how long she could wait before she took out her anger on her.

“How do we reverse the spell, Trixie?” Twilight said through her teeth.

“No!” Trixie shouted, she used magic to transport herself away from Twilight and onto the top of the staircase. “I’m not going back, I’m NEVER going back! I won’t live the life of a washed-up loser anymore! You deserved this Twilight Sparkle, you never had to know what it felt like to be hated, outcast, unwanted! You’ve always gotten everything you wanted. Not this time, you can’t make me give you back!”

“If you think you can just stand there and… wait… what’s that sound?” Twilight said. The entire room went silent and each pony could hear a faint but high-pitched scream getting louder and closer by the minute. Everypony was temporarily distracted and confused by the sound until Spike finally spoke to say:

“It’s Rarity!”

A few seconds later Rarity and Fluttershy came bounding down the staircase screaming at the top of their lungs. They ran directly into Trixie sending the three of them flying down the stairs and landing clumsily at the bottom.

“Good gravy girl, whatsamatter with you?” Applejack said, turning away from Rarity’s high-pitched wail because it hurt her ears. Luna and the other ponies had gathered around them, trying to get some answers. Rarity didn’t stop screaming, and Fluttershy was crying too hard to form coherent words.

Not one to question good fortune, Trixie managed to wriggle out from under the ponies and crept away from them slowly towards the door. Before she could get far, a large gust of wind tore through the room extinguishing all of the lights and causing everypony’s mane and tail to whip around in the air out of control. The wind was followed by a terrifying sound like a screech and a whinny combined into one. Everypony in the room gazed up unbelieving at a great shadowy figure of an alicorn that was almost five times the size of them that had appeared from the hallway where Rarity and Fluttershy had come from.

The Unlikely Alliance

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The shadowy alicorn with blazing red eyes reared up on its hind legs and gave out another mighty screech. Trixie was the first to scream and raced back towards Twilight, cowering behind her clutching onto her back legs.

"DO SOMETHING!" She screamed.

Twilight and her friends could only stand frozen in fear when the beast began to charge.

"Run!" Twilight screamed. She and her friends, along with Trixie, ran towards the exit. On the other hand, Luna appeared to be challenging the beast. She too reared up on her back legs and let out a great blast of magic towards the monster. The alicorn shadow evaded the blast and sank into the ground moving along the floor until it reached the set of double doors where Twilight and the others were headed. It came up from the floor and fanned out its wings; causing the ponies to scream and start running in a different direction.

Luna flew up off the ground and directed her magic at the beast, narrowly missing it with each blast. Trixie was ahead of the others now, racing down the hallway of stained glass towards the throne room. Once she made it there she realized her mistake: it was a dead end. Twilight and her friends weren't too far behind. They all reached the opposite wall where Trixie was cowering and could do nothing but watch the struggle between the monster and Luna. Luna was very skilled and dodged each attempt that the creature made to lunge at her. She tried many different spells; a few of them that were able to distract the monster long enough for her to get away. Unfortunately, most spells just went through it as if she was literally fighting smoke. The alicorn bit down on Luna's tail and flung her into the wall, causing three tall windows of stained glass to come crashing down. The ponies watching below screamed and covered their eyes from the shards of glass.

"We've got to do something!" Rainbow shouted.

"Rainbow, Applejack, can you get that fallen banner there? I'll try to draw the monster over here so you two can trip it. Pinkie, Spike, Fluttershy try to get its attention away from the princess long enough for me to go help her!" Twilight replied.

The others sprang into action. Rainbow hopped onto Applejack's back and they raced towards the fallen banner. Spike and Fluttershy picked up some of the fallen shards of glass and started throwing them at the shadowy figure. Unfortunately, the glass flew straight through the monster and it didn't even seem to notice. Trixie was cowering behind the throne, hiding her face in her front hooves and trying to curl up into a little ball.

"Hey! Over here you big scary smoke thingy!" Pinkie screamed, jumping up and down underneath the monster. The alicorn turned its head to see her and Luna blasted it with another spell. This spell hit the monster directly in the eye, and unlike the other spells that had passed through it; this one seemed to have worked. The monster screeched again, stumbling backwards. Its front hooves smashed into the ceiling of the room and pieces of it began to fall. Pinkie's tail, clear over on the other side of the room, began to twitch as the glass and debri scattered all around Pinkie who was still at the base of the monster. Princess Luna flew down and snatched Pinkie away before any of it could harm her. Once Luna had set Pinkie down, the alicorn figure threw itself over Luna consuming her in its shadowy darkness.

Luna screamed in surprise, disappearing into the dark heart of the creature. By then, Twilight had finally reached where Pinkie and Luna had been and directed her own magic at it. The alicorn screeched again and charged towards Twilight as it had with Luna. Rainbow and the others called out in terror when they saw that it was too late to stop it. However, unlike Luna, the alicorn creature passed through them like a ghost and kept charging. Twilight looked to see where it was headed and saw the frightened Trixie curled up behind the Canterlot throne. Trixie looked up at the monster screaming for her life. Thinking fast, Twilight used what strength she had to cast a spell of blinding light that could distract the monster long enough for Trixie to get away. Her spell did just that, and Trixie fled from the carnage that the alicorn was making of the throne and the windows around it. The monster did not try to re-enter the fight after Twilight's spell. Instead, it leapt outside and flew only for a moment before evaporating into thin air leaving behind a faint red glow.

Trixie coughed and pulled herself up off the ground, gingerly extending one of her wings discovering that it was broken. She cried out softly from the pain and let it hang uselessly down beside her. As she did so, she was thrown to the ground again, landing on her hurt wing and causing her to cry out again.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Spike demanded; he had been the one that tackled her to the ground.

"What have you done with Princess Luna?" Pinkie Pie screamed. She and the others were swarmed around Trixie leaving her no room for escape.

"ME?!" Trixie shrieked.

"Quit messing around Trixie, tell us where the princess is or we'll-" Rainbow Dash started but was interrupted by Trixie's protests.

"You don't think I have anything to do with this, do you!? That THING tried to EAT ME!" Trixie cried in fear. "It didn't want any of you! It was after ME!"

"For once, I think she's right. It went right through Pinkie and Twi as if it didn't even know they were there." Applejack said warily.

"Of course I'm right! I could have been killed! What did YOU ponies do?!" Trixie cried.

"It wasn't us!" Pinkie said, offended.

"What was that thing?" Fluttershy asked, still shaking.

"Some sort of giant… alicorn beast!" Rarity said, holding up the remains of her Gala gown sadly in her hooves.

"Where did it come from?" Twilight asked Rarity and Fluttershy.

Rarity explained that when they found Princess Luna's room the creature was waiting inside. At first they believed it to be the princess; casting a shadow on the wall. It wasn't until the shadow itself opened its creepy glowing red eyes that they understood it to be a monster. They ran from the room as quickly as they could, the monster growing in size as it chased them down the hallway.

"And it was just waiting in there until you found it?" Twilight clarified.

"You think that thing was sent for Luna?" Rainbow Dash asked, understanding what Twilight meant.

"Alright Trixie, start talkin'." Applejack said angrily. All eyes turned to the frightened alicorn as the seven of them came closer.

"I already told you, I have no idea!" Trixie protested. "Get off me!" She screamed, bucking Spike away from her angrily.

"That's it. She's toast!" Rainbow said, charging towards her. Trixie screamed and cowered but before Rainbow could make contact she was frozen in place with her hoof still raised and ready to strike. Twilight had used her magic to stop her, and pulled her away from Trixie.

"She's not even worth it, Rainbow." Applejack said. Rainbow snorted and reluctantly agreed.

"Look, I know I'm not your favorite pony at the moment but I honestly had nothing to do with this beast thing. Besides, you're all going to need me alive because I'm the only one who knows how to change you back to normal. I'm NOT going to let you loser- I mean, ponies, leave me here to die!" Trixie said defiantly.

"You know how to reverse this spell?" Twilight asked skeptically.

"Of course I do, but I'll need the gem to do that."

"Do we have it with us?" Spike asked.

"No." Twilight answered. "I hid it back at the library for safe keeping."

"The library in Ponyville?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well then you're just going to have to take me to Ponyville with you." Trixie said, relieved that she wouldn't be left behind. As much as she hated Twilight and her pesky little friends; they had bested this monster once and she needed their protection.

"No. Way." Spike said, to which Rainbow agreed.

"We can't possibly think of allowing her to come with us!" Rarity added.

"Anypony else have a better idea?" Applejack asked.

"What about the princess?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.

"I… I don't know." Twilight replied honestly. "We need to get her back but… where could we look?"

"I'd like to get as far away from here as possible thank you very much. That THING is going to come back for me I just know it!" Trixie cried.

"If only." Rainbow Dash muttered.

"We'll reverse the spell and then go find Luna." Twilight decided.

To be honest, she didn't have a clue where to even begin to look for Luna. However, she believed having her alicorn magic back would be the best starting point. That, and she didn't want to be around Trixie more than she had to. When the spell was reversed she could leave Trixie in Ponyville while she and her friends found the princesses; Celestia included. Now she just needed to make the journey back to Ponyville without taking out her anger and frustration on Trixie. That might be easier said than done.
*~*~*~*~*

Canterlot had seen its fair share of disasters over the last few years; but somehow still managed a complete and chaotic panic whenever something went wrong. The ponies were in an uproar; demanding answers that Twilight and her friends could not give. Where were Celestia and Luna? What had happened in the throne room? What kind of creature was that?

Twilight decided it was impractical to explain the body-switching situation. Therefore, under her direction, Trixie had to be the one to address the guards and the ponies. Despite her general distain for this situation she comforted the ponies; promising them that everything possible was being done to ensure the safe return of their princess. However, the absence of Princess Celestia only served to further the concern of the ponies because they feared she had been attacked and taken too; there was really no way to know for sure.

So far, Trixie seemed to be playing the part well, and didn't deviate from the instructions that Twilight gave her. Twilight was grateful that she'd had experience with this sort of crisis before and knew how to get things under control. She made Trixie clear her name and rescind the bounty on her head ordering the Canterlot guard to take down all of the "Wanted" posters. Twilight's friends helped in any way that they could, whether that meant crowd control or keeping an eye on Trixie. Things were far from okay between the ponies and the phony princess, but this common problem had forced their cooperation and nothing could be done about it.

As much as Canterlot still needed a Princess; Twilight knew she could not stay. It was more important to get to the bottom of this than to stay and give orders. Once Twilight decided that things were stable enough in Canterlot; she and her friends headed for the train station once more.

"Do we really have to ride in coach?" Trixie whined as she boarded the train.

"Just git a move on, Trixie." Applejack said, pushing her inside the train car.

"Ouch! No pushing! Do you know who I am?!" Trixie protested.

"I wish I didn't." Applejack replied.

From the platform outside, Twilight and Fluttershy were having an interesting conversation with Discord.

"And you want me to… what, look after Equestria for you while you're away?" He said, snapping his fingers and placing a fancy tiara on his head. He was wearing makeup and a sash that read 'princess'.

"No, I just want you to stay out of trouble, can you handle that?" Twilight asked with a grumble.

"Me? Trouble?" Discord said, making a halo appear over his head and angel wings sprout from behind his back.

"We're counting on you to keep the ponies safe, Discord." Fluttershy said. "We don't know if that thing is going to come back while we're gone and you're the only pony who stands a chance against it."

"Ah yes, I will be the champion of the ponies, the knight in glimmering armor, prepared to storm the castle on my noble steed, rescue the damsel, and save the day!" Discord said. He snapped his fingers and made a mock-stage where he was riding on Twilight's back and Fluttershy was standing at the top of a cardboard castle dressed in a frilly dress and long cone hat.

"Ugh. Just… don't make me regret trusting you, Discord." Twilight said, kicking him off her back and walking towards the train.

"So long my friends! Equestria is in safe paw and claw!" Discord called as the train pulled away from the station. He turned to one of the ponies standing on the platform beside him and asked. "Don't you think the sky could use a good make-over? Like perhaps a few cotton candy clouds, maybe some-"

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT DISCORD!" Rainbow Dash yelled from the caboose of the train.

Discord folded his arms and grumbled.
*~*~*~*~*

On the train ride to Ponyville Applejack finally decided it was time to tell Twilight about the dragon fiasco she encountered in Ponyville.

“And they’re still there, trapped in that cave?” Twilight asked. She wished she could say she was surprised Trixie would attempt something like that but it was becoming an expected habit.

“So far as I know. Zecora’s keepin’ an eye on it till we get back.” Applejack said.

Twilight sighed and shot Trixie a glare from across the way. Trixie hadn’t noticed; she was using her magic to polish her crown, admiring herself in the reflection. Applejack noted the boiling temper raging in Twilight and positioned herself between Twilight and Trixie cutting off her sight of her.

“She’s gonna get her just desserts for doing this to you Twi, no pony’s gonna let her off the hook this time.” Applejack reassured.

“Did somepony say desserts?!” Pinkie Pie asked, popping into the conversation unexpectedly. “I could really go for some cherry chungas right about now.”

Twilight sighed angrily and turned away, looking out the window trying to calm herself down. She would have loved nothing more than to see Trixie rotting in the cell she had kept her, but that was so uncharacteristically cruel. She’d never desired something so awful before and she worried that Trixie might have done some actual emotional damage. For once she wanted nothing more than to make the irresponsible decision. She was tired of being the honorable pony; the one who had to make the tough choices. If only her teacher, Princess Celestia were here. She would know just what to say and do in this situtation.

“The best thing I can think to do would be to get back to the library, switch back, and then go check on that ‘situation’ in the Everfree forest.” Twilight said. She looked around at the other ponies on the train hoping they weren’t eavesdropping on their conversation. The last thing they needed now was a panic in Ponyville.

“Right… about that….” Trixie started. The others looked at her in confusion and anger. “I don’t actually know… exactly how to switch us back.” She admitted. She showed no ounce of remorse for her lie, just hesitation at their responses.

“She’s joking, right?” Rainbow Dash said, still somehow in denial.

“You lied?” Rarity screamed, alerting the other ponies in the train car.

“No! I just… twisted the truth a little. There is a way to swtich us back; I know somepony who can.” Trixie said.

“Who?” Twilight demanded.

“Oh yeah, as if I’ll just give you the answer just like that? Look, I have something you need and you have something I need. I need protection, and you want a counterspell. I’ll take you to see the pony that can help you IF you make me a promise first.” Trixie said

“No way!” Rainbow Dash screamed. “We don’t make deals with--“

Twilight covered Rainbow’s mouth, they were already making a scene in the train car they didn’t need any more unwanted attention.

“What promise?” Fluttershy asked.

“You have to promise to let me go. When everything is over, I walk away and you ponies never hear from me again. Deal?” Trixie said.

“Twi you can’t seriously be considering this? She’s a liar! Who knows if she’s even telling the truth about this stranger pony?” Rainbow said.

“Can’t trust that pony as far as you can toss ‘er.” Applejack added.

“This whole mess was her fault in the first place.” Rarity said.

“I’m part of this conversation too!” Pinkie Pie said. Soon everypony was talking over each other, all in favor of denying Trixie’s deal. Once again Twilight had to be the voice of reason. She knew if Trixie was with them she couldn’t cause any more damage. It was a nice idea to leave Trixie behind in Ponyville but with Twilight’s magic there would be no guarantee she couldn’t escape.

“Deal.” Twilight said above the chatter of her friends. They all stopped talking and looked at Twilight in awe.

“But, Twilight…” Spike said concerned.

“But that’s only if you make good on your promise to change us back.” Twilight said. She would have a lot more confidence if she could be in her own body again.

“Yeah, sure. Whatever. Just so we’re clear, you protect me; I’ll lead you to this pony, then you let me go free.” Trixie clarified.

“Twilight, please reconsider!” Rarity pleaded.

There was silence among the friends for a minute or so. No pony could think of another way to handle this situation; and yet the thought of traveling even a moment more with Trixie was unbearable. Applejack was the first to break the silence.

“Come on girls, Equestria needs us. We aren’t gonna let them down, are we?”

“I bet Celestia could think of better punishment for her anyway.” Rainbow Dash said.

“I suppose this way we can keep an eye on her.” Rarity observed.

“I thought we were going to look for the Princesses?” Spike asked.

“Actually, there’s something we need to take care of in Ponyville first.” Twilight said, turning to her friends.

“Oh no…” Fluttershy whimpered; she knew exactly what Twilight was referring to.

*~*~*~*

"Uh… How big were those dragons again?" Spike asked, sticking close to Twilight's side as they entered the Everfree forest. "Not cuz I'm scared or anything. I mean, I AM a ferocious dragon myself. Or well, I was…."

"Oh you are positively nothing like a ferocious dragon Spikey Wikey and we wouldn't have you any other way." Rarity said fondly, offering him a smile. It was still a little bizarre seeing his pony crush with a bouncy pink mane and a wide smile but Spike blushed all the same and kicked at the ground nervously.

"Heh, yeah well… I haven't met another dragon yet that can get the best of me! Unless it's those teenage dragons, I don't want to run into those jerks again." Spike said.

"I dunno Spike," Applejack said. "These ones were a might different lookin' from any other adolescent dragons I'd ever seen." She really had no idea if there would be a correlation or not, neither she nor Fluttershy had been with Spike on his little dragon quest.

"Again?" Trixie whined. "What do you ponies do; go around looking for giant monsters to fight?"

"Oh we never have to go looking for them, they come looking for us!" Pinkie clarified, happily bouncing along with the rest of them.

"Like there was that time with Cerberus, the hydra, the minotaur…." Pinkie said trailing off as she tried to list the colorful list of monsters they'd encountered.

"And suddenly I'm rethinking this whole protection thing. How protective can you ponies be if you just go waltzing into the Everfree forest looking for trouble?" Trixie said bitterly.

"You're welcome to walk back to Ponyville without us." Rainbow Dash offered sarcastically. Trixie took one look around the foreboding forest and decided that might not be the best option after all.

"I should have just gone with the other earth pony." She grumbled.

"Speaking of Fluttershy, Do you think she made it to her cottage okay?" Twilight asked.

"That's a pretty safe bet. Did you see how fast she took off when you told her she could go check on her animals? Priceless! And that's without wings too." Rainbow Dash said proudly.

At the mention of wings Trixie made another series of whines and complaints from the pain of her broken wing. It had been hurting a lot more now that she was up and walking about.

"And the cockatrice, and the ursa minor; oh wait you were there for that one!" Pinkie Pie said to Trixie, still listing off the various creatures they'd faced.

"So what's the plan, Twi?" Rainbow Dash asked. She was sitting on Applejack's back who was walking beside Twilight, Spike, and Rarity.

"Well, I'd like to get a good look at them first. Ever since Spike had his uh… rapid aging problem… I set out determined to read everything I could find on dragons. It really is a travesty how little ponies know about them!" Twilight started.

"And?" Rarity encouraged her to continue.

"And there are a couple things I can look for; marks that indicate they're under a spell." Twilight finished.

"Maybe they've calmed down and just want to talk?" Spike offered hopefully.

"Yeah well my instinct still says Trixie. I don't care what that pony says; everything that comes out of her mouth is a lie." Rainbow Dash muttered, looking back over her shoulder at Trixie. Trixie was oblivious to their conversation as she tried to fend off Pinkie Pie and her constant chatter.

"Well, we'll know soon enough. We're here." Applejack said, pointing her hoof to a clearing just up ahead. As each pony approached it they let out a small gasp of horror. The forest had been practically flattened. There were no living plants or trees nearby, only the ripped and charred remains of bark and branch. The earth was burned black and there was no evidence of animal life either.

"Woah…" Spike said in quiet horror.

"That there's the cave, come on!" Applejack said, pointing to a large mound of rocks.

"Well, looks like they definitely got out." Rainbow Dash said.

"That's just it; none of these rocks have been moved since we left! That big one there is blocking the entrance." Applejack observed.

"Are you sure, Applejack? Rocks do tend to look similar…." Rarity said, trailing off as she kicked a few loose pieces of rubble away from her. "Perhaps they only needed to move them ever so slightly-"

"No, when Zecora 'n me blocked this cave we made sure there was no getting out without some kind of help. If the darn beasts would have just calmed down to have a proper conversation we could have all been spared that fiasco." Applejack said defiantly. She did not like having her creature-catching skills questioned.

"Well first thing's first, let's figure out how they got out." Twilight said, she looked along the rock barricade for a weakness. The others did the same, but found nothing. Trixie refused to get her hooves dirty and leaned up against a boulder instead, still moaning about her wing. Twilight pressed her ear against the rock and listened for any noise inside.

"Guess there's nothing to do but knock these out of the way and look inside." Rainbow said, picking up small rocks and kicking them away from the cave entrance.

Twilight used her magic to illuminate the largest boulder and attempted to move it but her spell was too weak on its own.

"A little help here, Trixie." She said through gritted teeth, still trying her hardest to move the boulder.

"Fine." Trixie mumbled, directing her magic to the same boulder.

The two of them combined lifted the boulder from its place and set it safely aside a few feet away. Each pony, and Rainbow, stuck their head in just slightly to see what was inside. As they had feared, the dragons were long gone. The walls of the cave were scratched and burnt, and the place where the back of the cave used to be was demolished, instead there was a long cavern that led deeper into the mountain.

"Then there was Gilda, she's a Gryphon, plus all those other dragons and I think that's it." Pinkie said, finally coming to the conclusion of her list.

"Manticore." Trixie said suddenly.

"Oh yeah! There WAS a manticore, but… how did you know that?" Pinkie said in confusion.

"No, MANITCORE!" Trixie screamed, pointing her hoof behind them. The others turned to see the wild beast standing above them with a certain hungry look in his eye. The ponies screamed and ran away from the beast but were followed. The manticore had the advantage of location, it was stalking them from above and could cut them off at any pass; the only other option was the cave.

"I'll hold 'im off you ponies get outta here!" AJ said, grabbing her rope from her satchel and rearing up on her hind quarters trying to lasso the best. The manticore snatched the rope and ripped it to shreds in a matter of seconds.

"Where's Fluttershy when you need her?" Rainbow said.

"Fluttershy, that's it!" Twilight said happily.

"No offense darling, but I don't think it's got a hurt paw this time. It wants to EAT us." Rarity said frantically.

"No, she's right. Fluttershy's stare!" Applejack said happily. "It worked on the critters back at her cottage, it'll work on him if we could just-"

Applejack was cut off when the manticore took a swipe at her with his claw narrowly missing her throat. Spike knew he would be the only one that could get out of here to get Fluttershy. He waited until the beast attacked again and shot up off the ground and into the sky. The manticore roared in anger at having missed the opportunity to snatch him. Spike flew as fast as he was able towards Fluttershy's cottage. The other ponies tried keeping it at bay by tossing rocks or forest debri.

"I hate you." Trixie said flatly in Twilight's general direction.

*~*~*~*

“Hello? Zecora? Angel bunny? I’m back!” Fluttershy said, grateful to be home even if it was only for a little while.

“Is that Fluttershy I hear? It is surely good to see you my dear.” Zecora said, joining Fluttershy in the living room.

“Where is Angel bunny?” Fluttershy asked; it was strange that he had not been there to greet her when she came in.

“Follow me and you shall see.” Zecora said. She led Fluttershy out back to the chicken coop. Fluttershy’s animals were all inside the fence with the exception of her birds. Fluttershy gasped in horror seeing her furry little critters locked up in this way. She was appalled and confused; why would Zecora do this?

“Angel!” She exclaimed, opening the gate and racing inside to embrace her beloved pet. Zecora quickly closed the gate behind her. When Fluttershy got close to Angel, he squeaked in surprise and ran away from her, ducking under the chicken coop in fear. “Angel?” Fluttershy said sadly. “Oh, you’re mad at me aren’t you? I’ve never been away this long before. Won’t you come out? I’ll make you a nice yummy lunch.” She said, crouching by the coop. “Oh Zecora I’ve never seen him so upset before. He looks so… scared. Do you think he’s forgotten that I look like Applejack?”

“I do not think you’re appearance is to blame. None of the animals are acting the same.” Zecora answered.

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked worriedly.

“Since you’ve been gone they have acted so strange, almost as if they have encountered a change. Whenever I try to let them free, all of them panic and flee. And your dear little Angel friend; would have vanished if he had not been penned.” Zecora answered.

“But… that’s impossible. Angel has never tried to run away before.” Fluttershy said sadly. She looked at Angel who was still cowering under the chicken coop and she frowned.

“The animals in Ponyville are all acting the same, but I cannot find a cause that is to blame. Things are indeed looking quite bleak, for now the cows cannot even speak.” Zecora said.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened in fear; what did she mean cows couldn’t speak? That was impossible. They certainly weren’t as civilized as ponies but that didn’t mean they couldn’t live in harmony with them. She looked under the coop again but Angel wasn’t there. He was on the other side of the pen desperately trying to get out. Her little heart broke at the sight of it. Then she took notice of the other animals in the pen with her, none of them seemed to be responsive to her presence, and even more upsetting was the fact that she couldn’t seem to understand them anymore; she only heard squawks, squeaks, and grunts. She immediately thought something must be wrong with her, but Zecora said all of the animals were acting in this way.

“What do we do?” She asked.

“There is one more thing I think you should try; perhaps giving them a stare would help them Fluttershy.” Zecora said.

“What? But the stare is only used in extreme circumstances!” Fluttershy said. “I already feel bad for using on them before.”

“If my suspicions are correct, then your stare would leave no effect.” Zecora said.

“Are you saying it won’t work now because they’re… so different?” Fluttershy asked to which Zecora nodded.

Fluttershy truly hated that she had to do this, but she would try anything to get her furry little friends back to normal. She used her famous stare on a couple of chickens that were nearby, but as Zecora predicted nothing happened. Fluttershy gasped and whimpered; how could this be happening?

“It would not surprise me to learn; that this same anomaly caused those dragons to be so stern. Whatever has caused this calamity; could be linked to the forest catastrophe.” Zecora theorized.

When Fluttershy attempted to reply she was cut off by the sound of a frantic Spike, racing towards from the direction of the forest.

“Flut-Flutter-shy.” He said, clearly out of breath from flying so quickly. He tried to land gracefully beside the chicken coop but his landing skills still left much to be desired and instead he crashed to the ground and rolled a few times, stopping at Zecora’s feet.

“Spike? What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked. She left the chicken pen and with Zecora’s help they assisted Spike to his feet.

“Forest… dragons missing… manticore attack!” Spike said, still needing to pause a few times to catch his berath.

“A manticore attack? Are the others okay?” Fluttershy asked.

“They’re… trapped by the cave… where the dragons were supposed to be. We need you Fluttershy! You can talk some sense into him or use your stare or something!” Spike said.

Fluttershy and Zecora exchanged worried glances.

“Let us see what we can do, quickly now Spike we will both follow you.” Zecora said. Spike nodded and instead of taking flight again he found it much easier to guide them back towards the forest on foot.

*~*~*~*

Since Spike’s absence, Twilight and the others had to make a break for it. The manticore was too wild and angry to stay aloft forever and had jumped down into the group of ponies claws out and swiping.

“Get away! You Brute!” Rarity screamed. She kicked a rock in the manticore’s direction and hit it squarely on the nose. Unfortunately, this only served to anger him further and he charged towards Rarity and Twilight.

“Run!” Twilight screamed.

“Over here!” Rainbow Dash called, motioning for them to follow her.

Rainbow Dash led Twilight and Rarity around a group of trees with the manticore close behind. Waiting on the other side of a large branch was Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Trixie who were holding it back as far as it would go. When the manticore came within range, they released the branch and it snapped back into place and right into the manticore. The manticore roared in pain and was thrown a few feet backwards landing on its back.

“Direct hit! Ten points!” Pinkie cried out joyously.

Applejack rolled her eyes and grabbed Pinkie by the tail then Applejack, Trixie, and Pinkie Pie joined the others in a frantic run. Rainbow Dash was clinging to Twilight’s mane but having a difficult time hanging on.

“If we die, I will kill you!” Trixie screamed.

The group of ponies made their way out of the forest and straight towards the edge of a cliff. They all screamed and stopped themselves just at the edge.

“We’re trapped!” Rarity cried.

“No, there’s got to be a way out…” Applejack said, looking around for some kind of path away from danger.

Twilight reared up and slammed her hooves to the ground trying to cast a spell that would teleport her and her friends out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, Trixie’s magic was far weaker than her own; and even if she had been in her own body there were simply too many ponies to take all at once.

“DO SOMETHING!” Trixie said, shaking Twilight in panic.

“Why don’t you try a hoof at it?” Twilight snapped.

The manticore was closing in on them slowly, licking its lips in anticipation. Trixie, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity clung to Twilight screaming while Applejack and Rainbow Dash moved out in front of them protectively.

“I aint going down without a fight.” Applejack said, adjusting her hat with a scowl.

“I’m right there with you AJ.” Rainbow said, smiling and nodding in her direction.

The manticore sprang from his position but was kicked in the stomach when it was still air borne, causing it to crash to the left, rolling a few times on its side.

“Spike!” The ponies all cried in gratitude. Spike was smiling smugly; it felt kind of neat to do something like that.

“You ponies go, I’ll hold ‘im off!” Spike said, flying between his friends and the manticore.

“Come on!” Twilight said, leading the others away from the cliff’s edge and back into the forest. The momentary distraction was all they really needed to get away but the manticore was hot on their tail.

“Up here everypony!” Fluttershy called, standing on the edge of a much smaller cliff only about fifteen feet from the ground. Despite its size it could be the best option to get away; so long as the manticore wasn’t a great jumper. Trixie was the first to leap up into the air trying to grab onto Fluttershy who would pull her to safety. Her instincts to fly caused her broken wing to hurt and she cried out; missing Fluttershy’s outstretched hoof and falling to the ground. Without needing another word, Applejack hoisted Trixie onto her back and stretched her legs up as far as they could go acting as a make-shift ladder to the other ponies to get away. Trixie scrambled up Applejack and was able to pull herself up with Zecora’s help. Applejack bucked Rainbow Dash into the air and Fluttershy snatched her by the tail, pulling her to safety. Rarity was next to climb Applejack, then Pinkie Pie. Finally, it was Twilight’s turn but she refused to go.

“We can’t both make it up there, I’ll find another way ‘round!” Applejack said, trying to get Twilight up to safety.

“No Applejack, I can stay! I’ve got magic to protect me.” Twilight argued.

“And I’ve got wings!” Applejack countered.

“But you don’t know how to fly!” Twilight said.

“Would you two ponies give it a rest? You’ve got a lot bigger problems to worry about!” Rainbow called, pointing to the manticore who was once again in hot pursuit; Spike was nowhere to be seen. When Twilight was distracted looking at the manticore and worrying about Spike, Applejack moved underneath her and bucked her as hard as she could towards the others. It was very difficult to do in Fluttershy’s body but they caught Twilight before she could come crashing back down.

“Applejack!” Twilight screamed, worried and frightened for her friend.

“Do something!” Rarity cried. She and the others could only watch in horror as the great beast chased Applejack. Applejack saw a place to jump but the manticore cut her off, swiping at her with his paw and sending her flying back towards the cliff where the others watched helplessly. She’d been wounded, deep cuts in her side. She cried out trying to get back on her hooves but finding it difficult due to the stinging pain.

“Fluttershy, your stare! Use your stare!” Rainbow Dash said.

“I can’t it won’t work!” Fluttershy cried.

“What do you mean it won’t work, just try!” Rainbow insisted. Fluttershy did her best from where she was standing but she couldn’t make eye contact with the beast, nor did she believe it would do any good.

“I’m trying!” Fluttershy called to Applejack. Applejack knew that despite her best efforts Fluttershy would not be able to protect her from this creature. She turned to face the beast with a frightened yet determined look on her face.

Before the manticore could reach Applejack, somepony jumped down in front of her. She gasped in confusion when she realized it was Trixie. Trixie’s horn was lit up and emitting a series of bright sparks that eventually turned into a stream of light that hit the manticore directly. In a flash of dark pinkish light the manticore had been transformed from the giant beast it was into a manticore kitten. Frightened, the manticore raced away from the ponies crying out in his soft and adorable little ‘meow’s.

“Did she just perform and age spell? Since when can you do age spells without some kind of amulet?!” Rarity said.

“I just told the magic to do SOMETHING I had no idea it’d end up being an age spell!” Trixie said, equally as surprised. “How did you even learn that Twilight? You couldn’t do it when I was last in Ponyville.”

“Twilight! Twilight!” Spike called, he raced towards his friends worried out of his mind.

“Spike!” Twilight answered in gratitude and relief. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

“Nah… it just knocked me into a tree and I bumped my head. I guess I must have blacked out for a moment.” Spike said, rubbing the spot where he had been hit.

“Ooo Spikey Wikey!” Rarity said, concerned for her favorite little dragon.

“Trixie you… you saved my life.” Applejack interrupted in awe. The others let that news sink in as they all stood in silence.

Trixie turned to face Applejack and the others with an embarrassed grin. “Well… I… I needed protection from you ponies and you wouldn’t be very protective if one of your friends was eaten. I mean, you’d be all mopey and such.”

“Nuh uhhh I think you did it cuz you careeee” Pinkie Pie taunted.

“What? Me? CARE? Please.” Trixie said defiantly. “Hey, wait a minute, I think this means you poines owe me for saving your lives!”

“It hardly makes up for all the damage you’ve caused.” Rarity said.

“Whatever. You still haven’t answered my question, Twilight. How did your magic perform an age spell?” Trixie insisted.

“I’d been practicing long and hard…” Twilight said

“No wait, I know what it is, I’m an alicorn. I must have more power than I thought.” Trixie realized.

“Oh yeah? Well what if this was all a hoax and Trixie conjured the manticore only to pretend to save us from it?” Rainbow Dash said.

“Now let’s not jump to conclusions y’all.” Applejack said, then winced in pain.

“Oh Applejack, you’re hurt!” Twilight realized. She jumped down to see the wound and the others followed suit.

“Aw it’s nothing, I’m fine.” Applejack said, trying to get on her hooves but failing.

“Let me take a look at that, friend. This is a wound I can mend.” Zecora said. “Quickly, let us get her back to my place, I’ll treat her right away just in case.”

Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie carefully lifted Applejack and carried her with them towards Zecora’s hut.

As Trixie followed close behind she began to silently panic. She remembered something she was supposed to do for a certain pony who possessed great power. Enacting that age spell was a sharp reminder that she had not kept up her end of the bargain yet.

“I swear if you’ve been setting me up I’m gonna…” Trixie mumbled under her breath.

“Setting who up? What are you talking about?” Rainbow Dash said. Trixie hadn’t realized she was within earshot of any pony listening. Unable to think of a convincing lie Trixie angrily blurted out:

“The pony who REALLY started all this mess. Astelle.”

Astelle

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Luckily for Applejack, Zecora was able to effectively treat her wound with a special mixture of herbs, ointments, and tonics. She carefully wrapped her side and instructed her to take it easy for a few hours; she should be fully healed in no time. She then agreed to keep an eye on the forest and the unfriendly creatures that might be lurking nearby. Every pony was so focused on Applejack’s wellbeing that they didn’t have time to question Trixie at Zecora’s hut. However, as soon as Applejack was well enough to travel, Twilight wanted to head straight back to her library on yet another search. No pony, especially Rainbow Dash, was too pleased about that.

“I thought we already looked in every book for answers already.” Rainbow Dash said, trying her best to negotiate her way out of book-searching duty.

“Yes, but that time I was looking for something to do with that gem. This time I’m hoping to find a cause to the animals’ strange behavior.” Twilight said, combing through her books on the shelf. “Maybe you and the others can try to get as much information from Trixie as possible.”

“Yeah, if she still wants our protection.” Spike added.

“Oh so it’s blackmail now is it? And here I thought I was the only unreasonable one.” Trixie said angrily.

“What he means is it’d be mighty helpful if you’d come clean and tell us what you know.” Applejack said. She had a slight soft-spot for Trixie ever since her act of selfless bravery in the forest. Trixie could deny and rationalize it all she wanted the truth was still clear, she’d done something selfless and kind for once in her life.

“And how am I supposed to know if you ponies won’t turn on me the minute you get all your precious information, huh?” Trixie said defensively. Her limited knowledge on the matter was one of the only pieces of leverage she had left.

“Trixie, I give you my word as the spirit of the element of honesty that we will not abandon you if you help us now.” Applejack promised. The others grumbled a little but muttered their agreement; all except Twilight who was too preoccupied to pay much attention. Perhaps she was deliberately blocking Trixie out; she had endured a lot when she was in that prison.

“Alright, fine. It went something like this…” Trixie started.

*~*~*~*

A short time ago…

Trixie was eager to begin anew in Canterlot. In all her travels she had never performed there. In the past, she had been too nervous to perform in front of the Canterlot ponies. It was easy to fool ponies from places like Hoofington and Ponyville, but Canterlot was certainly no place for beginners. That, and it was a little difficult to return to the place that had rejected her in the first place. She’d applied for Celestia’s school for the magically gifted but failed to pass the entrance exam. However, after seeing the magic she could wield with the alicorn amulet she believed some of that power might still be hers. This time she could brag about the things she had actually done rather than those she made up.

Trixie set up her stage near the town square where all the best ponies would see her. She began her show like any other, fireworks and great light shows that would draw attention to herself. When she came out on stage she felt as confident as ever, looking over the faces in the crowd that had gathered. She was a little disappointed to see how many ponies had actually stopped to see her amazing show; and the ones who had looked skeptical and uninterested.

“Is that all you can do?” One pony asked her after she performed a simple trick by making a bouquet of roses appear.

“Certainly not!” Trixie protested. “I’m only warming up; there is nothing that the Great and Powerful Trixie cannot do!”

“Prove it.” Another pony said.

Trixie performed all of her usual tricks; a rope that could be controlled like a serpent from a basket that would fly on its own to lasso various odd objects lying about. When that failed to impress, Trixie summoned a rain cloud and had lightning ignite a fire that seemed to sustain itself while floating in mid-air. She was impressed by this trick and looked to see the adoring faces of the ponies watching but still saw nothing but disinterested glares. Some ponies were even yawning are her amazing tricks!

“What is wrong with you ponies? Don’t you know the truly awesome magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie? I have controlled magic unlike you have ever seen.”

“Lame.” A pony called out.

“Who said that? Trixie demands to know!” Trixie screamed, looking for the culprit.

“If you’re so ‘great and powerful’ why don’t you show us something better than light shows and foal’s play magic?” the same pony said. Trixie glared at her, snarling under her breath. She was tired of being humiliated and would give anything to have the respect she believed that she deserved.

“Behold, the Great and Powerful Trixie will impress you all with her amazing ability to turn this mare into a foal!” Trixie exclaimed. She’d performed this age spell against Twilight, and although she didn’t have the amulet she believed she could remember how to do it.

“An age spell?” the crowd murmured, their interest finally piqued.

Passing by the crowd, a hooded figure paused. She’d heard Trixie’s claim and had stayed in the back of the ponies gathered there to watch.

Trixie lifted the mare from where she stood with her magic and began to concentrate on the spell.

“Hey! What are you doing? Put me down!” the mare insisted angrily. Trixie squeezed her eyes shut and fought as hard as she could to maintain the spell. Much to her dismay, the spell had failed and the mare remained unchanged. Having to think of something on the spot, Trixie instead turned the mare’s mane a sickly brown and green with red polka-dotted fur. The mare screamed when she held up her hooves. Some of the ponies in the crowd chuckled.

“That wasn’t an age spell.” One of the unbelievers pointed out.

“Of course it wasn’t an age spell. The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t need to show off her best tricks to you neigh-sayers. She can impress you with far better magic than an age spell.”

The pony watching from the back of the crowd turned to walk away.

“I bet she’s never even done an age spell.” One mare whispered to her friend.

“I HAVE TOO! WHEN I HAD THAT AMULET IT COULD DO ANYTHING I WANTED!” Trixie screamed.

The pony paused and snapped her head back to look at Trixie, her eyes widening at first; then narrowing while she made a soft growl.

“Boo! Get off the stage!” The crowd taunted. Trixie bit back her rage and embarrassment and stamped her hooves on the stage, setting off a large cloud of pink smoke. When the smoked cleared Trixie was gone. The ponies in her crowd muttered to themselves and laughed as they walked away. The hooded mare remained, watching the other ponies leave. Once she was left alone, she approached Trixie’s wagon.

“They’ll see. They’ll all see. I’ll do something amazing and they’ll have to notice me!” Trixie said, kicking a stool to the ground bitterly. She let out a soft sob, then noticed a set of dark grey hooves approach her.

“What do you want?” She snapped at the unwelcomed stranger.

“Do you possess the alicorn amulet?” The pony asked. Her voice was enchanting, deep but smooth as velvet. Trixie looked up at the pony confused. The pony was hidden under her cloak but she could still see her horn, fiery red mane, and deep red eyes staring down at her. Trixie leaned in closer to get a better look at her but the pony backed away.

“I used to; but it was stolen away from me.” Trixie hissed, using her magic to start packing up her things.

“Where is the amulet now?” the unicorn asked, a little more forcefully this time.

“I have no idea. Weren’t you listening? That good-for-nothing Twilight Sparkle took it from me; just like she takes everything else from me.” Trixie said, once again her emotions betraying her as her eyes watered. The mare softened at the sight of Trixie’s pain.

“I believe I may be able to help you.” She said, putting a hoof on Trixie’s shoulder.

“Oh yeah? What could you possibly do to help me?” Trixie asked.

“I can show you great magic, Trixie, the likes of which thou… I mean… you have ever seen.” The mare said.

At her little mistake Trixie finally recognized where she had heard a voice like this before: Princess Luna. The crazy mare in the moon who had been stripped of her great power by, you guessed it, Twilight Sparkle. Surely this was not Luna, although her coat might have been as dark, this mare’s coat was deep grey, and their manes were completely different. Who was this mare anyway?

The mare noted Trixie’s hesitation and decided to give her a little taste of the magic she could do. She turned her head towards a unicorn wandering by. Her horn lit up with red sparks and the unicorn’s horn vanished from atop her brow. The pony that had been walking with her gasped in horror and alerted her friend what had happened. The pair of them screamed and panicked. Trixie lifted an eyebrow: that was certainly impressive. The mare didn’t stop there, she gave the other pony, who was an earth pony, wings. The pair of ponies cried out again, drawing attention to themselves. When others began to take notice, the mysterious mare returned them to normal in a blink of an eye.

“Are you saying you’re going to teach me magic, that kind of magic?” Trixie asked excitedly.

“Yes. If you are willing to make a trade.” The mare said.

“What kind of trade?” Trixie asked skeptically.

“Perhaps there is somewhere a little more private where we can continue this conversation?” the mare asked.

“Who are you?” Trixie insisted.

“My name is Astelle, and that is all you need to know.” Astelle said calmly.

“Alright, Astelle, we can talk in my wagon.” Trixie said, opening the door to her wagon and walking inside. At first, Astelle turned up her nose, but she bit back her distain for the tiny ugly wagon and followed Trixie inside.

*~*~*~*

“Woah woah woah, wait a minute, you expect us to believe this mare just happened to show up and offer you some kind of magical lesson?” Rainbow Dash said. She and the others had all gathered around to hear Trixie’s tale. With the obvious exception of Twilight, who was going through a pile of books upstairs.

“Is it so hard to believe that somepony would be impressed by my amazing magical feats?” Trixie snapped.

“Yes.” All of the others answered.

“Ugh. You ponies are so rude.” Trixie said, folding her hooves and turning up her nose.

“It is a little unusual…” Fluttershy whispered.

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve never even heard of magic like that except with Twilight and she went POOF when she finished Starswirl’s spell and then BOOM there was this BIIIIG flash of light in the sky and Twilight was suddenly on the ground and BAM she had wings!” Pinkie said, very animated in her account of that night.

“Pinkie’s right. It took a lot of magic to give Twilight wings; she had to go through a whole bunch of magical training.” Applejack said.

“Look, I’m telling the truth but if you can’t accept that maybe I shouldn’t even tell you the story at all!” Trixie said bitterly.

“Alright, fine, just… keep talking.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Right, so like I was saying before I was RUDELY interrupted…” Trixie started again.

*~*~*~*

Astelle settled into the little seat across from Trixie and turned down Trixie’s offer for some tea.

“Alright so… what’s this trade you wanted to make?” Trixie asked.

“First, I’d like to know a little bit more about this Twilight Sparkle. You say she bested the alicorn amulet?” Astelle asked warily.

“No, she tricked me! She made me take it off and then she had one of her pesky little friends swoop in and grab it before I even had a chance! That unicorn has been nothing but trouble since I met her. All she cares about is her precious reputation as Celestia’s prized student. Yeah, okay, maybe she defeated a few bad ponies now and then but if I had been Celestia’s pet pupil I could have done all that stuff too. Then I would be the princess, not her!” Trixie said, slamming her cup down on her table.

“Princess?” Astelle asked, surprised.

“Yeah, she did some kind of magical something or other and she sprouted wings. La-de-fricken-da. You know, that pony isn’t anything special. All she does is--“ Trixie started but Astelle held up a hoof to stop her.

“This Twilight Sparkle knows where the amulet is, correct?” Astelle asked.

“Yeah, but she’s probably the only pony who can get near it now; her and Princess Celestia.” Trixie mumbled. “Trust me, I’ve looked everywhere for it. The only place it could be is in the castle treasury.”

“Alright, child, I will make a trade with thee.” Astelle said, wincing again when she caught herself speaking that way.

“Whatever you want it’s yours; just teach me some of that awesome magic!” Trixie said.

Astelle took out a small parcel from under her cloak. She gently set it down in front of Trixie. Trixie immediately snatched it up and began to unwrap it. Astelle looked away when Trixie pulled a mysterious green gem from its binding.

“It’s… just a gem. I don’t get it.” Trixie said, disappointed.

“Are you saying you doubt me?” Astelle asked. “If that be the case I’m sure I can find another pony worthy of the magic I can give.”

“No no no, I’m definitely your pony but… what’s a gem gonna do for me?” Trixie asked.

“This is no ordinary gem. With it you will be able to do the one thing you have desired most in all the world.” Astelle said. Still not looking, she used her magic to take the gem from Trixie and wrapped it back up.

“What I most desire? How would you know what I most desire?” Trixie asked.

“I know because I have felt the same pain thou… you… have felt. I too know what it is like to have everything taken from her by those less than worthy. I am offering you a change at revenge against this Twilight Sparkle.” Astelle said.

“Revenge?” Trixie exclaimed with glee; she really liked this pony now.

“Yes. But now we must discuss the trade.” Astelle said. “This gem has been formed with a deep magic unlike anything any pony has seen. With it, you are able to trade bodies with a pony of your choice.”

“Trade bodies? I could be an alicorn? I could be a PRINCESS?” Trixie said in awe.

“Yes. All thou-“ Astelle growled and corrected herself again. “YOU need to do is look upon the gem at the same moment as the other pony. On its own the gem is harmless, but if two ponies have locked their gaze upon it the spell will take hold.”

“Is it really that easy?” Trixie asked.

“It is.” Astelle answered.

“And Twilight can’t change us back, right? I mean I’ll just have to look away afterwards or something.” Trixie said.

“The magic contained in the gem can only change; it cannot undue the change that has been done. Any pony who has already seen the gem would not be affected by its magic a second time.” Astelle said. “Now pay close attention, I need you to make me a promise. Once you have obtained the body of the princess, I need you to retrieve the alicorn amulet for me.” Astelle said.

“The alicorn amulet? Seriously? You already have a lot of power why would you need…” Trixie started.

“A deal is a deal.” Astelle interrupted.

“Okay okay, yeah sure. I can get you the amulet no problem. I won’t need it anyway, I’ll already have what I want.” Trixie said with a shrug. “How will I find you once I get it?”

“I will know.” Astelle said.

“What do you mean ‘you will know’? That’s a bit creepy.” Trixie said.

“Do not test my patience, child. Do we have an agreement or not?” Astelle asked.

“Yes. Yes we do. I’ll get your amulet and you give me the gem.” Trixie said with a nod.

“Good. Fare thee well Trixie, I will be in touch.” Astelle said. She calmly left Trixie’s wagon and disappeared so quickly Trixie began to wonder if she had imagined it. She looked around outside but the unicorn was nowhere to be found. Still, when she returned to her wagon the parcel with the gem was still there. She unwrapped it again and studied it intensely. She could feel the dark power it contained and it excited her.

“Looks like I have a bit of traveling to do.” Trixie said with a smug grin.

*~*~*~*

“Then I came here to find Twilight and--“ Trixie started.

“Yeah yeah yeah, we know the rest.” Spike said.

“So that’s it?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yes, that’s it. I haven’t seen her since.” Trixie shrugged.

“How are you going to lead us to this pony if you don’t even know where to find her?” Rarity asked angrily. “You have another promise to keep, you know. Your promise to switch us all back!”

“I can’t believe you’d even make a deal like that. You have no idea who this pony is. Didn’t it bother you that she just gave up that kind of magic all willy-nilly?” Applejack said.

“So I didn’t question things like I should have, so what? She gave me what I needed; who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth?” Trixie said.

“HAH! ‘look a gift horse in the mouth’!” Pinkie laughed.

“What about the amulet?” Twilight asked, finally joining the conversation. She looked cross and worried.

“She doesn’t have it yet if that’s what you’re asking. I asked Princess Luna about it but she got all cryptic and I guess I forgot after that. I had to plan the Grand Galloping Gala, I didn’t have time to understand her riddles.” Trixie said.

“Do you know where the amulet is, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked. The others looked to Twilight, hopeful.

“Trixie was right about one thing; it should have been in the castle.” Twilight answered.

“I KNEW IT!” Trixie yelled.

“I gave it to Princess Celestia and she promised she would keep it with her and keep it safe. I just assumed it would be in the castle.” Twilight clarified. “What exactly did Princess Luna tell you?”

Trixie sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Again with the story telling? This is getting really annoying, you know. I’m not a book Twilight, you can’t just expect me to recite stuff like I’m your personal parrot.”

“Trixie wanna cracker? Bawk bawk!” Pinkie said with a giggle.

“Just tell us, Trixie.” Spike said.

“Yes, and do try to make it quick. We don’t have all day, darling.” Rarity said impatiently.

*~*~*~*

Princess Luna returned to her tower one morning after setting the moon. The sun rose in its place and she watched the sunrise alone. Even with Celestia gone from Canterlot the sun would rise and set. Clearly wherever Celestia went she was still performing her duties as the sun princess. This was Luna's only indication that Celestia was alright. However, Luna felt a pang of resentment and confusion when she thought of her sister. Despite everything she had been through and the torments she had to endure, Celestia was still not openly honest with her. Luna saw Celestia's efforts to include her in much more now that she had returned and yet she still kept her secrets. This was exactly how Luna's bitterness began all those years ago. She tried to keep her emotions and worries in check this time; the last thing Equestria needed was another attack of Nightmare Moon. Besides, she couldn't bear another thousand years on the moon.

When Celestia had come to speak with Luna almost a week prior she did not explain what was happening, only that she needed to leave for a little while. Luna tried to demand to know what was wrong, but Celestia refused to say another word. Luna knew her sister was distressed about something, but because Celestia would not confide in her she could not think of how to comfort her sister. They parted on less than happy terms; Luna was still hurt by her sister's lack of trust.

When she watched the sun rise that morning part of her bitterness melted away. She would have to learn to live with these feelings of inadequacy or else spend eternity forever resentful. That was not the kind of life Luna wanted.

"Princess Luna?" Trixie asked, knocking at the princess's door. Luna turned and used her magic to let her in.

"Twilight Sparkle. To what do we owe this visit?" Luna asked stoically.

"There is something I've been meaning to ask you about." Trixie said, taking a look around the princess's room. She was impressed by the grandeur of it and envied the detail that was absent from her own room.

"If it is an answer we can provide we will certainly do so." Luna said. She looked at who she believed to be Twilight Sparkle and felt a little bit better. No matter who else became a princess in Equestria Luna would always be the second in command. Knowing this eased her pain.

"I was wondering if you knew where the alicorn amulet is?" Trixie asked.

Luna looked shocked and confused by Trixie's question. Trixie quickly added:

"I just want to make sure it's safe." Trixie said with a nervous laugh.

"We assure thee the amulet is quite secure." Luna answered.

"Yes but… where exactly?" Trixie prodded.

"What interest doth thou have in this matter Twilight Sparkle? We hope thy curiosity has not robbed thee of thy common sense. Magic contained within that amulet is forbidden to any pony, even a princess." Luna said.

"Yeah, I know. I just uh… I had a dream about it. I dreamt that I would need to be ready to protect it." Trixie lied. She was becoming frustrated by Luna's doubt and mistrust. "Don't you trust me?"

Trixie's question caught Luna off guard. She had said those very words to her sister before her departure. Here she was playing the role that she resented in Celestia. Still, she promised Celestia discretion in regards to the amulet's whereabouts.

"The amulet is protected by the hearts of the ponies who hold it. As long as there is light and love in Equestria the amulet will be safe." Luna said.

"Where is that?" Trixie asked.

"Some matters are best left to mystery Twilight Sparkle. Thou hast no reason to fear thy dream. The princess will guard it until her last days." Luna replied. "Hast thou begun preparations for the gala?"

"Oh yeah! Of course I have. I've already picked out the theme and the color scheme…"

"The hearts of the ponies who hold it… light and love in Equestria" Twilight recited, interrupting Trixie's story.

"Hello, rude much?" Trixie said.

"Was there anything else?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, no…. but still!" Trixie said with a huff.

"I know where it is! I know where it is!" Pinkie Pie chimed happily bouncing up and down.

"Me too!" Spike said.

"Yeah, makes sense to me, mmhmm." The others replied.

"Mind sharing that with the rest of us?" Trixie asked.

"I dunno… I don't think we can trust her." Rainbow said skeptically.

"I'm sitting right here you know!" Trixie snapped.

"Rainbow, we made a promise to protect her. If she's gonna come with us she might as well know where she's goin'." Applejack said.

"The Crystal Empire, okay? It's in the Crystal Empire." Spike announced.

"Oh… so the princess she was referring to was…" Trixie started.

"Cadance!" Twilight said in shock and fear. "We need to get to the Crystal Empire at once!"

"What's the hurry, darling?" Rarity asked in confusion.

"I have a theory…" Twilight started. "If a unicorn could perform the kind of magic that Trixie indicated that would mean she could have certainly been powerful enough to be behind all the strange occurrences that we've encountered. The forest, the animals, and…"

"The shadow alicorn!" Rarity finished.

"Exactly. If I'm right, that shadowy beast could have attacked Cadance in pursuit of the amulet." Twilight finished.

"Then why would it attack Luna and me?" Trixie demanded.

"Obviously this Astelle found out you weren't going to keep your end of your foolish deal. She probably took Luna to get the information from her and you… you were probably just going to be taken as punishment." Twilight said.

"That is it!" Trixie said angrily. "That is the last time I let anypony make deals with me."

"I hope Cadance is okay!" Fluttershy said with a whimper.

"I hope I'm wrong." Twilight added.

"Doesn't sound like it, Twi. It surely does explain a lot." Applejack noted.

"But what could she want with that amulet in the first place?" Rarity asked.

"Yeah, she's so super powerful on her own. At least, that's what Trixie says." Pinkie Pie said.

"I'm so done trying to convince you ponies that I'm telling the truth." Trixie snapped again.

"Okay wait a minute, my head hurts. Let me see if I've got this straight… this mysterious unicorn shows up, gives Trixie that gem in return for the amulet and she's supposedly the one who sent that shadow alicorn after the princess?" Rainbow said.

"It's just a theory." Twilight said.

"Well what are we waiting for? We need to get to the Crystal Empire We haven't a moment to lose!" Rarity said.

"Wait a minute! You ponies said you were going to protect me, and now you're going TOWARDS the place you think that monster is? That's not our deal." Trixie said.

"Well, we're all going. If you want our protection that's up to you. I'd sure hate to find out that Twilight was wrong and that alicorn beast is just stalking you, waiting for the right moment when you're all alone…" Rainbow Dash said.

"Fine." Trixie mumbled. "You win. But I expect an apology for your rude behavior. After all, I told you everything I knew and you have all acted so terribly to me."

"You first." Rainbow replied.

"I have nothing to be sorry for!" Trixie said. The other ponies stood in silence and stared at her with raised eyebrows. "Oh right… well, forget the apologies we'll just call it even. Now let's go."

Twilight watched Trixie as she haughtily left the library and fought back that urge to hate.

"I know this is tough for you Twi." Applejack said.

"Yeah, I couldn't be nice to her if she did that to me, whether she saved AJ's life or not!" Rainbow added.

"I don't even have time to think about it. I have to worry about everypony else and everything else like I always do." Twilight mumbled sadly. Her friends frowned; they were worried about Twilight. They'd never seen her so tormented before.

"Let's hope this whole fiasco resolves itself quickly, I don't think Twilight can take much more." Rarity said. The others quietly agreed.

The Alicorn Amulet

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Princess Luna awoke feeling disoriented and drained. She put a hoof to her head and groaned, she had quite the splitting headache. When she opened her eyes she discovered that she could not see a thing, not even her own hoof in front of her face. She cast a spell that would illuminate her surroundings but it failed. Not one single shred of light flowed from her horn. Luna furrowed her brow and tried again, this time with a greater emphasis on the spell. Still, nothing happened. She gasped and began a silent panic. Where was she? What was wrong with her? She felt along her horn looking for any kind of magical lock that might have been blocking her spells, but she found none. She looked around her in desperation trying to find any kind of light and felt the strangest sensation. Her mane was brushing up against her coat when she turned her head. That couldn't be right; her mane should be light as air, flowing effortlessly in sync with her tail. This, however, felt like a normal pony mane. The kind of mane she had when she was a filly, or when she had been stripped of her dark powers by Twilight Sparkle and her friends. She felt along her non-magical mane in confusion and fear, unsure what was happening.

Luna heard a sound from behind her and turned to see what it was. It was the sound of a flame and she saw a torch ignite. Although a single torch does not offer much light, Luna still had to blink a few times to adjust to the sudden brightness of its glow. The torch lit up only one corner of the room where Luna had been unconscious indicating that this room was far larger than it appeared to be. Luna could hear a faint echo and the sound of water dripping and concluded she was being kept in some sort of underground cave or dungeon. She scowled and glared up at the pony holding the torch. The pony was masked by a cloak and Luna could not see her face but she could see the dark grey hoof holding the torch. She couldn't recall ever knowing a pony with that shade of fur color. The pony didn't say a word at first; she merely walked towards one of the walls and carefully placed the torch in its rightful place. After doing so, she turned to Luna and lowered the hood.

"At last we meet, dearest Luna." The pony said; her voice deep but sweet. She stared at Luna in a way that made her uncomfortable, as if she was happy to see her like this: trapped and powerless. Luna backed away from the pony cautiously. She opened her mouth to ask a question but the mare held out a hoof to stop her. "Yes, I'm sure you have questions. So many things need to be discussed, but I want you to know that I have no intention of harming thee."

The mare approached Luna again but Luna backed away into the wall.

"I'm sure this is very frightening to you. But I promise you will understand why I have to do the things I do." The mare said.

"Who are you, and why doth thou insult us with these games? We demand you release the princess of the night at once, or suffer the consequences of your actions." Luna said boldly.

"No games, Luna. I just want to…" the mare started, she fought back the enthusiasm that was threating to break her calm demeanor. "Perhaps we should start with introductions. My name is Astelle."

"We see that thou already has the upper hand; you know who we are, but we have never heard of such a mare called Astelle." Luna said, wracking her brain for any mention of an Astelle in all her years of study.

Astelle seemed so offended by that comment; she closed her eyes and stamped her hoof to the ground, causing the sound to echo. The echo was loud and seemingly continuous, that meant this room must be of considerable size.

"I cannot say that this news surprises me, but its truth still cuts deep. There are so many things that need to be said between us dear Luna, and if it weren't for my reappearance I fear you would have lived a life having never known you were…" Astelle started.

"Enough!" A frantic voice cried. Although it came from far away and that voice was distraught Luna could recognize her sister's voice anywhere.

"Celestia!" Luna cried, both in relief and concern. She got up from the floor and tried to race towards the sound but she was stopped by a giant pair of blazing red eyes. The shadow alicorn beast that had bested Luna in battle was now guiding her back to the wall near Astelle. Its hot breath blew the mane from Luna's face and she could not look away from the unholy red eyes. The alicorn disappeared the moment Luna returned to her place up against the wall.

"Luna, Luna I'm so sorry." Celestia said, sobbing again from wherever she was.

"Celestia are you hurt?" Luna asked. She looked up at Astelle warily but she showed no signs of stopping their conversation. Celestia gave no direct reply, all that could be heard was her soft sobbing and quiet apologies.

"Forgive me, Luna. Forgive me. Please, Luna, don't give in…" Celestia mumbled.

"Well, this is quite the little family reunion isn't it!" Astelle said sarcastically.

"What dost thou want with us?" Luna asked.

"I want you… us… to work together at last." Astelle said. She smiled softly and very carefully approached Luna. Luna held her ground despite the fear rising in her chest.

"Oh Luna, you have no reason to fear me. I would never harm thee… nor Celestia. Not in the way that you would imagine. I can only hurt her by reminding her of the guilt she carries from her banishment of me." Astelle said.

Luna's ears perked up at the mention of banishment.

"Yes, dear Luna, your sister has banished another pony before you. Like you, I was misunderstood, unappreciated, and heart broken. I only had the best intention for every pony, beloved even, but I was betrayed. Betrayed by your sister." Astelle said

"My sister only acts in the interests of Equestria, if she had banished thee it was for a just and noble reason. I would never align myself with a creature of darkness such as yourself. The nightmare moon that was once my curse has been lifted and I will be a creature of darkness no more." Luna said defiantly.

"Ah, but you see, you only have one side of the story little Luna. You only know what Celestia has fed you of your past; of her past. She has always kept secrets from you, kept you shielded from knowledge you had every right to know. She claims to be the greatest alicorn who ever lived because she is just and fair and kind. But perhaps she keeps this secret because it exposes her for the moment in her life that she acted out of selfishness and betrayal." Astelle said.

"No pony is… perfect." Luna said, still trying to be firm but unable to ignore the pain she gets when she feels neglected. "What do you want of me?"

"I want-" Astelle started

"No! Don't you tell her! You know it'll bring her so much pain, Astelle!" Celestia called. "If you care at all for Luna you would spare her this torment! Your quarrel is with me, and rightfully so. Let my sister go!" Celestia shouted.

"Your sister?" Astelle said angrily.

"Astelle no!" Celestia pleaded.

"I'm sorry, did I hear you correctly? Because last time I checked…"

"Astelle please… she shouldn't have to bear this burden."

"I shall not live with the choices you have made for me, Celestia. You will always be the ungrateful little brat that clung to my hooves and followed me up the chain of power. You betrayed me, and you betrayed her. Luna has every right to know the whole story." Astelle said.

"Tell her who I am Celestia!" Astelle called out. The shadow alicorn was on the other side of the room now, Luna could see Celestia's face stained with tears from the glow of its red eyes. She wanted to race over to her sister but she was far too frightened and confused.

"TELL LUNA WHO I AM!" Astelle demanded. Frustrated by Celestia's lack of response, Astelle gripped her cloak with her teeth and pulled it away from her body. Once the cloak was gone Luna gasped at the sight: Astelle was an alicorn. Astelle's brilliant red mane and tail were bound up with what appeared to be black thorns like what would be seen on a rose. Her cutie mark was a dazzling red gem in the shape of a star that was also encased in black thorns; the thorns on the cutie mark formed the shape of a crown.

"You are too ashamed to say it, aren't you? Too WEAK and PATHETIC to admit your wrong doings!" Astelle said bitterly. "Don't you think you deserve to know?" Astelle asked Luna.

Luna had tears in her eyes, she knew even without having to ask the question who Astelle truly was. She thought back to everything Celestia had ever told her about their past and began to wonder if Celestia had ever truly trusted her in the first place. No matter how hard Luna tried to prove to Celestia they could be equals she realized Celestia would never see them that way. She recognized the rage and the pleading in Astelle because she too had felt it.

"Who is she Celestia?" Luna asked out of principle. There was silence in the room for a little while with the exception of Celestia's sad sobs.

"Our older sister."

*~*~*~*

As the train pulled into the station every pony was relieved to see the Crystal Empire still as bright and beautiful as ever. No pony seemed aware of the disastrous events that had occurred in Canterlot; not they showed anyway. Trixie led the others from the station towards the crystal castle. She was only too pleased to have ponies fawn over her and her new status as princess. The crystal ponies all bowed to her in respect as she passed but she merely kept her nose in the air and strutted about as prideful as a peacock.

"I've had just about enough of her prissiness." Applejack muttered.

"She looks rather ridiculous parading about like that." Rarity agreed.

"We agreed this would be easier than trying to explain." Twilight reminded them both.

"Easier maybe but not better. If she doesn't cut out this holier-than-thou attitude I can't be held responsible for what I'll do." Rainbow said.

The eight of them paused at the large doors to the castle where a group of guards were stationed.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle wishes to have an audience with Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor." Twilight said, stepping in front of Trixie before she could say anything.

"Of course." One guard said, motioning to two other guards to open the doors. One orange-coat and blue-maned Pegasus guard in particular glanced Trixie's way and offered her an embarrassed but sweet smile. Trixie paid him no heed as she strode inside. Twilight blushed in embarrassment as she and the others walked past, trying not to let him see her or make eye contact.

"Wait here, your highness." A different guard said, leaving Trixie and the others alone in the throne room while he sought after the prince and princess.

"So what's the deal with this place anyway?" Trixie asked once the guard had left them alone. "I mean, where are all the crystal unicorns and pegasi? The only pegasus I saw was that guard fellow outside and he wasn't crystally at all! I couldn't imagine having such an odd pony out in my staff; it would look so much better if they were consistent."

No pony answered that, mostly out of frustration to Trixie's ignorance and intolerance.

"And by the way I don't see any alicorn ghost monsters here, so I guess that means the oh-so-brilliant Twilight Sparkle was WRONG again. I would say this was an entire waste of a trip but I figure earth ponies like these might actually be the perfect crowd for my magical feats. No pony would dare to deny the might of the Great and Powerful Trixie!"

"Well I for one am glad Cadance and the empire are safe." Applejack said putting a hoof around Twilight.

"Me too!" The others agreed.

"Let's just hope the same can be said for the you-know-what." Twilight said.

"I do?" Pinkie asked in confusion but before Twilight could respond another pair of doors opened and Cadance stepped out. She smiled and raced towards Trixie happy to see her.

"Twilight! Sunshine sunshine ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and… Twilight, what's wrong?" Cadance said, pausing as she was half-way through their secret hoof shake because of Trixie's lack of involvement.

"What are you doing?" Trixie asked, backing away slowly.

"Cadance, I know this is really strange but I'm Twilight." Twilight said, stepping forward.

Cadance looked from Trixie to Twilight with a worried and puzzled expression. She knew all too well the nightmare it was to have somepony else masquerade as yourself but she was sure they would never have to deal with Chrysalis and her dark magic again.

"What are you talking about?" A strong voice said from behind them, the ponies all turned to see Twilight's older brother join them from across the room.

"It's a really long story, but we came to make sure everything was alright here in the Crystal Empire, you haven't had any strange occurrences lately, have you?" Twilight asked fearfully.

"Who are you?" Shining Armor demanded.

"Well, you see sir…" Fluttershy started shyly.

"We switched, okay? It's not that difficult to understand." Trixie said impatiently.

"What she means to say, your highnesses, is that some kind of strange magic has got us all mixed up." Applejack said.

"You can say that again." Spike mumbled.

"Spike?" Shining Armor said in surprise, looking him up and down in Rainbow's body.

"Who did this to you?" Cadance asked worriedly.

All eyes were on Trixie now, who was too busy checking her mane in the reflection of the floor to notice.

"Trixie came and wrought awful magic on Twilight with this tacky little gem and then it worked its magic on the rest of us." Rarity said.

"Trixie?" Shining Armor asked. The others pointed to the pony that looked like his sister.

"What did you do?" He demanded. There was nothing quite as frightening as an older brother trying to protect his sister. He approached Trixie sternly and she looked up at him in surprise. As he got closer she backed away and into the wall so quickly that she knocked down a banner hanging there.

"Will somepony PLEASE tell him to stop it?" Trixie said frantically. "I'm on your side now, honest!"

"Maybe we should just let him at her." Rainbow Dash whispered to the others.

"It's alright, Shining, she's… with us." Twilight said reluctantly.

"Geez. Do you honestly think I'd come here if I wasn't?" Trixie demanded of Shining who was still angry but who backed away.

"Can't you reverse the spell?" Cadance asked.

"Not on our own." Twilight answered. "But that's not why we came. You see, there's been quite a lot of strange things going on, and the Princesses have gone missing."

"Again?" Cadance and Shining Armor both said in unison.

"We haven't heard anything about that." Cadance replied astonished.

"There was this big ugly alicorn monster thing that attacked Princess Luna and it like… ate her! It just… ate her and then she was gone!" Pinkie Pie said, dramatic as ever in her retelling of the story.

"We barely escaped with our lives!" Rarity added.

"And then there were vicious dragons in the Everfree forest, not to mention the manticore." Fluttershy said.

"We haven't heard a word from Celestia either." Spike added.

Soon everypony was talking at once and it was too difficult to make out what anypony was trying to say. Cadance looked to Shining Armor and then to Twilight.

"What can we do, Twilight?" Cadance asked her.

"Well, actually, we need to make sure the al- uh, that something is safe." Twilight said. She wasn't sure whose wandering ears might be listening in on this conversation; she believed that they should take every precaution to keep this a secret.

"The mirror is quite secure I assure you." Cadance said.

"No, not that, the alicorn amulet!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. So much for secrecy.

"Why would you think otherwise, Twily?" Shining Armor asked.

"Somepony is after it." She answered.

"I still don't see why she'd need it in the first place." Trixie mumbled under her breath.

"Okay, some pony needs to tell me what's going on." Shining Armor said. He was still a little confused watching some pony else talk and act like his sister. Of course, nothing was as shocking as seeing Spike as a pony. A girl pony none the less.

Pinkie Pie was only too delighted to fill the royal couple in on the events that transpired. Her account was vivid and accurate, although her friends had to hurry her along through some of the details to get to the more important points of the story. By the end, it seemed that both Cadance and Shining Armor understood and believed them.

"What do you think we should do now?" Cadance asked Twilight.

"I might have something… but I think it would be best if I talk to you in private." Twilight said, peaking at Trixie from the corner of her eye.

"Of course." Cadance said.

"Girls do you mind-" Twilight started.

"Trixie babysitting duty." Rainbow Dash finished. "You got it."

"EXCUSE me?" Trixie said, offended.

Twilight left with her brother and sister-in-law to discuss the next plan of action. She had a few ideas in mind but they were all pretty risky. Hopefully with their assistance Twilight might finally catch a break this time.

"Where exactly is the amulet now?" Twilight asked, once they'd gone out of earshot of the others.

"What do you have in mind, Twily?" Shining Armor asked her.

"I think it's time I met this mysterious unicorn and I think I can get her to come to us rather than having to figure out where she is." Twilight said with a confident smile.

*~*~*~*

Nine ponies and one dragon filed into a small cramped room in one of the castle's most guarded towers. In the corner the mirror to the human world lay dormant with a sheet precariously hanging off the side. Seeing that mirror brought back happy memories for Twilight and she was momentarily distracted from her task at hand. It seemed that Celestia and Luna had entrusted quite a few magical things to Cadance for her protection. There were all kinds of mystical objects amongst many other seemingly ordinary ones too.

"Now let me get this straight, we're gonna give that unicorn exactly what she wants? How in the hay is that going to help the situation?" Applejack asked.

"Well, we don't exactly know how Astelle plans on retrieving the amulet once it's in Trixie's possession." Twilight pointed out.

"Yeah that part really was a little weird don't you think? 'Once you have it in your possession I will know'. What does that even mean?" Trixie asked.

"So we're setting a trap?" Pinkie exclaimed. "Trixie will lure her in all innocent-like and then before she can get her hooves on the amulet we all burst out of hiding and then Twilight, Cadance, and Shining Armor can take her on, horn to horn! The rest of us ponies will be ready juuuust in case there's any other sort of funny business that needs to be taken care of. Ooo I hope I get to clobber a few minions!"

"Minions?" Rarity asked in confusion.

"Well, duh, all the best villians have them! I mean, either minions or a pet. But if it's a pet they're usually sarcastic and really funny. Sometimes the minion can be treated like a pet. Hmm… Discord didn't have a minion OR a pet! Come to think of it, neither did Nightmare Moon, or King Sombra!" She gasped at the realization. "Don't they KNOW how out of character they are? I mean, who would want to be a bad guy who has to monologue to him, or her, self all the time. BORRRING. At least Queen Chrysalis had those changeling things, I mean-"

Twilight put her hoof over Pinkie's mouth effectively ending her ramblings; the other ponies looked a bit relieved.

"For the most part, Pinkie is correct. We are setting a trap of sorts." Shining Armor said.

"Told ya so!" Pinkie chimed happily bouncing around the small room wherever she could fit.

"But this doesn't necessarily mean Astelle is a "villain" as you claim. All we know for sure is that she is powerful and knows magic that is not within pony record." Cadance pointed out.

"No matter what happens, I think we should be prepared for anything. After what happened in Canterlot I'm not willing to underestimate any potential threat." Twilight said.

"What is it you need us to do, Twi?" Applejack asked. She and the others stood proudly in a row awaiting her request.

"Spike, you'll keep watch just outside this window and let us know if you see anything or any pony coming. It would be nice to have a little bit of a heads up." Twilight said.

"No problem!" Spike answered.

"Fluttershy and Rarity, I'd like to use you two as a back-up plan. We don't know how well this whole thing will go over, or even what to expect, but I would like you two ponies over here, behind this chair. If I give the signal I want you to rip the rug out from underneath us. At least that might create enough of a distraction if we need it." Twilight said.

"If that's the case, Rainbow and Applejack, you two try to get Trixie and Cadance out of here as quickly as you can." Twilight said.

"Wait, don't you want us to help fight or something?" Rainbow asked.

"This isn't about fighting; it's about getting some answers." Twilight corrected.

"And none of this will happen unless it absolutely has to. I'm sure Twilight will be able to appeal to her common sense." Cadance said.

"That's IF she isn't the psycho pony who unleashed that shadow beast. I don't think the pony controlling that thing has any senses to appeal to; and I doubt all of this drama happened coincidentally." Trixie said.

"I thought you didn't believe Twilight's theory." Rarity said with a smug grin.

"Well… I don't… but…" Trixie grumbled, unable to think of something witty in response.

"Alright everypony let's give this a try." Twilight said.

Princess Cadance and Shining Armor used their magic to lift a particularly large statue from its place in the corner of the room. Once it was airborne, Twilight could see a small box hidden underneath the statue. She tried to use her magic to retrieve the box.

"Wait, Twilight…" Cadance started but she was a little too late. Taking the box from its place set off an ear-shattering alarm. Every pony screamed and covered their ears in surprise. Shining Armor had to cast a spell that engulfed the room in light before the alarm stopped. Moments later, guards were rushing towards the tower from all directions.

"Wow. Nice security." Rainbow Dash said. She and Spike were looking out the window watching the crystal guards scrambling below them as they flooded into the tower.

"I'll go dismiss them." Shining Armor said, excusing himself from the room.

"Sorry Twilight I should have warned you. Only alicorn magic can remove the amulet from its place." Cadance said apologetically.

"But I am… oh… right." Twilight said trailing off as she remembered her current situation.

"Yeah, Twilight, leave the really good magic to some pony a little more worthy." Trixie taunted. She turned to use Twilight's magic to retrieve the box but Cadance had already done so.

Cadance unlocked the latch on the box and revealed the alicorn amulet.

"Oooooo it's really shiny." Pinkie said with a smile.

"Pinkie, you've seen this before." Applejack reminded her.

"I know, but it IS shiny." Pinkie said.

"At least we know it's still here." Fluttershy said.

"Finally some good news." Twilight agreed.

"Now what do we do, Twilight?" Rarity wondered.

"I think Trixie should try a summoning spell." Twilight answered.

"A what?" Trixie asked.

"You have to conjure a little ball of light and send it to find the pony you are seeking. It would let them know to come find you; they would just have to follow it back." Twilight said.

"Whatever. How do I do that?" Trixie asked.

"I've already mastered this spell with my magic; all you have to do is concentrate on it." Twilight said. All of her hard work mastering spells meant nothing to Trixie who had the fortune of using somepony else's magic. It would have taken weeks for Trixie to learn this on her own.

The little ball of light formed and shot straight out of the window.

"Now we play the waiting game." Twilight said.

"Ooo I love this game! I call Fluttershy on my team!" Pinkie said, pulling Fluttershy into her with a hug.

*~*~*~*

Much to everypony's disappointment nothing seemed to have happened. Minutes and hours passed without so much as an indication that anypony was coming. Twilight had Trixie perform a few more spells, but to no avail. Everypony was lounging about the tower room trying their best to wait patiently for something to happen.

"King me!" Pinkie said, pushing a chess piece forward on a game board. She had found lots of interesting things in that room and with Cadance's permission she used them to pass the time.

"Pinkie, how many times do I have to tell you, this is chess, not checkers." Twilight said, returning her piece to its original place.

"Oh… knight me!" Pinkie said with a smile.

Twilight sighed; it was useless trying to explain chess to this pony.

"You cannot just keep me locked up in here waiting for something to happen! I'm tired, I'm hungry, I have a terrible headache. When can we get some food?" Trixie whined.

"Such a drama queen." Spike whispered.

"I heard that you ungrateful little dragon… pony… thing." Trixie snapped.

"You know, Twi, I hate to say it but… maybe this is all just a big hoax." Rainbow Dash said. She was in a corner of the room lying on her back and tossing a ball into the air and catching it. "What if princess loud mouth over there made this up so she could get her hooves back on that amulet?"

"I wouldn't put it past her." Rarity added.

"Are we still debating the truth?" Trixie asked exasperated.

"Don't worry, I won't let that happen. Trixie isn't getting her hooves on this ever again." Twilight promised.

"And another thing, why is it you ponies consistently talk about me as if I weren't right here?" Trixie demanded.

"Wait a minute…" Applejack said. "Why don't we just give it to 'er?"

"What?!" The others asked; with the exception of Trixie who looked both pleased and confused.

"Nothing else is working, maybe there's some kind of magic at work here. That unicorn did say she'd know once it was in Trixie's possession; but it isn't in her possession yet." Applejack said.

"That does make a little bit of sense, but I've never heard of magic like that…" Twilight said, trailing off deep in thought.

"That seems to be quite the issue, darling. None of these magic spells are known." Rarity said.

"It might be worth a try." Fluttershy said.

"Are we seriously considering this?" Rainbow Dash objected.

"Well…" Twilight stated nervously.

"Oh would you ponies just give it a rest already?" Trixie said. She used Twilight's magic to latch the amulet around her neck. The other ponies all gasped in surprise; no pony was ready for that yet. The moment the clasp was sealed, the amulet let out a beam of red light that shot straight through the ceiling of the room. The ponies gasped and covered their faces as the debri from the ceiling came crumbling down on top of them.

"That's new!" Pinkie Pie said, pointing out the obvious.

"I think it's working!" Twilight said, too eager to be upset.

"It better be!" Trixie said, "This thing feels really weird, it isn't at all like it was last time!"

"Every pony to their places!" Twilight said and the others followed suit.

"Is anypony else excited?" Pinkie asked, finding it difficult to stay hidden. Rainbow Dash shushed her.

"Um… Twilight?" Spike called from outside the window.

"What is it, Spike? Is something coming?" Twilight asked excitedly.

"Well, I can hear a-" Spike said, but was cut off by the sound of a ghostly whinny in the distance. Every pony recognized the sound immediately.

"The shadow alicorn!?" Trixie screamed. "This wasn't a part of the deal!"

"Can you see it? Where's it coming from? Look for its eyes!" Each pony was pushed up against each other trying to get a good look outside. Trixie on the other hand was not about to face that monster again.

"All bets are off!" She said, tugging at the clasp on the amulet. To her horror the clasp would not release at her first attempt. She struggled hard against the amulet but it would not come off. "This isn't funny! Get this thing OFF ME!" She screamed.

Twilight and Applejack turned away from the window and attempted to help Trixie.

"It's held fast Twilight." Applejack said, examining the amulet. "I can't even find the clasp anymore!"

"DO SOMETHING!" Trixie said, her legs shaking as the whinny grew louder.

"If you clear a path outside I can…" Cadance started.

"No!" came a unison of replies from Twilight and her friends.

"Oh sure, protect the OTHER princess but nopony cares about Trixie!" Trixie cried.

"We're doing the best we can." Applejack said, the amulet in her teeth as she tugged at it.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Trixie said, choking on the amulet when Applejack pulled.

"Hey, it stopped!" Pinkie said. Every pony paused to listen; the wicked whinny had completely disappeared.

"Good, now please get this thing off me." Trixie said, trying to pry it away with her magic. As she struggled, Trixie caught sight of something from the corner of her eye. A large shadow grew up from the floor and a pair of bright red eyes opened. Trixie screamed and blasted it with her magic; alerting the other ponies. The shadow was unfazed; It moved with precision towards her and engulfed her in only moments before disappearing completely. Trixie's screams vanished the moment she did.

Panic ensued as each pony, and baby dragon, began talking at once and running around the tower room in disarray.

"Calm down! Wait, just… hold on!" Twilight said, trying to shout above the chaos. "EVERY PONY STOP!"

One by one, Twilight's friends stopped in their tracks and turned to listen.

"Trixie's going to be fine." Twilight said, although she secretly wished otherwise.

"How can you possibly know that, Twilight?" Rarity asked.

"I think I can explain." Princess Cadance said. "When Twilight told me about the amulet I wasn't entirely surprised. You see, Princess Celestia came to me a couple weeks ago with orders to protect the amulet at all costs. She told me there was a grave threat she would have to face; an old foe she had once beaten."

"Wait, so you knew about this unicorn, and the shadow alicorn all along?" Spike asked.

"No." Cadance clarified, "I only knew to protect the amulet. When you all came here and explained what happened; Twilight, Shining, and I decided it would be in Equestria's best interests to figure out what was really going on." Cadance said

"But why hand over the only leverage we have?" Rarity asked.

"That wasn't the real amulet." Twilight said proudly. "We figured Trixie knew a little more than she was telling us and she'd end up making some kind of mistake. If she believed she had the real amulet we could unmask whatever she was planning and thwart her in the act."

"You never trusted her." Rainbow Dash realized proudly.

"And I never will." Twilight added.

"Well it's kind of hard to confront some pony when they disappear." Applejack said.

"That's why there's a trace spell on her." Twilight added.

"Ooooh! Good thinking Twilight! What's a trace spell?" Pinkie asked.

"As soon as Trixie touches back down on solid ground, we can trace her with magic and we will know exactly where she is. Then we can really get to the bottom of this. If there IS a unicorn out there helping her; we can confront them both." Twilight said.

"And perhaps we will find the Princesses as well?" Spike asked.

"With everything that has been going on I honestly doubt their disappearance is coincidental. Trixie's reached a whole new level of dark magic and greed; taking over Equestria would be a believable plot for her right now." Twilight said.

"At least we know the princesses are safe. I mean; the sun and the moon rise and set every day." Fluttershy pointed out.

"I hope so." Twilight said.

"So this whole time you had to bite your tongue and listen to that unicorn spout out all those lies? That takes an impressive amount of courage and discipline, Twilight." Applejack said.

"But why wouldn't you tell us?" Rarity asked, a little offended.

"I didn't have a chance. I had to keep Trixie with us at all times to keep her from causing more trouble, and I couldn't risk her overhearing anything." Twilight said.

"Are you sure you want to confront this alone?" Shining Armor asked.

"I won't be alone. I have my friends." Twilight said reassuringly. "As the spirits of the elements of harmony, nothing can stop us BBBFF. Besides, you promised that you and Cadance would protect the REAL amulet."

"Speaking of which, were did you hide the real one anyway?" Spike asked.

"Why it's right over… wait." Twilight said, pausing mid-sentence. Her whole face turned pale as she made the sickening discovery. "Wait, it was right here! The fake one was in the box and the real one…"

Twilight bolted across the room to the discarded box where the fake alicorn amulet had been placed. She opened it to discover the false amulet still in place. Although it was a remarkable duplicate Twilight knew this was not the real amulet.

"Oh no…" Cadance said, realizing what had happened. She looked to Shining Armor.

"Twi…?" Applejack asked softly.

"She took the real one. She has the real one!" Twilight gasped; her friends returning with gasps of their own.

"That settles it, we're all going as soon as this Trixie pony lands. No sister of mine is facing the alicorn amulet alone." Shining Armor said.

"Cadance… I'm so sorry!" Twilight whispered. Not only had she lost the real amulet to a dangerous and possibly insane pony but she had caused her to break her promise to Celestia. She could imagine nothing worse than letting her down.

"It's… well, it's not okay Twilight. I don't know what we're getting into now." Cadance said softly.

"Does anypony else ever wonder why these sorts of things always seem to happen to US?" Spike asked.

"I've been asking that question for four years, Spike." Rainbow Dash agreed.

Revalations

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Trixie screamed when the shadow alicorn consumed her. She squeezed her eyes shut for what only seemed like a moment and when she opened them again she was in a new place entirely. The sound of her scream echoed in the halls of the castle ruins so loudly that it caused her to stop. Sunlight was pouring in from the gaping holes in what used to be the castle walls. She knew she had not lost any time because it was just breaking dawn when she was magicked away from the Crystal Empire and the sun shining on her now was still just peaking over the horizon.

"The big bad beasty is a teleportation spell?" She asked rhetorically. "THAT'S what all this fuss has been about? I never needed their protection; all of that kissing up and good-deeding was for nothing. It's not like I can't just leave whenever I want-" Trixie started, but as she tried to use a spell to leave she realized her magic was failing her. She concentrated once more but nothing occurred.

"Right. Of course. Because using magic to get out of here would have been too easy. Is it really so much to ask for one thing to go right in my life?" She demanded.

"Doth thou always speak to thyself in this manner?" Astelle asked, joining Trixie in the ruins of the room.

"Astelle!" Trixie gasped. "You really are behind all of this, aren't you?!" she said. "You… used me, and you lied to me, and you're… talking really weird. What is going on, I demand to know."

"It is a good thing I like you." Astelle said, holding back the distain for Trixie's attitude. "I never uttered a lie to thee, hast thou not sought revenge on thy enemy and taken her form?"

"Well yeah, but she kind of blew my cover so there's really no point anymore." Trixie muttered.

"The fault, therefore, does not lie with me, but with thy incompetence." Astelle remarked.

"Why are you talking like that?" Trixie asked again.

"This is the way royalty addresses their subjects." Astelle replied.

"Royalty?" Trixie asked, annoying Astelle further with her incessant questions.

Astelle rolled her eyes and extended her wings; which had been visible from the start although Trixie had been too preoccupied to notice.

"You're an alicorn too? Okay, I'm so done with all this. There's nothing special about being an alicorn anymore, is there? Lemme guess; you are the princess of… I dunno… the Everfree forest or something?" Trixie asked.

"Thou art… partially correct; though I am no princess." Astelle remarked.

"Um, you JUST said-"

"I am a queen." Astelle replied impatiently.

"Right…" Trixie muttered, unconvinced. "Then how come is it no pony has ever heard of you, hmm? Twilight Sparkle couldn't find a single reference to you in all her books and trust me that's a big deal."

"It is unwise to venture down this path Trixie Lulamoon." Astelle said, gritting her teeth.

"And another thing; why doesn't my magic work? Did you cast another one of your freaky spells on me or something? I thought you and I had a little understanding, this was NOT our deal." Trixie said.

"ENOUGH!" Astelle screamed. She stamped her hooves on the ground causing the room to shake and the rubble of the walls to shift. Long black vines of thorns crept up through the cracks in the floor and hovered around Trixie, not yet taking her in their grasp.

"Okay! Okay; I'm sorry." Trixie said defensively, eying the sharp edges of the thorns threatening to bind her.

"Trixie Lulamoon, as before I wish thee no harm." Astelle said, calling back the vines into the earth.

"So what is you want?" Trixie asked, a little more careful with word choice this time.

"I want your assistance yet again, but the reward this time shall be far greater than that given to thee before." Astelle said, partially dropping the accent as she tried to appeal to Trixie.

"Hey, I'm no pony's side kick!" Trixie said; but realizing a little too late that she might be upsetting Astelle she quickly added. "But, you know, if this reward is really all that you say it is maybe I could give it a shot."

"First I require the return of my amulet." Astelle said, eying it around Trixie's neck.

"Yes, please, take it off!" Trixie exclaimed. "This stupid thing almost killed me."

Astelle and Trixie stood in silence for a few moments before Trixie realized Astelle was waiting for her to remove the amulet herself. Without the use of her magic, Trixie turned the amulet around and felt along the band for the clasp. Fortunately the clasp had returned and she could easily remove it. Astelle watched in anticipation trying not to let her emotions betray her.

"Wait a minute…" Trixie said, pulling her hooves away. "I'm not falling for THIS trick again. What's in it for me? And why do you need this? How exactly are you a queen and where in Equestria did you come from? What is that Alicorn monster thing?"

"The amulet is mine; forged by mine own magic." Astelle started. "Within it holds great potential that will unlock the greatest parts of me. I created it in anticipation of my defeat before I was banished from Equestria by the very mare you now call royalty. Only I can truly master the magic contained within and lead it to its intended purpose."

"What's its intended purpose?" Trixie asked.

"I see great sorrow in thee, Trixie. I have watched thee and the pain thou hast faced. Even now as you have to lower yourself to the protection of the unicorn you despise the hate inside you festers. I can turn that hatred into real power. Power unlike your little Twilight Sparkle could ever dream. Tis not a princess status you deserve, Trixie, but that of a queen." Astelle said.

Trixie was still thoroughly confused. She felt another wave of sadness when she thought of all the trials she'd faced and that harmful hatred was indeed beginning to fester inside, but then Trixie remembered the moment in the Everfree forest that contradicted everything she used to be. She cared for that little hayseed; the only one who truly attempted to understand and believe her words. She had not saved her life out of selfishness as she had said; but out of compassion. She had never known the feeling of compassion and caring and although it was foreign to her she began to feel that hatred melt away as quickly as it came.

"Join me, Trixie, and I will grant you that power." Astelle said, prodding Trixie to give the amulet to her.

"What's in it for you?" Trixie asked.

"As an old… acquaintance once said to me; I wish nothing more but to exist no longer as I am." Astelle said. That statement sent a strong spike of pain to her heart and she snarled in remembrance.

"You want to die?" Trixie asked. "You have the power to take over Equestria and instead you want to die? I'm not buying it."

"No, my dear, I do not wish death. I wish mortality." Astelle said.

"That's… technically the same thing." Trixie said.

"Not to me. I grow tired of ruling and carrying the burden that accompanies it. And yet in my wake I refuse to leave Equestria in inadequate hooves. When you assume the throne as Queen, Equestria will finally be ruled justly and with all the power it needs to avoid any threat without the assistance of any… elements." Astelle said, spitting out the last word.

"You mean, I'd be more powerful than the Elements of Harmony?" Trixie asked in awe.

"Indeed. As it should have been for any ruler in Equestria. The fact that your Princess has not had the means to protect her own ponies is a sad and sorry state indeed. Is this not peculiar to the ponies she ruled?" Astelle said.

"Well, I never really thought about it but yeah, that is really weird. You know, I heard she even had to let Princess Cadance and Shining Armor save her because she couldn't even defeat the Changeling Queen." Trixie noted.

"This is because a Queen possesses the magic that a mere Princess cannot. Even as a changeling queen her magic surpassed Celestia's." Astelle said.

"So what… you want to like… tutor me in kingdom ruling?" Trixie asked, still skeptical.

"You are the perfect candidate Trixie Lulamoon. If you had not been, I would not have sought you out in the first place." Astelle said.

"How do you figure?" Trixie asked.

"From the moment you received your cutie mark you knew you were destined for great magic. Magic that no pony understood nor could comprehend. The pain of your past has taught you how to cope with loss and sorrow; something that has molded you into a stronger pony." Astelle said.

"Yeah… Yeah that's all pretty true." Trixie said, warming up to the idea.

"With my help, Trixie, you will finally reach your full potential and become one of the greatest queens Equestria has ever had." Astelle said. "I need only my amulet, and then the power you seek will be yours."

Trixie looked down at the amulet around her neck and paused, deep in thought. Perhaps Astelle was right, perhaps she was destined for more than she could have imagined. She always believed she was a leader and this would be an unfathomable life of glamorous titles and adoration. Queen Trixie had a nice ring to it. However, common sense had finally crossed her mind. This pony could be lying. This pony could bring all kinds of destruction to Equestria. She had no proof of anything except the magic she had seen this pony perform even without the amulet. More than that, though, she began to worry for the ponies of Equestria. If a mare could possess the power to overcome any foe that power could twist the mind and create the greatest threat any pony had ever witnessed. Trixie closed her eyes and remembered the moment Twilight Sparkle had forgiven her. She never realized how much that moment resonated with her. In all her time hating Twilight, she had hated her in jealousy. She never would have imagined bringing her any physical harm. Even locked away in the dungeon she could not bring herself to do such a thing. She knew how power twisted her own mind. What if she became the monster? Feared throughout the world rather than loved. Perhaps it was best not to seek after the things the heart believes it wants the most. Perhaps thinking for the benefit of others might save them and yourself from total corruption. Trixie looked up at Astelle and dropped her hoof away from the clasp.

"Only you can release the amulet from around your neck, Trixie. Your dreams are merely a clasp away." Astelle said, a little more frantic now.

"I'm sorry, Astelle, but I think for the first time in my life, I-"

"Stop right there!" Twilight Sparkle called. Trixie and Astelle turned to see Twilight and her friends accompanied by Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, and the royal guard of the Crystal Empire.

"Your reign of terror ends here, Trixie Lulamoon. We know of your plot to take over Equestria and I can promise you that will never happen." Twilight said. Her friends all rallied around her nodding their heads in agreement.

"My my my… looks like the cavalry's here!" Astelle said, laughing.

"Return the amulet at once!" Shining Armor demanded.

"Or you'll what?" Astelle asked, bemused.

"Or I'll…" Shining Armor started, but paused when he realized his horn was not lighting up.

"Shining Armor, what's wrong?" Cadance whispered.

"My horn… it… it isn't working." Shining Armor realized.

"Join the club." Trixie muttered, too quiet for anypony else to hear.

Twilight and Cadance attempted to use their magic as well but found it powerless. They began to panic amongst themselves.

"What have you done to our horns!" Twilight demanded, more furious than ever at Trixie.

"Don't look at me! I can't do magic either, you know." Trixie snapped.

"A likely story!" Pinkie Pie said, trying her horn as well and failing like the others.

"You can't fool us anymore, Trixie." Rainbow Dash said.

"You've behind everything from the start haven't you?" Spike said, standing in front of Twilight protectively.

"If you ponies would just LISTEN to me for a minute you'd realize that I was about to-"

"Did you stage the manticore attack too, Trixie?" Applejack said bitterly. "You risked my life just to make yourself out to be the hero?!"

"You're making a big mistake." Trixie hissed. Astelle did nothing, watching in delight at Trixie's temper. "I'm trying to HELP you!"

"No more lies!" Twilight demanded. "This ends now."

"Twilight, LISTEN to me!" Trixie demanded.

"You're a pathetic liar and a waste of a unicorn; a waste of a pony! Equestria will be a lot safer when you're gone." Twilight said. All of her pent up rage had finally reached its breaking point and she could contain it no longer.

Trixie was stunned into silence. Twilight's words cut her deeply and tears formed in her eyes. How could she believe she would ever be seen as anything except s failure. No pony would ever give her that chance. If every pony wanted her to be the villain, she really had no say in it any longer. Trixie turned to Astelle, tears streaming down her cheeks. Astelle understood her anger, her pain. She'd offered her everything and now she had nothing to lose. Trixie ripped the amulet from her neck and stared directly at Twilight when she handed it over.

Astelle smiled and secured the amulet around her own neck. She closed her eyes, embracing the magic she had locked within. When she opened her eyes again, they were as bright red as the shadow alicorn's.

"The shadow alicorn…" Rarity whispered. Twilight and her friends began backing away in fear.

"Now!" Shining Armor said, charging at Astelle. Astelle didn't move, nor did she speak. She watched as the large quantity ponies raced towards her, spears and swords pointed in her direction. Astelle needed only to blink and the entire lot of them vanished into thin air. Twilight and the others screamed.

"SHINING ARMOR!" Princess Cadance cried. Astelle turned her head in Cadance's direction and smiled. She then looked to Trixie who was stunned at her side.

"I promise the pain will go away now, Trixie. You'll never have to feel it again." Astelle said. Trixie rose up off the floor and was consumed in swirls of red light. Every pony else shielded their eyes from the bright glow. Trixie screamed, more in shock than in pain. She felt her body changing, morphing into something different. Her wings stretched further, her legs grew longer, her mane felt light as air. Her coat turned dark and when she opened her eyes she saw with new clarity. Twilight and her friends gasped in horror when the light faded away. Astelle smirked as Trixie began to realize what had happened and who she was now. She was still in Twilight's body; though Twilight's body had certainly changed. She recognized this sort of transformation and examined her new and improved body in awe.

"I present to you your new leader; Nightmare Trixie Sparkle." Astelle said; laughing so hard that it turned into a cackle.

*~*~*~*

For the second time Twilight had to watch helplessly as Trixie slammed a door in her face locking her in yet another dungeon cell. This time, however, Twilight was not alone. Princess Cadance and all of her friends were with her and cast in total darkness unable to bring light with their magic. Astelle smiled and put a hoof on Trixie's back, reassuring her that she had made the right decision. Without another word Astelle and Trixie both vanished, off to do who knows what to an unsuspecting Equestria.

"Shining Armor?" Princess Cadance called into the darkness. Their cell was unusually large and her voice echoed as she called out his name.

"Princess Mi Amore?" Princess Luna asked somewhere in the darkness.

"Princess Luna!" Twilight exclaimed happily.

"Twilight Sparkle." Princess Celestia said, both with sadness and relief.

"Princess Celestia?" Rarity asked.

"Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie pie exclaimed.

Twilight and her friends heard the soft sound of a flame ignite and a torch was lit. They were able to see the two princess sisters in another corner of the room. Celestia looked very different. She had a simple pink mane as she had when she was filly, and no crown or jewels. She did, however, have chains around her hooves. Luna looked equally as different, although every pony had seen her in this state before. She on the other hoof was completely shackle-free. Twilight raced over to Celestia and threw her hooves around her in a hug. Celestia offered her a warm smile and returned the embrace. The others soon joined them near the torch light. Pinkie Pie and Spike threw their hooves around Princess Luna in a hug, which caught her a little off guard.

"We're so glad you're okay!" Applejack said.

"You are okay, aren't you?" Twilight asked, looking over Celestia with concern.

"Physically." Luna replied shorty.

"Is Shining Armor here?" Cadance asked frantically.

"No my dear, what happened?" Celestia asked.

"That unicorn… I mean alicorn, she did something and he vanished." Cadance said, tears in her eyes.

"Worry not Princess Mi Amore Cadanza. Astelle's magic could not harm a pony." Luna reassured her.

"I dunno, that amulet did something really freaky to her eyes." Pinkie Pie said.

"The amulet?!" Celestia and Luna both exclaimed.

"You gave her the amulet?" Luna asked in anger.

"It's my fault, Princess Celestia. I thought I could trick Trixie into revealing her plot by pretending to give her the alicorn amulet but I was wrong and now everything and every pony is in danger because of me." Twilight said, hanging her head in shame.

Princess Celestia did not offer any words of comfort.

Princess Luna shook her head in disappointment and turned away from the others. Twilight and her friends began to take notice of the tension between Celestia and her sister and were concerned something else might have happened.

"At least you are all safe." Celestia said at last.

"Well; kind of." Rainbow Dash said. "I wouldn't call being locked in a dungeon as 'safe'."

"Do you know what's going on, Princess?" Fluttershy asked.

"Indeed I do, and I am deeply sorry for having to risk your lives and the lives of my ponies because of my incompetence. You are not to blame my faithful student, and should in fact be commended for turning down Astelle's offer." Celestia said.

"What offer?" Twilight asked in confusion.

"Did she not offer to bestow upon thee great power?" Luna asked.

"No… but she did something to Trixie." Twilight said.

"Yeah, now she's NIGHTMARE Trixie. Except she was already a nightmare before that so it's like Nightmare NIGHTMARE Trixie." Pinkie Pie said.

Luna scowled and looked to Celestia. "Then hope is lost." She turned away from the others and walked into the darker parts of the dungeon leaving the others thoroughly confused.

"What does she mean, princess?" Spike asked warily.

"I'm afraid I have made many terrible mistakes, and am now having to pay the price. I feel that you valiant ponies deserve to hear the truth." Celestia said.

"Is princess Luna okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"Princess Luna is upset with me and rightfully so." Celestia said.

Each pony exchanged confused glances but turned their attention back to Celestia as she began to tell them the tale of Astelle.

"Back in the time of Starswirl the Bearded ponies enjoyed the magical miracles he performed and the wondrous magic he created. As time grew long, however, Starswirl grew weary of his immortality and the burden of the magical leadership. He would make himself known unto ponies only once every century, choosing a single mare or colt as an apprentice to his practice. After a year that pony was equipped with enough magic to take over his responsibilities for the next century. However, his search was not only for a competent apprentice but also for an adequate heir. As far as I remember, Starswirl had a vision that a certain pony would finally be able to free him from his immortality. He chose as apprentice a young earth pony who had nothing but great dreams of magic. This mare was given a horn and taught by Starswirl personally. That mare was Astelle."

"Ooo this is gonna be good." Pinkie Pie said, sitting on the ground and making herself comfortable.

"Forgive the intrusion princess but… there's nothing in Starswirl's diaries about an Astelle." Twilight said.

"And their wouldn't be." Celestia said. "I kept those volumes away from any other pony, in my room in the Canterlot archives."

"THE MISSING BOOK!" Rainbow Dash and Spike exclaimed.

"The missing what-now?" Applejack said.

"Yes. I retrieved the diary when I knew who I was up against. I had to remember everything I could about her so that I would prepared to face her once more. How were you aware of this?" Celestia asked.

"We sort of found your room Princess." Twilight said, chuckling nervously.

"It was kind of easy to pick the lock." Rainbow noted. Twilight shot her a mad glare. "What, it was!"

"I imagine it would be. I took away the magical seal from the room and did not re-seal it when I departed. I had many more things on my mind." Celestia noted.

"So Astelle took over and became immortal?" Rarity asked.

"Not exactly, dear one. You see, Astelle was able to perform great magic that rescued Equestria from a grave threat. The king passed away in the battle, but Astelle was able to spare the lives of the ponies fighting against the odds. Upon her victory, Starswirl presented Astelle to the ponies and announced her true calling as Queen. His final gift of magic was a pair of wings. She became the first known alicorn. Starswirl believed that Astelle would rule as an immortal but benevolent leader. He had given her the means to control all kinds of magic and every pony felt safe once more.

Unfortunately, Starswirl's vision of being released from his immortality was rejected and what happened next he did not anticipate. When he finally made his true intentions known, he was met with surprise and resentment. Astelle revealed her true feelings for her mentor; she had fallen in love with him. She believed they would rule Equestria together. She appealed to him several times, denying the throne if it meant losing him. Her unrequited love broke her heart and she fled from Equestria, making sure Starswirl would not have the chance to become mortal as he desired. Starswirl was forced to find a new apprentice, and after re-examining his prophecy he realized the pony that would set him free would still come from the same blood line. He then took Astelle's younger sister into his confidence and trained her as he had her older sister."

"Oooo I told you this was going to be good!" Pinkie said, nudging Rarity playfully.

"Who was that younger sister?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Me." Celestia said.

"YOU?!" Each pony gasped.

"Yes. Astelle is my older sister." Celestia said, hanging her head again in shame.

"But… you… and the… huh?" Twilight asked, dumbfounded.

"Woah… that kinda just blew my mind a little bit." Rainbow Dash said.

"I did everything I could to make Starswirl proud. He taught me the magic of life and love and I embraced my calling. As I was already related to the Queen, I was a princess, but upon completion of my apprenticeship I too was blessed with wings and became the Alicorn you see before you."

"What about Princess Luna?" Princess Cadance asked.

"My sister was still in the womb at the time, although when she was born she too had been born an Alicorn. It seemed my family line was blessed with such magnificent power." Celestia said.

"Speaking of which, where is Princess Luna?" Rarity asked, looking around.

"She is vexed with me. For I have kept this knowledge from her all these years." Celestia said.

"She didn't know about any of this?" Twilight asked in awe.

"Indeed she did not. I wished only to protect her from knowing the tragedy of the past."

"It wasn't a protection, it was a lack of trust." Luna said, somewhere in the darkness.

"But what happened to Astelle? I mean, she was probably not too happy that you took her place, right?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Yes, my little pony. Astelle returned after my coronation as Princess of Equestria. Starswirl could not bestow upon me the same magic he had given to Astelle as there can only be one Queen. As princess I had great power, but would still be inadequate in comparison to my sister." Celestia said.

"I guess that kind of explains a lot." Spike said.

"Astelle returned from her journey looking very different. Her once deep purple eyes were now a bright red and even the appearance of her cutie mark had changed. No pony had ever seen such magic before, nor did they immediately recognize her when she made her reappearance. When Astelle learned that I had assumed the throne in her place, she flew into a frenzy. During her exile she had turned her magic into something dark, unlike any magic that had been seen before. Starswirl's magic was rooted in goodness and powered by the Elements of Harmony: generosity, laughter, kindness, loyalty, and honesty."

"Generous, Honesty, Laughter, Kindess, Loyalty Twilight helped us each to see all that we can be so get up-" Pinkie sang softly.

"What are you singing?" Rainbow Dash asked, thoroughly confused.

"I have no idea… but it's really catchy isn't it? So geeeet up get doooown…" Pinkie sang, but each of her friends shushed her. "Oops, sorry. Please continue princess."

"She announced that she had created her own magic, the root of which did not lie with the magic she was taught. She wrought havoc on the ponies of Equestria but not in a way that any pony would have expected. Instead of using her magic to take back the throne she had an entirely different idea in mind. Astelle wanted to give Starswirl what he desired most: mortality. But for her, that was not enough. She believed that magic had ruined her life. She blamed it for tearing her family apart, and claimed I had betrayed her. She sought to destroy magic itself."

"What?!" Twilight gasped.

"Astelle had invented her own magic for the purpose of destroying all magic. Does any pony else think that's kind of a bit… contradictory?" Rarity asked.

"Was she successful back then?" Spike asked.

"Not completely, but yes. Her magic served to drain any kind of magical element it came into contact with. Her influence spread very quickly. Soon, the animals of Equestria could no longer speak."

"Animals could talk?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes, dear one. At one point they could. Her influence also stole the magic of the weather, the earth, and even the sun and moon." Celestia said. "She intended to make the world run on its own, but this world was not built for such a lack of magic. The places influenced by her the most overgrew with all manner of wild beasts and plants. It became a dark and dangerous place for ponies. It became the Everfree forest."

"Woah nelly!" Applejack said.

"So that's why our magic isn't working? We're under her influence now too?" Cadance asked.

"I'm afraid so. Just being in close contact with her is enough it seems."

"How did you stop her?" Twilight asked.

"I had some help. Starswirl and I rose up against Astelle and challenged her. Astelle cast a spell on Starswirl that twisted his body into something entirely new; and forced his immortality to stay with him until such a time that all magic would be lost." Celestia said.

"Oh my gosh… I know what Starswirl became!" Twilight exclaimed. "He became the Element of Harmony tree, didn't he?"

"Very good, Twilight." Celestia said. "He did indeed. The core of his magic was then encased in himself as the Elements of Harmony. While Astelle was distracted with her spell I cast one on her as well. It was with heavy heart that I banished my sister to a tapestry. She became a gorgeous rose with beautiful weaving and detail."

"The tapestry from the castle? The image that was missing in the middle, was that the rose? Was that Astelle?" Rarity asked.

"Yes, Rarity. I have always kept that tapestry near, and upon seeing the tear in the fabric and the missing rose I knew my sister had escaped once more." Celestia said.

"Wait, what tapestry?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, it was one we found when we went looking for Luna and-" Fluttershy started.

"Rainbow Dash, please, let the princess continue. It's so rude to interrupt." Rarity said.

"But you… fine." Rainbow muttered.

"After that I tried my best to re-introduce magic to Equestria, but despite my better efforts Astelle's influence still remained. She had infused her magic in places that I did not know, and it caused all manner of problems for the poor ponies."

"So those dragons in the woods, and my little animal friends, they're under Astelle's influence? Is that why they can't understand me anymore?" Fluttershy asked in a whimper.

"Yes, I'm afraid. Anything that can be linked to a magical property is taken away." Celestia said.

"Woah wait a minute, if Astelle is all about the big 'I don't want magic' why did she turn Trixie into Nightmare Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"So that she can finally carry out the deed she originally set forth to do. Only with Trixie's assistance can she murder the tree of harmony and rid Equestria of magic. For you see, the elements themselves are the root to every unicorn's magic. We are an extension of its power." Celestia said.

"Does Trixie know that?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I doubt it, little one. You see, Trixie was not her first choice, she originally wanted…" Celestia started.

"Me. She wanted me." Luna said, finally rejoining the group. "I think it's my turn to finish the story." Luna said, still upset yet rational.

"If this wasn't so serious and dangerous this would be the best story EVER!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"As a young filly we grew up in the same castle where Starswirl had taught our sister the ways of magic. Our parents were still earth ponies, but as my sister has said, we were born an alicorn. We knew nothing of the dealings of the oldest sister, and no pony dared speak her name around us it seems." Luna began. She was pacing as she told the story, unable to sit still. She was battling the uncontrollable emotions she still felt from everything that had happened.

"Celestia taught us magic, and taught us about Starswirl the Bearded whom we had never met. We grew up in splendor but we knew there were secrets kept from us. No matter how we tried to prove our worth to our sister, she would not confide in us." Luna said, looking at Celestia as she talked. Celestia furrowed her brow in sadness but did not interrupt. Until now she had only been able to hear and say her side of this story. She was both curious and heartbroken to hear Luna's version.

"We believed that we would be seen as an equal to our sister upon the arrival of our cutie mark. We were the sisters who could rule the skies, and watch over the ponies who needed our magic and protection. We loved the earth's tranquil beauty at night and the dark sky that was lit only by the stars. However, ponies did not feel the same way. They shunned the night; they celebrated only the sun. They cast us out of their dreams, believing it was us who had given them their nightmares." Luna said, her eyes watering at the memory.

"Sister…" Celestia offered. "You do not have to tell this story if you-"

"You're wrong." Luna said sharply. "We must be the one to finished this story because we believe that we understand Astelle better then you, sister. You have never felt this pain, nor could you understand it."

The other ponies remained absolutely silent during Luna and Celestia's conversation, the tension in the room was so thick that it had every pony on edge.

"We were not warned about the history of the Everfree forest. We did not know of the dark magic that lurked there. It was the Everfree forest that offered the only relief to us when we were rejected by our kingdom. Celestia never took notice of my leave to the forest; she was far too busy living the life of luxury and praise. We had been able to bear all these trials until…" Luna paused, trying to force the memory out after having locked it away for so long. A few tears trickled down her cheeks but she was turned away from the light and no pony could see them. Unfortunately for Luna they could hear her sobs in her voice.

"Until our parents passed away. That's when we began to realize that the other ponies would age and die, leaving us behind as immortal rulers. Our friends, our families, all withered away to dust and we could do nothing to slow it down, stop it, or join them."

Pinkie Pie burst into tears and threw her hooves around Rainbow Dash in a hug. Fluttershy and Rarity did the same, with Rainbow barely able to catch a breath in the midst of them.

"I'm so sorry Princess." Twilight whispered.

"Does this mean Twilight will have to watch us…" Applejack started, unable to finish the sentence. The other ponies released Rainbow from their embrace with a look of sheer horror on their faces. How could they ever expect Twilight to undergo the pain of losing them? The thought of it brought more tears to their eyes.

"Shining Armor…" Cadance whispered; this too caused the other ponies to weep openly. Twilight sat on the ground slowly, trying to absorb this.

"No my little ponies, no!" Luna said above the roar of their cries. "Tis only our blood line that was cursed with Starswirl's immortality."

"Blessed, not cursed." Celestia corrected.

"Tis not a blessing to me, sister." Luna finally admitted.

"You've never told me that." Celestia said.

"Because you would never listen. You never saw the pain behind our smile as we raised the moon each night, looking out on our kingdom wishing for nothing more than mother's embrace and father's kind words. After a while, we stopped making friends with the ponies in the castle as we were not willing or able to lose any more ponies that we loved." Luna said.

"Oh sister…" Celestia whispered, tears returning to her eyes. Pinkie Pie offered her a hankie.

"In our despair we would wander into the Everfree forest and it felt as though for only a moment the weight of the crown was lifted. Only for a moment we could be as any other pony, mortal and free to live a life with love and friendship. But seeing how we did not know that Astelle's magic still lingered there we did not see the signs of its arrival. It had taken many years, but the sorrow and pain in our heart attracted the pieces of her magic that was left. It must have been like a replica of our oldest sister's heartbreak that drew it into us as we spent our darkest hours deep in the heart of the forest. We felt a slight transformation in the way we conducted ourselves around other ponies. The pain we felt was beginning to ease all on its own for no apparent reason. Although the pain was reduced, it was filled with hatred and anger instead. But having felt so pained for so long we welcomed any alternative. One fateful night we could not contain our jealousy any longer. Celestia had just celebrated the rising of the summer sun the day prior and the ponies cheered for her because she could so easily blot out our night. Those familiar feelings of anger washed over us and we embraced them unlike we ever had before, wishing it would destroy the sadness in our heart. Instead, it began to twist us… our mind, our body, and very being. The pain was gone, and in its stead laid nothing but a darkness unlike we had ever known. The dark magic that had turned me into Nightmare Moon was the residual magic left here by Astelle. Of course, we did not know this at the time. With Astelle's magic our anger for Celestia increased ten-fold, enough that we wanted to see her… gone." Luna said, pausing on the last word as she winced from the memory. "Had we been given the chance, we would have killed our own sister."

"It was not your fault, Luna. I had not seen the signs, nor had I recognized Astelle's influence in you." Celestia interrupted.

"When we were banished to the moon we became to know this magic in a different way, it seemed to understand us and to love us. It made us stronger with hate and it did not let pain or sadness take hold of us. Anger was far greater than sadness in our eyes. Time moved far more differently for us than for the ponies below. The longer we stayed on the moon the more this magical presence influenced us. However, a thousand years later we must admit that there was nothing more relieving than to have it banished from us by you ponies. You released us from one of the darkest and more frightening places in our heart, and though pain and sadness returned we embraced it happily knowing that we were once again in control of ourself and our senses."

"Of course, none of this made sense until Astelle finally revealed the secrets that our sister had kept from us for so long. She had never met me, but she knew me as I knew her. Her magic had been with me so long she believed we shared a deeper bond and a common goal. She offered to return the power that had once held me captive but in a much greater capacity. She offered to love me as Celestia never did. She wanted to destroy magic and Celestia so that she and I could live the remainder of our days as mortal ponies; something we both longed for above all else."

"But you said no?" Twilight asked, both thankful and shocked.

"Indeed, Twilight Sparkle, we rejected her." Luna said.

"Oooo that must have made her maaaaad!" Pinkie Pie gasped.

"Land sakes, how are you still standing? Seems to me a refusal like that could set her off on a rampage." Applejack noted.

"Perhaps longing for a sister that understands her pain has kept her from 'a rampage'." Luna said.

"Or maybe she just wants an audience for whatever it is she's gonna do." Rainbow Dash said.

"Do you really think she can destroy the Elements of Harmony tree?" Twilight asked.

"Not alone she couldn't. But with Trixie, yes." Celestia said sadly.

"Why Trixie?" Spike asked.

"She needed an Alicorn." Twilight guessed.

"We believe so, yes." Celestia said. "The Elements of Harmony tree cannot be destroyed alone. She realized this when she was banished into the tapestry. Starswirl and I were both infused with enough magic between the two of us to overtake her the first time. It would take much more to destroy him than just her anger-fueled magic alone. By nature, alicorns have the means to be more powerful than a unicorn."

"But without magic… how will we keep Equestria from becoming like the Everfree Forest?" Rarity asked.

"Without magic, we can't." Luna said.

"How do we stop her?" Applejack asked.

"The only way to prevent this from happening is to protect the tree." Celestia said.

"Getting out of here might be a good start." Cadance offered.

"Any suggestions?" Rarity asked.

The others remained quiet, no pony had the slightest idea how they could escape in time.

Forgiveness

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Astelle and Trixie appeared before the Elements of Harmony tree moments after leaving Twilight and the others in the dungeon cell. Trixie was still trying to get the hang of this new body and the surges of power she could feel under her skin. It was rather intoxicating to feel this way. She wasn't just Great and Powerful, she was the Great and Invincible Trixie now. There was no pony in all of Equestria that could stop her from whatever her heart desired; no pony except the alicorn standing beside her of course.

"At last." Astelle hissed, her eyes bright with anticipation and longing as she sized up the tree. Trixie had never seen the Elements of Harmony tree before, nor did she know what it truly was.

"Why are we here?" she asked skeptically. "I thought you said I would get to rule."

"And you will." Astelle said, walking around the tree slowly like a vulture circling its prey.

"And how exactly is a tree going to help me?" Trixie asked. She had a difficult time holding back the sarcasm in her tone as it was her natural tendency to speak that way. However, she knew this was not a pony to be trifled with, and the slightest offense could come with serious consequences. Astelle didn't answer right away, she merely circled the tree. Trixie looked down at her hooves and turned to see the weightless flow of her new mane and tail. All she ever wanted was to be the best; to prove to other ponies that she was something special. She wanted admiration, fans, but more than anything she wanted love. The kind of love she saw in Twilight Sparkle and her friends. The kind of love that brought those ponies together against all odds to defeat any number of villains they faced. Somehow those simple-minded ponies were actually able to get Twilight out of the dungeon under Trixie's nose; and all of the guards in Canterlot! There was something to be said for that kind of devotion.

Here she was with everything at her hooves; all the power in the universe and somehow she was still jealous of Twilight Sparkle. Enraged, she stamped her hooves on the ground and sent out a spark of magic that shot straight up into the sky. Trixie watched as it disappeared above the trees just as Astelle rounded the corner.

"I feel that pain too, Trixie." Astelle said. Trixie snapped her head to look at Astelle in surprise, she hadn't realized she was so close. "Soon there will be nothing in our way."

"What do you want me to do?" Trixie asked skeptically.

"All we have to do is kill this tree." Astelle said, impatience bubbling under her surface. Trixie caught sight of the desperation in Astelle's eye and it scared her.

"How… will that help us?" Trixie asked nervously.

"This tree is the root of Celestia's power. If it dies, no pony can stand against us. Against you!" Astelle said.

"But it's not going to hurt any pony… is it?" Trixie asked.

"What do you take me for?" Astelle asked angrily.

"I'm sorry I guess I'm just confused." Trixie muttered, backing away slowly.

"I only want what's best for my ponies. That's all I've ever wanted. I've already explained this to you, Trixie. Equestria cannot be truly safe if Celestia remains on the throne. If we destroy the source of her power, she cannot interfere with your ascension." Astelle explained.

"I want to be a good ruler." Trixie said, still shaking slightly.

"I know you will be. I would not have given up MY magic to any pony, especially not one who would rule unjustly." Astelle said.

Trixie heard the sound of thunder and looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were closing in on them and the Everfree forest seemed to quake in their presence.

"Have I made the wrong choice?" Astelle asked, anger rising in her tone.

"No!" Trixie said quickly. "No, you're right. I've been hurt far too much and I just know there's more to me than the loser every pony thought I was."

Astelle's expression softened and she brought Trixie in for an embrace.

"It's like you're the sister I never had." She whispered. Trixie had to work her hardest to keep her breath in control, as Astelle hugged her, she looked up at the sky and hoped Twilight would be there soon.

Twilight and the others looked out one of the small windows to see the sky change from a beautiful sunny afternoon to a dismal stormy sky. The sudden sound of thunder scared Fluttershy and she leapt up into the unsuspecting arms of Rainbow Dash who toppled over trying to hold her.

"Oh no…" Twilight whispered frightened.

"It has begun." Luna said softly.

"We can't sit here!" Applejack screamed. She kicked at the door several times, Rainbow Dash trying the same. The others just watched them knowing that it was futile. Spike was at Twilight's side and Cadance sat next to Celestia, who was still muttering her apologies. Every pony could only look on with despair as Astelle's plan was put into action.

A sharp ringing sound came from outside and every pony watched as a shot of pink magical light was sent up through the top of the trees in the Everfree forest.

"Is that coming from the tree?" Twilight asked fearfully, her voice cracking as she spoke.

"No, but it appears to be coming from that area." Celestia said.

The spark of light continued to shoot into the sky until it was about eye-level with the ponies. Then it paused for a moment before shooting straight into their dungeon cell. The ponies all screamed in surprise as the magical beam of light bounced around the cell at an incredible speed.

"What's happening!?" Rarity screamed, she and the others had all dropped to the floor with their hooves over their heads for protection.

"Watch out!" Rainbow Dash screamed, pushing Applejack away from the light's path. The light continued to bounce around the room chaotically and Pinkie Pie was beginning to enjoy the light show. Finally, the light flew directly towards Celestia. There was no time for any pony to stand in its path, and Celestia was still bound by chains and could not move to avoid it. Twilight watched helplessly as her beloved princess, mentor, and friend was struck by the ray of light. The room was filled with a blinding white light that made every pony scream and cover their eyes. When they could open them again, they all raced to see what had become of Celestia.

Celestia had been knocked to the ground, Twilight and Luna were the first to panic as they screamed out her name in protest. However, when they approached her, she stood up on her own.

"Celestia?!" Luna gasped. "I thought I lost you!"

Celestia and Luna finally embraced with a hug that was long overdue. There were so many things the sisters wanted to say to one another but before they had a chance, Pinkie Pie exclaimed:

"Look! Her chains are gone!"

Celestia looked down to see that her shackles had indeed been broken. Twilight and Cadence were the first to notice the door to their cell was open. Every pony raced to the door and saw a crudely burned arrow in the stone on the ground just outside their door. Twilight's mind raced as she realized what had just happened. Zecora's advice was echoing in her mind "And don't weigh your heart with a grudge."

"Who did this? Who saved us?" Spike asked.

"It can't be…." Twilight whispered.

"What?" Cadance asked.

"I think I know how to stop Astelle." Twilight said, talking to Celestia.

"Go Twilight." Celestia said encouragingly.

"Twilight what about…" Rainbow Dash started, but Twilight had already flung her up into the air and caught her on her back.

"You're coming with me of course!" Twilight said. Her friends all smiled and nodded. With the other three princesses following behind them, Twilight and her friends followed the path that the arrow had pointed. They had just reached the steps outside the castle when they heard a scream of pain and terror.

"TRIXIE!" Twilight cried out in fear. Her friends looked at each other, confused.

"Trixie?" they said in astonishment because Twilight seemed genuinely afraid for her and that made no sense at all.

"Try harder!" Astelle screeched; she and Trixie had directed their magic at the Tree of Harmony. The alicorn amulet around Astelle's neck was glowing so brightly that it lit the entire forest in red light. The tree shook and the branches swayed in rhythm to the magic. The tips of each branch were just starting to turn from white to a deadly and shriveled black color. Trixie wasn't watching the tree, she was watching the forest, looking in the direction she believed the castle was.

"TRIXIE!" Astelle screamed, causing Trixie to snap her attention back to the Elements of Harmony tree. She pretended to be giving it her best effort, but in reality she was doing her best to hold back. The magic inside her protested to the actions she was giving and caused her some pain. It didn't like its pony host acting in a manner that could be considered "good."

Astelle and Trixie heard the familiar whinny of the shadow alicorn as it made its way back down into the trees and towards Astelle. Astelle broke off her stream of magic when it arrived. Trixie gasped and released her hold on the tree as well; finding that she was out of breath and shaking once she did so. Astelle seemed to be having some kind of mental conversation with the shadow alicorn because she saw it interacting with her without an exchange of words.

"You… you released my SISTER?" Astelle screamed. Trixie gasped in horror and used what strength she had to run away. Astelle was prepared for that, she merely nodded her head and black rose vines shot up out of the ground holding Trixie in place.

"I truly thought I saw something in you, Trixie." Astelle said, her eyes glowing red as she walked calmly towards Trixie. "But you're weak. You've always been weak and you'll always be weak."

"Let me go!" Trixie cried, trying to use magic to release the vines from her hooves.

Astelle laughed cruelly as she watched Trixie struggle. "You can't use my own magic against me Trixie. It only really obeys me."

"Take it back!" Trixie demanded.

"I can't do that. You see, I blessed you with power so that you could help me. But just look at this," She said, directing her hooves in the direction of the tree limbs. "I guess I am able to do it myself after all. The tree is already beginning to die."

Trixie winced when the thorns pressed into her hooves and she could do nothing to stop them.

"You lying little cheater. You want to help those pathetic little ponies? The ones who called you a loser and destroyed your life? You think that will make them LIKE you?" Astelle asked.

Trixie didn't respond, she merely kept fighting.

"You really are just a pathetic little waste of a unicorn. You can't do anything right." Astelle said, snarling.

"Yes I can!" Trixie screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I didn't want this! I never really wanted this! I just wanted… I just wanted some pony to…"

"To what, love you?" Astelle said mockingly.

"I'm not going to let you kill this tree!" Trixie screamed defiantely.

"Watch me." Astelle said. She reared up on her hind legs and blasted Trixie with a spell. Trixie gave out a mighty and terrified scream of pain as she did so. Astelle smiled as she watched her prodigy squirm in her magic.

"No pony will EVER DARE to cross me again Trixie Lulamoon! I let the first pony who betrayed me live; I won't be making that mistake again." Astelle said. Her eyes shone brightly and Trixie cried for her life.

"No!" Twilight yelled. She jumped on Astelle's back moments after Astelle had cast the spell. "Trixie!" Twilight called as the magic engulfed her and she fell to the ground. Astelle bucked Twilight from her back and attempted to snatch her but Applejack pulled her out of harm's way in time.

"You pathetic little ponies think you can best me?" Astelle roared, fanning out her wings. From beneath her wings several little red glowing eyes shot forth and transformed into shadow alicorns. Each shadow alicorn was sent after a certain pony. Astelle watched laughing as each pony tried to evade their grasp. Cadance was the first to get caught. Twilight called out for her but Cadance had already disappeared. Then Luna saw one of the shadowy alicorns heading straight for Spike and dove in front of him. Unfortunately, the shadow alicorn engulfed them both in mere seconds. More shouts of concern came from Twilight and Celestia. Twilight had a hard enough time evading the shadow alicorn after her, she couldn't protect her friends. Celestia was the next to disappear and Twilight cried out her name as well. Twilight and the rest of her friends raced towards each other and threw their hooves around one another. If they were going to die they wanted to be together. Six shadow alicorns reached them at the same time but before they could make contact they were dispelled by an unknown and invisible shield. The shadow alicorns cried out in defeat as they disappeared leaving the six friends untouched. Twilight looked down at her hooves to see she was glowing. Each of her friends were glowing too and they looked around for the source.

The Tree of Harmony was lit up in a rainbow of colors, each color connected to a pony amidst Twilight and her friends. Astelle was screaming something at them but they couldn't hear her. The Elements of Harmony revealed themselves from the branches where they had been. Each pony got her element back, in five necklaces and a crown. The moment after the elements had reached them, Astelle blasted the Tree of Harmony with magic. Each gasped when the tree lost its glow and erupted into flames. Astelle snapped the branches from the tree, dismantling it down to nothing but a stump and some ash. When she turned to face Twilight and her friends, she looked different. Her whole body was glowing red and her mane and tail danced weightlessly in sync with the howling wind. When she opened her mouth to laugh her teeth had been sharpened to points and her eyes were pupil-less red.

"Stand together girls! The Elements of Harmony will protect us!" Twilight screamed to her friends above the sound of the thunder.

"All that is left is your pathetic little elements and magic will cease to be!" Astelle cackled.

"Not a chance!" Rainbow Dash screamed.

Twilight and her friends closed their eyes and embraced the magic of the elements once more. The rainbow of light shot forth from their elements and went directly for Astelle. Astelle laughed, she blasted the magic of the elements causing the spell to fail and sending Twilight and her friends soaring backwards and into the ground.

"What happened!?" Applejack screamed above the thunder.

"The elements… they didn't stop her!" Fluttershy whimpered.

"Of course they didn't stop me you fools!" Astelle screamed. "Did you think I could be bested by his magic AGAIN? Did you think I wouldn't have prepared myself for that?"

"Let's try it again!" Twilight screamed, she and her friends got back into formation and tried it again, this time each pony giving it their greatest effort. Astelle laughed, enjoying every moment that she could shoot their magic down and cast them aside.

"Starswirl's magic is no match for mine! Generosity, Laughter, Kindness, Honesty, Loyalty, and Magic cannot beat me! Surrender them now or you will be wiped from this earth along with them." Astelle threatened.

"Twilight, what do we do?" Pinkie Pie said, the others looking to her for guidance. Twilight looked to Astelle and back to her friends unable to come up with a coherent answer.

Astelle aimed her horn at them but her spell was interrupted when somepony else's magic intercepted her own. Astelle gasped in surprise and turned to see Trixie attacking her from behind. She had been stripped of her nightmare powers and looked like the normal Twilight Sparkle again.

"Trixie!" Twilight and her friends all cheered.

"Wow this is a little weird." Pinkie Pie said based on the fact that they were cheering for the unicorn they hated no more than half an hour ago.

"You!" Astelle cried in surprise and anger.

"I'm sorry!" Trixie said, backing away in fear.

"You're SORRY?!" Astelle screamed, then laughed. "It's a little late for that, don't you think?"

"I wasn't talking to you." Trixie said boldly. She turned to Twilight and her friends with tears streaming down her cheeks. "I never wanted this! Run!"

Astelle was closing in on Trixie, a certain look of destruction in her eye. Trixie knew if she could distract her long enough that Twilight and her friends could get away.

"RUN!" she screamed very annoyed.

Twilight and her friends picked themselves up off the ground and looked at each other. They knew without having to say a word what the others were thinking and they did begin to run. However, they ran towards Trixie rather than away from her.

"What are you doing!?" Trixie screamed in surprise.

Twilight and her friends threw themselves around Trixie before Astelle could get to her. Astelle just laughed.

"Seven birds with one stone!" She declared, directing a fatal blow of magic towards them. Much to Astelle's surprise her magic once again reflected off the group of ponies. "But… my magic is stronger! I've already bested the elements!"

"That's because we didn't have all of the elements when we faced you the first time!" Twilight Sparkle said boldly. She stood up and her friends rallied around her, Trixie was behind Twilight, just as confused as Astelle was.

"What are you talking about you foolish little mare?"

"Starswirl the Bearded may have founded the six Elements of Harmony and rooted his magic to them, but there's another Element of Harmony that makes its power far greater than your own! Something that every friendship needs, the element of forgiveness."

"There's no such thing as a seventh element of harmony!" Astelle screamed. She directed her magic at the group of them again but nothing happened.

"The magic of friendship is indeed contained within the elements of kindness, laughter, generosity, honesty, loyalty, and magic. But thanks to you we've discovered one of the most powerful elements of all." Twilight said, she moved aside to show Astelle that Trixie had a necklace around her neck with a bright new element of harmony. Trixie had been looking down at it in awe and confusion when Astelle caught sight of it."

"A new element? Impossible!" Astelle cried.

"Me? I'm a… I'm an element of harmony?" Trixie whispered.

"Alright girls, one more time. Trixie, we need your help this time." Twilight said. Trixie cautiously joined Twilight and the others in their formation. Astelle used any magic she could think of to stop them; sending shadow alicorns and blasts of red magic towards them. The elements of harmony created a rainbow, but this time it had an extra ray of blue color. The elemental magic struck Astelle and she screamed. Astelle fought with it mid-air, thrashing about wildly as it took hold of her. The magic from the elements broke the alicorn amulet from around Astelle's neck. Twilight and her friends were thrown backwards when it happened and they landed several feet away.

"No!" Astelle cried in horror. Her body was changing and she could do nothing to stop it. Her wings and horn disappeared when she fell to the ground. After that, every pony lost conciousness.

"Twilight? Twilight?" Spike called, shaking Twilight's unconscious body fervently.

"Ugh… " Twilight said softly, "Wait, SPIKE?!" she said, she jumped up from the ground and threw her hooves around him, spinning him around in a hug.

"Woah! Not so fast Twilight I'm gonna be sick…" Spike said, putting a claw to his mouth as his little dragon cheeks turned green.

Somewhere behind them Rarity screamed.

"What is it? What's wrong?!" Twilight asked, she turned to see Rarity hugging her own tail.

"My tail! Oh how I've missed my own tail!" she said.

It was then Twilight realized they had become themselves again. She smiled and flexed out her wings, never having been more excited to see them in her life.

"WINGS!" Rainbow Dash cried. She took to the sky so quickly it caused the trees around them to shake.

"YIPEE! I'M ME!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing around happily.

Twilight and her friends rejoiced amongst themselves having finally been able to break that spell. Twilight noticed Trixie sitting alone not too far away, looking down at her hooves with a smile.

"O-oh, Twilight…" she said, falling over as she tried to get out of Twilight's way. Trixie looked absolutely petrified of Twilight and winced when she got closer.

"Trixie it's okay." Twilight said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, I think I owe you this." Twilight threw her hooves around Trixie in a hug. Trixie didn't know how to handle that sudden move but slowly returned the embrace.

"Awwwww." Pinkie Pie said wiping the tears from her eyes.

"But I… I don't understand. I thought you'd all still hate me." Trixie said softly.

"You're the element of forgiveness, remember?" Applejack said with a smile.

"Well yeah but… I mean… what does that mean anyway?" Trixie asked.

"It means we're friends!" Pinkie Pie said happily

"And that we forgive you." Fluttershy added.

"You forgive me? After everything I did you actually… can forgive me?" Trixie asked in awe.

"Can you forgive me?" Twilight asked.

"What do you mean?" Trixie said.

"Back at the castle, I know you were trying to do the right thing. You wouldn't have given Astelle that amulet if I hadn't provoked you. I didn't believe you because I had harbored so much hate for you. It blinded my judgment and I almost cost me and my friends our lives." Twilight said sadly.

"Well, I guess I don't blame you. I…" Trixie started. "I always thought if I were the best at something ponies would want to be around me. Ponies would want to have a… a friend who was talented and special. You didn't beat me that first night just with magic, you beat me because you had such great friends and I had no pony. I never had a friend and I just got so angry…" Trixie trailed off. "But when Astelle gave me all that power it scared me. I realized that even if I was the most powerful pony in Equestria that I still wouldn't be loved. I think I'd much rather be a loser than an evil overlord that every pony hates."

"You're not a loser, Trixie." Fluttershy said softly.

"Do you really think I could… be your friend?" Trixie asked nervously.

Twilight and her friends laughed and nodded, several of them hugging Trixie happily.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna. I'm so sorry for everything I've done." Trixie said, pulling herself away from her new friends. She dropped to the ground in front of the two pony sisters, awaiting their judgement and punishment.

"Wait, where's Cadance? And Shining Armor?" Fluttershy asked worried.

"They're fine. Shining Armor appeared in the castle with us once Astelle's magic had been destroyed." Celestia said.

"Her magic was destroyed, that's why we're back to normal!" Twilight said aloud.

"Wait a minute; she did end up destroying magic after all: her own!" Applejack said.

"Ironyyyyyy" Pinkie Pie sang as she bounced.

"Yes," Princess Celestia said with a giggle. "Anything that she had recently affected was returned to normal."

"Recently?" Rarity asked in confusion.

"The damage done by Astelle's magic from long ago still remains. The Everfree forest will still be wild and untamed and the animals, for the most part, will remain without speech." Princess Luna said.

"But, we destroyed her magic! Shouldn't EVERYTHING be fixed after that?" Rainbow Dash said, still flying as she spoke.

"There are some wounds that cannot be healed by magic. What might have started out as a spell has become something deeper. Astelle's magic in such places as the Everfree forest has become a part of the earth. It's no longer an influence of magic, it's simply a part of it." Celestia said.

"Can we fix it?" Twilight asked.

"Perhaps, but only time can tell. Come, there is much we must do. And Trixie…" Celestia started.

Trixie looked up at Celestia in fear.

"You have my thanks and my forgiveness as well." She finished.

Princess Luna nodded in agreement. Trixie let out a short breath of air in relief and her eyes watered; she finally got what she had wanted all along: friends.

Epilogue

Trixie was standing in the hallway of the Canterlot castle. She was looking up at a brand-new stained glass depicting their glorious defeat of Astelle. Astelle herself was never found, but Celestia reassured every pony that she would be unable to wield her magic ever again. The Elements of Harmony had to be returned to the tree, which sprang back to life once the elements had been safely encased in its newly-formed branches; including the new element that was in the shape of a star wand. The magic from the tree helped to make things right in Equestria. The dragons that had wandered into Equestria had left for their real homes, the animals returned to the ponies who loved them, and the ponies could take back control of the earth and sky.

"I thought I might find you in here." Twilight Sparkle said, rounding the corner to see Trixie. "Every pony is looking for you, you know."

"I just… wanted to think somewhere alone. You ponies sure talk a lot, how can you stand it?" Trixie asked.

Twilight smiled and shook her head, "That's what friends do. They talk, they laugh, they have fun together."

"Yeah, I'm starting to get that." Trixie said with a soft smile. "Are you worried that we'll see her again?"

"I don't think we will." Twilight anwered. "Celestia has every pony keeping an extra eye out for her but she's too smart to be lingering in places she would get caught. The reaction from the spell has given her exactly what she wanted: mortality."

"Do you think ultimately all she wanted was forgiveness too? And not only to be forgiven but to forgive Celestia and Starswirl?" Trixie asked.

"Maybe. I don't think she was ready for that though. She'd harbored those feelings for centuries; no amount of magic was going to make them disappear overnight." Twilight said.

"Then how come it was so easy for you to do it? I did terrible things to you ponies and now you act like nothing ever happened between us." Trixie said.

"You /want/ us to treat you differently?" Twilight asked jokingly.

"I just don't want it to be a lie." Trixie said, effectively erasing Twilight's smile.

"It's not." Twilight said reassuringly. "Can't you see the power that forgiveness has had on Equestria?"

"On Equestria?" Trixie asked sarcastically.

"Yes!" Twilight exclaimed. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are closer than they've ever been, Discord actually has FRIENDS outside of… well… Fluttershy, there's never been more harmony than there is now."

"And I… helped bring that to be?" Trixie asked.

"You ARE the element of forgiveness, Trixie. You made it possible." Twilight said.

"So I guess that makes me the Great and Forgivable Trixie!" Trixie said.

Twilight rolled her eyes and put a hoof to her head, shaking it and laughing.

"Or maybe the Forgiveness Element Powered Trixie… no, that's too much. The Forgive-iest Trixie! The Magnificent Forgiveness Pony in all of Equestria!" Trixie said. She and Twilight walked out of the hallway together to meet the others, Twilight laughing as she continued on her list of ridiculous new names.

The End.

Princess Trixie Sparkle

by Magpiepony

Trixie's Revenge

Misadventures in Canterlot

Escape from the Archives

Dragons and Draconequus

The Pursuit of Tickets

The Gala

The Unlikely Alliance

Astelle

The Alicorn Amulet

Revalations

Forgiveness