//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 – Do Good to Win Your Enemies // Story: Outlaw Mares 2: For a Few Ponies More // by Digodragon //------------------------------// Trixie and Zeeps passed the velvet-lined hallway of the living room and entered the adjoining grand ball room where the party was held. It was a very high-class gathering, the kind where the mares all wore jewelry that was more valuable than Trixie’s net worth. Granted, Trixie had very little in physical wealth to her name, but the principle still stood. The room was well lit by gem-studded gas globes anchored along the walls, the place settings at the tables were made from pearly-white porcelain that sat atop a fine red silk tablecloth, and the wines were old enough to legally vote in the province of San Anponio. Trixie and Zeeps stood out quite glaringly, and the azure unicorn was going to use this fact to her advantage. Trixie smirked at the changeling. “Ready to put on a show?” she asked. Zeeps shrugged. “You’re the stage. I’m just here to work the curtain.” Trixie hoped that wasn’t a changeling euphemism for something. The azure unicorn pressed through crowds and towards a band that played classical music. The guests mingled among their peers, but they glanced warily to the unicorn in the dirty purple cape that passed them. Trixie only smiled back at the crowds with an expression that said she was up to something. At the far end of the ballroom, not far from the band, was the VIP table. There sat Debon, Victor, and the recently retired mayor of San Anponio. The former mayor had a dull gray coat and only wore a simple white vest. By contrast, Debon’s shiny and well groomed fur, as well as his bold red vest, made the old mayor look insignificant. In between them sat the most important guest here, the co-ruler of Equestria known as Princess Luna. Her simple purple dress complimented nicely with her dark sapphire blue coat and silver tiara. Behind the princess to either side were two royal bodyguards. Trixie recognized them from the train ride as Pike and his superior, Lance. Trixie reached the long buffet table near the classical music band. She found herself standing behind the art appraiser, Artemis, who held a plate filled with deviled eggs. Trixie didn’t see any deviled eggs on the table, so she assumed that the portly stallion took the entire batch. Sadly, this didn’t surprise Trixie. Artemis turned to leave the table and nearly walked right into the azure unicorn. “You!” he barked with surprise. “Yes, it’s me,” Trixie said proudly. The unicorn glanced at Zeeps and noticed the changeling was about to throw a punch. With lightning reflexes, Trixie grabbed Zeeps’ hoof and stopped the impending assault. “We did this already,” Trixie scolded. Artemis appeared unaware of Zeeps’ intent to harm him. “What are you doing here?” he asked Trixie. The azure unicorn stepped around him to the table. “I’m grabbing an appetizer before you eat them all,” she explained. “Where’s your assistant?” “You mean Mosaic?” Artemis asked. “I don’t know. That lazy mare disappeared this morning and she’s as good as fired for all I care.” The stallion turned to Zeeps, who he believed was Daring Do, and placed his free fore-hoof on her shoulder. “Are you looking for a job?” Artemis asked as he sucked up a deviled egg off his plate. “Because a smart go-getter like you is exactly the kind of mare I need by my side. Think of the beautiful art we could appraise together!” “You smell like mayonnaise,” Zeeps replied with a disgusted expression. “If you’ll excuse us,” Trixie said to Artemis as she pulled Zeeps away from him. Trixie swiped an hors d'oeuvre from the buffet table as she walked toward the music band. She didn’t know what the food was that she held, but Trixie didn’t plan to eat it anyway. She magically levitated her slingshot out from under her cape, drew back the hors d'oeuvre, and fired it at the band’s conductor. She nailed him right in the ear. The band halted on a jarring musical note. It took only seconds for the entire room to turn their attention towards the two party crashers. Murmurs and whispers quickly pointed out the identities of the two ballroom intruders. Luna’s guards stepped forward to defend the princess from an armed Trixie. Debon looked like he was more bored than surprised. Trixie stood tall in the center of the crowd’s attention. It was time for the show and she mentally recited her second rule of being great and powerful. ‘The art of acting consists in keeping ponies from coughing.’ “Can I help you, Miss Lulamoon?” an annoyed Debon asked as he rose up from his table. His golden eyes appeared almost otherworldly under the light of the ballroom’s globes. “Debon, I’m crushed,” Trixie said in a dramatically overacted performance. “Here you are, throwing a delightful little party, and you didn’t send me an invitation?” “Maybe it was lost in the mail?” Zeeps suggested. “No it wasn’t,” Debon interrupted. “Miss Lulamoon, you are not welcome here. Please leave now and do not return or I will press charges of trespassing.” “I see how it is,” Trixie said with a gesture to Princess Luna. “A pretty unicorn like me just isn’t good enough for your tastes. You want the upgraded model with wings. I bet you know how to preen them too.” There was a loud gasp from the entire crowd at what may very well have been Equestria’s most scandalous faux pas of the year. Even the two guards stood there temporarily stunned. “Burn!” shouted an inebriated copper stallion from the far corner of the ballroom. Luna slammed her fore-hooves on the table as she stood up angrily. “Excuse me?!” the princess asked loudly. “Pray tell me your name so that I may know who to spit my bile on!” Trixie took a bow as she sheathed her slingshot. “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie and this is Zeeps the changeling,” she said triumphantly. “We are here to rescue you from Gung, an ancient evil here that was unleashed by the misguided group of fools known as the Horizon Walkers.” “That’s right,” Zeeps added, “This is an evil creature made of evil clay of the vilest evil!” The two royal guards leaped over the table and surrounded Zeeps with spears drawn. “Hooves in the air, changeling! We have you at last!” shouted Lieutenant Lance. “I think you oversold it,” Trixie whispered to the changeling. “Well, you told them I was a changeling!” Zeeps countered. Trixie let out snort. “Yeah, like they’d believe your fictional character disguise of Daring Do?” “Enough banter!” Debon shouted as he tossed his napkin on the table. “Miss Lulamoon, you are a pony non grata here and I will see to it that you are arrested for this indignity against my guests and the crown!” Princess Luna walked around the table toward Trixie. She raised a fore-hoof at Zeeps and cast a spell upon the changeling. Zeeps felt a sudden pinch in her head that forced her to drop the Daring Do form. The crowd let out a second gasp when the changeling’s true insect-like form appeared in a flash of sickly green light. Luna was appalled. “I cannot believe that you would dare bring a changeling into our presence and then insult me with the pretense of a rescue,” Luna said bewildered. “You are the most arrogant pony I have ever met!” Screams from pony folk filled the streets outside the mansion. The guests moved toward the windows to see what the commotion was about. They saw ponies running away from the mansion and down the street in absolute terror. Without warning, a towering clay stallion smashed through the front door. He slowly lumbered his way through house and towards the ball room. “Oh thank Celestia,” Trixie thought. “My stupid distraction finally arrived.” The clay creature batted furniture aside as it strode into the ballroom. The crowd scattered in all directions with piercing screams of panic. Tables were overturned from the chaos of the fleeing ponies, and Debon used this hysteria to cover his own exit within the panicked crowds. The two royal guards turned their spears at the clay giant, but Gung marched at them defiantly. The clay monster slammed his hooves at Lance and knocked the guard to the floor. Pike retaliated and drove his spear at Gung’s clay-like hide, but the spear snapped in two as it struck Gung with little effect. The clay stallion lifted Pike up by the throat and brought him to eye level. “Your primitive weapon cannot harm me. I am the mighty Gung!” the creature bellowed. With a heave, Gung threw Pike across the ballroom. The guard bounced off the wall and then landed motionless on the floor. “Got any ideas?” Zeeps asked. “Um, running away comes to mind,” Trixie replied. Gung turned his attention to the familiar looking azure unicorn. Before he could say anything, a large table hurled through the air and collided with Gung. The clay stallion reeled back and dropped onto several chairs. The furniture was crushed under Gung’s immense weight. Trixie looked to the source of the thrown table. She saw that Luna had stepped forward and challenged the might of this powerful monster. “Welcome to Equestria,” Luna stated. “Now return to whence you came or be destroyed!” Gung stood up and roared angrily. Luna pointed her long horn at the clay stallion. Light began to magically condense around her horn and build to a brilliant white light. Luna fired the magical bolt of energy at Gung, but the creature proved resilient as the spell fizzled harmlessly off his chest. Gung charged at Princess Luna in retaliation. Trixie dove at Luna and pushed her away from the path of Gung’s unstoppable charge. The creature continued past them and crashed through the wall at the back end of the ball room. Luna rolled on the floor as stucco rained around her from Gung’s collision. The princess came to rest on her back with Trixie laying over her in a near compromising position. “I had pictured this rescue to be a bit more graceful,” Trixie explained to the princess. “Get off me, you ruffian!” Luna barked as she shoved the azure unicorn away. “I see that you were not entirely false with your claims of an evil creature, but now stand aside while I slay this monstrosity.” “Your highness, Gung is cursed with the body of magically immune clay,” Trixie explained. “No offense, but your spells will just bounce off him.” “That would seem to be less of a curse and more of a spiteful benefit,” Luna said with a frown. Gung stumbled back to the ballroom in a raging fit. Trixie and Luna slowly backed away towards the kitchen. Gung readied another charge, which in turn precipitated Trixie to think of an immediate escape plan. “Zeeps, get the guards out!” Trixie commanded. “I’ll protect the princess!” The changeling reached for the injured Lance. The lieutenant grabbed Zeeps’ hoof with a serious expression of disapproval. Zeeps froze with fear, unable to read the guard’s intentions. However, Lance slowly let her go and pointed to his comrade. “Help me carry Pike out,” he ordered the changeling. Zeeps obeyed and followed Lance to pick Pike off the floor. Meanwhile Trixie tugged on Luna to follow her towards the kitchen. As the azure unicorn began to move, she stopped at the sight of a locket dropped on the floor. The locket contained an old photo of Trixie’s mother, Jessenia. Trixie scooped up the locket as she led the way into the kitchen. Zeeps and Lance carried Pike out the front entrance. Gung was determined to retaliate against the ponies that had injured him, so he charged Trixie and Luna with reckless abandonment. “Trixie!” Zeeps shouted. “Get out of here!” Trixie responded. Luna fired another magical beam at Gung, but her spell did nothing more than incite him to continue his rampage at them. Trixie shoved the kitchen door open with her magic. As she and Luna raced through the kitchen, Trixie reached out and slapped all the knobs on the gas stove to the ‘on’ position. Gung’s much wider girth smashed through the kitchen doorway as he barreled right behind Trixie and Princess Luna. As Gung’s foul breath caressed Luna’s back, Trixie levitated open a trap door in front of them. With a hard yank she jumped down the hole with Luna in tow. The two mares fell just beneath Gung’s reach as the clay creature roared over them at full speed. The stallion crashed into the china cabinets at the far end of the kitchen and smashed through the wall beyond with all the grace of a derailed train. Trixie sprang back up to her hooves and turned on the magical light on top of her horn. Luna limped to a standing position, but refused Trixie’s help. The azure unicorn found themselves in the kitchen larder. “I fear your foolish gambit has trapped us,” Luna scolded Trixie. “Couldn’t you just magically teleport us out?” Trixie asked. Luna shook her head. “I believe you have confused my abilities with that of my sister’s.” Trixie raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “I’m with the second most powerful pony in all of Equestria and she can’t teleport?” the unicorn muttered to herself. Trixie scanned the basement larder for ideas. She saw lots of metal pipes that snaked in and out of this room, and they all connected to a large container in the corner. Trixie read some of the dusty labels on the pipes. They were aluminum gas pipes that fed the mansion’s lights, heaters, and the kitchen stove. Lady Luck was back on the job! Trixie grabbed a heavy can of creamed spinach and slammed it several times against a gas pipe. It only took three swings to crack a leak in the aluminum. An invisible, but flammable gas began filling the larder with a hiss. “What are you doing?” the concerned princess asked angrily. Trixie turned to smash open the next pipe. “Renovating, your highness,” she answered. Luna yanked the can away before Trixie punctured the second pipe. The ceiling above them shredded and peeled apart like the skin of a banana under Gung’s mighty strength. The clay stallion pushed his way into the larder, but he became stuck halfway through the hole he created. Trixie and Luna ducked back from Gung’s reach. As the clay creature wiggled to break free, the azure unicorn looked around for another idea. She saw the mansion’s central gas tank nearby. Trixie drew forth a translucent wisp of magic from her horn. “Magic might not hurt your body,” Trixie thought to herself, “But let’s see if your mind is protected.” Trixie clapped her fore-hooves together over the wisp. It transformed into an illusionary replica of the iron lid from Gung’s tomb. She positioned it between herself and Princess Luna so that the clay stallion was not able to get a clear view of the lid. “A distraction?” Luna asked. “In a way, yes,” Trixie answered. “Hold your ground until he charges. We push off each other on my count.” Gung forced his way into the basement, but tore cuts on his clay skin in the process. Princess Luna took a step away, but Trixie held her to remain where she stood. Gung roared at the two mares with all his fury. “Hey Tonto!” Trixie loudly insulted. “Is this what you’re looking for?” She pointed at her illusion. Unwavering, the huge stallion charged headlong at Trixie. The azure unicorn held Luna firmly as she softly counted down from three. Gung smashed through pipes and barrels of food in his stampede. His rage at this point burned to see the azure unicorn dead. “Now!” Trixie shouted. The two mares pushed off each other and rolled out of Gung’s way. The clay stallion passed right through the illusion and tore through the large gas tank with a resounding crash. A wave of gas burst from the smashed container with a rolling hiss. Trixie hooked a fore-leg around Luna and pulled her back toward the trap door. Gung ripped his way out of the tank and stumbled toward the two mares. “Can you at least fly?” Trixie asked the princess. Luna looked up at the small basement entrance. “I can do better!” With just a thought, the princess enveloped herself and Trixie in a cocoon of dark blue shadows. The darkness tightened around the two mares, and then it collapsed into a point that popped into nothing. In the kitchen above, the shadowy cocoon burst forth in the middle of the room and deposited Princess Luna and Trixie gently on the ground. The azure unicorn looked absolutely bewildered. “I thought you said you couldn’t teleport?” Trixie drilled the princess. “I’m sorry,” Luna replied sarcastically. “I thought I was just the pretty upgraded model with wings." Trixie tugged on her Stetson with a frustrated face. “I deserved that,” she muttered. Trixie turned and kicked open the kitchen door that led outside. Gung tried to climb out of the larder, but his immense weight collapsed additional sections of the kitchen floor which left him trapped below. The two mares ran out into the small backyard. Trixie stopped short and spun around. Debon may have escaped her, but Trixie wasn’t going to let Gung do the same. “What are you doing?” Luna asked. “My grand finale!” Trixie said with a flare of her cape. She leaned forward and shot a blossoming jet of magical fireworks back into the mansion. The gas-filled area lit up in a roaring fireball that engulfed the entire kitchen, stove, Gung, the basement larder, and everything else that was flammable. The force of the explosion blew out the kitchen windows. Trixie was thrown backwards several feet onto her butt. “Hey, blue bunko!” Cheryl yelled from the airship’s main deck. Luna looked up and saw the chocolate-coated pony along with Spade being pushed off the red airship by its crew. The princess aimed her levitation spell at them and plucked both ponies out of the air. Luna brought them both safely to the ground. Zeeps, Lance, and a hobbling Pike came running around the mansion as fast as they could while Ellie limped over from across the street with an unconscious Spearmint on her back. The guards all came to help carry Spearmint over to the princess while Trixie was reunited with her friends. A crowd of ponies from the party gathered around them and the burning mansion. “Your highness, are you alright?” Lance asked. “I am, lieutenant. Thank you,” Princess Luna responded. “However, my concern goes out to Spearmint. How badly is she injured?” Ellie shrugged. “I’m not sure. She got blasted by a dark magic spell, but she’s still breathing.” “Thank you for saving her life,” Spade said to Ellie. Luna approached Trixie, who was studying the flames. The princess carefully peered into the fire for signs of Gung, but nothing within the burning mansion moved. “Is it dead?” she asked Trixie. “That’s a troubling question,” Trixie responded as she stood up. “I’m not sure if Gung was even a living creature to begin with.” “Exactly who is the cursed one here,” Luna inquired, “You or Gung?” “Hooves down, it’s Trixie,” Zeeps said. The guards quickly reassembled and flanked the little changeling. Lance reached for her, but Luna interrupted him with a wave of her fore-hoof. “At ease, lieutenant,” Luna commanded. “For now, the priority is to ensure the city is secured.” “Trixie,” Ellie gasped, “I just remembered! We got a problem!” Gung smashed through the mansion’s outer wall and stood angrily before the crowd. His body appeared singed and blackened from the fiery blast that hit him, but he was no less imposing. The crowed panicked and screamed in terror. Gung raised a thick fore-hoof into the air. “Kneel before me and do my bidding, slaves!” “Yes, I’m quite aware of our problem,” Trixie said to Ellie. Cheryl shook her head. “No partner, it’s worse than that.” “What could be worse than Gung?” Trixie asked. The crowd of bystanders began to moan as their eyes took on a glassy look. They slowly converged on Trixie and her friends in a slow, shambling pace. The now zombie-like ponies began to chant Gung’s name as they approached. “Rip them apart!” Gung commanded. Princess Luna placed herself between Trixie’s friends and the shambling townsfolk. “This is fiendish mind control magic!” she said angrily. “Okay, yeah. This is so much worse,” Trixie grumbled. “I’m sorry Trixie!” Ellie apologized. “What I wanted to say was that we couldn’t get on the airship to destroy the map! The guards interrupted us and then Golden hit Spearmint with that black lightning of hers!” “Golden?” Trixie asked. “Where is she now?” A bolt of black lightning came down from the sky and blasted Princess Luna. The dark sapphire alicorn yelped in pain and then collapsed onto the ground in a twitching fit of spasms. Every pony looked up and saw golden leaning over the railing with a wry grin. “Whoops, looks like I missed you, Trixie!” Golden shouted. “Oh, who am I kidding? That was intentional! Have fun defending the unconscious princess from Gung!” The propellers on the red airship began to spin up loudly. The anchor retracted back aboard the ship as Golden waved goodbye. Her airship flew north towards the location of Grogar’s hidden bell. Gung growled and chased the airship from the ground. He left Trixie and the others to their fate with the zombie-like citizens. “We can catch them, sir!” Spade said to Lance. “No, the princess is our top priority!” Lance commanded. Cheryl stepped closer to Trixie. “Looks like we’re in for a row,” Cheryl said. “Ready to throw your hat into the ring, every pony?” Zeeps lifted her pith helmet and threw it at one of the zombie-like ponies. It bounced off the pony’s chest with as much effect as was expected. Cheryl sighed at the changeling. “It was a figure of speech, bug butt,” she scolded. As the mind controlled ponies converged on Trixie and her friends, Chief Daybreaker galloped from around the burning mansion with two bison warriors at his side. The three bison bowled through the shambling crowd and cut a clear path to Trixie. “What kept you?” Trixie asked Daybreaker. “Traffic,” the chief responded. The guards lifted the unconscious princess on Daybreaker’s back before they carried Spearmint with them. Daybreaker led the charge back through the crowd with his two warriors. Trixie, her friends, and the guards stayed close behind as the group shoved past the glaze-eyed masses toward a safer part of the city. “Gung surprised us with a horde of mind controlled ponies,” Daybreaker explained to Trixie. “We were unaware of this ability and could not muster a counterattack quickly enough. My other warriors are scattered, as well as the remaining law ponies of this town.” “I got bad news, chief,” Trixie stated. “We couldn’t smash the map and the Walkers are flying their way to the bell now. Gung is pursuing them on the ground.” “Then all is lost,” Daybreaker said sadly. Trixie purposely slapped Daybreaker with her tail. “It isn’t over until the curtain comes down!” the unicorn stated. “There has to be another airship in this city that we can follow them in.” Ellie perked up with a hopeful idea. “Trixie! The float I’ve been working on for Lulu is a hot air balloon! We can attach a motor to it and follow the Walkers!” Trixie beamed proudly at the pegasus. “Ellie, that’s brilliant!” Trixie said joyously. The azure unicorn sped up to lead the way. “Everyone turn right at the intersection!” Trixie shouted. The group of ponies turned and galloped down the cobblestone street to the warehouse that housed the parade floats. Trixie pulled out a few mane pins and picked the lock on the main door. It easily opened and everyone shuffled inside before Trixie slammed the door shut. Daybreaker’s warriors shoved several heavy crates up to the door for added protection. Trixie, Zeeps, and Cheryl lit the gas globes inside the warehouse and they checked the remaining doors to ensure they were locked as well. Princess Luna and Spearmint were set down on a stack of hay to recover. The spacious warehouse was quite tall and normally served as a shop to repair airships. However, it was now filled with various floats set for the parade. Tools and broken parts laid scattered in all directions, which gave the building the look of a junk yard more than a workshop. Ellie led the group over to the float she had worked on over the past week. It was a hot-air balloon with sails on its side and a rudder for control. The pegasus needed muscle to complete her work, so she asked the bison to bring her the motor and propeller parts. Ellie also instructed the guards to unfold the balloon and heat the air inside it for lift. Trixie walked over to where Zeeps sat and was surprised that the changeling had not put on a new disguise. Instead Zeeps stared curiously at a float that resembled the moon. “Are you a stargazer, little hayseed?” Trixie asked the changeling. “Not really,” Zeeps responded. “My hive used to live in the mountains and the sky was often obscured by clouds. The moon was easy to spot, though.” “Yeah, the moon is nice to look at,” Trixie said. There was a pause before she cleared her throat. “I wanted to ask you, Zeeps. I’m not forcing you to stay with us, am I?” The changeling looked at Trixie with a puzzled expression, but slowly shook her head. “Nah, I’m choosing to hang around longer. I thought about ditching you when we first got the city, but I guess this business with Gung and the bell is important to both our species.” Luna stirred and awoke with a terrible headache. The guards rushed to her side, but Luna pushed them away in favor of waving Trixie over to her. The azure unicorn and the changeling both approached Luna. “Glad to see you’re still among us, your majesty,” Trixie said with a bow. “Where are we?” Luna inquired weakly. Lance stepped forward. “We have retreated to a warehouse, your highness,” he explained. “Trixie and her friends intend to give chase on the cur that had assaulted you.” “Thank you,” the princess said. “Trixie, you had stated that Gung was released by an order of ponies, correct? What was it you called them?” Trixie nodded. “They’re called the Horizon Walkers,” she explained. “Debon is their leader. He believes Princess Celestia is too soft to protect Equestria, so the Walkers secretly collect forbidden artifacts in order to form their own militia. Gung was released from his tomb when they broke into it.” “They’re not above theft, slavery, and murder either,” Zeeps added. “The red-maned one that zapped you is called Golden. She’s the most ruthless of the bunch.” “I see,” Luna said, “And you two have championed a quest to oppose them?” “Oh no,” Zeeps corrected, “I’m just here for the food. Trixie is the true wrench in their gears.” Luna turned to the azure unicorn for clarification, but Trixie only shrugged with a smirk. The princess sighed and posed a new question. “I don’t presume you have any evidence to prove the identities of these Horizon Walkers and their agenda do you?” “Not yet,” Trixie said, “But I assure you that at the very least I will stop Gung from destroying the countryside.” “Trixie, our ride is ready!” Ellie shouted. “Let’s hurry!” Trixie and Zeeps rushed over to the floating hot air balloon. The basket was small, but Trixie wanted to take as many friends as she could on the chase. “Ellie, think we can fit Daybreaker in here?” Trixie asked. The pegasus looked at the large bison. “It’ll be a tight fit, but maybe we could.” “Good, we could use his strength in our fight,” Trixie stated. “Cheryl and Zeeps, I want you both with me as well. I need ponies I can count on.” “Or to save your tail from Golden,” Cheryl added. Daybreaker turned to his two warriors. “Assist Princess Luna in any way you can. Her people need to be freed from Gung’s enchantment.” The chief then turned to the balloon. It was a frail-looking contraption that sent a shiver down his spine. “What's the matter?" Zeeps asked the chief, "Nervous?" Daybreaker nodded. "I have never been in a flying balloon before." "Flying isn't scary at all," the changeling assured him. "The feel of the crisp air and the view from up high will amaze you. It's crashing into the ground that gets really scary, and quite painful I might add. Worst case, if you hit the ground hard enough, then you don't have to worry about the pain–" "Zeeps!" Trixie shouted. "Quit scaring him!" The changeling gave the unicorn a guilty grin. Zeeps turned to Daybreaker and patted him on the shoulder. "Pretend I didn't say anything." Daybreaker gave the changeling a hard stare of frustration. The royal guards pulled on the heavy chains that opened the roof. The large wooden roof slowly slid open and revealed a clear night sky. Ellie adjusted the sails and pulled on the balloon’s furnace chain for more heat. The colorful red and purple balloon slowly ascended up through the open roof and then caught a gentle breeze heading northward. Ellie started up the steam-driven motor and the small group was on their way. “Don’t worry princess!” Trixie shouted down to Luna, “I will stop Gung!” Princess Luna watched them leave before she beckoned her guards over. “Lance, take your soldiers and round up any nearby citizens not under Gung’s domination,” she commanded. “I will watch over Spearmint and prepare a counter-spell to break our people out of their enchantment.” “Your majesty, you are still weak,” Lance said. Luna defied the lieutenant as she proceeded to stand up from the hay stack. Her legs wobbled and her shoulders ached with considerable pain, but Luna refused any help from the guards. She stood up tall despite the labor it took to do so. “Do not tell me what I cannot do,” Luna stated proudly. “Now go, we must free our citizens quickly.” Lance nodded and rounded up the other guards and the two bison warriors. As they departed the warehouse, Luna sat back down. She glanced back up into the northern sky as she rested to regain her strength. “I hope your heart is as strong as your arrogance, Trixie,” Luna whispered to herself.