The wind carried with it a strange feeling as it whipped through Trixie's mane; a dark, forboding feeling that was in stark contrast to the beautiful and vibrant hues of purple the twilight cast upon the sky. Trixie had no eyes for it, staring intently at the castle up ahead in the distance, unwavering in her conviction. Maybe it was the showmare in her, but she refused to cry any more than she already had. She took on a stoic attitude in her attempt to trick herself out of the wallowing sadness and self pity she'd fallen so deeply into early on. However, in her attempt to do so, she was left with a cold emptiness inside, a feeling once familiar to her. Recently, she'd had Twilight to fill the void; unfortunately, Twilight's presence was a luxury that presently eluded her, and so she stared on, determined not to show just how upset she really was.
Trixie gasped as a small claw met her hoof on the chariot's railing. She turned her head to see Spike smiling back at her; though, the smile did not reach his eyes, and the orbs betrayed his own sadness, turning the simple smile into a look of sympathy and understanding. He gave a quick, reassuring nod in her direction. "It's ok, Trixie," the young dragon promised, "No one will fault you for being upset."
Trixie's facade was so easily broken, and she sniffled as the tears welled up in her eyes. She threw herself at the dragon, locking him in a powerful embrace and burying her muzzle into his shoulder. The tears ran down his scales and dropped to the bottom of the chariot before being whisked away off the back end by the wind. For his part, Spike merely returned the hug and gently ran a claw down his friend's mane to comfort her in her time of need. All that escaped his lips were gentle coos of, "It's okay...It'll be okay."
As he choked back his own tears, he was trying to believe that himself.
.....
He worried about his sister.
It wasn't but a half hour more before they began their descent toward the Canterlot Castle Courtyard and a couple more minutes before they landed softly upon the cobblestone. Trixie, having never truly flown before, immediately jumped off the chariot and did her best to melt into the earth below. "Never...have I been so happy to lie in dirt..." Her melodramatic antics were, of course, in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Spike laughed and rolled his eyes. "Get up, you ham. we've got to go see the princesses."
Before Trixie even had a chance to respond, a cyan blur zoomed past them, knocking her mane askew with the gust of wind in its wake. Trixie huffed as she fixed her hair and turned to face the blur.
"Took you long enough!" Rainbow exclaimed, scraping the stone beneath her hoof. "I've been waiting here for like...forever! Sometimes, it's such a drag being the fastest pony in Equestria." Leave it to Rainbow Dash to complain and brag in the same sentence.
"R-Rainbow Dash?" Trixie raised a brow in genuine surprise at the pegasus before her. "What are you doing here? It was to be me and Spike alone on this journey."
Rainbow Dash blew raspberries in response. "Yeah, as if!" Rainbow rolled her eyes. "What kind of friend would I be if I let one of my best friends go on a mission to find my other best friend alone?" Rainbow rushed between the two of them and threw a wing over each of their backs defiantly. "You're not getting rid of me, so we might as well get going."
Trixie grumbled inaudibly, but Spike hoof bumped Rainbow, clearly glad to have her there, as well as the moral support she'd bring along. "I'm sure she wouldn't have it any other way..."
As the trio began to move forward, Discord morphed into his original shape, having previously been the stallion driving the chariot, and caught up to them with all the quiet nervousness of a small child in trouble with his parents. In many ways, this was his fault, and in many ways yet, he could not be held accountable. Either way, the prospect of being turned to stone crossed his mind on more than one occasion during the trip, and he doubted his mind could handle even another year of the solitude such a state brought with it.
It was with a heavy heart that he followed the mares and dragon, yet he followed still. This needed to be seen through to the end, as much as every fiber of his being screamed at him to turn tail and disappear. He actually had to shush a few of them to be quiet. His past was riddled with half-measures, and now was his chance to rise out of the ashes those mistakes had buried him in.
As they traversed the flawless, marble halls of the castle, Trixie reflected on the emotions vying for her attention. There were many she could choose; however, she eventually decided on afraid. Trixie was afraid. Her marefriend had been stolen by some sort of deity, she'd learned that the royal sisters were, in fact, the avatars of celestial bodies, and she was now nearing the door separating her from them. Trixie reevaluated herself and settled on terrified. If not for Rainbow Dash moving her forward, she would have turned tail and ran as far away as possible.
She was steadily attempting to work up enough courage to open the door when Discord finally caught up to them. He patted her on the head sadly and approached the large, double-doors to the throne room. With little than a glance, he did something completely uncharacteristic of himself. For perhaps the first time since thier creation, Discord slowly pushed a door open, though one of the hinges did breathe the tiniest of squeaks, "You're no fun!" It was easily dismissed, and though Trixie was thankful that he lifted that weight up off her shoulders, she couldn't help but worry about the abnormally mopey draconequus. It was unlike him to be so selfless and so, for lack of a better term, normal.
She decided that she would have to bring that up later; for now, there was business to discuss, and Twilight's life could be on the line. The sisters both sat upon their thrones, Luna having finally acquired on of her own. It was similar in shape and size as Celestia's, though crafted from pure silver and upholstered in a deep violet velvet. Along its border, sapphires were encrusted into the metal frame, though respectably done so as not to look too gaudy.
Luna looked tired after a long night of dreamwalking. Dark bags hung heavy under her eyes, which held a distant gaze. At first, it was unclear if she was actually cognizant enough of her surroundings to recognize that the group had entered the throne room, but she smiled warmly upon laying eyes upon her pupil. Despite the circumstances of the visit, Trixie smiled back.
Celestia sat upon her throne in deep concentration. Her horn glowed with a golden corona as the sun rose steadily in the distance, its bright light seeping into the room through the many stained-glass windows. It was clear that she was busy for the time being.
Still, it was apparent that they had been expecting her. Spike had sent a letter ahead, of course, so it made sense that they would be awaiting her arrival. Even among the circumstances of the visit, the lack of formality was testament to the familiarity and comfort with these three. With nothing more than a nod from Princess Luna, the guards exited the room. It was clear they'd been briefed on the situation and understood that there was no need for the princesses to be so closely guarded. Instead, they took to patrolling the hall leading to the throne room.
In the end, it was Luna who broke the foreboding silence as she rose from her seat and cantered hurriedly to her student. "Beatrix, it is so good to see you in the waking world!" She greeted. Her smile was, as exhausted as she was, a genuine one, and she held the unicorn in a gentle, caring embrace. It spoke of the sympathy she held for her apprentice.
Trixie gratefully accepted the hug, regardless of the surprise it brought her. "It's good to see you too," she responded, still held by Luna, "though I wish I could have come on better circumstances."
Luna slowly let go of Trixie and took a step back, setting on her haunches. She replied first with a simple nod. "Yes, I would have found that to be preferable as well; however, I am glad that in a situation like this you know that I am willing to be of assistance."
Her words caused yet another brief smile from Trixie, but it was washed away as Celestia approached with a solemn expression the likes of which are typically reserved for funerals. Celestia took a seat next to her sister and offered a nod in greeting to Rainbow Dash and a suspicious glare toward Discord before addressing Trixie. "According to the letter we received from Spike, Twilight was captured by a Draconequus, the sibling of Discord?" she asked, clearly just to affirm information she was already aware of and seemed to have a response for in place.
Trixie gave a small, respectful bow of her head before responding, "Yes, Princess. That's correct."
Celestia's frown persisted. "I'm afraid there's not much we can do to help, in that case," she revealed.
Rainbow wouldn't stand for that. Her wings flared as she stomped a hoof in defiance. "Horseapples! This is Twilight we're talking about! Y'know? Your student?! The one that puts herself in danger for you constantly? And you won't lift a hoof to help her!?"
"Rainbow Dash!" Celestia barked, causing Rainbow to sit back down. "Do not mistake my inability to assist directly for apathy! I am just as worried for Princess Twilight as you are, and I urge you not to forget your place in my throne room!" After a brief nod and gulp from Rainbow Dash, Celestia continued. "We cannot help because only Draconequi can defeat their own kind. The Elements of Harmony contain within them the magic and essence of a Draconequus, and my sister and I no longer contain within us that power."
"Alternatively, neither do I," Trixie grumbled, realizing her own uselessness with this new information. Staring at the ground, it wasn't until she felt Celestia's hoof on her shoulder that she looked up. She found herself face to face with the sun avatar.
Celestia smiled at her. "Oh, but you are so much more useful than you know, my little pony. We can offer you guidance, and we can point you in the right direction. I wish that we could do more, but this is your quest, Miss Lulamoon."
After a quick nod from Trixie, Luna spoke up for a turn. "You and your friends will find that when facing off against full-fledged Draconequi one-on-one that your elements will have special abilities, a sort of safeguard should the situation arise. We're not certain of the nature of these powers, but we hope there will be no reason to use them."
This seemed to excite Rainbow Dash, and she did a flip in the air. "I bet I could do a triple rainboom!"
Celestia raised a brow at Rainbow. "I would think that would be unwise after the calamity that a double rainboom created, hm?"
Rainbow scratched the back of her head and gave a sheepish smile and nervous chuckle in response. "R-right..."
"Anyway," Celestia interjected, attempting to get the conversation back on topic, "We believe the Draconequi are currently hiding in the land opposite Ponyville through the Everfree Forest. We've felt a dark shift in magic from that direction lately. However, we believe that a trip to see the Tree of Harmony is in order before you make your way there."
"The Tree of Harmony," Trixie asked, "Why there?"
"You'll never guess," Discord piped in, having been unnaturally quiet up to this point. "It's a surprise!" Despite his glum mood, it seemed this particular subject excited him greatly.
Celestia eyed the Draconequus suspiciously, wondering what it was he'd been hiding. "Now go. We've helped as much as we could." The group turned to leave, but Celestia spoke once more. "Discord, they have Rainbow Dash to draw the chariot. I need to have a word with you."
Twilight woke with a start. All was black, and she found herself rubbing her eyes in a futile attempt to have her eyesight return to her. She couldn't even see the forehooves she'd used to do so. This would be day two, and she still hadn't even seen the place she'd been taken to. Whatever these things were, they were cautious and well organized. It seemed everything about them was surrounded by an air of obscurity.
That being said, she did know that to be the name of her captor, Obscurity. She never slept, never ate, and seemed to be in no need of the basics of life. Twilight had only heard Obscurity speak through gentle whispers in her head.
"You're awake, little one. Good," she heard. The voice wasn't audible. It was psionic in nature, seeming to be telepathically transmitted. This worried Twilight. She wasn't sure if the connection went the other way.
"H-Hello?" Twilight responded. "Listen, I don't know where you've taken me, but I've never done anything to harm you. Please let me go."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Princess, lest Wrath be unleashed upon me."
"Whose wrath? Who are you working for? What do you want from me?" Twilight was panicking at this point, and the initial response was nothing but a cackle from Obscurity.
"Foolish mortal. We care not for whether you have harmed us or not. We need your body, the power held within it." Obscurity spat. She clearly held contempt for Twilight in some way, despite her words.
"The power within me?" Twilight had no idea what she meant. "Does she mean Alicorn magic? She alone seems to be capable of more than I am with just that," she thought.
"The Element of Magic! Regaining control of Magic will give us an upper hand, ensuring our renewed rule over Gaia." Obscurity explained, though she seemed to remain deliberately vague, dodging other questions altogether with perfect precision. True to her namesake, she made everything rather hard for Twilight to understand.
"Regain control? Renewed rule? What are you talking about?" Twilight asked, desperately trying to understand her captor's motives. If she could figure that out, perhaps she could expose a weakness. She might even be able to plan her escape with information like that.
Another malevolent chuckle sounded all around Twilight. "Allow me to show you the 'truth' about the Elements of Harmony, little one." With that, Twilight could feel the darkness pulling into her eyes. She screamed. The pain was excruciating, and she could feel Obscurity tug at her optic nerve, even reaching further back to manipulate her brain. All she could do in the darkness was scream and hold her head to keep it from splitting open, then there was a blinding flash of brilliant white light, and everything became so clear.
Celestia and Luna sat upon their thrones, staring Discord down from a good distance. He stared back at them, an odd mixture of shame and excitement written across his face; although, oddities such as this were preferable over the unnaturally normal behavior he displayed earlier. Discord broke the silence this time, growing impatient with this staring contest. "Well? You requested an audience with me, and here you have it. Do you want a standing ovation as well, or should I just stand here?" An entire crowd of copies appeared behind him, clapping in uproarious applause. They were gone just as quickly as they had appeared.
The pun made Luna snicker a bit, though she hid it behind a forehoof, but Celestia just glared harder, waiting a few more moments before responding with a question of her own. "Why didn't you tell us about your siblings, Discord. We could have prepared for this!" She stomped a hoof down in righteous indignation. She felt hurt, betrayed. She truly believed Discord had changed, only to find he'd been withholding this crucial information all along. This wasn't just a national security matter; this put the fate of the entire world at stake.
"Oh is that all?" Discord laughed the question away. He failed to see the severity of the situation. "That's what you're worried about? That I'm conspiring against your rule again? ...No. I hate my siblings just as much as you hate them. I hate what they did to me. Honestly, I had forgotten they were in my head, much less did I realize they left." Discord shrugged. "There's not much sense dwelling on that now, is there?"
Celestia sighed. "Fine, fine. That much I can believe, but I still feel so ill prepared for this. I'm not sure that five Elements and my sister's pupil can hold their own against six Draconequi. They had a hard enough time with you, and that was with the use of six!"
"Ah, but they'll have six still!" Discord revealed in such a way that made it seem as if he was simply reminding Celestia of the fact. No, even more so, he seemed to be questioning her intellect for not having known or seen this sooner. "I've been preparing for this since you were born, and our dear Beatrix is the key to all our salvation. As you said, she is more important than you know."
Luna stood up at this. "Beatrix!? What are you planning with her, Discord? I demand an answer!" She seemed angry, her eyes glowing, postured in a wide-hoofed stance, as if ready to strike Discord down where he stood. She felt the need to be protective of her pupil, especially with her sister's in peril already.
Discord, seemingly unphased by the violent interrogation giggled in his mad way and put a finger to his lips, curled into a coy and amused smile. "Shhhh," he shushed. "You'll ruin the surprise!"
The chariot landed much less smoothly this time, nearly jarring Trixie and Spike out as it slid across the dirt and rocks that bordered the trecherous Everfree Forest. Rainbow Dash, ever the impatient flyer had forgotten to slow down to a steady pace before her descent, and the resulting halt had caused a large gash in the open grass field.
They had landed somewhere between Ponyville and Fluttershy's Cottage, and both could be seen in either direction at a distance. This was where they typically entered to get to the Tree of Harmony. It was a path well known by this point, and relatively safe, but Trixie still gulped as she stared down the foreboding brush.
Even a well known path in the Everfree could hold unknown dangers. There were Ursa Majors in these woods! "Coming, slowpoke?" Trixie was jarred from her thoughts and worries when Rainbow Dash addressed her to find both Rainbow and Spike already walking into the forest.
"C-coming!" She sounded, galloping to catch up to them. She had no intention to traverse the forest alone, nor did she know her way. It was best to stick together. As the party entered the forest, it seemed all the natural light of Celestia's day was seeped from the air. The warmth of the sun was a distant memory in this place, and despite it being Summer, a chill set into Trixie that was bone-deep. This was an evil place.
Trixie couldn't shake the feeling of being watched as they traversed through the Everfree, like there were a thousand creatures following, watching, waiting for the chance to eat them all alive. Trixie credited their survival to Spike being a fire breathing dragon, baby size or no. That being said, Rainbow Dash seemed absolutely unaffected by all this. Perhaps it came with experience, or perhaps she underestimated the courage of Rainbow Dash.
As they neared a rope bridge, Trixie could see a large, black castle in the distance. She determined that it was most likely not always black, but that age, weather, and a good deal of mold and moss may have permanently darkened its stone. Still, it seemed that the castle would not be their destination. Alternatively, Rainbow veered right, leading them down a side path that dipped down below. As the path went on, it was clear that the cave at the end was where they were headed.
Trixie began to hyperventilate, only reassured by a gentle touch of Spike's claw. He was right. This wasn't a bear cave. There was a gentle, teal glow from the cave mouth, nearly swallowed by the fog that hung thick in the air. This was where the Tree of Harmony would be found.
As the party entered the cave, Trixie looked this way and that, taking note that the luminescence wasn't just caused by the tree itself, but that the cave was encrusted with glowing gems that Trixie deduced were most likely created as a side effect of Harmony's power as she transcended into this form and spread her magic across the world. Beyond that, it seemed to be an everyday, average, non-assuming cave.
It wasn't until she looked straight ahead that Trixie saw it. There it was, the Tree of Harmony. A massive, crystal tree, it had six crevices, clearly the place of origin of the Elements. They were like fruit to this tree. After her initial shock at the sheer impressiveness of it all, however, Trixie was at a loss for why they were here.
She sat on her haunches at the tree, Rainbow and Spike to her side. "Why are we here?" she asked, her voice echoing through the cave as she breaks the silence. The tree gave off a low hum of power, the only other sound within the cave.
"I dunno'," Rainbow and Spike responded at once, giving synchronized shrugs in addition to their noncommital answers.
"You two are such helpful brainstormers. I'm so glad I brought you along," Trixie said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes; though, as her eyes rolled, she spotted the tiniest of hints of a trail around the back end of the tree to her left. "Wait, what's that?" she asked, pointing in that direction.
"What's what?" Rainbow asked. Her head moved as she followed Trixie's hoof with her eyes. "Oh that! Well, I dunno'. Every time we come in here, I guess we're so busy, we never noticed that before..."
It was Spike who stood up and began walking in that direction. "Well, let's find out then!"
Trixie followed suit, following and passing Spike as she turned the corner around the backside of the tree, Rainbow Dash behind them. What she saw there was the strangest of sights. There sat a small, white pegasus, staring ahead and bobbing her head to an unheard tune. Her mane and tail were reminiscent of Pinkie's, though a vibrant yellow in color. As Trixie came to stand in front of her, the pegasus' violet eyes locked onto Trixie and widened in surprise. She gasped and threw her forehooves out to the side, giving Trixie a wide, open-mouthed grin. She pounced upon the unicorn, wrapping her ina powerful hug.
In a raspy whisper that made it seem as if she hadn't spoken in millennia, the pegasus spoke into Trixie's ear, "Surprise!" and clipped an amulet around Trixie's neck. As she stepped away, she stuck out her tongue and made a flatulent sound with her mouth as she faded into oblivion.
Trixie was flabbergasted, and so was her company. Though she was setting a traumatized gaze where the pegasus had once stood, Rainbow Dash and Spike were staring at the amulet around Trixie's neck.
"Element..." Spike said, nothing else seeming capable of coming out of his mouth.
"Element... of Harmony!" Rainbow added, her brain seeming just as broken.
Trixie, shaken by their words finally glanced down to the amulet, the amulet that had an amethyst in the shape of her own cutie mark at its center.