“How much can you really know someone you only first met a few weeks ago? How many conversations have you had with them? How much time have you spent with them? Are you sure you’re really seeing them? Perhaps the smile they give you disappears the moment you turn away. Maybe they’re lying about how it’s a pleasure to see you. If you see them as a friend maybe they see you as something completely different, maybe every thought in their head would surprise and scare you. Just what do you think you can know about someone?”
The dreaming Trixie had no answer.
“We’re so sorry!”
“Please forgive us, we’ll do anything!”
Gibble and Gouge were on their knees in front of the bridge leading into East Glade. The two wingless griffons had come skulking down from the mountains around noon to prostrate themselves before the citizens of East Glade and ask for forgiveness. It seems ever since that fight and Goliath’s defeat they’d been hiding out in the mountains and fighting for survival against the bona fide zoo of monsters in there. Perhaps it was pride or a fear of retribution that kept them from giving up or coming to East Glade until now, but the weeks of harsh life and barely scraping by in the mountains had finally worn them down.
Now the mayor, Vector, Gizzard and Senax stood before them, watching the former marauders grovel. Trixie was standing back with Daylight, Coil, and a good deal of other villagers on the East Glade side. All of them watching to see how this would go.
“You come here looking for refuge after all the times you and your friends have attacked and terrorized our village?” Gabriel glared down at the two raggedy griffons.
“It was because of Goliath!” Gibble tried to reason. “We couldn’t say no to him, you know how he was! We were just afraid, all of us were.”
“That’s right,” Gouge said. “We didn’t have a choice.” At the unimpressed and angry looks he got after saying that he quickly continued. “A-And we’re serious about making things up to you. Put us to work however you want, we’ll farm or be servants or help you fight any monsters from the mountains, anything! Just please, please, let us live here where it’s safe.”
“We can’t handle fighting for survival anymore. It’s too much!” Gibble pleaded.
The leaders of East Glade considered their words. No one who was part of Goliath’s band had ever tried to defect before. Maybe it was because they were too afraid of Goliath, like what Gibble and Gouge were saying, or maybe they enjoyed lording over East Glade and treating the villagers like toys. Whatever it was, the mayor and the others didn’t have any experience dealing with something like this. Vector thought they seemed honest enough in how tired and scared they were of scrounging around in the mountains. And if they wanted to help around the village to prove their sincerity then all the better.
But should they be forgiven so easily? Could they be? So many of the villagers had a bone to pick with these griffons and Vector and Gizzard remembered not too long ago when these two specifically came here and burned down Daylight’s house and threatened them. Gibble and Gouge only knew how to pick on others, at least Vector and Gizzard thought, could they adjust to life in East Glade and really become productive citizens and not cause any trouble?
Most of the other villagers standing besides Trixie didn’t look very happy that these two were here either. There was a murmur of discontent growing and growing amongst the peanut gallery.
The Great and Powerful Trixie on the other hand was mostly apathetic. Sure these guys were jerks but she had made some questionable decisions in the past too. And so had her best friend! And Discord. He was sort of like a friend. Or something. Maybe these guys deserved at least a little consideration. She didn’t really care about them but if she and her friends got a second chance then it was only fair to extend the olive branch to guys like this, right?
From the looks on the mayor’s and everyone elses faces though it didn’t seem like they would.
With a great and powerful sigh, Trixie realized much to her dismay that she was going to have to butt in. Or she could attempt to go back to not caring at all. Starlight wouldn’t like that though.
“One moment please! The Great and Powerful Trixie would like to speak!” Trixie said, walking out onto the bridge.
Naturally all eyes went to the hero of the village. Of course even if she wasn’t the hero that likely would have happened, since Trixie was quite good at getting the attention of others with her loud voice and loud clothes. Although Trixie wouldn’t use the word herself, Starlight would probably say she was more of an eyesore than an eyecatcher.
Trixie strode up to the mayor and the three others who were standing in front of Gibble and Gouge. Gabriel and Senax seemed interested in what she had to say while Vector and Gizzard just looked confused. She walked to stand in front of the two rough griffons and faced the East Glader’s.
Clearing her throat and smiling her winning smile, Trixie began her argument. “As you all know, I am your fearless hero who has repeatedly saved East Glade from destruction-” Daylight glared at her for that. “-and I have traveled extensively and encountered many other villains as well. However. Some of those I have dealt with were merely people that had made a mistake or hadn’t been given the chance to do something good yet.” She couldn’t use herself as an example since that would ruin her image but a certain best friend of hers worked perfectly for that. “I have a great friend who made some bad mistakes in her life but when she was forgiven and given the chance to do good she became one of Equestria’s greatest heroes. After me of course.”
She paused to see how everyone was taking her speech. Most seemed pretty interested, although it might have been just because it was her talking. If she said Gibble and Gouge should be punished they’d probably agree with her on that too. Oh well, take it or leave it.
“Anyways, what I’m saying is that we should give these two a chance. I know from some very up close and personal experiences how scary Goliath could be. If they really want to try and make up for what they’ve done I think East Glade should give them the benefit of the doubt,” Trixie finished.
The various ponies, griffons, and merponies of East Glade conversed with each other. Some speaking openly, others in whispers, some glancing at Trixie or the two wingless griffons. It wasn’t the most positive reaction she could have hoped for but at least they weren’t slinging stones at her.
Finally it was Gabriel who made the decision, as it should be. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has never led us astray before. I see no reason why we shouldn’t take her advice on this either.”
Gibble and Gouge’s eyes widened in hope as they looked up at the mayor and other VIP’s from East Glade.
“Really? You’ll really let us stay?” Gibble asked.
“Seems so,” Vector said and put forward a hoof to help Gibble up. “And I suppose that will go for any other stragglers of Goliath’s former band that may show up from here on out too. It would only be fair.”
“Just don’t make us regret this,” Gizzard warned. The old griffon was hard-eyed and obviously not completely happy with the outcome, yet he abided by it.
“We won’t, I promise the two of us will be on our best behavior,” Gouge said, rising as well.
Trixie smiled at the turn of events, quite pleased with herself for giving such an amazing speech that could convince everyone to resolve things peacefully. How nice it was that she didn’t get dragged into another fight. Trixie let the actual citizens of East Glade finish up things from there and she walked back over to join Coil and Daylight, most of the rest of the crowd dispersing or waiting around to see what the mayor would say to their new residents. Some of the villagers wanted to thank Trixie or shake hooves so she engaged in the needed pleasantries until it was just the three outside unicorns left at this side of the bridge.
“Not sure how much of that speech I approve of but well done otherwise,” Daylight regarded her with a cool expression.
“I thought it was quite splendid, good job!” Coil cheerfully congratulated.
“Just another typical moment in the life of Trixie,” Trixie shrugged.
“I’m surprised you’re so forgiving,” Daylight said.
That didn’t bother Trixie to hear. “I have a friend who would probably be upset with me if I didn’t at least give those two the chance to make things up,” And I’d be hypocritical considering all the chances I got too, but they don’t need to hear about that.
“Well whatever, guess it all ended up fine,” Daylight Gleam allowed and started walking back to her home. “I’m heading home, see ya. Gotta prepare for more magic lessons.”
Trixie and Coil both waved goodbye to her. And the traveling magician almost left after that as well before she remembered that she actually had something to talk to Coil about.
“I almost forgot,” Trixie said to him. “But what about the Suggestion Crystals? How long do you need to experiment on those things anyways?”
“Considering the massive amount of uses they have, quite a bit actually,” Coil chuckled. “But don’t worry about that, I think in a day or two I’ll be finished up with them and then I’ll call you over.”
Trixie smiled, finally she could almost see all her work and trouble here amounting to something. “Great! I can’t wait to see what I can do with them.”
The following morning started with Trixie snoozing in her wagon well past sunrise. She wanted to get as much sleep as possible considering she never knew when someone would come and ask her for a favor or tell her about some monster attacking the village. Whether it be her unicorn students or the mayor’s kids she knew eventually there would be a knock on her wagon and something would interrupt her precious sleep.
A far off crashing noise sounded from outside and Trixie groaned, turning in her hammock. She folded her pillow over her ears and tried to keep from waking.
The screams got her eyes to snap open.
“What the?” Trixie groggily pushed herself up in her hammock to better hear the chaos outside. It was still faint at this distance but she could hear screams and the sound of things being demolished coming from East Glade. “What’s going on?” She rubbed her eyes and opened up the window of her wagon that faced the village.
At this distance she could see ponies and griffons running around the outskirts of the village and a few columns of smoke coming from fires deeper inside East Glade.
“That doesn’t look good...” Trixie hopped out of her hammock and ran out of her wagon, forgetting to even out on her robe and hat.
Reaching the outskirts of the village she could hear the sounds of fighting more clearly and saw a number of houses with claw marks on their walls along with smashed apart barrels and carts. The screams were louder too and a lot of villagers were running down the streets not even taking notice of their beloved hero. Trixie (quite a bit to her own surprise) ran towards the source of the noise. She might not have done the same just a short time ago.
One of the running ponies, a pegasus, finally did seem to notice that The Great and Powerful was here.
“Miss Great and Powerful Trixie! It’s horrible!” He said, screeching to a halt before her.
“What is? What’s going on?” Trixie asked him.
The pegasus had a look of total fear etched on his face. “It’s Goliath! He’s back!”
“What?!” Trixie couldn’t believe it. That’s impossible! He was crushed under all of those boulders. She ran past the pegasus to see for herself, there was just no way this could happen.
Trixie heard the sound of wood shattering and a pony cry out as they were tossed into the air, it sounded like Daylight. She doubled her efforts and ran to the town square where she was sure the noises were coming from now. She didn’t really know what to think right now, she was scared, confused, worried, all of it was jumbled up in her head as her heart raced with each step. Things had been looking so much better in East Glade, everyone was happier, everyone was safer, and now this? Goliath again? No way no how was Trixie going to let some dumb evil griffon ruin everything. Things were nice here, and she should be sleeping right now!
With a stern glare on her face Trixie rounded the last corner up ahead and emerged into the square. The sight she saw was… not reassuring.
The stone well was demolished and the bell that had sat above it lie on the ground, dented. A number of houses and buildings around the square had deep gouges in their walls, or broken windows, or doors ripped off their hinges. Carts and boxes were overturned or smashed open all over the square while villagers either cowered in fear or tried to run away.
And in the center of all this chaos was a foe she thought she wouldn’t have to face again.
Goliath’s beaten and mangy form was as imposing as ever. Vector, Gizzard, his grandsons, Speckle Wood, and Gold Embrace were facing off against him but not one of them could stand without shaking. Daylight was lying on the ground in a heap with a welt under eye, trying to get back up.
The hero of East Glade bit her lip, it was a startling thing to see but there was also something wrong about all of it.
Goliath was shaking and twitching with every move and he had a cloth strapped over his chest and tied around his back that Trixie knows she had never seen him wearing before. And his eyes… Goliath always had a cold and evil look in his eyes but now they were wildly spinning around in his sockets, wide open with the pupils down to needle pricks, his beak too hung open almost like his bottom jaw was dislocated and a low wheezing noise was constantly coming from deep down his throat.
“Hey, Goliath!” Trixie yelled as she stepped forward, the attention of the other defenders of East Glade being drawn to her.
The monstrous (even moreso now) griffon also turned his head to look at her. And when he did Trixie became absolutely certain that that wasn’t Goliath. She ran to join up with her friends and helped Daylight get back to her hooves, “Goliath” lumbering towards the group now too. Trixie put up a quick shield wall to block his path, the huge griffon headbutted it like he didn’t even know it was there, pushing on it like someone pressing their face up against a glass store window. He was still strong and already cracks were appearing in her magic. Without one of the other unicorn’s help she wouldn’t be able to stop him for long.
“What happened?! Where’d he come from?” Trixie asked her assorted comrades.
“I don’t know!” Vector answered as they all formed up around Trixie. “He came out of nowhere and just started attacking everything in sight!”
“My grandsons and I heard the commotion and rushed over… but as you can see he’s as tough as ever,” Gizzard said, glaring up at Goliath.
“We can’t stop him at all!” Speckle Wood frantically cried. “Our magic just bounces off of him like it’s nothing, we need you, teacher!”
Figures. Trixie thought. She renewed her focus to her shield just in time to see it shatter under the strength of Goliath and all of them had to jump back to avoid his talons slamming down onto the ground.
Daylight fired a blast of magic at his face but the powder blue beam just dissipated on impact, the griffon showing no signs of pain or damage.
“This is crazy…” Daylight muttered.
“How is he even still alive?” Vector asked. Of all the ones here he seemed the most afraid and worried.
Trixie glared at the large griffon as she answered her friend. “I don’t think he is. I don’t think that’s Goliath.”
The huge griffon wheezed towards them while they talked, his talons slashing out at the air in front of him, just hoping someone would be stupid enough to stay close.
“What do you mean?” Vector inquired.
“I’ve been up close and personal with him enough to know that that’s not really him. It may be his body but his mind is gone… just look at his eyes and the way he’s acting and everything. He doesn’t even care that I’m here and he hates me. Maybe he’s been reanimated or possessed by something but he’s definitely not himself anymore,” Trixie explained to the best of her ability.
“You know I think all of that is secondary to how we stop him,” Daylight said.
Trixie looked at the lumbering monster and had to agree. Unfortunately she wasn’t entirely sure how they would accomplish that. He was already incredibly strong and durable while alive and now he seemed even more resistant to magic and pain. If he even felt pain at all anymore.
“What’s your plan, teacher?” Gold Embrace asked her.
Trixie blinked and gave voice to the best idea she could think of on short notice. “Umm… fight?”
“Works for me,” Gizzard said and grabbed a brick from the destroyed well, lobbing it at Goliath.
The aim was good but it still just ineffectually bounced off his head. It did bring his attention solely to Gizzard though and the giant puppet started dragging his talons to him.
“Just do whatever you can!” Trixie shouted and fired an energy beam at his right front knee. It didn’t seem to do any damage but the impact of it unbalanced him and caused him to trip on the ground.
Garry and Gullet then jumped onto his back, one of them repeatedly punching Goliath in the side while the other put him in a headlock. However the gargantuan griffon was able to easily tear them off of him and throw the two youngsters halfway across the square. Speckle Wood and Gold Embrace started picking up bricks, rocks, and other debris with their magic and began throwing them at him. Offensively it was the most they could do with their magic so far. Gizzard flew circles around Goliath’s head, pecking or kicking at him while avoiding the massive claws trying to knock him down and Vector came up behind their opponent, bucking and kicking at his back legs as hard as he could. It wasn’t very effective but his heart was in the right place. Everyone was doing what they could to protect East Glade and things were getting a bit frantic.
Daylight and Trixie peppered Goliath with magic whenever there was an opening but just as Trixie thought, their attacks were less than mosquito bites to him. She wasn’t sure what to do, maybe they could lure him to the ravine and drop him inside it somehow, that was probably their best bet. They’d just have to deal with any carnage and destruction he left in his wake on the way there.
“Oof!” Vector let out a grunt as one of Goliath’s back legs kicked him away.
While Daylight ran over to see if he was okay, Goliath grabbed a few of the bricks that Speckle and Gold had been throwing at him and threw them back, with interest.
Since Speckle Wood and Gold Embrace hadn’t been trained in shields they could do nothing to defend as the projectiles smacked into them. Both of Trixie’s students were knocked out cold by the hard objects hitting them, they were out of the fight. Vector looked pretty bad after that kick too.
Trixie bit her lip, things were going really poorly.
“You can’t terrorize East Glade anymore!” Gizzard yelled and dove down to smack right into Goliath’s chest, trying to tackle him or at least hold the monster back.
It had all the effect of a fly accidentally buzzing into a glass window.
Goliath didn’t even look down at Gizzard as he pulled the old griffon off his chest and threw him away, but Gizzard with his talons managed to tear away the cloth wrapped around his body as he went.
“What the-” Trixie winced in revulsion as she saw why that cloth was there in the first place.
There was something embedded into the middle of his chest. A blood red jewel sparkling in the sunlight that caused the veins and flesh around it to horrifically bulge and darken, Trixie didn’t know what it was but she was willing to bet it was the cause of all this. The jewel glowed faintly and Goliath resumed moving towards the only opponent directly in front of him now. Trixie.
A powder blue beam of magic hit him in the side of the head and Daylight came running to help Trixie. “Trixie! What’s that thing in his chest?” She asked as she saw the jewel.
“I don’t know, but let’s try and draw him to the ravine, it might be the only way to stop him,” Trixie said.
“That might be too dangerous, he’s destroying everything in his path.”
“Well do you have a better idea?”
Daylight narrowed her eyes and pointed at the jewel in Goliath’s chest. “See if we can remove or destroy that thing? I know a spell for destroying magical crystals.”
Before they could think more about it, Goliath leaped at them and they had to dive out of the way of his bulk, Trixie going right and Daylight going left. But Goliath had great reach and he leaned to the side while throwing a sweeping arm towards toward Daylight, swatting the white unicorn with the backside of his talon and knocking her away all over again. But luckily this meant he wasn’t paying attention to Trixie.
Lighting up her horn she put all her power into telekinesis and tried to tear the red jewel out of his chest. Gross as that might end up being.
But her magic just couldn’t get a grip on it. Or more like it was like her magic weakened when she tried touching the jewel with it, she could feel and see her aura flickering around the jewel. Something about it was so slippery and resistant to her magic that even when she was giving it her all she just couldn’t make it budge.
“Stupid thing!” Trixie yelled. Which turned out to be a bad idea when Goliath’s head sharply turned in her direction.
He started towards her again when Vector jumped on his back and started pummeling the base of his neck, and Vector had enough sense to avoid and fight off the talons Goliath sent his way trying to get the angry earth pony off of him. Seeing that he was distracted again Trixie tried a much more direct and much more dangerous tactic.
Well if my magic isn’t working… She ran towards Goliath and did much the same thing that Gizzard had attempted to do, slam right into his chest and try to take him down.
Except Trixie had another idea too. If her magic couldn’t grab the crystal then maybe she could at least use it for something else? Her horn lit up and she yanked down Goliath’s eyelids, temporarily blinding him as he continued trying to knock Vector off. Even that was more difficult then it should have been for Trixie, the jewel seemed to make his whole body semi-resistant to magic, but she wasn’t The Great and Powerful Trixie for nothing. She was strong enough to still keep him blinded while she grasped the red jewel itself in her hooves and pulled with all her might.
With a spark the jewel popped free, it was far less secure to physical attacks than magical ones and Trixie flew backwards, rolling over a few times from her own momentum and dropping the jewel.
“Got it!” She shouted as she came to a stop, looking up to see if that stopped Goliath.
The monstrous griffon was frozen in the same pose he had been when Trixie pulled the jewel free, his eyes no longer moving, no more wheezing coming from his throat, and the slight shaking and tremors in his body halted. Vector still hung onto his back as if waiting to see if anything would happen now too, the earth pony defender wary that the wild marauder might still be dangerous.
However with the smallest of shudders Goliath’s entire body collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. The great griffon showing no signs of life or unlife anymore. Vector lost his balance and tumbled off his back with an oof, wincing as he lied on the stone of the square thanks to his other injuries still hurting.
But it seemed like Goliath was at least finally done for.
Everyone else was starting to get up, most hurt but no one too seriously. Trixie breathed a sigh of relief and looked to the red jewel she had pried free from Goliath… only to see that when she had dropped it it had shattered into a million pieces. The red dust like motes were quickly lifted with the breeze and scattered into the wind. Whatever that thing was Trixie just had to chalk it up to another weird East Glade phenomenon.
“I’m okay, nobody help me up...” Daylight sarcastically said as she shakily got to her hooves.
Trixie rolled her eyes and went over to help her fellow unicorn friend.
“Goodness gracious! What happened?!”
Trixie and the others turned to see Coil speedily running to them from the direction of his lab, the other blue unicorn came to a screeching halt with a fearful look on his face as he saw the body of Goliath and the devastation that had been wrought in the square. Slowly he walked over to help Gold Embrace and Speckle Wood up, the two of them still looked pretty dazed from being knocked out.
“I’m so sorry I’m late, I only just now saw the fires from my lab,” Coil said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Gizzard said as the whole group started to converge around the formerly rampaging body of Goliath. “Things worked out okay in the end.”
“Thanks to our great teacher,” Gold Embrace said, smiling at Trixie
“No need to thank me.” Trixie said with a grin of her own. But inside she was thinking how things just barely turned out well.She didn’t know what was up with this latest bout of craziness but there was something nagging at the back of her head. Some feeling that she was missing or forgetting something. But oh well, at least the village had been protected again and everyone was okay. She could stay around and help clean things up today and hopefully by tomorrow everything would be back to normal.