//------------------------------//
// The Wizard's Secret 
// Story: The Unexpected Adventures of Trixie and Sunset 
// by Sixes_And_Sevens 
//------------------------------//

“Alive?” Starswirl said with a light chuckle. “Well, for now, certainly, certainly. I’m sorry that I scared you, dear heart.”
“You certainly should be,” Torch Wood said, sitting back on his haunches. “Whatever happened last night? We saw the sign on the tree--”
Starswirl’s face darkened. “Yes-- and you moved the box, didn’t you? And then, you forgot to clear away the hoofprints and the feathers you and Cyclone left behind.”
“Well, yes…” Torch Wood frowned. “What happened last night?”
“Yes, I suppose that would help clarify things,” Starswirl agreed. “It all began when I saw a flashing light out in the darkness…”
Torch listened attentively. He was good at that. Druids were trained to listen for the faintest changes in the winds, the rustle of a munching caterpillar, the growth of trees. Compared to that, almost everything was interesting, though he did still find himself tuning out during budget meetings.
“...so anyway, I need a bunch of rare herbs so the Princess doesn’t banish me, or throw me in a dungeon, or throw me in a dungeon in the place she banished me to,” Starswirl concluded.
Torch let out a long whistle. “My love,” he said. “You are in the chamber pot.”
“I know.”
“I can supply… at least some of those herbs, I suspect. It takes you an entire month to get them from the zebras?”
“Well, you have a better trade deal with them, I suspect. Your leader didn’t tell them that stripes were gauche.”
“True. Although it did take most of the delegation’s best efforts to keep the chancellor from painting himself plaid.”
They both chuckled for a moment, but that quickly faded. “I fear that I can offer you no further help, Starswirl,” Torch said.
Starswirl nodded. “No. For now, I think it would be wisest for you and Cyclone to keep your heads down as much as possible until this blows over. I can handle myself.”
Torch Wood nodded. “I know you can, Starswirl. The question is, can you handle everypony else?”
Starswirl didn’t respond to that for a long minute. “Goodbye, Torch. I love you.”
“I love you too, Starswirl. Goodbye.”
The picture faded, and Starswirl found his own face staring back from the glass darkly. He sighed, slung the dropcloth over the mirror once again. He’d talk to Cyclone later, once he felt up to it. Or-- no, he couldn’t leave her in suspense like that. One quick message, just to reassure her that he was well and that she needed to keep herself to herself for the foreseeable future. He touched the other mirror. The same faint ringing echoed through the room. This time, though, it didn’t go unnoticed…


***


Sunset paused at the top of the stairs. There was a faint ringing in the air. She had come to see Starswirl, to tell him that she had no choice but to agree to this grossly unethical plan. Now, though, she could hear furtive murmurings coming from the lab below. Quietly, she shut her eyes, willing herself smaller; a candle-flame, dancing on the breeze. When she opened her eyes, she was the size of a pixie, spinning in midair. She dove down into the lab. Though she still couldn’t quite make out any words, the voices were clearer, now. They were coming from over… there. She made her way over into a forest of covered objects. Now she could understand the words, at least on one side of the conversation.
“... but as I said, Cyclone, there is no need to concern yourself unduly.”
“Well, no, I’m not sure what level of worry would constitute due concen, but nevertheless…”
“I have no intention of being caught, but if I am, then I hope you and Torch both have the sense not to give yourselves away, too.”
A sigh. “Yes, I know. I’m sorry, Cyclone.”
Sunset paused. Cyclone didn’t sound like a traditional unicorn name. As a matter of fact, it sounded more like…
She rounded the corner. Starswirl was gazing into a small mirror. The pony it reflected though, was very much not the pony she could see looking in. The image displayed had an eyepatch, a grey coat, a blonde mane, and most notably, was a… “Pegasus!”
Both Starswirl and the newcomer turned, startled at the sudden outburst. “Who goes there?” the pegasus demanded. “Show yourself! Starswirl, what’s happening?”
The wizard locked eyes with Sunset-- or at least, he stared at the flame. “Ah. Well, this does complicate things.”
Somewhat sheepishly, Sunset revealed herself. “...Hi, Starswirl. Um. Well, I won’t say this isn’t a surprise.”
The pegasus was muttering quiet curses, her one good eye darting back and forth. “Uh, so,” Sunset said. “You’re… the spy. In hindsight, that makes a lot of sense, actually.”
Neither of the other two ponies replied. Sunset rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. I’m not going to turn you in. Trixie isn’t, either, I swear. I mean, look at me. I’ve got wings and a horn. I’m not going to support anypony who thinks that pegasi and unicorns and earth ponies should be split apart. All the fighting is stupid and self-destructive.”
Starswirl raised a brow. “You understand that we can’t exactly trust you so easily.”
“I’m sure that you can understand that you don’t really have a choice,” Sunset retorted. “Now that you’ve convinced the princess that I’m her best shot at finding the spy-- nice touch, by the way, making sure that you knew the spy-catching plan ahead of time.”
Starswirl gave a tight smile. “Yes. I take your point. Very well then; an alliance?”
Sunset smiled and extended a hoof. Starswirl shook it, never breaking eye contact. “A word of warning,” he said. “If you betray us, I will see to it that you and your delightful friend fall along with us.”
“Roger that, Beardy,” Sunset said, turning to leave. “Don’t worry. We’ll be out of your mane right after the banquet.”
She trotted out through the mirrors. Starswirl and Cyclone watched her go. “...Well, what do you think?” Cyclone asked.
Starswirl huffed. “One way or another, dear Propraetor, our worries will end tomorrow night. I should not like to speculate further.”
Cyclone snorted. “Enigmatic as ever, I see.”
“Enigmatic?” Starswirl managed a small smile. “Oh, no. Just a wishy-washy old stallion. Perhaps it might not be so bad if I were caught. At least then I could retire.”
“Please. The day you stop meddling with things you don’t understand will be the day you die.”
Starswirl deflated. “If I’m caught, that may well be the case.”


***


Meanwhile, in the library, Trixie was demonstrating some of her finest illusions to a fascinated Clover. “I see,” Clover said. “So it’s all a matter of visualizing an object in your head and sort of… projecting it?”
Trixie waved a hoof. “In essence, perhaps. The finest illusions are crafted with far more than mere image in mind; the sound, the smell, and for the truly skilled, the taste and even the sensation of touch are replicated.”
“Oh,” said Clover, frantically taking notes.
“Of course,” Trixie continued, “these illusions are, while a worthwhile field of study, somewhat… lazy.”
“Lazy? They seem incredibly difficult.”
“Oh, at first,” Trixie said with a wave of her hoof. “Soon enough, though, you find that conjuring the image of, oh-- let's say a mountain -- is scarcely any harder than that of, say, a feather. All it takes is a good enough memory, or indeed, a good enough imagination. No, the best illusions-- the most satisfying illusions-- use no magic whatsoever.”
Clover stopped mid-scribble. “No magic?” she asked, incredulous.
“Certainly,” Trixie said. “For example…” She picked up a scroll, folded it, and ripped it in half. 
Clover let out a shrill shriek. “I-- you-- what do-- why--”
Trixie brought her hooves together and set down the scroll, whole once again. “Illusion, with no magic whatsoever,” she said, satisfied.
Clover stared at the repaired scroll, gobsmacked. “How did you do that?”
“Trixie thinks the better question is, how often do you wash behind your ears?” She reached up and pulled out a bouquet of lavender and lilac. “Dirty, dirty mare,” she said, leaning in a little closer.
“Well, who has time for a bath these days?” Clover asked, studying the flowers. “How did you get these? You must have used magic at some point, but I didn’t see your horn glow at all.”
Trixie shifted awkwardly. “Well… if Starswirl asks you about any missing potion ingredients, just… don’t mention Trixie’s name, alright?”
Clover chuckled. “I won’t. You know, Trixie, you really are one of the most fascinating mares I’ve ever met.”
Trixie went pink. “R-really? You mean that?”
“Oh, yes. You know, after we’re done today, I’d like to interview you.”
“Oh, really?” Trixie purred, her face growing even more flushed. “A private interview, you mean? Just you and Trixie?”
“Oh, I suppose,” Clover said. “I thought I might ask a few fellow academics to join us.”
“Hmm… perhaps at a later date,” Trixie said. “For now, Trixie would prefer to keep this interview as… intimate as possible.”
“Of course,” Clover said. “I think I can fit you in at say… two tomorrow afternoon. How does that sound.”
“Just name the place. Trixie will be waiting there.”
“Alright. If it’s privacy you want, I suppose the ochre room will do. It’s in the East Wing, so it’s virtually abandoned in the afternoon.”
“Trixie remembers. She was hanging on every word of your tour.”
“Excellent.” Clover rose from the table. “In that case, I believe I’ll retire for the afternoon. Thank you for all of your help, Trixie; I got done so much sooner than usual.”
Trixie frowned. “...It’s six o’ clock.”
“Exactly. You’ve shaved hours off my workday. Maybe now I can have one of those… what’s it called… naps! I could have a nap.” She smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Trixie.”
“See you then!” Trixie called as Clover trotted away. For a moment, the faintest of frowns danced about her lips. But in the next moment, it was gone, and Trixie rose to leave. She needed to find Sunset and find out how Starswirl had taken her acceptance of the job.


***


Trixie found Sunset back in their shared room, lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling. “Oh, hey,” she said, not looking at Trixie directly. “How’d it go with Clover?”
“Pretty good. If all goes to plan, Trixie should be able to have at least a solid hour of make-out time with her before we leave.”
“Oh. Good for you, I guess.”
Trixie frowned. “You guess?”
“Sorry, sorry.” Sunset sat up. “I don’t generally think about, y’know, romance and stuff, even at the best of times. Which this really isn’t.”
Trixie’s frown deepened. “What happened? Was Starswirl upset that you were going to catch the spy or something?”
“You might say that.” Sunset told all. Trixie was a surprisingly good audience, drinking it all in with wide eyes and perked ears. 
“Well,” she said once Sunset was done. “That makes things interesting.”
“Interesting? Is that all you can say?”
“It’s not like this changes anything,” Trixie said. “We’re going through with the plan either way.”
“I guess so,” Sunset admitted. “But it’s still… I dunno. I never would’ve guessed that it was him.”
Trixie hopped up next to her. “Well, what does it matter?” she asked. “It’s not as if you knew him before yesterday.”
Sunset shook her head. “No… no, I guess that’s true. But I read so much about him, and none of his biographers ever mentioned this. He never told anypony about it. That’s kind of sad, right?”
“Trixie supposes so,” Trixie said. “Perhaps he simply couldn’t find the right words for it. Perhaps he was worried how ponies would react.”
“But isn’t it worse to keep it to yourself?”
“Depends on the ponies.”
Sunset opened her mouth, then closed it again. “Yeah,” she said, after a long pause. “I guess you’ve got a point.”
“Of course Trixie does.”
“Hm. So, what were you saying about Clover?”
Trixie brightened. “Oh, yes! She invited me to a lunch date tomorrow afternoon-- in a wing of the castle that’s nearly abandoned, no less…”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Huh. That’s… much more forward of her than I would have expected.”
“Well, can you blame her for failing to resist Trixie’s charms and wiles?” Trixie asked, putting a hoof to her chest. “Sunset, you wound Trixie. You wound her!”
She fell back on the bed dramatically, throwing her other hoof over her forehead. Sunset threw back her head and laughed. “Well, when you put it like that, I guess not.”
Who wouldn’t? she wondered.


***


The rest of the night was a blur. Dinner was a pretty quiet affair. Starswirl kept shooting glances at Sunset and Trixie, both of whom were just picking over their salads. They went to bed early, though neither fell asleep for a long time. Each mare stared at opposite walls, consumed with their own private anxieties about what tomorrow would bring.
Trixie must have fallen asleep at some point-- otherwise, how could she have woken up? She let out a long, low whine, stretching and listening to her spine pop. “Jeez, Trixie. You need a massage or something?”
Trixie sat up, twisting around. “Yes please. When did you get up?”
Sunset shrugged, not looking away from the window where she was watching the sun rise. “Awhile back. They hadn’t even started.”
“Hm? Who started what?”
“Take a look,” Sunset said, scooting over.
Trixie stretched a little more, then plodded over to join her friend. A team of about two dozen unicorns stood on some kind of stone patio on a hill not far outside the castle proper. Their horns were all glowing, and from what Trixie could make out, they were all straining immensely.
“What are they doing?” she whispered.
Sunset gestured to the sun. “How did you think they did that before Celestia?”
“Oh,” Trixie said. Her eyes went wide. “Ohhh…” She turned to look at Sunset. “Does Celestia look like that when she raises the sun?”
Sunset cocked her head, deep in thought. “Well… no. On the other hoof, it is her particular wheelhouse. And, of course, she is an alicorn.”
“How does she look, then?”
There was a long pause. “...Radiant,” Sunset replied. “Literally, she glows. And… she’s beautiful.”
“Oh.” Trixie hesitated. “Like, hot beautiful, or…”
“Trixie, she’s basically my mom.”
“Right, sorry.”
“And I don’t really get ‘hotness’.”
“Forget Trixie even mentioned it.”
“She looked more like she was perfectly at peace with the world and everything in it. Like nothing mattered, and she was completely and totally free.” Sunset paused. “So, yeah, pretty hot, I guess?”
Trixie burst out laughing.
Sunset smirked and glanced out the window. “Looks like they’re about finished.”
Trixie glanced out, too. “Watching the sunrise together. Kind of romantic, isn’t it?”
Sunset shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.” She elbowed Trixie. “Too bad Clover’s not here, huh?”
Trixie blinked. Her eyes shot wide. “Clover! Trixie must prepare!” She rushed from the room in a blind panic, rushed back in, jammed on her hat and cloak, and rushed out once more.
Sunset stood there, staring. She shrugged. “Guess I’ll be having breakfast on my own, then.”


***

Sunset was technically incorrect. Although Trixie wasn’t in the dining hall when she arrived, she found Starswirl loitering by the doors. He stiffened as soon as he noticed her coming down the hall, and fell into step with her as she passed him. “Ah, Miss Shimmer,” he said with a cordiality that did not match his eyes, “Precisely the mealtime companion I had hoped to encounter.”
“Subtlety, thy name is Starswirl,” Sunset murmured.
“I wear a hat covered in bells. Pray, what did you expect?”
“Fair enough,” Sunset said, taking a seat. “Are you sure you want to talk publicly, though?”
Starswirl glanced around. There were scant few unicorns lingering over their breakfast. “We’re eating late,” he said. “Most break their fasts before raising the sun, and the rest tend not to rise before lunchtime.”
“Hm,” said Sunset.
“If you’d prefer a private meeting…” Starswirl began, raising a brow.
“This will do,” Sunset said. “What is it that you want to know?”
“Your intentions, for one,” Starswirl said. “I’ll work from there.”
“I’ve told you my intentions already,” Sunset retorted. “I want to maintain, if not exactly peace, than at least bloodless tensions among the tribes. I also want the… luggage back, but that’s secondary.”
“I see,” said Starswirl. “What exactly is in this luggage that holds such power over you?”
Sunset ladled up a bowl of porridge. “Let’s just say we can’t leave without it,” she said.
“Then you intend to leave,” Starswirl mused. “Why?”
“This isn’t our final destination. We never even intended to come here,” Sunset said.
“But earlier, you said--”
“Yeah. That was a lie. This is the truth. I’m trying to tell you the truth so that you trust and understand me, geddit? I can’t tell you everything, but everything that I am telling you is the truth, alright?”
Starswirl frowned, but nodded. “Let us say that I believe you.”
“Let’s.”
“What exactly is your plan for accomplishing these two goals?” Starswirl asked.
“Oh, no. I’m not saying a word of that out here,” Sunset said firmly. “Trixie and I have it all worked out. Although--” she hesitated. “We could use a little help with one or two aspects of our ploy.”
Starswirl raised a bushy brow. “Really, now.”
“Hey, it’s your neck we’re saving. You could stand to be a little more appreciative.”
“...True enough,” he conceded. “My apologies. What do you need?”
“A plate of glass and a pair of identical cloaks,” Sunset replied promptly. “We’ve got all the other stuff already.”
“Other stuff?”
“Basically our horns and a lantern,” Sunset said.
“I see.” Starswirl frowned. “Well, I suppose I do have those items… somewhere. I can find them for you, but I’ll need something in exchange.”
“Really? I thought we were past the weird suspicion thing.”
“I admit, the fact that I haven’t already been arrested speaks highly of your ability to keep mum,” Starswirl replied. “This is altogether a different matter. You see, the Princess has tasked me with decorating this room for the banquet this evening, and that would leave me with no time at all to go through my laboratory and find those items that you seek. If, however, somepony were to take over that particular job…”
“Consider it done,” Sunset said. “Where are the decorations?”
“The storage room at the north end of the hall. Trust me, you can’t miss them.” He rose to leave. “Best of luck, Miss Shimmer.”
She frowned as she finished the last of her own porridge. “On the plan?”
He merely chuckled and hurried from the room.
Ten minutes later, staring at the towering rolls of cloth banners, the pillars of boxes that stretched to the ceiling, and the complete lack of anything to affix any decorations anywhere, she understood completely. “Horseapples,” she said.


***


Clover arrived at the Ochre Room at two precisely. She was nothing if not punctual, after all. She was surprised to find Trixie already there; the magician hadn’t struck Clover as the type to stick to any schedule but her own. Still, it wouldn’t do to mention that; Trixie might be insulted, and Clover wanted this interview to go as smoothly as possible.
“Good afternoon,” Clover said.
Trixie smiled. “It is, isn’t it? The sun is shining. The air is sweet. All is right with the world, don’t you agree?”
Clover blinked. “Well, off the top of my head, I can think of about twelve really quite major things wrong with the world, beginning with the tensions among the tribes and working up to the possibility that life as we know it is utterly futile and all my work will ultimately be nothing more than dust and wasted time.”
“Well, forget all that,” Trixie said, rather imperiously. “We are not here to chat about politics or your impending existential crisis, Clover.”
“Yes, you’re quite right. I’m sorry, Trixie.”
“Trixie forgives you,” Trixie said magnanimously. “Shall we cut straight to the chase, then?”
“I suppose that would be for the best, yes,” Clover agreed, pulling out a small scroll from her cloak.
“Excellent,” Trixie said, leaning back. “Trixie has been waiting so very long for this moment.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get here earlier,” Clover said, slightly offended. After all, she had been perfectly punctual. “Now, at what age did you start casting?”
Trixie paused, nonplussed. “Er, intentionally? Probably around three, Trixie supposes. Her parents did not keep excellent records of her growth.”
Clover made a note. “And when did you begin to study illusions particularly?”
“Seven?” Trixie said. “Trixie doesn’t quite see where you are taking this, Clover.”
“Just some preliminary notes,” Clover said absently. “If you’d prefer, I suppose we can start with the bigger questions.”
“Yes, that sounds excellent.”
Clover shuffled a few of her cards to the back of the pack. “Here we are. When casting an illusion, what level of verisimilitude is necessary to overcome the Tranquility Believability Barrier?”
Trixie stared blankly. “The what? Very similar to what?”
“Verisimilitude,” Clover repeated. Trixie looked back blankly. “The appearance of believability.”
“Uh-huh. And the barrier?”
“The Tranquility Believability Barrier is defined as the point at which something appears to be real. In common parlance, it is the difference between ‘seeing is believing’ and ‘I don’t believe my eyes.’”
Trixie hemmed and hawed. “Well, that’s clearly a variable,” she said. “Er, depends on the pony, Trixie supposes. It helps if they see what they expected to see, and, er…” she trailed off. “Oh, yes, if you can distract them with, for example, a large explosion, that helps lower… the barrier… as well?”
“Interesting. Would you say, then, that the onus is on the viewer, rather than the caster, to make an illusion seem real?”
“Of course not!” Trixie shouted. “The success or failure of any illusion falls squarely on the abilities of the caster. It is their job to read the audience, their job to create the illusion, their job to suspend disbelief!”
Clover shrunk back under Trixie’s sudden anger. There was a long lull, where the only sound was Trixie’s harsh breathing. At length, Clover spoke in a whisper. “Could-- could you explain what you mean by ‘suspend disbelief’?”
Trixie didn’t meet her eyes for a long moment, staring fixedly at the floor. “The mind,” she said after a long moment, “has a remarkable capability to construct narratives, you know. The classical myths, the fairy-stories, even how you explained away the weird noises you didn’t want to think about coming from the locked bedroom… all stories. Ponies have expectations, and beliefs, and they’ll jump like buggery to make them fit. In short, you see what you expect to see. What you hope to, or fear to, or want to see. And-- an audience will hold on to that. It’ll take a lot of evidence to convince them otherwise.”
“I see,” said Clover, not moving.
Trixie sighed. “Trixie is not going to bite your head off, Clover. She is sorry that she snapped at you. One of her own illusions was just…” She paused, looking for a reaction. “Would you like to continue with the interview, or would you like for Trixie to leave?”
Clover licked her lips. “Can you promise not to yell again?”
Trixie raised her right hoof gravely. “Trixie so swears.”
Clover fumbled with her notes, then stopped. “N-no, I don’t think I can do this.”
Trixie took in a long breath, but nodded her acceptance. “If you give Trixie the cards, she would be more than happy to write the answers out for you.”
Clover nodded back and set the cards on the table. Trixie waited until Clover was sitting straight up again before reaching out and taking the stack of questions. “Will you be attending the banquet this evening?” she asked.
“Yes,” Clover replied. “By royal command, of course.”
Trixie nodded thoughtfully. “Trixie probably should not tell you this ahead of time,” she said, “but she will be giving a demonstration of her illusory skill this evening. Watch closely-- Trixie wants to know if you can see how it was done.”
“That sounds interesting,” Clover said. “It might almost make up for the rest of the banquet.”
Trixie snorted a laugh. “Not a party mare?”
“However did you guess?” Clover asked drily.
Trixie smiled at her. “You know, you remind Trixie of a friend of hers-- ah, never mind. Trixie will leave you in peace now. She really is sorry for frightening you.”
“That’s okay.”
Trixie locked eyes with her. “No. It’s not.”
Clover hesitated. “No. But I forgive you.”
“Trixie thanks you for your generous absolution,” she said with a bow. She stepped backwards out of the room. As soon as the door was closed, her face slackened and her posture dropped. She trudged away. She had no particular destination in mind. She just wanted to be alone.
Or, no. She didn’t, really. She had a much better pony to be with than herself. A shade of resolve entered Trixie’s body language, and she set off to find Sunset.


***


Sunset scowled at the ceiling, her horn glowing as she adjusted the banners above. She looked around when she heard Trixie enter. “How’d it go?”
Trixie threw back her head and let out a loud, prolonged groan.
Sunset winced. “That well, huh?”
“It turns out,” Trixie said, her head still tipped back toward the ceiling, “that sometimes when somepony invites somepony else to a secluded location for an interview, all they actually want from that interaction is an interview.”
“Ouch.”
“Trixie only got tipped off after the fourth completely un-sexy question.”
“Double-ouch.”
“And then she may have slightly lost her cool.”
Sunset paused. “Are you referring to Clover or yourself, there?”
“Trixie is referring to Trixie, yes.”
“I figured. So you blew up at her?”
“And immediately regretted it, yes. She’s got thinner skin than Fluttershy, and reacts roughly the same way to ponies being angry at her.”
“Hoo-boy,” Sunset said. “Hey, help me with this banner? There are these little hooks in the rafters that these hang on, see?”
“Yep,” Trixie said, grabbing one end of the cloth in her aura. “Trixie did apologise, of course, and mostly talked her back from the edge of some kind of fear-coma. Hey, pull up on your end a little! Why’re you doing this, anyway?”
“I’m taking over decorating duty while Starswirl finds the stuff we need for tonight,” Sunset said. “But that’s not important right now. How are you holding up?”
Trixie slumped forward. “Bad,” she admitted. “Not only did Clover not want Trixie’s hot bod, but now she probably hates and fears Trixie utterly.”
“Well, that might be a little much.”
“You didn’t see her face,” Trixie said. “Oh-- I keep missing that hook!”
“Well, in about seven hours, you’ll never have to see her again, so I guess that’s fine. Right?”
“You are not great at comforting, you know that?”
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Trixie sighed. “Trixie just doesn’t understand how this could have happened. She sensed love in that mind, directed straight at Trixie!”
Hoo-boy, Sunset thought. Moment of truth time, Sunnybuns. You gonna take it, or you gonna let it slide?
“It was so sweet, and so bright,” Trixie said wistfully. “Trixie fell in love with it herself, right then and there.”
Dammit, Trixie, why are you making this so much easier to say?
“Trixie…” Sunset shut her eyes and breathed out. She released her end of the banner, and the cloth fluttered to the floor. 
“Hey!” Trixie said, as her end of the banner was yanked out of her aura. “We almost had that thing up!” She stopped the instant she met Sunset’s eyes. “Something is wrong?”
Sunset breathed in again, tensed her shoulders. “I don’t-- it wasn’t Clover who was thinking about loving you.”
Trixie scoffed. “Please. Trixie is not so vain as to think all that about herself.”
“Are you su-- no, not going there right now. It wasn’t you, and it wasn’t Clover. It was me.”
Trixie stared at her. “Eh?”
“Alright, look,” Sunset said. “I wasn’t sure about this before, because it’s really not something I’m used to, but Trixie, I’m pretty sure I love you.”
Trixie blinked. “Oh. Are you… sure?”
Sunset put a hoof to her face and growled. “Look. I look at you, and I feel oddly mushy inside, and I kind of want to hug you a lot, and if anypony hurt you I think I would probably throw them into orbit. I’m no expert, but that sounds like love to me.”
“Uh,” said Trixie. “Wow.” She scratched her head. “See, this is awkward, because Trixie was kind of flirting with Clover so she would stop thinking about how hot you were.”
“You mean hot as in being literally on fire, or…”
“Physically attractive, emotionally present, extremely strong, very protective, intelligent-- these are all Trixie’s turn-ons, by the way. Also, the literally made of fire part. If there is a way to be hot, Trixie is pretty sure you are it.”
“Wow.” Sunset sat still. “So, like, do we kiss now?”
“You wanna?”
“Uh, maybe later. I mean, when we’re back in the TARDIS.”
“Then we will do it later.”
“I wouldn’t mind a hug, though.”
Trixie brightened and held out her hooves invitingly. “Come here and squeeze Trixie like a teddy bear!”
“You’re such a dork,” Sunset said, embracing her in wings of gentle, warming fire.
“And you love it.”
“True. I, Sunset Shimmer, am in love with a dork. No one ever saw it coming.”
“Really?”
“Nah, it was kind of a foregone conclusion.”
Trixie laughed, and Sunset laughed too. They stayed like that for a long moment, basking in the moment. “Guess we should finish up this decorating job, huh?” Sunset said after a few moments had passed.
“Must we?” Trixie sighed.
“There’ll be time enough to work things out back on the TARDIS, but we have to get her back, first.”
“But cuddles,” Trixie whined, clutching at Sunset’s neck.
“I’ll tell you what,” Sunset said. “After we finish decorating, we can go snuggle in our guest room, how does that sound?”
“...Better than nothing,” Trixie decided, hauling herself upright. “Why don’t you fly up there and stick the hooks in the banners by hoof? You could see things much better.”
Sunset stared at her, and then glanced back at her wings. “That’s actually an excellent idea,” she said. “Nice one, Trixie.”
Trixie preened. “Trixie works well with bribery.”
Sunset stifled a chuckle. “I’ll remember that,” she said, taking to the air.


***


Starswirl had found the glass and the cloaks easily enough. Though his dungeon lab was cluttered, it was also precisely organized to a system that only he understood completely, and it was the work of only ten minutes to find what Sunset had requested. Not that she would ever know that, of course. The more time he had away from decorating the dining hall, the happier he would be. Given his experience with prior banquets, he didn’t expect he’d be bothered by them-- or anypony else, for that matter-- until mid-afternoon at the earliest. Until then, he’d just sit back and have a little nap.
He was therefore quite surprised when, just as he was drifting off, the lab door slammed open. Dozens of possibilities swam through his head, from Sunset coming to exact her vengeance for tricking her into that nightmare job to the forces of the guard coming to take him in for treason.
What he certainly didn’t expect was Clover, marching down the stairs with a noise that sounded like trees being felled. “Good heavens! You gave me quite a start,” he said, sitting up straight.
She muttered an indistinct apology and pulled out a smooth, round opal. “For the Princess,” she said without enthusiasm.
Starswirl took it, frowning. “What’s the matter? You look like someone threw your scrolls into a chamber pot.”
“It’s nothing,” Clover said. “I… my interview with Miss Trixie didn’t go as planned.”
Starswirl’s frown deepened. “Oh?”
“I’d… prefer not to speak of it further.”
“I see. She didn’t threaten you at all? Assault you?”
“No! No. She just, well… lost her temper. And then apologized. But, well…”
“I see,” Starswirl repeated.
“I’d prefer if you avoided mentioning it again.”
Starswirl tossed the opal between his forehooves meditatively. “Of course,” he said at length. “My apologies, Clover, and my regrets.”
She bobbed her head. “Thank you, sir.”
Starswirl hesitated for a long moment. “Clover, why don’t you take the afternoon off? You’ll have to attend the banquet, after all. I feel you ought to have some time to yourself to make up for that.”
Clover stared at him, astonished. “Really?”
“Really. I’ll even take this illusion charm to the princess for you, how do you like that?”
“Thank you, Starswirl.” She hesitated, then sprung forward to hug him. “You’re the best mentor ever.”
He chuckled and returned the embrace. “I wouldn’t go that far,” he said. “But thank you.”
He watched Clover go off with a spring in her step up the stairs, her mood completely inverse from only moments before. His own smile slipped as he looked down at the illusion charm in his hoof. Should he tell the Princess of his concerns? Should he trust and protect these strangers, even now that one of them had hurt Clover? He flipped the opal in his hoof meditatively.


***


Sunset was, for the first time in… awhile… completely relaxed. As soon as the last banners had been hung, Trixie had all but dragged her back to their guest bedroom and fallen on the bed. “Let us get one thing straight,” she had said. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is always the little spoon. No exceptions, no excuses. You will be the big spoon… if you don’t mind?”
Sunset had chuckled. “No, I don’t mind at all. As long as you don’t mind just cuddling.”
“Why would Trixie mind cuddles?”
Sunset had wrapped her hooves around Trixie’s barrel then and gently dragged her down to the mattress. “Dunno. You definitely wanted to make out with Clover earlier.”
“Because Trixie was desperately trying to distract herself from your charms, yes. And because she only had, like three days. With you? Trixie can take her good sweet time.”
“Well… good.”
“Oh, and Sunset? Word of advice, don’t bring up Trixie’s exes again. It does not promote warm snuggly feelings.”
“Sorry. Does this make up for it?” she asked, wrapping a warm phoenix wing around Trixie’s barrel.
“Very much yes.”
That had been about a half-hour ago. Now, Trixie’s head was burrowed in Sunset’s neck, and their breaths had fallen into a rhythm. It was nice. The tensions that Sunset hadn’t even realized she’d been holding onto these past days (weeks? Best not to think about it), ever since she’d started to consider her feelings for Trixie-- they were all dissolved.
She didn’t know where this relationship would go. There were endless scenarios that might lead to disaster. Her mind conjured them up, one by one, but they popped like bubbles with Trixie’s soft breaths.
She didn’t know where any of this would go, no. But she was prepared to find out.
It was at that moment, naturally, that there was a knock at the door.
“Who is it?” Sunset called.
“Go away!” Trixie said.
“It’s Starswirl. May I enter?”
Reluctantly, Trixie pulled herself from Sunset’s embrace. “Trixie supposes.”
Starswirl pushed open the door, but paused at the threshold. “Am I interrupting something?”
“Yes,” Sunset said, a little curtly. “But the sooner you tell us what’s going on, the sooner we can get back to it.”
Starswirl closed the door behind him. “I have decided to trust you. For now.”
“Great. Good update,” Sunset said.
“The banquet will be in two hours. The glass plate is in the hall, and the two cloaks are here.” He produced them from beneath his own cape and tossed them on the bed. “I trust you’ll have time to prepare… whatever it is that you’re preparing as well as getting dressed up?”
Trixie paused. “Get dressed up?”
Starswirl’s brows rose. “Well, naturally. It is a formal occasion, is it not?”
Sunset facehooved. “And all the fancy clothes are in the TA-- luggage.”
“Which we can’t get to,” Trixie said.
“Hm,” said Starswirl. “I could ask Clover if she has any to spare--”
“Nope!” Trixie squeaked. “Nope, that’s all fine, we’ll work it out ourselves!”
“Is there something the matter, Miss Trixie?” Starswirl asked.
“Er-- uh, Trixie-- that is--” she hid her face in her hooves. “You know already, don’t you.”
“More or less.”
“Is she still upset?”
“Less so.”
“Good.”
Starswirl glowered. “Good? Good that my assistant is upset? Good that you yelled at her? Good that--”
“Starswirl,” Sunset said. “You’re yelling, too, now. I promise, Trixie’s sorry. Now lay off.”
Starswirl grumbled, but pulled back. “Very well, I suppose.” He hesitated. “My… my apologies for yelling.”
Trixie muttered something that might have sounded like acceptance, had she not been staring intently at the floor.
"Trixie?" Sunset asked, deeply concerned. "Could you say that again?"	
“Pobody’s nerfect,” Trixie repeated with a weak smile.
Starswirl’s eyes went wide, the troubled confusion and anger washing away. “Pobody’s…” He blinked. Then he chuckled. Then he broke into a full belly laugh. “Pobody’s nerfect! Oh that is-- Oh, you switch the letters around so it's said in error, thus proving your point further! That is wonderful!” He shook his head, recovering himself quickly. “Yes, quite. I’ll see you at the banquet, then.” He nodded awkwardly at them both, then retreated. “Pobody’s nerfect,” he murmured as he departed. “Yes indeed.”
“Huh,” Trixie said. “Guess all the old material is new to these guys. Maybe Trixie can invent ‘Why did the chicken cross the road?”
“Are you alright?” Sunset asked.
“Perfectly,” Trixie said, forcing a smile. “Thank you for standing up to him.”
“What are friends for?”
“Well, quite. Now, about those dresses…”
“Illusion magic?”
“Illusion magic fashion show,” Trixie corrected. “Get ready to work it.”


***


So it was that a few hours later, Trixie and Sunset made their way into the banquet hall. The former was clad in a pale magenta gown with a red saddle and pink trim, the latter in a mulberry dress with layers of translucent red and orange taffeta underneath. “Wow,” said Trixie. “Trixie is pretty sure this is more ponies than she’s seen the whole time she was here.”
“Seems that way,” Sunset agreed. “Ready to mingle?”
Trixie preened. “Naturally. Trixie is prepared for any situation.”
“Well that’s good,” Sunset said, “because Clover is staring at you.”
Trixie froze dead. “What?”
“I think I’ll just leave you to talk this one out,” Sunset said, hurrying away.
“Wha-- You coward!”
“Can’t hear you, too busy mingling!” Sunset said, disappearing into the crowd.
Trixie growled, then turned back to Clover. The green mare nodded and beckoned Trixie to come nearer.
Trixie took a deep breath and trotted over. “Hi.”
“Hello.”
Trixie glanced around. “Enjoying the party?”
Clover grimaced. “Not at all, no.”
Trixie cracked a smile. “You really must be related to Twilight somehow,” she mused.
“Sorry?”
“Nothing important.” Trixie lapsed into silence. She wasn’t really sure where things could go from here.
“Are you doing well?” Clover asked.
Trixie considered that. “Trixie thinks that she should be asking you that.”
“You can, if you like.”
“Are you doing well, Clover?”
“Pretty well. And yourself?”
Trixie studied the ceiling. “That is a complicated answer.”
“Honestly, you seem more broken up about all this than I was,” Clover said.
Trixie hummed thoughtfully. “Trixie’s temper has been… ill-kept. She has been trying to make amends for some of her worse outbursts. Progress has been… well, progress has been made. But-- bah. You should not be burdened by Trixie’s personal issues.”
Clover gave her a small smile. “Not much else to do here.”
Trixie inclined her head, acknowledging the point. “You might instead tell me about yourself,” she said.
Clover pulled back. “Me? Oh, I’m not very interesting…”
“You sell yourself short,” Trixie said quietly. “For the past two days, you were all Trixie thought of. Tomorrow, if all goes well tonight, she will depart, and we likely will never meet again. Trixie cannot bear to leave you and know so little about you.”
Clover blushed heavily. “Well, when you put it like that…”


***


Meanwhile, Sunset was busily mingling with everypony she could. Princess Platinum had appeared once or twice to guide her toward ‘some fascinating high-ranked officials’. You didn’t have to be a mind reader to guess that those ponies were high on Platinum’s list of suspects. That being said, given what Sunset saw when she shook hooves with them, Platinum’s antipathy toward them wasn’t totally misplaced. Political intrigue, affairs, blackmail, revenge, all of it swam through her mind with each touch. Eventually, it got to be too much, and she stumbled out of the crowd toward Trixie and Clover.
“...and once he was back on solid ground, he looked at me and asked if I wanted a job. I’ve been Starswirl’s apprentice ever since.”
“Fascinating,” Trixie said, looking at her intently.
“Flirting again, Trixie?” Sunset asked, almost collapsing into the seat next to her.
Trixie turned to retort, but it died in her throat. “You look awful.”
“I know,” Sunset groaned. “All of this intrigue, all the plots, it’s getting to me.”
“Trixie would think that you, of all ponies, would be immune to the allure of plots.”
“Wha-- oh. Hardee-har-har. You know what I meant.”
“Yes,” Trixie admitted. “Here, take a breather.” She laid her hoof over Sunset’s and thought about magic shows.
Almost at once, Sunset calmed, the fires wreathing her mane and tail settling to a gentle crackling, as of a hearth. “Thanks.”
Clover looked on with interest as Sunset pulled herself upright. With a nod of farewell, the fiery mare made her way back into the throng.
“Trixie?”
“Yes?”
“Why in the name of magic would you try and flirt with me when you had a mare like that?”
Trixie started. “I, uh… you got that, then.”
“Your flirting with me, or your feelings for Sunset?”
“Er… both?”
“Trixie,” Clover said, setting a hoof on Trixie’s foreleg. “You’re nice, but you’re about as subtle as a siege weapon.”
“Hrm,” Trixie said. “Well. We hadn’t quite… become official… until this afternoon.”
Clover raised a brow. “Really? That’s quite sudden. Any reason it was then in particular?”
Trixie looked down. Clover laughed and nudged her. “I’m only teasing, Trixie.”
“Oh. Right.” Trixie coughed. “Trixie knew that.” She paused for a long moment. “So… you weren’t responding to Trixie’s flirting because you thought she was already in a relationship with Sunset.”
Clover nodded.
“And if you hadn’t thought that, you would’ve fallen for Trixie?”
Clover thought about that. “I guess? I mean, I can’t exactly afford to be, um… Well, that is to say...”
Trixie pursed her lips. “Trixie will just take that as a ‘yes,’ ‘kay?”
Clover chuckled. “Okay.”
“Yes!” Trixie pumped a hoof. “Still got it.”


***


Starswirl was sweating bullets. Everything he had worked for was on the line. His life wasn’t likely to be under threat-- he was still far too useful to do away with. So he would be imprisoned. Not too terrible-- it wouldn’t be too far removed from his life now. His friends would be safe-- he was the only one that could betray them, and he would sooner die than do that. But the fragile state of peace, or at least lack of bloodshed, that his triumvirate had built? It would crumble in less than a week. The lives of unknowable numbers of ponies were at stake, and all of them in the hooves of a fire spirit. He caught glimpses of her every now and again, in between the partygoers. He thought about speaking to her. But what would that accomplish? They already understood one another as well as they could. There was nothing left to say that wouldn’t end in spite and snapping, the last things that he could afford.
So he held his tongue and watched, with bated breath, as the Princess took the stage.
She called Sunset Shimmer to stand beside her.
She prepared to speak, when Sunset whispered something in her ear. The Princess cocked her head thoughtfully. Then, she motioned for Starswirl to come up to the stage. Sunset smiled at him encouragingly.
He could just run. No one would expect it. But no, that would give the game away immediately. For all he knew, this could be one more step in Sunset’s plan to help divert attention from him.
Slowly, Starswirl made his way to the stage.


***


Sunset let out a quiet breath. She locked eyes with Trixie, who nodded and murmured her apologies to Clover before trotting to the doors. Platinum was speaking now, of friends and subjects, of Grand, Noble Unicornia, Our Home, of a malignant threat growing from within.
“Unicorns,” she said, her voice ringing through the silent hall. “This cannot continue. Our military is the most well-equipped, the most engineered, the most fabulous on the entire continent! And yet, we are mocked, given no opportunity to prove our might over our foes. How long before the ambushes begin? The slow, creeping poison of espionage, the weapon of a weak, cringing foe, has spread into the heart of our kingdom. It must be rooted out, lest we meet an ignoble fall. To that end, I present to you Sunset Shimmer.”
She gestured to Sunset, who stepped forward. She bowed to the audience.
“Sunset is a touch-telepath,” the Princess explained. “Over the course of this evening, she has shaken hooves with each of you, searching for the traitorous spy.”
It was as if the air in the room had crystalized with the tension. All eyes were fixed on Sunset, each filled with the same mix of hate, fear, and unbridled terror. Nothing particularly new, there.
The Princess stepped back to give Sunset center stage. To Starswirl, she murmured, “Ready your strongest shield spell.”
Sunset took a deep breath. “Good evening,” she said. “You needn’t worry, by the way. I couldn’t care less about who’s sleeping with whom, or what illegitimate children have been installed around the castle. I’m here for the sole purpose of exposing who among you is the spy. I’ll start with who it wasn’t. Nobody on the guest list was a spy. Nor was my friend Trixie, who has just finished bolting all the doors. Thank you, Trixie.”
The blue unicorn gave a cheerful wave to the crowd, but quailed under their combined gaze. She slunk into a dark corner of the room as soon as they turned back to Sunset, an area concealed by a partial wall.
Platinum looked at Sunset sharply. “What do you mean? If none of them was the spy, then the only ponies remaining are the ones on stage right now.”
“Patently ridiculous,” Starswirl agreed, cold sweat running down his back.
“Not quite,” Sunset said. “There’s one more uninvited guest at this banquet.”
She lit her horn. “I think it’s time we took off our masks…”
There was a blast of radiant light. The torches flickered and dimmed in their sockets. Unicorns shouted and screamed as the illusion spells they had put on for the evening were stripped away. Platinum screamed loudest of all as her pale, flaxen mane turned slimy green. “Behind you!” Sunset shouted, pointing toward the back of the room, where a hooded figure stood, frozen. It backed away, and then ran for its life. With a flash of light, the doors unbolted and swung open. The hooded figure turned and was gone.
“Well?” Sunset demanded. “Catch her!” She turned into a bolt of fire and flew out the doors after the escaping spy. After only a moment, the guards and nobles followed suit.
“I see her!” one shouted, running down a blind alley. Already, though, another saw her appear in a flash of light, her cloak flapping in her wake and revealing pale pink legs.
No sooner did they see the spy than she teleported away to another part of the castle. It seemed as though she was trying to hide long enough to turn invisible once more, but the areas where she appeared always had at least one pony in view.
Finally, they cornered her at the top of one of the towers. One of the guards managed to wrangle her hood back, revealing a pink mare, her mane striped with purple and teal. She reared back, revealing a cutie mark of a falling four-pointed star. Her horn lit, and before anypony could stop her, she teleported away. Far below, the assembled saw a hooded figure racing for the woods. She passed the treeline and was gone.


***


“Well,” said Platinum. “I suppose I should thank you.” She ran a hoof through her mane, once again a bright and shining blonde.
“Trixie supposes you should,” Trixie said nonchalantly, examining her own hoof. Sunset nudged her sharply in the side.
Platinum scowled, but said, “You have rendered Unicornia a great service this night. While it would have been nice for you to actually catch the spy, we at least know something of her identity.”
“It shouldn’t be too difficult to set up illusion-dispelling doors in the castle,” Starswirl mused. “Although, I suspect there might be a public outcry if I were to try.”
“I’d have you in the dungeons before your horn was even lit,” Platinum said flatly.
“That too,” he agreed.
“So,” Sunset said. “Can we please have our box back now? We really do need it.”
“Oh-- fine,” Platinum said with a sigh. “I can’t imagine why, though. It’s so weathered and hideous.”
“She’s old,” Sunset agreed, “But she has more than a few tricks up her sleeves.”
“Hm, well, quite,” Platinum said. “Starswirl, take them to the box. I must go and settle the nobles.”
He snorted. “Good luck, Princess.”
She slammed the door behind her. Starswirl waited a few moments before leaning in. “So, how did you do it?” he asked. “It can’t have been an illusion, not the way you wiped all of them out with that spell.”
“Oh, it was an illusion,” Sunset corrected. “Just not a spell.”
“...Beg pardon?”
“It is known as Pepper’s Ghost,” Trixie said. “One may project an illusionary image by shining a bright light on an object and reflecting it through glass into a dim room. That was Trixie, wearing a cloak. Trixie also opened the door from her hiding place with transparent thread.”
“Then, I took over,” Sunset said. “Since I was the one casting the dispelling charm, I was the one pony that could still cast illusions. So I disguised myself as a friend of ours, Starlight Glimmer-- she’s not about to turn up here anytime soon. Then I let myself be seen and flashed away.”
“While Trixie ran into the woods, making it seem like the spy had run off,” Trixie finished.
Starswirl shook his head. “Ingenious,” he marveled. “You two saved me-- my reputation, my career, and my work to keep the tribes from bloodshed. How can I ever repay you?”
“Just… keep doing what you’re doing, I guess,” Sunset said.
“Give Clover more days off,” Trixie said. “Or any days off. Let the mare sleep!”
Starswirl smiled. “I’ll see what I can do.”


***


The TARDIS roared as it took off once more. Sunset stepped back from the console. “Well,” she said. “That was… different than I thought it would be.”
“Oh?” Trixie asked. “Trixie supposes that the history books only tell half the story, yes.”
“No, not that. Well, I guess that too. But I meant, getting a marefriend.”
Trixie went pink. “Oh. Yes.”
“On that subject,” Sunset continued, advancing on Trixie, “I believe I promised you something when we got back to the ship.”
“You-- oh!” Trixie’s cheeks were burning red now. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, Trixie would not like to force you--”
“Trixie?”
“Yes?”
“Would you like to kiss, or not?”
“Very much yes.”
“Alright then,” said Sunset, leaning in.
The TARDIS flew on through the vortex, unpiloted and unguided. She laughed at her little thieves within, lost as they were in stealing away one another. She would keep them safe, in this timeless place and spaceless time, until they bumped into their next port of call.