//------------------------------//
// The Unlikely Alliance 
// Story: Princess Trixie Sparkle 
// by Magpiepony 
//------------------------------//

The shadowy alicorn with blazing red eyes reared up on its hind legs and gave out another mighty screech. Trixie was the first to scream and raced back towards Twilight, cowering behind her clutching onto her back legs.
"DO SOMETHING!" She screamed.
Twilight and her friends could only stand frozen in fear when the beast began to charge.
"Run!" Twilight screamed. She and her friends, along with Trixie, ran towards the exit. On the other hand, Luna appeared to be challenging the beast. She too reared up on her back legs and let out a great blast of magic towards the monster. The alicorn shadow evaded the blast and sank into the ground moving along the floor until it reached the set of double doors where Twilight and the others were headed. It came up from the floor and fanned out its wings; causing the ponies to scream and start running in a different direction.
Luna flew up off the ground and directed her magic at the beast, narrowly missing it with each blast. Trixie was ahead of the others now, racing down the hallway of stained glass towards the throne room. Once she made it there she realized her mistake: it was a dead end. Twilight and her friends weren't too far behind. They all reached the opposite wall where Trixie was cowering and could do nothing but watch the struggle between the monster and Luna. Luna was very skilled and dodged each attempt that the creature made to lunge at her. She tried many different spells; a few of them that were able to distract the monster long enough for her to get away. Unfortunately, most spells just went through it as if she was literally fighting smoke. The alicorn bit down on Luna's tail and flung her into the wall, causing three tall windows of stained glass to come crashing down. The ponies watching below screamed and covered their eyes from the shards of glass.
"We've got to do something!" Rainbow shouted.
"Rainbow, Applejack, can you get that fallen banner there? I'll try to draw the monster over here so you two can trip it. Pinkie, Spike, Fluttershy try to get its attention away from the princess long enough for me to go help her!" Twilight replied.
The others sprang into action. Rainbow hopped onto Applejack's back and they raced towards the fallen banner. Spike and Fluttershy picked up some of the fallen shards of glass and started throwing them at the shadowy figure. Unfortunately, the glass flew straight through the monster and it didn't even seem to notice. Trixie was cowering behind the throne, hiding her face in her front hooves and trying to curl up into a little ball.
"Hey! Over here you big scary smoke thingy!" Pinkie screamed, jumping up and down underneath the monster. The alicorn turned its head to see her and Luna blasted it with another spell. This spell hit the monster directly in the eye, and unlike the other spells that had passed through it; this one seemed to have worked. The monster screeched again, stumbling backwards. Its front hooves smashed into the ceiling of the room and pieces of it began to fall. Pinkie's tail, clear over on the other side of the room, began to twitch as the glass and debri scattered all around Pinkie who was still at the base of the monster. Princess Luna flew down and snatched Pinkie away before any of it could harm her. Once Luna had set Pinkie down, the alicorn figure threw itself over Luna consuming her in its shadowy darkness.
Luna screamed in surprise, disappearing into the dark heart of the creature. By then, Twilight had finally reached where Pinkie and Luna had been and directed her own magic at it. The alicorn screeched again and charged towards Twilight as it had with Luna. Rainbow and the others called out in terror when they saw that it was too late to stop it. However, unlike Luna, the alicorn creature passed through them like a ghost and kept charging. Twilight looked to see where it was headed and saw the frightened Trixie curled up behind the Canterlot throne. Trixie looked up at the monster screaming for her life. Thinking fast, Twilight used what strength she had to cast a spell of blinding light that could distract the monster long enough for Trixie to get away. Her spell did just that, and Trixie fled from the carnage that the alicorn was making of the throne and the windows around it. The monster did not try to re-enter the fight after Twilight's spell. Instead, it leapt outside and flew only for a moment before evaporating into thin air leaving behind a faint red glow.
Trixie coughed and pulled herself up off the ground, gingerly extending one of her wings discovering that it was broken. She cried out softly from the pain and let it hang uselessly down beside her. As she did so, she was thrown to the ground again, landing on her hurt wing and causing her to cry out again.
"WHERE IS SHE?" Spike demanded; he had been the one that tackled her to the ground.
"What have you done with Princess Luna?" Pinkie Pie screamed. She and the others were swarmed around Trixie leaving her no room for escape.
"ME?!" Trixie shrieked.
"Quit messing around Trixie, tell us where the princess is or we'll-" Rainbow Dash started but was interrupted by Trixie's protests.
"You don't think I have anything to do with this, do you!? That THING tried to EAT ME!" Trixie cried in fear. "It didn't want any of you! It was after ME!"
"For once, I think she's right. It went right through Pinkie and Twi as if it didn't even know they were there." Applejack said warily.
"Of course I'm right! I could have been killed! What did YOU ponies do?!" Trixie cried.
"It wasn't us!" Pinkie said, offended.
"What was that thing?" Fluttershy asked, still shaking.
"Some sort of giant… alicorn beast!" Rarity said, holding up the remains of her Gala gown sadly in her hooves.
"Where did it come from?" Twilight asked Rarity and Fluttershy.
Rarity explained that when they found Princess Luna's room the creature was waiting inside. At first they believed it to be the princess; casting a shadow on the wall. It wasn't until the shadow itself opened its creepy glowing red eyes that they understood it to be a monster. They ran from the room as quickly as they could, the monster growing in size as it chased them down the hallway.
"And it was just waiting in there until you found it?" Twilight clarified.
"You think that thing was sent for Luna?" Rainbow Dash asked, understanding what Twilight meant.
"Alright Trixie, start talkin'." Applejack said angrily. All eyes turned to the frightened alicorn as the seven of them came closer.
"I already told you, I have no idea!" Trixie protested. "Get off me!" She screamed, bucking Spike away from her angrily.
"That's it. She's toast!" Rainbow said, charging towards her. Trixie screamed and cowered but before Rainbow could make contact she was frozen in place with her hoof still raised and ready to strike. Twilight had used her magic to stop her, and pulled her away from Trixie.
"She's not even worth it, Rainbow." Applejack said. Rainbow snorted and reluctantly agreed.
"Look, I know I'm not your favorite pony at the moment but I honestly had nothing to do with this beast thing. Besides, you're all going to need me alive because I'm the only one who knows how to change you back to normal. I'm NOT going to let you loser- I mean, ponies, leave me here to die!" Trixie said defiantly.
"You know how to reverse this spell?" Twilight asked skeptically.
"Of course I do, but I'll need the gem to do that."
"Do we have it with us?" Spike asked.
"No." Twilight answered. "I hid it back at the library for safe keeping."
"The library in Ponyville?" Fluttershy asked.
"Well then you're just going to have to take me to Ponyville with you." Trixie said, relieved that she wouldn't be left behind. As much as she hated Twilight and her pesky little friends; they had bested this monster once and she needed their protection.
"No. Way." Spike said, to which Rainbow agreed.
"We can't possibly think of allowing her to come with us!" Rarity added.
"Anypony else have a better idea?" Applejack asked.
"What about the princess?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.
"I… I don't know." Twilight replied honestly. "We need to get her back but… where could we look?"
"I'd like to get as far away from here as possible thank you very much. That THING is going to come back for me I just know it!" Trixie cried.
"If only." Rainbow Dash muttered.
"We'll reverse the spell and then go find Luna." Twilight decided.
To be honest, she didn't have a clue where to even begin to look for Luna. However, she believed having her alicorn magic back would be the best starting point. That, and she didn't want to be around Trixie more than she had to. When the spell was reversed she could leave Trixie in Ponyville while she and her friends found the princesses; Celestia included. Now she just needed to make the journey back to Ponyville without taking out her anger and frustration on Trixie. That might be easier said than done.
*~*~*~*~*

Canterlot had seen its fair share of disasters over the last few years; but somehow still managed a complete and chaotic panic whenever something went wrong. The ponies were in an uproar; demanding answers that Twilight and her friends could not give. Where were Celestia and Luna? What had happened in the throne room? What kind of creature was that?
Twilight decided it was impractical to explain the body-switching situation. Therefore, under her direction, Trixie had to be the one to address the guards and the ponies. Despite her general distain for this situation she comforted the ponies; promising them that everything possible was being done to ensure the safe return of their princess. However, the absence of Princess Celestia only served to further the concern of the ponies because they feared she had been attacked and taken too; there was really no way to know for sure.
So far, Trixie seemed to be playing the part well, and didn't deviate from the instructions that Twilight gave her. Twilight was grateful that she'd had experience with this sort of crisis before and knew how to get things under control. She made Trixie clear her name and rescind the bounty on her head ordering the Canterlot guard to take down all of the "Wanted" posters. Twilight's friends helped in any way that they could, whether that meant crowd control or keeping an eye on Trixie. Things were far from okay between the ponies and the phony princess, but this common problem had forced their cooperation and nothing could be done about it.
As much as Canterlot still needed a Princess; Twilight knew she could not stay. It was more important to get to the bottom of this than to stay and give orders. Once Twilight decided that things were stable enough in Canterlot; she and her friends headed for the train station once more.
"Do we really have to ride in coach?" Trixie whined as she boarded the train.
"Just git a move on, Trixie." Applejack said, pushing her inside the train car.
"Ouch! No pushing! Do you know who I am?!" Trixie protested.
"I wish I didn't." Applejack replied.
From the platform outside, Twilight and Fluttershy were having an interesting conversation with Discord.
"And you want me to… what, look after Equestria for you while you're away?" He said, snapping his fingers and placing a fancy tiara on his head. He was wearing makeup and a sash that read 'princess'.
"No, I just want you to stay out of trouble, can you handle that?" Twilight asked with a grumble.
"Me? Trouble?" Discord said, making a halo appear over his head and angel wings sprout from behind his back.
"We're counting on you to keep the ponies safe, Discord." Fluttershy said. "We don't know if that thing is going to come back while we're gone and you're the only pony who stands a chance against it."
"Ah yes, I will be the champion of the ponies, the knight in glimmering armor, prepared to storm the castle on my noble steed, rescue the damsel, and save the day!" Discord said. He snapped his fingers and made a mock-stage where he was riding on Twilight's back and Fluttershy was standing at the top of a cardboard castle dressed in a frilly dress and long cone hat.
"Ugh. Just… don't make me regret trusting you, Discord." Twilight said, kicking him off her back and walking towards the train.
"So long my friends! Equestria is in safe paw and claw!" Discord called as the train pulled away from the station. He turned to one of the ponies standing on the platform beside him and asked. "Don't you think the sky could use a good make-over? Like perhaps a few cotton candy clouds, maybe some-"
"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT DISCORD!" Rainbow Dash yelled from the caboose of the train.
Discord folded his arms and grumbled.
*~*~*~*~*

On the train ride to Ponyville Applejack finally decided it was time to tell Twilight about the dragon fiasco she encountered in Ponyville.
“And they’re still there, trapped in that cave?” Twilight asked. She wished she could say she was surprised Trixie would attempt something like that but it was becoming an expected habit.
“So far as I know. Zecora’s keepin’ an eye on it till we get back.” Applejack said.
Twilight sighed and shot Trixie a glare from across the way. Trixie hadn’t noticed; she was using her magic to polish her crown, admiring herself in the reflection. Applejack noted the boiling temper raging in Twilight and positioned herself between Twilight and Trixie cutting off her sight of her.
“She’s gonna get her just desserts for doing this to you Twi, no pony’s gonna let her off the hook this time.” Applejack reassured.
“Did somepony say desserts?!” Pinkie Pie asked, popping into the conversation unexpectedly. “I could really go for some cherry chungas right about now.”
Twilight sighed angrily and turned away, looking out the window trying to calm herself down. She would have loved nothing more than to see Trixie rotting in the cell she had kept her, but that was so uncharacteristically cruel. She’d never desired something so awful before and she worried that Trixie might have done some actual emotional damage. For once she wanted nothing more than to make the irresponsible decision. She was tired of being the honorable pony; the one who had to make the tough choices. If only her teacher, Princess Celestia were here. She would know just what to say and do in this situtation.
“The best thing I can think to do would be to get back to the library, switch back, and then go check on that ‘situation’ in the Everfree forest.” Twilight said. She looked around at the other ponies on the train hoping they weren’t eavesdropping on their conversation. The last thing they needed now was a panic in Ponyville.
“Right… about that….” Trixie started. The others looked at her in confusion and anger. “I don’t actually know… exactly how to switch us back.” She admitted. She showed no ounce of remorse for her lie, just hesitation at their responses.
“She’s joking, right?” Rainbow Dash said, still somehow in denial.
“You lied?” Rarity screamed, alerting the other ponies in the train car.
“No! I just… twisted the truth a little. There is a way to swtich us back; I know somepony who can.” Trixie said.
“Who?” Twilight demanded.
“Oh yeah, as if I’ll just give you the answer just like that? Look, I have something you need and you have something I need. I need protection, and you want a counterspell. I’ll take you to see the pony that can help you IF you make me a promise first.” Trixie said
“No way!” Rainbow Dash screamed. “We don’t make deals with--“
Twilight covered Rainbow’s mouth, they were already making a scene in the train car they didn’t need any more unwanted attention.
“What promise?” Fluttershy asked.
“You have to promise to let me go. When everything is over, I walk away and you ponies never hear from me again. Deal?” Trixie said.
“Twi you can’t seriously be considering this? She’s a liar! Who knows if she’s even telling the truth about this stranger pony?” Rainbow said.
“Can’t trust that pony as far as you can toss ‘er.” Applejack added.
“This whole mess was her fault in the first place.” Rarity said.
“I’m part of this conversation too!” Pinkie Pie said. Soon everypony was talking over each other, all in favor of denying Trixie’s deal. Once again Twilight had to be the voice of reason. She knew if Trixie was with them she couldn’t cause any more damage.  It was a nice idea to leave Trixie behind in Ponyville but with Twilight’s magic there would be no guarantee she couldn’t escape.
“Deal.” Twilight said above the chatter of her friends. They all stopped talking and looked at Twilight in awe.
“But, Twilight…” Spike said concerned.
“But that’s only if you make good on your promise to change us back.” Twilight said. She would have a lot more confidence if she could be in her own body again.
“Yeah, sure. Whatever. Just so we’re clear, you protect me; I’ll lead you to this pony, then you let me go free.” Trixie clarified.
“Twilight, please reconsider!” Rarity pleaded.
There was silence among the friends for a minute or so. No pony could think of another way to handle this situation; and yet the thought of traveling even a moment more with Trixie was unbearable. Applejack was the first to break the silence.
“Come on girls, Equestria needs us. We aren’t gonna let them down, are we?”
“I bet Celestia could think of better punishment for her anyway.” Rainbow Dash said.
“I suppose this way we can keep an eye on her.” Rarity observed.
“I thought  we were going to look for the Princesses?” Spike asked.
“Actually, there’s something we need to take care of in Ponyville first.” Twilight said, turning to her friends.
“Oh no…” Fluttershy whimpered; she knew exactly what Twilight was referring to.
*~*~*~*

"Uh… How big were those dragons again?" Spike asked, sticking close to Twilight's side as they entered the Everfree forest. "Not cuz I'm scared or anything. I mean, I AM a ferocious dragon myself. Or well, I was…."

"Oh you are positively nothing like a ferocious dragon Spikey Wikey and we wouldn't have you any other way." Rarity said fondly, offering him a smile. It was still a little bizarre seeing his pony crush with a bouncy pink mane and a wide smile but Spike blushed all the same and kicked at the ground nervously.

"Heh, yeah well… I haven't met another dragon yet that can get the best of me! Unless it's those teenage dragons, I don't want to run into those jerks again." Spike said.

"I dunno Spike," Applejack said. "These ones were a might different lookin' from any other adolescent dragons I'd ever seen." She really had no idea if there would be a correlation or not, neither she nor Fluttershy had been with Spike on his little dragon quest.

"Again?" Trixie whined. "What do you ponies do; go around looking for giant monsters to fight?"

"Oh we never have to go looking for them, they come looking for us!" Pinkie clarified, happily bouncing along with the rest of them.

"Like there was that time with Cerberus, the hydra, the minotaur…." Pinkie said trailing off as she tried to list the colorful list of monsters they'd encountered.

"And suddenly I'm rethinking this whole protection thing. How protective can you ponies be if you just go waltzing into the Everfree forest looking for trouble?" Trixie said bitterly.

"You're welcome to walk back to Ponyville without us." Rainbow Dash offered sarcastically. Trixie took one look around the foreboding forest and decided that might not be the best option after all.

"I should have just gone with the other earth pony." She grumbled.

"Speaking of Fluttershy, Do you think she made it to her cottage okay?" Twilight asked.

"That's a pretty safe bet. Did you see how fast she took off when you told her she could go check on her animals? Priceless! And that's without wings too." Rainbow Dash said proudly.

At the mention of wings Trixie made another series of whines and complaints from the pain of her broken wing. It had been hurting a lot more now that she was up and walking about.

"And the cockatrice, and the ursa minor; oh wait you were there for that one!" Pinkie Pie said to Trixie, still listing off the various creatures they'd faced.

"So what's the plan, Twi?" Rainbow Dash asked. She was sitting on Applejack's back who was walking beside Twilight, Spike, and Rarity.

"Well, I'd like to get a good look at them first. Ever since Spike had his uh… rapid aging problem… I set out determined to read everything I could find on dragons. It really is a travesty how little ponies know about them!" Twilight started.

"And?" Rarity encouraged her to continue.

"And there are a couple things I can look for; marks that indicate they're under a spell." Twilight finished.

"Maybe they've calmed down and just want to talk?" Spike offered hopefully.

"Yeah well my instinct still says Trixie. I don't care what that pony says; everything that comes out of her mouth is a lie." Rainbow Dash muttered, looking back over her shoulder at Trixie. Trixie was oblivious to their conversation as she tried to fend off Pinkie Pie and her constant chatter.

"Well, we'll know soon enough. We're here." Applejack said, pointing her hoof to a clearing just up ahead. As each pony approached it they let out a small gasp of horror. The forest had been practically flattened. There were no living plants or trees nearby, only the ripped and charred remains of bark and branch. The earth was burned black and there was no evidence of animal life either.

"Woah…" Spike said in quiet horror.

"That there's the cave, come on!" Applejack said, pointing to a large mound of rocks.

"Well, looks like they definitely got out." Rainbow Dash said.

"That's just it; none of these rocks have been moved since we left! That big one there is blocking the entrance." Applejack observed.

"Are you sure, Applejack? Rocks do tend to look similar…." Rarity said, trailing off as she kicked a few loose pieces of rubble away from her. "Perhaps they only needed to move them ever so slightly-"

"No, when Zecora 'n me blocked this cave we made sure there was no getting out without some kind of help. If the darn beasts would have just calmed down to have a proper conversation we could have all been spared that fiasco." Applejack said defiantly. She did not like having her creature-catching skills questioned.

"Well first thing's first, let's figure out how they got out." Twilight said, she looked along the rock barricade for a weakness. The others did the same, but found nothing. Trixie refused to get her hooves dirty and leaned up against a boulder instead, still moaning about her wing. Twilight pressed her ear against the rock and listened for any noise inside.

"Guess there's nothing to do but knock these out of the way and look inside." Rainbow said, picking up small rocks and kicking them away from the cave entrance.

Twilight used her magic to illuminate the largest boulder and attempted to move it but her spell was too weak on its own.

"A little help here, Trixie." She said through gritted teeth, still trying her hardest to move the boulder.

"Fine." Trixie mumbled, directing her magic to the same boulder.

The two of them combined lifted the boulder from its place and set it safely aside a few feet away. Each pony, and Rainbow, stuck their head in just slightly to see what was inside. As they had feared, the dragons were long gone. The walls of the cave were scratched and burnt, and the place where the back of the cave used to be was demolished, instead there was a long cavern that led deeper into the mountain.

"Then there was Gilda, she's a Gryphon, plus all those other dragons and I think that's it." Pinkie said, finally coming to the conclusion of her list.

"Manticore." Trixie said suddenly.

"Oh yeah! There WAS a manticore, but… how did you know that?" Pinkie said in confusion.

"No, MANITCORE!" Trixie screamed, pointing her hoof behind them. The others turned to see the wild beast standing above them with a certain hungry look in his eye. The ponies screamed and ran away from the beast but were followed. The manticore had the advantage of location, it was stalking them from above and could cut them off at any pass; the only other option was the cave.

"I'll hold 'im off you ponies get outta here!" AJ said, grabbing her rope from her satchel and rearing up on her hind quarters trying to lasso the best. The manticore snatched the rope and ripped it to shreds in a matter of seconds.

"Where's Fluttershy when you need her?" Rainbow said.

"Fluttershy, that's it!" Twilight said happily.

"No offense darling, but I don't think it's got a hurt paw this time. It wants to EAT us." Rarity said frantically.

"No, she's right. Fluttershy's stare!" Applejack said happily. "It worked on the critters back at her cottage, it'll work on him if we could just-"

Applejack was cut off when the manticore took a swipe at her with his claw narrowly missing her throat. Spike knew he would be the only one that could get out of here to get Fluttershy. He waited until the beast attacked again and shot up off the ground and into the sky. The manticore roared in anger at having missed the opportunity to snatch him. Spike flew as fast as he was able towards Fluttershy's cottage. The other ponies tried keeping it at bay by tossing rocks or forest debri.

"I hate you." Trixie said flatly in Twilight's general direction.
*~*~*~*

“Hello? Zecora? Angel bunny? I’m back!” Fluttershy said, grateful to be home even if it was only for a little while.
“Is that Fluttershy I hear? It is surely good to see you my dear.” Zecora said, joining Fluttershy in the living room.
“Where is Angel bunny?” Fluttershy asked; it was strange that he had not been there to greet her when she came in.
“Follow me and you shall see.” Zecora said. She led Fluttershy out back to the chicken coop. Fluttershy’s animals were all inside the fence with the exception of her birds. Fluttershy gasped in horror seeing her furry little critters locked up in this way. She was appalled and confused; why would Zecora do this?
“Angel!” She exclaimed, opening the gate and racing inside to embrace her beloved pet. Zecora quickly closed the gate behind her. When Fluttershy got close to Angel, he squeaked in surprise and ran away from her, ducking under the chicken coop in fear. “Angel?” Fluttershy said sadly. “Oh, you’re mad at me aren’t you? I’ve never been away this long before. Won’t you come out? I’ll make you a nice yummy lunch.” She said, crouching by the coop. “Oh Zecora I’ve never seen him so upset before. He looks so… scared. Do you think he’s forgotten that I look like Applejack?”
“I do not think you’re appearance is to blame. None of the animals are acting the same.” Zecora answered.
“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked worriedly.
“Since you’ve been gone they have acted so strange, almost as if they have encountered a change. Whenever I try to let them free, all of them panic and flee. And your dear little Angel friend; would have vanished if he had not been penned.” Zecora answered.
“But… that’s impossible. Angel has never tried to run away before.” Fluttershy said sadly. She looked at Angel who was still cowering under the chicken coop and she frowned.
“The animals in Ponyville are all acting the same, but I cannot find a cause that is to blame. Things are indeed looking quite bleak, for now the cows cannot even speak.” Zecora said.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened in fear; what did she mean cows couldn’t speak? That was impossible. They certainly weren’t as civilized as ponies but that didn’t mean they couldn’t live in harmony with them.  She looked under the coop again but Angel wasn’t there. He was on the other side of the pen desperately trying to get out. Her little heart broke at the sight of it. Then she took notice of the other animals in the pen with her, none of them seemed to be responsive to her presence, and even more upsetting was the fact that she couldn’t seem to understand them anymore; she only heard squawks, squeaks, and grunts. She immediately thought something must be wrong with her, but Zecora said all of the animals were acting in this way.
“What do we do?” She asked.
“There is one more thing I think you should try; perhaps giving them a stare would help them Fluttershy.” Zecora said.
“What? But the stare is only used in extreme circumstances!” Fluttershy said. “I already feel bad for using on them before.”
“If my suspicions are correct, then your stare would leave no effect.” Zecora said.
“Are you saying it won’t work now because they’re… so different?” Fluttershy asked to which Zecora nodded.
Fluttershy truly hated that she had to do this, but she would try anything to get her furry little friends back to normal. She used her famous stare on a couple of chickens that were nearby, but as Zecora predicted nothing happened. Fluttershy gasped and whimpered; how could this be happening?
“It would not surprise me to learn; that this same anomaly caused those dragons to be so stern. Whatever has caused this calamity; could be linked to the forest catastrophe.” Zecora theorized.
When Fluttershy attempted to reply she was cut off by the sound of a frantic Spike, racing towards from the direction of the forest.
“Flut-Flutter-shy.” He said, clearly out of breath from flying so quickly. He tried to land gracefully beside the chicken coop but his landing skills still left much to be desired and instead he crashed to the ground and rolled a few times, stopping at Zecora’s feet.
“Spike? What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked. She left the chicken pen and with Zecora’s help they assisted Spike to his feet.
“Forest… dragons missing… manticore attack!” Spike said, still needing to pause a few times to catch his berath.
“A manticore attack? Are the others okay?” Fluttershy asked.
“They’re… trapped by the cave… where the dragons were supposed to be. We need you Fluttershy! You can talk some sense into him or use your stare or something!” Spike said.
Fluttershy and Zecora exchanged worried glances.
“Let us see what we can do, quickly now Spike we will both follow you.” Zecora said. Spike nodded and instead of taking flight again he found it much easier to guide them back towards the forest on foot.
*~*~*~*

Since Spike’s absence, Twilight and the others had to make a break for it. The manticore was too wild and angry to stay aloft forever and had jumped down into the group of ponies claws out and swiping.
“Get away! You Brute!” Rarity screamed. She kicked a rock in the manticore’s direction and hit it squarely on the nose. Unfortunately, this only served to anger him further and he charged towards Rarity and Twilight.
“Run!” Twilight screamed.
“Over here!” Rainbow Dash called, motioning for them to follow her.
Rainbow Dash led Twilight and Rarity around a group of trees with the manticore close behind. Waiting on the other side of a large branch was Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Trixie who were holding it back as far as it would go. When the manticore came within range, they released the branch and it snapped back into place and right into the manticore. The manticore roared in pain and was thrown a few feet backwards landing on its back.
“Direct hit! Ten points!” Pinkie cried out joyously.
Applejack rolled her eyes and grabbed Pinkie by the tail then Applejack, Trixie, and Pinkie Pie joined the others in a frantic run. Rainbow Dash was clinging to Twilight’s mane  but having a difficult time hanging on.
“If we die, I will kill you!” Trixie screamed.
The group of ponies made their way out of the forest and straight towards the edge of a cliff. They all screamed and stopped themselves just at the edge.
“We’re trapped!” Rarity cried.
“No, there’s got to be a way out…” Applejack said, looking around for some kind of path away from danger.
Twilight reared up and slammed her hooves to the ground trying to cast a spell that would teleport her and her friends out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, Trixie’s magic was far weaker than her own; and even if she had been in her own body there were simply too many ponies to take all at once.
“DO SOMETHING!” Trixie said, shaking Twilight in panic.
“Why don’t you try a hoof at it?” Twilight snapped.
The manticore was closing in on them slowly, licking its lips in anticipation. Trixie, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity clung to Twilight screaming while Applejack and Rainbow Dash moved out in front of them protectively.
“I aint going down without a fight.” Applejack said, adjusting her hat with a scowl.
“I’m right there with you AJ.” Rainbow said, smiling and nodding in her direction.
The manticore sprang from his position but was kicked in the stomach when it was still air borne, causing it to crash to the left, rolling a few times on its side.
“Spike!” The ponies all cried in gratitude. Spike was smiling smugly; it felt kind of neat to do something like that.
“You ponies go, I’ll hold ‘im off!” Spike said, flying between his friends and the manticore.
“Come on!” Twilight said, leading the others away from the cliff’s edge and back into the forest. The momentary distraction was all they really needed to get away but the manticore was hot on their tail.
“Up here everypony!” Fluttershy called, standing on the edge of a much smaller cliff only about fifteen feet from the ground. Despite its size it could be the best option to get away; so long as the manticore wasn’t a great jumper. Trixie was the first to leap up into the air trying to grab onto Fluttershy who would pull her to safety. Her instincts to fly caused her broken wing to hurt and she cried out; missing Fluttershy’s outstretched hoof and falling to the ground. Without needing another word, Applejack hoisted Trixie onto her back and stretched her legs up as far as they could go acting as a make-shift ladder to the other ponies to get away. Trixie scrambled up Applejack and was able to pull herself up with Zecora’s help. Applejack bucked Rainbow Dash into the air and Fluttershy snatched her by the tail, pulling her to safety. Rarity was next to climb Applejack, then Pinkie Pie. Finally, it was Twilight’s turn but she refused to go.
“We can’t both make it up there, I’ll find another way ‘round!” Applejack said, trying to get Twilight up to safety.
“No Applejack, I can stay! I’ve got magic to protect me.” Twilight argued.
“And I’ve got wings!” Applejack countered.
“But you don’t know how to fly!” Twilight said.
“Would you two ponies give it a rest? You’ve got a lot bigger problems to worry about!” Rainbow called, pointing to the manticore who was once again in hot pursuit; Spike was nowhere to be seen. When Twilight was distracted looking at the manticore and worrying about Spike,  Applejack moved underneath her and bucked her as hard as she could towards the others. It was very difficult to do in Fluttershy’s body but they caught Twilight before she could come crashing back down.
“Applejack!” Twilight screamed, worried and frightened for her friend.
“Do something!” Rarity cried. She and the others could only watch in horror as the great beast chased Applejack. Applejack saw a place to jump but the manticore cut her off, swiping at her with his paw and sending her flying back towards the cliff where the others watched helplessly. She’d been wounded, deep cuts in her side. She cried out trying to get back on her hooves but finding it difficult due to the stinging pain.
“Fluttershy, your stare! Use your stare!” Rainbow Dash said.
“I can’t it won’t work!” Fluttershy cried.
“What do you mean it won’t work, just try!” Rainbow insisted. Fluttershy did her best from where she was standing but she couldn’t make eye contact with the beast, nor did she believe it would do any good.
“I’m trying!” Fluttershy called to Applejack. Applejack knew that despite her best efforts Fluttershy would not be able to protect her from this creature. She turned to face the beast with a frightened yet determined look on her face.
Before the manticore could reach Applejack, somepony jumped down in front of her. She gasped in confusion when she realized it was Trixie. Trixie’s horn was lit up and emitting a series of bright sparks that eventually turned into a stream of light that hit the manticore directly. In a flash of dark pinkish light the manticore had been transformed from the giant beast it was into a manticore kitten. Frightened, the manticore raced away from the ponies crying out in his soft and adorable little ‘meow’s.
“Did she just perform and age spell? Since when can you do age spells without some kind of amulet?!” Rarity said.
“I just told the magic to do SOMETHING I had no idea it’d end up being an age spell!” Trixie said, equally as surprised. “How did you even learn that Twilight? You couldn’t do it when I was last in Ponyville.”
“Twilight! Twilight!” Spike called, he raced towards his friends worried out of his mind.
“Spike!” Twilight answered in gratitude and relief. “What happened? Are you hurt?”
“Nah… it just knocked me into a tree and I bumped my head. I guess I must have blacked out for a moment.” Spike said, rubbing the spot where he had been hit.
“Ooo Spikey Wikey!” Rarity said, concerned for her favorite little dragon.
“Trixie you… you saved my life.” Applejack interrupted in awe. The others let that news sink in as they all stood in silence.
Trixie turned to face Applejack and the others with an embarrassed grin. “Well… I… I needed protection from you ponies and you wouldn’t be very protective if one of your friends was eaten. I mean, you’d be all mopey and such.”
“Nuh uhhh I think you did it cuz you careeee” Pinkie Pie taunted.
“What? Me? CARE? Please.” Trixie said defiantly. “Hey, wait a minute, I think this means you poines owe me for saving your lives!”
“It hardly makes up for all the damage you’ve caused.” Rarity said.
“Whatever. You still haven’t answered my question, Twilight. How did your magic perform an age spell?” Trixie insisted.
“I’d been practicing long and hard…” Twilight said
“No wait, I know what it is, I’m an alicorn. I must have more power than I thought.” Trixie realized.
“Oh yeah? Well what if this was all a hoax and Trixie conjured the manticore only to pretend to save us from it?” Rainbow Dash said.
“Now let’s not jump to conclusions y’all.” Applejack said, then winced in pain.
“Oh Applejack, you’re hurt!” Twilight realized. She jumped down to see the wound and the others followed suit.
“Aw it’s nothing, I’m fine.” Applejack said, trying to get on her hooves but failing.
“Let me take a look at that, friend. This is a wound I can mend.” Zecora said. “Quickly, let us get her back to my place, I’ll treat her right away just in case.”
Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie carefully lifted Applejack and carried her with them towards Zecora’s hut.
As Trixie followed close behind she began to silently panic. She remembered something she was supposed to do for a certain pony who possessed great power. Enacting that age spell was a sharp reminder that she had not kept up her end of the bargain yet.
“I swear if you’ve been setting me up I’m gonna…” Trixie mumbled under her breath.
“Setting who up? What are you talking about?” Rainbow Dash said. Trixie hadn’t realized she was within earshot of any pony listening. Unable to think of a convincing lie Trixie angrily blurted out:
“The pony who REALLY started all this mess. Astelle.”