Scholar's Mate

by MagnetBolt

White, Turn 4: White Queen Takes F7

“TRIXIE!” Twilight shouted, the doors to Canterlot palace slamming open so hard they nearly tore from their hinges. Thankfully, only last year Celestia had had them reinforced after they had, in fact, been torn from their hinges by Luna, after the younger sister had completely misjudged how strong griffon wine was and thought the huge doors had been mocking her.

“Princess, please calm down-” one of the royal guards said, stepping away from his post to speak to her. Twilight shot him a look that came very, very close to turning him to stone – and not like the look Queen Chrysalis had given him that had only turned part of him to stone. He backed away, cowed so thoroughly that he felt an urge to moo.

“TRIXIE! GET OUT HERE!”

“Hm.” Celestia looked up at the sun, though of course she knew exactly where it was, in the same way she knew where her hooves were. “It's about quarter after seven, and given how long it takes for newspapers to be printed and distributed, she must have teleported all the way from Ponyville. She's definitely upset.”

“Sister, it just occurred to me that I need to check on something. On the moon.” Luna glanced back. “It will take at least two hours.”

“Make it three,” Celestia suggested. Luna nodded and vanished into the shadows.

Twilight grabbed a silver tail with her magic and yanked, pulling Trixie from where she'd been hiding underneath the bed. Not Luna's bed, thankfully, though that had been where Twilight had looked first. If she had been there, it's likely there would be significantly less castle and significantly more crater. Trixie just seemed to have that effect on ponies.

“G-good morning, Twily,” Trixie said, only shaking a little. Twilight glared at her, holding her suspended in midair by her tail high enough that they were looking into each others eyes.

“You are in a LOT of trouble!” Twilight growled, shoving a newspaper in Trixie's face. The front page showed her and Luna kissing. “I thought I could trust you and clearly that was a bad idea and I should have listened to Rainbow Dash all along when she said you were a player, and not the hoofball kind!”

“It wasn't my fault!” Trixie said, waving her hooves and not even referring to herself in the third person. “Luna kissed me without permission! It's all her fault!”

“You sure aren't fighting her off,” Twilight noted, looking at the picture again.

“Trixie had just been exploded and was still recovering from a bare-hooved fight to the death against a charismatic and intelligent terrorist.” Trixie folded her front hooves. “Trixie was barely able to see straight and Luna caught Trixie when Trixie was blown out of the sky. Then she kissed Trixie without permission!”

Twilight narrowed her eyes, still fuming.

“A-and Trixie is... sorry?” Trixie said, trying a small smile. “And she promises not to ever do it again, and officially declares as a future princess of Equestria that Twilight Sparkle is a better kisser than Luna!”

“...If you get that signed into law I might forgive you,” Twilight said, managing to crack a small smile despite the tears in her eyes. She let Trixie go, and the mare fell face-first to the stone floor of her room, landing with a grunt and taking a few minutes to get up, her horn getting stuck in the ground after the awkward landing.

“Trixie is...” she grunted, finally freeing herself with a shower of sparks. “Trixie would never want to hurt you, Twilight. Trixie is sorry about letting Luna do that.” She pulled Twilight closer, wrapping her wings around the mare.

“Good, because if you did, I'd blast you into orbit,” Twilight said. Trixie wasn't sure if it was a joke or not. Twilight had solved the vast majority of the problems in her life by blasting them with huge amounts of magical power, and Trixie was wise enough now to know that Twilight had the strength to do exactly what she'd threatened, and that Trixie lacked the strength to do anything about it.

“B-but Trixie has good news too! Since everypony knows Trixie is an alicorn now, it means she isn't going to be confined to the castle! Probably! Trixie hasn't actually asked about this or confirmed it with anypony but it seems like a logical assumption.”

“That's... possible,” Twilight admitted. “But-”

“And like Luna said last night after she brought Trixie to her bedchambers, ponies will get used to things and within a week or two they'll forget about everything that happened.”

“They do seem to stop discussing events as soon as something else comes up,” Twilight admitted. In the back of her head, something tickled at her awareness, just before the rest of what Trixie had said managed to come to her attention. “Her BEDCHAMBERS?!”

Feather Duster refilled Princess Celestia's teacup. The Princess had decided to take her tea out on a little-used balcony today, instead of her private chambers or meeting room. It was somewhat unusual, but nopony would question the Princess and Feather Duster just assumed she wanted a change of scenery. She was going to be taking a vacation soon, after all, so she obviously desired time away from the minutiae of her daily life.

Celestia looked up at the sun. “Let's see. It should be right about now...” There was a pause. Feather Duster looked around, wondering if she should ask what the Princess meant. Then a window exploded above them, a blue mare careening out of a burst of purple fire and trailing smoke from smoldering hair.

Feather Duster's jaw dropped as the mare crashed head-first into a stone fountain, sending up a spray of water and a plume of steam. Glass rained down around her, a shield of golden magic protecting her and the Princess.

“That was a few seconds longer than I expected,” Celestia said, absently. “Twilight's really starting to mature. Maybe in a few years she'll stop causing explosions altogether.”

Trixie wrung out her mane with magic as she walked through the door. A maid grabbed a towel, about to run over to help, but the look on Twilight's face made her veer off to the side and hide behind a chest-high planter of ivy instead. She had worked in the castle long enough to know that sometimes it was best to just stay out of the way. She'd also learned not to get within groping distance of Blueblood after he'd had wine, but that lesson didn't apply today.

“You set Trixie on fire!”

“I already apologized for that, even though you definitely deserved it.”

“We just had coffee and talked about the ball!” Trixie yelled. “We didn't do anything inappropriate!”

“And I apologized!” Twilight repeated. “It wasn't a really big fireball anyway.”

“It was a Nazca Flare! That's a high-level combat spell!”

“I was really upset, okay?!” Twilight groaned. “I've been really upset ever since I saw that picture.”

“Trixie wouldn't have guessed from the way that half of the palace wards were shattered when you decided a magical assault was a better idea than just asking Trixie what was going on.”

“It's just...” Twilight sighed, her head lowering as she seemed to almost shrink. Trixie stopped as she almost collapsed against a planter with a terrified maid hiding behind it. “I haven't seen you in weeks. We haven't even really been able to get on a proper date and I'm worried you don't really...” she trailed off. Trixie gave her a moment, then stepped closer and awkwardly wrapped a wing around her.

“For such a smart pony you're stupid sometimes,” Trixie huffed. “Trixie isn't the sort who just chases after a nice plot.” She looked into Twilight's eyes. “I like you. Ever since our first duel I was obsessed with you, for better or worse, because we're so alike. I made a lot of mistakes and did things I regret, and when I'm around you it's like I can see what I'd be like if...” she sighed. “If I'd been a better pony.”

“Trixie, you're not a bad pony,” Twilight said, looking up sheepishly.

“Oh, you're saying that now, after blasting Trixie out of a window?”

Twilight blushed a bright red.

“Trixie will forgive you this time, because she is the Forgiving and Magnanimous Trixie.” She smiled. “Besides, Trixie will never be able to find another pony who can rival her power and wit.”

“Even if I explode you sometimes?”

“Trixie is rapidly getting used to being exploded.”

Twilight sighed and leaned into Trixie. “Good. Because I'd hate to have to find another special somepony. You're the only one I know who understands even some of what I say about magic. Except Celestia, I guess, but half of the time I think she's just humoring me while I talk instead of really listening to what I have to say...”

“You're rambling again,” Trixie said. “You always do that when you're worried or excited. Trixie has decided it's cute. And she knows how to stop you.” Trixie leaned in and kissed Twilight softly. The maid behind the planter started breathing heavily. She was not trained for this. As the two pressed closer to each other, Feather Duster kept her eyes closed tightly. The noises and muttering slowly became more intimate before there was, thankfully, an interruption.

“Ah! I see thou hath forgiven my Palatine!” There was a sound of two ponies who had been far too close to been seen in public pulling away from each other quickly. The maid crawled from behind the planter and tried to get away, far away, glancing back to see Princess Luna advancing on the two with a smile on her face.

“Luna!” Twilight said, surprised. Then surprised gave way to anger. “You've got a lot of explaining to do!”

“...Thou still seems upset. Perhaps I shall leave and allow thou to continue. I shall return after thou hath had time to-” Luna made a high-pitched sound as her mane was grabbed with dark pink magic, dragging her forward.

“Oh no, you and I are going to talk right now!” Twilight stomped a hoof. “You were kissing my marefriend!”

“'Twas merely a chase kiss of thanks!” Luna protested weakly, giving Twilight a nervous smile.

“A chase kiss is not on the lips and doesn't involve nearly that much tongue!” Twilight snapped.

“Please do not blow me up,” Luna said.

“I should,” Twilight grumbled, before letting go of Luna's mane. “But I won't.”

“You blew Trixie up and it wasn't even her fault!” Trixie complained.

“Are thou trying to get her to harm me! 'Tis not the proper thing for a guard to do!”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Fine. Don't blow Luna up. Please.”

“I said I wouldn't,” Twilight said, kicking the planter.

“Good. 'Twould not be wise for we princesses to fight in front of the commoners.”

“What common-” Twilight and Trixie turned the way they hadn't been looking and saw the assembled crowd that were in line to make a petition to Celestia. The crowd that they must have, moments ago, been starting to get very intimate in front of.

“Oh no. They saw us...” Trixie blushed and paled at the same time, somehow. It was probably magic. “They saw us, um, together!”

“Hah! It reminds me of when I had a harem,” Luna said, wistfully. “Sometimes I would call them into the throne room in the middle of court. They had particular skill with-”

“Luna, I really, really don't want to know,” Twilight said, ears down and starting to go green.

“It's the new princess!” one of the ponies waiting in line yelled. Twilight perked up at that and turned to smile and wave. “Maybe she can get my zoning request approved!”

“And my request for extra funding for jam and jam accessories!”

“No, no, no!” Twilight waved her hooves. “I am not holding court! Um... I am not currently accepting proposals or giving grants or anything! Just- go ask Celestia! Or... go to night court!” She motioned at Luna. “She'll definitely listen to what you have to say! Just don't bring your marefriend, she might try to grope them!” She shot Luna a glare.

“If I bring my marefriend for her to grope, will that get my grant approved?” Asked a pegasus.

“No!” Twilight snapped.

“Yes!” Luna said, at the same time. She and Twilight shared a look. “I mean... no?”

“What about her?” A pony pointed at Trixie.

“She's not a princess!” Twilight groaned.

“But she's got wings and a horn!”

“That doesn't automatically make her a princess! She has to... she has to...” She tried to come up with an answer. “She has to finish... princess... school.” Twilight started to sweat. That was the worst excuse she'd ever come up with and even Applejack could have sold the lie better.

“Oh, that makes sense,” Somepony said, from the back of the crowd. Murmurs passed through the gathering and soon they were nodding in approval as if princess school was a real thing.

“Maybe we should go somewhere more private?” Trixie suggested.

“We could-”

“And not Luna's bedchambers,” Trixie quickly added.

Twilight looked over the list she'd been handed. “Celestia really expects you to be able to handle all of this while she's gone?” She looked up at Luna skeptically.

“'Tis no more than she handles. My sister managed all of this and more when I was... away. If she can keep Equestria together for a thousand years on her own, it will be an easy task with such formidable help as I find with thou and my Palatine.”

Twilight twitched a little at Luna calling Trixie hers.

“What will Trixie's status be after the gala?” Trixie asked. “Trixie obviously isn't a secret now.”

“That is an excellent question,” Celestia said, as she walked through the door, Feather Duster following at her heels with her teapot and a tray of delicate cups. “I admit this was not something that I had planned for precisely, but the timing is far from a disaster.”

“Celestia!” Twilight got up and ran over to her, nuzzling her mentor. “I'm really sorry about the front doors, and the windows I blew up, and-”

“Twilight, don't worry about it. As a crown princess of Equestria you have as much right to blow up the palace as I do.” Celestia laughed lightly. “About a century ago I ended up leveling half of the palace.”

“Really?” Twilight asked, tilting her head. Celestia nodded.

“It was right after the 900th Summer Sun Celebration,” Celestia said, as she settled down on a cushion. “I'd found nothing at all to save my sister, and spent the whole day surrounded by ponies who were constantly reminding me of the fact that I'd failed her. I was trying to get away from it and, well, I ended up walking into a part of the castle I usually avoided.”

“The dungeon?” Trixie guessed. Celestia gestured for Feather Duster to pour tea for four of them as she explained.

“It was fashionable now and again to present me a gift that depicted my so-called greatest victory over Nightmare Moon. I couldn't politely refuse them, so I had to accept them and keep them around for a time, then I'd find some excuse or another to put them into storage.” Celestia sipped at her tea and pointed to one of the paintings hanging on the wall. “Sometimes that meant having to pay for a new royal portrait, but it was bits well spent.”

She paused for a moment, looking at it closely. “That one makes my flank look too big, though. Maybe once things have quieted down we can all sit down for a royal portrait. Something more flattering.”

“Isn't that one by Reinbrandt?” Twilight asked.

“He was known for his accuracy, to my sister's dismay,” Luna said, covering a smile with a sip of tea. Celestia rolled her eyes.

“Unfortunately, putting things in storage means they're still around. And I ended up walking right into the room they'd started putting things. It was the last thing I wanted to see after a whole day of hearing ponies call my sister evil and not being able to do anything about it. I... lost control. Thankfully nopony was hurt, but the damage was extensive. Most of the castle had to be rebuilt.”

“...Is that why the south wing is a different color than the north wing?” Twilight asked.

“It's also why the castle staff all has extensive training on what to do in case of fire,” Celestia confirmed. “Now, as for Trixie...” She shot the mare a neutral look. “Most of our little ponies are going to be looking at you as if you were a Princess regardless of what I do, and Princess Luna has already rather publicly endorsed you.”

“You're going to make me a princess?!” Trixie gasped, eyes sparkling.

“...No.” Celestia said, closing her eyes and sipping her tea calmly. “I considered it. A few more years, and any scandals or discoveries about your past will have become old news. It will also give you time to learn the political landscape, whom to trust, whom to avoid...”

“Like Blueblood,” Twilight groaned, rolling her eyes.

“He's not that bad after a few drinks,” Luna said, quietly. Every eye in the room turned to look at her. “What? What?!”

“He's... never mind. Celestia, you said it yourself. Even if you don't do anything, ponies are going to think of her as a princess just because... you know. Wings and a horn.” Twilight waved a hoof at Trixie for emphasis.

“You're right, Twilight. And if I don't acknowledge that, the questions why I haven't will turn into rumors. Trixie, I'm going to make you a Marquise. It's a little below a Princess, so you won't have to be as careful in court, but high enough above most of the nobility that they'll have to start getting used to deferring to you.”

“Trixie will use her power only for good,” she promised, putting a hoof over her heart.

“Oh good,” Celestia said, smiling. “That means you'll be happy doing all of Luna's paperwork for her. You'll need to get used to the sort of red tape that goes along with power.”

“Paperwork?” Trixie paled a little.

“You'll love it!” Twilight said, gasping happily. “There's lists and forms and duplicate forms, and reference books, and everything is written in legalese which is almost its own language! It's like learning magic and how to read all over again!”

“That sounds awf-” Trixie looked at Twilight fantasizing about filling out a tax referral form and sighed. “It sounds like a learning experience.”

Luna leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Thou should delegate it to thy underlings. It is truly the real lesson to be learned.”

Trixie nodded slightly. Celestia just kept smiling, apparently not paying attention but obviously still listening. “The good news is, I did expect you to come, Twilight, so I made sure the tailor is ready for you. You might recognize the designs.” Her lips turned up slightly into a sly grin.

“These are Rarity's designs!” Twilight said, surprised, as she turned to look at the dress she was wearing, the tailor making a displeased noise and turning her head with a hoof so he could keep working on the collar and adjusting it for her longer neck.

“It should hardly be surprising,” Trixie said. “She is well-known as the Princess' favorite designer, and of course she'd jump at the chance to have her dresses seen at such an event.” Trixie hesitated. “Trixie hopes there are fewer explosions today. Trixie does not relish having to explain to her that her dresses are on fire.”

“Well, don't do anything that makes people want to blow you up, then.” Twilight huffed. “From what I hear you just keep making enemies. Even my brother doesn't seem to like you.” She yelped as the tailor pricked her with his needle as he tried to adjust the dress.

“Your brother wouldn't approve of anypony dating his little sister,” Trixie countered. “Trixie tried to get along with him.”

“He's protective. His cutie mark is a shield.” Twilight bit her lip. “And maybe once I was visiting him and I ended up saying a few things about you...”

“A few things?” Trixie raised an eyebrow.

“It was before the whole thing with Babbidi! He probably got the wrong impression. But looking back... I think Cadence might have seen things before I even knew about them. I mean she is the princess of love. Then again she also likes teasing me and told me once that Applejack and Rarity were seeing each other, but that was obviously wrong and I would know if that was true!”

“Trixie is not sure about that.”

“I know, right?” Twilight nodded. “I mean I see them almost every day, so if anypony would know if they were dating, it would be me.”

“...Trixie is going to agree with you instead of starting an argument where she will be blown up again.” The door opened, and Trixie turned to see Koloth and Babbidi walking in. She nodded as they saluted.

“Palatine, we came to discuss security arrangements at the...” Koloth hesitated. “Party. We'd like to avoid a repeat of the last time we had to stand on guard and try to keep the nobility from embarrassing itself.”

“Trixie just hopes that you can keep the crazy ponies with bombs away,” she joked. Twilight glanced back and froze.

“B-Babbidi?! Trixie, get down!”

“You blew up the tailor!” Trixie said, exasperated. “You were warning me about being careful with my power, and here you are blowing ponies up just because you got surprised!”

“How was I supposed to know she wasn't evil?!” Twilight pulled ruined silk from her back. “I thought it was some kind of... evil... revenge thing. I mean, you came back for revenge after what happened, so I just figured...”

“Princess, I would like to take this time to formally apologize to you,” Babbidi said. “I did things I regret, and they were pretty evil. I was good at it, too.” She looked wistful for a moment. “Anyway, I've turned over a new leaf now. Trixie is my commanding officer.”

Twilight frowned, considered her and Koloth, then leaned in to whisper into Trixie's ear.

“Trixie, be honest with me, are you the leader of a secret evil army and trying to overthrow the government? Because if you are-”

“Twilight!” Trixie blushed. “It's not like that!”

“It's really not!” Babbidi agreed, despite not having heard a single thing Twilight had whispered. “I mean she's cute and nice, but I'm into stallions.” She looked at Twilight's face. “That isn't at all what you were talking about, is it?”

“Princess, we aren't an evil army,” Koloth said. “And these idiots couldn't take over a coffee shop, much less Equestria.”

“Thank you, Koloth,” Trixie said. “I think.”

“Any time, Palatine.” He smirked.

“Twilight, you and Babbidi should talk. You have a lot in common.”

“We do?” Twilight asked.

“Oh certainly. An obsession with learning and obscure magic, never going outside...” Trixie laughed a little.

“Palatine, we still need to discuss security.” Koloth sighed. “As you'll be out mingling with the guests, you will be in even more danger than you normally are. Which is a considerable amount.”

“We'll be in the middle of the castle with a literal army around us,” Trixie said, waving a hoof. “It's not like this is some gathering of Trixie's enemies.” Koloth and Babbidi shared a look. Trixie saw it and frowned. “...This isn't a gathering of Trixie's enemies, is it?”

Koloth pulled a guest list out of his armor. Trixie held it in her magic and glanced over it.

“This is a gathering of Trixie's enemies.”

“What? You can't possibly have that many enemies.” Twilight took the list. “Let's see. Blueblood, of course. He shows up at everything where there's free food. Fleur and Fancy Pants. A few of the Wonderbolts, though they won't be performing...”

Trixie coughed nervously. “Trixie was once banned from performing in Canterlot. Blueblood, and Trixie refuses to use any title for somepony who has done so little to earn one, asked me for a private show and made it very clear I wouldn't need a hat or cape, if you get my meaning.”

“You didn't... did you?”

“No!” Trixie snorted. “Just because I get on stage doesn't mean that I'm for sale! Trixie put a curse on him and told him never to appear in front of her again!”

“What sort of curse?” Twilight tilted her head. “I mean, curses are sort of illegal. That's magical assault.”

“It was nothing serious.” She waved a hoof dismissively. “Trixie just made sure his horn was as limp as a wet noodle for, oh, a month. You know how it is with curses and the phase of the moon.”

Twilight nodded. “Well that's embarrassing but I had something like that happen with poison joke-”

“Both of his horns,” Trixie corrected. Twilight frowned, then her eyes went wide as she understood, a blush growing on her cheeks as Koloth and Babbidi laughed. “Trixie is told that he lost a marefriend because of that.”

“I can't say he doesn't deserve it,” Twilight admitted. “Fleur and Fancy Pants are nice, though, so-”

“Trixie... made a bad impression on them. There were fireworks involved, and then regular fire, and the papers said it took a long time for Fleur's mane to grow back... But the property damage was almost entirely covered by insurance!”

“Trixie how is it that you manage to cause so much chaos everywhere you go?!”

A voice came from above. “Did somepony say Chaos?”

“Not now...” Twilight groaned, as Discord appeared in midair, lounging on nothing.

“Oh don't be sore, Sparkle.” Discord grinned at her. “It's not my fault that you aren't best princess.” Twilight's horn flared, and Discord fell to the ground in a sprawl of tangled and mismatched limbs. “That was rude.”

“I'm having a bad day and the last thing I need is you making it worse!”

“Twilight, I exist only to brighten your day,” Discord said, standing and patting her on the head, with talons crossed behind his back. “Do you know I heard there's a wonderful party being planned and somehow, I misplaced my invitation?”

“You weren't invited,” Twilight said, shaking his paw away. “You should go visit Fluttershy. Or the moon. Or the statue garden. I heard you used to hang out there a lot!”

“I didn't think you approved of our relationship!” Discord batted his eyes. “Ah to think, a Princess blessing our little arrangement. Perhaps we should name our first child after you, whatever that child happens to be.”

“What?! No! Leave Fluttershy alone!”

“Fluttershy? I meant the moon!” A white orb appeared at Discord's side. He hugged it. “I know Luna has been in a committed relationship with her, but they're a lot less close than they were for the last thousand years. Don't tell her I said anything, but celestial bodies are easy on the rebound, if you know what I mean.”

“What do you want, Discord?” Twilight asked, as she rubbed the bridge of her nose and tried to calm herself.

“I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to be left out of such an important event!” Discord smiled and started bouncing the moon up and down, the moonlight flashing like a strobe. “Ever since Trixie came here it's really felt like home. Every day there's some new variety of chaos to enjoy! Not that you haven't been good at that yourself, Twilight, but it's like everypony she meets either wants to kill her or bed her. I suppose that's charisma for you though, always making a strong impression.”

“Trixie always has been proud of her ability to attract attention,” Trixie said as she brushed back her mane with a hoof.

“Oh, all sorts of attention,” Discord agreed. He caught the bouncing moon and gave it a kiss before tossing it away, casually flicking it out a window with his tail. “But you know, I could be very helpful. For example, perhaps a little last-minute damage control?” He snapped his talons, and Twilight's dress reappeared on her, the burned silk and cotton magically whole again.

“Well... that would be nice,” Twilight admitted.

“So if I help, I can come to your little party?” Discord grinned, looking innocent.

“...Fine, but it's going to be boring, so I don't see why you'll want to come. It won't be like one of Pinkie Pie's parties and Celestia and Luna aren't going to let you pull pranks on any of the guests.”

“Oh, I promise I'll be good! You won't even know I'm there!” Discord laughed. “I just want to see everypony's reaction!”

Twilight and Trixie shared a wary look. Twilight tilted her head. “I don't think Trixie will cause that much of a stir now that word got out to the media. The shock will have passed by then.”

“We'll see.” Discord smiled. “Now, I'm going to go and find myself something nice to wear. I don't want to be underdressed! The first thing to do is get rid of this birthday suit. It's getting worn around the edges.” He unzipped the scales along his front and stepped out of his own skin as a skeleton, revealing bare and mismatched bones, some mineralized, some old and cracked, and others bleached and perfectly clean. He handed his shed skin to Twilight. “If you see that tailor, tell him to see about letting out some of the seams. I think I'm starting to put on weight in my old age!” He gestured at his stomach. The place where his stomach would be. “Toodles!” He vanished in a burst of light. Twilight looked at the skin in her hooves and paled before dropping it, the skin disappearing as it hit the ground.

“Gross,” She said, ever the master of understatement.

“He did help with the dress, though,” Trixie admitted. “And Celestia suggested it would be acceptable for me to wear my armor to remind the nobility that Trixie has military rank now.”

“She probably hopes that the thought will frighten them into submission,” Koloth said.

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Trixie could order you to clean her armor yourself until it shines like a mirror.”

“You could,” Koloth admitted. “And if you ordered it, I'd do it. But I'd like to think we respect each other enough that you won't ask me to, and I won't have to tell you to go buck yourself.”

“What do you think he's up to?” Twilight asked. “There must be something...”

“Knowing Discord?” Trixie sighed. “He's probably going to find a way to turn it into a duel. Maybe I'll have to best Blueblood in a dance-off.”

Twilight giggled, then started laughing openly at the image that conjured up. “I'd pay to see that.”

“Is everything ready?” Cadence asked. The cloaked pony nodded, his muzzle glittering in the multicolored light of the room. Thirteen crystal ponies sat in a circle around a huge, dark crystal the size of a house. Something flickered in its depths like a flame.

“The containment procedures have multiple redundancies,” the pony said. “The books you brought back from Canterlot have helped immensely. Our previous methods were the state of the mystical art, but these are a thousand years more advanced.”

“Let's go over things from the top,” Cadence suggested. The figure nodded again.

“The primary containment is the crystal, of course. It's been magically reinforced and the matrix of the outer sheath is absolutely perfect to within the limit of our spells. The flaws deep within have been left in place as a circuit to contain... to contain the subject's power.” He stumbled over his words as he avoided saying the name.

“You can just say it. He can't hurt you.” Cadence said. “Sombra has been soundly defeated. That's not even him, anymore, but I don't think it was in the first place. It's something that can happen to alicorns, and he was so close to ascending that when he failed it happened to him, too.” She sighed and looked at the shadowy, indistinct form. “Total magical inversion. It consumed his body and mind until all that was left was the core of his power. Too much power to die by itself, but not quite enough to form a new stable body.” She raised a hoof as if to reach out to the crystal, but held back.

“Yes, Empress. The secondary containment on Sombra are the sigils carved into the floor, walls, and roof of the chamber. They're lined with orichalcum so that they cannot be magically transmuted or altered. Tertiary containment and active control is maintained by the thirteen sorcerers we've chosen for their ability to resist dark magic and, of course, loyalty to you, Empress.”

“Excellent.” Cadence grinned.

“Yes, Empress. We have also been studying the artifacts you brought us.” He waved a hoof, and two attendants approached with sealed boxes. Cadence opened them with her magic, revealing two magical amulets.

“Are we going to be able to use them?” Cadence asked.

“I believe so, Empress. The main limiting factors in the past were twofold. It was difficult to tap into Sombra's remaining power even with the focus you created using his remains.” Cadence touched her peytral. Within, part of Sombra's horn had been carved into a talisman as her first attempt to gain control over his dark magic. “We believe this is because despite his death and inversion, his magic is still contained by some remnant of his will, the same single-minded obsession that drove him to attack the Empire after the old failsafe failed.”

“I wouldn't say failed,” Cadence smiled. “From what you've told me, it was supposed to keep the Empire in stasis until a solution to Sombra could be found. It certainly did that.”

“Thank you, Empress,” the crystal pony bowed.

“Don't bow yet. Let's wait until I have ultimate cosmic power,” Cadence joked. “So his will was the first problem. And the second?”

“The second issue was holding onto his power. As you know, it was impossible to keep using his power for more than about ninety-nine minutes, even less in direct sunlight.”

“Ugh. Yes. Which made it impossible to use in any real productive way.” Cadence rolled her eyes. “I'd run out of steam before I even left the Empire.”

“Indeed,” the pony said. “But these artifacts should solve both problems.” He looked to the first amulet. “The Element of Dominance. Created by Princess Luna while she was possessed by the Nightmare. Its primary effect, when added to the containment ritual, should suppress Sombra's will, allowing you to control his power and perhaps mitigate some of the psychological effects.”

“There are no psychological effects!” Cadence snapped, her eyes glowing for a moment. “I was keeping things under control!”

“Yes Empress!” the pony said, backing away. “I didn't mean to imply otherwise!”

“No, don't...” She groaned and rubbed her head. “I'm sorry. I've been dealing with a lot. This whole thing with Trixie is driving me insane. And now Celestia wants to put Luna on the throne with her vacation. She was supposed to choose me! I've been helping her for decades! Luna only came back a few years ago and she knows nothing about modern politics!”

“Empress, calm yourself,” the crystal pony said, softly. Cadence nodded and took a few deep breaths.

“This means a lot to me,” Cadence said, quietly. “I can't stand this. I'm barely half as strong as Twilight, and she's no more than a foal. Something is obviously wrong with my magic, and I need to fix it. Otherwise they'll never respect me. Celestia will just keep treating me as a disappointing little secret that can't do anything by herself.”

“The refined ritual should help, Empress. Using Sombra's Alicorn Amulet, you can stay tapped into his magic from a distance. It was always designed to interact with his power, and we can use it as a focus to connect you using sympathetic magic.”

“And the time limit?”

“With his will suppressed with the Element, and being able to tap into it from a distance using the Amulet, even if there is still a time limit, it should be vastly extended and you should be able to reestablish the connection at will.”

“Excellent.” Cadence grinned. “Let's get started. I want to have a surprise ready for Celestia's going away party.”

Luna's eye twitched as she raised the moon. There, along the lunar highlands, almost exactly where the Mare In The Moon's horn would have been, were the imprint of a gigantic set of lips in bright red lipstick.

“DISCORD!”