//------------------------------// // 8 Into the Woods // Story: The Great and Powerful Trixieverse // by Lord King Cocoon //------------------------------// “It’s been an hour since the sun was supposed to rise,” Twilight said to herself, “Something’s wrong. I need to contact Trixie about this.” Twilight got out a quill and parchment and began writing. Dear Trixie Lulamoon, Trixie had calmed down, being comforted in Thunderlane’s embrace. They all wanted to comfort her, but it was Thunderlane who took action. And he was the best option for comforting her. The first thing was that a Pegasus was the best option because of the comforting sensation of their wings. Rainbow Dash was ruled out because her wings were prosthetics. Flutters would’ve been willing. But she had trouble keeping herself serious enough to be comforting. So that results in the third and final option, Thunderlane. And he had experience comforting his little brother. “We need to stop Nightmare Moon,” Vinyl said, glad that her artificial voice box didn’t portray what would’ve been a shaky voice, “If we stop Nightmare Moon and bring back Princess Celestia, Nightmare Moon’s hatred and the Ponies’ fear will go away, allowing Ocellus to recover. Right?” A spark of hope lit up in Trixie. It was a small spark, but a spark nonetheless. “But how are we going to stop her,” Thunderlane asked, “Nightmare Moon is a living legend. And even with all of us researching, we may not have time to spend in the library to look it up.” At that moment, a wisp of smoke flew into the room and flashed into a green flame before transforming into a scroll. Trixie opened up the scroll and started to read out loud… Dear Trixie Lulamoon, At the time of writing this, it has been 57 minutes since the sun was supposed to rise. I doubt the Princess is playing a prank on us. So, I can only assume that something is seriously wrong. Because I was given the instruction to manage Canterlot in the Princess’s absence, I cannot come to see you in person. And I anticipate that there will be plenty of distraught nobles who intend to come to find out what’s wrong. But I would like to know what is happening from your point of view. How is Ocellus doing? I suspect that there are many ponies scared down there in Ponyville. I hope it’s not too overwhelming for her. You’re Fellow Protégé, Twilight Sparkle “A friend of yours, I presume?” Octavia asked. “Yes,” Trixie said simply, “She knows something’s bad, but she doesn’t know just how bad things are.” Trixie pulled herself out of Thunderlane’s comforting embrace and grabbed a quill and parchment to reply. She kept it simple, not wanting to spend too much time unnecessarily extending details. Dear Twilight, Princess Celestia is missing. Nightmare Moon returned. Nightmare Moon’s hate + the fear of the Ponies = Ocellus being poisoned and dying. We need to stop Nightmare ASAP. Trixie Trixie hastily put the letter into her hat and magically set it on fire, turning it into a blue wisp of smoke that headed out and toward Canterlot. “Zecora!” Rainbow blurted out, catching the attention of everypony in the room. Rainbow shied away slightly, “Oh… uh… sorry. But I was just thinking. Me and Flutters have a friend who lives in the Everfree Forest. She might know something about what’s going on and could help!” “Of course!” Flutters chimed in, “At the very least, maybe she would know how to help Ocellus.” “Did you say she lives in the Everfree Forest?” Trixie asked, earning a nod from Rainbow and Flutters, “Then we need to go and find her.” “But we can’t all go out there with you in that forest,” Rarity said, “I don’t mean to sound inconsiderate of Ocellus. But that forest is unnatural. The weather acts on its own.” “The animals are self-reliant,” Octavia added. “An’ the plants grow all on their own,” Big Mac finished. “But if you stay on the path, the dangerous stuff will stay away,” Rainbow included, “I’ve been through that forest with Fluttershy dozens of times to visit Zecora.” The three new friends of Ocellus came running out, “Are you going to stop Nightmare Moon?” Silver Spoon asked, worry for her new friend evident in her voice. Trixie couldn’t help but smile, knowing that Ocellus, even as a Changeling, had made friends who were worried for her, “Well, somepony has to do it,” Trixie said, being careful about her choice of words, “Can I trust you three to look after Ocellus while we’re gone?” The three children saluted, “Yes, ma’am!” they said in unison before heading back into the room with Ocellus. “I must decline,” Rarity said, “I must be here to watch after my little sister after all.” “Then I’ll come,” Maud said, “My knowledge of rocks may be helpful.” “I also have my daughter to look after,” Octavia said, “And if you’re going to face Nightmare Moon, that’s simply out of my league.” “I think Nightmare Moon is out of everypony’s league,” Vinyl said, “You keep an eye on Silver, sis. That way, if we win, I can come back as a hero!” “I’m obviously coming. You need a guide, after all,” Flutters said, “What about you, Rainbow?” “I’m just gonna slow you all down,” Rainbow said, extending her mechanical wings, “But I can keep an eye on Ocellus.” “I also have Rumble,” Thunderlane said, “So I have to stay here too.” “NO!” Big Mac insisted, “You’re a Wonderbolt. If they go into battle, your military experience will be useful. Ah’ll watch after Rumble for ya.” Big Mac and Thunderlane shook hooves, finalizing their agreement, “As a Wonderbolt, it’s my responsibility to do this for Equestria, isn’t it?” “Eeyup.” Vinyl took off her sunglasses, her way to invite Octavia into a hug, which was accepted, “Don’t worry, Octy. You know I’ll come back because I would never leave you and Silver behind.” Flutters and Rainbow hugged each other. No words were spoken, but none were needed. Rainbow knew that Flutters was far more capable than she was. Rarity hugged Maud, who just stood there like a statue, “Please, come back safely. We may not be related by blood. But you are like a sister to me. And I don’t know what I’d do if you got hurt.” The corners of Maud’s lips turned up into a soft smile. To anypony who knew Maud, they would know that she was becoming emotional. Trixie went into the back room to see Ocellus. She took the malachite necklace that she got from Carousel Jewelers and placed it around Ocellus’s neck. She then donned her hat and cloak to set out on a new adventure…  …And to save her daughter’s life. Twilight was pacing back and forth nervously. She had just read Trixie’s letter. She’s usually not as wordy as Twilight in her letters. But at least she puts in an effort. So, the fact that the letter was so sparse was itself concerning. And then there was the content of the letter. ‘Princess Celestia is missing’ and ‘Nightmare Moon returned’ likely correlated. Twilight looked up to the moon to see that the Mare in the Moon was no longer there. If that fillytale was, in fact, true, then Nightmare Moon returned and abducted Princess Celestia before making herself known. And that’s assuming something worse hadn’t happened. Then, there was the part about the overabundance of malice and fear that was poisoning Ocellus. She knew that Ocellus likely wouldn’t take it well. But she didn’t realize it was so bad that it was killing her. And then there was ‘We need to stop Nightmare ASAP’, which was especially troubling. I meant that Trixie was planning on facing Nightmare Moon. And if the stories were true, Trixie didn’t stand a chance. But how much did she actually know? “She said ‘we’,” Twilight said to herself, “That means that she’s not alone.” “Miss Sparkle,” a high-class voice said. Twilight turned to see Fancy Pants walking in, followed by Prince Blueblood. Fancy Pants spoke, “Princess Celestia put her trust in you while she was away. But that trust was based on the assumption that everything would go as planned. We allowed it because the Princess ensured that her royal duties were taken care of. But you were never given the legal authority to hold that position on your own.” “There is a law set in place that not even Auntie can overturn,” Prince Blueblood said, stepping forward with an air of authority, “A Pony in the position of royalty has the authority to choose an heir, even if that heir is not by blood. However, short of retirement or a permanent leave of absence, that heir cannot take the throne. Once a royal leaves the throne, they cannot retake it. However, in the case of incapacitation or a temporary leave of absence, there are Regents who can temporarily take on a ruling position. The Regency Act requires two or more Regents to take the role that the ruling party cannot fulfill. Myself and Fancy Pants are two such Regents. But because of the decision Auntie Celestia made, we are extending the role of Regent to you as an Intrum Regent. This is because the proper paperwork to make you an official Regent has not been made.” “I presume this decision is based on the assumption that there’s still a chance that Celestia isn’t gone for good?” Twilight asked. “It’s based on a lack of confirmation one way or another,” Fancy Pants replied, “As Prince Blueblood said, if you were put into the rulership role and Princess Celestia returned, she would be unable to retake the throne.” Twilight nodded in understanding, “Well then, we can finalize any paperwork after all of this has calmed down,” Twilight said authoritatively, “For now, we don’t have much other choice than to put our trust in Trixie and the friends she made in Ponyville.” Twilight’s words hid the fact that she wasn’t sure if she was ready to take on a permanent leadership role yet, so she hoped that Celestia was still okay and that Trixie could save her. The five Ponies had entered the Everfree Forest, led by Fluttershy and Thunderlane. It wasn’t even five minutes before Trixie and Vinyl lit their horns to see where they were going. Being the middle of the night and the density of the Everfree Forest meant that how far they could see was severely restricted. “I love the night and all. But I can’t believe the Everfree is this dark,” Vinyl said, “It’s so dark that I can’t even see my own hoof in front of my face, even when my horn is lit.” “Then perhaps this will help,” Trixie said before lighting up her horn to levitate Vinyl’s sunglasses off of her eyes. “Oh, wow. That’s much better!” Vinyl said before laughing sheepishly, “In my defense, it’s still pretty dark in here.” Vinyl then saw the look of both worry and determination on Trixie’s face and realized that perhaps now wasn’t the time to get snarky. She then began to fidget nervously with her voice synthesizer. Although most dangers tend to avoid the main path in the Everfree Forest, that doesn’t mean that there are no dangers that could be found. And what they found next was an example of a danger that could be found. This was still rare since they weren’t deep enough for wildlife to start disregarding the existence of the main path. ROAAAAR!!! A large lion-like creature with bat wings and a scorpion tail appeared on the path. A Manticore had appeared. And it looked angry. Other than the Pegasi, there was no way that the ponies were going to outrun a Manticore. At best, they could split up, and it would only go after one of them. But that would require sacrificing one of them. They could stay and fight. But the chances that they would escape a fight without serious injuries were minuscule. But at least together, they would stand a chance. “Everypony, stand back!” the group was surprised to see Flutters step forward to face this beast on her own, “I can handle this!” “I’m coming with you!” Thunderlane said, “I have military experience that can-” Flutters turned and glared at Thunderlane, “I said everypony stand back!” Flutters insisted, making Thunderlane wince in fear, “I said I can handle this!” “Yes, ma’am,” Thunderlane whimpered as he stepped back. Flutters returned her attention to the Manticore, who lifted its paw, readying it to swipe down on her and cut her to ribbons. But before it could, Flutters poked under where the shoulder was, causing the Manticore to wince and… “Was that a laugh?” Vinyl asked about the sound the Manticore made. Flutters then continued, this time using her feathered wings to tickle the beast. This dangerous wild animal…was ticklish! The Ponies’ jaws dropped at this. The Manticore then rolled on its back in laughter, revealing its paws to the Pegasus, who saw a large thorn stuck in one of the paw. In a quick action, she grabbed the thorn in her mouth and pulled it out. The Manticore roared out in pain, but Flutters quickly returned to the tickling. Finally, Flutters released the Manticore. The beast then got up, growling at…no, it wasn’t growling, it was purring! “You’re just a little kitten, yes you are,” Flutters said in baby talk. The Manticore then walked away, now content. “How’d you know the Manticore was ticklish?” Thunderlane asked. “And how’d you know it had a thorn in its paw?” Vinyl included. “Most creatures are ticklish somewhere. However, it’s not always easy to get to that ticklish spot. Creatures that have natural armor, for example, will have their ticklish spots protected under that armor,” Flutters explained, “As for the thorn, I didn’t know about that. But Manticores normally avoid Ponies. They only become aggressive like that when their territory is invaded or injured. And since a Manticore’s territory is nowhere near the main path, there must’ve been in injury involved. So, the best option was to subdue it the best way I know how. When I saw the thorn, I removed it.” “And the best way you knew how to subdue the savage beast was to tickle it?” Trixie asked. “Everyone needs a good laugh now and then,” Flutters stated matter-of-factly, “And that includes wild animals.” Meanwhile, Nightmare Moon had been observing the group ever since they entered the forest. After all, this group of Ponies had dared to defy her. It’s not like they would actually be able to do anything against her. But it was a punishable offense nonetheless. When they came across that Manticore, Nightmare Moon didn’t think she even needed to lift a hoof to stop them. And then the impossible occurred. “Did that mechanical Pegasus just tickle that Manticore into submission?!” Nightmare Moon exclaimed in astonishment, “Perhaps even beasts like Manticores have grown soft in a thousand years. I suppose I will have to take things into my own hooves.” The five Ponies were led to a tree. Or rather, it was a hut carved into the trunk of a tree. “It’s kinda like the Golden Oaks Library back in Ponyville,” Vinyl said, “A building carved into a living tree.” “I didn’t know you were the type who would know what a library even was,” Thunderlane snarked. “Ha ha. Very funny,” Vinyl deadpanned. Trixie had seen the Golden Oaks Library during their time in Ponyville. But that was more Twilight’s thing. But where that building looked warm and inviting, this hut looked more mysterious. The masks suggested that the owner was Zebrican. And the potion bottles suggested that this was a hippothe… hypoth… hippo… a potion maker. Flutters stepped up and knocked on the door, “Zecora, are you home?” she called out. After a few moments, the door opened to reveal a figure with black and white stripes, a mohauk, and a glyph mark rather than a cutie mark. This Zecora was clearly not a Pony but a Zebra. “Flutters, I didn’t expect to see you so soon,” Zecora said, “Does this have to do with the return of Nightmare Moon?” “Yes, it does,” Flutters confirmed, “And we were hoping you could help us.” “I believe I can help. But why come to me?” Zecora asked, “The knowledge you seek is in the local library.” “Because we don’t have the time to spend searching through the library for answers,” Trixie stepped forward, “My adopted daughter is a Changeling. And the combined fear and hatred that she experienced is killing her. Time is not on our side!” “A Changeling, you say? Now I see,” Zecora said, motioning for the group to follow, “Please, if you will, come follow me.” The group followed Zecora into the hut. Zecora then motioned for the others to sit around the cauldron in the center of the room, where Zecora began to speak. “Nightmare Moon’s tale is a sad one indeed. But it doesn’t excuse where her actions will lead,” Zecora began, blowing some green dust that began taking shapes as Zecora told the story, “The story begins with the Princesses of the moon and the sun. And how the night begins when the Ponies of the day are done. Princess Luna worked so hard on her night sky. But how the Ponies slept through that beauty made her want to cry. The jealousy of her sister began to corrupt and grind until, finally, her thoughts began to twist her mind. After years of this, the moon Princess finally broke. Princess Luna was no more when Nightmare Moon first spoke. Refusing to lower the moon, her goal was eternal night. And when Princess Celestia realized this, the only option was to fight. The battle raged on between the moon and the sun. But with her newfound power, it seemed that Nightmare Moon had won. But there was one last hope that Celestia could see. And that was to use the Elements of Harmony. She wielded the Six Elements and ultimately won the day. But her connection to the Elements dissolved after sending her sister away. A thousand years have passed since that day very sinister. And the Elements waited, still in the Castle of the Two Sisters. When all hope in Equestria seems the most thin, there is where the Elements wait within. Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Laughter, and Generosity are needed for a happily ever after. When those five find their bearers, it is the trick to revealing the sixth Element, the Element of Magic. The Six Elements combined will produce the Rainbow of Light. That final weapon will end the Eternal Night.” “Based on what we saw earlier, I think we know who’s connected to the Element of Laughter,” Vinyl said. “Really? Who?” Flutters asked. It was hard to tell if she was making a sarcastic joke or if she honestly was that absent-minded. But it did gain a laugh from everyone in the room, even Zecora. “How do we get to the Castle of the Two Sisters?” Trixie asked straightforwardly. “The way to the Castle requires leaving the main road,” Zecora said, “I will lead you through to lessen the load.” “I can’t allow that,” Thunderlane said, “I understand that you want to help, but I can’t allow anypony else to put themselves in danger.” “I appreciate that you care for my safety. But my inclusion will make this easier on you and me,” Zecora countered, not taking no for an answer, “For the inexperienced, the way would be hard. But not for me. The Everfree is my backyard.” “If You’re sure about it, then I suppose we could use all the help we could get,” Thunderlane admitted. Zecora went into what was likely her bedroom and grabbed several identical cloaks, “These cloaks do more than keep you warm. They will help to protect your form,” Zecora said, “Don’t mind the smell of the fabric. It wards off Everfree beasts as a neat trick.” The ponies, of course, had to sniff the cloaks. Although the smell wasn’t exceptionally bad, it was potent. But they noticed that the smell only seemed to be on the outside. The inside seemed to be protected from the smell. It likely wouldn’t block the outside smell completely. But considering that the smell wasn’t that bad, being significantly lessened would be very helpful. When they put them on, the material wasn’t a bit scratchy. But if it did as Zecora said, that’s a fair trade-off. And Trixie had the benefit of having her own cloak to act as an inner lining. And there was a surprising freedom of movement. However, it became clear to the Pegasi in the group that the cloaks didn’t have wings in mind with their design. And they did little to hide the Unicorns’ horns. But those were minor issues. Now, the group of six were off to the Castle of the Two Sisters.