My Little Pony: Nine Elements Book 3

by BlueBioWolf

Chapter 5: Magic Duel (S3:E5)

Four days after Babs and her friends went back to Manehattan, it was October 3rd and a dark and rainy night as Trixie Lulamoon was trotting through a forest with her cart in tow. She had turned 18 the week before and decided to visit Ponyville after a couple years.

“I hope everypony is doing well,” she said aloud to herself. “And especially Spike. It’ll be good to see him again, too.” Then, a thought occurred to her. “Did I even have a proper conversation with him last time I was there*? Well, if I hadn’t, I will during my next visit.” As she trotted along, she noticed something laying on the ground beside the road. “Hmm? What’s this? This might belong to somepony.” She inspected it closely and discovered that it was an amulet with a red jewel in the center and a black winged and horned pony displayed on the outside. “Whoa~” Suddenly, she began to hear ominous whispers. “Hmm? Who’s there? Is this your amulet… whoever is out there?” She looked around, but, couldn’t see any other life forms that could’ve made the whispers. “Bizarre…”

She decided to look for the amulet’s owner herself and placed a hoof on it. No sooner had she done that than the hoof she used to touch it began moving of its own accord.

“Wh-what’s happening?!” she exclaimed. “Help! Somepony help!”

The hoof that touched the amulet forcefully put it around Trixie’s neck. That was when the ominous whispers became coherent.

“Hello, Trixie,” the voice said.**

“Wh-who are you?” Trixie asked with a quiver in her voice.

“You may call me…” the voice said. “Umbranor. I’m a spirit that resides in the Alicorn Amulet.”

“The Alicorn Amulet?” Trixie repeated. “Oh, no…”

“Yes,” Umbranor said. “I see you have vague memories of that artifact.”

“I learned of it a long time ago at Celestia’s School,” Trixie explained, still trembling in fright.

“I can see that the memories aren’t very clear,” Umbranor said. “I also see that you plan on showing Twilight Sparkle how much your magic has improved since you last saw her.”

“Y-yes,” Trixie said. “And catch up with her and her friends.”

“Well, what say we make this more interesting?” Umbranor said. “Challenge Twilight to a magic duel.”

“A magic duel?” Trixie repeated. “I’m not so sure about that. I chiefly use performance magic and Twilight has talents that far exceed mine.”

“Ah,” Umbranor said. “But, with the power I grant you, you can do so much more. Spells that even Twilight Sparkle hasn’t mastered.”

This idea felt tempting to Trixie.

“So, then,” Trixie said. “I really would be the Great and Powerful Trixie?”

“Indeed,” Umbranor said. “However, you’ll need to practice a bit.”

“Oh, gladly,” Trixie said, a corrupted grin growing on her face.

Two days later, the weather had cleared. On that particular day, Twilight and Spike were at Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Are you ready to do this, little ones?” Fluttershy asked some animals. They nodded. “Alright. Keep in mind, I will be a little bit nervous about this, but, I’m going to trust Twilight to make sure you’re all okay.”

“You have my promise that your animals will be safe, Fluttershy,” Twilight said in a kind voice.

“Besides,” Spike said. “She’s been doing this for the past week and things have been fine.” He then muttered under his breath, “Except when she accidentally duplicated Angel.”

“I heard that, Spike,” Twilight said. “I was able to apply the counter spell to that, you know.” She then turned her attention to the animals. Fluttershy and Spike stood out of the way, but, they watched from afar. She then focused her energy and surrounded the animals in her magical aura. She then started to gently levitate them in the air. The animals thought that this was great fun.

“See?” Spike said. “Nothing to worry about.”

“You’re right, Spike,” Fluttershy said. “I do hear them cheering as they’re floating around up there.”

Just then, Twilight concentrated all her energy into levitating the water out of a small pond, looping it into a figure eight.

“Wow,” Fluttershy and Spike gasped with supportive smiles.

Twilight was visibly straining to hold the magical figure as she manipulated the water, but, somehow, she willed herself to continue on even as the pressure grew more and more intense. But, at last, Twilight reached the limits of her ability and the water dropped back into the pond. She then gently set the animals down onto the ground, making sure none of them are hurt. Her horn was slightly smoking from the effort.

Fluttershy saw this and applied an ice pack to Twilight’s horn. “You did very well, Twilight.”

“I’ll say,” Spike said. “Your magic’s improved over these last two years.”

“Thanks, you guys,” Twilight said modestly. “I wonder how much Trixie’s improved.”

“That’s a good thought,” Spike said. “Boy, we haven’t thought of her in a while. I wonder how she’s doing.”

“It still feels like she was hiding something the last time she was here,” Fluttershy said.

“If and when she ever comes back,” Twilight said. “I hope we can give her enough trust to know she can talk to us about anything. And if something is bothering her, we should help her. Anyway, do you think I improved enough to impress Princess Celestia and the delegates from Saddle Arabia tonight?”

“Totally,” Spike said. “When Princess Celestia put you on entertainment, I had a feeling that you would showcase some good magic.”

“But, I’ve heard that in Saddle Arabia,” Twilight said. “Incredible feats are routine every hour or so.***”

“I wouldn’t know,” Fluttershy admitted. “I’ve never been there.”

“Besides,” Spike pointed out. “We have plenty of crazy stuff happening here, too. That’s how you became the Guardians of Harmony.”

“Guys!” exclaimed Rainbow as she flew in. “Something crazy is happening in Ponyville!”

“What is it?” Twilight asked.

“You’re probably not going to believe this,” Rainbow started. “But… Trixie is causing trouble.”

The three others wore looks of confusion.

“Trixie?” Twilight asked. “Causing trouble?”

“I know,” Rainbow said. “I can hardly believe it myself.”

“We better look into this,” Spike said. “Because the idea of Trixie willingly causing trouble doesn’t sound right.”

Rainbow led them into town. There, a sizable crowd of ponies had gathered. Rarity was struck by a red beam. With a puff of smoke, Rarity was wearing a dress that was brown-forward with orange, hot pink, yellow, and green accents. Think the tackiest dress from a local thrift shop only somehow worse.

"You monster!" she shrieked. "This shade of brown should only be used for accents! How could you do this to me?!"

Applejack and Pinkie hustled up and gently moved their upset fashionista friend away from the crowd.

“Come on, Applejack,” Pinkie said. “We need to get her into a nice soothing pink, stat!”

And the two earth ponies trotted off, carrying their unicorn friend with them. Rainbow and Fluttershy flew in, followed by Twilight and Spike.

“What’s going on here?” Twilight demanded.

“Well, well, well,” said the black hooded-cape wearing mare. “If it isn’t Twilight Sparkle.”

She lifted her hood to reveal her face, mane, and horn. But, Trixie’s eyes briefly flashed in a sinister red, showing the Alicorn Amulet fastened around her neck.

“What’s the meaning of this, Trixie?” Twilight asked. “I remember you leaving Ponyville on good terms!”

“Yeah,” Spike said. “What happened to you?”

Rainbow hovered above them. “Is that even the best you can do?”

“Try this on for size!” Trixie exclaimed as she fired a vivid red beam of magical aura at the braggadocious pegasus.

When the flash died down, Rainbow saw the result of what had happened: her right wing had grown abnormally larger than her left one. This caused her flying to become uneven.

“Whoa~!” Rainbow exclaimed as she flopped in the air.

The ponies who watched her unevenly fly ducked down to avoid accidentally getting hit by her hooves. Snips, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails were among the ponies in the crowd.

“Whoa,” Snips chuckled. “She’s Rainbow Wobble now!”

“Yeah,” Snails said, chuckling, before taking a chance to think. “I don’t get it.”

Tails could only roll his eyes in annoyance at his brothers. But, he ducked as Rainbow whizzed by again.

“Good spell, oh Great and Powerful Trixie,” Snips said, genuflecting before the corrupted unicorn mare.

“Don’t encourage her,” Tails said, pulling him back up.

“Silence, non-believer!” Trixie said, zapping Tails with her magic aura.

The magic put a muzzle around his… muzzle. Snips and Snails were shocked by this.

“Hey!” Snails said with a newfound sense of anger. “Nopony does that to our brother!”

“Even if he can be a bit naggy!” Snips said, earning him a deadpan glare from Tails.

“You two, quiet!” She zapped the two unicorn colts with her magic.

When the light died down, Snails found himself with Snips fused together, horn to horn.

“Hey, what the-?!” Snails stammered, trying to shake off Snips from his head.

“FlAiLiNg Me LiKe A tRoUt IsN’t WoRkInG!!!” Snips said as he was being flailed around.

“Trixie, stop picking on my friends!” Twilight said sternly. “This is unnecessary!”

What none of the Ponyville residents knew at the time was that within Trixie’s mind, the mare was watching what was happening through her own eyes and was horrified by what she saw.

“Twilight’s right,” Trixie’s internal dialogue said. “Why am I doing this to them?”

“This is necessary,” the voice of Umbranor said. “Now, say why we’re here. Put that excellent showpony voice of yours to good use. And remember what I told you to say.”

“Very well,” Trixie's internal dialogue said.

Back outside…

“You and I have some unfinished business, Twilight,” Trixie said in her best showpony voice. “My magic has gotten better since we last crossed paths and I wanted to show you what I got with a magic duel. But, to make this more interesting, I thought I’d make a little wager. The winner stays, the loser leaves Ponyville forever!”

“What makes you think I’d make a deal like that?” Twilight demanded.

Unknown to her, Umbranor took control of Trixie’s body and even started speaking in her voice.

“Because, if you don’t,” ‘Trixie’ said. “I will not only keep casting spells on your friends, I’m not above ending them!” At that very moment, she fired a vivid red beam at Spike.

The magic morphed him into a ball and started to dribble him.

“Let me go!” Spike said helplessly.

This sight enraged Twilight. “You leave my son out of this!”

This statement caught Umbranor off guard and caused him to speak in his own voice. “Your son? I wasn’t told of this before.” He then realized his mistake and cleared his throat before speaking in Trixie’s voice. “Pardon me, I had something in my throat.”

“But,” Spike grunted between bounced. “Think you can take a clue and let me go?!”

“Only if your ‘mommy’, agrees to face Trixie,” Umbranor said in Trixie’s voice.

“First, answer me this,” Twilight said. “Why are you doing this?”

“Don’t act so innocent,” ‘Trixie’ said as her horn lit up. In a flash, a giant projector screen appeared and began to display images from Trixie's last appearance in Ponyville. “You showed up Trixie with that Ursa Minor and made her work tirelessly to fix all of Ponyville. Since then, she was ostracized and mocked. She even had to take a job at a stupid rock farm just to survive! A rock farm, for Tartarus’ sake!” On the screen, Trixie was seen working for a pony Pinkie recognized immediately.

“Hey!” Pinkie snapped. “My family’s rock farm home is not stupid!”

Inside Trixie’s mind, the mare was shocked at the way her memories were presented.

“That’s not how those memories happened!” the mare internally monologued.

“You want these ponies to sympathize with you, don't you?” Umbranor said.

“Not like this!” the mare internally protested.

Back outside, Umbranor used Trixie’s magic to remove Pinkie’s muzzle. Pinkie mumbled with outrage.

“So, Twilight?” ‘Trixie’ said. “Are you down to show me your magical prowess or am I going to take more drastic measures to get you to change your mind?”

Twilight knew she was being forced into this, but, she knew Trixie would continue casting spells like the ones before until she agreed. It was becoming increasingly apparent that Trixie wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“Very well, Trixie,” Twilight conceded. “Only if you’ll spare my friends and family. Your fight’s with me, not them!”

“I knew you would agree eventually,” ‘Trixie’ said.

She lit her horn and remedied almost all of Spike and the other ponies’ problems. The only exception being Pinkie, who was still without a muzzle.

“Return Pinkie’s muzzle, too!” Twilight demanded.

‘Trixie’ rolled her eyes and returned Pinkie’s muzzle. The mare gasped for breath and was uncharacteristically angry. “Taking my bucking muzzle?!” she shouted. “Were you trying to suffocate or starve me?!****”

“If I wanted to get rid of you,” ‘Trixie’ said. “I would have done so already. Now shut up or I’ll do something worse than just remove your muzzle.”

“Take that bitch down, Twilight!” Pinkie said. Nearby parents covered their foals’ ears.*****

Whoa, Spike thought to himself. Pinkie must have been angry. I’ve never heard her call anypony that before.

“Enough talk,” Twilight said. “Let’s duel!”

“I thought you’d never ask,” ‘Trixie’ said. “Draw!”

She fired a red beam of magic at a nearby wagon carrying pies. She levitated it with her magic and caused it to careen at Twilight. Twilight used her magic to stop the cart in midair. She then set it aside so that it wouldn’t hurt anypony. She breathed a sigh of relief, but, the relief was short lived when she saw Trixie levitating hot pies to fire at the lavender unicorn. Thinking quickly, Twilight remembered an advanced spell she recently learned that allowed her to summon a Parasprite. It was able to eat the pies in one gulp. It then belched out a duplicate. Twilight was able to use her magic to teleport them away to a place where they couldn’t cause any harm. Her horn was starting to warm up again using so much magic so suddenly. But, unexpected relief was about to wash over her in the form of a concentrated snowpatch, courtesy of Trixie. Twilight’s horn hissed like hot metal coming in contact with cold water as a shroud of steam was created. Twilight, in an effort to bring down Trixie’s hubris, fired a magenta magic beam at Trixie's face. For a second, it seemed nothing had happened. But, it turned out she had used #25 as a black mustache magically grew on Trixie’s face. The sight made the witnesses snicker a bit. Though, Pinkie laughed in an almost sadistic manner.

“Maybe you should consider joining a circus freakshow!” she said. That comment caused Spike and the other guardians to look at her in shock as she kept laughing.

“Boy,” Applejack said. “She really took losin’ her muzzle hard.”

Pinkie immediately stopped laughing and glared at Applejack. “You try nearly suffocating and/or starving,” she said. “I nearly died! Death is no laughing matter!”

“Believe me, I know,” Rainbow said.

While they were talking, Trixie conjured a pair of scissors to cut the mustache off.

“Snips, Snails,” ‘Trixie’ ordered. “I need your assistance.”

Despite his best efforts, Tails was unable to stop his brothers from approaching her. Trixie used her magic to turn Snips into a baby and Snails into an old stallion. Twilight could hardly believe her eyes.

“Age spells?” Twilight gasped. “Only the most advanced unicorns can perform those spells. I know for a fact that you were expelled before you could get anywhere near that level.”

“A lot has changed since we last met,” ‘Trixie’ said. “So, what can your magic do? Think you can change them back?”

Twilight took a deep breath and made an effort. She strained as hard as she could, but, try as she might, she couldn’t return the two to their proper ages. With her horn overheated again, Twilight collapsed in exhaustion.

“Trixie is the highest level unicorn!” ‘Trixie’ cackled. She then used her magic to reverse the spell. “Now, it’s time for you to leave Ponyville forever!”

Pinkie ran straight for Trixie, clearly intent on beating her senseless. Trixie, seeing her coming, creates a force field around herself to keep her safe.

“That force field won’t protect you forever, you bucking bitch!” Pinkie said, pounding on it.

“Seems like I took your eyes and not just your muzzle,” ‘Trixie’ said in a smart-alecky tone. “Punch as much as you want, you’ll never penetrate this force field. And when you get tired, you can join Twilight in her banishment.”

Applejack and Rainbow had to work together to hold Pinkie back.

“Alright, Pinkie,” Rarity said. “I understand that you almost suffocated because of this brute, but, that gives you no reason to exhaust yourself on this frivolous task of revenge. It’s not working. You’re only stooping to her level. Hardly befitting a Guardian of Harmony.”

Pinkie didn’t like it, but, she did have to stop and back off.

“Thank you, Rarity,” ‘Trixie’ said with a falsely charming smile. “For you and Applejack’s efforts to stop Pinkie… aww, what the heck, I think I’ll banish you, too, because I can.”

“No, Trixie,” Twilight said sadly. “They don’t deserve the banishment.” She slowly got up. “I’ll leave, but, spare them. My son above all.”

“Very well,” ‘Trixie’ smirked. “Well, tootle-oo, Twilight. But, just to make sure you stay banished…” Trixie used her magic to envelop Twilight in her magical aura and teleport her to the outskirts of Ponyville. Once she was out, Trixie put a large transparent dome over Ponyville.

Spike and the other guardians rushed to the wall of the dome on the inside and Twilight did likewise from outside.

“Mom!” Spike exclaimed. “Can you hear me?!” The little dragon’s eyes were welling with tears. It was always a heart-breaking sight for Twilight.

“I can hear you, Spike,” Twilight said in a loud volume. “I’ll figure something out and see if I can find a way to get through this. You all must look out for each other. And keep an eye on Trixie. This isn’t the same unicorn we knew before.” She then focused on Spike. “I promise I’ll be back, my son. I love you.”

“I love you too, Mom,” Spike said with a sniffle.

“Rarity, Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “I’m trusting both of you to take care of Spike.”

“We won’t let you down, Twilight,” Rarity nodded.

“We promise,” Fluttershy said, holding a hoof to her heart.

With that, Twilight trotted off into the Everfree Forest. Spike kept his eyes on Twilight until she disappeared.

“What do we do now?” Fluttershy asked worriedly.

“We need ta be strong fer Twilight,” Applejack said. “Ah could tell somethin’ weren’t right with Trixie.”

“Indeed,” Rarity said. “Especially with that dark hooded cape and that peculiar necklace. Not to mention, her aura was vivid red. If I recall correctly, the last time she was here, her aura was a pale, light grayish magenta.”

“So… and I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but…” Rainbow started. “We’re going to have to… learn about what’s going on.”

“I’m surprised how much I agree with that,” Rarity said.

“I want to give that Trixie a kick to the face so hard that—” Pinkie began before Rarity cut her off.

“Pinkie, please!” Rarity said. “You are no longer in threat of suffocating or starving, so you are going to have to get a grip. And on top of that, you should not say any of this in front of Spike right now. He’s going through a hard enough time as it is without your negativity. Do you understand?”

Pinkie looked at the sad drake and felt her anger ebb away. “You’re right, Rarity. I’m sorry, everypony.”

“That was likely the temporary oxygen deprivation talking,” Spike said with a sob. “But, I want to learn everything I can to get my mom back.”

Applejack put a hoof on Spike’s shoulder.

“Yer afraid o’ losin’ her, ain’t ya?” she asked gently.

“Of course I am,” Spike sniffled. “She hatched me and raised me. She made mistakes in the past, but, nopony’s perfect and she’s the closest thing to a mom that I have.”

Applejack rubbed Spike’s head. “We’re all scared o’ that, sugarcube,” she said sympathetically. “But, Twilight’d want ya ta be strong fer her. We won’t do her much good if we just sit ‘round feelin’ sorry fer ourselves.”

“You’re right, Applejack,” Spike said. He then took a deep breath and exhaled. “Come on, everypony.”

Meanwhile, Twilight was trying to use an age spell on a flower. She was concentrating her magical aura on it. At first, it seemed to be blooming a bit, but, the strain and overheating on her horn was becoming overwhelming. The flower reverted to the state it was in before Twilight tried using the spell.

“This is impossible,” Twilight said. “I’m not far enough in my magic lessons to learn an age spell, so, how was Trixie able to learn it? It doesn’t make sense.” She then remembered that Trixie’s aura was a different color than the last time she was in Ponyville. “Her magic aura changing color could have something to do with it, though, it seems unnatural for it to suddenly be so red. Wait. There’s something familiar about the vibe of the magic she used. Without Spike, I can’t contact the princesses.”

“Twilight?” said a familiar and friendly voice. “What brings you out this way? It is unexpected and I can tell you are dismayed.”

“Zecora!” Twilight exclaimed. “I’m very dismayed.”

“Come into my hut for a cup of tea,” Zecora said. “And tell me what weighs on your heart heavily.”

A bit later, Twilight had finished explaining the situation.

“Your tale of woe upsets me so,” Zecora said, taking a sip of her herbal tea. “It is little wonder you are dour for that is an abuse of power. Separated from your friends and your son, that is a mistake that must be undone.”

“But, how?” Twilight asked. “I tried facing Trixie and it didn’t work. I don’t even know how she got so powerful when she dropped out of magic school.”

“You mentioned an aura of vivid red,” Zecora said. “Perhaps that is the cause of your dread. An unnatural magic from one so tragic. But, if you train with me, so good you’ll be. I’ll show you the way to make sure that back in Ponyville you will stay.”

“You’re going to train me?” Twilight asked. “No offense, but, you’re a zebra.”

“I may not have the prowess of a unicorn,” Zecora explained. “But, I have been learning different methods after I was born. Not traditional in the ways that you have learned, but, once I teach you, new knowledge will be earned.”

“Okay,” Twilight said. “I’m willing to learn.”

Zecora nodded wisely as she showed Twilight outside of her hut.

Back in Ponyville, Umbranor, posing as Trixie, was ordering various ponies to do her bidding. All the while, the real Trixie, bound in chains in her mind, could only watch helplessly.

“Please, Umbranor,” Trixie said internally. “This isn’t what I wanted! This goes against everything my father taught me!”

“This is what I want,” Umbranor said wickedly. “And I’m not going to let a cowardly unicorn take that away from me. You put the Alicorn Amulet on and continued to use its augmentations without knowing the consequences. Now, you. Belong. To me!”

“No!” Trixie said internally. “I won’t let you do this anymore! I’m going to take off the amulet and undo the bubble. Then, I’m going to set everything right with everypony!”

Umbranor appeared before her in the form of a silhouette of an alicorn with glowing yellow eyes that shone brightly, tightening the chains binding the real Trixie. The showmare unicorn interjected with shock.

“Don’t you ever speak that way to me!” Umbranor said forcefully. “If you aren’t going to be my vessel, then, you'll be worth less than the tombstone you’ll be buried under. Understand?!”

Trixie quickly lost her nerve. “Y-y-yes, Umbranor… sir…” she quivered.

Outside, none were aware of her inner turmoil.

“The idea of making a throne out of baked goods is just ludicrous,” Mr. Cake said. “Baked goods are for eating, not furniture.”

“We better keep doing this, though,” Mrs. Cake said nervously. “Who knows what she could do to us if we disobey? Or worse, our triplets’ lives could be at risk.”

“Hurry up with my throne!” ‘Trixie’ demanded.

“Y-yes, ma’am,” Mrs. Cake answered.

Meanwhile, Applejack and Caramel were smooshing apples with their hooves.

“How long until my applesauce facial is ready?” ‘Trixie’ asked.

“Facial?” Caramel asked. “I thought you were going to eat it.”

“It’s for my pores,” ‘Trixie’ said. “Now keep at it.”

Caramel was about to continue when Applejack stopped him.

“Ferget it,” Applejack said. “We ain’t goin’ ta follow any o’ yer orders ‘till ya let Twilight come back home!”

‘Trixie’ took this as a challenge. She levitated feathers to tickle Applejack, causing her to laugh uncontrollably. Applejack tried to resist, but, it didn’t last long because of one simple thing: she was extremely ticklish. This wasn’t something she publicly allowed others to know about (Caramel was among the few ponies not in her biological family she told). To make matters worse, ‘Trixie’ wasn’t aware of the extent of this weakness and didn’t show mercy.******

“Ha-ha, hoh-kay!” Applejack gasped between guffaws. “We’ll keep workin’! Just make it stop! Ah can’t take it!”

“Ah,” ‘Trixie’ said. “It seems I found your weakness.”

“Whatever!” Applejack laughed. “But, if ya don’t stop, the biddin’ won’t get done! Ah might accidentally taint these here apples!”

“She’s not lying!” Caramel said. “I’ve seen what happens when she’s tickled too long!”

‘Trixie’ considered this. Not wanting her face to smell like forbidden apple juice*******, she released the feathers and subsequently released Applejack from her tickled grasp. The farm mare breathed heavily, trying to regain her breath. Caramel comforted his marefriend gently. Pinkie was quickly starting to lose her temper, but, this distracted her and caused her to trip over boxes she could’ve avoided. ‘Trixie,’ hearing the fumbling, sadistically applauded her.

“Well done~!” ‘Trixie’ applauded. “In my new empire, you shall be a remarkable jester!”

“You’re lucky the Cake Triplets are in this room,” Pinkie said. “The words I’m thinking of can’t be said around them!”

Back in the Everfree Forest, Zecora was training Twilight. The zebra had the lavender unicorn stand on a pond and use her magic to concentrate on orbs of water to levitate around her. It was an oddly serene scene.

“Ah yes,” Zecora said. “The key to water magic is no noise, no sound, no din, and no fuss to interfere with your focus. “Unlearn what you have already learned. For only then can victory truly be earned."

Twilight was still focusing her energy. However, what she thought was Trixie’s voice ruined her concentration.

Trixie IS the highest level unicorn, ‘Trixie’s’ voice said.

Twilight was so disturbed that she sank in the pond and released the water orbs with numerous splashes. Luckily, the pond wasn’t very deep and she was able to return above the surface.

“Oh,” Twilight said. “It’s so hard to learn elemental magic you don’t have an affinity for.”

“There is much more that I can teach,” Zecora said as she helped Twilight out of the pond. “But, the answer you need may still be out of reach.”

“I’m trying really hard, Zecora,” Twilight said. “I wasn’t born with affinities for water and earth magic like you. My friends and my son are counting on me to come back and save them. I can't just push them out of my mind. Not after the promises I made. And that doesn't even begin to cover Trixie. I remember her leaving on good terms, but, now, she’s acting so differently.”

“Your thinking needs a readjust,” Zecora explained calmly. “Total concentration is a must. How she has changed is a concern, but, that should not distract you from the lessons you must learn.”

Back in Ponyville, Spike had called the remaining Guardians of Harmony, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and Caramel. They were hiding out in the Golden Oak Library and they were going through all of the books in the Magic Section.

“Ugh!” Rainbow said. “I can’t read these runes!”

“There has to be some written in Ponish,” Sweetie Belle said. “If there aren’t, it’s making the search more difficult.”

“This is like finding a needle in a haystack!” Scootaloo said.

Finally, Spike found a picture of the necklace Trixie was wearing. “I think I just found the needle!”

The other ponies turned their attention to the drake.

“Well done, Spike,” Fluttershy said happily. “Are there descriptions about it?”

“The Alicorn Amulet,” Spike read. “It was created by King Sombra during his reign over the Crystal Empire. He created it by sacrificing 33 earth ponies, 33 pegasi, and 33 unicorns. He slaughtered all 99 of them and their blood, bone, and flesh melted with the metal used to forge the amulet. Depending on the type of pony wearing it, it enhances that pony’s natural traits. Magic for unicorns, flight and speed for pegasi, and strength and stamina for earth ponies.”********

“That’s horrifying!” Rainbow exclaimed. “We all knew King Sombra was a bad pony when he enslaved the Crystal Ponies, but, that’s just too much!”

“It gets worse,” Spike said. “As a consequence of the amulet’s creation, the souls sacrificed merged into one, creating an evil spirit bound to the amulet. Just touching it gives the spirit the power to force the user to put it on. The more the user uses the amulet, the more control over the user the spirit has.”

“Wait a minute,” Applejack said. “So, y’all think that this here spirit was the one who took off Pinkie’s muzzle instead o’ Trixie herself?”

“I don’t give a flying feather either way,” Pinkie said. “That Trixie bucked with something she shouldn’t have bucked with and I’m going to take that amulet off her neck and jab her in the eye with it!”

“Pinkie, no!” Spike exclaimed. “The amulet has a special lock on it. Only Trixie has to remove it herself. And if somepony else tries to force it off of her, it could not only kill Trixie, but, the spirit within the amulet would possess you! Do you really hate Trixie enough to wish her dead? Or that you would risk being possessed by it to harm others?”

Pinkie took all of this in. She was still mad at the idea of nearly suffocating and starving, but, she wouldn’t wish for anypony to die. And she certainly wouldn’t want to risk being possessed. If she was possessed, she could never plan another party with the ones she loved ever again. That went against her very nature. “You win, Spike,” she said. “But, how are we supposed to get Trixie to remove the amulet?”

“We need to get this information to Twilight,” Fluttershy said. “She could have learned about the Alicorn Amulet before and she might know what to do.”

“There’s a small problem there,” Spike said. “After the Crystal Empire, my mom hasn’t really been in a rush to explore the more intricate aspects of dark magic.”

“And there’s also the problem o’ the giant bubble that Trixie put up,” Apple Bloom said. “Even if ya could send messages with yer fire breath, Spike, it’ll be hard fer Twilight ta teleport back in.”

“I tried contacting the princess,” Spike said. “The scrolls can’t get through.”

Before any of them could say anything, the door was knocked off its hinges and Trixie came dashing into the room accompanied by Snips and Snails. By now, her red eyes had become increasingly obvious to spot.

“There you are!” ‘Trixie’ shouted. “You’re supposed to be following my orders, not leisurely reading! If you had any thoughts of treason, I’m here to quell them now.”

“You can’t frighten us, Trixie,” Spike said defiantly. “Or should I say, spirit?!”

‘Trixie’ growled ferociously. This frightened Snips and Snails as they ran and quivered behind Applejack.

“You’re the spirit of the Alicorn Amulet, aren’t you?” Spike said defiantly.

“You have done your research,” Umbranor said in his real voice. “Well, that knowledge isn’t going to help you much further!”

“Sp-sp-spirit?!” Snips quivered.

“Yes,” Umbranor said. “I am Umbranor, the spirit of the Alicorn Amulet and the combined form of 99 sacrificed pony souls.”

“That explains why Trixie didn’t really act like the Great and Powerful Trixie,” Snails squirmed.

“Pah!” Umbranor scoffed. “Were it not for the fact that I’m powerless unless a pony wears the amulet, I would have cast that worthless showmare aside. She’s utterly useless otherwise. Other users would have taken much longer for me to take control of. This mare was so weak, I gained control two days ago after she came across the amulet by chance.”

Ah had a feeling Trixie wouldn’t have come ‘cross that there amulet on purpose, Applejack thought to herself. But, out loud, she said, “We’ll figger out some way ta get Trixie ta take that Alicorn Amulet off o’ her! N’ once we do, we’re goin’ ta lock it up so that nopony’ll ever be corrupted by yer evil magic ever again!”

Umbranor was less than impressed. “Even if you trick my worthless hostess into removing the amulet,” he said. “I can gain enough power to force the next pony who merely touches it to put it on. The last pony to wear it buried it in the side of a plateau that years of rain washed away.”

“Even so,” Rainbow said. “We won’t let anypony else get possessed by you! We’ll do anything to make sure Twilight can come back home and that this stupid dome is out of here!”

Umbranor expressed no fear in Rainbow’s threat. “You ponies really are pathetic. No wonder you can be swayed so easily.”

“Just ya wait,” Apple Bloom snapped. “Mah sister n’ her friends’ll make ya sorry ya said that!”

“Aw, isn’t that adorable?” Umbranor said arrogantly. “It thinks it’s a threat.”

So, Umbranor decided to leave the library. He would save any real harm he had for them for another time. However, he used magic to forcibly relocate all in the library.

Spike was about to try to free himself when he noticed some of the ground swelling as if something was digging underneath it.

“What the?” Spike said to himself curiously. He cautiously looked at the patch of ground.

Umbranor noticed as well.

“Hello?” the spirit said softly.

In seconds, Bluu sprung up out of the ground, surprising all present.

“Bluu?!” Rarity gasped. “This is an unexpected surprise, but, certainly a much more pleasant one. What brings you here?”

“Well,” Bluu said. “I was trying to find Ponyville, didn’t know where it was so it took a while, I found the place and there’s a giant goldfish bowl covering it. What’s going on?”

“The spirit of 99 slain ponies confined in a powerful artifact called the Alicorn Amulet,” Spike explained. “The spirit within can only gain control if the Amulet is worn by somepony. So, this spirit seized control of a unicorn mare, challenged my mom to a magic duel, and forced her to leave Ponyville. This dome is to make sure she doesn’t come back.”

“How did a mongrel like you get through the barrier?!” Umbranor demanded.

Bluu’s answer was brief and blunt. “I dug under it.”

“Careful,” Pinkie stage-whispered at Bluu. “Your muzzle could be forcibly removed.”

“Oh, I have something worse in mind,” Umbranor said. But, before he could do anything, Bluu reached into his vest and threw a paw full of sand in Trixie’s eyes. This caused Umbranor to temporarily let go of his grasp on Trixie, letting her suffer the pain. This also released those caught in the magical grasp. 

“Quick,” Spike whispered to his companions. “We have to get out of here while we have the chance.”

All but Bluu, Snips, and Snails retreated into Bluu’s tunnel. They popped out of the other side on the outskirts of the village and saw the entrance to the Everfree Forest.

“And we didn’t think to dig under the dome from the start if it was going to be that easy to get out, WHY?!” Rainbow said.*********

“I guess because only one of us really knows how to dig,” Fluttershy thought aloud. “We didn’t really think about it?”

“One thing’s for sure,” Spike said. “That Umbranor, and by extension, Trixie, won’t be blinded for long. When they regain their sight, they’ll notice we’re all missing and find a way to get us back in.”

“So,” Rarity said. “What can we do? Should we look for Twilight?”

“Ah’ll go,” Applejack said. “Spike, think ya can get a letter ta the princess?”

“I used up the last of the scrolls the library had trying to contact her inside the dome,” Spike said.

“When all of this is over,” Rarity said. “I’ll have to take you and Twilight shopping to help restock.”

“While ah go tell Twilight what we learned, y’all best head back in the dome,” Applejack said. “That specter’ll cause more damage if Trixie gets outside the dome. ‘Least with most o’ us inside, the specter can’t hurt nopony outside Ponyville.”

“But, we’ll suffocate in there!” Pinkie said.

“No, ya won’t,” Applejack explained. “Even without Bluu’s tunnel, ‘long as there’re trees, flowers, n’ grass in there ta supply y’all with oxygen, y’all will be safe.”

“How do you know that about plants?” Rainbow asked.

“Ah work n’ live on a farm,” Applejack explained flatly. “Mah family’s surrounded by trees.”

“Oh,” Rainbow said in embarrassment. “I forgot. I keep forgetting that you know about stuff besides apples.”

“Uh, you do know apples are a type of plant, right?” Sweetie Belle pointed out.

“Never mind that now,” Applejack said. “Just go n’ ah shouldn’t be gone long.”

With that, Applejack headed off. The others headed back inside Ponyville under the dome via the tunnel.

In Zecora’s hut, Applejack had explained the situation to Twilight.

“I thought there was something odd about the amulet,” Twilight said, dismayed. “I can’t believe I didn’t recognize it first-hoof.”

“Spike told us ya weren’t eager ta look inta dark magic after the Crystal Empire,” Applejack said.

“Even in death, Sombra’s dark magic finds its way to me somehow,” Twilight said. “I have no clue on how to convince Trixie to take it off, even with Umbranor taking over her mind. My magic may be getting stronger, but, it’s still not enough.”

All the while, Zecora listened carefully. “Twilight Sparkle, much work have you done,” she said. “You have learned all of my lessons… all but one. If the spirits’ tricks have you in a fix, you must nix your magic and use the six.”

“Would it kill ya ta give a straight answer fer once?” Applejack said.

But, Twilight was deep in thought, trying to unravel the riddle and figure out what it really meant. Once she had the solution, she gasped happily. “Zecora, you're a genius! Thank you!” She embraced her zebra friend, who smiled wisely.

“Am ah missin’ somethin’ here?” Applejack said, still confused.

“Zecora explained that I should face off against Umbranor again,” Twilight explained. “Only this time, I use a different kind of magic. The very magic that triumphed over Nightmare Moon and Discord.”

Applejack listened and she began to smile. “O’ course! The Elements o’ Harmony! That ought ta-”

“Not necessarily, Applejack,” Twilight interrupted. “The magic of friendship. You said Spike used up all the library’s scrolls trying to contact the princess while in the dome, so, we wouldn’t be able to contact her to get the elements sent here from Canterlot.”

“Good point,” Applejack said. “So, how’re we goin’ ta do this?”

Twilight wrote her plan down on a sheet of paper before giving it to Applejack. “Get inside Ponyville and rally as many ponies as you can.”

“Can do, Twi,” Applejack saluted. “N’ don’t worry. Spike’s holdin’ up fine.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said, breathing a sigh of relief. “I really needed to hear that. Once this is over, I’m going to hold my baby close all night long.”

Applejack gave an understanding nod and headed out with the plan.

“Your maternal instincts are noticeably stronger,” Zecora observed. “And this devotion will ensure Spike is close to you for longer.”

“I nearly lost him in the Crystal Empire,” Twilight said. “He’s been in my life so long, I can’t imagine living anywhere without him.”

A bit later in Ponyville, Umbranor was using Trixie’s body to chase Bluu.

“This is ridiculous!” Bluu panted.

“My sentiments exactly,” Umbranor said. “Curse this hostess’ weak constitution!” He then spotted Twilight just outside the dome and switched to Trixie’s voice. “What are you doing? Can’t handle being banished?”

Twilight just glared. “You may as well drop the act… Umbranor.”

Umbranor stopped running and walked face to face with Twilight, though not exactly considering the dome was still present.

“So,” Umbranor said in his true voice wickedly. “You really are a smart unicorn. Well, there’s nothing you can do about me possessing this weak mare while you’re out there, so you may as well go back to being banished like a good little whelp.”

“You don’t frighten me,” Twilight said. “I’ve encountered your creator before.”

“Well, lucky you,” Umbranor said sarcastically. “It still doesn’t help you any.”

“Oh, the fact that I was able to put his power into another amulet begs to differ,” Twilight said.

This statement caught Umbranor’s attention. “What?!” he exclaimed. “You’re bluffing!”

“Am I?” Twilight challenged as she levitated an amulet with what looked like a crystal Sombra would’ve created in the center. “I collected one of the crystal shards he created before he was killed.”

Umbranor started to sweat with unease, but, he put on a brave face. “W-well, that’s probably just some weak little trinket. I’m made of 99 slain souls while yours was just made with the spirit of one slain pony.”

“The soul of the pony responsible for your creation,” Twilight said. “And I have to say, getting rid of him was harder than facing you.”

“Oh, my duel was easy, was it?!” Umbranor challenged, clearly insulted. He then used Trixie’s magic to dissipate the dome. “If you think it’s so easy, why don’t we duel again? Let me see how powerful that so-called charm of yours really is?”

“Very well,” Twilight said. “If I win, you release your hold on Trixie. If you win, you can take me instead.”

“You’re on,” Umbranor grinned wickedly. Either way, I’ll be rid of this useless unicorn mare, he thought to himself.

Twilight and ‘Trixie’ faced each other for another duel. Various ponies, Bluu, and Spike cautiously gathered to watch.

“Let’s start with an age spell,” Umbranor said.

“Let’s,” Twilight nodded.

Umbranor forcefully levitated Snips and Snails before Trixie’s body. The two trembled nervously as Umbranor transformed the two colts into foals.

“Let’s see if the power of my creator can do that,” Umbranor said.

“Uh, no problem,” Twilight said with a knowing smirk. “Applejack, Rarity, think you can help me with this spell please?” Applejack and Rarity stepped up.

Umbranor, thinking he has nothing to worry about, nonchalantly filed Trixie’s hooves. Twilight illuminated her horn and fired a magic beam at the two. A magenta puff of smoke enshrouded them, and when the smoke cleared, there stood what looked like Applejack and Rarity… as fillies! Needless to say, Umbranor couldn’t believe what he saw.

“Oh,” Umbranor said, pretending to be unimpressed. “So you can do an age spell. Big deal.”

But, Twilight wasn’t done yet. She fired another beam and returned Applejack and Rarity back to their normal selves. She then cast another beam, turning Rarity into a filly on Applejack’s back. Another beam was fired and Rarity returned to her normal self, aging Applejack up to an older mare. If one looked closely, they would notice that Applejack’s eyes had mysteriously changed color. Finally, with one more beam of magic, Twilight transformed her friends back to their normal selves. They seemed out of breath and sweat was trickling down their faces.

“That’s impossible!” Umbranor gasped.

Twilight could tell at once that her trap was working. “That’s nothing,” she smirked.

Twilight then turned her attention to Rainbow, who pointed at herself as if to say, “Who, me?”

Twilight then fired a magic beam at Rainbow. When the magenta smoke cleared, nothing seemed to happen. That was, until, what looked like a second Rainbow made her presence known. She was casually standing on Rainbow’s back, catching the cyan pegasus by surprise.

“How did you–” Umbranor started before Twilight interrupted.

“Duplication spell,” Twilight smirked. “Foal’s play with this. This amulet can even cause physical manipulation… have you ever seen one pony play ten instruments at once?”

Before she gave Umbranor a chance to answer, she fired a magic beam at Pinkie. Once the magenta smoke cleared, Pinkie was playing a variety of different instruments: a harmonica, a trumpet, an accordion, a giant drum, cymbals, maracas, a high hat, a tuba, a tambourine, and bongos. She was playing all ten of them in a cacophonous symphony, deliberately and delightfully annoying Umbranor.

Umbranor was more baffled by what he was seeing through Trixie than annoyed. “This can’t be!!!” he said.

“Ooh, but, I can demonstrate one more ability,” Twilight smirked, eyeballing Applejack. “I can temporarily turn a mare into a stallion!”

Applejack didn’t like the sound of that and attempted to run. But, Twilight fired a magic beam before the farm mare could get away. When the magenta smoke cleared, there stood a male Applejack. He timidly posed.

“Eeyup…” the male Applejack sheepishly said. Oddly, his voice sounded like Applejack’s own voice, but, spoken at a lower pitch. Twilight returned him back to normal in seconds. Applejack’s eyes spun as if she was dizzy.

“Well, Umbranor,” Twilight said confidently. “It looks like my amulet is far superior.”

Angered by the perceived audacity that his creator was involved in the creation of something more powerful than himself, Umbranor failed to notice that Trixie regained control of her right front hoof until he saw it tracing letters in the dirt.

“What are you doing?!” Umbranor barked.

Others saw this, too, and couldn’t understand what was going on. The letters spelled out, “I am Trixie Lulamoon and I won’t let you use my body anymore!” The right forehoof then grabbed the Alicorn Amulet and started pulling it off despite Umbranor trying to fight back.

“No… NO!” Umbranor exclaimed.

But, Trixie never gave in. She no longer wanted Umbranor to cause trouble to her or any of the citizens of Ponyville and she was determined to stop all 99 souls at all costs, even at the expense of her own life. She tore off the amulet and immediately collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Upon falling, she let go of the amulet.

“Trixie!” Spike exclaimed as he ran to help her. On his way, he stepped on the amulet. Upon realizing this, he tried to fight Umbranor’s control. However, he quickly realized that Umbranor wasn’t trying to take control. “Huh? I’m not getting possessed.”

“Of course…” Twilight said, dropping her bragging act. “It wouldn’t work on dragons because Sombra didn’t use dragons to make the amulet. That means you can safely touch it without being corrupted!” She then remembered Trixie, who was on the ground, still gasping for breath.

Twilight teleported closer to Trixie, helping the blue unicorn to regain her breath. Slowly but surely, Trixie was able to regain the ability to breathe steadily. Tears trickled down Trixie’s face.

“I may not have actively tried to seek out the Alicorn Amulet,” Trixie sobbed. “But, I couldn’t stop myself from Umbranor seizing control of me. I acted so horribly while I was wearing the amulet and I had a hard time regaining control of myself. I am so sorry for all of the harm I caused you and your friends. I can understand if you wouldn’t want to, but, I hope you can forgive me someday.” Trixie then doubled over in pain as she clutched her belly.

“What’s wrong?!” Twilight asked, concerned.

“I haven’t eaten in two days,” Trixie said as her belly growled.

“We can help you with that,” Twilight said, comforting her friend.

A bit later, Trixie had eaten two hayburgers, two large fries, and half a dozen donuts in rapid succession. She’d gained a small, but, noticeable potbelly as a result.

“Much better,” Trixie said, exhaling a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much, Twilight. Though, could I possibly ask you to spare that new amulet in case there’s still some Umbranor in me?”

“You don't need to worry about that,” Twilight admitted. “The amulet I was wearing isn’t really magical. The charm is in fact one of Zecora’s doorstops connected to a gold chain.”

“Excuse me?” Trixie said before cleaning her ear. “I must’ve had something in my ear. I could’ve sworn I heard you say that charm, which let you cast spells Umbranor couldn’t, was a doorstop.”

“You heard right, actually,” Twilight nodded. At that point, she gestured and the foal versions of Applejack and Rarity, along with the stallion and old versions of Applejack and one of the Rainbow Dashes stepped out from behind the statue.

“Can we take this makeup off?” said filly Rarity with Sweetie Belle’s voice. “It’s starting to chafe.”

“Since our plan was a success,” Twilight said. “Yes, you may. Thank you, Sweetie Belle. You, Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, Fluttershy, and Big McIntosh did an amazing job.”

Trixie rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing things correctly. “What is going on here?!”

“This was part of the plan to get the Alicorn Amulet off,” Twilight explained. “All of those spells I did, I didn’t really do. You see, Zecora taught me a lot about magic while I was in Umbranor’s exile. She even taught me when not to use magic. So, I had to rely on a different kind of magic; the magic of friendship.”

“But, what about that pony playing ten instruments at once?” Trixie asked.

“That wasn’t magic,” Twilight explained. “That was Pinkie being Pinkie.” Pinkie was seen still playing said instruments.

“Boy, she’s really talented,” Trixie smiled. But, she remembered what had happened while she was still wearing the Alicorn Amulet and her smile lowered into a guilty frown.

“We don’t blame you for what happened,” Twilight said.

“I do,” Pinkie interjected.

“Pinkie,” Twilight said.

“No, she’s right,” Trixie said sadly. “Even though I wasn’t really in control, I was still the one wearing the amulet and I wasn’t able to stop Umbranor mimicking my voice while insulting Pinkie’s home or removing her muzzle. To be honest, Umbranor took the memories he projected out of context and didn’t make me say how they really happened. But, I can still understand that she wouldn’t want to forgive me because of this.”

“Uh, aren’t you forgetting something?” Tails said as he gestured to the still babyfied Snips and Snails.

“Oh, right…” Trixie said sheepishly. “Uh, Twilight, think you can help me? I don’t actually have the magic for age spells. So, maybe if we work together?”

“I’ll take it from here,” a familiar voice said. All looked up to see it belonged to Princess Celestia.

“Princess Celestia?” Twilight gasped. “What are you doing here so soon?”

“I was alerted to the use of dark magic,” Celestia said. “I was in Saddle Arabia, so, it took a while to get here.”

So, Princess Celestia illuminated her horn and her golden magic aura enveloped the two unicorn foals. She aged them until they were their proper ages again. Trixie quickly got up in the presence of Celestia and bowed. Unfortunately, she put too much effort into bowing and ended up pressing her face into the ground. Celestia patiently helped her up.

“I accept any punishment you wish to give me, your highness,” Trixie said, humbly. “I was the reason you sensed dark magic.”

Spike held the Alicorn Amulet. Celestia immediately recognized it.

“This is definitely Sombra’s work,” she said.

“Why don’t you just destroy it?” Rainbow asked.

“For one,” Celestia explained. “Dark magic artifacts are notoriously difficult to destroy. For another, destroying the amulet would be like destroying a prison. You could get rid of the prisoner inside by destroying the prison, but, you could just as easily free them, allowing them to do what got them imprisoned in the first place unhindered.”

“Oh,” Rainbow answered, nodding with unease. “Sorry I asked.”

“I’ll lock this away where it can no longer do any harm,” Celestia said before using her magic to send the amulet away. She then remembered something. “I need to get back to the delegates from Saddle Arabia. They’re still on the train.”

“Yes, your highness,” Twilight nodded. “And thank you.”

That night, Twilight was performing her levitating animal act before the Saddle Arabian delegates and Princess Celestia. The animals that were floating were having the time of their lives.

“Most impressive, isn’t it, Amira?” commented the male delegate.

“Most impressive indeed, Haakim,” replied the female delegate, whose name was Amira. “I can tell that this mare has been studying for a long time and she still has a humble heart.”

Near the end, fireworks went off. They were far enough away to not harm the animals during levitation, but, close enough to still be an eye-catching spectacle. Twilight placed the animals down gently. She looked and saw who was responsible for the fireworks.

“Trixie?” Twilight said.

“It may not mean much,” she said. “But, I thought I’d add some razzle-dazzle to your performance.”

“It was lovely,” Twilight smiled. “Thank you.”

“I guess I should leave Ponyville forever now,” Trixie said.

“You don’t have to leave forever,” Twilight said. “That was Umbranor’s idea.”

“Uh, yeah, she does need to leave forever,” Pinkie said coldly. “She messed with something she shouldn’t have and others got hurt because of it.”

“I don’t suppose stating that Umbranor had that idea makes it better,” Trixie said.

“You got that right,” Pinkie said. “If you hadn’t bucked with the Alicorn Amulet in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened!”

Trixie sighed sadly and she turned to walk out of Ponyville. Pinkie’s friends glared at her.

“You know something, Pinkie?” Fluttershy said. “You’re not being very nice. I know she tried to kill you, but, do you honestly want to spend the rest of your life holding a grudge? That doesn’t sound right for the Guardian of Laughter.”

“Yeah,” said Spike. “And would you want anyone wanting to plan their parties with you to hear that? That wouldn't be very welcoming to hear from a party pony, but, that's just what I think.”

“I’m going to have to do the right thing here, aren’t I?” she asked flatly.

“Eeyup,” Applejack said, emulating her brother.

“Ugh!” Pinkie groaned. “Fine. But, don’t expect any sincerity from it.” And she trotted off to Trixie.

“This isn’t like Pinkie,” Spike said.

“Yes,” Rarity said. “Normally, she would be more willing to forgive anypony for making a mistake.”

“It felt a bit personal,” Twilight observed. “The way she said that Trixie messed with something she shouldn’t have.”

The others gave it some thought. Applejack then gasped.

“Like Pinkie messed with something she shouldn’t have messed with when she used the mirror pool!”

“She was beside herself with guilt for hours after that,” Rainbow said.

“She might be projecting that guilt onto Trixie,” Rarity said.

“That must be why she’s still angry with Trixie even after apologizing,” Twilight said.

“I guess Pinkie just needs a bit more time in order to really forgive Trixie,” Fluttershy said.

“Well, from the looks of it,” Spike said. “She’ll only act this way around Trixie. So, if Trixie isn’t here, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“But, we can’t just keep her out ferever,” Applejack said. “If we did, we’d be no better’n Umbranor.”

“True,” Twilight said. “So, we’ll just have to give everypony time for these wounds to heal properly.”

“For Pinkie,” Rainbow said. “I’d say she needs a few years at least.”

Trixie was still walking sadly out of the village when a hoof tapped her shoulder. Trixie stopped and turned to see a still disgruntled Pinkie.

“I know,” Trixie said. “I’m still leaving Ponyville and never returning.”

“I forgive you,” Pinkie said flatly. “You happy? Because that’s all you’re getting out of me.”

“I’ll take it,” Trixie said before turning back and walking away. Once she reached the outskirts of Ponyville, Twilight teleported right in front of her. Trixie gasped a bit in surprise. Twilight, once she saw that Pinkie was on her way home and out of earshot, was able to talk to Trixie.

“I’m really sorry about Pinkie,” Twilight said. “I promise she’s not usually like this. She herself messed with something she shouldn’t have and she’s projecting that guilt onto you. Give her a few years to get over it.”

“What’s happening with Pinkie isn’t your fault,” Trixie said. “But, thank you. I hope I will be able to come back someday and make things right with her, but, it’s clear she doesn’t want to see me right now. I’ll miss you, your friends, and your son, Twilight.” She then facehoofed herself. “I still haven’t had a proper conversation with him!”

“Given Pinkie’s current attitude regarding you,” Twilight said. “I don’t think now would be a good time.”

“Right,” Trixie said. “Until we meet again, though.”

She gave Twilight a kind hug farewell and continued on her way into the night.

At the library, Twilight found Spike getting ready to tuck himself into his bed.

“You’re sleeping in my bed tonight, Spike,” Twilight said.

“Huh?” Spike said in confusion. “But, it’s not winter yet.”

“I know,” Twilight said. “But, I promised that when I was able to come home, I was going to hold you close to me since we were separated for so long. So, I would like you to sleep in my bed with me for both of our sakes.”

“Well,” Spike said, sensing the sincerity in Twilight’s voice. “Alright.”

So, he got out of his basket bed and he crawled into Twilight’s bed, gently embracing his unicorn mother.

“Applejack told me you were brave,” Twilight said.

“I tried my best, anyway,” Spike said. “But, I still missed you.”

“As did I, sweetie,” Twilight said, kissing his forehead.

“Goodnight, mom,” Spike said with a sleepy smile.

“Goodnight, Spike,” Twilight said as the dragon fell asleep. She then thought to herself, I’ve been putting off adopting you for too long. Whenever I have a spare moment from my studies, I’ll get to work on that.

With that, Twilight fell asleep with her dragon son in her embrace.

End of chapter.