Trixie, Cheryl, and Minuit were led down through the winding tunnels that comprised the changeling hive. Clumps of moss gave off a soft green glow to the otherwise dark tunnels. Some passages had small holes dug to the surface to let in additional light. Trixie limped along the dark maze-like corridors and was pushed in the right direction whenever the passages branched.

They passed a large cavern where the hive had set up two steam engines purposed to warm the area and keep the air humid for their meager mushroom farm. The changelings had gathered wood from the outside as fuel, but the only available water was apparently from the murky lake outside. Trixie grimaced when she saw a changeling drink the foul-looking liquid from a shallow stone bowl.

The changelings all had manes and tails in various light shades of blue to aquamarine, quite similar to Zeeps’ coloration. Unlike their friend however, the residents angrily hissed and beat their wings as the three ponies were escorted through the caverns.

They finally arrived at a small chamber that branched off of the recently dug tunnels. Farther down workers were chipping away at the stone to extend the path upwards. The changelings shoved the three ponies inside the room and remained in the hallway to guard them.

Cheryl poked the slimy green moss with a hoof. “It’s like being in a giant ant farm,” she commented, “Except the ants can fly and suck the life out of you.”

“Indeed,” Minuit said. “I never imagined they were resourceful enough to employ steam engines.”

“They’re also suffering,” Trixie added. “What water I saw seemed pretty unfit to drink.” She sat down against the rough wall and began chanting incantations for several spells she knew. Sparks of light fluttered off of her horn.

“What are you doing, blue bunko?” Cheryl asked inquisitively.

“I did it again,” Trixie muttered in between spells. “I somehow stopped one of Golden’s spells back on the airship. I’ve been trying to figure out how I did that the first time for weeks.”

Minuit sat down near Trixie and leaned back. She rubbed her sore wings. “Perhaps it’s just a magical surge from adrenaline? That’s quite common in unicorns.”

“No, this feels different,” Trixie countered. “It’s not like a spell, it’s more like… Uh, I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Well whatever it is,” Cheryl commented, “I don’t think it’ll help us in here. I reckon they’ll feed us to their young for dinner.”

“They could use us for political gain,” Minuit commented. “Put us on trial for crimes against destroying their home and then use that as leverage to get other hives to declare war upon Equestria.”

“What crimes?” Cheryl asked skeptically. “I mean, yeah, we reckon either Debon or Golden had something to do with their mountain exploding, but are these bugs going to blame all of Equestria for that?”

Trixie ceased her spells and shrugged. “If you lost your home and way of life, you’d want someone to blame,” she explained. “Why not make it an entire town or nation, even if only a few specific ponies caused your suffering?”

“Since when have you known true suffering?” Minuit questioned Trixie. “An Ursa trampling your stage is barely a hardship.”

“I had my way of life trampled,” Trixie countered as she stood up. “You want hardship? Try working a rock farm for a few months! The only difference between there and this hole is that the farm’s water won’t taste like sand!”

Minuit got up in Trixie face. “Try a life where no pony appreciated your work! Where you had the talent to paint a beautiful masterpiece, but you were shunned just because you had a sibling that was prettier than you!”

“I’m a stage magician in a land of magic!” Trixie yelled out. “Oh, and right now I’m being out-staged by a damned earth pony who can cast spells!”

“At least I’m on your team against that witch!” Minuit screamed back. “My own sister stabbed me in an argument over art and all my friends took her side!!”

Cheryl grabbed the two friends by their heads and in one motion planted them both to the ground. “I want you both to shut up! You two want to have a pissing contest? Take it out on Golden! She’s the one causing every pony here to suffer. I sure as Hades don’t need a couple of ponies bouncing off the walls over whose life sucked more when we have some mad witch out there holding two of our friends hostage, or did you two forget that part?”

Three changelings entered the room with a very tall fourth behind them. The tall female had a short and unkempt aquamarine mane topped with a bent crown, the proclamation that she was this hive’s queen. Her expression bore that of curiosity.

Cheryl let her two friends go. “Are you the one in charge here?” she asked the tall one angrily.

The guards hissed, but the queen held up a hoof to calm them. “Yes, I am Queen Andrenida of Hive Mephera,” the monarch replied with a slight nod. “You are quite bold to not address a queen with respect. Who are you?”

Minuit placed herself between her friends and the queen. “Let me do the talking,” she whispered firmly to Cheryl. The bat-pony took a bow before Andrenida and Trixie followed her lead. “I am Minuit, a humble agent of Princess Luna’s royal court. This is The Great and Powerful Trixie and behind me is Cheryl the… uh, fierce warrior.”

Cheryl hesitated out of confusion, but soon mimicked her friends with a quick bow.

“Forgive our impertinence,” Minuit explained. “Our arrival was not by choice. We had just escaped from a maverick faction that threatens peace in Equestria. They are led by a wicked sorceress.”

“Golden Jubilee,” Andrenida interrupted. “Yes, I am quite familiar with her. She destroyed our home and drove us out into these wastes. I overheard your argument and I am intrigued by your emotional hatred for her.”

“Then let us go,” Cheryl said. “We’ll gladly string up that polecat by her tail for you. Heck, we were going to do it anyway, so just let us skedaddle on out of this ant hill.”

Trixie growled at the earth pony. “Cheryl, could you try to be a little more polite?” she asked.

“Please,” Minuit added. “We can’t bargain for our lives if you show all the manners of a Diamond Dog.”

“Bargaining will not be necessary, Minuit,” Andrenida said. “As you are a member of the Equestrian court, I instead wish to petition you for a meeting with Princess Luna.”

“I… wait, what?” Minuit asked skeptically.

The queen paced around the three. “Golden Jubilee occupies our homeland and hunts us down like common vermin,” she explained, “But I have seen her attack your forts and caravans with equal malice. I have seen your soldiers fall before her cruelty. I am willing to ally with Equestria to defeat our common foe and bring a lasting peace to both our races.”

Trixie did not expect such a statement from the queen. She nudged Minuit, who appeared to have been even less prepared for this revelation.

“This isn’t some skullduggery, is it?” Cheryl asked. “No offense, but I only know of one changeling that’s harmless and I still use the term pretty loosely with her.”

Another changeling walked into the chamber. She was taller than the guards, but still notably smaller than the queen. Her frame was scrawny, but healthy. “Mother, these ponies will not trust us!” she warned Andrenida. “They will attempt to murder you like those pegasi before them.”

“Would these pegasi happen to wear black suits?” Trixie asked.

“Silence!” the princess shouted.

Andrenida shook her head. “Daughter, these ponies are our guests until I say otherwise,” she scolded. “Minuit, this is Princess Apida. She is skeptical that our respective species could ever live in harmony, but she is young and inexperienced. I am confident that she will mature with my wisdom to see that our families can coexist.”

Princess Apida snorted and looked away. “I will believe it when I see it with my own eyes,” she said.

“Not to scoff at your ideals, your highness,” Minuit said, “But an alliance between Equestria and changelings would be a tremendous undertaking. Chrysalis’ attack on Canterlot has not been forgotten and there are other hives that currently skirmish with both Equestria and the Crystal Empire.”

Andrenida approached Minuit and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Yes, I’m aware that a hive had attacked Canterlot not long ago, but it was not my hive,” she explained. “Every day my workers scrounge for the last branches of wood to keep us warm. I watch my children go to bed each night without supper. If they were your family, what would you do? We could raid your towns for food, but we choose not to because we are civilized. I wish audience with Princess Luna for aid in our recovery. I wish to prove that there can be lasting peace between our species if she would give us the chance. I realize such a fancy would take years to realize, but it can happen within our lifetimes and only if we take the first step now.”

Princess Apida silently left the room. Minuit was at a complete loss for words and Cheryl leaned against the back wall stoically. However, Trixie was already plotting out what a half-starved and desperate changeling hive could do to help fight against Golden.

“How far is it to Seaddle from here?” Trixie asked the queen.

Andrenida pondered the curious question. “It would be several hours by air. We would need to fly around our home mountain to avoid an attack by Golden’s minions.”

“Why do you want to go to Seaddle?” Minuit asked.

“Historia’s letters, remember?” Trixie reminded her. “She sold the translations of Sombra’s journal to Franklin Gothic in Seaddle. If we can find a copy of the translations, then maybe we can play catch up to Golden and see where Sombra’s hidden treasure is.”

“Well the queen just said that Golden is at Mount Reindeer,” Cheryl pointed out. “Why waste time tracking down a copy of the journal when we can get the info from the horse’s mouth?”

Trixie flicked her tail. “Searching Franklin’s home would be easier. Besides that, we could also use some supplies while we’re in town. I feel naked without my effects.”

“A mutual feeling, I’m sure,” Minuit pointed out jokingly.

“Yeah, well I’m usually all for the ‘easy way’,” Cheryl said, “But I reckon that by now Golden knows about Franklin and the translation notes. Heck, all she had to do was check Historia’s office like we did; assuming Golden didn’t already make Historia sing. Let’s be honest here, Franklin is probably dead and that sorceress likely took his translations as well. Hittin’ the mountain is our best bet.”

“What about contacting Princess Luna?” Minuit asked. “We could do that in Seaddle.”

“You got money to pay for a magic scroll?” Cheryl asked pointedly.

"I have one which you may utilize," Andrenida stated.

“Well, if Franklin is dead,” Trixie mused aloud, “Then he won’t complain if we ‘borrow’ a few of his possessions anyway. We can use Andrenida's scroll to contact Luna so that any spare bits Franklin has lying around can pay for some food.”

“I’m quite certain that Equestrian laws do not work that way,” Minute said to Trixie, “And I must admit now that Cheryl has the strongest argument. We know where Golden will be. If she is now in possession of the Alicorn Amulet and both halves of the journal, then she may very well have all the keys required to unlock Sombra’s secret treasure.”

Cheryl nodded. “I know we’ve been running around blind lately, but there ain’t a better way of getting answers than going to the source. Heck, maybe she’ll be so distracted with Sombra’s secret thingamajig that we can rescue our friends without a big confrontation.”

The queen quietly approached. “I am not sure what secret Golden is after within the mountain,” Andrenida stated, “But our home has a number of hidden entrances. I can personally guide you through so that you may reach Golden before her minions have taken notice of our intrusion.”

“I suppose,” Trixie said defeated. She was out of arguments in favor of visiting Seaddle first. Instead she paced around to plan a rescue, but a sudden jolt of pain in her leg caused her to fall. She reached out and caught Cheryl by the shoulders.

“Maybe you ought to rest for a bit?” the earth pony asked. She sat her friend down. “You’ve been beaten up pretty hard lately and haven’t had a breather.”

“No, I’m okay,” Trixie replied. “It was just a sleep of the hoof, err, slip of the hoof.”

“I insist that you allow yourself the comfort of rest,” Andrenida said warmly. “I can use the time to organize my strongest fliers to take you to the mountain quickly. We’ll talk more of this later, but for now do try to relax.” The changeling knelt before Trixie. Her black, craggy horn gave off a soft greenish glow.

Trixie frowned as she tried to fight back a powerful yawn. “What are you…?” Her head slowly lay down on her hooves and she fell asleep.

“A sleep spell?” Minuit asked the queen.

Andrenida smiled. “A suggestion,” she explained. “All I did was ask your friend to relax. Her own fatigue did the rest.”

“Huh,” Cheryl grunted, “Well, just don’t put any ‘suggestions’ on us, you hear?”

“As you wish,” the queen replied softly. “You will be safe as long as you remain in this room. I shall return after nightfall and you will then be taken to the mountain.”

“Is there any chance that you can assist us with this fight?” Minuit asked.

“I will lead you to Golden, but I will not have my children confront her directly,” Andrenida answered. “In our weakened condition that is tantamount to suicide. If you would give me an audience with Princess Luna, and she grants us the aid I seek, then we will ally with you. Until then, I cannot provide you with anything more than a ride to the mountain. Now rest well, for you face an arduous battle ahead.” Andrenida left the room, but the guards remained posted by the entrance.

“Fat lot of help she is,” Cheryl whispered to Minuit. “Guess we’ll be on our own.”

The bat-pony scratched her head. “Well, at least she’ll get us to Golden. The three of us will be much stealthier than a large group of changelings.”

“I reckon so, but by now you ought to know our luck,” Cheryl warned. “Our chances of getting into a row are always high. A few warm bodies between us and that sorceress would be a welcomed bonus. Not to be cruel, but I don’t completely trust these bugs to just leave us in their own home.”

“Nor do I,” Minuit admitted softly. “I feel Andrenida also lied about her ignorance of Sombra’s treasure. I find it difficult to believe one can establish residence over such an evil presence and remain ignorant of it, buried or otherwise.”

“I ought to tell you about Saddlestone sometime,” Cheryl commented. She glanced at the guards, and then to Trixie. The unicorn snored quietly as she slept. “Well, guess there ain’t anything we can do right now other than take a nap,” the earth pony said.

“Indeed,” Minuit replied. “We can only play along until we’re dealt a better hand.”

“Too bad we can’t cheat at this card game,” Cheryl whispered as she laid down against a rock.

The bat-pony smiled. “We can always cheat,” she said slyly. “It’s just a matter of waiting for our opponent to look away.”

Trixie yawned as she hung lazily over the inky black landscape. She didn’t get much sleep at all over the past few hours, but a nap was currently impossible while she and her two friends were flown over the landscape by a swarm of changelings. The night air was cold and it whipped harshly against her fur.

The group dove suddenly and landed on the side of a hill. Mount Reindeer was so close now that it towered up past the clouds as if it stretched on forever. The moon’s dim light illuminated little other than the hills found in all directions. Minuit and Cheryl flanked Trixie as the three waited for Queen Andrenida’s direction.

“We will enter the mountain through this entrance,” the queen stated. “I will take you down to the lowest chamber and from there it is up to you to find Golden.”

Trixie used her magic to brush back her mane. “Are you sure you won’t stick around to see The Great and Powerful Trixie in action? This will be a grand battle for the bards to sing!”

“More like a slaughter,” Cheryl muttered.

“That’s the spirit!” Trixie happily beamed.

“No, our slaughter!” the earth pony corrected. “I told you, blue bunko, we just need to get some info on Sombra’s journal and if we can swing it, rescue Ellie and Zeep. I don’t want to tangle with a pony wearing that Alicorn necklace thing, and neither should you.”

“Hmm,” Trixie grunted dismissively. “I suppose we shouldn’t. Very well, lead on your majesty.”

Queen Andrenida walked away several paces and touched her magical horn to the ground. The ground responded with a dull yawn as it revealed a small tunnel leading down. She led the way inside, with Trixie, Cheryl, and Minuit not far behind her.

The former home of Hive Mephera was an alien world to Trixie. Large chambers were lit with bluish-green bioluminescent moss that hung from the ceiling like giant spherical chandeliers. Tunnels forked and snaked in all directions like an ant hill. Trixie was a bit enchanted with its strangeness, but she snapped back to reality when they passed the destroyed huts and honeycomb-like buildings; former homes to the changelings. Entire sections of tunnels and chambers had collapsed. Small chips and dust flaked off the huge cracks in the walls.

Trixie noticed dark, dried stains that appeared to have dripped out from under the rubble in several places. The unicorn wondered how many changelings were buried alive in those structures. She shuddered at such a thought. “This place isn’t livable anymore,” she commented.

“It is the only home we have,” Andrenida said. “I am prepared to accept that our hive will take years to rebuild.”

“What if Princess Luna offers to relocate your hive?” Minuit asked. “The damage to your mountain is substantial. It would be far easier to move your changelings to a new area.”

The changeling queen raised a curious eyebrow to the bat-pony. “Have you ever relocated an entire settlement? It is no simple matter. We require land to grow our food and materials to build our homes. To say it is ‘easy’ is ignorant. I would certainly accept such an offer from your princess, but we must be realistic with our goals.”

“'Sides,” Cheryl added. “I reckon nopony would want changelings moving next door to them.”

“Another matter that will take some time to reconcile,” Adrenida said to no one in particular.

The queen led them into a small passage that sloped downward. The alien world was left behind; replaced with the smooth masonry of old pony design. At the end of this hall-like corridor was a large doorway. The stone doors that had once stood here were nothing more than blasted rubble scattered around. Trixie pointed out several empty crates marked ‘dynamite’ that were left behind.

“A vault that was sealed shut for a thousand years,” Minuit whispered thoughtfully.

“And then opened in just five minutes,” Trixie sarcastically added with a nod to the crates.

Beyond the doorway the ponies saw the dim glow of flickering yellow light. There was a sinister whisper beyond the light. They were close to their quarry.

“This is as far as I shall take you,” Andrenida stated. “Beyond this passage is what you seek.”

“Yeah, kind of figured that out already,” Cheryl muttered.

Trixie stretched her legs. “Well your majesty, unless you’ve changed your mind, this is where we part ways for now.”

The queen nodded. “Indeed. Good luck to you and your friends.” She turned around and walked back through the tunnels.

“And to you,” Trixie responded. She led the way down the stone block hallway with Minuit and Cheryl side by side with her. Trixie noticed they both had puzzled looks on their faces.

“What did you mean by ‘for now’ with the queen?” Minuit asked.

“Well, you did promise her audience with Princess Luna, didn’t you?” Trixie stated.

“No,” Minuit slowly responded.

Trixie scrunched her nose. “Ah, well I suppose I made that promise for you,” she said with a smirk. “The queen was adamant that she wouldn’t help us unless we could give her an audience. I made the arrangements through the magic scroll she had while you two slept. It has a pretty purple bow too. Don’t feel cheated though; I did give you partial credit for the idea.”

Minuit frowned at Trixie.

“So, do we have her help then?” Cheryl asked. “Saying ‘for now’ sounds like you got a plan going on.”

Trixie looked down at the ground. “No, it’s… it’s not really a plan,” she admitted. “I asked her for a favor, but I don’t know if she’ll go through with it.”

“Well, tell us later,” Minuit whispered. “We just walked into ground zero.”

The tunnel opened up into a colossal circular chamber, lit brightly by several magical bonfires and dozens of large oil lamps. Golden and a dozen of her minions were gathered here, including three of the Black Wings. The sorceress stood upon a large circular dais with the Alicorn Amulet in one hoof. Beside her were the marilith Phoebe and a tied up Debon Aire. Among the small crowd of ponies around the dais were Ellie and Zeeps, also restrained with rope.

“Who are all these ponies?” Cheryl whispered.

“I’m guessing they’re the bottom rung of Celestia’s ninety-nine percent approval rating,” Minuit replied.

Cheryl pulled Trixie and Minuit quietly to a hiding spot behind a pile of crates. They watched Golden place the amulet down into a slot on the dais. Once it was firmly in place, the marilith gave Golden a dagger and then held Debon up, with his neck exposed to the sorceress. Golden held her dagger high above the stallion.

“Ladies and not-so-gentlecolts,” Golden stated loudly, “We, the Zenith Dawn, stand here upon the vault of the late King Sombra. With the Alicorn Amulet, and a little spilled blood graciously donated by Debon, we shall open the door to his greatest power. The same power which the tyrant used to conquer the Crystal Empire over a thousand years ago. Now that this power is ours, I say why break a good precedent, am I right?”

“If there is any justice left in this world,” Debon angrily grumbled to Golden, “Then this power shall be your grave.”

“Zenith Dawn, Black Wings,” Trixie muttered. “I must admit, crazy as Golden is, she knows how to pick a catchy name.”

Cheryl narrowed her eyes. “Yeah well that loon appears ready to sacrifice Debon, if you haven’t noticed that detail,” she remarked quietly.

“Ladies, if we’re planning on doing something,” Minuit warned, “Now would be the time to shut up and do it.”

Trixie nodded. “The curtain is up and they’re playing my song. It’s time for the show.” She jumped over the crates and galloped forward into the crowd. Minuit jumped after her, following the unicorn on hoof.

“Yeah, this is going to suck,” Cheryl muttered.

Trixie shot a quick burst of magical fireworks into the air. Everyone present halted and turned their attention towards the azure unicorn. She pointed accusingly at Golden. “Stop right there, witch!” she commanded. “Trixie demands that you to put the dagger down, preferably not on Debon’s head, and step away from the dais.”

“Well, if it isn’t the one and only Trixie,” Golden said as she tightened her grip on the dagger.

“That’s The Great and Powerful Trixie,” she corrected, “But Trixie will remember that in case she decides to update her business cards.”

Minuit stood alongside the unicorn and unfurled her wings threateningly. “Do not open that vault!” she shouted. “I doubt Sombra would have left his powerful secrets without protection.”

“You mean the secrets he used to conquer an empire?” Golden asked. “Well I’m willing to make that sacrifice. I mean, in a literal sense since I’m about to stab Debon in the neck. I thought that part was clear?”

“Can we hurry this up?” Phoebe asked Golden. “My hooves are getting tired holding Debon up like this.”

“Nobody moves!” Trixie shouted. She stood with her legs apart and her horn aimed at Golden’s face. She began to channel magic into her horn in preparation to shoot. Golden raised an eyebrow, but then a sinister smile crept upon her face. She began to chuckle.

“Do you actually think you can hit me from back there, little unicorn?” Golden taunted. “There are at least a dozen minions between us and they will body-check you so hard that your name will be swollen.”

“If you or that marilith so much as twitch,” Trixie threatened, “I’ll scorch your face to match your rear end!”

The sorceress laughed. “That is rich!” she said with amusement. “Trixie, you’re a pretty talented illusionist, but you’re no combat wizard. I’m wise to your pyrotechnic tricks this time. You can’t hurl bolts of actual lightning or beams of raw magic like I can. So what are you going to do? Sparkle at me?”

“I’M NOT TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!” Trixie screamed.

The magic in her horn exploded in a blinding flash of white light. Ponies yelled and covered their burning eyes as their vision went dark. Golden stumbled backwards and looked away. She caught a glimpse of Cheryl’s blurry hoof just before it connected with her face.

The sorceress hit the dais floor with a flop, her dagger skittering away. Phoebe swung at Cheryl, but the earth pony rolled under the marilith’s hooves. She head-butted Phoebe in the gut and knocked the air out of her lungs. The marilith dropped Debon unceremoniously as she recoiled in pain.

Cheryl turned and dove upon the Black Wings by Ellie and Zeeps. She swung hard against the pegasi, and struck blows against all three of them in succession.

“I’d love to help!” Zeeps shouted, “But I’m a bit tied up right now.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Cheryl grunted as she lifted Dirge up and threw him into the crowd.

“Behind you!” Ellie shouted at the earth pony. “No, the other behind you! To your other left!”

Cheryl growled as Skywarp and Thrust dog-piled on top of her. “Ellie, quit talking!” she scolded. “I can get my butt kicked just fine without you!”

Meanwhile, Minuit was fighting off a horde of angry ponies while half-blind from the earlier flash. “Ugh, she meant glittering like a sparkle,” the bat-pony angrily stated as she bucked one of the minions away from Trixie. Minuit shoved a second assailant away. “Hey, Not Twilight, are you alright?”

Trixie faltered on shaky legs. “Maybe, sorta... no,” she muttered. Her horn pounded with pain from the magical surge she had just fired. Too weak to cast more spells, Trixie swung at the pony that grabbed onto her. She missed pathetically and the assailant shoved Trixie to the ground. “Really wish we had that hive army right now,” Trixie stated.

Debon attempted to crawl away from battle, his hooves still tied together. Golden grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him back. “Where do you think you’re going?” the sorceress asked him. She scooped up the knife and held it close.

The stallion barred his teeth as he tried to wiggle away. “Wherever it is I’m going, you’ll catch up with me soon enough.”

“Probably,” Golden remarked as she stabbed him in the chest, "But I'm in no hurry."

Debon barked in pain as he bled over the dais. The Alicorn Amulet shined a brilliant red. Sand, gravel, and blood were drawn to the amulet and formed a tall vortex around the magical artifact. The mass rose up and pulsed with a dark magical aura. The dais began to crack. Chips of stalactites above rained down upon the crowds. The fight momentarily stopped as everyone looked on with apprehension.

“Prepare yourself Trixie!” Golden cackled. “For this is what brought down an entire empire!”

The vortex released a sphere of force that threw Golden off the dais. Blood and stone came together and took form; body, legs, hooves, and head. The mass softened from stone to sand to flesh and it let out an ear-piercing scream of pain before it collapsed onto the ground. Everyone looked on in silence at the now breathing, living body. He was covered in gashes and a dark liquid slowly oozed from a wound where a unicorn horn should be. King Sombra himself had returned to bodily form.

“What?!” Golden shouted loudly as she approached the unconscious body. “No, this isn’t his power! This is a half-dead paperweight!”

Debon began to laugh, but he quickly devolved into coughing up blood. “Don’t you see?” he wheezed. “A vain unicorn like Sombra... he would think that he is the great power that conquered the Crystal Empire. He... played you for a fool! A fool he used to resurrect himself!” The stallion let out another round of blood-soaked coughs.

“Shut up!” Golden snapped. She kicked Sombra out of spite before she returned her attention to Trixie. “I can at least be rid of you!”

Minuit pounded both fore-hooves on the ground. A large shadow of night poured out from her wings and enveloped the bat-pony’s body. Her eyes flashed a brilliant white, a magical horn extended from her forehead, and her body grew in size and strength. The shadows burst forth from Minuit’s body and revealed her true form, the alicorn Princess Luna.

“Wait, what?!” Golden stammered as she backed away. “But she’s, no, what? Princess Luna? What?!”

The horde of minions backed away nervously from the princess. As Trixie sat there looking up at the alicorn, a magic scroll swirled into existence with a ‘pop’ sound and fell in front of Luna. It had a very pretty purple bow tied to it.

“I’m sorry for the deception,” Luna explained to Trixie, “But I did not want to draw attention while I traveled with you on this quest.”

Golden stomped her hoof. “I don’t believe this! Sombra’s treasure is himself and the stupid bat-pony was a princess all along?” She turned to Phoebe and pointed a hoof accusingly. “So what are you really, a sheep or something?”

“Shall we dance?” Luna asked Trixie.

The unicorn was completely taken by surprise. “I… uh, sure,” she replied.

Luna swung Trixie in the air and onto her back. The princess charged into the crowd, bowling over the ponies in her way like the oncoming tide to a sandcastle.

Golden charged up several bolts of lightning and hurled them at the princess. “Don’t just stand there you idiots! Kill them all!”

The princess deftly dodged the dark magic as she continued to weave through the mob of ponies. “I’ll keep these minions in check while you free your friends!” Luna commanded. She leaped into the air and bucked Trixie toward Cheryl.

The unicorn flailed through the air and slammed into Thrust with enough force to shove him off Cheryl. With the encumbrance on her cut in half, Cheryl mashed her hoof into Skywarp’s face. She pushed the evil pegasus away and rolled toward Ellie and Zeeps.

“I don’t believe it!” Ellie shouted. “King Sombra’s alive?! That’s crazy! That’s insane!”

Cheryl untied her friend and then bucked away a pony that tried to grab her from behind. She looked back at the former king on the ground. “Yes, he’s a menace to white carpets everywhere. Now how about we get going while we’re not bleeding in the same way he is?”

Ellie untied Zeeps and Cheryl picked Trixie back up. The crowd began to rout back through the tunnels as Golden and Princess Luna continued to hurl spells at each other. Trixie saw Phoebe slithering toward the sorceress, right by the alicorn amulet. The unicorn stepped forward, but Cheryl yanked her back.

“Hold up, bunko” the earth pony warned. “Don’t try to get yourself killed. You might actually succeed this time.”

“We can’t let Golden keep the amulet!” Trixie countered. “Her minions are fleeing and she’s distracted in a fight with Luna. This is our chance to get it back!”

“That makes sense in a really regrettable way,” Ellie muttered, “But I reckon you’re right.”

Zeeps nodded in agreement. “So should we start screaming and smashing things now?” she asked.

“Alright, fine,” Cheryl relented. “Bug-butt and I will distract the marilith while bunko and chicken wings grab the amulet. Fair plan or do you want more details?”

Trixie brushed back her mane. “Do we ever plan anything with more details than that?”

“Nope!” Zeeps happily answered.

Golden and Luna continued to discharge spells at one another, but they failed to land a solid hit. The walls and ceiling of the cavern, however, took the brunt of their spells. Rock began to crumble and rain down in large chunks.

Trixie and her friends charged into the fray. Phoebe snaked her way into Trixie’s path and struck out at the unicorn. Trixie ducked and slid under the marilith. Cheryl collided into Phoebe head first, followed by Zeeps. The marilith recoiled from the blows. Her tail whipped Cheryl away, followed by two hooves to swat the changeling off her. Ellie dove between the thick coils of the marilith’s body and pulled the amulet off the dais.

“Give me that!” Phoebe commanded. Her snake-like body coiled around Ellie’s tail and pulled the pegasus into a grapple. Zeeps dove at Phoebe and kicked her in the back. With a grunt, the marilith fell forward.

Ellie pulled herself from the marilith’s loosened grasp. “Go long, Trixie!” Ellie shouted.

The pegasus threw the amulet as hard as she could. Trixie raced to catch the artifact, stumbling over fallen rocks from the ceiling that still threatened to collapse.

Golden saw the Alicorn Amulet arc through the air toward Trixie. She summoned up her magical strength and took aim. “Over my dead body, unicorn!”

“Acceptable terms!” Luna interrupted. The princess fired a beam of raw magical energy.

Golden spun around and deflected the blast upwards with her own counter-spell. The errant magic pierced the ceiling and exploded upon contact. Stalactites and huge chunks of rock came crashing down around everyone. Zeeps dove to rescue Ellie. Golden continued to fire bolts at everyone despite the mountain coming down around her. Luna blasted giant chunks of rock before they crushed Cheryl.

The earth pony dodged around the shower of rocks. “Come on bunko, before you become a flapjack!” she commanded.

Trixie reached for the Alicorn Amulet on the ground, but hesitated. She felt it calling out in her mind, to put it on and use its powers to stop the collapse. It would be an easy task to perform with the amulet. A simple spell was all Trixie needed to cast, one that could save everyone.

In her hesitation, Trixie failed to notice Golden’s magical bolt of lightning. It struck her in the back with a searing pain that blurred her vision. She collapsed from the shock, paralyzed. Screams of her name rang in her ears, but they were quickly drowned out by the torrential quake of the mountain collapsing around her.

The unicorn curled up and covered her head. She hoped that if the mountain of rock were to crush her that it would be over with quickly.

It wasn’t.