//------------------------------//
// The Magician's Spirit 
// Story: The Unexpected Adventures of Trixie and Sunset 
// by Sixes_And_Sevens 
//------------------------------//

Starswirl huffed, his breath steaming in the frozen air. “Oh, by the nine names of the west wind, where are you?” he murmured, peering through the trees. For the barest moment, thoughts of treachery raced through his head, but he beat them away. No. The triumvirate would not fall so easily. Commander Cyclone was as honorable as she was dedicated to the cause of peace, and Torch Wood… well, if Starswirl couldn't trust him, he couldn't trust anypony.
Starswirl smiled. No. His friends would not turn on him. Of course, if either of them had been caught departing their respective territories, then they would all be in for it. He lit his horn so as to get a better view of the dark woods. The white light made the ice and snow glitter. For a moment, it resembled a wonderland, rather than the potentially fatal problem that had brought him out here. 
They would arrive soon enough, he told himself again. Cyclone would arrive first, from the air, and poor old Torch would be last, as usual. Covering his tracks in the snow was always a difficult feat, even for a masterful druid such as him. Starswirl had offered to change the meeting-place to somewhere nearer his village and Cyclone’s own regal city in the clouds, but both had refused. Far better to travel far than to risk being seen by one of their own patrols. In the end, Starswirl had given in and agreed to parley in the neutral zone between the three territories. Now he wished that he had pushed harder.
And then he heard it. A groaning wheeze that echoed through the trees. Icicles fell from the branches, making holes in the snow on the ground. Starswirl ended his light spell and held his breath. He could see a faint flashing light through the trees, growing stronger and stronger.
The great wizard swallowed hard. That was the other problem with meeting in the neutral zone. The sole reason it had gone unclaimed was because it could handily defend itself. Bandersnatches and jub-jub birds, not to mention long-leggedy beasties and things that went bump in the night, all of them called this midnight pit their home.
He glanced between the clearing and the source of the now-fading noise. Better to go see what it was before it decided to come over and get a closer look at him. But just in case his friends arrived while he was gone…
He spun and fired off a spell at a nearby tree. The bark was blasted off, leaving a hoof-sized bare patch in the shape of an arrow. The old wizard turned and trotted into the woods, a powerful offensive spell glowing at the tip of his horn.


***

Trixie shivered and moved a little closer to Sunset. “Can we not simply move along?” she requested. “Clearly this is not where we want to be.”
“Well, it isn’t quite when and where we want to be,” Sunset agreed. “But we might still be near Ponyville, just in winter. Or we might have the right time and just be much farther north than we hoped.”
“Like in Griffonstone?”
“Exactly.”
Trixie snuggled closer, and Sunset tried desperately not to think about how if the magician moved any closer she would be inside her. She hadn’t had a crush on anypony like this since, er… ever. Or maybe human Twilight. Maybe?
Trixie interrupted her thoughts. “At least in Griffonstone, we could see where we were standing,” she complained. “Light up a little more.”
“Your wish is my command, mistress,” Sunset droned, but she lit up a little brighter and just a little bit warmer as they trudged along.
“Mmm,” Trixie sighed. “Maybe this isn’t so bad after all…”
Given that Trixie was now more or less lying on top of her like a cloak, Sunset begged to differ. At least she wasn’t complaining anymore.
“Snow is actually quite pretty,” Trixie said dreamily. “Trixie never liked it before. Always so cold, harsh. Not nice when you’re on the road.”
“No,” Sunset said, feeling rather guilty all of a sudden. “I suppose it wouldn’t be.”
“What wouldn’t be?” Trixie asked sleepily.
“...Winters in that old wagon of yours. Not very nice.”
Trixie tightened her grip on Sunset's neck, bringing her to a halt. “How did you know that Trixie was thinking that?” she demanded.
“You said-- oh…” Sunset trailed off. “Right. Sorry, I think I lost control of my telepathy for a second.”
“Your what?”
“Mind-reading,” Sunset said. A deep pit formed in her gut. “You-- I did tell you I could read minds, right? You saw that! Back in Seaddle, I read that mare's mind! And at the House? When I used Billie's memories to reboot the whole place? Did you not pick up on the fact that that was powerful mental magic?”
"Trixie assumed that was just a one-off spell, not something you do nigh-constantly! How could you neglect to mention something this important to Trixie?"
"It's embarrassing! Besides, I thought I'd already told you at... some point, I guess."
“You certainly did not!” Trixie said, all but falling off Sunset’s back. “Have you been reading Trixie’s thoughts all this time?”
“What? No! Look, I hardly ever use it unless it’s important or I forget to actively stop. And I can only read somepony’s mind when I’m touching them.”
Trixie looked at her, wary. “Why didn’t you tell Trixie this before?”
“Well, it’s hardly the first thing you tell someone!” Sunset argued. “We’ve been kinda busy.”
“It’s also not something you forget to mention,” Trixie argued. “There’s been a lot of time for you to have mentioned this to Trixie.”
“I--” Sunset took a deep breath. “Fair. That’s fair. I should’ve mentioned it, I’m sorry I didn’t, now can we please move--”
“Hold!”
Both mares turned to see a bearded unicorn step out from behind a tree, his face lit by the aura of white magic blazing around his horn. “Who are you?” he demanded. “What brings you to this place?”
Trixie tossed her mane. “Trixie might ask the same of you!” she retorted. 
“Well, you might,” the stallion allowed. “I asked first, though.”
“Trixie asked louder.”
“That doesn’t actually--”
“Oh my goodness, you’re Starswirl the Bearded!” Sunset gasped.
Starswirl squinted at her. “Certainly I am. What manner of spirit are you, I wonder? Some fire-imp, perchance?”
“Friendship, actually. I learned all about you in school! I even dressed up like you for Nightmare Night. Can I-- actually, can I get your autograph?”
He blinked at her, uncomprehending. “Spirit… of friendship?” he mused. “Most intriguing." He looked at Trixie. "You must be a powerful summoner indeed to conjure a spirit so unique.”
“Huh?” said Trixie. “That is to say, of course! Trixie is a great and powerful summoner. It is rare that she meets one to rival her power, and so she created Sunset Shimmer to be her constant companion!”
Sunset rolled her eyes. Starswirl, though, was nodding along. “Interesting indeed. Well, while that explains who you are, I must still ask-- what brings you to this miserable neck of the woods? And why have I never seen you before in Unicornia?”
Trixie pointed her nose in the air. “We,” she said with great gravitas, “are travelling--”
“From Mt. Moonglow,” Sunset blurted. “We’ve traveled far and long to reach Unicornia.”
Starswirl nodded slowly. “I see. In that case, you two had better come with me.”
“Oh?”
“Indeed.” He straightened his back. “Yes. These woods are no place to spend the night. I shall help you teleport to the city proper.”
“Ah,” said Sunset. “The thing is--”
Starswirl cocked his head. “Luggage,” Trixie said quickly. “We’ve left our luggage back that way. It really would--”
There was a crash in the forest, followed by a prolonged bellow. “No time,” Starswirl said. “A team will be sent for it in the daylight, please do come along.”
There didn’t seem to be much choice. Sunset was loath to leave the TARDIS behind, but not as much as she was to face whatever that thing had been. She grabbed Starswirl’s outstretched hoof and grabbed Trixie around the barrel. There was a flash of brilliant white light, and then they were gone.


***


Trixie let out a cry of surprise as her tail hit cold rock. Beside her, Sunset pushed herself upright, having fallen flat on her face. “Oh, dear. Are you alright?” Starswirl asked.
“Trixie has been better,” Trixie muttered.
“Starswirl!” A green mare in a tattered set of tan robes shoved open a door at the top of the stairs and glared around the room. “Where have you been? Who are these mares? Wait, is that a mare?”
“One mare, one spirit, both pilgrims I discovered in the woods,” Starswirl said. “Hello to you as well, Clover.”
The mare closed the door behind her and made her way down to the chamber below. “Hello yourself. Princess Platinum wants an update on the information leak.”
Starswirl scowled. “If I’ve told her once, I’ve told her a hundred times. I’m a wizard, not a private investigator.”
“Yes, I know. She doesn’t care. And if you want to keep your royal stipend, neither do you.”
The old wizard growled a long string of consonants that literally turned the air blue. “Fine,” he relented. “Keep these two company while I go and visit with our royal pain in residence.”
“You really shouldn’t call her that.”
“If she complains, I shall of course apologize. Of course, given that she’d have to find out first…”
Clover rolled her eyes and held the door open for her mentor. “Try and behave yourself, won’t you?”
“She hasn’t fired me yet,” Starswirl replied, trotting out into the hallway. “Much as I might wish otherwise.”
Clover rolled her eyes and shut the door. Sunset and Trixie watched in silence as she made her way down the stairs, her hooves clicking staccato on the old stone steps. Only when she reached the bottom did she meet their eyes.
“Wow. I guess you didn’t get a lot of sleep last night,” Sunset said.
Clover frowned, which only deepened the dark rings under her eyes. “What do you mean? I got a whole four hours, best night’s sleep I’ve had all week. Who are you, exactly?”
“Pilgrims,” Sunset began.
“Performers!” Trixie interrupted.
Clover raised a brow. “Traveling performers?”
“Er, yes,” Sunset said, glaring at Trixie. “In search of food and shelter until we can get back to our…”
“Wagon,” Trixie finished. “You shall have to pardon Trixie’s summon, Miss Clover. She is not of this world, and not yet versed in its ways.”
“What are you doing?” Sunset muttered.
“Trust Trixie,” Trixie hissed through gritted teeth. Glancing back to Clover, her eyes warmed. “Trixie is a humble purveyor of tricks and illusions--”
Sunset snorted. “Humble? That’s what you’re going with? Okay then, I’m her ice-cold assistant, Sunset Shimmer.”
“Trixie can be humble if she puts her mind to it!”
“Yeah, and I could be cold if I really tried.”
Trixie sputtered as Sunset extended a hoof. “Hi, I’m Sunset, the frozen spirit of enmity and anathema, and this is the Weak and Impotent Trixie. Nice to meet you.”
Clover started to laugh. “I see! A comedy act, very nice.”
Trixie blinked, perplexed. “Comedy? No, no. Trixie is a master of prestidigitation and illusion.”
“Then might I see an example of that, as well?”
“Trixie thinks she is mocking us,” Trixie muttered to Sunset.
“Only a little. I’m sorry,” Clover said, settling down. “Please, I really would like to see your act. What’s your best trick?”
Trixie froze. “Best… trick. Hm. Trixie has so many excellent tricks, it can be difficult to choose only one…”
Internally, she was screaming. How could she come up with anything to shock the mare who still had the reputation of one of the greatest wizards of all time thousands of years after her death? Sawing a mare in half just wasn’t going to cut it, especially when she didn’t have her trick box. She didn’t have a tank of water, or a rabbit, or even a bouquet of flowers. What she had was her hat and cloak, a deck of cards, a string of hankies, and a very lovely assistant.
Sunset. Trixie’s eyes went wide. “Of course! Of course. Sit down my dear Clover, and tell me a little about yourself. Or rather, let Trixie tell you about yourself. Sunset, come and close our magic circle!”
Sunset frowned and leaned in as they sat on the stone floor. “What are you--”
“The mind-reading goes both ways, yes?” Trixie hissed. "Like what you did with Billie and the House?"
“Uh, I guess so, yeah.”
“Then give me her memories,” Trixie muttered. “Trixie will take it from there.”
“Isn’t that a little hypocritical of you, considering how you reacted earlier?”
“Yeah, well, that’s show biz,” she hissed, grabbing Sunset’s hoof. 
Turning back to Clover and taking her hoof more gently, Trixie said, “Now, take Sunset’s hoof. Then, Trixie wants you to think about everything you did today-- no, just think about what you ate for lunch.”
Clover closed her eyes and cinched her brow, concentrating. Sunset’s ear twitched. “Jeez, not so loud,” she complained.
“Edelweiss salad with a honey dressing,” Trixie said.
Clover’s eyes popped open. “That’s incredible!”
“It is, isn’t it?” Trixie preened. “And that is why Trixie is the greatest and most powerful… mare…” she trailed off, cocking her head as though she were listening to something. “Huh.”
“Something wrong?” Sunset asked.
“No… no,” Trixie said, pulling away from the other two mares. “Trixie just… never mind.”
“This is fascinating,” Clover said, her tired eyes now opened wide. “How is it done? Is the spirit required?”
“I have a name,” Sunset muttered. Clover didn’t hear her. She had eyes and ears for Trixie alone.
“What else can you see, wise mare?”
“Trixie’s visions are fickle things,” Trixie said, gazing into the distance dramatically. “Divination is an art that few can perform and fewer yet may master.”
“Oh,” said Clover.
Trixie glanced back at her. “Trixie could perhaps teach you, if you so desired.”
“Oh!” Clover said, raising her brows. “Gosh. But, no, I couldn’t. Like you said, only a few ponies can do it.”
“Well, who’s to say you aren’t one of them?” Trixie asked. “Trixie sees a spark of great potential in you, Clever Clover.”
Clover’s jaw dropped. “Really?”
“Oh, yes,” Trixie assured her. “Trixie foresees that someday, you will help to save the world!”
That was the last straw. “Save… the world?” Clover asked, dazed.
“Or something like that,” Sunset cut in quickly. “But my lady Clover, we are tired from our long journey. Trixie will have time enough to teach you tomorrow. For now, all we ask of you is a room and perhaps some supper before we retire.”
Clover blinked herself back to the present. “Of course, yes, I’m sorry. I’ll go and get everything sorted right away.” She hurried back up the stairs and out the door. It slammed behind her.
As soon as Clover’s echoing hoofbeats had faded, Sunset rounded on Trixie. “What in the name of all chaos do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, taking a step toward the magician. “Teach this, tell that, it’s like you’re trying to mess up the timeline!”
Trixie scoffed. “Please. All Trixie did was tell the truth. She will save the world, she is clever, and Trixie will be perfectly glad to give her private divination lessons.”
“One problem with that.”
“Oh?”
“You can’t actually read minds! Or tell the future, or anything like that! How do you expect to teach her something like that without having the first clue how to do it?”
“Oh, Trixie doesn’t intend to do much teaching.”
“Then what--”
“Trixie saw something more than Clover’s lunch up in that pretty noggin of hers.”
“What are you talking about?”
Trixie smiled. “Love. Puppy love, maybe, but love nonetheless. Clever girl has it hot for Trixie.”
Sunset gaped. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Are you actually going to try and seduce one of the most important political and magical figures of all time?”
“Trixie isn’t about to ‘try’ anything. She has done it already. Poor mare was head over hooves.”
“I-- no. No, not happening. We’re going back to the TARDIS, we’re leaving--”
“Do you know where the TARDIS is from here?”
“...No.”
“Do you really want to go back to face whatever was in that forest at night?”
Sunset growled. “Fine. We’ll stay for a few nights, just until they can recover the TARDIS. After that, we’re out of here. Capisce?”
“A few nights is all Trixie needs…”
Sunset glared. “Just… try not to completely screw up the past? Try not to erase Hearth’s Warming, that’s literally all I ask of you.”
“Trixie cannot be held responsible for the actions others take over her hot bod.”
Sunset groaned. It was going to be a long few days.


***


Starswirl pushed open the door to the royal chambers. The princess stood at the window, her silver coat shimmering in the moonlight, lighting her flaxen hair. “Your majesty,” he said.
“Starswirl.” Princess Platinum glanced around the room. “Guards, leave us.”
Four stout and stalwart unicorns left their positions and marched out the door in perfect step with one another. The princess glanced over her shoulder. “Approach.”
Starswirl rolled his eyes and made his way into the room. “You wished to speak with me, your majesty?”
“Indeed.” She turned away from the window and trotted toward the writing desk. Starswirl trailed after her, utterly bored already. He watched her pull a scroll from a drawer and lay it flat on the table.
“I’ve received a report from the head of the guard.”
“Have you indeed,” Starswirl said drily. “Well, don’t spoil it for me, I’m waiting for the stage adaptation.”
She ignored him. She was exceedingly good at that. “Our patrols haven’t encountered a single featherhead or dirtclod on our lands in weeks.”
“Excellent news, surely.”
“No.”
“No?”
“We haven’t found any of them,” Platinum stressed, “but evidence of their arrival here was clear. Abandoned campsites, stolen grain, armor that no right-minded unicorn would be seen dead in--”
“Armor that isn’t bedazzled within an inch of its life, you mean?”
“You came up with the idea of installing enchanted gemstones in the armor.”
“My proposal was one gemstone per suit, not one per square inch,” Starswirl grumbled. “Fine. The other tribes have been interloping. So what? We’ve done as much to their lands, and I’m sure they’re well aware.”
“That’s no reason for them to intrude here,” Platinum said hotly, turning to face the wizard for the first time. “Anyway, the fact that we haven’t seen a single trespasser seems a little peculiar, does it not? Almost as if--”
“There were a spy in our midst, finding and snatching up our military plans and secrets for those who would destroy us,” Starswirl finished tonelessly. “Yes, I’d heard.”
Platinum sputtered for a moment. “Well, what do you intend to do about it?” she demanded at length.
“What exactly do you expect of me? Cast a charm to bring the perpetrator to this very room? Enchant the water supply so that none who drink of it may lie? Perhaps I could simply put a large bubble around the kingdom, shut down all traffic in and out.”
“Marvelous, get on it right away.”
“Your majesty, you would not like the end results of any of those options. The first one is quite literally impossible without first knowing the spy’s identity. The third one would eliminate all trade. The second one… well, just imagine a day in court where nopony could lie.”
“Sounds perfect. Finally, I can know who really stands with me!”
“You wouldn’t be able to lie either.”
She gasped. “Does such a spell exist? I want it burned, Starswirl. Destroy it. Throw it through your weird mirror.”
“Really, your majesty, this is a job for the guard, not a wizard. If you can find evidence of magic being used to tamper with secure documents, that’s where I can help you. Rooting out a culprit? I’d be no more useful to you than any other unicorn in the city.”
“I don’t trust any other unicorn in the city,” Platinum snapped, rising from her seat. “Any one of them might be the spy. The royal court, the captain of the guard, some random citizen, anypony. You, Starswirl, you might have sympathies for the other races. You might not think much of me as a ruler. You might not even like me all that much, Sun knows you act like it. But I trust you to tell me the truth. I trust your judgement. I trust your wisdom. That is why I want you to help me now.”
He locked eyes with her. The princess’s violet eyes were filled with rage, desperation, and fear. Just for a moment, he saw her as a child once more, wide-eyed and pleading. He shut his eyes tight. “Very well,” he said quietly. “I believe I may have the inklings of a plan.”


***


In the darkness of the woods, two ponies stood side by side, gazing up at a blue obelisk. “What is it?” the pegasus asked in between her nervous, aggressive preenings of her wings. Her grey face was weathered with age and wear, her body crossed with a dozen scars, but her eyes shone with bright curiosity and fierce intelligence.
The mustard-colored earth pony shook his head. “Hasn’t been here long,” he observed. “Snow on top is much thinner than it is on the ground.”
“But there’s no sign of it being dragged here. Unicorn magic, most likely.”
“Might it not have been flown in?”
“I would have heard about that before now.”
“Mm. Do you suppose he’s inside?”
“I know of one way to find out.” She jiggled the handle. “Locked. Blast.”
The earth pony knocked on the door. “Starswirl? Are you in there?”
Silence answered him.
“I don’t like this, Torch.”
“I can’t say I do either, Cyclone, but this is where the arrow was pointing.”
“We don’t know that it was Starswirl who made that mark,” she pointed out, glancing around the dark woods. “Any unicorn could have carved an arrow like that.”
“If this were a trap, I think the unicorns would have sprung it already.”
Cyclone grunted and took a step back from the box, rubbing absently at her eyepatch. “It must mean something, surely.”
“Oh, yes. Though whether it means anything of use to us is an entirely different matter.”
“Would you please stop being so damned cryptic all the time?”
“Of course. My apologies, propraetor.”
“Oh, don’t start getting formal on me,” she warned.
There was a long silence. Then Cyclone’s shoulders slumped. “I hope he’s alright,” she said quietly. “Probably worse for you. He’s your coltfriend, after all.”
A yellow hoof wrapped around her withers, and the two friends sat staring at the blue obelisk. “Perhaps he teleported away,” Torch Wood suggested.
“Maybe. In which case, we should both head home and try and contact him through the mirrors.”
“That would be wise, yes.”
“Should we bother with the box at all?”
Torch considered that. “I think not. It’s too noticeable, and anyway, I don’t reckon that either of us could make it back home carrying it.”
“I didn’t say anything about taking it all the way back. I just thought we might secret it away somewhere, a cave or something.”
“Mmm." Torch Wood looked up at the stars, thoughtful. "There’s a sort of ditch not too far from here. We could lay it on its side, and that would probably hide it from at least a cursory glance.”
“That will have to do. I’ll tilt it and pull it along by the lantern, and you grab it from the bottom and follow after me.”
There was a distant howl, and both ponies whipped around to look for the source. “Let’s make this fast,” Torch muttered. “Our firepower is missing.”
“Agreed,” Cyclone said, taking to the air. “Which way is that ditch?”
Together, they quickly hoisted up the box and shoved off into the night, not even thinking to clear away the hoofprints and feathers they had left behind.


***


Sunset awoke the next morning to a profound sense of confusion. That wasn’t the pristine white of her bedroom ceiling. There was no comforting hum of the engines coming from the walls. This wasn’t the waterbed that she was sure the TARDIS had only given to her out of a profound sense of irony. Trixie was, for some reason, sprawled eagle next to her on the bed and had entangled three of her limbs around Sunset.
The events of last night came rushing back to Sunset. She quietly disentangled herself from Trixie, sat up on the goosefeather mattress, and glanced around. The walls were stone, studded with gems at irregular intervals. All of the furniture was made of some dark wood wrapped with bands of gold. She stepped out of bed an onto a rich, thick carpet. The whole room was so opulent as to flirt with tackiness. Sunset muttered an oath under her breath. “Trixie. Get up.”
“Nrrwww…”
“Trixie.”
“Too cold. Come back an’ let Trixie hold you.”
Sunset rolled her eyes. Seeing a fireplace against the wall, she threw a fireball into it, setting the ash and kindling inside alight. “Better?”
“Rrgh.” Trixie flopped onto her belly like a fish. “Fine. But Trixie isn’t getting out of bed until you heat the floor, too.”
“Just walk on the carpet.”
Trixie let out another long-suffering grumble before rolling off the bed, still swaddled in blankets. “What time even is it?”
Sunset looked out the window. “Pretty early, I guess. Probably about six-ish.”
“You woke Trixie up at six? Like, in the morning six?”
“Yes, Trixie. That’s traditionally considered a pretty good time to wake up.”
“Not when Trixie went to sleep at two!”
Sunset rolled her eyes. “C’mon, let’s go see if coffee’s been discovered yet.”
“Carry Trixie.”
“Not a chance.”
“That’s fair.” She rose, still wrapped in the blankets. “Trixie will just have to carry herself! Haha!”
She levitated the blankets around her, and Sunset watched in fascinated horror as they slipped into awkward loops around her, lifting her by two legs and her face before letting her slip and fall to the floor. She landed with a grunt. A few moments later, she was buried in blankets. Sunset covered her mouth to disguise a snort of laughter.
“Will you carry Trixie now?” the pile asked plaintively.
“I could,” Sunset said, recovering herself. “But how will anyone take you seriously as a magician if you can’t even walk yourself to breakfast?”
The blanket pile deflated. “Trixie accepts your point.” She poked her head out from beneath the covers and stumbled to her hooves. “Shall we away, then?”


***


The castle wasn’t exactly empty, but it was far less crowded than Sunset would have expected. “In Canterlot,” she told Trixie under her breath, “you couldn’t turn a corner wouthout running into three courtiers, a member of parliament, and a maid. Where is everypony?”
“Smaller city?” Trixie suggested.
“Guess so. Less complicated political structure, too. In a direct monarchy, everything must be much more streamlined.”
“Lots of empty corridors…”
“Yeah, that’s what I just--” Sunset’s brain caught up with her mouth. “You’re still on that ‘seducing Clover’ jag, huh?”
“Naturally.”
Sunset frowned. “Alright. I’ll try not to get in your way. Just-- take it slow, won’t you?”
“Trixie only has a few days before you get the TARDIS back!”
“That should be plenty of time for a good few makeout sessions, I’m sure.”
“Very well. Trixie shall be a tortoise on the road to romance.”
“Let her take the lead. And for the love of Celestia, don’t tell her anything about the future!”
Trixie blew a raspberry. “Yes, sure, whatever. Trixie will behave.”
“Alright. I trust you, Trixie.”
“Great. Now, let’s find breakfast.”


***


The dining hall was nearly as empty as the rest of the castle. Of the five long tables that stretched from wall to wall, only one was occupied, and even it was far from full. Sunset glanced at it dismally; memories of certain days in the Canterlot High cafeteria were flooding back. Being the new kid sucked, but it was at least somewhat better than being the ostracized ex-bully. She could handle this. She could-- 
Oh thank Celes-- thank Disc-- thank somebody, Starswirl was waving at them, beckoning them over. He was sitting well away from anypony else, nearly at the opposite end of the table from the bulk of them.
“Hail and well met,” Trixie said, sliding onto the bench next to the great wizard.
“And to you,” he said cordially. “I trust you slept well this night?”
“Well enough,” Sunset said. “I had to drag her out of bed.”
Trixie’s nostrils flared in irritation. “Well, Trixie had a very long day yesterday! Can you blame her for--”
“I’m not saying it was a bad thing. Honestly, it was kinda cute.”
“Oh.” Trixie went quite pink at that and subsided.
“So,” Sunset said brightly. “How did last night’s meeting with her highness go?”
Starswirl hummed. “It was, shall we say, informative. There has been some… unusual activity in the castle for some months now.”
“What kind of unusual activity?” Trixie asked, casting a considering eye over the spread. “Is the castle haunted or something?”
Starswirl chuckled. “Nothing as ethereal as that! No, this is a far more mundane matter, and given that the two of you have only just arrived, the princess feels that the two of you are the only ones above suspicion, outside myself and a few other trusted advisors.”
Sunset just glared at him and waved an impatient hoof.
“Oh, sorry.” Starswirl leaned in close and lowered his voice. “The trouble is, there’s a leak in the castle.”
Sunset frowned. “Surely that’s a job for a plumber.”
“No, Starswirl corrected. “I mean there is a mole among us.”
“So call pest control, jeez,” Trixie said.
Starswirl rolled his eyes. “A spy,” he said. “There is a spy in our midst, spreading information to the earth ponies and pegasi.”
“Oh,” said Trixie. “Why didn’t you just say so?”
Starswirl shut his eyes for a long moment, and turned to Sunset. “In the forest last night, I overheard your argument. You said you could read minds,” he said.
“That’s me, yeah,” Sunset said.
“And you must be in physical contact with the subject to make it work?”
“...Yes?”
“Excellent,” Starswirl muttered. “Yes, excellent indeed.”
“Come again?” Trixie said.
Starswirl gazed deep into first her eyes and then Sunset’s, gauging and thoughtful. “The princess has agreed to hold a banquet tomorrow night,” he said. “Everypony in the castle-- which is to say, anypony who might have access to sensitive information-- will be in attendance. You must mingle, shake hooves, and check their minds for any memories of illicit meetings or stealing secrets.”
Sunset stared at the wizard, openmouthed. “That may be the most unethical abuse of my powers that I’ve ever heard of. Wait-- no, sorry, one of my friends once suggested I use it to blackmail… y’know what, not important. Not happening.”
Starswirl’s frown deepened. “I can respect your moral objection,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t mind if the spy was never found at all. The only consequence thus far has been fewer skirmishes, less bloodshed. But--” he hesitated. “The princess thinks otherwise. And the princess, I fear, is very much disinclined to dissenting voices.”
“So what?”
“She’s also the one who ordered the guards to go and collect your box.”
Trixie winced. “Ah. That might be a difficulty.”
“Indeed. She intends that it should be locked away until the spy is discovered.”
Sunset growled, deep and low in her throat. Her eyes literally burned. “Tomorrow night, you said?”
“Yes…”
“That gives me a lot of time to think about my next move.” Sunset stood up abruptly and stormed out of the dining hall and slamming one of the great oak doors behind her. After a long moment, she peered around the edge of the door and levitated a bowl of porridge out after her.
Trixie turned back to Starswirl. “Anyway. What kind of flowers are Clover’s favorite?”
Starswirl raised an eyebrow.


***


“You’re sure this is the place?” Diamond Sharp asked for the sixth time.
It took all of Silver Polish’s will not to roll her eyes. “This is where the wizard teleported from. He told us that he could see the box from where he was standing. It must be around here somewhere.”
“But it’s not.”
“Yes, thank you Diamond, I had noticed.”
She couldn’t bring herself to call him Sharp. Acknowledging the irony would only give her a headache. How he had made it into the Royal Guard, she had no idea. “Some kind of creature must’ve dragged it off.”
“Oh. Well, we’ll never find it now, we should head back.”
“Not so fast,” Silver said. “Check the ground for any sign of a disturbance-- a big square dent in the snow.”
He went off, grumbling. Silver looked around. Something had been by here, that much was certain. Broken branches lay scattered over the ground, and the impressions of very large feet were clearly visible in the snow. She wandered along in the opposite direction from Diamond, toward a large clearing. It didn’t look particularly likely, as far as potential locations of lost luggage went, but, well, no stone left unturned.
The clearing was undisturbed. That was… odd. Had whatever Boojum that had left its trail so clearly last night simply not come through this way? The snow was almost unnaturally even, too. She stood in the center of the ring of trees, turning in a slow circle. She almost missed it. It was so small, but so glaringly obvious. An arrow, carved into the bark of one of the trees. The implications hit her so sharp and sudden that she couldn’t even unpack them all, not then and there. “Diamond!” she shouted. “You’d better come see this!”
“I think you’d better come see this, too,” he called back. “I found the box!”


***


Princess Platinum sat at her desk, idly writing in her diary. Lord Majestic has a moste pleasing appearance, she wrote, but has not the Wit to pick up his Own fork and knife to dine. Whereas, the Count Glisten has unrivalled conversational skills, but it is often difficult to tell whether he faces towards me or away. Would that there were but one of them, with the best qualities of both. (N.B.: Have Starswirl look into spells for switching brains or something. Perhaps switching cutie marks would suffice?)
The door slammed open. The book slammed shut. Platinum spun around, horn already glowing with a fierce light. “Who dares?”
“The pegasi tried to steal the magic box!”
“...What.”
A second guard, a mare, pushed the big lunkhead out of the way. “You might have knocked,” she said reproachfully. “At the very least.”
“Exactly what are the pair of you doing in my chambers?” Platinum demanded. “Talking about magic boxes and larcenous pegasi! Explain yourselves.”
“Your majesty, we do humbly beg your pardon,” said the mare, cutting across the stallion’s open mouth and throwing in a quick kick to his back leg for good measure. “We come bearing news of the newcomers’ lost luggage.”
“Oh, yes, of course,” Platinum said, relaxing slightly. “You found it?”
“Yes’m.”
“You locked it away?”
“Yes’m.”
“Excellent.”
“But.”
“But?”
“But,” said the mare, “it had been thrown in a ditch. There were hoofprints and feathers marking out its path.”
“I see,” Platinum murmured.
“I found the box!” the stallion said.
“There’s more,” said the mare. “There was an arrow carved into a nearby tree, pointing toward where the box had first been left-- I examined it, and it was far too neat to have been done without magic.”
“The spy…” Platinum breathed, her eyes going wide. “They’ve become more brazen.”
“So it would appear, your highness,” the mare agreed.
Platinum’s gaze hardened. “Find Starswirl,” she ordered. “I must speak with him. Immediately.”


***


Sunset glared at the TARDIS through the bars of the cell. “This is completely unnecessary,” she grumbled.
The guards remained silent.
“I would’ve helped her either way,” she continued. “I just wanted my stuff back.”
The guards remained silent.
“There’s probably something in there that could help find this spy,” Sunset mused. “Really, this is probably setting me way back in helping your princess.”
The guards remained silent. But the raised eyebrows were answer enough.
“Ugh.” Sunset turned and stormed out of the dungeons. Fine. Fine! So she couldn’t get to the TARDIS without alerting the guards. So she’d have to play along with this frankly insulting plan. That was fine. She’d just tell the princess that the spy wasn’t there.
Well, no, that might make her turn on all the ponies who weren’t there, by reason of being too poor or powerless to garner an invitation to the feast. She’d just point the princess at the most objectionable guest there.
Well, no, that would be condemning a technically innocent pony to… whatever fate was reserved for spies. No matter how big a jerk anypony was, even if it was Prince Blueblood himself, she couldn’t bring herself to do that. So she’d have to tell the truth.
Well, no, she couldn’t do that either. This spy, from what she’d heard, was acting for the good of all three tribes. If she wrecked this, that might change history, make the Windigoes stronger, and doom Equestria before it was ever founded. So she’d…
Well, what did that leave? She shut her eyes and grit her jaws, steam quite literally leaking from her ears. So she’d get someone else to help her, that’s what she’d do. Sunset marched off to find Trixie.


***


“Over here, of course, is the hall of windows,” Clover said, gesturing idly to a pair of open doors, through which Trixie could see light of all colors pouring through gorgeous stained glass.
“That looks--”
“This is the hall to the royal gardens, famed for the gorgeous roses that bloom all the year round.”
“Incredible! Should we take a--”
“This is the corridor leading to the royal museum, full of the jewelry and portraits of unicorn monarchs dating back over three hundred years.”
“Wow! Trixie would love to--”
“But of course, I’ve saved my very favorite room for last!” Clover said.
“...Your bedroom?” Trixie asked hopefully.
Clover flung a pair of double doors open. “The library!”
Trixie shut her eyes tight. “Of course,” she said flatly. “Dusty old books. Why is Trixie not surprised?”
Clover didn’t hear her. She was already several meters away, perusing the shelves. “As bad as Sparkle,” Trixie muttered, plodding after her. “What about all the other things you mentioned?” she asked, a little bit louder. “The windows, and the garden, and the museum?”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Clover said, disinterested. “You go on ahead, tour’s over now.”
“Trixie thought that you might want to come too? This wasn’t quite what she meant when she asked to spend the day with you.”
Clover hummed, distracted. “Too busy. Anyway, I’ve seen them all already.”
“You have not seen them with Trixie.”
“Is there a difference?”
That put her at something of a loss for words. There was a difference, obviously. Of course there was. But she just… didn’t have the words to explain it. So she did the next best thing. “Busy with what?” she asked.
“Hm?”
“You said that you were busy. Could Trixie help at all?”
Clover stopped and thought about that. “I… suppose so, yes.”
“Great! What should Trixie do?”
“Well, Starswirl asked me to research illusion magic--”
“Trixie’s specialty.”
“That’s convenient. The princess ordered me to work on a spell to find precious stones, and I’m also working on the projects on this list.” She held out a small scroll.
Trixie took it from her outstretched hoof. “Easy-peasy. We shall have this done before lunch!” she crowed, slapping the scroll on the table for emphasis. It began to unroll. It continued to unroll. It kept unrolling. Trixie boggled. “Before lunch… next week.”
The library door slammed open. “Trixie!” Sunset shouted, flames dancing around her body.
“...Next midwinter?” Trixie guessed weakly.


***


“You wished to speak with me, your majesty?” Starswirl asked, not looking up from his workbench.
“Some two hours ago, yes,” Platinum said, making her way down the steps. “You realize that I could have you imprisoned for failing to obey me.”
“You could,” Starswirl agreed. “Although that would mean that you’re a set of hooves shorter for the banquet tomorrow. And, of course, it might damage our previously cordial working relationship.”
The princess let out a short bark of a laugh despite herself. “True enough,” she said. “What was so important as to keep you?”
Starswirl pointed to a potion bottle held over a flame. “I must take that off as soon as that turns blue. If it’s left heating, the results would be quite catastrophic.”
“Mm. I’ll take your word for it,” Platinum replied. “The spy has shown their hoof.”
Starswirl glanced up in surprise. “Oh?”
“Yes. They were following you.”
His eyebrows rose. “Were they? I’m sure I would have noticed.”
“They made some sort of marking for their pegasus allies to follow-- they tried to take the blue box that those mares left in the woods.”
“I see,” Starswirl murmured, his eyes wide. “Good heavens. Do you suppose I’m still being tailed?”
The princess smiled triumphantly. “You see? This spy is dangerous, Starswirl, and obviously a master of their craft. Will you not now admit that they must be brought to justice?”
Starswirl let out a long, grumbling sigh. “I’ll admit, I’m not pleased to be considered a target by this… unknown. And I agree, as I have always agreed, that justice must be served. But I will not change my mind regarding the nobility-- no, the necessity-- of their actions. Avoiding conflict with the other tribes is the only way to prevent unnecessary loss of life.”
The Princess blinked. “So what you’re saying is…”
He turned to face her, graver than she had ever known him to be. “I will help you, because you are my monarch. But should we fail to catch this spy, I will shed no tear that they may continue to interfere with our battles.”
Platinum sighed. “I suppose that’s the best I can hope for. How goes your plan?”
Starswirl frowned. “They are resistant.”
“What? But I have their box! They must do as I command, I am their Princess!”
Starswirl rolled his eyes. “It’s called morality, your highness. There are certain delicacies that ought to be observed when invading another pony’s mind.”
“Oh, delicacies.” Platinum relaxed. “Yes, I suppose the proper etiquette must be observed.”
“...Yes, let’s put it like that,” Starswirl agreed. “Not to worry. Everything will be ready come tomorrow evening.”
“See that it is.” The princess turned to go, but paused. “Didn’t you say that potion was meant to turn blue?”
“Yes.”
“Should it be turning violet?”
Starswirl spun. “Get down!” he roared, diving under a workbench.
“I beg your--” She was cut off by an explosion of thick blue gas and the smell of ivy.


***


“What the heck, Shimmer?” Trixie growled. “You said you would let Trixie get it on with Clover uninterrupted.”
“I know, I know, I’m sorry.” Sunset sat against the wall, clearly agitated. “I promise I won’t do it again, but I really need some advice.”
“Advice?” Trixie repeated, her scowl relaxing. “You want advice from Trixie?”
“...Yes?”
“Huh. Trixie did not see that coming.” She sat down next to Sunset. “Tell on.”
So Sunset explained. There was no way out of this situation; she couldn’t tell the truth, she couldn’t lie, and she couldn’t refuse to say anything, either. Not if they wanted the TARDIS back anytime soon.
Trixie cocked her head. “Well…” she drawled. “That might not be so terrible.”
“No. Bad Trixie. We still need to get back home.”
“Fine. But it wouldn’t be so bad to stay here a little longer, would it?”
“Trixie, it’s only October, and the snow comes up to your barrel in some places. If I’m guessing right, then the events of the first Hearth’s Warming will kick off any time now, and we can’t be here to mess that up.”
Trixie pursed her lips. “Trixie sees. Well, let us see. So long as the spy is an issue, we cannot access the TARDIS. There is nothing that you can say, for reasons ethical, historical, or both, which will remove the spy from the castle. Therefore…”
Sunset leaned forward. “Therefore…”
“We must remove the spy on our own terms.”
Sunset’s brow furrowed. “I don’t see…”
“You came to the right pony, Sunnybuns,” Trixie said, grinning. “A master illusionist is precisely what we need. Let Trixie explain…”


***


“Well,” said Starswirl. “I have good news and I have bad news.”
Platinum nodded stiffly. “Speak your piece,” she ordered.
“The good news is, I did think ahead enough to research a potential antidote, a useful cureall from the Zebralands.”
Platinum nodded. “Good.”
“The bad news is, it will take at least a fortnight to get a message overseas, and another fortnight to get the necessary herbs for the bath.”
Platinum’s lips tightened. “That is entirely unacceptable, Starswirl.”
Starswirl nodded. “I thought you might say that, yes.”
“My mane is green, Starswirl. Green.”
“It is, your highness.”
“It looks like a pile of smelly seaweed, piled on my head.”
“Yes, your highness.”
“If you don’t fix it by this time tomorrow night, I swear, I’ll--”
“Put an illusion spell on it,” Starswirl said.”
“--pardon?”
“An illusion spell. Clover’s researching them anyway, and one of our guests claims to be an expert in the field. I’ll ask the two of them to help me weave an enchantment into a necklace or something that will make your mane look as if nothing had happened.”
“You had better,” Platinum growled. “The plans I had for that spy will be as nothing compared to what I’ll do to you if I am not made to appear presentable for the banquet tomorrow.”
“Well, quite,” Starswirl said. “The necklace will serve as a temporary measure. In the meantime, I’ll start looking for any nearer suppliers of the necessary herbs.”
“Then we understand one another.”
“Misunderstanding one another has never been an issue between us, your highness,” Starswirl said, glancing back at his lab. “Would you like assistance teleporting back to your chambers?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Platinum said. If her voice had been cold before, it was positively arctic now. “Make the necessary arrangements, Starswirl, and bring that necklace to me as quickly as you can.”
He bowed, and for once it wasn’t even slightly mocking-- nothing more or less than an honest expression of apology. “As you say, your highness.”
She softened a little. But only a little. “Goodbye, Starswirl. And good fortune.”
She departed quickly up the stairs to rejoin her guards. Starswirl watched her go, and when he was quite sure she wasn’t returning, he hurried over to a corner of the lab that had been covered in drop cloths. “Let me see-- transdimensional here, transformative there, fortune-telling, outfit-critiquing… where are they?”
Eventually, he found the two small covered objects, hung on the wall and hidden behind several other covered objects. He swept the sheets off both of them, revealing two wall-mounted mirrors. Each displayed an icon of a broken mirror, with a number hanging above them. Starswirl winced. “Oh dear, missed messages,” he muttered. “I suppose I should have expected as much.”
He hesitated, glancing between the two. “Oh-- Cyclone will probably be at some assembly now anyway,” he decided. He reached up and tapped the right-hoof mirror, and the surface rippled, a green light shining from deep within. A faint ringing tone filled the air, once, twice, three times.
“Oh, pick up,” Starswirl muttered.
There was a faint click, and the scene in the mirror shifted abruptly. A mustard-yellow earth pony stared back at Starswirl. “Oh,” he breathed. “Thank the trees; you’re alive!”