Starlight still thought of her home as “Twilight’s Castle,” even after all these years.
It was silly, she knew. She was left in the tenancy of her mentor’s former home when the alicorn moved to Canterlot. Without the Princess of Friendship, however, the castle’s crystal halls seemed to chill Starlight with the echoes of her lonely hoofsteps.
Twilight’s friends still came by once in a while, of course. But those were just social calls when they were visiting Ponyville. Other than that? Starlight was still single. She tried dating for a while, but it just never ended up working out for some reason. No – the only pony who somewhat dispelled the gloom was Trixie. After all, the showpony positively lived here these days.
Back in the day, Starlight might have scolded her for this. But seeing as she herself had been crashing in her former mentor’s house for the past few years, she would have found it hypocritical.
And she did enjoy Trixie’s company.
She still missed Twilight. But the Princess of Friendship was only one of the two reasons Starlight was currently cantering down an echoey hallway towards the cyan bathroom.
The other, more pressing reason was inside.
Starlight gave the door a series of raps.
“Trixie!” she called out.
There was no response save for a low hiss of a hairdryer.
“Trixie!” Starlight repeated, trying to sound resolute instead of panicked. “You’ve been in there for hours! We’re going to be late!”
The sound of the hairdryer stopped and a muffled voice replied: “Trixie needs one more minute!”
Starlight grunted. That’s what she said half an hour ago!
“Trixie,” she demanded. “You have to come out now! The ball is about to start!”
A bustle of activity and the door swung open. Starlight took a surprised step back as Trixie stood on the threshold, striking a pose. She playfully bounced her silvery mane and gave Starlight a sidelong glance.
“Well?” she asked, wiggling an eyebrow. “How does Trixie look?”
Starlight blinked and looked her friend up and down. The magician was clad in a sleek purple dress adorned with illusory stars which slowly crawled across the fabric. The cloth fell around the unicorn’s withers and wrapped neatly around her chest, affixed by a bright, turquoise gem. The aft portion wrapped around the unicorn’s haunches –
“Hey!” Trixie snapped. “Eyes up here!”
Starlight chuckled to hide her embarrassment and looked up. For once, Trixie didn’t wear her usual pointy hat. Instead, she opted for a small pillbox. Sat a bit to the side, it showered Trixie’s face in a thin netted veil adorned with tiny sparkling diamonds.
“You – ” Starlight cleared her throat. “You look great!”
“Great…?” Trixie echoed with expectation. The corner of her mouth twitched.
“And Powerful,” Starlight added with a laugh.
“As Trixie should!” The show pony nodded before pausing. “Say…”
Her eyes traced down and up before she gave another, slow nod and hummed.
“You’re no slouch yourself, Starlight…”
“Oh, this?” Starlight gave a nervous giggle. “It’s just a little thing I picked up last month in Canterlot – ”
She froze. The memory of the capital city served as a sudden reminder of today.
“We’re still late!” she blurted out. “We have to go!”
Without another moment of hesitation, she reached around Trixie’s withers and pressed against her.
“Hey! Watch the mane!” the magician protested as Starlight concentrated.
Her mind expanded outwards, beyond the castle, Ponyville, and the basin. She felt it almost immediately – a flickering, fiery beacon of magic luring her in like a candle would a moth. The unicorn focused on it as her mind calculated the stream compression matrix and the entry, transfer, and exit vectors. Energy flowed around the two ponies, encompassing them in a luminescent ball of residual blue-green light as Starlight’s magic latched onto the beacon’s homing signal.
“Exhale and open your mouth!” Starlight commanded and followed her own example.
When her friend failed to react, she reached down and squeezed her into a sudden, very tight hug. Trixie coughed into her ear.
Before the magical tether could snap under the strain, Starlight triggered the spell. The bubble burst, leaving behind an empty hallway.
In Canterlot’s gardens, a pair of ponies appeared in a burst of cyan light.
Trixie panted, trying her best not to collapse. Starlight held her friend up for a few moments, taking several deep breaths to get used to the thinner air as she looked around.
They were standing in a small gazebo weaved from live tree branches. The floor around them was a uniform obsidian slab etched with a complex, silvery web of focus diagrams. Even looking straight at them made her eyes cross and tear up and her temples throb.
She blinked and looked up. A tall alicorn stood before her, silhouetted against the distant sunset. For a moment, the aura of her magic pressed against Starlight’s mind like a heavy wind.
“Starlight Glimmer,” Ce – no, Twilight said pleasantly. The wind calmed down into a slight breeze. “And Trixie Lulamoon! So good the two of you have made it.”
“Barely…” Trixie wheezed.
“Sorry, Princess,” Starlight replied. “Trixie was – ”
She felt magic building around her. With a gentle-but-firm pull, she ushered the still-coughing Trixie out of the summoning circle. As they passed Twilight, the alicorn smiled at her.
“You are not the last, it seems,” she noted softly. “But you’d better hurry. You are the guests of honor, after all.”
“And you, Princess?” Starlight asked. “Will you be joining us?”
“After I finish with the stragglers,” Twilight said and closed her eyes. Her horn flared up with golden magic and a second later, another pony materialized inside the diagrams.
“Rarity, it’s so great to see you again!” This time Twilight reached out and pulled her alabaster friend into an embrace. Starlight bit her lip and headed out.
The two unicorns exited the gazebo and walked down a tree-covered stone path.
“You could have warned Trixie,” the magician muttered as she fixed her hat.
“I told you to breathe out,” Starlight replied. “We talked about this.”
“We did?” Trixie asked in surprise.
“I told you how important the difference in elevation and air pressure is in long-distance teleportation,” Starlight said indignantly. “When I did it the first time, I ended up in a hospital!”
“Oh, Trixie remembers now!” the magician smiled. “She brought you roses. You couldn’t talk for a week.”
Her smile lingered for a few moments. Starlight swallowed a mean retort and instead pointed towards a white sign with an arrow saying “Reception.”
They reached a small crossroad and turned.
The tree cover formed an arch here. In front of them stood one of the few great dance halls of Canterlot. A magnificent building of steel and pristine glass radiated a golden light and a mix of distant music and chatter. Like its sisters, the building nested like a jewel in the already breathtaking hanging gardens of the capital city.
“Done gawking?” she heard. Trixie was standing further along, looking back.
“Y-yeah,” Starlight replied. “I just never saw it like this. In the evening, I mean.”
Trixie looked to the building as though she only noticed it now.
“It’s not bad,” she admitted. “Trixie performed here once, remember?”
When not in use by the royal family – that was, almost always – the dance hall was rented to local nobles. The ones who could afford it.
“Was that when I was in Saddle Arabia?” Starlight searched her memories. She shook her head and rejoined her friend. Together, they walked towards the building.
“Last year, yes,” Trixie confirmed as she gave her hat one final prod.
“Sorry I couldn’t be there,” Starlight apologized.
“Not to worry,” Trixie said nonchalantly. “You have seen my show plenty of times. In fact, Trixie is quite glad you missed it that time.”
They passed the first few guests – a griffon and a mare, drinks in claw and hoof, chatting. The pair paused and nodded towards them. Starlight nodded back – Trixie ignored the two.
“Glad?” Starlight asked. “Why are you glad I missed your show?”
Trixie pouted.
“Trixie enjoys,” she said finally, “more lively shows. Villages and small towns. The audience screaming with fright, delight, and adoration. That is when Trixie performs at her best.”
Another group of guests. Another series of unimpressed nods.
“Nobles, on the other hoof?” Trixie scoffed. “They just watch, like they’re in a zoo or a museum. Trixie is not an art piece – she is a performance artist!”
The last sentence was quite loud. Starlight grinned apologetically at no creature in particular.
“Why not both?” she chuckled uneasily.
The corner of Trixie’s mouth twitched.
“I hope it’s not going to be a problem tonight?” Starlight asked.
“Not at all,” Trixie replied. “Trixie has learned the way of the cold nobility. She will grant them the honor of her presence and will depart with head held high.”
A tall colt in gold-and-purple livery noticed them and headed out towards them.
“Okay, good,” Starlight said quickly, then smiled at the colt. The pair stopped just outside the door. Gentle classical music still leaked from within, alongside the golden radiance. From this close, Starlight could see a crowd moving behind the glass panels.
“Madames,” the colt said with a slight accent and bowed. “Zee other guests ‘ave been eagerly awaiting your arrival.”
He pointed to the door.
“Thank you!” Starlight said. A moment later, she realized Trixie had already stepped forward, slow and dignified. She quickly matched her step and crossed the threshold by her side.
“Dearest guests,” the colt announced. “Please welcome our esteemed guests for ze evening. Professor Starlight Glimmer, Ph.D., and The Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon.”
On any other day, Starlight would be amazed he didn’t pause at the Great and Powerful part. Tonight, she stood petrified instead. The golden room’s lacquered dance floor was filled with creatures of all kinds, from Arabians to yaks, with an unsurprisingly high number of unmasked changelings zipping through the crowd.
She was used to audiences of course, but at her lectures, it was mostly students and other teachers. It has been quite a while since she attended a formal function where she was to be the center of attention.
The guests all looked at the two unicorns and gave a very polite, subdued clap, stomp, or whatever their equivalent gesture was.
“Starlight! Trixie!” she heard a high-pitched voice. Finding the owner wasn’t hard. A multicolored torso poked out of the crowd, with a head adorned with an equally bright pair of antlers and a face bearing a wide, friendly smile.
“Thorax!” Starlight exclaimed. She rushed towards the changeling leader and shook his hoof vigorously. Trixie joined her, giving the changeling a bow and polite “Hello Thorax.”
“I’m glad you two made it!” Thorax said. “I was worried for a bit…”
He smiled.
“...But Princess Twilight informed me of the pony custom of being ‘fashionably late.’”
Starlight laughed to hide her embarrassment.
“Yeaaah…” she dragged. “So… What is this about? You were very mysterious in the invitation!”
“It is about mystery!” Thorax said. “And about exchanging customs. But you will find out soon enough. It’s a shame Discord wouldn’t attend – I think he would enjoy it.”
A flicker of sadness crossed the changeling’s face before he shook his head.
“But seeing that you’re here,” he went back to his cheery self, “I can deliver my speech!”
“He has a speech?” Trixie muttered.
The changeling hovered up. The crowd watched him as he landed on a podium, right in front of the band. The music stopped as Thorax took up a glass and clinked it with a piece of cutlery. The crowd quietened down. Behind them, Starlight felt something powerful moving. She glanced and saw Twilight, smiling benevolently, entering alongside Rarity.
“Dear creatures of all walks of life!” Thorax exclaimed.
“I have invited you,” he continued, “to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Changeling independence from the cruel Queen Chrysalis.”
The crowd gave another lukewarm clap.
“In those ten years,” the changeling went on, “our society has learned much from yours.”
He smiled.
“Granted, we have blundered through many customs and celebrations foreign to us. But as you know, changelings are very good at mimicry…”
He paused. Nobody laughed. Starlight snickered.
“We have learned much,” Thorax went on. “And now we seek to share our own celebration!”
There was a sudden movement on the sides of the room. Through the crowd, Starlight glimpsed changelings in tasteful livery, bearing plates laden with tall glasses.
“The Masquerade Ball,” Thorax explained, “is an ancient changeling tradition. Every year, the Hive gathers in a large cavern. Each changeling shapeshifts into another of their choosing. We mingle and enjoy the evening while we attempt to discover the real identities of our fellows. While never letting our own slip, of course.”
He paused and licked his lip.
“During Queen Chrysalis’ rule,” he said darkly, “this served as both a training exercise and a selection procedure for infiltrators. The best detectives were promoted to guards; the best agents to spies.”
The room murmured.
“But thanks to my friends,” Thorax brightened up, “ – Starlight, Trixie, and Discord – ” He raised his glass and nodded to the two unicorns, “we have made it through these dark times. And after our reformation, we have found another side of the Masquerade Ball.”
He gestured across the crowd.
“By changing into another and acting as them,” he explained, “one gains a better understanding of them as an individual and friend. Conversely, seeing another transformed into yourself, you are able to glimpse how others perceive you – without letting them know you are there to witness it.”
He clapped his hooves excitedly.
“It is this mutual understanding which made us want to share the custom with you.”
A changeling offered Starlight and Trixie a glass each. Both held the same thin, green liquid. Trixie sniffed hers carefully before humming appreciatively. Starlight mimicked her.
“Pineapple…?” she muttered.
“Mine’s more like lime,” Trixie whispered.
“All of you now hold a glass of a very special potion,” Thorax announced. “It was created by two of the most skilled alchemists in Equestria.”
He nodded to someone Starlight could not see.
“The potion’s effect,” he continued, “is to channel and share our ability to transform into others. If you drink it, you will turn into someone else.”
The crowd began murmuring again.
“Somepony else?!” Trixie whined to Starlight. “But Trixie is already perfect!”
Starlight chuckled, but the little glass now filled her with curiosity.
“Namely,” Thorax explained, “you will be transformed into the pony you hold in your mind at the moment the potion takes effect – exactly as you envision them in that moment.”
Starlight’s mind was awash with possibilities. She could become Twilight when she was still just a unicorn! Or maybe Rainbow Dash before she got old! Or Ember! The rush of options made her miss most of what Thorax said next. She shook her head and focused on him again.
“—last dance, after which I will dispel the effects,” the changeling leader was saying. He paused and looked over the crowd.
“If you do not wish to participate,” he nodded, “that is your choice. And now!”
He raised his own glass.
“To you, my friends,” his eyes locked with Starlight’s, “to the greatest of illusions – and the greatest of revelations!”
They raised their glasses as well. Thorax drank ceremoniously, downing the whole glass in one go. The crowd followed his example.
As did Starlight.
The potion was fruity and went down like a dream. Despite this, it filled Starlight with a familiar warmth. The feeling spread through her, down to her hooves and up to her ear tips. It lingered. A moment later, she realized the warmth masked an intricate magical pattern. Her mind watched it sizzle and unfold within her, raising her hairs to attention.
She tried to focus on the pony she would turn to, but her mind ran wild with possibilities. Rarity? Maybe Celestia? Maybe not a pony at all! A male? Spike? Or maybe—
The magic seized her suddenly. For a split second, every cell of her body was on fire. She wanted to yell out in surprise, but her body would not respond. Green fire burst out of her and those around her.
Cold green flames consumed the crowd.
Starlight realized she was back in control of her body when she suddenly stumbled to the side. She bumped into another pony – a gray mare with purple eyes and jet black hair.
The mare scowled at her.
“Sorry!” she apologized. Only it wasn’t her voice that came out of her throat.
Despite this, she knew that voice all too well.
Starlight covered her mouth and looked down. Her hooves had lost their purple hue and were now bright blue. As she looked across the crowd, she saw many creatures with the same shocked expression she no doubt wore.
Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention – she turned to look at it, but it moved faster than her. She stumbled again, brushing against someone else. Only then she realized the thing was a strand of silver-and-blue hair hanging over her left eye.
“Oh sweet Celestia,” she breathed in the voice of The Great and Powerful Trixie.