//------------------------------// // Back In Black // Story: Twilight Sparkle; Appleloosan Sheriff // by Peridork //------------------------------// Twilight groaned as she looked towards the blue unicorn that was sobbing in her jail. The day had been a long ordeal of chaos and disorder for Appleloosa as the street magician had used a currently unknown amulet. That caused Rarity of all ponies to cast magic that nearly broke all the magical rules set by the Founders, try to rule Appleloosa, and be just not a nice pony. Also she was black and by the most likely not-racist rules of Equestria (because Luna was not black- just a dark blue- except on full moons.) therefore all black things are somewhat evil. And Nightmarity was definitely black. Twilight stared at her reflection in the mirror. The unicorn staring back at her had a new black eye and part of her mane had been burned off. Her whole body ached as she slowly brought forth her aura of magic and lifted a bottle of cider to her parched throat. “Okay, Miss-” “Trixie.” The mare choked her name out in between sobs. Twilight felt like she knew her from somewhere. Probably the School for Gifted Unicorns- that’s where most unicorns went to learn magic nowadays. “Ok. Next question: Where did you get this “Alicorn Amulet” that seems to have placed one of my friends in a coma.” “It all began. . .” *** Trixie hated the Frozen North. Ever since her father, Presto, had been lost in a freak snowstorm in midsummer, her view of spending time in the frozen wastes were of a cautious sort. And then she still always went along for the dangerous trek North because the Crystal Empire payed the best for a jack of her trades. She loved being a performer- but she never was a truly powerful unicorn- so she had to look into other fields of work. So that was why, at her mother’s insistence that the line of Lulamoon had been street performers ever since the reign of Discord. Her mother must be happy somewhere, Trixie mused, because she had taken the performer route- though she had become a singer in places of ill repute and not a magic slinger. Trixie shook her head vigorously to get that argument out of her memory and wrapped her parka around her to keep the bite of the cold from her senses. She hoped the stories she heard as a filly weren’t true. Creatures of great size and cruelty. Things like the White Ones of the Far North beyond the Empire and other fantastical beasts. She had to find cover soon or the small heat spell that she had cast earlier would end soon with how her magic reserves were getting low because the telltale sign of a headache that pulsed behind her eye had started a mile back. “What I have to do to survive is ridiculous.” Noticing that a cave had appeared from the falling snow, she trudged through the snow to get to the protective shelter of the cave. Her hooves echoed through the stone walls and she walked deeper in the dark cave. Once the light dimmed, she lit up the cave with a blue aura. She soon discovered, after a few minutes searching, that there was a staircase that led downwards into the earth. “Well I pray to Celestia that nothing will happen.” The room that she appeared in was covered in black crystals and a dank miasma hung powerfully throughout the cavern. Trixie had no idea who or what built this place but she did notice the centerpiece of the place. A black pillar jutted out of the ground and on top of it there was a something or other. Trixie had no idea what the stupid thing was because it looked similar to the Princesses’ choker things but it was black and red and had a giant ruby in the middle of it with wings and a unicorn head. And Trixie thought it looked gaudy as buck. Then to top of the ridiculous stupidity of the moment, because finding a jewel necklace in a cave isn’t ominous at all, the thing started talking to her. “I am the Alicorn Amulet and I demand you to wear me! Or at least take me to the middle of the desert because I feel a spawn of mine living there! OOOOOOOOOOOO!” Really it was a sad attempt of scaring fillies at this point. Almost as bad as the reveal of the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz- Trixie chuckled because somepony would be dead if they had to wait for Celestia knows how long to just scare some weary traveler; therefore, this pony amulet thing had to be a bumbling idiot. “Fear me for I am King Sombra back from the dead!” Now Trixie could believe that. Sombra, if the stories could be believed, was for the most part a terribly scary king. But sometimes kings want themselves to be known as scary- so he made himself into a monster. Really Trixie thought all those stories were hogwash anyway. So she put on a most wonderful act to trick Sombra into going to warmer climes (mostly cause Trixie heard that Appleloosa was a nice place this time of year.) “Oh how terrifying! The fear has got me shaking in my non-existent booties. . .” *** “And that’s how I brought a bumbling evil being into Appleloosa. Well, besides that stop in Dodge Junction where he did cause, in the week I was there, a zombie plague and the road to become a sea green color- which clashed so much with the houses. . .” Twilight nursed a headache. “So you are telling me that Rarity is related to King Sombra?” Trixie half-nodded, more confused than anything. “And with how Princess Luna has been checking her vitals, the curse stuff isn’t going away anytime soon. Great. Add in the destruction caused by yet another Harmony Knight. . .” Twilight groaned, that Surprise pony was making less and less sense as she tried to understand the ramblings of a madmare. “Oh can I stay? I mean- I did promise the bar owner a song or two after she liked my last one, and these ‘Crusaders’ seemed to like me.” “Okay. But please continue with your story. How did the day become so mad?” Trixie just grinned. “Oh have I got a story for you. . .”