Chapter 8 – Peace at Too High a Price
Trixie stood up and cast a light spell from her horn. The moist earthen walls of the tunnel slowly dripped water into sandy pools on the ground. The passageway still showed signs of ancient tool marks from its construction, but the carved writing was worn smooth from centuries of dripping water.
Trixie looked back up the stairs. The hull of the airship had plugged them inside with no immediate way of escape. The unicorn hoped there was another exit, or that the bell’s magic would provide one.
Daybreaker stood up and stretched his sore limbs while Trixie helped Zeeps sit up. The changeling took a beating from Roc’s barrage of stones and was covered in welts. Trixie raised a hoof and made the motion to remain quiet.
“Are you going to be alright?” the unicorn whispered to Zeeps.
The changeling brushed off her concern. “Is Prince Blueblood’s self-love full of empty calories?” Zeeps smiled, but both Trixie and Daybreaker gave her a confused look.
“Never mind,” Zeeps added.
“Okay, then,” Trixie said hesitantly. She took out her tin cups and placed one to the tunnel’s wet wall. The dripping water was vocally magnified into a gushing waterfall in her ear. Trixie jerked her head back and put the cans away with a sigh.
“I can’t hear a thing with all this water,” Trixie whispered. “Let’s start walking.” She wiped some blood off the wound on her shoulder and set out down the descending tunnel.
Zeeps’ wings twitched with anxiety as the group traveled deeper into the cavern. The volume of water that dripped into the tunnel felt like it increased as the passage sloped downward. Zeeps was never fond of being underwater and this ruin felt like it was ready to drown her.
On the other hand, the water reminded her of an important tidbit about one of their adversaries.
“Hey, Trixie?” the changeling asked. “Remember when you hit Gung with that ball of water?”
“Yeah,” the unicorn responded. “It melted part of his face off… and we’re surrounded by a ton of water right now!” Trixie turned her attention to Chief Daybreaker.
“Gung’s big weakness is water, isn’t it?” she asked him. “This can’t be a coincidence.”
Daybreaker let a tiny smile escape his lips. “As I had told you,” he stated, “Ponies and bison shared a common history. Gung’s weakness was never cited in our accounts, but it would make sense that the old pony tribes were told of it from their bison brethren.”
“Hmm, I suppose that makes sense,” Trixie said. “I’m glad they were good friends then, because this gives us a fighting chance when Gung arrives.”
“Is Gung really stupid enough to dive into an underwater ruin for that bell?” Zeeps asked.
“Of course he is, little hayseed,” Trixie replied. “I know his type. He’s overconfident to a fault.” Trixie only left a short pause before she added another statement.
“Yes, I know I left myself open with that. Don’t bother.”
Zeeps smirked, but didn’t say anything.
The passage led into a large, circular cavern. Water dripped slowly from the ceiling and pooled in a crater at the center of the room. Illegibly worn writing adorned the stone walls of the cavern haphazardly. Trixie looked closer at the ancient words, but was unable to make anything out. She guessed that they were warnings about the bell buried farther in.
Across the spacious cavern from Trixie there was a large fissure that opened up into another large room. Light peeked out from here and Trixie heard Debon’s unmistakable voice coming from within the other chamber. Trixie dimmed her own magical light and led the way silently around to the fissure.
The three friends spied on Debon’s group. The gray-coated unicorn had recovered a polished spherical stone that sat in a small fountain of water. An unseen magical force swirled the water around the basin of the fountain.
“Hold the stone, Golden,” Debon said. “I have a chisel and hammer we can use to break it open. Do you know much about stonework, Mosaic?”
“No, sir,” Mosaic responded dryly. “My expertise is in paintings.”
Debon smiled. “There’s no need for name calling, my dear,” he said with a playful tone. “My father was ‘sir’. You can call me Debon.”
Mosaic let a small smile creep on her face, but Golden Jubilee rolled her eyes in response. The red-maned mare appeared annoyed for some reason, perhaps because of Debon’s flirting nature with Mosaic.
“A pity Roc did not come with us then,” Golden interrupted. “He could have opened this stone case with no effort at all.”
Daybreaker, Trixie, and Zeeps backed away slowly from the fissure. The Walkers appeared to be one step away from obtaining the bell. The bison chief looked anxiously at Trixie for direction.
“I’ll defer to your leadership,” Daybreaker whispered to the unicorn. “How shall we confront them?”
Trixie thought for a moment and then huddled with her two friends. “Zeeps, how close do you have to be to feed off their energy?”
“Uh, within touching distance,” the changeling replied.
“Hmm, that’s not going to help then,” Trixie pondered aloud. “Alright, then maybe we should be up front about this. Walk right into their hooves.”
Daybreaker was genuinely surprised by her answer. “So we confront them directly? No tricks?”
“I never said ‘no tricks’,” Trixie responded with a sly grin. “We’re going to copy an act I saw Hoofdini use once, but I’m taking it a step further. Rule number one for being great and powerful is that ‘A good performer borrows from an inspiring act. A great performer steals the show.’”
“Is there going to be a test on these rules?” Zeeps asked. “I just wanted to make it clear that I haven’t been paying attention to them.”
Trixie smirked. “The real test will be your acting skills, hayseed,” she told the changeling. “Think you can portray The Great and Powerful Trixie with full confidence?”
Zeeps slowly tilted her head with great interest upon her arctic blue bug-like eyes.
~ ~ ~
Golden held the round stone steady on the ground as Debon placed the chisel to a small crack upon the rock. The stallion levitated a small hammer with his horn’s magic and tapped the chisel firmly. The crack enlarged and flaked off tiny pieces of stone. A second tap of the hammer caused several other cracks to splinter off the first and wrap around the stone’s surface.
Debon’s concentration was interrupted by the hoof-steps of his disheveled-looking friend Roc. In his grasp was the battered and bruised Trixie. Golden immediately stood up, bewildered. Debon took half a step in front of Mosaic to protect her.
“Roc, it is good to see you, old friend!” Debon stated happily. He put down the tools and approached the two ponies. Debon looked over the defeated Trixie with amused interest.
“I see you have conquered our most determined adversary.”
Trixie spat on the floor in front of Debon’s hoof. “Whatever,” she snarled.
“It wasn’t an easy fight,” Roc said hoarsely as he gestured to his own bruises. “The Great and Powerful Trixie was quite a force to be reckoned with. It took everything I had to subdue her.”
“Indeed,” Debon agreed, “I’m sure that she is a ‘great and powerful’ opponent.” The stallion smiled as he pulled Trixie to the side. He then turned, pointed his horn at Roc, and blasted the yellow unicorn with a bolt of raw magical energy.
Roc stumbled into the wall behind him, teeth gritted tight. Debon took several steps forward to the yellow unicorn, his brow furled, and he shook a hoof at the pony he just shot with his magic.
“I apologize for my frankness, Roc,” Debon said coolly, “Or should I say, Miss Trixie?”
Roc’s body shimmered as the magical veil evaporated into the air. Underneath the illusion was Trixie. The azure unicorn gritted her teeth with remarkable concentration as she clutched the wound Debon’s spell left. Debon turned to the other Trixie near Golden.
“Zeeps, if you would be so kind as to drop this charade?” Debon asked sternly. “And don’t make any sudden moves. Otherwise I will give Golden the liberty to dispose of you painfully.”
A slow green glow enveloped the azure unicorn that stood next to Golden. The magical effect grew bright for a full two seconds before it faded and disappeared. The changeling Zeeps now stood beside Golden.
“So what gave me away?” Trixie asked, “Did I have the wrong accent, the wrong scent? Perhaps I wasn’t walking girly enough to be Roc?”
Debon resumed his pleasant smile. “Miss Trixie, you are a skilled magician, but a terrible actress,” he explained. “First of all, Zeeps cannot duplicate your charisma. The real Trixie doesn’t spit on the ground like a commoner. Second, Roc would never use your ‘Great and Powerful’ title. Even I do not refer to you as such and you know how much regard I had for you.”
Trixie let off a snort. “It would seem our opening night is a complete bust.”
“A part of me still wishes you had accepted that offer at my party those many months ago,” Debon said thoughtfully. He walked up close to Trixie with a look of longing in his eyes.
“Perhaps that same part of me is why I have let you get as far as you did against the Walkers,” he continued. “However, I cannot allow you to undermine our efforts any longer. I’m sorry Trixie, but for the good of the Horizon Walkers and Equestria, I will have to kill you this time.”
Trixie gulped hard. “Yeah, I am the personification of trouble, aren’t I?” she said dejectedly to Debon. “I’d ask for one last kiss goodnight, but I’d probably use the chance to kick you in the groin.”
“Then if you don’t mind,” Debon asked. “Please grant me that last pleasure?”
Trixie hesitated as Debon leaned in for a kiss. Mosaic remained deadpan, but both Golden and Zeeps gave off this look of revulsion at the tender moment that played out. Trixie closed her eyes and met lips with Debon. The stallion closed his eyes and placed a hoof gently on Trixie’s good shoulder. The azure unicorn appeared nervous at first, but quickly gave into the stallion’s embrace. She returned the passionate kiss and drew closer to the stallion.
Debon's eyes popped open with a look of fright. Something was wrong.
Trixie’s eyes glowed green as they slowly opened. She sucked the emotional energy out of Debon’s body through their kiss. The stallion pushed away from her, but he had become weak and collapsed on the ground. In a bright flash of sickly green light, Trixie transformed into her true form, the changeling Zeeps.
Mosaic backed away with a horrified gasp.
Golden’s eyes went wide as she turned to the Zeeps beside her. The changeling punched her in the jaw and sent the tan earth pony to the floor. A shimmering light enveloped this second changeling and then burst into sparkling glitter. Underneath the sparkles was an azure-coated unicorn. With a grand flourish of her purple cape, Trixie bowed and scooped up the spherical stone on the ground. She heroically posed at the fallen Walkers.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie is a better actress than you think, Debon,” the real Trixie stated proudly. “Also, don’t kiss a mare who can throw an illusion over a disguised changeling.”
Debon tried to get back up, but Daybreaker stomped into the room. The bison chief pointed his horns menacingly at the stallion. Daybreaker covered Zeeps and Trixie as they all backed out into the first chamber.
Golden slowly stood back up. Her anger came to a boil as tiny arcs of electricity danced at the tips of her fore-hooves. Zeeps placed herself in front of Trixie to protect the azure unicorn. The changeling’s horn glowed green with magical energy.
“Don’t try it,” Trixie warned Golden. “Zeeps here can fire off two blasts of magic before you can get your lightning off.”
“Actually, she’s faster with her spell casting,” Zeeps corrected.
“Seriously?” Trixie asked. “I’m trying to bluff her and you have to go ruining my gambit with facts? Remind me to exchange you later for a faster changeling. Or a smarter one, if that’s even possible.”
“Take up your complaints with my queen,” Zeeps replied.
The sounds of splintering wood echoed loudly from the ruin’s entrance. Heavy hoof-steps descended the stairs followed by the deep breaths of a very large creature that approached the room. Trixie didn’t turn around. She knew who had just arrived to the scene.
Gung let off a mighty roar that unnerved everyone. Golden fired her bolt of black lightning at the clay stallion. Trixie, Zeeps, and Daybreaker jumped out of the way of the crackling dark spell. The lightning struck Gung, but did little to harm the creature.
“That bell is mine!” Gung proclaimed loudly. He charged at Trixie to take the round stone by force.
Trixie threw the sphere to Zeeps and then dove into the shallow pool in the room’s center. The changeling caught the sphere and was amazed how light it felt in her hooves.
Gung galloped past Trixie as the azure unicorn magically levitated a large scoop of water around her. She flung jets of liquid at Gung with all her might. The water stung and burned as it splashed against the clay stallion’s body. Chief Daybreaker charged and struck Gung in the chest with his horns. He pushed the clay stallion back into the wall and held him there.
Debon finally regained enough strength to stand. Mosaic rushed by his side, but the gray unicorn held her back. “Stay behind me,” he warned. “Gung is a fierce opponent. Golden and I have worked a plan for this.”
Golden rushed past Debon as she fired a bolt of black lightning at Zeeps. The changeling dropped down to the floor and avoided the dangerous spell. Zeeps hastily fired a green bolt of magic back at Golden, but the earth pony easily sidestepped the poorly aimed blast.
Golden closed in on Zeeps and reached out to take the sphere. The changeling scrambled away and threw the sphere back at Trixie.
“Catch it!” the changeling shouted.
“Eep!” Trixie yelled as she dodged the thrown stone. It whizzed by the unicorn’s head and hit the ground with a resounding shatter. Bits of rock tumbled around followed by a small bell made of a finely polished copper.
“Golden!” Debon shouted as he charged toward the artifact. “Follow the plan!”
“The bell is mine!!” Gung roared. The clay stallion pushed back against Daybreaker and broke free of the bison’s pin. Gung barreled forward at top speed for the bell.
Trixie grabbed as much water as she could levitate with her magic and launched it forward as a tumbling liquid ball toward Gung.
Debon reached the bell at the same moment that Gung did. The clay stallion collided with the gray unicorn and smashed Debon back across the room. Daybreaker tackled Gung from behind as Trixie’s sphere of water hit the nearby wall. The liquid splattered in all directions and seared the clay stallion’s face like acid.
Trixie levitated a second orb of water, but Golden fired a bolt of lightning at the pool of water Trixie stood upon. The azure unicorn was blasted off her hooves and her floating liquid orb fell with a loud splatter.
Gung bucked Daybreaker off his back and slammed the bison chief to the floor. Golden closed in to grab the bell, but Zeeps shot her from behind with a green magical bolt from the changeling’s horn. Golden hit the floor and skidded to a stop near Gung. The clay beast picked Golden up and threw her at Zeeps. The red-maned mare collided with the changeling and the two rolled backwards across the wet sandy floor.
Gung picked up the magical artifact in his left hoof and held it aloft triumphantly. “The earth bell is mine!” the clay stallion cackled.
His victory was cut short when a marble-coated pegasus swooped in and latched onto his raised foreleg. Mosaic pulled out the sapphire stone from the Lunar Wand and drove it into Gung’s left hoof. The small gemstone shined a brilliant blue hue as it burned Gung’s hoof with a loud, sizzling hiss.
The clay beast dropped the bell, but Mosaic held on and continued to press the gem against his melting hoof.
“You wretched little insect!!” Gung yelled. The clay beast clinched Mosaic with his free fore-hoof and turned toward the nearby wall. With all of his might, Gung crushed the pegasus against the hard stone.
Mosaic screamed in horrific pain as her body made a sickly cracking sound.
Trixie twitched on the ground from Golden’s lightning spell. The cries from the marble pegasus snapped the azure unicorn awake and her mind raced with a flood of ideas. Trixie hit an epiphany regarding all the water that seeped into this room and the element that Grogar’s bell controlled.
The azure unicorn weakly sat up and shouted to Daybreaker.
“Chief, kick it!” Trixie shouted as she held up her fore-hooves to catch.
The bison dove beside Gung and slapped the bell across the ground toward the azure unicorn. The magical artifact bounced across the wet ground and over to Trixie. Gung let out a frustrating roar at the bison chief. Trixie caught the bell against her chest. She fumbled with her collar as she tied the artifact to her cape like a gaudy, oversized clasp.
Gung dropped Mosaic unceremoniously onto the floor and kicked Daybreaker aside. He marched towards Trixie with his complete attention on the azure unicorn. “You cannot harm me with that bell, mare!” he shouted angrily.
Trixie pointed the bell at the ceiling above her. “Go buck yourself in the head,” she stated. The unicorn rang the bell firmly. The artifact made a deep bass sound that shook the room. Large cracks ripped across the ceiling. Droplets of water seeped down through the cracks and landed around Gung. The water poured faster as the room split open like the maw of a colossal beast.
Down came a torrential flood of water from above.
Gung let out a scream of pain as his body melted under the downpour. The clay stallion softened to mud and then liquefied in the growing pool of water around him. As his body dissolved into inert sand, Gung let off a wheezed final breath.
“You only delay the inevitable…”
The water level rose nearly to the ceiling before the downpour relented. Zeeps panicked in the deep pool, unable to swim. Trixie and Daybreaker rushed over to the drowning changeling. Debon lifted Mosaic over his back and swam out of the ruins through the original entrance.
The fires from the crashed airship had died down to a smolder as it continued to consume the craft. A gentle snow of cinders and ash fell around the oasis. Debon exited the ruins and he carefully laid Mosaic down on the cold desert sands. The stallion magically levitated several burning planks of wood to keep mosaic warm.
Daybreaker exited the ruins next with Zeeps, followed closely by Trixie. The changeling was in the middle of a nasty coughing fit from inhaled water in her lungs as she clung to the bison.
Debon sat beside the fatally wounded Mosaic. The marbled pegasus was barely able to breathe as blood slowly filled her lungs. Her wings were curled up tightly against her body and they twitched in pain. The Horizon Walker was unable to do anything other than comfort the dying mare.
“Mosaic,” Debon whispered to her, “You saved us all and did Equestria a great service. I… all I can do is bestow upon you the full honorary title due a true Horizon Walker.”
Debon removed the small sextant-shaped pin from his red vest and placed it in Mosaic’s hooves.
Mosaic twitched, but managed a small smile. Her eyes slowly glazed over as her wings uncurled and went limp on the ground. Mosaic’s last breath escaped her lips, but her smile remained.
Trixie guessed that Mosaic had achieved her dream, but the bittersweet moment left a thick lump in the unicorn’s throat. She caught Debon’s gaze momentarily and saw both sadness and anger in his eyes. Trixie wanted to express her sympathy, but words failed her. She turned away and limped over to where Chief Daybreaker and Zeeps sat.
The changeling leaned wearily against a large stone after her coughing fit ended. Zeeps’ breath was labored, and several cuts were now visible on the changeling’s chest. Daybreaker watched the surrounding oasis for signs of danger. His left eye was swollen and dried blood stuck to the fur under his lips, but the bison remained stoic.
Trixie sat down between her two friends and let out a sigh. “I guess we won,” she whispered.
“She chose her fate,” Daybreaker said thoughtfully. He pointed to Mosaic’s body to clarify who was referring to. “All we can do is honor her sacrifice.”
Trixie nodded slowly as she touched the bell that hung from her collar. “Yeah, I guess sometimes I forget how fragile life can be.”
"How did you know the ceiling held so much water?" Zeeps asked.
"It was an epiphany," Trixie explained. "Even though the Walkers drained the oasis, there was still a lot of water leaking into the room from above. I figured out that the ponies who built this place set up a trap to drown Gung, if he ever came back."
Zeeps snorted. "Eh, you just got lucky."
"That is an equally valid theory," Trixie admitted. The azure unicorn met Debon’s gaze again and she felt a cold chill run down her spine.
Debon stood up, but did not approach. “Thank you,” he said, “For assisting us in destroying Gung.”
Chief Daybreaker stood up. “Much pain and suffering could have been avoided if your Horizon Walkers would let old relics remain forgotten,” he said.
“Perhaps,” Debon replied, “But it was our primary mission to destroy Gung. The fact that he was connected to one of Grogar’s bells was simply fortuitous luck.”
“Time out,” Trixie interrupted with renewed anger. “Are you saying that you didn’t intend to get this bell? You were just after Gung this whole time?”
Debon nodded. “Yes. Did you forget what the Walkers are purposed for?” he asked. “We protect Equestria from dangerous threats. Sealed evils will not remain so indefinitely. Therefore, we took it upon ourselves to destroy Gung as a more permanent solution.”
“Speaking of threats,” Zeeps remarked. “Where did—”
Before the changeling could finish her question, a bolt of black lightning struck Daybreaker. The bison chief fell to the ground in a painful spasm. Golden stepped out from behind the ancient stone pillar she hid behind. Tiny arcs of electricity sparked off her fore-hooves.
“Never mind,” Zeeps said, “There she is.”
Trixie staggered to get up as Golden approached her menacingly. The azure unicorn stepped in front of Zeeps and held her ground. Debon rushed over and blocked the earth pony’s path. Golden scowled at Debon just before she shoved him away. Trixie took a defensive stance and prepared to fire her own spells.
Debon stumbled backwards, but remained standing. “Golden, Trixie, that’s enough!” Debon shouted. “We have slain Gung as we had set out to do. There is no need for another death tonight.” The stallion turned to the azure unicorn and held out his right fore-hoof.
“Trixie, please give us the bell. We are capable of keeping it under control.”
Trixie clutched the artifact tightly with a hoof. “You know I won’t willingly give this to you,” she said.
“Trixie, you are outnumbered and outmatched,” Debon replied. “We will be taking it either way.”
Trixie shook her head. “I bet I could destroy this before you lay one hoof on me,” she boasted. “What do you say, Debon? Would you like to go two-for-two on how much blood you want on your hooves tonight?”
Trixie’s words stung Debon hard. “How dare you mock my pain,” he said angrily. “Mosaic willingly gave her life to save us all from Gung. Would you do the same in her place? Would you sacrifice your life to protect Equestria from her enemies?”
“What about exploiting her enemies?” Zeeps interrupted as she sat up. “I noticed you didn’t care that Roc and Golden used me like a tool. I’m considered evil because I must feed on emotions, but slavery is justifiable because it advances your own goal?”
“Shut up, changeling!” Golden barked.
Trixie shook her head. “I don’t know, Debon. Maybe I’m not that selfless,” she said, “But at least I can sleep at night knowing that my soul has not made a deal with these dark artifacts.”
Golden let out a frustrated growl. “You pretentious little witch! Die!” The earth pony fired her dark lightning bolt with perfect aim.
Trixie braced herself as the spell struck her hard in the chest. Pain coursed through her body, but she refused to cry out. Trixie fought back against the spell’s paralyzing effect. She would not lose this fight. She would not let this dark magic break her. She was The Great and Powerful Trixie!
Sparks shot out of Trixie’s crescent moon cutie mark as the spell lost to her will. Black arcs of lightning danced around her mane as the spell pulsed within her body. Trixie pointed her horn at Golden and released the captured spell. The bolt of lightning crackled through the air as it jumped out of Trixie’s horn and struck the earth pony.
Golden screamed out as the pain paralyzed her body. She fell to her knees, shaken that Trixie somehow turned the spell back at her. The earth pony could not understand how it was possible.
Trixie stood there, wide-eyed and out of breath. She too was surprised, but while the azure unicorn was unsure how she overcame the spell, she did know that this second occurrence meant it was not pure luck.
Debon jumped at the stunned Trixie. His body took on a dark, shadowy form as he sailed through the air. Trixie swatted at Debon, but the stallion’s intangible body passed around her hooves like smoke. Debon’s shadowy body curled behind Trixie and took solid form again. The stallion grabbed Zeeps around the neck and squeezed hard.
“If you do not wish to be civil about this matter,” Debon said plainly, “Then we shall engage in a more barbaric form of business. Give me the bell, or the changeling dies. I care nothing for these creatures, but you seem to have an attachment with this one.”
Trixie was speechless. Debon’s golden eyes burned with anger. Was the stallion ready to follow through with his threat? Had Trixie pushed him too far? Did she unleash Debon’s inner demon?
Trixie slowly untied the knot on her cape’s collar. She heard Daybreaker moan some words nearby, but the bison’s speech was completely incoherent.
Zeeps whimpered with genuine fear. Debon’s grip around her throat was painfully tight. Trixie kept her eyes focused on Zeeps, and smiled to let the changeling know it was going to be alright.
“Here, take it,” Trixie said as she held out the bell.
Debon threw the changeling against the ground and then stepped forward to snatch the bell. Zeeps coughed hoarsely as dusty air rushed into her lungs.
Debon took hold of the bell and then he leaned in closely to Trixie’s ear. “Do not believe that our conflict is as black and white as a zebra’s flank,” he warned her. “I will let you live this night, if only to hope that one day you will experience what it means to give up your ideals for what you truly hold dear.”
The stallion walked over to Golden and he helped the earth pony stand up. “Goodbye Trixie,” Debon said disappointingly.
Trixie turned around and pulled out the locket from her saddle-belt pocket. “Wait!” she shouted.
Debon looked up at the azure unicorn, but said nothing.
Trixie opened the locket up, and her levitation magic floated it over to Debon. “Before you go, please,” the azure unicorn asked, “Answer me this. Do you know who she is?”
Debon looked at the old colorless photo in the locket. His brow furled and he shook his head. “She is a beautiful mare, but not some pony I am familiar with,” he stated. “However, knowing your taste for trickery, I daresay it is just a forged photo of you. Those are your eyes.”
Debon held Golden up as the earth pony focused on a teleportation spell. The two Horizon Walkers were enveloped in a soft maroon glow and then vanished in a sudden flash of red light. The glow faded until there was nothing left but the hoof prints in the sand.
“Thanks anyway,” Trixie whispered to the air. “I guess I should be grateful I’m not related to you.”
Zeeps sat up and rubbed her head. “I’m sorry I made you give up the bell,” she apologized.
“Don’t be,” Trixie replied. She pocketed the locket again and then checked on Daybreaker. The bison was awake, but very weak from the effects of Golden’s spell.
“Debon would have taken the bell from me even if I let him kill you,” Trixie explained. “I saw it in his eyes. It was like he was… possessed.”
“By what?” Zeeps asked.
A faint hissing sound came from the south. Trixie looked up and saw Ellie in her hot air balloon. It only hovered a few feet off the ground and Cheryl was pulling it along by a rope tied to her waist. When they reached Trixie, Cheryl tied the balloon to a large rock.
Ellie jumped out of the balloon and hugged the azure unicorn. “Trixie!” the pegasus shouted. “Are you alright? Where’s Debon? Did you defeat Gung?”
“Calm down, chicken wings,” Cheryl scolded. “You’re going to break her with that hug.”
Trixie pulled herself away from the overexcited pegasus. “We’re alright, Ellie,” Trixie said with assurance in her voice. “Gung has been destroyed and the Walkers have fled. However, Mosaic didn’t survive the fight.” The unicorn pointed to the lifeless body a short distance away.
Ellie let out a soft whimper and looked away.
Cheryl sighed as she walked over to the lifeless marbled pegasus. The pink-maned pony placed her hat over Mosaic’s smiling face. “I reckon I shouldn’t be surprised,” Cheryl said. “Those Walkers play a dangerous game.”
“What about Grogar’s bell?” Ellie asked. “Did you destroy it?”
Daybreaker slowly sat up. “No, the Walkers have it,” he said wearily. “Trixie fought them valiantly, but Debon threatened to kill the shifter unless she surrendered the bell to him.”
“Shifter?” Cheryl inquired.
“He means Zeeps,” Trixie explained. “Debon was… I don’t know, maybe I pushed his buttons to hard. Golden seemed even more unhinged. I think she was more interested in killing us than getting the bell.”
“Well, it’s like you said,” Ellie stated. “Those relics the Walkers use are forbidden for a reason. Do you reckon all that dark magic is finally making the Walkers unstable?”
“I’m going to place my bet on a definitive ‘yes’ to that,” Zeeps answered.
“Well this is a fine pickle we’re in,” Cheryl said. “So what do we do now? The Walkers escaped with the bell, we’re empty-hoofed on evidence, and that poor marbled lass over there is ready to be fitted in a pine box.” Cheryl kicked a small stone in frustration.
“Oh, I know!” Ellie interjected. “It’s time for Trixie’s eleventh rule of being great and powerful, right? 'Always prepare for an encore?'”
“You actually paid attention to those stupid rules?” Zeeps said with bewilderment.
“Excuse me, they’re not stupid,” Trixie said defensively. She paced around her friends thoughtfully, her limp quite pronounced as Trixe walked her circular path.
“Alright, so we can’t go after Debon directly because we have no evidence to show the princess,” Trixie pondered aloud. “However, we can go after Debon’s reputation. He’s still running for mayor, right? If we spread a few rumors that his campaign is dirty, we can throw the election to another candidate.”
“Well, that isn’t a bad consolation prize I reckon,” said Ellie. “Mud-slinging is a pretty common practice among those political folks. I also rather not have Debon elected to any position of authority around here.”
“I’m all for ruining Debon,” Zeeps said, “But how are we going to convince every pony to walk away from him? We don’t have much to go on and we don’t look like the types to be trusted.”
Trixie cleared her throat. “Rule number three, Zeeps. ‘Given the proper motivation, your audience will believe anything you say.’”
“Not to burst your bubble,” Cheryl interrupted, “But a bunch of personal advice isn’t going to help us none.”
Daybreaker hobbled over to the hot air balloon. “I believe I can help this plan succeed,” he said weakly. “Princess Luna will be presenting the wand to the chief of a local a bison tribe in two days.”
“Alright, and?” Cheryl asked.
Daybreaker paused for a moment before answering. “It’s my tribe receiving the honor and I’m the chief accepting the wand at the presentation.”
Everyone looked at Daybreaker with surprise at his reveal. The bison chief now understood why Trixie enjoyed being clever by withholding information until the right moment.
It was fun.
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Never heard of a Bender that did. And thus did the Universe troll mightily, and the hilarity began.
dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Luna_lolface.png dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Trixie_lolface_2.png
Ah, politics. Almost as much fun as stage performance - oh, wait, same thing.
I think Trixie's Cutie Mark fits in nicely with your take on her special superpower: it's a cloak and a wand. The cloak could represent her showmareship, but I believe it could also tie into her spell bending ability, a shield against magic, a cloak to protect the wearer.
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Thanks! I'm glad you approve of my idea for Trixie's ability. I wanted something different and I think a defensive ability like this is pretty awesome.
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I would think most benders know something about their Art. Trixie it's more like luck. ...no wait, it's completely like luck
Well, it took me long enough, but I'm finally completely caught up again.
This was a pretty amazing chapter, and I rather enjoyed the Zeeps/Trixie switcharoo. And here, I was thinking that Debon actually got it right, and that Zeeps failed at being Trixie, and Trixie failed at being Roc, and then SUDDEN TURNAROUND, and Zeeps was Trixie and Trixie was Zeeps and AFGLJAFDHGLKJHALKDFJHBLKAJNDFBDA
Good work!
You go Trixie!
I must say, that switcheroo worked like a charm. I was actually fooled for a moment
As for Trixie's bending, meto's comment made me think that the cape is like a bullfighter's cape, to lure and deflect or control magic. It makes great sense. Although to be honest I've never seen Trixie's cutie mark as a cloak, or heard it described like that before. But cloaks and magicians do belong together, and I suppose bull fighters are performers in much the same way magicians are, so ... Trixie the mage fighter?
Hehe. Don't worry, Zeeps, I got your joke.
Feels like there should be more of a break or pause between these two paragraphs, due to the scene change.
I'm always wary of the word "suddenly". I don't think it's necessary here, although you could rephrase it as "with a sudden look of fright"
A lot of authors give the advice to avoid adverbs like the plague, and it's probably sound advice in general (I keep hearing it, at least). Personally I think "suddenly" and "then" are among the worst offenders in that category, however.
Just a note if this is another case where you meant something less severe than "deadly".
Wasn't Gung a stallion?
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Thanks for catching those words. Correctly spelled "wrong" words are the hardest ones for me to find. Trivia: In the original script, Gung was going to be a bison. However, I changed it to jive better with the fact the servants of Grogar have generally been earth ponies in my notations.
Heh, take that unicorns.
Though, I think I called Gung a bison by accident, confusing him with Daybreaker.
The word "Suddenly" is easy to abuse. I do it often. I changed it by using the word "popped" to convey speed.
Re: Trixie's cutie mark, maybe that crescent moon shape can be thought of a cloak being pulled? Trixie the mage-fighter. I think Skyrim's term for that is a "Spell-Sword". It could work.
Shouldn't that be hooves?
Huh. So did Gung hint that he'll return, or is he just trying to give a parting shot to Trixie knowing that he's finally been defeated?
I see Debon is trying to be all noble again, but the act cracked near the end. First, he lost Mosaic. While he wasn't sure of her at first, having a pony sacrifice herself to give others a fighting chance again in a life-or-death fight does a good amount for knowing you can trust her, only now she's dead and she won't be useful anymore. In other words, having an asset finally prove itself only to lose any future use. Then he sees Golden in pretty much pure psychopath mode, and Trixie beats Golden in magic. Their next encounter will definitely be their last.
It's a shame that Trixie couldn't grab one of Luna's guards, since having a guardsmare along would be heavily useful, since her testimony would be trusted by Luna a lot more than a punch of ponies, a bison and a changeling she doesn't know, even if Daywalker is the Chief of a tribe. Well, they still have Roc, since he wasn't mentioned as being grabbed by Golden or Debon. While I'm sure he has techniques to resist interrogation, I'm sure a few hours with Luna will get him more readily talking.
Zeeps is probably going to soon rename herself 'Little Hayseed' what with the amount of times Trixie calls her that