***Baltimare***
“The Great And Powerful Trixie demands another drink!”
The bartender sighed and reached below the bar for the ingredients for what the mare called the ‘Trixie’: vodka, gin, whiskey, and rum. How her liver and taste buds were still intact was completely beyond him, but she came nightly and always tipped, so he couldn’t care about her eccentric tastes. He mixed a Trixie and passed it over to her, which she took and gulped quickly.
“The Great And Powerful Trixie demands another drink!” she said again.
“You’ve had enough,” the bartender protested.
“I have not!” she yelled. “I’m hardly even buzzed!”
“Yeah, which...honestly, is the part that freaks me out the most.” He shook his head. “Look, I don’t even know if this stuff's legal, and I have no idea how much alcohol is in it, but it can’t be good for you.”
Angrily, she jumped down from the bar, then walked out of the bar while muttering angrily to herself. When she walked out into the streets of Baltimare, the cool night breeze swept past her. It reminded her of home, when she was a filly; the leaves would turn, her mother would start making hot chocolate, and she would sit and admire the leaves turning.
But that was long ago, far away. Now, she just had a seemingly endless concrete jungle, constantly illuminated by the sickening glow of the giant hole in the sky. It had stopped growing, which was good; ponies were gossiping about strange, two-legged creatures sailing across the ocean and commanding the rips in the sky, but she shook it all off as hopeful rumors. Nothing ever was that easy.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” a warm, smooth voice asked from behind her. She jumped, not expecting anypony to be near her this late. When she turned around, she saw a pony wearing a dark cloak with a hood that covered most of his face.
“I think it’s hideous,” she said with disgust.
“No need to be like that,” he laughed, walking up next to her. “Just look at it; all those beautiful colors, spilling out and lighting up our sky. Reminds me of the lights you can see in the Crystal Empire.”
“I still think it’s hideous.”
“There’s just so much beauty to it that most ponies can’t see,” he said happily. “Come, I know of an observatory where I can show you it.”
“So remind me how we’re going to find a single pony in this massive city,” Mahanon asked Twilight as they flew over the Horseshoe Bay.
“Trixie usually makes herself known when she goes somewhere,” Twilight said with a distasteful emotion Mahanon couldn’t quite put his finger on. “She’s a traveling magician, so she needs ponies to pay attention to her.”
“And remind me again why you’re only letting me come with you,” he asked, looking at the mostly empty carriage.
“Two reasons. One, the Guards wouldn’t be able to handle this long-distance a flight with all of you. Two, you’re not from here. You’ll draw a lot of attention as it is, and bringing more of you just will make it harder to be undetected.”
“And we need to be undetected why? Ponies know we’re in Equestria.”
“She’s scared,” Cole said from next to Twilight. “She misses her friends, and is scared at all of yours.”
“Aah!” Twilight jumped across the carriage and hugged Mahanon tight out of fear. “W-what’s that?”
“That’s Cole,” Mahanon said calmly. “He’s a spirit of compassion. He can make people forget or not notice him, and I guess he wanted to come along.”
“She’s worried,” he said, sorrow in his voice. “She sees the Breach and is worried nothing can be done.”
“No I’m not!” Twilight said defensively, exiting the fear hug and sitting next to Mahanon. “I saw him stop it from expanding, and I believe he can close it!”
“Not you,” Cole said, shaking his head. “The pony in the city. She’s scared. She has always kept running, but can run no longer. She just waits for death to come.”
“So you’re...a spirit?” Twilight asked.
“Yes.”
“How come you look like a human?”
“It’s complicated,” Mahanon interjected. “But he’s proven himself to us, and he just wants to help.”
“I guess,” Twilight said uneasily.
“Just don’t make her forget you, Cole,” Mahanon ordered. “We don’t need to scare her anymore.”
“I remind you of Fluttershy, don’t I?” he asked. Twilight’s mouth opened, not even able to find words to express her shock. “I like that. You like her; you think she’s nice. I want to be nice.”
“You get used to it, I promise,” Mahanon chuckled.
The Royal Guards started bringing the carriage down, then landed on a wide cobblestone street in the middle of one of Baltimare’s rich coastal districts. The Inquisition jumped out of the carriage.
“Where do you think we should start?” Mahanon asked.
“I’m not really sure,” Twilight admitted. “But Trixie usually makes herself seen when she goes somewhere, so maybe one of the townsponies has seen her.”
It was late at night, so the Inquisition wandered the streets of Baltimare, looking for anypony to ask about the missing magician. The Breach illuminated the streets, making everywhere they went an eerie pale green.
“There’s a lot of suffering in this city,” Cole announced as they turned down yet another back alley. “I can feel it. The ponies are scared.”
“Even I’m a little wary,” Mahanon admitted. “I don’t really know what’s going to happen; when we closed the Breach back in Thedas, we thought it was over. But Corypheus just rose and gave us something much bigger to worry about.”
“He’s dead now,” Cole said with a little hope in his voice. “He can’t hurt anyone anymore.”
“Tell me exactly who this ‘Corypheus’ is,” Twilight spoke up. “Whenever I bring it up around Neighven, everyone usually just groans or says ‘It was just a hot mess’ or just 'Ah, shit', or something like that.”
“He was a Magister from Tevinter, one of the lands in Thedas” Mahanon explained. “He ventured through the Fade and opened the doors to the Golden City, but when he saw the Throne of the Gods, it was empty and covered in the Blight.”
“‘The Blight’?” Twilight repeated. “I think one of the people at Neighven was saying something like that. Varric, maybe? I’m still learning all of them.”
“He probably was talking about red lyrium when he said it. Red lyrium has been corrupted by the Blight, and he has researchers working to study it.”
“I thought you said it was dangerous?”
“He keeps them safe. He has it stored properly, and makes sure they aren’t exposed to it enough to warp their minds.”
The three exited the alley onto a main street, where two mares were sitting on the curb and talking loudly, hardly getting any words out between giggles.
“Let’s see if they know anything about Trixie,” Mahanon suggested.
When the three walked up to the two mares, the one on the right, a unicorn with a pale yellow coat and a turquoise mane, pointed at Mahanon. “Look!” she exclaimed. “It’s that...what are they saying it is? Inquacker? Interrogator?”
“...Inquisitor…?” Mahanon suggested.
“Yeah!” the one next to her, an earth pony with a minty coat and mane yelled. “You lead that Inquisition, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do, and I was wondering if-”
“Inquisition is such a funny word!” the unicorn interrupted. “And look, it’s Princess Sparkle, too!”
“Nice to meet you two,” Twilight said awkwardly.
“Would you sign my butt?” the earth pony asked, getting up and turning around, putting her rear end high in the air.
“We don’t have a pen,” the unicorn pointed out.
“Damn!” She turned around and looked Mahanon in the eye. “Do you have a pen?”
“A marker would probably be better,” the unicorn suggested.
“Or a marker? It would probably be better?”
“I, umm…” He looked at Twilight, whose eyes grew wide as she shrugged. “No, no I don’t. I was actually looking for somepony and was wondering if you could help me.”
“I’ve seen lots of ponies!” the earth pony proclaimed, falling back down onto the ground. “Go on, just try me. Why, just the other night, I saw Princess Twilight on this very street!”
“Still here,” Twilight said meekly.
“Whoa,” the unicorn said, grabbing her head. “Freaky.”
“Have you seen a mare named Trixie Lulamoon?” Twilight asked. “Or heard of her being here, maybe?”
“Does she have a drink named after her?” the earth pony asked.
Mahanon looked at Twilight for guidance, who shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe?”
“There’s a bar down that way that serves something called a ‘Trixie’,” she said, pointing down the road. “Or maybe it was the other way? Or did I dream it, like I did when Princess Luna showed up at Nightmare Night?”
“No, that one was real,” the unicorn said.
“It was?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh right, I dreamed the roller disco where my skates were just coleslaw.”
“No, you got drunk and stepped in coleslaw at your brother’s birthday, remember?”
“Did I dream the war where I was King Sombra and I declared war on Equestria, and the Royal Guards attacked me but their swords were just licorice?”
“I think so.”
“So, down that way?” Mahanon asked, pointing in the direction she had pointed earlier, trying to get somewhere in the conversation.
“Yeah,” the earth pony said, snapping back into reality. “Makes a drink called the ‘Trixie’ and claims he named it after a mare that comes in there every night and drinks a ton of them. They taste like chugging hoof sanitizer and then getting bucked in the gut, though. Would not recommend.”
“Didn’t stop you from having four shots of them,” the unicorn muttered under her breath.
“You had five,” she quipped back. “And that was just there. You requested they make you three more at that place with that bartender with the mullet.”
“And you made him make you five there.”
“So, uhh...we’ll be going, then,” Mahanon said, awkwardly stepping in the direction of where she had pointed. “Thank you for your help.”
“Hey, come back when you find a marker!” she called as they walked down the street. “My butt isn’t going to sign itself!”
“But what if it did?” they could hear the unicorn ask.
“Those mares were strange,” Cole said once they got further down the street.
“Tell me about it,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes.
“No,” he asserted. “They acted happy, but they weren’t. There was pain inside of them. They hated what they were putting in their bodies, but it made them forget.”
“A lot of ponies just want to forget,” Twilight said sadly. “They want to go back to a time where they didn’t have to worry about the future.”
“That mare never mentioned which bar made the Trixie, did she?” Mahanon realized as they were walking down the street.
Twilight stopped in the middle of the road and thought for a moment. “No, no she did not.”
“Well, I’m not going back there. I’d just get the runaround again. And probably asked to sign more inappropriate places, no doubt.”
When they reached the first bar on the road, they stopped and looked at each other. “Should we go in and ask?” Mahanon suggested.
“Maybe?” Twilight replied. “I mean, you’re an elf and I’m a Princess; if we just walk in, we’d probably be roped into staying for some promotion or something so they can pull more ponies in.”
“We still need to ask,” he pointed out. “Come on, it won’t be that much lost time.”
“The Prancing Pony makes the Trixie,” Cole said, interrupting their conversation.
“How do you know?” Mahanon asked.
“I went in and asked,” he said plainly. “Then made them forget me.”
“I suppose that’s better than anything.” Mahanon pointed down the street. “I think I can see the sign for it. Come on, let’s go.”
When they reached The Prancing Pony, Twilight entered first. Mahanon and Cole had to hunch over to get in, and once inside, they both had to watch their heads to not hit one of the lamps hanging from the ceiling.
“Princess Twilight!” the bartender exclaimed as he turned his head to the entrance. “And...is that the Inquisitor I’ve been hearing so much about?”
“Yes,” he replied, walking up to the bar. “Listen, we don’t have much time to waste. Is it true you invented the drink ‘the Trixie’?”
“Yeah,” he said, suspiciously of his intent. “Wait, don’t tell me you want one, too. I swear, everypony is just clamoring for that garbage. Just had two really promiscuous mares come through here and drink a ton of them, and I’ve been having ponies coming from all around the city to try them. If these ponies weren't willing to pay 20 bits a shot, I wouldn't even serve them.”
“We need to find the mare it’s named after,” Twilight spoke up.
“I don’t really know much about her,” he responded. “She’s not from here, and I think she said she’s staying nearby. But other than that I can’t tell you.”
“Thank you anyways,” Twilight said, slightly defeated. The three walked out of the bar onto the street, then all looked at each other.
“Do you have any idea where to start?” Mahanon asked Twilight.
“No,” she said, hopeless. “Baltimare is huge, and we’re in one of the largest tourist destinations. Even if we limit our search to this area, it could take a long time.”
“Cool fall breeze,” Cole muttered beneath his breath. “Hot chocolate, a loving mother. She was here.”
“Can you feel her?” Twilight asked.
“Yes.” He started walking down the street, and Twilight and Mahanon walked quickly to keep up with him. He turned down streets and alleys without even thinking, driven to following what he was feeling.
The trio walked for quite a distance, out of the city proper and up one of the hills surrounding Baltimare. On the top of the hill was an observatory which looked like it hadn’t been used in years.
“There,” Cole said, pointing at the observatory.
“Why would she be in there?” Twilight asked herself.
“It seems abandoned,” Mahanon pointed out. “Could she be living in it?”
“I guess,” Twilight said.
“Only one way to find out.” Mahanon walked up to the observatory and tried to open the door, but it would not budge. Determined, he walked back a few steps, then ran into the door, knocking it down.
“Who are you?” a frightened voice called from the darkness. Looking into a dark corner, the Inquisition could see a blue unicorn tied to a radiator.
“We’re the Inquisition,” Mahanon explained. “Twilight, is this the mare?”
“Yes,” Twilight said, trying to hold back some anger.
“Good to see you, Princess,” Trixie spat.
“I get you two don’t like each other, but right now, we need cooperation,” Mahanon said. “Trixie, why are you tied up?”
“He did it to me!” she exclaimed. “Some really strange pony lured me here, then tied me up! Me, the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
“Cut her loose,” Mahanon ordered Cole, who pulled out one of his daggers and walked towards her. When he did, she walked over to the Inquisition.
Before the four could leave the observatory, a strange beam of red light shot out and knocked Mahanon down on the ground.
“Inquisitor!” Twilight called out in fear, before being struck herself.
“Stand back, I’m warning you!” Trixie announced confidently, but not without a bit of fear in her voice. Her response was a beam of red light, just as Twilight and Mahanon had received.
“You’re not going anywhere!” a deep voice boomed around the observatory, shaking its weak walls. A pony wearing a cloak and hood stepped out of the shadows, then flipped his hood down to reveal a bright red glow spreading from his eyes all over his face.
“You’ve been using red lyrium, haven’t you?” Mahanon asked.
“Silence!” he demanded. “You will not take her!”
“Don’t hurt my friends!” Cole yelled, grabbing the pony by the neck and shoving him up against the wall.
“How did...where did you come from?” he demanded.
“You hurt them!” Cole placed a dagger on the pony’s neck and leaving it there for a few moments.
“Cole, why are you hesitating?” Mahanon asked, getting up and walking over.
“I...I can’t…” Cole said weakly. “He doesn’t want to hurt, but the red lyrium has taken control of him. He can still think, but he cannot act. The lyrium makes him do bad things he doesn't want to. He knows what he's doing is wrong, but he can't stop doing it.”
“Then end his misery,” Mahanon said sympathetically, placing a hand on Cole’s back.
Cole looked at him, then slit the pony’s throat and let him fall to the ground. “He won’t be hurt anymore.”
“Somepony needs to update Trixie,” Trixie said as she got up.
“We’re the Inquisition,” Mahanon said, walking over to her. “I’m the Inquisitor, and that over there is Cole. And I’ve been told you know Princess Sparkle…?”
“Long story,” both mares said in unison.
“Regardless, we’re trying to form an army, and we need your help. Princess Celestia suggested you might serve us well as a spymaster.”
“Princess Celestia herself said that?” she asked, seemingly humbled by the news.
“Yes,” Twilight said, walking next to Trixie. “Trixie, I know we don’t get along, but you really are the best choice for this.”
Trixie stood there for a moment, contemplating. “Sure,” she agreed.
“It’s great to have you on board, Spymaster Lulamoon,” Mahanon smiled.