Hecate's Orphanage

by BlackRoseRaven


The Apprentice's Test

Chapter Eighty Eight: The Apprentice's Test
~BlackRoseRaven

The Black Fortress was barren and empty: there was no one to greet them, no traps to avoid, no nothing, except for hollow halls and missing checkpoints. The closest thing they found to any sign of life was that, as Antecedes had said, the various security devices around the Black Fortress had been tampered with, either dispelled or destroyed.
“I don't feel any powerful magic. There's something strange that I'm detecting, but it's nothing exceptionally powerful or dangerous from what I can tell. I'm guessing a communication spell, maybe a minor psionic event.” Antecedes muttered as the group slowly made their way through the empty halls.
Throna growled under her breath, visibly uneasy as she shifted back and forth with the Architect on her back before she looked back at the dwarf uneasily: he seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much for the Draekin's taste. “Why doesn't that seem like good news?”
“Because we're expected. So whoever is waiting for us is either setting a trap or smart enough to stay calm until we arrive.” Moonflower said, and then he huffed when Antecedes gave him a mild look. “I'm not entirely stupid, Antecedes!”
“I just didn't expect you to have actually grown up.” Antecedes replied, and Moonflower blushed and grumbled as he looked lamely away.
Toad, however, peeked up from his hiding place on Thorn's head at this with a short snort of amusement, saying wryly: “Hey, don't you worry about that, buddy. I wouldn't say it growing up as much as he's gone through a bit of obedience training.”
“The activity seems limited to the throne room.” Thorn interrupted quietly before Moonflower could snap at Toad, continuing after a moment: “We're probably being monitored: Throna, I want you, Neato Burrito, and Pinkie Pie to stay back and protect the Architect. La Croix, can you monitor?”
“Uh... maybe.” La Croix shifted uneasily, shaking his head and muttering: “I think it was the cocodril that pulled me out o' the ether, but I can't be sure...”
“We fought spirits.” Throna said shortly, and then she shook her head before muttering: “Well, Stronghold fought them, to be more precise. And aye, she was capable of dragging them into reality with great violence. The Order was... not keen on possessions or possessors.”
La Croix gave an awkward smile at this, but Thorn only looked at him, and after a moment the Loa hesitantly said: “That may be true, but... me and mine, we be a little different from the ponyfolk kind of spirits, y'hear? Ain't braggin' or nothing, 'sjust the truth.
“I think this one has some... she got some je ne s'ais quoi about her, but it feels a whole lot like Darkwater. Not like she from there, but like somethin' left its mark on her. I think she might be carryin' gifts from Madame Veliuona.” La Croix said slowly, and then he glanced over at Moonflower and asked: “Y'ain't gay 'cause of any secret marefriends, right, rein de la nuit? This ain't gonna be some angry ex, huh?”
Cadence smiled wryly at this as Moonflower huffed loudly, retorting: “I will have you know that I am very proudly a... connoisseur of fine stallions through and through! I have always had a deep sexual attraction to stallionkind, just as I have always found mares icky.” He paused as Toad cleared his throat loudly and gestured pointedly at his current company, then added awkwardly as he looked between the mares present: “No offense meant.”
“None taken.” Cadence said dryly, and then she asked in a more serious voice: “So what are we going to do here?”
“La Croix, check the area ahead up to the throne room. The rest of us will slow our pace, but it's important we keep moving. If we're being tracked by magic our movement will confuse most scrying techniques.” Thorn explained, and La Croix smiled awkwardly before he vanished from sight as the rest of the group slowed to match the pace that Thorn set.
Cadence continued to look at the stallion, feeling like he wasn't done, and Thorn grimaced ever-so-slightly. For anyone else it would have been a twitch, she knew, but for Thorn... “Are you okay?”
Thorn turned a venomous look on her, his whole face contorting with it, and Cadence reared back slightly in surprise as she winced and prepared herself for the worst- “Yes. I am fine.”
Thorn halted, then repeated, as his features smoothed out into his usual poker face in spite of the flush of shame visible at his collar: “I'm fine.”
There was a pause, and then the stallion shook his head quickly, visibly clearing it. But he was hurting, Cadence thought: those black veins were faintly visible, and he sounded almost unsure of himself. Not like he was second-guessing their orders or what they had to do, but more as if he was trying to figure himself out, like his emotions were making him a little haywire... then again, I guess he's not really used to feeling them.
That was an unfair thought. But Cadence barely had the time to mentally wince before Thorn instructed: “Cadence, I want you to stay back with Throna and the... wrestlers.”
“Luchadores!” El Casco shouted, Ex Parte roaring in agreement, and the entire group halted to glare at the two earth ponies, who both shrank awkwardly down with lame smiles as El Casco awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, and Ex Parte made a quick zipping motion across her lips.
Thorn sighed tiredly, then he turned his eyes forwards, picking the pace back up as he forced himself to focus. But his head... hurt. Even losing an eye was easy to ignore for the short term for him, but it wasn't the feeling of loss that was the worst for him now; it was the dizziness, the sense of failure, the feeling like like he had screwed up in the same way he had when he had lost his leg, and Hecate had to fix him...
Would she fix him again? Or would she just let him suffer? He deserved to-
Enough. Thorn told himself firmly, mentally steadying himself and bringing himself back to the situation at hoof. “I need you to keep the Architect-”
“Oh, no. I am in no danger here. There is nothing ahead that threatens me. Only yours, Thorn Blackfeather.” the Architect interrupted, before he smiled his eerie, cunning smile as he remarked: “But perhaps it is not me you seek to protect, is it now?”
Cadence scowled at the Architect, and then she asked before she could stop herself: “Do you have any actually useful information, or are you just here to piss us all off?”
“There is no shame in enjoying my own existence, is there? And if you desire knowledge, then by all means, crack open my skull and scoop it out with your tendrils. I know that you can. But you will not, because there are more things guiding you than primal urge or the orders of a queen.” the Architect answered calmly, seeming to lose interest in Cadence as his eyes drifted away. “All things are time. All things with patience. You cannot stop the unstoppable.”
Thorn frowned uneasily at this, glancing apprehensively up, but then La Croix reappeared in front of them with a grimace, adjusting his cape nervously before he muttered: “Pretty sure the mademoiselle ahead noticed me. She looks like a unicorn, ain't nothin' real special or étrange 'bout her, but I think she might be talkin' to our old friend, Auriculos. And she's definitely one of them Voidborn.”
“Alright. Let's move in, then. Be ready for anything: we don't know what we're dealing with here.” Thorn instructed as he gestured at La Croix to fall back into line, and the others nodded as Cadence grudgingly allowed herself to drop back in front of Throna, giving the Architect a moody look as she did so.
The Architect no longer seemed interested in her, however, or any of them really: he was staring off into the distance, that unnatural smile lingering on his face, and yet his expression was somehow unreadable, inscrutable. Something had caught his interest, however, and that made the mare feel more uncomfortable than she wanted to admit. She didn't want to think about what it could possibly be that had managed to take his strange, knowing eyes off them-
“What ego, to think that you must be the most curious thing I have seen. And how foolish, to think this has nothing at all to do with you. How much you've forgotten, Cygnet, since you were stolen from the nest. But what, I suppose, do babes ever remember of their birthplaces?”
The Swan twisted almost... nervously, Cadence thought, and it made her feel more uneasy than she wanted to admit. Why the hell would the Swan be nervous? What was hidden there, beyond memory and birth, in the thought-nothing that had come before Asgard...
“We're on approach. Careful, everyone.” Thorn said, calling them out of their thoughts and to attention, and the others readied themselves as they moved towards the open doors to the Throne Room: the faint sound of voices echoed out of the doors, and Cadence frowned uneasily as she rose her head slightly at the sound of heated conversation.
Thorn stopped in the doorway, looking inside and frowning slightly as his eyes locked on the sight of the mare sitting back in the throne: she looked like a simple unicorn, just as La Croix had said. Baby blue, with a silver mane... a Trixie parallel. But she's not from this world. She's a Voidborn.
Trixie was loudly arguing with a floating metal cube of some kind in front of her, suspended by her magic: she didn't look dressed or even ready for a fight, her cape half-pulled around her like a blanket, her witch's hat askew, the large, square collar around her neck sparking occasionally with some kind of magical interference.
“Yes, Trixie knows, Trixie knows, Aura-curious-”
“Auriculos.” corrected the voice from the cube irritably, and Trixie rolled her eyes before she spotted them, and then to Cadence's chagrin and disbelieving amusement, the unicorn mare rose a hoof and mimed the frustrated shouting of the Kirin neurocenter with it as it to them, as it snapped: “I did not spend all the time and effort propagating into new systems and establishing myself at your master's side to be misnomered like some Dogmatic whelp!”
“Yes, yes, Trixie knows who you are. Trixie understands. You are very important, etcetera etcetera etcetera.” Trixie said irritably, rolling her eyes as she sighed and sat back in the throne, before she asked loudly and clearly as she looked pointedly at Thorn and his companions: “So to be perfectly clear, what you want me to do is ambush the... what did you call them? Ornates? Organs?”
“Orphans!” shouted Auriculos in frustration, and Trixie winked over at them... winked, Cadence thought, as she stared at the odd Trixie with disbelief. “Now listen: it's very simple. Loki's enemies are approaching quickly. Your goal is to stop them: do whatever it is you have to do, but kill them all! No mercy, no quarters, no nothing, do you understand?”
“Trixie understands. Trixie shall do nothing.” the mare confirmed, before she yelped and nearly dropped the cube as the collar around her neck sizzled and crackled with magic, grabbing at the collar as she gritted her teeth and glared at the device floating in her grip.
“Do you require further encouragement?” asked Auriculos coolly, and Trixie only scowled coldly back at him as the collar sparked and fizzled, dropping her forelegs almost sulkily into her lap. “I thought not. Remember your job and your priority. If they try to run away, make sure that above all else you stop the Swan Maiden and the mage. Do I make myself clear?”
Trixie sighed theatrically, rolling her eyes before she nodded and said grumpily: “Yes, Trixie understands. White winged unicorn, black pretty unicorn, stop them both, etcetera etcetera.”
Kill them both. The Swan may require multiple deaths.” Auriculos replied contemptibly. “Once they've been dealt with, head to Canterlot. Melinda will bring you back to Loki. Bring their bodies as proof of death, or at least their heads.”
“Trixie will do what she must.” the mare said, not hiding her distaste, and Auriculos snorted before the unicorn calmly rose a hoof, gesturing at them to stay back for a moment. The unicorn carefully turned, guiding the cube to the side to lower it into something they couldn't see.
There was a click and a hiss, like a lid sealing, and then silence, before Trixie finally straightened with a sigh and smiled as she turned towards them, dropping her hooves in her lap as she remarked: “Some people.”
Cadence shifted nervously, but Trixie only smiled at them brightly, gesturing at them with a hoof to approach as she said quickly: “Oh, don't you worry! Trixie is not some evil witch, Trixie is the bravest and most courageous of all heroes! Sometimes that just means she has to... be creative when dealing with her pesky captors, though.”
“Do you have any intention of fighting us?” Thorn asked calmly, and Trixie smiled and winked at him before she leapt up on her rear hooves, flinging her forelegs out as fireworks of color exploded behind her.
“The magnificent Trixie is not interested in the brutality of fighting or the crudeness of war! Oh, no, Trixie the Brave insists, nay, demands that instead, you honor her with a duel!”
Thorn frowned before he began to step forwards as Cadence narrowed her eyes, but then both of them were bumped aside as Moonflower bustled to the front, nearly shouting: “I'll do it! I accept the mare's challenge! I am-”
Thorn reached up and caught Moonflower by the shoulder, and the black unicorn quailed visibly as Thorn closed his eyes, taking a steadying breath before he returned his eyes to Trixie, asking: “What are your intentions?”
Trixie laughed loudly, then she hopped off the throne with a grin, winking over at Thorn as she declared: “The Great and Powerful Trixie intends only to test the strange ponies, as she was told by Melinda the Sky Witch! You should all be honored, for I, the Magnificent Trixie-”
“I've already been forced to be polite and nice to a Trixie in the last few days. If you keep this up, I'm going to punch you so hard in the face you'll have to pull your teeth out through your ass.” Cadence said sourly, and Trixie mouthed slowly and wordlessly before Thorn reached up and gently grasped Cadence's shoulder, the mare grumbling under her breath before she lowered her head, her eyes sneaking to him.
“I'm okay.” he said quietly, and Cadence couldn't help but smile a bit despite herself before the sapphire stallion returned his eyes to Trixie. “You're wearing a control collar. You clearly aren't serving Loki willingly. What happened here?”
For a moment, Trixie hesitated, and then she suddenly sat back in the throne, becoming more quiet and businesslike as she explained: “Trixie has had... many teachers. She first was taught by your mother, Thorn Blackfeather. Your mother, Luna.”
Thorn's eyes widened in surprise, rearing up slightly, and Trixie smiled before she continued: “She died, oh, a long, long time ago now, but Trixie continued to learn, to grow... even in the Void, after her... final, great show. She was separated there from the Goddess Veliuona, whom Trixie came to... perhaps not respect, but at least understand. And Trixie got to meet Melinda, the legend, in the... well, not flesh, not really.
“But Trixie learned all sorts of things. She became the apprentice, of sorts, to Melinda. And what an honor that was, why, Trixie's performance that day was admirable, was enough to...” Trixie halted in the middle of her theatrics, then she cleared her throat at the looks she was receiving before she sat back and smiled lamely. “Perhaps that is a story for another day.
“What is important is that Melinda saw fit enough to trust Trixie, and Trixie will not betray that trust. Any more than she will hurt innocent ponies, any more than she will risk smearing her own good name.” Trixie said emphatically as she straightened in her seat, before she smiled over at Moonflower, studying him intently. “And she is admittedly very curious to test the strength of a stallion who is supposedly almost as skillful a magician as she is.”
Moonflower huffed loudly at this, but Thorn only frowned before he asked slowly: “So are you under the control of Loki or not?”
“No, not directly. Trixie may not be quite as powerful as Melinda, but she has picked up a few tricks over the years spent training in the Void.” Trixie replied, smiling slightly as she reached up and absently poked at the collar around her neck. “This, unfortunately, does make it... more difficult to resist Loki's orders. But far from impossible!”
Trixie hopped out of the throne and posed again, and Thorn studied her for a few moments before he asked: “And what do you gain from all this?”
“If there's one thing Trixie's learned, it's that there are more important things than accolades and prizes... although one of her favorite guilty pleasures has always been toppling ponies who are foolish enough to think they are better than she is!” Trixie added with a wink, looking over at Moonflower as she rubbed her front hooves together eagerly. “And considering what Trixie has heard...”
“All... greatly exaggerated. I assure you.” Moonflower said awkwardly, to Cadence's surprise. He smiled a little, lowering his head slightly as his eyes shifted towards Thorn before they moved back to Trixie, who was scowling at him. “What?”
“Considering what Melinda had to say about you, Trixie highly doubts that!” retorted the mare with a huff. “Trixie will not have you talk about yourself that way, not when she has been told to expect great things by someone she respects very much!”
“Well, she's almost as circular in her logic as you are.” Antecedes said dryly as he moved to the front of the line, before he rose his head and asked simply: “What did you do with the employees here?”
“Trixie made them disappear!” the unicorn declared with a flick of her cape, before she winced slightly at the glares she immediately received, hurriedly correcting: “Into the dungeons! And the basement! And just. Out of the way, they are... they're not dead ,if that's what you think. Trixie has not killed anyone. Trixie does not use 'disappear' as a euphemism. She is always literal.”
“I hate people who talk in third person.” Cadence said tiredly, and then she shook her head before she glanced uneasily over her shoulder: one thing Trixie was very good at was coming across as harmless and entertaining, and all of the ponies had clustered up into one group together, meaning that if she wasn't as friendly as she acted, it would be very easy for her to... “Let's back off. Throna, Antecedes, uh... you two.”
The earth ponies both looked up, and Trixie waved her hooves almost frantically, hopping out of her seat and complaining: “No, no, no! You can't just leave! Trixie needs an audience, it's not half as fun without an audience and... well, Trixie needs you to participate as well, Moonflower!”
Moonflower winced, then he looked uncomfortably at Thorn, who sighed a little before he said finally: “She seems to want to duel you for a reason. Go ahead. But Trixie, I want you to guarantee the safety of everyone here.”
“Yeah, and, you know. That you won't kill Moony here. If he dies, I'm going to have to move in with the zebra dude or something. Frogs don't make much money, see.” Toad added from his safe perch with a lame wave of one hand, and Moonflower and La Croix both scowled at him.
“Absolutely! And Trixie is not interested in a fight, Trixie is interested in a magic duel, which is far more refined and will result in absolutely no harm, except to Moonflower's ego, after Trixie completely demolishes him like the Great and Powerful Trixie once defeated Twilight Sparkle!” Trixie proclaimed, before she posed for a moment and continued in a voice that was a little too proud to be honest: “Yes, once upon a time Trixie defeated Twilight Sparkle, Thorn Blackfeather! And Trixie is so very sure that you of all ponies know what it means that she was once trained by Princess Luna, the very same Princess Luna who was-”
“In that period of life her magic range barely exceeded eight thousand bæns, making her a moderate spellcaster at best.” Thorn said bluntly, and Trixie stared at him before the sapphire stallion sighed and shook his head, saying finally: “I don't know what you're trying to accomplish here, but I'm going to extend you what little trust I can. Do you want us to remove your control collar?”
“No, no, it only hurts a little.” Trixie hesitated, then added quietly: “As Trixie has said... Loki can only exert a little bit of control over her. Loki is not entirely stupid: he knows this. He has taken additional precautions to ensure that Trixie... that I... don't do anything too silly now.”
Trixie paused, then she smiled and clapped her front hooves together as she winked across at Moonflower, adding in a clearer voice: “But if you're not feeling sure of yourself, Moonflower, I can always let you go ahead and do the first trick! Trixie will do her very best not to make too big a fool of you!”
Moonflower scowled a little, and then he rubbed uneasily at his chest before he blurted, as he shifted almost as if to hide against Thorn: “I don't like this.”
“I know. I don't either. But I don't want to attack her, either. You'll be fine, Moonflower. You can do this.” Thorn said quietly, and Moonflower smiled a little before he winced when Toad whooped and Cadence half-shoved him forward, sending him stumbling out onto the open floor.
Trixie grinned at him, then she posed for a moment, sending up a short burst of fireworks behind her with a flick of her horn as she declared: “Now you shall see the might and the splendor of the Great and Powerful Trixie, the bravest of all unicorns, the mare who once defeated a goddess!”
There was another great burst of fireworks, and Moonflower looked at her for a few moments before he childishly rubbed at his nose with the back of his wrist, and Trixie visibly deflated before she leaned forwards and hissed: “Your turn!”
“Oh, I don't know... I've really grown out of that whole thing...” Moonflower said awkwardly, looking away as he blushed slightly and waved a hoof lamely back and forth.
“Just do it, Moony. You've never grown out of it and you know it.” Toad encouraged, and Moonflower huffed before he looked almost nervously at Thorn and Cadence.
But Thorn only nodded, and Cadence sighed and shrugged, and with that minor encouragement Moonflower suddenly spun around and stomped forwards, shouting in a voice that made the walls tremble: “Well as Great and Powerful as you may be, you are certainly nothing compared to I, the magnificent Morpheus, King of All Evil and God of Darkness!”
Moonflower stomped a hoof down, and the world trembled before he gestured sharply outward, the air darkening as the glowing crystals and flames burning in the wall sconces turned eerie blue. “Now that you have stepped into my home and my territory, allow me to make you comfortable inside my secret shadow zone, where none can ever or have ever escaped! How you can hope to fight against the Prince of Darkness-”
“You already said you were a God of Darkness. And a King.” interrupted Antecedes, and Moonflower twitched as he slowly looked over his shoulder, before the skeleton added dryly: “Also I hope you understand how juvenile you sound.”
“Shut up! You're... juvenile!” Moonflower retorted lamely, before he spun back towards Trixie, who was watching him through narrowed eyes, her lips pursed as if- “Stop judging me!”
“Well Trixie cannot help but judge you, as you are Trixie's opponent! And so far she is not impressed with what she has seen!” Trixie retorted, before she leapt forwards and declared: “Feast your eyes upon this powerful, potent magic, as you may think you have trapped us in the shadow zone, but I shall trap us in... the dead zone!”
Trixie snapped her horn out, and Moonflower stumbled backwards in shock as the world around them drained entirely of color, the lights around the room becoming a deep, burning black, as Trixie reared up and exclaimed: “Now you are my prey, Morpheus of Moonflower! I have captured you inside the shadows of the dead zone!”
“You foolish fool, these shadows are the shadows of my shadow zone, which have consumed the shadows of your creepy dead mare zone!” retorted Moonflower pompously, as he crossed his forelegs and posed sharply.
“Oh, ho ho, so you think, but in reality Trixie has already seen ahead to this very circumstance and ensured that she would have counter-shadows to counter your shadows' devouring of her shadows and to ensure that your shadow zone remained engulfed in her dead zone! Call it Trixie's Shadow-”
“If I hear the word 'shadow' one more time I'm going to shove my hoof up the offender's ass!” Cadence barked, and both Trixie and Moonflower flinched before they resumed glaring at each other.
“Well, it doesn't matter anyway, because this is only the barest, vaguest hint of Trixie's power!” Trixie said hurriedly as she awkwardly smoothed herself out, visibly pushing herself back into character even as her eyes lingered nervously on Cadence. “Now, watch and be amazed as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs a miraculous feat of magic like none have ever seen!”
With that, Trixie spun around before she leapt into the air, and a glow of magic surrounded her body as she floated high into the sky, throwing her forelegs wide and declaring: “Voila! How can you even hope to compare to the might of a unicorn who needs only the barest of her magic to lift herself into the sky?”
Moonflower huffed at this, and then his horn flashed before he almost pranced into the air, Trixie staring as the stallion pointedly 'walked' above her so he could look down at her and retort: “I suppose if we were in a parlor, it would be the right setting for your tricks.”
Trixie had to pause and think about this for a moment, and then she huffed loudly, glaring up at Moonflower as she snapped: “Hey! You don't need to be a jerk about it!”
“I'm not a jerk! You're a jerk! A big smelly jerk mare!” Moonflower snapped back, and Trixie glared at him before they both dropped out of the air, thudding to the ground and continuing to glare at each other.
“Very well! Trixie was only playing! Now she will summon her assistants to help her with magic!” Trixie declared, leaping backwards before she waved her horn back and forth as it flashed with a multitude of colors. Cadence did have to admit, the mare certainly knew how to put on a show.
She leapt backwards as she snapped her horn down, and there was a flash before half a dozen semitranslucent clones of Trixie appeared, all striking different poses as they gave big, winning smiles, all dressed in glittery one-piece swimsuits. Cadence blinked slowly as Moonflower reared back in instinctual horror, and Thorn frowned before he muttered: “Can't get a reading, but those look like augmented reality clones, capable of-”
“Of doing everything and anything!” Trixie declared as she leapt into the air, and her assistants all immediately dove beneath her, catching her and holding her up above their heads as they flickered occasionally, Trixie grinning widely as she posed on top of the crowd. “What do you have to say to that, Moonflower?”
Moonflower scowled, then he simply flicked his horn out, a blast of green lightning chaining between Trixie's illusions as they flailed violently, sending the mare spilling to the ground. She squawked, then clambered up to her hooves before gaping in shock as she found herself now sitting in a forest of blue flamingos.
She dumbly picked up the nearest lawn ornament, and Moonflower smiled pompously as he rubbed a hoof against his breast before he said airily: “I think now they're much more suiting for you, Trixie. After all, as they say... birds of a feather, flock together!”
Moonflower laughed loudly at his own not-joke, and Cadence slowly closed her eyes before Antecedes said wryly: “It's funny how you miss things. Then wonder why you ever missed them in the first place.”
Moonflower huffed over his shoulder, before he winced when one of the flamingos bounced off him, Trixie snapping: “That's not fair at all! You can't jump right to polymorphic magic!”
“Why, is it too complicated for you? You know, using this technique I once took over Equestria! I bet you've never taken over Equestria!” Moonflower declared as he strutted over to the mare, one of her eyes twitching as he reached up and lightly flicked the brim of her hat. “I did it all the time! And then I gave it back and then took it over again, because that is what true villains do!”
“Trixie will have you know she... she once saved the entire world! And Trixie highly doubts you ever accomplished that!” the mare retorted as she quickly adjusted her hat, then she leaned up and shoved a hoof into Moonflower's face, the stallion's eyes dumbly crossing to stare at the hoof pressing into his nose. “All you are accomplishing is humiliating yourself! Now, bear witness to Trixie's might!”
“Bear? Where? Where's there a bear?” Moonflower asked dumbly as he looked back and forth, and Trixie glowered before she flicked her horn at him, Moonflower squawking as he was knocked skidding backwards.
Cadence tensed, but Thorn quickly held up a foreleg as Trixie posed for a moment: if she'd wanted to start an actual fight, she wouldn't have stopped once Moonflower was knocked off balance. Instead, she spun around on her rear hooves, then posed again as she shouted: “Here's your bear!”
There was a flash, and then Moonflower found himself gaping as a mighty bear made of starlight and thrumming constellations burst into being with a roar, taking up almost the entire throne room as it loomed over Moonflower.
Moonflower stared back at it, and Trixie grinned before she asked: “Have you ever faced an Ursa Major?”
“That's a simulacrum of an Ursa Minor.” Thorn interrupted, and Trixie blushed slightly as she stared over at the stallion, who shrugged before he explained: “The size and markings give it away, as much as the temperament and facial construction. It's trying to intimidate because it lacks confidence. An Ursa Major – at least, a natural one, not controlled via simulacrum – would be much more aggressive and give no warning before attacking.”
Trixie smiled a strange, nostalgic smile for a moment, before she yelped in surprise as the Ursa Minor exploded in a blast of blue smoke and fire that swept through the room, whirling into a maelstrom before they were suddenly left standing in a beautiful, all-encompassing night sky. The sun burned in the center of it all, orbited by tiny, ghostly planets, and Trixie mouthed wordlessly for a moment before she turned her eyes towards Moonflower, who smiled as he said quietly: “But to be honest, I've grown up past both 'taking over Equestria' and 'saving the world,' Trixie. And I think you have, too. I don't want to just save the world. I want to... I want to protect everything.”
Moonflower turned around, gesturing outward as he did so, and space whirled around them, stars shooting by and shrinking into the distance. Lights danced like fireflies all around them, and Cadence realized that every one of these sparks of light in the darkness was a solar system, a galaxy, a whole set of worlds, and all so tiny, so fragile, so countless among the firmament of darkness that surrounded them, and yet... where those worlds were absent, the blackness was still, and cold, and it hurt to look upon.
There were so many, 'countless' worlds... but the void, the dark spaces were there, too, and growing larger. And how long would it be before all carelessly-uncounted worlds were consumed? Before these bright fireflies became endangered, then extinct?
Trixie looked back and forth as Moonflower stared up into the emptiness above, before he said: “When I was a foal, I moved the moon. That was how I earned my cutie mark, you know. I thought... I was so proud back then of what I'd done.
“But it's nothing. It's absolutely nothing in the long run, isn't it?” Moonflower smiled, shaking his head slowly as he turned towards Trixie, gazing at her silently through the ephemera of fireflies. “Our universe is so... so vast. And out there are beings that could destroy our worlds with a gesture, who can... move galaxies with greater ease than that foal struggled to move the moon a few inches so he didn't have to sleep in the dark. And if a foal can do that, what can we truly accomplish as adults, as heroes, as... whatever we were meant to become?”
Moonflower laughed a little, and then he looked down, biting his lip before he returned his eyes to Trixie, asking: “Why are you here?”
“To test you, of course. And Trixie is proud to say that you have exceeded her expectations.” Trixie smiled, before she stepped back, flicking her horn out and dissolving the illusions around them, leaving them standing once more in the throne room of the Black Fortress as she studied him thoughtfully. “Trixie is still a far better magician than you. But she agrees with Melinda that you have talent, and a certain... flair about you.”
Trixie halted, then she smiled again and added, surprisingly blunt: “But we haven't put out enough magical energy yet to convince Loki – or rather, Loki's little minions – that we've been fighting. Trixie has heard quite a bit about how you can control gravity, Moonflower. Why don't you show her what you're capable of?”
Moonflower smiled slightly back, before he glanced back almost hesitantly at Thorn, and Trixie grinned before she teased: “What, do you need to ask permission from your commander? Trixie never asks permission! From anyone! For anything!”
“No, I need to ask permission from my coltfriend.” Moonflower retorted with a faint blush, and then he added: “And you clearly never do ask permission from anyone because no one would let you ever disgrace yourself with such an atrocious outfit if you did ask them if you could wear it or not!”
Trixie huffed loudly, even as Cadence sighed and Thorn gave maybe the smallest of smiles, before he asked: “Does that mean Auriculos is monitoring us?”
“Only to a point. Unless someone is here and reporting directly to our friends in the Void, then all they can do is monitor from afar.” Trixie replied with a shrug, smiling slightly as she reached up to tap her horn with a wink. “And Trixie and Melinda have both applied their great ability and talent to ensure that not even Loki can hear what we're saying here.”
“I hope you're right.” Thorn said quietly, studying Trixie for a few moments before he asked: “What is your endgame here? Are you planning to return to the Void?”
“Ultimately, yes. Trixie is here on Melinda's orders. She knows what her role is supposed to be, and... she hopes that she can... be the hero she always pretended to be again, if for only a moment.” Trixie smiled, then she shook her head slowly before she murmured: “But Trixie's show is over. This is merely a... a brief encore performance, done at the behest of a respected benefactor for an adoring public! A public that cannot live without Trixie, a public that... Trixie loves as much as they love her.”
Trixie chuckled, then she straightened and grinned, rearing back on her hind hooves and stretching them out to either side as she declared: “So show me what you are capable of, Moonflower! Let's see if your magic is any match for the might and splendor of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
With that, Trixie shoved her forelegs above her head, her horn glowing as a shockwave of force erupted through the hall, making Thorn grimace slightly before his eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the sphere of energy floating above Trixie. “Moonflower! Counterspell!”
“This is his test, Thorn Blackfeather, not yours! Let him figure it out himself!” Trixie shouted over the growing roar of whirling magic, and Thorn grimaced but dropped his head in agreement as Moonflower squawked when he felt himself being pulled towards the sphere of energy. “I have no intention of killing, but it will certainly hurt!”
“You spoke in first person!” Moonflower shouted almost victoriously, and Trixie blinked dumbly, losing her concentration for a moment: long enough for Moonflower to leap forwards and sweep his horn out, blasting Trixie off her hooves and disrupting the magic above her head, which exploded in a torrent of energy.
Moonflower narrowly shielded himself from the blast as Trixie yelped in pain, but after a few moments she managed to pick herself up, shaking herself off before she scowled at the unicorn. “Crude! Barbaric, even!”
“It's what I was taught to do!” whined Moonflower, before he winced as Trixie rolled to her hooves, setting herself as her horn glowed and a strange, shimmering shield formed in front of her: it looked similar to the magic-absorbing barrier that Melinda had protected herself with. “What are you doing?”
“Forcing you to play along properly.” Trixie replied, before she flicked her horn sharply, adding with a grin: “This is supposed to be about magic, after all, not fighting!”
Several spheres of energy formed above Trixie's head before they launched forwards, zigzagging through the air before all three began to rapidly grow in size. Moonflower's eyes widened as he watched them pulse larger and larger, becoming more volatile as they grew, before he squawked as one of the spheres exploded in a tremendous bang and knocked him staggering backwards beneath a wave of force.
He shook himself off, blinking several times before he yelped when the other spheres exploded one after the other, releasing shockwaves of fire and electricity respectively that battered the unicorn backwards with a gasp of surprise and pain as Trixie shouted: “This is disappointing!”
“This is painful! When did things become painful?” Moonflower howled back as another sphere  formed above Trixie before it launched itself into the center of the room, where it rapidly began to pulsate. Moonflower could feel the energy from where he was as he scrambled away into a corner, then he hurriedly created a barrier around himself, before his eyes widened as Trixie grimaced even as she flicked her horn to send the sphere shooting towards their 'audience.' “No! Stop that!”
Moonflower lashed his horn out, a blast of raw magic hammering into the sphere and knocking it away to exploded harmlessly against a wall; except it wouldn't have been harmless if it had exploded above his friends, Moonflower saw, from the scorchmarks left along the stone by the force of magic. He turned a surprised, betrayed snarl towards Trixie, but Trixie only smiled at him even as she created two more spheres and sent them into the center of the room. “The show must go on!”
“This isn't a game, or a show!” Moonflower snapped, before he swore as Trixie sent the two volatile spheres rocketing through the air towards his friends, Moonflower leaping in front of the group of ponies and swinging his horn back and forth to blast both spheres away. Trixie redirected them both again as they began to pulse erratically, but Moonflower flicked his horn sharply, sealing one inside a black sphere and dispelling the other as he shouted: “You're putting my friends in danger!”
“You said yourself there are more important things than our own worlds, Moonflower!” Trixie retorted, before she created several more spheres, launching them out one after the other and forcing Moonflower to parry and dispel them with his own magic. “But are you willing to do what it takes? It's all flash and sizzle and fun and games, until it becomes serious, until those we care for are put in danger!”
“I'll do whatever I have to!” Moonflower shouted back, before he created a shield of energy with a wince, channeling energy into it to reflect a beam of magic fired from the mare before he began to slowly force forward against it.
Then, as suddenly as she had attacked, Trixie dispelled her magic and sat back, and Moonflower squawked as he fell on his face with a thump and his shield vanished, the mare smiling at him faintly before she said softly: “Then you have to send Trixie back to the Void, you know. That's the only way Loki and his Jarsongildi won't find this all too suspicious.”
“What is the Jarsongildi?” Thorn asked immediately, and Trixie glanced up with a faint smile as the stallion strode forwards, saying quietly: “We've heard the name many times, but we haven't been able to put together what it actually means. Even Thesis couldn't tell us much about it. We thought it was a false lead.”
“Yes and no. It's just a name, really. The Jarsongildi are Loki's chosen ones. It's almost an inside joke... but if you're inside enough to know the joke, that means you're important to Loki's plans. Not just a pawn.” Trixie paused, then added meditatively: “Then again, Trixie has been told Loki is a master of manipulation, so...”
“Schemes within schemes, plans within plans. Conspiracies inside conspiracies.” Thorn muttered, before he shook his head slowly and looked up at Trixie, asking bluntly: “Why has Moonflower become so important? What are you actually trying to accomplish here?”
“Trixie thinks you'll have to ask Melinda about that, not her. Trixie is just doing what she was told by her teacher... and well, she is admittedly rather curious to see just how strong this stallion supposedly is.” Trixie smiled slightly, before she added quietly: “And Trixie has found it is much easier for ponies to throw her out of town when they're mad at her.”
There was silence for a moment, before Moonflower asked disbelievingly: “You want me to kill you?”
“Not kill! Trixie cannot be killed!” declared the unicorn as she posed for a moment, before she halted, then became almost humble as she nodded with a small smile towards Moonflower. “Yes. There is no other way. Trixie must be sent back to the Void and the collar prevents her from doing it herself. Loki will think that she was defeated, and Trixie will be... temporarily out of the picture. She can easily hide out in Town for as long as she has to, or even just the outskirts. Loki hates it there.”
“Town?” Thorn asked, but Trixie only chuckled and shook her head with a smile.
“Now, now, Trixie can't ruin the magic of the everafter! That would be like giving away all her best tricks!” Trixie replied with a wink, and then she clapped her front hooves together as she returned her eyes to Moonflower, adding in a gentler voice: “Consider it your final test. After all, Trixie is a mighty and powerful unicorn, and even in surrender she cannot go down without a fight! You'll have to prove everything Melinda's said about you true!”
“That I'm a failure?” Moonflower asked pessimistically, and Trixie huffed at him as Thorn gave the stallion a dry look, and the black unicorn lowered his head before he mumbled: “It's hard to believe that I'm supposed to live up to the expectations of... of a legend.”
“You've always been a legend, Moonflower. You inspired Dim Dunn.” Antecedes said, and Moonflower groaned loudly and flung his hooves up in frustration, but all the same seemed to relax a little at the same time, Cadence thought. Like Antecedes had reminded him not to take himself so seriously.
“For the last time, I am not Dim Dunn!” Moonflower complained, shaking his head vehemently before he turned back towards Trixie, studying her intently before he asked finally: “And there is no other way?”
“There is no other way. But do not fear. It will not be the last time you see Trixie.” Trixie paused, then suddenly slapped a hoof against her face, adding hurriedly: “Wait, wait! Trixie almost forgot!”
She glanced over her shoulder, then smiled slightly as she floated a heavy black box into the air and over to Thorn, who frowned as he took it in his own telekinetic grip, studying it intently: it looked metallic and airtight, and as Thorn tilted it back and forth, he muttered: “Auriculos' communicator is inside here. It's secure?”
“Yes, no sound can penetrate. He cannot hear us and we cannot hear him. Which is a relief, Trixie thinks.” Trixie declared wryly, and then she shook her head quickly before continuing: “Melinda said you might find this of use. Trixie is not sure how, but Trixie will also not question Melinda's wisdom, and she sees that you clearly have more knowledge with these sorts of artifacts than she does.”
Cadence wondered briefly if that was some sort of backhoofed compliment, before Trixie added cheerfully: “After all, unlike you, Trixie does not need the help of tools!”
“That seems to be because Trixie is a tool.” Moonflower said before he could stop himself, and Trixie glowered at him as the stallion gave a lame grin, then he asked: “So why can't we just leave?”
Trixie sighed, and Thorn smiled briefly despite himself before the baby blue mare said bluntly: “This is not my death. My death was long ago. And if you leave me in my captor's grip, then you put all of us at risk.”
Moonflower nodded after a moment, lowering his head slightly, before Trixie smiled and shrugged, waving a hoof airily. “Trixie is getting bored. You'll be doing her a favor. Besides, she did try to upset you, but... Trixie has never been very good at upsetting ponies on purpose. Making them mad because she is so much better than them, certainly, but upsetting them? Trixie doesn't like to see ponies upset. She just wants them to... smile. She just wants them to see her for... who she is.”
Trixie halted, then she looked up at Moonflower as she asked cheekily: “How about one more challenge? Trixie still wants to see your gravity magic, and she has one mighty trick left to show you, as well!”
Moonflower smiled despite himself, and then he sighed before he nodded, murmuring: “I suppose it can't be helped. Very well, Trixie. I will show you the full potency of my potently powerful magic.”
It was weak, but there was still a bit of Moonflower to those words, and Cadence smiled despite herself as Trixie grinned, striding across the room as her whole body glowed with energy. “Good! And Trixie will show you what she has learned from Melinda, above all else: magic is not merely the actions of one's horn, but the act of one's will, powered by the entirety of one's body!”
Trixie spun around, grinning widely as her whole body glowed with radiance, setting herself as she shouted: “Now, witness the true might of the Great and Powerful Trixie, and bask in the glory of her... glory!”
“I wonder if she and Moonflower were separated at birth.” Cadence grumbled, and Thorn smiled despite himself before his eyes widened slightly in surprise as all that energy that Trixie was putting out began to coalesce towards her horn: Cadence half-recognized it from her own training with Freya, that somehow Trixie had gathered energy into her entire body and was now transmitting all that raw power into one point... “Moonflower, watch out!”
Moonflower only grimaced as he set himself: he could feel the power Trixie was exuding, far greater than before, and all of that was being focused towards him in a showy, flashy bit of magic that he knew would be useless in a real fight. But this wasn't a fight: this was a test, and he realized how serious Trixie was beneath the poise and the showmareship now as she focused in on him like a laser-
Trixie roared as she snapped her head forward, sending out a tremendous beam of focused energy, and Moonflower reacted at the last moment, creating not a shield, but a swirling black rift in front of him that the beam punched into with enough force to bend reality itself. Trixie had enough time to stare in surprise as her beam was devoured before she looked up too late as the other end of the rift tore open above her head, belching the beam straight down into her and driving her into the ground with a howl of pain as her Voidborn body flickered in and out of existence beneath the power of her own magic.
The beam ended, and Moonflower snapped his horn forwards, creating a black hole above Trixie that yanked the stunned mare off her hooves, dragging her up into the swirling singularity.
She spun around and around as she was dragged towards the center of the malestrom, helpless and dazed by her own magic before she suddenly threw her head back and laughed even as she was dragged into the core of the black hole, exclaiming: “Maybe you do have what it takes after all! Maybe, just maybe-”
But before she could finish, she was swallowed up entirely by the black hole, Moonflower wheezing as he quickly flicked his horn and the singularity imploded on itself. For a moment more, there was nothing, until Antecedes finally remarked: “You've gotten smarter, at least.”
Moonflower huffed over his shoulder at him, and Antecedes studied the stallion intently before he turned his eyes towards Thorn, asking: “What was she talking about?”
Thorn was silent for a few moments, before he shook his head and muttered: “Normally I would say that's confidential information, but in this case... I honestly don't know. Melinda is doing something, yes. She has plans for Moonflower and...”
Thorn's eyes flicked towards Cadence, and the mare scowled before she shook her head and muttered: “Of course. Everyone has plans for me. Or the Swan, rather, since everyone's interested in the Swan...”
“Let's go ask Melinda ourselves.” Thorn said almost abruptly, and all eyes turned to Thorn with varying levels of surprise. But the stallion only looked calmly back around at the group even as he flexed his prosthetic limb slowly, explaining: “We know that Melinda is here, in Canterlot. We can infer from Trixie's behavior and our past meetings with Melinda that she hasn't done any substantial harm to the citizens here, but she's here for a reason, and not just because Loki told her to attack this world.”
Thorn looked down at the black box floating in front of him, before Antecedes suggested: “if that's the case, then maybe we should stay here and let you and Moonflower deal with your business. We'll keep an eye on the Architect. If Stronghold shows up again, we should be able to hold her off long enough to send out a warning to you.”
“I don't know. She was dangerous.” Moonflower murmured, although the look on his face said that wasn't his entire concern. All the same, however, he turned to Thorn for advice, for encouragement, for an answer, and Thorn grimaced slightly, but then sighed and nodded hesitantly, even if he didn't seem fond of the idea himself. Or maybe Moonflower's getting a little too... needy.
“I can take charge of my team if you want to stay back.” Cadence said, and Thorn glanced at her, then gave maybe a small smile of gratitude. Or maybe he's trying not to scowl at me.
“Thank you, Cadence. But I'll handle it. Throna, I would like you to stay here with Antecedes, protect Eridu.” Thorn said, although the Architect seemed like the least of his concerns as the dwarf only smiled strangely, his eyes roving aimlessly through the room as if he was searching for something, or following some invisible trail, Cadence thought. “Neato Burrito...  El Casco and Ex Parte should stay here as well.”
Both earth ponies posed proudly, before El Casco pointed at Moonflower and almost shouted: “But you know if you need my help, boss, you only need to call! El Casco is loyal to you, and you alone!”
“I know, old friend. But the best thing you can do for me right now is stay here, find wherever Trixie hid those other ponies, and make sure everyone is safe.” Moonflower replied with a small smile, before he glanced up in surprise as Antecedes reached up and grasped his shoulder, squeezing it firmly as he looked into his friend's eyes.
“Don't screw up.” Antecedes said simply, and then he turned around and instructed: “Ex Parte, El Casco, check the dungeon level. Throna, let's take the Architect up to the gravity exhibit, he'll be safe there.”
“What do you mean 'gravity exhibit?' Did you put my powers on display like... like a display?” Moonflower shouted, before he squawked and grinned lamely when Thorn reached out and grasped the back of his neck, yanking him backwards before he could bolt after the others as they left.
“We have other things to concentrate on.” Thorn said quietly but firmly, and then he shook his head briefly before his eyes shifted to the side, gazing silently at the black cube still suspended in his telekinetic grip as he wondered what other surprises were still laying in wait for them.