Princess Luna awoke feeling disoriented and drained. She put a hoof to her head and groaned, she had quite the splitting headache. When she opened her eyes she discovered that she could not see a thing, not even her own hoof in front of her face. She cast a spell that would illuminate her surroundings but it failed. Not one single shred of light flowed from her horn. Luna furrowed her brow and tried again, this time with a greater emphasis on the spell. Still, nothing happened. She gasped and began a silent panic. Where was she? What was wrong with her? She felt along her horn looking for any kind of magical lock that might have been blocking her spells, but she found none. She looked around her in desperation trying to find any kind of light and felt the strangest sensation. Her mane was brushing up against her coat when she turned her head. That couldn't be right; her mane should be light as air, flowing effortlessly in sync with her tail. This, however, felt like a normal pony mane. The kind of mane she had when she was a filly, or when she had been stripped of her dark powers by Twilight Sparkle and her friends. She felt along her non-magical mane in confusion and fear, unsure what was happening.
Luna heard a sound from behind her and turned to see what it was. It was the sound of a flame and she saw a torch ignite. Although a single torch does not offer much light, Luna still had to blink a few times to adjust to the sudden brightness of its glow. The torch lit up only one corner of the room where Luna had been unconscious indicating that this room was far larger than it appeared to be. Luna could hear a faint echo and the sound of water dripping and concluded she was being kept in some sort of underground cave or dungeon. She scowled and glared up at the pony holding the torch. The pony was masked by a cloak and Luna could not see her face but she could see the dark grey hoof holding the torch. She couldn't recall ever knowing a pony with that shade of fur color. The pony didn't say a word at first; she merely walked towards one of the walls and carefully placed the torch in its rightful place. After doing so, she turned to Luna and lowered the hood.
"At last we meet, dearest Luna." The pony said; her voice deep but sweet. She stared at Luna in a way that made her uncomfortable, as if she was happy to see her like this: trapped and powerless. Luna backed away from the pony cautiously. She opened her mouth to ask a question but the mare held out a hoof to stop her. "Yes, I'm sure you have questions. So many things need to be discussed, but I want you to know that I have no intention of harming thee."
The mare approached Luna again but Luna backed away into the wall.
"I'm sure this is very frightening to you. But I promise you will understand why I have to do the things I do." The mare said.
"Who are you, and why doth thou insult us with these games? We demand you release the princess of the night at once, or suffer the consequences of your actions." Luna said boldly.
"No games, Luna. I just want to…" the mare started, she fought back the enthusiasm that was threating to break her calm demeanor. "Perhaps we should start with introductions. My name is Astelle."
"We see that thou already has the upper hand; you know who we are, but we have never heard of such a mare called Astelle." Luna said, wracking her brain for any mention of an Astelle in all her years of study.
Astelle seemed so offended by that comment; she closed her eyes and stamped her hoof to the ground, causing the sound to echo. The echo was loud and seemingly continuous, that meant this room must be of considerable size.
"I cannot say that this news surprises me, but its truth still cuts deep. There are so many things that need to be said between us dear Luna, and if it weren't for my reappearance I fear you would have lived a life having never known you were…" Astelle started.
"Enough!" A frantic voice cried. Although it came from far away and that voice was distraught Luna could recognize her sister's voice anywhere.
"Celestia!" Luna cried, both in relief and concern. She got up from the floor and tried to race towards the sound but she was stopped by a giant pair of blazing red eyes. The shadow alicorn beast that had bested Luna in battle was now guiding her back to the wall near Astelle. Its hot breath blew the mane from Luna's face and she could not look away from the unholy red eyes. The alicorn disappeared the moment Luna returned to her place up against the wall.
"Luna, Luna I'm so sorry." Celestia said, sobbing again from wherever she was.
"Celestia are you hurt?" Luna asked. She looked up at Astelle warily but she showed no signs of stopping their conversation. Celestia gave no direct reply, all that could be heard was her soft sobbing and quiet apologies.
"Forgive me, Luna. Forgive me. Please, Luna, don't give in…" Celestia mumbled.
"Well, this is quite the little family reunion isn't it!" Astelle said sarcastically.
"What dost thou want with us?" Luna asked.
"I want you… us… to work together at last." Astelle said. She smiled softly and very carefully approached Luna. Luna held her ground despite the fear rising in her chest.
"Oh Luna, you have no reason to fear me. I would never harm thee… nor Celestia. Not in the way that you would imagine. I can only hurt her by reminding her of the guilt she carries from her banishment of me." Astelle said.
Luna's ears perked up at the mention of banishment.
"Yes, dear Luna, your sister has banished another pony before you. Like you, I was misunderstood, unappreciated, and heart broken. I only had the best intention for every pony, beloved even, but I was betrayed. Betrayed by your sister." Astelle said
"My sister only acts in the interests of Equestria, if she had banished thee it was for a just and noble reason. I would never align myself with a creature of darkness such as yourself. The nightmare moon that was once my curse has been lifted and I will be a creature of darkness no more." Luna said defiantly.
"Ah, but you see, you only have one side of the story little Luna. You only know what Celestia has fed you of your past; of her past. She has always kept secrets from you, kept you shielded from knowledge you had every right to know. She claims to be the greatest alicorn who ever lived because she is just and fair and kind. But perhaps she keeps this secret because it exposes her for the moment in her life that she acted out of selfishness and betrayal." Astelle said.
"No pony is… perfect." Luna said, still trying to be firm but unable to ignore the pain she gets when she feels neglected. "What do you want of me?"
"I want-" Astelle started
"No! Don't you tell her! You know it'll bring her so much pain, Astelle!" Celestia called. "If you care at all for Luna you would spare her this torment! Your quarrel is with me, and rightfully so. Let my sister go!" Celestia shouted.
"Your sister?" Astelle said angrily.
"Astelle no!" Celestia pleaded.
"I'm sorry, did I hear you correctly? Because last time I checked…"
"Astelle please… she shouldn't have to bear this burden."
"I shall not live with the choices you have made for me, Celestia. You will always be the ungrateful little brat that clung to my hooves and followed me up the chain of power. You betrayed me, and you betrayed her. Luna has every right to know the whole story." Astelle said.
"Tell her who I am Celestia!" Astelle called out. The shadow alicorn was on the other side of the room now, Luna could see Celestia's face stained with tears from the glow of its red eyes. She wanted to race over to her sister but she was far too frightened and confused.
"TELL LUNA WHO I AM!" Astelle demanded. Frustrated by Celestia's lack of response, Astelle gripped her cloak with her teeth and pulled it away from her body. Once the cloak was gone Luna gasped at the sight: Astelle was an alicorn. Astelle's brilliant red mane and tail were bound up with what appeared to be black thorns like what would be seen on a rose. Her cutie mark was a dazzling red gem in the shape of a star that was also encased in black thorns; the thorns on the cutie mark formed the shape of a crown.
"You are too ashamed to say it, aren't you? Too WEAK and PATHETIC to admit your wrong doings!" Astelle said bitterly. "Don't you think you deserve to know?" Astelle asked Luna.
Luna had tears in her eyes, she knew even without having to ask the question who Astelle truly was. She thought back to everything Celestia had ever told her about their past and began to wonder if Celestia had ever truly trusted her in the first place. No matter how hard Luna tried to prove to Celestia they could be equals she realized Celestia would never see them that way. She recognized the rage and the pleading in Astelle because she too had felt it.
"Who is she Celestia?" Luna asked out of principle. There was silence in the room for a little while with the exception of Celestia's sad sobs.
"Our older sister."
*~*~*~*
As the train pulled into the station every pony was relieved to see the Crystal Empire still as bright and beautiful as ever. No pony seemed aware of the disastrous events that had occurred in Canterlot; not they showed anyway. Trixie led the others from the station towards the crystal castle. She was only too pleased to have ponies fawn over her and her new status as princess. The crystal ponies all bowed to her in respect as she passed but she merely kept her nose in the air and strutted about as prideful as a peacock.
"I've had just about enough of her prissiness." Applejack muttered.
"She looks rather ridiculous parading about like that." Rarity agreed.
"We agreed this would be easier than trying to explain." Twilight reminded them both.
"Easier maybe but not better. If she doesn't cut out this holier-than-thou attitude I can't be held responsible for what I'll do." Rainbow said.
The eight of them paused at the large doors to the castle where a group of guards were stationed.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle wishes to have an audience with Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor." Twilight said, stepping in front of Trixie before she could say anything.
"Of course." One guard said, motioning to two other guards to open the doors. One orange-coat and blue-maned Pegasus guard in particular glanced Trixie's way and offered her an embarrassed but sweet smile. Trixie paid him no heed as she strode inside. Twilight blushed in embarrassment as she and the others walked past, trying not to let him see her or make eye contact.
"Wait here, your highness." A different guard said, leaving Trixie and the others alone in the throne room while he sought after the prince and princess.
"So what's the deal with this place anyway?" Trixie asked once the guard had left them alone. "I mean, where are all the crystal unicorns and pegasi? The only pegasus I saw was that guard fellow outside and he wasn't crystally at all! I couldn't imagine having such an odd pony out in my staff; it would look so much better if they were consistent."
No pony answered that, mostly out of frustration to Trixie's ignorance and intolerance.
"And by the way I don't see any alicorn ghost monsters here, so I guess that means the oh-so-brilliant Twilight Sparkle was WRONG again. I would say this was an entire waste of a trip but I figure earth ponies like these might actually be the perfect crowd for my magical feats. No pony would dare to deny the might of the Great and Powerful Trixie!"
"Well I for one am glad Cadance and the empire are safe." Applejack said putting a hoof around Twilight.
"Me too!" The others agreed.
"Let's just hope the same can be said for the you-know-what." Twilight said.
"I do?" Pinkie asked in confusion but before Twilight could respond another pair of doors opened and Cadance stepped out. She smiled and raced towards Trixie happy to see her.
"Twilight! Sunshine sunshine ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and… Twilight, what's wrong?" Cadance said, pausing as she was half-way through their secret hoof shake because of Trixie's lack of involvement.
"What are you doing?" Trixie asked, backing away slowly.
"Cadance, I know this is really strange but I'm Twilight." Twilight said, stepping forward.
Cadance looked from Trixie to Twilight with a worried and puzzled expression. She knew all too well the nightmare it was to have somepony else masquerade as yourself but she was sure they would never have to deal with Chrysalis and her dark magic again.
"What are you talking about?" A strong voice said from behind them, the ponies all turned to see Twilight's older brother join them from across the room.
"It's a really long story, but we came to make sure everything was alright here in the Crystal Empire, you haven't had any strange occurrences lately, have you?" Twilight asked fearfully.
"Who are you?" Shining Armor demanded.
"Well, you see sir…" Fluttershy started shyly.
"We switched, okay? It's not that difficult to understand." Trixie said impatiently.
"What she means to say, your highnesses, is that some kind of strange magic has got us all mixed up." Applejack said.
"You can say that again." Spike mumbled.
"Spike?" Shining Armor said in surprise, looking him up and down in Rainbow's body.
"Who did this to you?" Cadance asked worriedly.
All eyes were on Trixie now, who was too busy checking her mane in the reflection of the floor to notice.
"Trixie came and wrought awful magic on Twilight with this tacky little gem and then it worked its magic on the rest of us." Rarity said.
"Trixie?" Shining Armor asked. The others pointed to the pony that looked like his sister.
"What did you do?" He demanded. There was nothing quite as frightening as an older brother trying to protect his sister. He approached Trixie sternly and she looked up at him in surprise. As he got closer she backed away and into the wall so quickly that she knocked down a banner hanging there.
"Will somepony PLEASE tell him to stop it?" Trixie said frantically. "I'm on your side now, honest!"
"Maybe we should just let him at her." Rainbow Dash whispered to the others.
"It's alright, Shining, she's… with us." Twilight said reluctantly.
"Geez. Do you honestly think I'd come here if I wasn't?" Trixie demanded of Shining who was still angry but who backed away.
"Can't you reverse the spell?" Cadance asked.
"Not on our own." Twilight answered. "But that's not why we came. You see, there's been quite a lot of strange things going on, and the Princesses have gone missing."
"Again?" Cadance and Shining Armor both said in unison.
"We haven't heard anything about that." Cadance replied astonished.
"There was this big ugly alicorn monster thing that attacked Princess Luna and it like… ate her! It just… ate her and then she was gone!" Pinkie Pie said, dramatic as ever in her retelling of the story.
"We barely escaped with our lives!" Rarity added.
"And then there were vicious dragons in the Everfree forest, not to mention the manticore." Fluttershy said.
"We haven't heard a word from Celestia either." Spike added.
Soon everypony was talking at once and it was too difficult to make out what anypony was trying to say. Cadance looked to Shining Armor and then to Twilight.
"What can we do, Twilight?" Cadance asked her.
"Well, actually, we need to make sure the al- uh, that something is safe." Twilight said. She wasn't sure whose wandering ears might be listening in on this conversation; she believed that they should take every precaution to keep this a secret.
"The mirror is quite secure I assure you." Cadance said.
"No, not that, the alicorn amulet!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. So much for secrecy.
"Why would you think otherwise, Twily?" Shining Armor asked.
"Somepony is after it." She answered.
"I still don't see why she'd need it in the first place." Trixie mumbled under her breath.
"Okay, some pony needs to tell me what's going on." Shining Armor said. He was still a little confused watching some pony else talk and act like his sister. Of course, nothing was as shocking as seeing Spike as a pony. A girl pony none the less.
Pinkie Pie was only too delighted to fill the royal couple in on the events that transpired. Her account was vivid and accurate, although her friends had to hurry her along through some of the details to get to the more important points of the story. By the end, it seemed that both Cadance and Shining Armor understood and believed them.
"What do you think we should do now?" Cadance asked Twilight.
"I might have something… but I think it would be best if I talk to you in private." Twilight said, peaking at Trixie from the corner of her eye.
"Of course." Cadance said.
"Girls do you mind-" Twilight started.
"Trixie babysitting duty." Rainbow Dash finished. "You got it."
"EXCUSE me?" Trixie said, offended.
Twilight left with her brother and sister-in-law to discuss the next plan of action. She had a few ideas in mind but they were all pretty risky. Hopefully with their assistance Twilight might finally catch a break this time.
"Where exactly is the amulet now?" Twilight asked, once they'd gone out of earshot of the others.
"What do you have in mind, Twily?" Shining Armor asked her.
"I think it's time I met this mysterious unicorn and I think I can get her to come to us rather than having to figure out where she is." Twilight said with a confident smile.
*~*~*~*
Nine ponies and one dragon filed into a small cramped room in one of the castle's most guarded towers. In the corner the mirror to the human world lay dormant with a sheet precariously hanging off the side. Seeing that mirror brought back happy memories for Twilight and she was momentarily distracted from her task at hand. It seemed that Celestia and Luna had entrusted quite a few magical things to Cadance for her protection. There were all kinds of mystical objects amongst many other seemingly ordinary ones too.
"Now let me get this straight, we're gonna give that unicorn exactly what she wants? How in the hay is that going to help the situation?" Applejack asked.
"Well, we don't exactly know how Astelle plans on retrieving the amulet once it's in Trixie's possession." Twilight pointed out.
"Yeah that part really was a little weird don't you think? 'Once you have it in your possession I will know'. What does that even mean?" Trixie asked.
"So we're setting a trap?" Pinkie exclaimed. "Trixie will lure her in all innocent-like and then before she can get her hooves on the amulet we all burst out of hiding and then Twilight, Cadance, and Shining Armor can take her on, horn to horn! The rest of us ponies will be ready juuuust in case there's any other sort of funny business that needs to be taken care of. Ooo I hope I get to clobber a few minions!"
"Minions?" Rarity asked in confusion.
"Well, duh, all the best villians have them! I mean, either minions or a pet. But if it's a pet they're usually sarcastic and really funny. Sometimes the minion can be treated like a pet. Hmm… Discord didn't have a minion OR a pet! Come to think of it, neither did Nightmare Moon, or King Sombra!" She gasped at the realization. "Don't they KNOW how out of character they are? I mean, who would want to be a bad guy who has to monologue to him, or her, self all the time. BORRRING. At least Queen Chrysalis had those changeling things, I mean-"
Twilight put her hoof over Pinkie's mouth effectively ending her ramblings; the other ponies looked a bit relieved.
"For the most part, Pinkie is correct. We are setting a trap of sorts." Shining Armor said.
"Told ya so!" Pinkie chimed happily bouncing around the small room wherever she could fit.
"But this doesn't necessarily mean Astelle is a "villain" as you claim. All we know for sure is that she is powerful and knows magic that is not within pony record." Cadance pointed out.
"No matter what happens, I think we should be prepared for anything. After what happened in Canterlot I'm not willing to underestimate any potential threat." Twilight said.
"What is it you need us to do, Twi?" Applejack asked. She and the others stood proudly in a row awaiting her request.
"Spike, you'll keep watch just outside this window and let us know if you see anything or any pony coming. It would be nice to have a little bit of a heads up." Twilight said.
"No problem!" Spike answered.
"Fluttershy and Rarity, I'd like to use you two as a back-up plan. We don't know how well this whole thing will go over, or even what to expect, but I would like you two ponies over here, behind this chair. If I give the signal I want you to rip the rug out from underneath us. At least that might create enough of a distraction if we need it." Twilight said.
"If that's the case, Rainbow and Applejack, you two try to get Trixie and Cadance out of here as quickly as you can." Twilight said.
"Wait, don't you want us to help fight or something?" Rainbow asked.
"This isn't about fighting; it's about getting some answers." Twilight corrected.
"And none of this will happen unless it absolutely has to. I'm sure Twilight will be able to appeal to her common sense." Cadance said.
"That's IF she isn't the psycho pony who unleashed that shadow beast. I don't think the pony controlling that thing has any senses to appeal to; and I doubt all of this drama happened coincidentally." Trixie said.
"I thought you didn't believe Twilight's theory." Rarity said with a smug grin.
"Well… I don't… but…" Trixie grumbled, unable to think of something witty in response.
"Alright everypony let's give this a try." Twilight said.
Princess Cadance and Shining Armor used their magic to lift a particularly large statue from its place in the corner of the room. Once it was airborne, Twilight could see a small box hidden underneath the statue. She tried to use her magic to retrieve the box.
"Wait, Twilight…" Cadance started but she was a little too late. Taking the box from its place set off an ear-shattering alarm. Every pony screamed and covered their ears in surprise. Shining Armor had to cast a spell that engulfed the room in light before the alarm stopped. Moments later, guards were rushing towards the tower from all directions.
"Wow. Nice security." Rainbow Dash said. She and Spike were looking out the window watching the crystal guards scrambling below them as they flooded into the tower.
"I'll go dismiss them." Shining Armor said, excusing himself from the room.
"Sorry Twilight I should have warned you. Only alicorn magic can remove the amulet from its place." Cadance said apologetically.
"But I am… oh… right." Twilight said trailing off as she remembered her current situation.
"Yeah, Twilight, leave the really good magic to some pony a little more worthy." Trixie taunted. She turned to use Twilight's magic to retrieve the box but Cadance had already done so.
Cadance unlocked the latch on the box and revealed the alicorn amulet.
"Oooooo it's really shiny." Pinkie said with a smile.
"Pinkie, you've seen this before." Applejack reminded her.
"I know, but it IS shiny." Pinkie said.
"At least we know it's still here." Fluttershy said.
"Finally some good news." Twilight agreed.
"Now what do we do, Twilight?" Rarity wondered.
"I think Trixie should try a summoning spell." Twilight answered.
"A what?" Trixie asked.
"You have to conjure a little ball of light and send it to find the pony you are seeking. It would let them know to come find you; they would just have to follow it back." Twilight said.
"Whatever. How do I do that?" Trixie asked.
"I've already mastered this spell with my magic; all you have to do is concentrate on it." Twilight said. All of her hard work mastering spells meant nothing to Trixie who had the fortune of using somepony else's magic. It would have taken weeks for Trixie to learn this on her own.
The little ball of light formed and shot straight out of the window.
"Now we play the waiting game." Twilight said.
"Ooo I love this game! I call Fluttershy on my team!" Pinkie said, pulling Fluttershy into her with a hug.
*~*~*~*
Much to everypony's disappointment nothing seemed to have happened. Minutes and hours passed without so much as an indication that anypony was coming. Twilight had Trixie perform a few more spells, but to no avail. Everypony was lounging about the tower room trying their best to wait patiently for something to happen.
"King me!" Pinkie said, pushing a chess piece forward on a game board. She had found lots of interesting things in that room and with Cadance's permission she used them to pass the time.
"Pinkie, how many times do I have to tell you, this is chess, not checkers." Twilight said, returning her piece to its original place.
"Oh… knight me!" Pinkie said with a smile.
Twilight sighed; it was useless trying to explain chess to this pony.
"You cannot just keep me locked up in here waiting for something to happen! I'm tired, I'm hungry, I have a terrible headache. When can we get some food?" Trixie whined.
"Such a drama queen." Spike whispered.
"I heard that you ungrateful little dragon… pony… thing." Trixie snapped.
"You know, Twi, I hate to say it but… maybe this is all just a big hoax." Rainbow Dash said. She was in a corner of the room lying on her back and tossing a ball into the air and catching it. "What if princess loud mouth over there made this up so she could get her hooves back on that amulet?"
"I wouldn't put it past her." Rarity added.
"Are we still debating the truth?" Trixie asked exasperated.
"Don't worry, I won't let that happen. Trixie isn't getting her hooves on this ever again." Twilight promised.
"And another thing, why is it you ponies consistently talk about me as if I weren't right here?" Trixie demanded.
"Wait a minute…" Applejack said. "Why don't we just give it to 'er?"
"What?!" The others asked; with the exception of Trixie who looked both pleased and confused.
"Nothing else is working, maybe there's some kind of magic at work here. That unicorn did say she'd know once it was in Trixie's possession; but it isn't in her possession yet." Applejack said.
"That does make a little bit of sense, but I've never heard of magic like that…" Twilight said, trailing off deep in thought.
"That seems to be quite the issue, darling. None of these magic spells are known." Rarity said.
"It might be worth a try." Fluttershy said.
"Are we seriously considering this?" Rainbow Dash objected.
"Well…" Twilight stated nervously.
"Oh would you ponies just give it a rest already?" Trixie said. She used Twilight's magic to latch the amulet around her neck. The other ponies all gasped in surprise; no pony was ready for that yet. The moment the clasp was sealed, the amulet let out a beam of red light that shot straight through the ceiling of the room. The ponies gasped and covered their faces as the debri from the ceiling came crumbling down on top of them.
"That's new!" Pinkie Pie said, pointing out the obvious.
"I think it's working!" Twilight said, too eager to be upset.
"It better be!" Trixie said, "This thing feels really weird, it isn't at all like it was last time!"
"Every pony to their places!" Twilight said and the others followed suit.
"Is anypony else excited?" Pinkie asked, finding it difficult to stay hidden. Rainbow Dash shushed her.
"Um… Twilight?" Spike called from outside the window.
"What is it, Spike? Is something coming?" Twilight asked excitedly.
"Well, I can hear a-" Spike said, but was cut off by the sound of a ghostly whinny in the distance. Every pony recognized the sound immediately.
"The shadow alicorn!?" Trixie screamed. "This wasn't a part of the deal!"
"Can you see it? Where's it coming from? Look for its eyes!" Each pony was pushed up against each other trying to get a good look outside. Trixie on the other hand was not about to face that monster again.
"All bets are off!" She said, tugging at the clasp on the amulet. To her horror the clasp would not release at her first attempt. She struggled hard against the amulet but it would not come off. "This isn't funny! Get this thing OFF ME!" She screamed.
Twilight and Applejack turned away from the window and attempted to help Trixie.
"It's held fast Twilight." Applejack said, examining the amulet. "I can't even find the clasp anymore!"
"DO SOMETHING!" Trixie said, her legs shaking as the whinny grew louder.
"If you clear a path outside I can…" Cadance started.
"No!" came a unison of replies from Twilight and her friends.
"Oh sure, protect the OTHER princess but nopony cares about Trixie!" Trixie cried.
"We're doing the best we can." Applejack said, the amulet in her teeth as she tugged at it.
"Hey! Cut it out!" Trixie said, choking on the amulet when Applejack pulled.
"Hey, it stopped!" Pinkie said. Every pony paused to listen; the wicked whinny had completely disappeared.
"Good, now please get this thing off me." Trixie said, trying to pry it away with her magic. As she struggled, Trixie caught sight of something from the corner of her eye. A large shadow grew up from the floor and a pair of bright red eyes opened. Trixie screamed and blasted it with her magic; alerting the other ponies. The shadow was unfazed; It moved with precision towards her and engulfed her in only moments before disappearing completely. Trixie's screams vanished the moment she did.
Panic ensued as each pony, and baby dragon, began talking at once and running around the tower room in disarray.
"Calm down! Wait, just… hold on!" Twilight said, trying to shout above the chaos. "EVERY PONY STOP!"
One by one, Twilight's friends stopped in their tracks and turned to listen.
"Trixie's going to be fine." Twilight said, although she secretly wished otherwise.
"How can you possibly know that, Twilight?" Rarity asked.
"I think I can explain." Princess Cadance said. "When Twilight told me about the amulet I wasn't entirely surprised. You see, Princess Celestia came to me a couple weeks ago with orders to protect the amulet at all costs. She told me there was a grave threat she would have to face; an old foe she had once beaten."
"Wait, so you knew about this unicorn, and the shadow alicorn all along?" Spike asked.
"No." Cadance clarified, "I only knew to protect the amulet. When you all came here and explained what happened; Twilight, Shining, and I decided it would be in Equestria's best interests to figure out what was really going on." Cadance said
"But why hand over the only leverage we have?" Rarity asked.
"That wasn't the real amulet." Twilight said proudly. "We figured Trixie knew a little more than she was telling us and she'd end up making some kind of mistake. If she believed she had the real amulet we could unmask whatever she was planning and thwart her in the act."
"You never trusted her." Rainbow Dash realized proudly.
"And I never will." Twilight added.
"Well it's kind of hard to confront some pony when they disappear." Applejack said.
"That's why there's a trace spell on her." Twilight added.
"Ooooh! Good thinking Twilight! What's a trace spell?" Pinkie asked.
"As soon as Trixie touches back down on solid ground, we can trace her with magic and we will know exactly where she is. Then we can really get to the bottom of this. If there IS a unicorn out there helping her; we can confront them both." Twilight said.
"And perhaps we will find the Princesses as well?" Spike asked.
"With everything that has been going on I honestly doubt their disappearance is coincidental. Trixie's reached a whole new level of dark magic and greed; taking over Equestria would be a believable plot for her right now." Twilight said.
"At least we know the princesses are safe. I mean; the sun and the moon rise and set every day." Fluttershy pointed out.
"I hope so." Twilight said.
"So this whole time you had to bite your tongue and listen to that unicorn spout out all those lies? That takes an impressive amount of courage and discipline, Twilight." Applejack said.
"But why wouldn't you tell us?" Rarity asked, a little offended.
"I didn't have a chance. I had to keep Trixie with us at all times to keep her from causing more trouble, and I couldn't risk her overhearing anything." Twilight said.
"Are you sure you want to confront this alone?" Shining Armor asked.
"I won't be alone. I have my friends." Twilight said reassuringly. "As the spirits of the elements of harmony, nothing can stop us BBBFF. Besides, you promised that you and Cadance would protect the REAL amulet."
"Speaking of which, were did you hide the real one anyway?" Spike asked.
"Why it's right over… wait." Twilight said, pausing mid-sentence. Her whole face turned pale as she made the sickening discovery. "Wait, it was right here! The fake one was in the box and the real one…"
Twilight bolted across the room to the discarded box where the fake alicorn amulet had been placed. She opened it to discover the false amulet still in place. Although it was a remarkable duplicate Twilight knew this was not the real amulet.
"Oh no…" Cadance said, realizing what had happened. She looked to Shining Armor.
"Twi…?" Applejack asked softly.
"She took the real one. She has the real one!" Twilight gasped; her friends returning with gasps of their own.
"That settles it, we're all going as soon as this Trixie pony lands. No sister of mine is facing the alicorn amulet alone." Shining Armor said.
"Cadance… I'm so sorry!" Twilight whispered. Not only had she lost the real amulet to a dangerous and possibly insane pony but she had caused her to break her promise to Celestia. She could imagine nothing worse than letting her down.
"It's… well, it's not okay Twilight. I don't know what we're getting into now." Cadance said softly.
"Does anypony else ever wonder why these sorts of things always seem to happen to US?" Spike asked.
"I've been asking that question for four years, Spike." Rainbow Dash agreed.