//------------------------------// // Team Battle! Trixie Needs Help! // Story: Trixie vs. Equestria // by PaulAsaran //------------------------------// “Outta my way, Balloon Butt.” Trixie heard something hit the floor, and turned to discover that another Pinkie had arrived. Yet this Pinkie wasn’t like the others. She was a little darker in color, her mane was straight and she possessed an expression of smoldering anger. She approached, walking by the Pinkie she’d clearly just knocked to the ground. That Pinkie was cowering on the floor, too afraid of the new one to do anything but stare and tremble. “So,” Mean Pinkie muttered as she stopped by the table, “this is the Great and Powerful Trixie. I was just thinking about going out to find you.” She had the same voice, but there was nothing fun or pleasant about her tone. Trixie lowered her head wearily. “This is what Trixie gets for opening her big, fat mouth. You want to fight her now, is that it?” Pinkie scowled. “You’re not leaving ’til we do.” Trixie gave her a sour look, but then realized something. She rose from her seat, turning to give Celestia an angry glare. “You brought Trixie here just to fight her, didn’t you?!” Celestia merely sipped her tea. “Why do you condone these fights? Trixie heard that you were the one who wanted them to go through.” Celestia considered the question with a polite air, then turned to their host. “Pinkamina, would you give us but a few more minutes? You have my word: Trixie will be with you shortly.” Pinkamina chewed her lip with a sour look, but finally nodded. She turned and went for the door, pausing to glare at the still-cowering Pinkie Pie. “Why are you still here? What do I pay you for?” “B-b-but you don’t p-pay us…” “Not the point!” Pinkamina stomped her hoof within an inch of the trembling Pinkie’s nose, making her wince. “Go downstairs and tell them we’re not accepting any more customers today!” The wide-eyed Pinkie leapt to her hind hooves and saluted. “Yes ma’am, right away, ma’am!” She was gone in a blur that seemed to last a little too long to be natural. Pinkamina trotted into the building with a ‘hmmph’ and slammed the glass door behind her. “What’s her problem?” Trixie demanded, momentarily forgetting the topic at hand. “You need to fight her, Trixie.” She turned to Celestia, who was watching her with a patient – but solemn – expression. Trixie sat back down and rubbed her forehead in both hooves. “Trixie is confused. Are you not the princess of all that is good? How can you let these fights continue?” “I need you to understand the situation,” Celestia answered. “The ponies you have fought and will fight were all poisoned by Nightmare Moon’s influence. My poor sister had nothing to do with it, and she wants to make it right. I condone these fights – and yes, even encourage them – because if you succeed you may help them recover. If that happens, then Luna might know a little peace.” Trixie considered this. “So you’re saying that Trixie is helping Luna by winning these fights. But what if Trixie fails? What if she proves no better than her predecessors?” Celestia offered a smile so brilliant, so encouragingly warm she might as well have been the sun itself. “You won’t. You have an advantage none of them ever had: your exposure to Nightmare is very limited. I had a small hoof in that; I have gone to great lengths to severely restrict her movements. It is largely so the public won’t know she’s loose, but it also minimizes what harm she can do. “Nightmare Moon cannot corrupt you,” she concluded. “You can fight with a clear mind, and that is far more than any of your opponents could say.” Trixie sighed, her eyes set to her hooves. “Trixie’s mind is not so clear. She has lost everything, she has been hurt in ways other than mere bodily harm... and now she trusts nopony.” “Not even me?” Trixie wilted, but didn’t answer. She wasn’t about to lie to the princess. Celestia’s shoulders sagged, her face a mask of shame. “It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot. Just remember: my sister is my very first concern.” She gestured to the windows with an apologetic frown. “You should probably go, now. Pinkamina is known for many things, but patience is not one of them.” She hadn’t even a chance to eat. Trixie glowered at the cake set before the princess, but did as she was told and made her way for the door. “Trixie would feel much more comfortable about this if there was only one of them.” “From a certain perspective,” Celestia offered, “there is.” Trixie didn’t bother to think on those words. She entered the dining room to find Pinkamina sitting next to a doorway, watching with a dull grimace. “Well,” Trixie asked grumpily, “fight time?” Pinkamina tilted her head, her mane drifting over one eye, then turned and walked to the nearby doorway. “Not yet. I’m not about to destroy my restaurant.” Well, at least she seemed a little sensible. Trixie followed her, the two of them heading down a long hallway. Pinkamina opened a side door, and when Trixie entered she found herself in an office. Pinkamina walked to stand beside the big desk, which was clearly her own. “I can’t believe you beat Rainbow. I might hate you, but I’m still impressed.” Trixie glanced around at the lightly-colored wood that made up the small room. “This place is a little tiny for a fight, is it not? Was there something important Trixie missed?” “Everypony misses it,” Pinkie declared smartly. “All I really wanted was to get you set up for my plan.” Trixie took up a defensive stance, suddenly alert. “And what plan of attack have you devised for Trixie?” A big grin slowly came upon Pinamina’s face, one that didn’t match the malice in her eyes. “I think I’ll beat you down with your own words.” With that, she reached behind her back and pulled out… Trixie’s mind shattered; she slumped to her haunches and stared, slack-jawed. “Are… Are those words?” Sure enough, Pinkamina was holding up what appeared to be two sentences, as if she’d taken them up from a text. She held them up as if they were swords, examining her ‘weapons’ with a thoughtful smile. One read ’How many of you are there?’ and the other, ‘Performing a magic trick.’ “How are you even doing that?!” Trixie demanded. “The letters aren’t… even connected… to one another?” “Oh, that’s nothing,” Pinkie declared with a grin. “Wait till you see this!” She slammed one of the sentences onto her desk, and a trap door opened… in front of Trixie. Trixie stared at the hole a few feet before her hooves, then facehooved. “Trixie assumes she was meant to be standing over that?” Pinkamina whacked the side of her own head with some letters. “Why didn’t I see that coming? Oh well, no matter. I’ll just move it.” “Move it?” Trixie asked skeptically, but her eyes widened when Pinkamina stepped next to the hole, set one of her hind hooves to it and kicked. The hole slid across the floor, and Trixie was so startled she forgot to move. “What in—waah!” Pinkamina brought the two sentences down like sledgehammers on Trixie’s shoulders, and they certainly felt solid enough! The hit sent her tumbling down the hole. Her body banged against what felt like metal walls for some time before she dropped out of the tunnel. She fell through open air for several seconds, then smacked hard ground on her stomach. She groaned, slowly climbing to her hooves. She ignored the soreness and looked around to realize she was in a massive crystal cavern not unlike the one below Canterlot. It only made sense, for they couldn’t be that far from the slums. Was this where Pinkamina— “Wow, that looked like it hurt.” “Yeah, totally!” “Are you okay?” “She looks okay.” “What’s she doing down here?” Trixie’s chest tightened with horror as a dozen Pinkies came from all over to investigate the visitor. Suddenly she didn’t feel so certain of her chances… “Hey, Pinkies!” Trixie looked up to see Pinkamina in the hole from which she’d fallen, looking down at them as if gazing through a window. “Time to have some fun!” “Fun!” Trixie’s head rang as all the Pinkies shouted the word in unison and began to bounce wildly. The call had gone out, and soon dozens of Pinkies poured out of the tunnels, all bouncing and chattering. “Fun! Fun! Fun!” “Holy Horseshoes…” Trixie spun about with wide eyes as the horde began to fill the room up in a sea of giddy pinkness. “___ ____ __ ___ ___ _______” She paused and felt at her throat with wide eyes, not at all certain what just happened. “Far too many.” She turned around just in time to see Pinkamina appear in the crowd, thrusting a sentence at her. The question mark jammed into Trixie’s stomach, and with a powerful thrust Pinkamina sent her sprawling. “Fun!” A Pinkie appeared underneath and bounced, unwittingly ramming Trixie with her head. Trixie flew through the air with a grunt of pain. When she came back down she was caught on each leg by a quartet of Pinkies. “Fun!” They tossed her high into the air, but promptly forgot to catch her. “Ow!” Trixie glared at the ponies all around her, incapable of determining which ones had dropped her. “Trixie is not having any fun at all!” One of them let out a distressed cry. “No fun?” “You gotta have fun,” another declared. “Alpha said we could!” “Yeah,” a third added, “like this! Weeeeee!” She began to spin in place, her body moving in a blur that made Trixie stare. “Oh, oh, that does look like fun! Let me try!” “And me!” “Me too!” “I wanna have fun!” Trixie took an alarmed step back as nearly a dozen Pinkies began spinning in unison, making a veritable Pinkie-tornado! Pinkamina’s mocking voice came from behind: “You should have fun, too.” Trixie barely had time to register her intent before being pushed in, caught by some hooves and dragged into the maelstrom! “No, noooo!” Trixie’s stomach churned as the crystal caverns and pink ponies swirled through her vision. “L-let Trixie go!” That was as far as she could get; she feared opening her mouth again would lead to serious consequences. Amidst the giddy laughter the Pinkies finally released Trixie, sending her flying across the cavern. “Fun!” She whacked into a Pinkie that bounced at the wrong time. “Fun!” And another. She flew through a tunnel and landed on her side, well away from the pink army. She rolled for a ways before stopping, and for several seconds she could only lie there with eyes spinning and stomach roiling. Knowing she didn’t have much time, she tried to stand, stumbled and collapsed to her side again. She could see in her swirling vision that Pinkamina was trying to make her way through all the Pinkies. These reality-defying ponies were ridiculous! She needed a plan, and fast. Stumbling to her hooves, she moved to lean against the wall and instead ended up falling through a curtained opening. She landed on her chin in a dim cavern. Her sight finally evening out, she sat up and gazed upon a truly unique sight: the cavern ahead, lit by great openings in the ceiling, was a veritable paradise! The ground changed from crystal to soil several feet ahead of her, and on that ground rose trees, flowers, grass, everything to suggest a perfectly natural forest. Trixie shook her head violently, returning to the moment. Pinkamina was sure to come looking for her, and she couldn’t face all those Pinkies without some sort of strategy. Wobbling on unbalanced hooves, she made her way to the woods. She found a particularly large, fallen tree and dove behind it just as she heard hoofsteps echoing through the cavern. “Come out, come out,” Pinkamina called. “We’re not done playing! You can’t already be bored.” How was Trixie going to fight her? Maybe if she could zap Pinkamina good and hard, the rest of them wouldn’t attack? Chop off the head, as it was said. Trixie took a moment to lean sideways and peer through the trees branches, but Pinkamina didn’t seem to know where she was. Trixie sat back, sucking in a relieved breath… then noticed she wasn’t alone. It was all she could do to keep from shouting at the sight of the yellow pegasus now sitting before her with an emotionless expression. “D-don’t sneak up on Trixie like that,” she hissed. The pink-maned pony only stared, lips set in a frown. The way she was staring at Trixie made her feel very uncomfortable; it was a combination of bitterness and misery that almost made her feel as if she’d done something wrong. Trixie didn’t have time to think on her, though. “Listen, keep quiet, okay? Trixie needs to hide for a moment and think.” The pegasus’ ears perked. “Did you say… Trixie?” Trixie paused and took a much closer look at the stranger. “Umm… Yes?” The pegasus sucked in a long breath, as if trying to control herself, then looked over Trixie’s shoulder and nodded. “Whoa, wha—” Trixie felt herself lifted by the shoulders, and the next thing she knew she was facing a massive, one-eyed bear! The animal roared right in her face. Heart flying into her chest, she instinctively fired a small beam of energy that blackened its nose. The bear jerked back with a snarl and tossed Trixie away. “Fluttershy!” Pinkamina was at the pegasus’ side in an instant. She grabbed Fluttershy’s cheeks and studied her face up close. “Are you okay? That meanie didn’t hurt you, did she?” Fluttershy didn’t bother to answer. Instead, she slapped Pinkamina’s hooves away and turned to stare at Trixie with that same bitter expression. Pinkamina dropped to a low stance, looking up at Fluttershy with hopeful eyes. “Come on, Fluttershy, smile for me?” No response. Pinkamina wilted. “What if we hurt Trixie? Would that make you happy?” Fluttershy’s eyes shifted down to her for a few seconds before locking once more on Trixie. At last she spoke, and though her voice was quiet, it was by no means gentle. “Maybe.” Pinkamina bounced with a grin. “That’s good enough for me. Pinkies! Fluttershy’s hosting the fun!” “Fun!” A freshly-recovered Trixie leaped back when a grinning Pinkie appeared from under a bush. “Fun!” Two more appeared on either side of a nearby tree. “Fun! Fun! Fun!” Pinkies began to pop up from a nearby pond, lily pads on their heads. “Fun!” The horde burst through the cavern entry, literally falling over one another in their rush to get in. “Oh, come on!” Trixie cried, then winced as something whacked her on the head. “Hey!” She looked up to find a swarm of birds swooping down to peck and claw at her. “What the hay?” “Oh, look at the birdie!” A Pinkie jumped up and landed on Trixie’s back, dropping her to her stomach. “Get off Trixie!” “Fore!” She looked up in alarm to find one Pinkie swinging another like a golf club, whacking her on the head. The hit sent her flying out from under the Pinkie’s who’d been on top of her. Trixie’s body travelled a shallow arc through the air and she was momentarily blinded by stars and pain. “Keep-away!” a Pinkie called in a sing-song voice, catching Trixie. She spun with her, using the momentum to send Trixie flying in another direction. “Party cannon!” “Party what?” Trixie looked up in mid-flight to find herself landing face-first inside a literal cannon! Working her mind frantically, she hastened to focus her magic. A flash of light later and she had teleported out just in time to hear the boom. She landed on her stomach on the opposite side of the pond and scrambled to her hooves. “Paper cut.” “Paper cut? What kind of attack is—” Trixie turned around to find herself facing a sneering Pinkamina. She swung one of her sentences up to smack Trixie in the chin and send her flying yet again! Trixie found herself under assault by the birds, this time in mid-air. They clawed and pecked and tore at her until she let out a frustrated cry and cast a wind spell that sent the animals spiraling away uncontrollably. “Fun!” A Pinkie appeared far below. “Fun!” Another Pinkie popped out of that Pinkie’s mane and stood on her head. “Fun!” And another for that one. “Fun!” And a fourth. Trixie was still flying through the air, her flight sending her towards the very top of the Pinkie tower. She gave an alarmed cry when Pinkamina appeared from within the mane of the highest Pinkie with sentences at the ready. “Hey, this is fun.” Smirking, she struck Trixie in mid-flight with her wordy weapons, sending her up to smack against the cavern’s ceiling. Trixie was in lots of pain, and realized she was getting her flank thoroughly trounced. The attacks were simply coming too fast! Desperate for some relief, she cast one of her most reliable spells – the magic rope – and quickly tied herself to a crystal stalactite. Secured to the ceiling and safe from attack for the moment, Trixie took a deep breath and looked below. The army of Pinkies had completely filled the forest. Fluttershy and her bear stood quietly at the edge of the group and glared up at Trixie. Was she controlling the animals? Why was that pony attacking, too? It didn’t make any sense! She noted some birds coming for her once more and cast another wind spell, dispersing them easily. Trixie exhaled deeply, glad for her temporary respite… but then her eyes snapped open when she heard a chuckle from above. She looked up in angry disbelief to spot Pinkamina… who appeared to be coming from behind her magic rope, except there clearly wasn’t enough rope for her to be hiding behind. It almost looked as if she had no bottom half at all. “The fun’s down there, you dummy.” Pinkamina promptly produced a pair of scissors from out of nowhere. Trixie barked a laugh. “You think Trixie’s the dummy? The rope’s magic. A mere pair of scissors won’t—” Pinkamina cut the rope with one neat snip. “—how the buck?” Trixie twisted to see the mass of ponies below, mind frantic with total confusion. Grasping for some sort of common sense, she remarked to herself that at least the Pinkies would break her— “Twitchy tail!” The mass of ponies darted away, leaving Trixie but a second to scream a curse before smacking the ground. She let out a long, low moan, her entire body sore. Slowly, she opened her eyes… to find a small white bunny with a disfigured ear staring down at her. Trixie slowly climbed to her aching hooves, noting how the rabbit glared up at her with its front paws crossed. “Shoo.” She growled, turning her attention to the horde of Pink—“Ah!” The bunny had leapt onto her and was crawling all over, biting, kicking and tugging at her coat. She swatted and tried to grab him, but he moved around so quickly she couldn’t get to him. She didn’t notice the bear approaching until it was too late, receiving a hard hit from its paw. She stumbled and fell, landing on top of the unprepared rabbit. Fluttershy let out an angry cry. “Bearrington! Don’t hurt Angel at the same time!” The bear, its expression apologetic, automatically lifted Trixie off the flattened, breathless bunny. Bearrington absentmindedly tossed her aside, its attention now wholly on the rabbit. She landed atop one of the Pinkies, grunting in pain as the two dropped to the floor. “Pony-pile!” The Pinkies all bounced in to form a mound of ponies, nearly all of them ending up on top of Trixie. She would have gasped for air if her mouth weren’t full of tail. Trixie was in trouble; she hadn’t even touched Pinkamina yet, but she was already worn out. She focused on the spell and, to her relief, was able to teleport out of from under the mountain of ponies. She had to find a way to hit Pinkamina, and quick! She forced herself to her hooves. Panting heavily, she spun about in search of the Pinkie leader, but couldn’t see her. Where was the straight hair, the darker colors? Worry clouded her mind as the army of Pinkies surrounded her, bouncing and cheering and laughing. Trixie was starting to think she’d go mad from over-exposure to these monstrosities! She rolled her head back to cry out, “Where are you?!” “Here!” “And here!” “Pinkie Pie, reporting for duty!” Trixie sat, frustration and desperation mixing chaotically in her mind. Teeth grinding, she tried to blot out the noise and focus… on what? She had no idea what to do! A pair of Pinkies abruptly grabbed her by the front legs and jerked her down. She was so lost in the chaos she had no idea how to respond. “Sorry,” the Pinkie holding her left leg said with a grin. “Alpha said to,” the one on her right declared. Trixie was on the verge of surrender. What was she supposed to do against an army of reality-defying ponies? That incessant chatter and laughter wouldn’t stop. Everywhere she looked, she saw Pinkies. It was like some sort of twisted, horrible nightmare! She couldn’t face it alone, and seeing all of them reminded her that she really was so very alone. She didn’t struggle; as long as it all just ended, she was willing to accept a loss. “Now you know how I always feel,” Pinkamina declared, appearing over Trixie with an ominous frown. “All I wanted was to make ponies happy, to make Luna happy. Was I losing my touch?” She sat on top of Trixie, making sure to press firmly down on her stomach. “I tried everything to make her smile, and I couldn’t do it! So I thought if one Pinkie wasn’t enough, maybe many Pinkies could do it!” She cast a glower at the noisy, giddy ponies all around her. “That didn’t work out so well.” Pinkamina pulled out the two sentences from her own mane. “Now look at me. Nopony likes me anymore. I became an outcast from the very ponies who used to love me!” A Pinkie dared to hop over beside Pinkamina and pat her on the back. “Aww, cheer up, me! Turn that frown upside—” Pinkamina shoved her aside and whacked her with a sentence so hard she went flying across the room. “And these things! Some ponies actually like them! They’re all me, so why doesn’t anypony like me?!” She huffed for a few seconds, the Pinkies moving back fearfully at her anger. But then Pinkamina smiled and pointed with one of her sentences. “But then I met somepony just as miserable as I am.” Trixie, too busy trying to breathe to speak, turned her head to follow her gesture. Fluttershy was sitting just within the circle of worried Pinkies, surrounded by her animals and birds. She was watching with that same cold, emotionless expression. “Fluttershy suffered because of Luna, too. She’s so depressed! If I could just make her smile again… I’d do anything to make somepony smile again.” Pinkamina held the two sentences just over Trixie’s head, and suddenly those words appeared awfully sharp. With an uncertain smile, she declared, “Maybe if I hurt you, she’ll smile. She said she might. I have to find out!” Pinkamina raised the sentences over her head. Trixie stared up at Pinkamina, mind jumbled with emotions. On one hoof, she didn’t want to die. On the other, she was just about willing to try it, if it meant escaping this pink hellhole. “Smile.” But then, who would fight for ponies like Twilight? Then there was Pinkie and Fluttershy, who’d been harmed by Luna just like the others. Didn’t they deserve some consideration? “Smile!” Killing Trixie wouldn’t grant them that! They needed something better… If only she could speak! Tears in her eyes, Pinkamina let out one final, desperate cry – “Please, smile!” – and brought the sentences down. The world erupted in blackish-blue energy and wind. Pinkamina paused mid-chop, her mane flying wildly as she tried to brace against the winds. Giggling and squealing with pleasure, the Pinkies were sucked within the great ball of energy that now surrounded her and Trixie, who could only stare in stunned silence at the sight. Then the sphere burst with a concussive blast, sending Pinkamina, the Pinkies, and even Fluttershy and her animals flying. Trixie, still on her back in the center of the forest, sucked in a deep breath of air. What in Equestria’s name…? Then she saw the great hole above her, where the sun beamed light throughout the cave. Something was coming down. A pony… An alicorn. “Luna!” The princess landed beside Trixie, hitting the ground so hard that soil and grass flew up upon impact. Her eyes shined white with anger, her lips pulled back into a snarl. “This has gone far enough!” “You!” Pinkamina popped up from under a pile of Pinkies with wide eyes. “What are you doing here?” Trixie rolled onto her belly and stared up at Luna in mild disbelief. “Luna?” Luna glanced back at her. “Are you alright?” Trixie could only gape as understanding hit her: the princess was protecting her. Luna turned to face Pinkamina once more. “I won’t let you hurt her, Pinkie Pie!” Pinkamina was struck dumb, jaw and shoulders going slack. “What?” All eyes turned to Fluttershy, her soaked form hovering over the pond.. Her face was twisted in an expression of fury. “You’re going to fight for her? For her?” “Yes.” Luna stood her ground, prepared to take on both aggressors. “I couldn’t protect either of you from this. I will not let Trixie fall, too! On my honor as a princess, I will ensure she sees this path to its best end!” Trixie couldn’t believe her ears. She struggled to her haunches, trying to take in this sudden turn of events. Despite all her doubts and suspicions, hearing Luna say those words left her feeling… touched. “But...” Pinkamina sagged, wide eyes downcast. “But… what about us?” Luna’s focus faltered. “I…” “She’s abandoned us.” Fluttershy’s voice was quiet, but filled with a venomous intensity that matched the feverish fire in her eyes. “She doesn’t care about us. She’d rather spend her time with her new toy.” She landed on the ground next to the pond, shaking water from her coat. “I’m tired of being stepped on! Pinkies, take care of Luna.” All the Pinkies stared at one another anxiously. One dared to step up to Fluttershy. “Umm, but it’s the princess. We like her… don’t we?” “No, we don’t,” Pinkamina growled. “Pinkies, Luna wants to have fun!” “Fun!” The mass of Pinkies instantly converged on the princess, laughing and bouncing and grinning. Luna stepping back and fired a bolt of white energy that struck a Pinkie. The pony burst into pink light, which instantly swam off on its own through the air. She fired a few more shots, but was soon lost among the Pinkies. “Luna!” Trixie jumped to her hooves, completely surrounded. “Get out of Trixie’s way, you foals!” “Not you.” Trixie turned to find Fluttershy standing right next to her, expression livid. “I’ll make sure you never win Luna’s heart!” Trixie noticed the bear coming upon her and just managed to dodge a claw. Birds swooped down on her, pecking and scratching, and she summoned another wave of wind to get rid of them. The distraction was enough to let the bear get its paws on her, though, and Trixie found herself lifted bodily into the air! From her high position Trixie could see Luna. The princess was struggling to get rid of the army of Pinkies now crowding around her. She could see Pinkamina darting in at random moments, delivering hits against Luna with her two sentences. Even an alicorn couldn’t keep so many attackers at bay, and her vanquishing spell simply wasn’t capable of keeping up with them all. Pain coursed through Trixie… but Luna had come to help her; she’d be damned if she let Luna suffer because of it! Seeing that spell in action gave her an idea, if only she could find an opportunity to devise the modifications. The birds came at her again, and this time Trixie was ready. The bear was holding her up as if to sacrifice her to them, but she caught a nearby hawk in both hooves and shoved it down. The thing squirmed and cried in her grip, its legs clawing wildly against the bear’s unprotected face. It let out a roar and dropped Trixie, raising its arms to protect its lone eye. Trixie cast her magic, magnifying the impact of her hooves hitting the ground, causing everypony in the room to stumble from the quake. She charged a second spell, her horn glowing brightly, and turned to deliver a mighty blast of energy point-blank against the kneeling bear’s chest. The animal flew across the cavern, smashing into a tree on the opposite side of the pond; it slumped down and made no attempt to get back up. “Bearrington!” Fluttershy was on her. “How dare you? He’s my friend!” Fluttershy was much stronger than she looked, but she was also clearly inexperienced; her hold amounted to little more than an expression of her anger. Trixie lowered her body and, with a simple tipping motion and a little magic, flipped her attacker over her shoulder. Fluttershy whacked the ground on her back, a tiny cry coming out of her lips from the impact. “Luna! Can you hear—” Trixie’s head snapped backwards as Fluttershy delivered a sudden hit to her chin. “You won’t stop me that easily!” Fluttershy was back on her hooves with surprising speed. Trixie braced for an attack, but was caught off-guard when that accursed rabbit bounded onto her for a second time! As the rabbit kicked and bit, Fluttershy came forward to deliver a few more hits. Trixie raised a hoof, blocking one of Fluttershy’s attacks, then turned and bit down. By sheer luck, she caught the bunny by his good ear. She ground her teeth into the flesh and swung her head to send it flying against Fluttershy’s face with a loud smack. “Angel!” Fluttershy caught the bunny in her front hooves, alarmed at the blood coming from his ear. The animal was down for the count, looking dazed and clutching its wound. The birds came back for yet another try. Trixie was tired of the accursed things! Spitting blood from her mouth, she reversed her spell so the wind blew down. The birds hit the ground hard. Most of them didn’t get up. Fluttershy met Trixie’s gaze with piercing fury. She set Angel down slowly, her livid eyes locked on the out-of-breath Trixie. Trixie’s horn was already getting sore again. So many magic-induced headaches over the last few days couldn’t be good for her… That was when Trixie realized what was wrong: Pinkamina and her clones had worn her out. She was still hurting, still weary from the long pounding. No wonder Fluttershy seemed so strong, Trixie was running out of strength! She had to resolve this soon. Luna was still struggling to handle the Pinkie horde, and she wouldn’t last forever. Fluttershy lunged, and Trixie tried to fend her off with a laser blast. To her alarm, Fluttershy dodged and kept coming, smashing into her at full gallop. Trixie was able to keep from falling, though to absorb the impact required a lot of effort. She struggled to push her opponent back, the two of them locking hooves. “Why are you so mad at Trixie?” Fluttershy released a menacing snort. “Mad at you? I’m mad at everypony! You took my Luna, you hurt my friends! I might have let it happen before, but no more. I’m tired of being the world’s doormat!” “Trixie didn’t take anything from you.” She struggled to push Fluttershy away. “And she hurt your friends in self-defense!” Fluttershy abruptly stepped back. With nothing to brace against, Trixie stumbled forward with a cry, then gasped in pain as her opponent slammed a hoof into her gut. She collapsed to the floor, clutching at her stomach and wheezing. “I’ve been holding my anger in for two years,” Fluttershy declared. “Two years of thinking I had done something wrong, of thinking I wasn’t good enough!” She kicked Trixie, effectively rolling her onto her back. “Now I know it was never my fault. It was all Nightmare Moon! Well if she’s going to be cruel to me, let me be cruel to her! She likes you now, so I’ll make her lose you!” Fluttershy moved to stomp on Trixie’s face, but her hoof came to an abrupt stop when Trixie caught it with her magic. As Fluttershy struggled to bring her hoof down, Trixie ignored her growing headache and bought enough time to recover her breath. She then reached up and caught Fluttershy’s hoof in her own, jerking it down. Fluttershy dropped forward, Trixie taking the opportunity to create a small blue sphere of energy between them. The energy erupted with such force that Fluttershy was sent flying high, crying out in pain. She started to open her wings, but Trixie hit her with a well-timed beam. As Fluttershy twisted in midair, Trixie fought for one more wind spell, crashing her opponent into a nearby tree. Fluttershy dropped to the ground on her belly, tried to stand and collapsed. Her head pounding, horn smoking, Trixie stumbled her way to Fluttershy. She intended to hear her story, as she’d heard so many already… but paused. Fluttershy was… crying. Not just a few tears, she was outright weeping. Trixie stood over the defeated pegasus, not sure what to do. Fluttershy looked up at her, all anger and fury washed away in her clear misery. For a tender moment they stared at one another, neither saying anything. Then Fluttershy buried her head in her hooves and resumed her sobs. There was a certain clarity in the sight before Trixie. This was enough. Whatever Nightmare Moon had done, Fluttershy had bore it terribly. Perhaps worse than any of the others had, for she didn’t seem at all equipped to handle such treatment. Seeing her like this… Even Trixie, who’d been through so much recently, felt her heart crack. The fight wasn’t over; Trixie had one more thing to do. Though her head still ached terribly and her body yearned for rest, she turned away from Fluttershy and approached the Pinkies, who were still crowded around Luna. She could barely make out Luna’s sparkling mane over the pink horde and the occasional flash of her banishing spell. “Get away from me!” Luna cried, frustration and pain in her voice. “Pinkamina, stop this!” She was in trouble, Trixie could tell. Trixie sat close to the mass of Pinkies and focused her magic. Her head burned in retaliation, but she had to succeed. Just one more spell. It was a big one, but if it worked… Take Luna’s spell, work out the trick of it… Luna’s fretful cry reached her ears; “Trixie, where are you?” Got that. Now take the fireworks, apply wind… “Trixie, we need to get out of here!” Concussive force. Expand upon Luna’s spell. How to divide it? “You won’t get away, Luna!” That one was Pinkamina, lost somewhere among the crowd. No, that wouldn’t work. Maybe a wave effect? Yes, mix it with the wind. Would that get in the way of the fireworks? “Pinkie, this is madness!” No, not if she used the fireworks first. If she could just avoid hitting Pinkamina. Perhaps an essence filter? “That’s right, I’m mad! Ponies don’t like mad, do they?” No, never mind. Goddess, was this complicated... Maybe an aura target? “Pinkie, please, don't make me hurt you!” Yes. Yes, that would do it! Just a few more touches to string it together… “Hey!” One of the Pinkies broke from the crowd to sit before Trixie. “What are you doing?” Trixie was sweating, her vision going white from the pain. She thought she might collapse. Even so, she managed the tiniest of smiles. “__________ _ _____ _____.” She raised her head and released the spell. There was an audible burst of explosive magic. A circle of sparking light erupted from her horn, filling the forested cavern with a rainbow of colors. The Pinkies in the room all stopped to stare up at the brilliant eruption of light, joyful eyes as wide as saucers at the sight of it. Then the second burst came, a ring of pure white light that swept low across the forested cavern. The distracted Pinkies had no chance. Each and every one of them erupted in a burst of pink, until a veritable stream of pink essences were flowing out of the cavern into the opening above, off to a destination unknown. The colors faded, the light disappeared. Suddenly the cavern was empty, save for Luna and Pinkamina, who gaped at Trixie in a state of total disbelief. She promptly collapsed. “Trixie!” Luna ran to her, rolling her onto her back and studying her carefully. “Are you alright? Tell me you’re alright!” “They’re gone,” Pinkamina whispered, looking around in quiet amazement. “Th-they’re all gone. Oh, thank all things sugary…” Trixie was so worn out she couldn’t move, suspecting that another spell would knock her out. When she looked up she saw Luna, her face awash with genuine concern. “Thank goodness,” Luna whispered, hugging Trixie close. “I thought you might have died from an overdose. Don’t scare me like that!” “Apologize.” “W-what?” Luna lowered Trixie back down, her face confused. “T-to Fluttershy,” Trixie whispered. “Apologize.” She would have gestured, but she couldn’t manage it. Luna smiled, looking both proud and on the verge of tears at the same time. “Of course… O-of course, you’re right. She deserves that much, doesn’t she?” She went to Fluttershy, still crying by the tree. Trixie was able to shift her head in the grass just enough to see what was happening. She watched as Luna knelt down beside the miserable pegasus, taking a few seconds to think of what to say. “Fluttershy?” Fluttershy looked up at Luna in alarm. “I wanted you to know… you were right. Everything that happened is my fault. I didn’t want it to be this way… I wanted you to be happy.” Fluttershy wiped grass and tears from her face. “Then… Th-then why did you leave?” “Because you deserved better,” Luna answered. “I knew I would hurt you, Fluttershy, and because I cared, I left. I thought you’d have been better off that way. Clearly, I was wrong. But there were things going on behind the scenes, things I couldn’t share, and if I stayed with you… Things would have gotten even worse. You must believe me, Fluttershy.” Fluttershy was visibly shaken by these words. “You mean… you left to protect me?” “And it hurt so much to do so.” Luna’s eyes began to water. “You were important to me, Fluttershy, and I am sorry.” She reached down to hold Fluttershy’s cheeks and look her in the eyes. “I am so sorry. You deserve better than this. You can hate me, you have the right. If you never want to see me again, I’ll understand. But please remember that what I did, I did for you.” She embraced Fluttershy, who stared over her shoulder blankly for several seconds. Then, gradually, Fluttershy smiled and returned the hug. There was a quiet gasp, and Pinkamina walked cautiously up to them. As the two finally separated, she stood before Fluttershy and tentatively touched her cheek. “You… You smiled. Fluttershy, you’re smiling.” Suddenly Luna caught her up, and Pinkamina stared with wide-eyes at her. “I’m sorry to you, too, Pinkie! I never meant to hurt you, either.” Pinkamina pulled back to better look Luna in the face. “You mean it? Y-you actually like me?” Luna gave her a big, happy smile. “I do. I really do, Pinkie!” Pinkamina’s eyes grew wide as saucers. For a few seconds it looked as if she might burst into tears…but instead she burst with energy, her mane becoming miraculously poofy and her colors going several shades brighter. “She likes me! Luna likes me!” Luna laughed as Pinkie burst from her legs to hug Fluttershy, who grinned at her friend’s exuberance. “And you like me too! Laughter, smiles, joy! Oh, I’m sooo happy!” Luna grinned at the two, but then grew alarmed and turned back to Trixie. She was still watching, though she could feel sleep coming over her. The princess approached swiftly, cradling her once more in her legs. “Trixie… You did wonderfully today. You saved them, and me as well.” “Oh my...” Fluttershy approached with an expression of worry. “I’m so sorry! I really don’t know what came over me.” Pinkie was at Fluttershy’s side. “I’m sorry, too,” she confessed with a frown. “I shouldn’t have taken it all out on you, and you even got rid of all the other ‘me’s.'” Luna looked down on Trixie with a warm smile. “Rest, Trixie. I’ll keep you safe, I promise.” Trixie smiled up at her, slowly closing her eyes. She’d won. It had taken every last ounce of strength left in her, but she’d done it. She ignored the pain as best she could and allowed her body to relax. It was strange, how good it felt to be in Luna’s care. That seemed to be a recurring theme, lately. As her mind drifted off, she dimly recalled Twilight, that poor individual who’d come to her one lonely night before she truly understood anything. She recalled the words she’d been told, the words she’d been trying to recall for the past three days… ‘Luna is the key. If you save Luna, you save Equestria.’ She was ready to try.