Chapter 5 – Motion versus Action
The desert air was very cold tonight. The wind bit into Trixie’s legs as she traveled atop the galloping chief bison. Flanking Chief Daybreaker was twelve of his best warriors. Trixie hoped they would be enough to defeat Gung. She tried to relax as she rode across the desert, but her mind swam with thoughts on how the Horizon Walkers could be prevented from claiming Grogar’s bell.
Zeeps was also unable to relax, but that was because the changeling had a legitimate fear of being trampled if she fell off her bison. The changeling even discarded her Daring Do form to concentrate on hanging on to her ride.
Trixie saw the gas globe lights of San Anponio on the horizon. They were close now, but a stampede of bison into the city was not the attention the unicorn wanted. Trixie focused her thoughts on the spell she banked on to get them inside without a fight.
“Remember chief,” Trixie shouted to Daybreaker, “Just keep charging toward the town. The magic will take care of our cover.”
Trixie stood up precariously on the bison’s back. Horn forward, she concentrated mightily on a large illusion to cover the thirteen bison warriors around her. Her horn lit up brightly as a magical aura flowed out and around the bison like a thick blanket. In just few seconds the bison were disguised as an approaching sandstorm.
Trixie sat back down, exhausted from the grand spell she had just cast. She held on despite the exertion the illusion placed upon her, and Trixie found strength in her determination to set things right before Debon or Gung could achieve their goals.
“Alright, head for the big warehouses there,” Trixie pointed out wearily.
The streets of San Anponio were filled with crowds of ponies this night. The perceived approaching sandstorm caused many ponies to run inside for cover. The storm reached the town’s outlying cobblestone streets and then died suddenly like a snuffed candle. A hoof-full of onlookers that remained on the streets patted themselves down in bewilderment. Not a grain of sand was on them.
The bison shuffled quietly into an open warehouse. The building was spacious, but filled with stacked crates that could easily hide the bison should the law arrive.
Trixie scanned the city skyline from one of the warehouse windows. She sat on a wooden box to recover from her grand illusion spell, but her rest was short-lived when Trixie spotted Golden’s red airship anchored to a large mansion. It appeared damaged with loose ropes and sagging sails, but there were ponies on the deck that busied themselves with repairs.
Trixie knew she had to work quickly before Gung arrived or the Walkers left. The map to the bell was about to be fought over and the azure unicorn needed front row seats to that match.
“The airship is here, chief,” Trixie said quietly, “But there’s a big celebration going on in the streets. Keep a watch for Gung and do what you have to before he reaches the population. Zeeps and I will sneak aboard the airship and look for the lid.”
“Wait a click,” Zeeps interrupted. “At what point did I agree to follow you into danger?”
“When you joined Team Trixie,” the unicorn answered.
“Remember little shifter,” Daybreaker warned, “That your kind is in no less danger should Gung succeed in acquiring the bell.” The chief narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Zeeps.
The changeling sank back slightly from the bison. “Right, point taken,” Zeeps said. “So, we sneak on board the ship and find the lid. Then what? I hope you have a very wide pocket in that cloak of yours because the lid weighs more than a changeling brood.”
“I was thinking of destroying it actually,” Trixie replied.
Zeeps tilted her head to the right as she pondered the idea. “Hmm, I suppose you’re pretty good at that,” she commented, “But what about the Walkers? Do you think your illusions will fool them?”
Trixie waved off the question. “It’ll come to a fight, I’m sure,” the unicorn said, “But I have two friends to help us stave off the Walkers until my distraction arrives.”
“Distraction?” Zeeps asked. “What distraction?”
“Gung,” Trixie said firmly. “Once he’s here the Walkers are sure to pay attention to him and not us.” She removed and stowed her purple cape in the saddle-belt’s largest pocket as she walked toward the warehouse exit. Trixie put a hoof on the door, but stopped when she noticed that the changeling seemed quite eager to follow her outside.
Trixie thought Zeeps was going to be frightful of the idea that they would fight both Gung and a group of magic-wielding ponies. At least, sane folks were usually frightful of such prospects.
“Why are you suddenly looking so enthusiastic?” Trixie asked.
Zeeps pushed the door open. “You said there’s a big celebration outside, right?” the changeling happily stated. “There’s going to be food, party-goers, and joy all around.” Zeeps transformed herself to appear as a plain, tan earth pony with a brown mane before she skipped out onto the streets.
Trixie ran after the eager changeling. “For you that’s three of the same thing!”
~ ~ ~
Trixie and Zeeps pushed through the crowded downtown streets of San Anponio. The residents were in full celebration of the recent arrival of Princess Luna, complete with food, drinks, and music that stretched across several city blocks. There was a good amount of sense to throw an evening party in the honor of the Princess of the Night, but given that Luna was nowhere around, Trixie guessed most folks here used it as an excuse just to get drunk.
The distractions were everywhere and that gave Trixie hope that she would not be stopped by adoring, and drunk, fans in the streets. She pulled her Stetson forward to prevent excessive eye contact with the crowds.
The two mares arrived at the small hotel Ellie was staying at. The old stucco on the outside was peeling badly, but the wood-frame interiors were much better kept. Trixie glanced back to ensure the changeling was still with her and didn’t get lost in the ‘all-you-can-eat’ buffet of party loving ponies. Strangely, Zeeps looked a bit queasy to her.
“You alright, hayseed?” Trixie asked.
“I feel a bit dizzy,” Zeeps said. “All the drunken emotions here are a bit overwhelming.” The disguised mare made a sour face as if her stomach turned.
Trixie wasn’t sure if this was the changeling equivalent of intoxication or food poisoning. “Serves you right for eating cheap food,” she scolded. “Come on, let’s get inside and grab my friends.”
Zeeps stumbled through the doorway as she followed Trixie past the hotel’s reception desk. “Go get yourself chained to a post and fed only once a day for a week like I was,” the changeling muttered angrily, “Then see if you don’t dive at every morsel that walks by.”
“Not the point,” Trixie countered. The old wooden steps creaked softly as they walked up the stairs. “You just can’t… like, don’t shove everything edible in your mouth. You have to… you know, pick only the ripe fruit from the basket and… use utensils or something, and chew your food slowly to savor it.”
Trixie just realized she was arguing dining etiquette with a changeling.
“I don’t get it,” a confused Zeeps said flatly. “Are ponies the fruits or the basket?”
“I’m just going to say ‘none of the above’ and be done with this conversation,” Trixie replied.
The two mares stopped at the last room of the dimly lit hall, and Trixie knocked firmly on the door. There was a shuffling sound from a bed and then hoof-steps that approached the door. The knob made a single ‘click’ sound before it turned and the door opened. Trixie saw Ellie’s curious face peek from behind the door.
“Trixie?” Ellie asked in surprise.
“No, I’m Princess Luna’s secret love child,” the unicorn sarcastically said as she forced her way into the small hotel room. “I don’t have time for questions. Where’s Cheryl?”
“I’m right here, blue bunko,” Cheryl said from a chair at the far end of the room. The chocolate-coated earth pony stood up and walked over to the unicorn.
“Where have you been?” she asked.
“No questions!” Trixie interrupted. “Look, I need you two to help me break into the Horizon Walkers’ hideout before a rampaging pony made of clay destroys San Anponio.”
Ellie blinked as she tried to absorb all that information at once. Cheryl leaned in closer to Trixie and tried to see if the unicorn had any signs of a concussion on her forehead. She saw nothing unusual on the azure unicorn, so Cheryl turned her attention to the stranger that stood in the doorway.
“Who’s you’re friend?” Cheryl asked as she pointed to Zeeps.
Zeeps’ body flashed with sickly green light. Her body changed from the plain tan earth pony into the renowned fictional pegasus, Daring Do. Zeeps struck a pose for Trixie’s friends, but instead of a greeting, the changeling was met with a slammed door in her face courtesy of Ellie.
“Oww!” Zeeps exclaimed from behind the door.
“What is she?” Ellie asked apprehensively.
Trixie opened the door with her magical horn. “Girls this is Zeeps. Now, I’m going to level with you two on something important and you both have to trust me on this. Zeeps is a changeling, but she’s on our side.”
Ellie slammed the door shut again and Cheryl casually reached for the empty coat rack stand to use as a weapon. Trixie slapped the green-maned pegasus on the back of the head before she magically yanked the coat rack away from the earth pony.
“Hold the mustard you two!” Trixie commanded. “I said she’s on our side!”
Trixie put the coat rack down and opened the door. Zeeps stood there with a hoof on her very tender nose. The unicorn pulled the changeling in and closed the door behind her. With both fore-hooves Trixie waved everyone to take a seat on the hotel room bed.
“Zeeps, this is Ellie and Cheryl,” Trixie said. “They’re my well-intentioned but apparently untrusting friends.” Trixie gave a quick disappointing look at her two friends before she continued.
“Girls, this is Zeeps. She was the one posing as Daring Do yesterday. Yes, she is a changeling, but please ignore that trivial bit of information for the sake of helping me out before this town gets trampled by an ancient evil released by the Horizon Walkers, okay?”
“Believe her, she’s had a long day,” Zeeps added.
Ellie and Cheryl exchanged a long, confused look. Cheryl sat back and gave up arguing, but Ellie's curiosity made her speak up. “Alright, Trixie, I’ll help you. However, could you please give me the courtesy of an explanation on where you went this morning, what this evil is, and why you teamed up with a changeling?”
“I can explain,” Zeeps said.
“No time, I’ll summarize,” Trixie interrupted. “Early this morning I was hired to translate ancient writings at a dig site. It turns out that what I translated was a puzzle on how to open a tomb that sealed away Gung, one of Grogar’s generals from ancient times. ” Trixie used her illusion magic to draw simple images in the air as she told the story.
“The Horizon Walkers showed up and took a map from the tomb that leads to one of Grogar’s bells. They brought that map here, and Gung is about to show up and fight them for it.”
“Oh, well that’s not too bad,” Ellie said optimistically. “The Walkers can destroy him for us.”
Zeeps interrupted with a correction. “Except Gung was apparently cursed and is now in the form of a large and very angry clay stallion that is resistant to magical attacks.”
Ellie’s smile faded off her face. “Oh, that part could be a problem,” she whispered worriedly.
“Anyway,” Trixie said loudly to retake control of the conversation, “Zeeps was a tool of the Walkers used to help get the gem off the Lunar Wand that opened the tomb that unleashed Gung. She’s been used, I’ve been used, and now we’re going to deliver some payback and I’d like you two to help us with that.”
Trixie took in a deep breath. “The bell’s map is on a red airship that’s anchored over one of the mansions. We break in, smash the map, and then try to convince the local law to save our collective flanks from the fight we will most likely provoke out of the Horizon Walkers. Gung should also be arriving soon, so we’ll have to regroup with a tribe of bison warriors to help them defeat Gung before he rampages through the city.”
The illusions in the air all evaporated as the azure unicorn stopped to catch her breath from the bout of exposition she just gave.
“You forgot one little detail there partner,” Cheryl said.
Ellie perked up. “Oh! Trixie wouldn’t know that if she wasn’t here today!”
“What don’t I know?” Trixie asked impatiently.
Cheryl pointed to the one window the room had. “Right now Princess Luna is attending a big fancy dinner with the retired mayor and one of the running candidates. You get one guess who the candidate is and which mansion the shindig’s at.”
Trixie’s face lit up like a bonfire soaked in kerosene. “Yes, this is perfect! I’ll crash the party while you gals go smash the map before it can be used.”
“Are you crazy?” Cheryl scolded. “Do you want to cause a ruckus out there in front of the princess and what are likely a half-dozen of her armed personal guards?”
“Yes,” Trixie responded as she donned her cloak again. “Yes I do.” The unicorn adjusted her saddle-belt and marched for the exit.
Ellie and Cheryl, against their better judgment, stood up and grabbed their gear. Cheryl gave Zeeps a hard look before she motioned for the changeling to come with them. The three had to trot quickly down the hall to catch up with Trixie’s long stride.
“What do you reckon is worse, Ellie?” Cheryl asked. “That we now got a changeling among us or that Trixie is still the more dangerous pony?”
“It helps if you don’t stand too close to her,” Zeeps interrupted. “Trixie’s luck has a wide blast radius.”
“I can hear you back there,” Trixie said firmly.
~ ~ ~
The colossal outdoor party continued to fill the streets with laughter, merriment, screams, and passion. It was that third item on the list that caught Trixie’s attention because those weren’t screams of joy. They were the kind associated with absolute terror.
Trixie climbed on top of an apple cart to get a better view. The crowds began to move in a unifying direction away from the south and the screams began to intensify. She saw ponies scattering from what appeared to be an involved fight down the street. Among the participants of this fracas were ponies, bison, and what was most certainly the large clay creature named Gung.
“Is that the evil you were talking about?” Cheryl asked.
Trixie jumped down from the cart and turned to her friends. “Yeah, he’s already here. Alright, let’s get to that mansion and destroy that map. Remember gals, you’re looking for a large, round metal disk with a map etched on one side. Ruin the map as best you can and then get off that ship quickly.”
“A bit simple, don’t you think?” Cheryl skeptically questioned.
“That’s all we have time for,” Trixie replied. “Gung will be making his way to that mansion with all deliberate speed and we need that map destroyed before he gets it.”
“How much time do you reckon we have to do this?” Ellie asked.
The screaming crowds finally reached them. Ponies ran past them toward their homes for safety as the fight slowly worked its way up the street.
“Um, about thirty seconds,” the unicorn answered.
“Wait, what?” Ellie stammered.
Trixie led her three friends down an alley on a path toward the former mayor’s house. She hustled the group along as fast as they were capable of running because every second counted tonight.
The four mares reached the mansion grounds under the cover of shadow from the neighboring homes. The battle with Gung was still far enough away that this neighborhood had not noticed there even was a cursed clay stallion within the city limits. This gave the girls time to use stealth before all of Tartarus broke loose.
There was very little in the way of a lawn or fencing between the homes here. The spaces between the houses were small, separated by low walls made of cobblestone and mortar. The party inside the retired mayor’s three story mansion was easy to spot and Trixie thought she saw a few familiar faces from Debon’s usual circle of friends there.
How many of them were Horizon Walkers she couldn’t tell.
It was easier to just assume they were all members.
Golden’s red airship was anchored to the ground outside the mansion’s rear entrance. It hovered quietly just above the mansion’s roof, but tied down so that it wouldn’t drift into the home. The only audible noise from the ship was the crew hammering on the repairs.
Trixie nodded at Ellie and Cheryl to proceed with their part of the plan while she pulled Zeeps along to the mansion. The mares moved quickly on their expected parts of the plan. Time had run out earlier than Trixie had hoped, but then that was how her luck rolled.
The azure unicorn thought that perhaps it was best to be direct and warn everyone inside of the coming danger. Unfortunately Trixie and Zeeps looked like a circus act gone wrong with the dirt on their clothes and mangled manes that hung unkempt.
Trixie retrieved a brush from her saddle-belt and combed her hair quickly. “Zeeps, think you can disguise yourself as a handsome stallion escort for me?” Trixie inquired to the changeling. “Looking like Daring Do might not get us taken seriously.”
“Do you have a description?” Zeeps countered. “It’s easier if I have a reference to work with.”
“Well, just make yourself look like a chiseled pony with a well-groomed mane and a winning smile,” Trixie explained. “Think of a stallion that would be worthy of escorting a beauty like myself.”
“Oh, so basically a male version of you,” Zeeps said jokingly.
“You know what? Forget I asked,” an annoyed Trixie stated.
The two mares approached the mansion’s front entrance and were stopped by the mayor’s portly butler and one of the Canterlot Royal Guards. The butler gave a disdained look at the dirty attire Trixie and Zeeps wore. He cleared his throat and held out his fore-hoof expectantly.
“Your invitation tickets, ma’am,” the butler demanded.
Trixie stood tall. “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie and this is unstoppable Daring Do!” the unicorn stated with a flourish of her purple cape. “We do not need an invitation!”
The butler did not waver. “I am sorry, ma’am, but this is a private party. You cannot enter without an invitation.” He gestured to the guard who lowered his spear against Zeeps.
“Ma’am, could you please remove your hat,” the guard asked firmly.
Zeeps slowly took off her pith helmet. The guard leaned in close and studied Zeeps’ eyes carefully. It only took a moment for the guard to recognize the changeling for who she was.
“You!” the guard shouted as he reached for Zeeps.
“Her!” Trixie interrupted. The unicorn punched the royal guard out in one blow between the eyes.
“Me!” Zeeps added as the changeling knocked the fat butler down with a head-butt to the temple.
Trixie shook her painful fore-hoof from the blow she just delivered while Zeeps looked around to ensure no pony saw their assault.
“Is this part of the plan?” Zeeps commented.
“No, but we’ll fall back to rule number eight for being great and powerful,” Trixie explained. “’Forgiveness is easier to obtain than permission.’” After she regained her composure, Trixie led the way into the mansion unopposed.
Ellie looked up at the hovering airship and took a calculated estimate of how high it was off the ground. She lowered her goggles over her eyes and then strapped on a grappling hook device to her left foreleg. Cheryl glanced around to ensure that no pony was watching them as Ellie tightened a spring.
“Is that thing going to reach the ship?” Cheryl asked.
Ellie shook her head. “Not from down here, but if we climb up the mansion, we could easily reach the ship’s main deck from the roof.” Ellie snuck around the mansion grounds towards the back.
Cheryl followed the silent pegasus and the two reached the corner of the home without being spotted. Ellie climbed up first along the mansion’s downspout and Cheryl was close behind her. It was an easy climb, but the spout began to creak under the weight of the two mares as they reached the third story.
“I hope this thing doesn’t break on us,” Cheryl muttered.
“Don’t be so negative,” Ellie scolded. “If you’re so concerned, then let’s space ourselves apart to distribute our weight on this thing.”
“You two, halt!” shouted a female voice from below.
Ellie and Cheryl looked down and saw two pegasi guards flying up towards them. The pegasi brandished spears and pointed them at the intruding climbers. Ellie was surprised to see that without their helmets on, these two royal guards were in fact mares.
“What are you two doing?” Spade asked them as she hovered close to the trespassers.
“I bet they're spies!” Spearmint shouted. “This one has some kind of spy gadget on her!” She pointed to the odd contraption strapped to Ellie’s foreleg.
Cheryl rolled her eyes. “Yup, this was a stupid idea,” she said flatly.
“Well if you want to get down,” Ellie countered, “I can make it real quick for you.”
“I said,” Spade asked again firmly, “What are you two doing?”
“Hanging around, what’s it look like?” Cheryl responded sarcastically.
“Alright loudmouth,” Spade stated, “I want you both to get off this downspout right now!”
Spearmint threatened Cheryl with her spear. “You spies are under arrest! Any attempt to resist and I’ll have you swinging from the gallows!”
Ellie suddenly received an epiphany and she looked down at Cheryl. “I have a Trixie idea.”
“A Trixie idea?” Cheryl asked. “Wait, you mean we…?”
“No ideas!!” Spearmint shouted.
Cheryl grabbed on tightly to Ellie’s rear legs as the green-maned pony pulled a pin from her grappling hook device. The invention fired off a wired hook right past Spearmint and at the airship. The grappling hook latched onto the wooden hull and Ellie pushed off from the mansion. Spearmint dove forward at them, but her spear missed the quick-swinging mares.
As the two friends swung under the airship, Ellie pulled a second pin on her invention. The wire quickly rewound back into the device and dragged both Ellie and Cheryl up to the airship. With a light thud the two hit the side of the airship hull and hung there precariously.
“Wow, that actually worked,” Ellie said with surprise.
“Yeah, well don’t just hang around for them guards to catch up!” Cheryl scolded. She climbed up Ellie’s backside and reached out for some loose rigging.
Ellie pulled the grappling hook loose from the ship. She then climbed up with Cheryl to the railing of the airship’s main deck. The two royal guards caught up with them and swooped in for an attack.
“Your luck has run out, spies!” Spearmint shouted.
A lightning bolt of near black light shot between Ellie and Cheryl and missed them by inches. Instinctively Cheryl dove to the ship’s deck for cover. The two guards halted in their charge and landed on the railing. The spell was unfamiliar to the guards, but Ellie and Cheryl had seen it before.
“Who threw that?” Spade asked.
A cream-coated earth pony with a red mane stepped forward from the ship’s crew. “I did,” Golden said. “I want you all off my ship.”
“Stand down citizen,” Spade commanded. “We are arresting these two ponies here for trespassing.” She pointed at Ellie and Cheryl.
“Yeah, keep your lightning stuff to yourself!” Spearmint added. “What kind of spell is… wait, you’re an earth pony! How did you cast that?”
“Like this,” Golden replied.
With a quick flourish of her hooves Golden fired another bolt of black lightning at Spearmint. The dark spell struck the pegasus in the chest. Spearmint’s body convulsed and she flailed uncontrollably. Her spear caught one of Spade’s wings and tore through it accidentally. Spearmint fell over backwards off the railing.
Gravity was more than happy to take over from here.
“Mint!!” Spade shouted as she clutched her bleeding wing. The injury prevented her from diving after her falling comrade.
Ellie quickly jumped off the airship after the tumbling Spearmint. Wings closed tight, Ellie gained on the unconscious guard and reached her before the ground did. She grabbed Spearmint and unfurled her wings in a hard pull against her dive.
The green-maned pegasus leveled out over the street and avoided colliding with the ground. The carriage that just moved into her path, however, was an unexpected obstacle.
Ellie and Spearmint hit the canvas carriage with enough force to smashing right through it. The elderly passenger inside screamed in fright as the two mares toppled his ride over in a tangled mess.
“Oh, I hope that hurt,” Golden said slyly.
“Lady, you’re just plumb evil!” Cheryl angrily accused.
Spade stepped down from the railing to the ship’s deck. She stood by Cheryl, her spear held tightly in her hooves and pointed to the dangerous spell throwing mare across the deck.
“Who is this pony?” Spade asked Cheryl.
“Golden Jubilee,” the pink-maned pony responded. “About as rotten as apple compost.”
“Excuse me, I’m right here,” an annoyed Golden stated. “You don’t want to talk directly to me? Fine! Workers, throw them off my ship!”
The airship crew grabbed heavy tools and slowly converged on the two intruders. Spade and Cheryl were outnumbered four-to-one and neither of them could currently fly away to safety. Cheryl thought about what Trixie would do in a situation like this, but the only idea in mind was to jump off the ship and somehow do something resourceful that wouldn’t get all four of her legs broken.
Unfortunately Cheryl wasn’t as creative as Trixie so she fell back to her own tried-and-true ideas. She launched herself forward and punched the nearest crew member in the face.
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2644434
I find that Zeeps is a fun character to write. Having a changeling allows me to make quirky and out-of-the-box comments. Sometimes for laughs, but other times it can lead to ideas no one in the box thought of.
I'm glad you liked the little Trixie flashback. I took extra time to get the emotions right on it. I may do another one later to give another piece of Trixie's past in prep for a bigger reveal in the third story.
Oh, Celestia, I had to pick myself up off the floor after that one.
I'm caught up!
And ... action! Your characters make me jealous. I need to start giving my minor characters more personality
Or perhaps "but Ellie's curiosity made her speak up."
The use of 'lethal' here makes me think the poor guard is going to be dead and gone after being struck, but later it's suggested he's only unconscious.
2645305
Glad you found that one funny. It was very "tongue-in-cheek" for me.
2646904
Thanks for picking out the missing commas. I owe a great deal of my improvement to your efforts of teaching me where grammar goes. The "lethal" spell part confused me as well. I thought I stopped using that adjective since I've defined the spell to incapacitate ponies. Oops.
2649238
I struggle mightily with commas too, though I think I'm getting better. I'm certainly not perfect, but I've become fairly good at spotting run-on sentences and comma splices at least
Half-way to being caught up now!
Now I just need to read the other two chapters and I'll be fully caught up!
You!
Her!
Me!
XD oh I laughed so hard
Man, Golden Jubilee is just not savvy at all in the heat of the moment, or maybe she just feels the need to be a sadist. She could've gotten rid of Cheryl and Ellie easily, but attacking one of the pegasus guardmares just turns the other one against her, and when you have a pony who's gone around with Trixie, you have to expect she knows how to fuck shit up.
Now let's see if Trixie can do stuff without getting intercepted by Princess Luna. Given the cover art, I bet Luna's going to find her and be royally pissed off and it won't be until after this encounter is over that they can reconcile.
I'm going to say that even if Zeeps was freshly plucked out of the hive, it wouldn't matter. A couple of days spent with this Trixie, and any changeling would start to gain lots of individuality. In Zeeps' case she's beginning to show some playfulness.
Trixie is dangerous you knew that still yeah that is a scary thought.