//------------------------------// // Great and Powerful // Story: Harmony's Wrath // by hahatimeforponies //------------------------------// In a cottage on the edge of the Everfree forest, seven ponies and a baby dragon gathered around the middle of the main room by candlelight, the last of the twilight fading from the sky outside. "Alright everypony, we're almost there. We have a lead on Trixie, we've found all of our artifacts, from my studies we know what to do, and thanks to Derpy Hooves here, we have a lead on the Cutie Mark Crusaders, which happens to be on the same course." Twilight announced, opening the discussion. "Uh, Twi..." Applejack raised a hoof. "Are y'sure it's such a good idea to go after the lil' 'uns and go huntin' demons in the same trip?" "Unfortunately, I think they may know at least some of what we do. I made a trip back to my library while you were out, and somepony had been in there, and read the book. It's highly unlikely that them going missing the same day was just a coincidence. Now, I did a lot of pretty intense studying in the last couple of hours, but I won't bore you with the details. First, and I guess this is just satisfying my own curiosity..." The unicorn pulled Magic of the Body over and laid it on the ground, opened on a bizarre diagram that looked roughly like a pony's flank, drawn at a weird angle. "...cutie marks." "Cutie Marks?" Rainbow Dash tilted her head. "I thought those were already understood." Rarity chipped in. "But! After what we've been through, we can't be entirely sure of anything we know. It was something that was bugging me, so when it turned up in this book, I just had to check it out. Turns out our knowledge of them is largely accurate, and has nothing to do with Celestia. Not big news, I know, but it's comforting to know something's true. I guess cutie marks must have been less important to the ancient ponies, since they would have been covered with clothes all the time, I don't know..." "Actually, that wasn't the case at all, darling." Rarity interrupted, before Twilight could start rambling speculation. "You were a touch busy at the time, but something we noticed back in the palace - and I think all of us did - was that everypony was wearing some kind of ornament that looked strikingly like what you'd think their cutie mark should look like. For example, the Baroness had a three sapphires studded in this delightful white enamel belt buckle." "Oh yeah! An' Rose had a little metal thingy shaped like an apple on her hat. Ah want one of those..." Applejack chuckled. "And and and andWHU-" Pinkie bounced in excitedly, accidentally tripping on the carpet and upending the contents of her saddlebags on to the floor; however, the balloon-adorned firework, rolling over to Twilight's hooves, demonstrated exactly what she had meant to say. "Those are nice, but they still could have been there by chance..." Twilight raised an eyebrow sceptically. "Oh yeah? Well, guess what Spectra had pinned to her shirt!" Rainbow Dash smirked proudly, and turned in place to show her flank - and her cutie mark - to the others. "Okay, I guess that makes sense... anyway, moving on. Secondly, we already know what Celestia isn't, but I've been able get some idea what I think she is." Pulling out the Diaries of a Planeswalker, she threw it open on some of the pages about the fire element plane, accompanied by a couple of sketches. "This book is the diary of a pony who spent a number of years travelling the planes, a number of coexistent dimensions that seem to..." She looked up to catch a glimpse of increasingly bewildered faces. She didn't need to be told again. "Sorry. Other worlds, that can only be accessed by magic. I did some searching, and I think I've found something that matches the story's description pretty closely. It's a kind of fire demon called a 'djinn', greedy, wrathful, shapeshifting tricksters who specialise in curses. If that doesn't hit the nail on the head, then I don't know what does." "So, how do we get rid of 'er?" Applejack sat forward on her hooves. Twilight took a deep breath. "That's... the tricky part. This book has all the information we need about the ritual, and once we have Trixie, we can start tracking down her element and artifact, but there's one other thing that I don't know if we'll be able to find..." "Which is?" The earth pony craned her neck forward. "... for a demon of Celestia's power, the ritual needs at least a pony life sacrifice." Twilight stated flatly. Everypony else recoiled in abject horror; death was easy enough to speak of, but when the prospect of it - violent death, even - stared them in the face, the story was very different. Everypony except one. Still standing calmly, a determined look upon her face, resolve in her voice, she inhaled and responded; "... I'll do it." The shock hit double when Rainbow Dash spoke. Rarity withered and fainted. Pinkie's mane started to uncoil and straighten. Fluttershy whimpered and clasped her mouth in her hooves. "Ya can't be serious, Rainbow!" Applejack bleated. "That's crazy!" "Don't do it, Dashie! We love you!" Pinkie Pie pounced on the pegasus, hugging her tightly around the neck from an awkward angle behind her. Dash just sighed and wrestled herself gently out of the embrace. "Somepony has to. And I'm not gonna let that be some innocent pony, or one of you guys." "But Rainbow Dash, you're an innocent pony!" Twilight protested. "Then who did you have in mind, Twilight?" Dash snapped back. Twilight squirmed uncomfortably. "I... I don't know..." "Besides, am I really that innocent? Just think about it for a second. If anypony could have done just one thing differently to stop all of this from ever happening, it's me." "What..." "All the way back in the palace, a thousand years ago, if I'd just kept my big mouth shut instead of mouthing off to the Princess... Priestess or whatever..." Twilight narrowed her eyes, trying to comprehend the quite tenuous logic behind Dash's claim. Before Dash could ramble any more, Applejack grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Rainbow! Get a hold of yerself! This is no time for wallowin'. Throwin' down yer life for us is one thing, but pityin' yerself over it gets nothin' done." "Sorry..." Rainbow sighed. "But my decision still stands. It has to be done, and I won't let any harm come to my friends. And if that means I have to die for it, then just fine." She kept her stout gaze on Applejack. The earth pony exchanged worried looks with Twilight. Twilight bit her lip, contemplating the dilemma deeply. She broke the silence after a moment, her voice wavering. "A-alright, Rainbow... if it's the only way, then alright." Gradually, everypony began to display dismayed acceptance. Nothing was said for a little while; the silence not as awkward as it was reverent, almost mournful. Fluttershy hid behind Derpy, stifling a cry. Pinkie's mane went dead flat. Applejack pushed her hat behind her head and rubbed her ear. Dash kept a brave face, and nodded stoically to Twilight in acknowledgement. "Okay, saddle up and move out. Every second we waste here, the Cutie Mark Crusaders get a bigger lead on us." Hoofington was a small town a little off the beaten track, roughly halfway between Canterlot and Ponyville, just about at the point where southern Equestria's rolling fields and open plains give way to the Whitetail Wood and the foothills of the Horsehead mountains. Barely larger than a village, the town has rarely seen good times, and every aspect of it reflected that - grim-faced ponies living in dreary houses on dirty streets. On any other day, the party of eight would have made a point to avoid the town entirely; tonight though, they had a job to do. Two days after the blizzard, the snow was beginning to clear from the most beaten paths of the town, and they entered through muddy clearings in the mucky frost. "If this where Trixie's from, a whole lotta things start makin' sense." Applejack quipped as they passed by the unpainted, half-timbered houses and shops of the town's main thoroughfare. Twilight leaned over and gave her a light kick to the side. "Keep it down, Applejack, we're not looking for trouble!" She whispered harshly. The earth pony just grumbled, and they carried on quietly. The mood had been sombre since they left Ponyville, and this town wasn't doing anything to help. As they approached something that looked like the town's centre, Twilight stopped by the modest fountain, halting the convoy. "Alright everypony, we're going to split up again. Applejack, Rarity, Derpy and Rainbow Dash, you sweep the town for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Two on the ground, two in the air." While the former three nodded dutifully, Dash muttered something undecipherable, before nodding in acknowledgement. Derpy gave her a light shove and a glare. Oh, grow up, it seemed to say. Throwing your life away heroically doesn't entitle you to be mean. "The rest of us - Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Spike and myself - we'll start looking for Trixie. The rest of you can join us when you've finished your search." "Shouldn't take too long, ah reckon if they're here, we'll be pretty quick to know about it." Applejack remarked, looking around the small plaza. Not needing to be told twice, Applejack and Rarity took off to start combing the streets and side streets, and Derpy took to the air, reluctantly followed by Rainbow Dash. "Okay, let's see... Trixie... Trixie..." Twilight began to mumble to herself, scanning the square for plausible places. Applejack said she's likely to be in a bar of some kind... now what does a bar look li- Her train of thought was interrupted by a door slamming open, and the squeal of a pony being tossed out. The four of them immediately turned their eyes to the source of the sound, a building about halfway down one of the smaller streets, dimly lit by a small lantern outside. On the ground, they could make out the shape of a pony rolling on the ground, draped in a ragged cape. Is that? Twilight started trotting cautiously along the street, and the other two ponies followed. As they neared the scene, they could make out voices. "... and stay out!" A gruff stallion's voice called from inside the door, before it slammed shut again. "Who the hell do you think I am? I'm the Celestia-damned Great and Powerful Trixie!" The pony on the ground snapped back. "Well, I guess it is a small town..." Twilight blinked. "That's Trixie?" Pinkie raised an eyebrow at the surly heap of pony on the floor. "She doesn't look wet..." "What are you looking at?" Trixie suddenly turned to them, noticing their presence. She was certainly in a state - her front was splashed with liquid, she was dribbling slightly, and there was an unpleasant smell coming from her direction. "Uhm, I..." Twilight backed up a little. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea... "Hey... I remember you..." Trixie mumbled, staggering to her hooves. "You... you're the pony that ruined me!" She yelled, blundering up to Twilight and shoving her roughly. "What-" Hic. "Whaddayou want? Come to finish the job?" She sidestepped around haphazardly, eventually steadying herself against a wall. "Laugh at me some more?" "Well, it is kinda hmph!" Twilight quickly pulled her scarf around Spike, keeping him from finishing his sentence. Where do I even begin... "Trixie, we were looking for you, but it's because... uh..." She cringed, and swallowed her pride. "Trixie, we need your help." She put on the most earnest face she could. "PFFFF hahah!" The drunken unicorn burst out laughing. Pinkie threw in a little giggle, and Fluttershy prodded her. "You want my help?" Trixie giggled, barely keeping herself upright against the wall of the inn. Twilight glared, unflinching. "Oh, this is rich!" "Trixie, this is serious." Twilight tried to grab Trixie and shake her, only for the washed-up stage magician to wriggle free and stumble back across the street. "Oh, you are?" She stared sternly back at her assailant, before breaking down in another fit of laughter. "That's even better! Hah!" She stumbled around, humming some non-descript tune to herself, occasionally blurting out a couple of scrambled words, only resume her delirious cackling. Quickly growing tired of this, Twilight yanked Trixie over to her with a quick flash of her horn. Once she skidded to a halt on her back, she stood over her, and pinned her cape with her hooves. "I mean business." She barked, glaring down at her. "... are you coming on to me, Twilight Sparkle?" Trixie giggled, blushing a little. Twilight's eye twitched. "Augh, Trixie, snap out of it!" Twilight stamped her hooves in frustration. The thump of a hoof meeting the ground so close to her head sparked a panic reaction in Trixie, and she spontaneously flung Twilight into the air telekinetically. Not very far - only a length or two, but enough to give her time to pick herself up and disorient Twilight upon landing. Fluttershy grabbed Spike out of the air, and Pinkie helped Twilight to her hooves, but in just those few seconds it took to recover, Trixie had already started galloping down the street. Twilight sighed and started after her. "This is definitely gonna be a long night..."