The Piano Man: Act II

by The Sentient Cloud


Last Words

The courtroom falls into complete silence, no single pony daring to comment on the shocking announcement. The only one among us that doesn't look completely stunned is Luna, who – presumably along with Celestia – has refused to deviate from the professional calm the two sisters always seem to possess.

While everypony else is trying to come to grips with what was said, the cogs of my mind are practically turning in opposite directions as I try to get my head around it.
'What-the-fuck-what-the-fuck-what-the-fuck. Guilty? What does that accomplish?! What are they doing?'

The silence in the courtroom is starting to get oppressive, as Sheckley and Griggs glance at each other and then Luna. Even Pinkie seems too stunned to break the silence. (She hasn't even delivered so much as an over-exaggerated gasp.) Personally, I can't bring myself to even try to speak.

Thankfully, Luna finally breaks the silence.
"You understand..." she speaks slowly and clearly, addressing Trixie herself. "That pleading guilty subjects you to the full penalty of the law merited by your crimes, and that the nature of your plea will not be taken into account during sentencing?"

The mare looks up at Luna and nods sullenly, only now averting her eyes from me.

Luna glances at her co-judges, both of whom hesitate, and then slowly nod.
"Very well then." Luna turns back to face Trixie. "Trixie A. Lulamoon; you are hereby sentenced to indefinite imprisonment by petrification."

The courtroom erupts into a roar at Luna's decision, as what seems like the entirety of the audience begins to vindictively shout their opinions. It’s so unbelievably loud that I can’t make out any individual voice aside from the princess’s, who seems to posses an odd ability to be audible even through this storm of shouting.

Ignoring the ruckus, Luna continues to state Trixie's punishment, her speech sounding nothing like the archaic style that I've come to expect of her. "...The time of your release being set at the discretion of princesses Celestia, myself and Cadance. This punishment is to be carried out a week from today, at one hour past noon, Canterlot time. You are to remain in royal custody until this point."

The shouting in the courtroom reaches fever pitch as the crowd starts to get really riled up from the excitement, and I look up at the official seating to see Celestia sitting calmly in her chair. The only indication she's surprised at all is that her mouth is turned down slightly at the corners – rather than forming a straight neutral line – and her eyebrows are raised at the strange turn of events.

What the hell is going on?!’ The panicked thought rips through my mind as the two guards on either side of Trixie step up to her seating-box's barrier, stoically waiting for her to exit so that they can escort her away.

I take a slow look around the courtroom, observing the audience standing up in their seats and shouting themselves hoarse as Sheckley and Griggs furiously bang their gavels and call for order. A large group of guards have appeared from nowhere, positioning themselves both on our side of the barrier between the audience and the court-forum, and in front of the boxes for the prosecution and the defense.
Trixie’s mother is sobbing into her husband’s shoulder as the freshly convicted mare slowly rises form her seat and exits the small holding area. Without any hesitation, the two guards march her back towards the large double-doors beside the judges’ podium, whisking her from the courtroom.

Still in my clueless haze, I lean back against the prosecution box, trying to shut out the shouting storm assaulting my ears.

Twilight and Maneworthy both turn to look at me, the two of them looking just as confused as I feel.

“What’s she doing?” the doctor demands, seeming to think that I have the answer. “Keys, what the hay is going on?

I shake my head slightly, completely confounded. “I… I have no idea.”

Twilight doesn’t question me on Trixie’s actions, instead deciding to turn her attention away from the dramatic turn and rest one hoof against my forehead. “Are you feeling okay? Dizzy?”

“Twilight,” I sigh, reaching up and removing her hoof. “I’m fine, and I think that there’s something a little more important going on.”

The mare gives me an odd look, before nodding and turning back to the judges’ podium. The audience is still throwing their well-sized shit-fit, and I have to say that the court forum looks hectic too. The entirety of the prosecution box is still standing outside our seating area, the guards are still making sure that nopony does anything stupid, and the members of the defense party are looking even more crushed than the were before. I guess it’s really starting to sink in.

I myself can’t believe it. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that it’s over. No more than six hours in this courtroom, and we’re done. Sure, there’ll have to be some sort of secondary action if or when the meddlers are caught, but that’s completely irrelevant to what I’ve been wanting since the very beginning.
It’s really done. Trixie’s been sentenced, and in a week’s time she’ll be sealed away in the most permanent prison there is.

Slowly, my confusion and anger rolls over into happiness as a smile begins to dawn on my face. Despite the strangeness of Trixie’s actions, it seems that everything is all-but tied up. A guilty plea, a definitive sentence, and an indefinite imprisonment length.

The only question now is; why?
Why plead guilty? It has to serve some purpose. It has to further Trixie’s goal, and the only goal I can see is her freedom. She must be working some sort of angle to try and wriggle out of this.

Just as slowly as it arrived, the smile flees my face, even as I notice Cadance – who is situated only a few steps away among our small crowd – turning to look at me. She’s smiling widely, apparently extremely pleased by the turn of events.
The smile dies on her face even as I look, the alicorn apparently being spooked by my own expression. Twilight is looking away from me – so I’m unable to see her face – while Rarity’s forward half is blocked from my view by Maneworthy.

One almighty slam of Luna’s gavel silences the courtroom as the princess flexes her ‘royal muscles’, her face still not deviating from the calm detachedness I’ve come to associate with her.
“This court is adjourned,” Luna announces loudly. “All those present are reprimanded into investigative custody until those who attempted to subvert the law are identified. This matter is not up for debate.”
And despite her ultimatum, the courtroom immediately bursts out into more shouting and stamping, with now the overwhelming majority of the voices sounding outraged.

The commotion carries on for a few seconds, before a singular shout rises above them all. The reason it’s so distinguished from the others is the fact that it doesn’t originate from inside the room. Instead, it’s an echo. What is even more identifying instead of a cry of anger, it is instead one of pain.
The shout carries on for a few seconds, before quickly fading into a rumble of pain and then vanishing from audibility entirely. A second later, there comes the sound of crashing metal, accompanied by a second shout of pain that almost mimics the first. After that, there’s nothing but silence – from both the source of the distress, and the ponies within the courtroom.

'No... no, please.' I stay where I am, my face completely slack as the sounds sink in. 'She hasn't. She can't have!'

There’s a moment of complete stillness, before Shining Armor becomes the first to break the silence.
Guards!

***

"I can't believe it."

"I know."

"No, I mean it. I cannot fucking believe this!" I throw my hands up for what I'm sure must be the eighth or ninth time, before bringing them back down heavily on my lap. "We had her. We won, and then she just escapes anyway! What was the point to all this?!"

"The guards will find her," Twilight assures me. "And when they do, her punishment will be carried out immediately."

I shake my head slightly. Maybe they will, maybe they won't. For all we know, some supremacists could have already slipped Trixie out of the city through the sewers, or something like that. On the other hand, she could already have been discovered and cornered by the search-force. We aren't receiving very regular updates, after all.

Applejack and Rainbow took off as quickly as they could, both of them promising to find Trixie and bring her back – that was a good hour ago, at least – followed very shortly afterwards by Lockhooves, Thunder Glider, Shining Armor and half of the guards in the courtroom. After that Maneworthy ran a proper examination on me, before he, Fluttershy and Pinkie moved into another part of the courthouses so that the rest of us could share our worries in private.
And that leaves me, Twilight, Rarity and Cadance to talk and fret between ourselves. The entirety of the trial’s audience – including those in the defense box – has been detained in one of the other courtrooms while a small group of guards try to root out the trial-meddlers. I wonder what luck they'll have with that.

In the meantime the four of us are sitting in the front row of the audience pews, practically beside ourselves in our sulking. I haven't felt this upset since I was actually imprisoned myself, and that's saying something.
Honestly, Rarity seems to be the worst hit. She's been much more silent and downcast than the rest of us, not having contributed in the slightest to any of our sullen discussions. I'm not entirely sure why she's taken it that much harder than the rest of us, but she is.

I empty my lungs in one long, downcast sigh. “So if they catch her, she goes away immediately?”

When they catch her,” Twilight replies pointedly, “Trixie will be processed for immediate punishment, so that she can't escape again.”

“They will?” I look up from the floorboards to meet Twilight's eyes. “They'll just take her to the garden and petrify her? Immediately?”

“...Y-yeah.” The stumble in Twilight's voice sends a pang through my conscience as I remember that it's her and the rest of the elements that will have to carry out the petrification. I shouldn't have said it that way. “Attacking two guards and fleeing like this voids her right to a waiting period. They'll give her a little time to see her family, and then...”
The mare trails off, and I nod slightly.

After a brief pause, I decide it's best to try and do some reassuring of my own for once.
“Are you ready for that? I can't even being to imagine what it must be like.”

“Y-yeah.” Twilight nods uncertainly. “I mean, it's something that has to be done, and no matter how hard it is to do-”

“You'd best believe we will do it!” Rarity suddenly exclaims vindictively, her head snapping up to look my in the eye. “After all the things that mare has done we can't just let her keep running around! She has to go away!”

“Uh, o-okay, Rarity.” I stumble slightly, not expecting such a venomous outburst from the previously silent fasionista. She's even angrier than I thought. “Thanks.”

“I swear by Celestia,” Rarity stands up and begins an even more unexpected oath as her voice's volume drops, although the anger to her tone stays the same. “That we will petrify that disgusting showmare for everything she's done to you, and to us.”

We all remain silent as the alabaster unicorn maintains her stance. After a few seconds it becomes apparent that she is going to stick by her outburst, rather than apologize for acting in such an unrefined way.
After a further few seconds, Rarity finally relaxes back into a normal standing position. “Now then, I believe I shall go outside for a short while. A drink of water and a little fresh air will certainly do wonders for my nerves. I'll be back momentarily.”

Twilight, Cadance and I all allow her to leave, the princess being the only one to acknowledge her with a quiet “okay”.

We wait in an awkward silence as Rarity's hoofsteps receded at a rapid pace, followed by the sound of the courtroom doors aggressively opening and then closing.
The uneasy quiet continues for only a short while longer before Cadance decides to stand up.

“I think I should go check on her. She seems... more upset than the rest of us.”

“O-oh, I can do that if you want,” Twilight offers, also standing up.

“Oh no. I'll do it.” Cadance nods at the lavender unicorn, and then at me. “I'll be back in a moment.”

“Right.” I also nod slightly as the princess turns follows Rarity out of the room.

Twilight shuffles awkwardly on her hooves as the princess leaves, drawing my attention. She looks uncomfortable – although that might just be her general distress coupled with the surrealism of the situation.

“You look uncomfortable.” I raise one eyebrow as I turn my head slightly to look at her.

“Yeah, I-I'm just thinking.” Twilight averts her gaze, looking towards the back of the courtroom. “It's been a big day.”

“Mmm-hmm.” I grunt in reply, biting on the urge to deliver one of numerous sarcastic responses floating around my head. “I swear, if they don't find her...” I leave the sentence unfinished, not even having thought up an adequate conclusion for it.

“Uh, yeah.” Twilight raises one hoof to rub at the back of her neck, seeming reluctant to sit down. “Hey – uh – Keys?”

“Yes?” I turn my head to properly face Twilight now, resting my chin on one hand.

“After all that's happened, I-I can't imagine what you must be feeling...” Twilight once again refuses to meet my gaze, seeming to become even more skittish by the second. “...Would you like a little time to yourself?”

“No, it's...” I pause mid-sentence. I don't really need any time to myself – if anything, I'd prefer to have someone to talk to – but it suddenly hits me that Twilight's probably asking this question for her own reasons. She's definitely acting like she could use some time on her own (although What she really looks like she needs is a good nap).
“Uhh... actually, yeah.” I cough quietly. “That'd be good.”

“Right, right.” Twilight nods quickly. “So I'll just – uh – leave you with your thoughts for a little while, okay? I'll be right back.”

“Cool.” I nod slightly, tracking the mare with my eyes as she quickly turns and walks away, moving at a pace that I'd label as 'slightly slower than a trot'.
I listen patiently for the sound of the door opening and closing, before leaning forward over my legs and hanging my head. This day has been too full of bullshit for me to question her behavior right now.

I stay where I am, sulking in my gloomy silence. This is impossible to put up with. In fact, it could – and should – have been avoided entirely. Trixie should have been shackled; there should have been more control of the situation; there especially should have been more guards to escort her. She escaped by hitting her two escorts in their genitals, for Christ’s sake! If there'd been four – maybe even just three – she would have been much less likely to get away.
I know it’s easy to sit here and criticize the work of others, but those are some glaringly obvious issues that should have been addressed. Whoever was in charge of security screwed up, be it Lockhooves, Shining Armor, or even the princesses themselves.

I perk up slightly as a set of slow, loud hoofsteps reach my ears. It’s odd, considering I didn’t hear the courtroom doors open.
Too odd. I’m not stupid enough to sit here while something like that goes unexplained, considering what’s happened.

I quickly rise out of my seat, turning to look at whoever is in the courtroom.

The unexpected intruder has a blue coat, silver mane and the cutie-mark of a wand with five-pointed star for its head. Her head is turned down entirely, allowing her mane to hang in her face as she walks up the aisle in that extremely slow fashion. She has no horn, and I know that hiding underneath her mane is nothing but a jagged stump.

“No...” I stare at her for a moment, not daring to believe that she's here, alone with me; Nobody to hold her at bay. “Trixie...”

The mare stops walking at the mention of her name, coming to a halt halfway between me and the door. Her eyes remain glued to the floor, while mine remain fixed on her. We remain at our tense – and unconventional – stand-off for a further few seconds, before Trixie raises her head.
She's torturous in her slowness, but eventually her face becomes visible behind the strands of her hair. The blue unicorn has that same hopeless expression from before on her face, but now there's something else; her eyes are bloodshot, as if she's been crying.

The two of us stare at each other for two more seconds, before the desolate mare finally opens her mouth.
“Jacob.” Trixie's uncertain words send a slight chill down my spine. I apparently can't even properly tolerate her talking to me now.

“...Trixie.” I return the 'greeting', my voice instead layered with disgust and anger.

The mare visibly cringes at my response, taking a half step back. I have no idea what game she's playing here, but I refuse to fall for it.

“You know it's over, don't you?” I demand angrily. “You know that you can't outrun them all, right?”

Trixie nods slowly, seeming unaffected by my hateful tone.

Then why run?!” I should really be calling for help right now, but I can't stop myself from questioning the mare first. I need answers. “Why try and escape, and why come back here?!”
I'm fully aware that I'm in at least some danger here. The jagged edges of Trixie's stump could still badly injure me, and I'm sure that quite a few ponies wouldn't find it that hard to beat me down in a straight fight. That said; as long as I keep a few meters between us, I should have some reaction time to shout for help if she tries anything.
Now I need to wonder about the question I've just asked; Why did she come back? The most obvious answer is definitely that she wants to finish what she started.

“I wanted... to talk to you,” the mare replies quietly. “...and just say a few things before they punish me.”

I raise one eyebrow at the mare, the corners of my mouth pulling down in a frown. That wasn't the first reason that jumped into my mind, although it was there. I'd just thought it to be very unlikely.
“About what?” I spit the words out angrily. “What the hell makes you think that I'll even listen to you?”

Trixie brings her eyes to lock with mine, seeming reluctant to actually speak despite the fact that we both know the answer.
I haven't called for the guards yet, and we're both well aware of that; so why does she refuse to say it?

I meet her eyes for a few seconds, before dropping my gaze down to her hooves. “Okay, what? What do you want?”

“I-”

“And I swear to god that if you try anything...” I bring my eyes back up sharply as I cut her off, bunching my hands into fists. “I will kill you.

Rather than begin another period of extended eye-contact, Trixie simply looks down and nods. “I would let you.”

I do a sudden double take, moving back a half-step. What she just said is so completely 'un-Trixie-like' that it's startling. The monster that enslaved me for a month would have never, ever said anything like that.
What the hell is happening? This has to be some sort of sympathy ploy.
"Just tell me what you want to say."

She looks at me for a second, an uncertain look on her face. “I just wanted... I...”

I raise one eyebrow, the resulting image probably looking comical when coupled with the my deep scowl. “Just say it.

Trixie's mouth tugs at the beginnings of a frown, but she doesn't say anything. I'm once again struck by how different she's behaving, and I'm not sure what to think about that.
"I told my family not to intervene. I told them to leave it. Obviously, they didn't listen to me."

I shake my head slowly. It's a pretty obvious lie; their plan to undermine the worst of the charges failed, and now Trixie's trying to appeal directly to me to try and get my sympathy.

Not acknowledging my silent disapproval, the mare presses on in that same quiet voice.
"I-I'd hoped to contest some of the lesser charges and get them dropped. Then I might have been able to get away with imprisonment or – if I was lucky – exile; anything to avoid petrification. It looks like my family decided that they'd try and help, no matter how much I told them not to."

"If you're so desperate to avoid being petrified..." I crease my eyebrows at Trixie as I launch my first attack on her claim. "...then why plead guilty? And why escape?"

"Because the damage was done the moment somepony tried to tamper with the trial," the showmare replies quietly. “After that, there was no way the judges would sentence me to anything less.”

Then why escape?!” I snap loudly, an action that makes Trixie recoil slightly. “And why come back?! If you were completely screwed, why would you make a run for it, even though you know you can't escape the entire Canterlot guard?!”

Because,” Trixie's expression suddenly morphs into one of hatred, forcing me to take a step back as I'm suddenly hit by a wave of fear. “Then my parents will stop pulling stupid, bucking tricks like earlier!
Almost immediately following her outburst the mare takes a full step backwards, turning away from me and raising one hoof to cover her face. “No, no; why does that happen? Why do you make me so angry?”

I take another step back, now convinced that whatever else she has to say isn't worth the risk. After a brief hesitation, I open my mouth to call for help.

“No, wait!” Trixie turns back to me, raising one hoof. “Please, just let me finish and then I'll let them take me! Just let me say one thing!”

The beginning of the shout catches in my throat as I hesitate. 'Don't fall for it. She can't be trusted. Just one shout and you'll be safe.'
I stare at Trixie for five long seconds, before taking another step back and raising my hands in front of me defensively. “Make it quick. Make it very quick.” The tension and uncertainty of the situation makes my voice waver, and I'm still sorely tempted to start screaming right now. There's no way I can put any trust in this madmare.

She nods at me quickly, and then starts talking.
“I just want you to know that I never planned to kill you. If it wasn't for that herb I wouldn't have even considered it.” The now distressed-looking unicorn turns her head to stare down at her hooves. “Every morning I woke up and thought about the things I'd done, and I just couldn't deal with it. All I could do was take some more of the herb to stop myself from thinking about it. What was worse was that... that damn herb made me have ideas that I never would have even considered had I been lucid.”

Hurry up!” I bark, taking a further step back to put distance between myself and Trixie. The mare herself seems to give a slight shiver at my words, but retains her composure.

“I'm just trying to say...” Trixie raises one hoof to her head – why, I don't know. “...is that, had I not been taking that herb, I would never have even considered... taking your life. I made many, many bad decisions... and I thought you should know that before they petrify me.”

I nod slightly, looking at Trixie critically for a few seconds before replying.
“That is the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard.” I snap violently, scowling once more. “You expect me to believe that you made all those decisions because of a damn herb; that every, last decision you made over those three weeks was because of some bloody plant that barely even made you act differently?!"

Trixie turns her eyes down to the floor yet again, hiding her face from me. "I didn't expect you to believe-"

"Good, because I don't!" I cut her off, now taking a step forward. "You've just fed me so much bullshit that I can barely make sense of it! What you've said doesn't even make sense, and there's absolutely no reason that I should believe you!"

"I know."

"Then why go to all this trouble?!" I raise both arms, unable to understand the logic behind Trixie's ploy. "What the hell do you want to get out of all this?"

At first, the mare doesn't respond. She simply hangs her head, being completely silent.
And at first, I myself stay quiet, waiting for her to reply. It's only after five seconds that I snap yet again.

"Well?!"

Trixie shudders at my demand, before slowly bringing her head back up. The very first thing I notice is that she now has tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She's on the verge of tears.
"Because..." the mare begins unsteadily. "...a-at least you still know the truth, even if you don't believe it."

I glare at her for a second, before shaking my head. "No, I don't believe you - and your crying routine isn't working either." I scowl as deeply as I can manage, creasing my eyebrows into deep 'v' shapes. "Now; give me one good reason that I shouldn't start shouting for help right now."

Trixie holds my stare for a moment more, before shaking her head as well.
"There aren't any. Please, just do it. I've said what I needed to."

Almost as soon as the words leave her mouth, I open mine, filling my lungs. It's there that I pause, daring her to make that one last attempt to save herself that I know she'll make.
To my surprise, she doesn't do anything; so with a single shrug I let rip.

"Help! She's here! Help!"

I take two steps back the moment the words leave my lips, fixing Trixie with an expectant gaze. “Your move.”

The mare simply looks back at me, her face retaining that same look of desolateness she had when this confrontation first began. I myself stay where I am, waiting tensely for her to jump at me, or make a break for it, or something.

I don't relax as Trixie calmly sits down.
I don't relax as the courtroom doors burst open and four guards rush into the room.
I don't relax as they tackle Trixie to the ground, pinning her legs so that she can't move.
I don't relax as they place cuffs on her hooves and drag her away.

It's only when the guards and their prisoner pass through the open doorway and Twilight comes galloping into the room that I start to consider the possibility that there is no ruse.

***

“We, on this day and under the supervision of their royal highness’s; Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Cadance; Captain Shining Armor; and the collective bearers of the Elements of Harmony...” the same stallion that served as the bailiff for the trial calmly reads from a small scroll. “...are here to bear witness to the punishment of the convicted Trixie A. Lulamoon, who is to be petrified for an indefinite period of time and released at the discretion of the Equestrian Royal Courts.”
The stallion clears his throat for the third time in two minutes, before continuing in his proclamation. “In attendance is; the immediate family and close relations of the convicted, the primary plaintiff – Jacob Lewis – Doctor Arthur Maneworthy, and Detective Samantha Lockhooves. All the present parties have signed their statements of witness.”

I wait calmly as the stallion works his way through the legal mess surrounding a fast-tracked petrification, not once letting my eyes stray from Trixie.

We're in the gardens, arranged in front of an empty stone podium. On the left-hand side there's... well, everybody but Trixie's family, while on the right side is... Trixie's family.
They're in an awful way. Both Trixie's sister and her mother are openly weeping, while her father is – without any subtlety – covering his eyes. As a whole, they're even beyond the point of shooting me vicious looks.

There's about two-dozen guards present, with over half of them arranged in a circle around the area. There are four more guards standing to attention at each corner of the podium, and another eight assigned to make sure none of the audience members do anything stupid. I should also mention that the ceremony has been closed to the public, which is a relief.

The Ponyville ponies are strung out in front of the podium, forming a perfect semi-circle. Each one of them is adorned with their respective element, and all six look deadly serious – including Pinkie. The only one that doesn't look completely ready is Fluttershy, who instead is nervous and fidgety.
I wouldn't have expected anything else.

And finally, there's Trixie herself. She's standing on the top of the podium, her back and legs straight, her eyes looking completely empty. Per her request, she was allowed to wear her favorite hat and cape, which I suppose will at least make for an interesting statue.
She isn't looking at anyone. Not me, not the princesses, and not her family. She's simply staring off into space, keeping her face as neutral as possible. God knows what kind of inner turmoil she's fighting through right now

I'm standing by my own decision. Trixie's story is nothing but a big fat load of nonsensical bullshit that she pulled out of her ass to try and garner my sympathy – most likely in some extended plot to duck out on her punishment. Well, she's getting nothing from me. This is what's right. This is what she deserves.

"...now, before the sentence is carried out, I would like to give the convicted a chance to speak." The Bailiff rolls up his paper and turns to face Trixie, as does every member of the small audience that didn't already have their eyes set on her.

Trixie immediately opens her mouth to speak, but then pauses, closes her mouth, and shakes her head. I guess she's already said her last words.

After a brief moment of silence broken only by Mrs. Lulamoon's choked sobs, the bailiff nods and turns to Princess Celestia.

The white alicorn also nods, closing her eyes and frowning sadly. "Very well then. Let it be done."

With her words, the Elements of Harmony - by which I mean the golden artifacts – begin to glow with a bright light. That's the biggest detail I can make out from my position at the back of the scene, but what I do notice is that Trixie flinches at their activation, before immediately retaking her stance. Not once does she look at me, or her family, or anyone else present. All she does is continue to stare off into the distance.

There's a brief whine from the magical artifacts as they charge up, the tone quickly rising in pitch before disappearing sharply. What happens next is slightly different to how I remember it from the show.
Two streams of white 'light' – which I imagine is just some form of magical energy – erupt from Twilight's tiara, both of which quickly connect with the others. Once they're all linked up, the artifacts themselves give off what I can only describe as a pulse, before each of them emit another beam of white light aimed directly at Trixie. The mare recoils back as the six beams of light hit her, before quickly resuming her standing position. Aside from that, nothing changes.
There's a single white flash that momentarily blinds me, and when my vision clears a few seconds later only two things have changed. The white beams of light and auras surrounding the Elements have disappeared, and Trixie has been turned to stone.

That's it. There was no super-dramatic build up, nopony was lifted into the air for the ritual, and the petrification process wasn't drawn out. One simple flash and the mare is a statue, unlike when Discord was resealed. The only difference in her actual appearance is that the very edge of her cape is slightly perked up as if it has just been hit by a slight gust of wind, and her front-right hoof is raised slightly off the podium surface.
Just like that, it's over. Trixie is sealed away in her stone prison, possibly forever.

After a brief pause the mare's mother breaks out into open wails of despair, accompanied by a despondent shaking of Mr. Lulamoon's shoulders. They've completely lost their composure.

I myself calmly stare at the entire scene for a few seconds more, before smiling, turning, and slowly walking away.