Chapter 1 – Bitterest of Foes
Warm, firm hooves held Trixie by the shoulders as she slowly opened her eyes. Sitting over her on the bed was a fine stallion with an azure coat and a mane of bright cornflower blue hair like her own. The stallion gazed into Trixie’s violet eyes with a beaming smile as he leaned in. He kissed Trixie gently on the lips. She blushed dreamily for a moment… but then realized his lips were cold and coarse like sand.
Trixie swung her left fore-hoof and struck the stallion hard in the head. He rolled off the bed and landed with a hard thud against the wooden floor of Trixie’s wagon home. In a flash of sickly green light, the once handsome stallion transformed into a scrawny bug-like pony.
“By Starswirl’s beard, Zeeps!” Trixie scolded as she wiped her lips. “What do you think you’re trying to do?!”
The changeling sat up and rubbed her aching head. “I was trying to make myself some breakfast,” Zeeps replied.
Trixie jumped out of bed and walked angrily past the changeling. “Humph!” the unicorn barked. “I am no pony’s meal ticket, let alone their meal.” She walked up to the wagon’s only window and opened a pair of shutters to let the crisp autumn air caress her face. The residents of the gypsy commune outside Trixie’s wagon were out and about their morning business. The azure unicorn magically levitated a brush off her dresser and casually combed her mane as she watched the ponies trot about. The peaceful atmosphere inspired a song in her mind.
“Quiet town, Trixie bids you morning…” she began to sing.
“Shut up, we don’t need a musical number!” interrupted a grumpy old stallion from the crowd.
Trixie frowned and put her comb back down on her dresser. “Philistines, the lot of them,” she grumbled. The azure unicorn scratched at an itch from one of several scars she had on her left foreleg.
Zeeps magically changed her own appearance to look like Daring Do and walked over to join Trixie by the window. “This commune seems much more irritable then how you described them,” the changeling pointed out.
“Things were different when I grew up here years ago,” Trixie remarked longingly. “There was always song and merriment in every pony’s heart. Now it seems the community is more…”
“Smelly? Dirty?” Zeeps interrupted to finish Trixie’s sentence. “Have they heard of soap?”
“Jaded,” the unicorn snapped back, “And yes, they’ve heard of soap. The Broncks is just one of those odd-smelling places in Neigh York. Open sewers, factory smoke, that sort of thing. You won’t find the luxury of a princess out in this borough.”
“What about the royal guard?” Zeeps asked.
The changeling pointed to a pair of pegasi guards that wore the royal gilded armor of Canterlot. The two soldiers ignored the odd looks that the nomadic ponies gave them as they slowly marched over to Trixie’s little home. Neither soldier appeared to be armed, but Trixie noticed that they each had more than enough muscle to make that fact trivial.
Without a knock, Ellie and Cheryl burst into the wagon. Ellie was flapping her one good wing with anticipation while Cheryl remained stoic as usual. The two friends hurried inside and closed the door.
“Trixie, there are Canterlot guards here!” the pegasus said excitedly.
“Yes, I noticed that,” Trixie replied as she watched the two guards circle around the wagon to the door. “Why they are here is the million bits question.”
The shorter guard rapped loudly on the front door. The other eyed the commune residents with suspicion. “Miss Trixie Lulamoon?” the short soldier called out. “Princess Luna requires your immediate presence!”
Trixie exchanged a surprised glance with her friends before she hurried over to the door. The show-mare cleared her throat and swung the door open with fanfare.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie welcomes you!” she said in a boisterous tone. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Trixie looked behind the guards, but she noticed that Princess Luna was nowhere to be seen. The two stoic guards at her doorstep were the only ones here.
The taller guard stepped forward. “Her majesty has a task for you in the name of the royal crown.”
Zeeps leaned in closer. “Do you mean a job?” the changeling asked. “Does it pay well?”
“It is a service,” the shorter guard corrected, “One that the princess wishes Trixie to perform for her country.”
“That would be a ‘no’, bug butt,” Cheryl whispered to Zeeps.
The azure unicorn felt slightly crestfallen that she was asked to work pro bono, but if the task garnered a lot of attention, she could still turn it to her advantage. “A service for the crown?” she asked with a beaming smile. “Ah, no doubt that the princess has recognized Trixie’s expertise on changelings and wishes to utilize her skills to deal with the growing threat to the west?”
“No, Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight are dealing with the changeling issue,” the second guard corrected. “Princess Luna would like you to research information on a book.”
At that moment Trixie’s ego hit the cold floor. She was filled with disappointment wrapped in an ugly little bow of jealousy… or was it insult? She couldn’t decide. The unicorn’s eyebrows furled. “I must apologize, but Trixie is not currently available for menial library studies. Please let the princess know that Trixie must decline the offer.”
She turned around to abandon the conversation, but her eyes met the white crescent symbol of Princess Luna’s necklace. Trixie and her friends all jumped away with a startle. Even Cheryl was surprised with the alicorn’s sudden appearance. How long was Luna standing behind them and how did no one notice her enter the wagon? The princess was not a pony of small stature.
“That was a command, not a request,” Luna said firmly. “Guards, you are dismissed. Citizens, I ask thee to vacate as well. I wish to speak with Trixie in privacy.”
Cheryl and Ellie left the wagon without a word, but Zeeps defiantly stepped closer to her unicorn friend. “I insist that I remain with Trixie for our mutual protection,” the changeling stated. The two strong guards seized her from behind and pulled her out the front door with minimal effort. Zeeps let her hooves drag across the ground.
“On second thought,” the changeling timidly said to the guards, “How about we go out for quesitos? I don’t know what they are, but I heard there’s a bakery up the road that makes them every morning with love. You think that’s a real ingredient?”
Once they all were out of earshot, Luna closed the door and window shutters with her magic. Trixie recomposed herself in front of the princess and invited her to sit down. As there were no chairs in her tiny home, the unicorn motioned to the bed.
“Trixie hopes this isn’t about the embellishment of your character in her second novel,” the unicorn said worriedly. “Trixie can still make changes before it goes to the publisher.”
“Nay,” Luna corrected, “I speak of a great threat to Equestria, more so than the changelings from Mount Reindeer.” The princess looked around to ensure that they were alone. “Let us utilize the privacy of the dream world to converse further.”
Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Alright, how do we get there?”
Luna touched her horn to Trixie’s forehead. “To sleep!” she bellowed as a spell struck the azure unicorn.
Trixie felt her body collapse on the hard wooden floor, but her vision remained in the air. She couldn’t see her body beneath her, but she could feel it. It was a very disorienting sensation. A black veil with tiny star lights surrounded them. Luna sat down on what appeared to be a throne made of shadows. Trixie had to admit to herself that Luna’s dream world was quite impressive.
“Three days ago there was an attack upon the Crystal Empire,” Luna stated. “Half of a dangerous journal was stolen by the earth pony you and I know as Golden Jubilee.”
The azure unicorn’s heart skipped a beat. “What… But then… How?” she stuttered. Trixie wished she had a pair of forelegs in this non-corporeal form to flail about.
The princess shook her head. “How Golden accomplished the heist is of no consequence. What you should focus on is that the journal she had stolen belonged to the late King Sombra. My sister and I have only recently commissioned the decryption of his writing, but what our scholars have gleaned thus far is that Sombra’s journal contains information pertaining to two dangerous artifacts he had hidden away before his downfall. These artifacts were instrumental in his takeover of the Crystal Empire over a thousand years ago.”
The unicorn looked at the princess with uncertainty. “Alright, but what is my role in all this? Your guards said I’m to do research on a book, which I now assume is this journal. No offense, but this doesn’t seem necessary if you already have scholars translating it.”
Luna leaned in closer to Trixie. “’Research’ is an understated word for the task I charge you with,” the princess explained. “I wish for you to infiltrate the Horizon Walkers and glean information on what they plan to do with Sombra’s journal. Perhaps you will even learn what the two artifacts are from the Walkers.”
Trixie gulped down hard. At least, she tried to, but she couldn’t feel her throat in this dream world. If she was going to be pitted against the Horizon Walkers again, she expected retaliation by some vicious magic spells. “Why haven’t you come out publically about the Walkers yet?” Trixie asked the princess.
“They may have members within our own government,” Luna explained with concern. “Therefore, I cannot trust any pony outside of the royals. This is why I have sought you. I need an agent who can work outside the system and your experience with the Walkers gives you the best chance of uncovering their agenda.”
“I’m flattered that you have this much faith in me,” Trixie said, “But working outside the system has a few challenges. One of which is prison, and I’ve not been too fond of that experience.”
Luna nodded. “I shall pardon any misdemeanor charges should you be caught. However, please use discretion with your activities. I can only do so much before my sister learns of our unsanctioned espionage.”
“Princess Celestia doesn’t know we’re doing this?” the unicorn asked in a surprised tone.
“No, my sister would not approve of my plans to infiltrate the Horizon Walkers without due process,” Luna replied. “Therefore it is best that we keep our investigation a secret for now. Debon Aire has invited me to a soiree this evening at his current location, so you may see it fit to use that distraction for your activities. Send word by magical scroll tomorrow morning if you have learned anything of relevance.”
Trixie snorted. If there was ever a pony who considered Trixie their antagonist, it was sure to be Debon.
The princess stood up. “I know that I am asking a lot of you,” Luna said gravely, “But these are dark times for Equestria and they can only be met with bold actions. Once we overcome these challenges, I promise that you shall be rewarded the due respect of a hero. Now go and gather your friends. I must return to Canterlot before my sister learns of my absence.”
“Wait, one last question,” Trixie interrupted. “Why are you only telling me this? Why not explain it to Team Trixie all at once?”
Luna took in a deep breath. “Your changeling friend is my reason why.”
“You don’t trust Zeeps?” Trixie asked. “I assure you, she has no loyalty to the Horizon Walkers.”
“No, but she does to her hive,” Luna countered. “I have walked her dreams, Trixie. Your friend is from Mount Reindeer and should her hive and Equestria clash… well, you shall be wise to keep your wits about you.” Princess Luna raised a hoof and unleashed a bright flash of white light.
Trixie found herself lying alone on the wooden floor of her wagon home. She sat up and wiped the drool from her lower lip. On the ground beside her was a note with an address written upon it.
The note read ‘Debon Aire, 5318 Nimbus Street, Cloudsdale.’
The unicorn turned over the address a few times in her mind. “Cloudsdale?” she muttered to herself. Trixie wondered what had driven Debon to stay in a city that was inherently difficult for non-pegasi. This posed a unique challenge for her, but one she felt confident to overcome with her friends. The azure unicorn donned her purple cape and hat hastily before she jumped out the front door.
The commune continued to mind its business as if the guards had never shown up. Indeed, they both had disappeared without a trace of their visit. Trixie located her friends on a nearby bench, eating a stack of cheese pastries. The azure unicorn trotted over to them with a confident smile, though her grin began to wane at the sight of a pastry impaled on Zeep’s horn.
“Hey Trixie!” Ellie greeted. "So, are you already done with your meeting? What did the princess want?"
Zeeps offered up a pastry. “Want a quisito? They’re pretty good.”
The unicorn shook her head. “Perhaps later,” she replied. Trixie looked up at the pastry over the changeling's head. “Do I want to know?”
“The bakery told bug-butt that they’re made with love,” Cheryl explained flatly. “She’s just taking it to a stupid level.”
“Like you’re an expert on how we eat emotions,” Zeeps said defensively.
Trixie held up a hoof. “Table it. I want a team huddle right now. Princess Luna tasked us with an important investigation and we need to start planning immediately.”
“Sweet, we’re going on a new adventure!” Ellie cheerfully stated. “I’ve been itching to try out a few new inventions I came up with.” The pegasus rubbed her fore-hooves together eagerly.
Cheryl rolled her eyes at the pegasus. “I hope your ideas don’t involve fire this time,” the earth pony muttered.
“Can we meet some place fancy?” Zeeps asked as she took another bite of her pastry. “I mean, this commune is alright, but it is pretty dull and smelly.”
Trixie smirked as she held up the address. “How about we hold our meeting at Debon’s place? Is that fancy enough for you?”
Zeeps spent the next five minutes coughing up the pastry she had nearly choked on.
~ ~ ~
“Mind the gap, folks,” the captain joked as the passengers disembarked from the airship. The bright orange of the evening sun glowed upon the pegasi entering Cloudsdale. As the passengers claimed their luggage, they took flight off the ship’s deck and into the grand city above the clouds.
Ellie and Zeeps gathered the team’s sparse gear while Trixie spoke with one of the unicorn attendants on the ship. “Trixie will need three cloud-walking spells,” the azure unicorn stated as she dug out some money. “Two days duration should suffice.”
The attendant looked at Ellie and Zeeps questioningly. “You know pegasi don’t need this spell,” the gray-coated attendant explained.
Trixie waved off the attendant’s concern. “Look, that’s not really Daring Do over there. She’s just an earth pony who really loves the books.” The azure unicorn shoved the bits into the attendant’s hooves. “Now make with the magic, chop-chop.”
As the attendant prepared the spells, Trixie noticed that Cheryl stood by the railing and stared nervously at the soft, white surface that floated near them. The show-mare felt bad that her friend was the only earth pony on the airship. However, this was the city that Princess Luna’s address pointed them to and they had an important mission to accomplish. Trixie mentally noted to make it up to Cheryl later once they were back on solid ground.
The attendant cast the cloud-walking spell on Trixie, Cheryl, and Zeeps. The group then lifted their bags and walked to the edge of the deck. Without a second thought, the unicorn jumped off the ship and landed safely on the fluffy white ground across the gap. Ellie and Zeeps followed suit, but Cheryl hesitated.
“Confound these pegasi,” Cheryl muttered as she studied the gap between her and the clouds. She took in a deep breath and sprung off the airship’s deck. She cleared the space and her hooves dug into the soft surface. Her weight was held up by the spell, but Cheryl spread her legs out and walked gingerly as if she was treading upon eggshells.
“Come on, Cheryl,” Ellie implored as she adjusted her saddlebag. “We don’t want to be late for the party.”
The earth pony refused to walk faster. “This is a bad idea,” Cheryl angrily complained. She tried not to look down through the many open spaces in the clouds. “So how come bug-butt had to get a spell too? She can fly.”
“Cloud-walking is inherent with pegasi, alicorns, and certain types of birds,” Zeeps explained, “But not with changelings. Casting such a spell on an entire hive to duplicate the effect isn’t practical. Otherwise we would have invaded this city long ago since Cloudsdale can’t be defended with ground troops.”
“What a comforting notion,” Trixie muttered sarcastically, “That this city’s best defense is the fact changelings can’t flap their wings all day.”
“Yeah, lucky pegasi,” Zeeps added as she missed the joke.
“Pegasi aren’t the only cloud-walkers,” said a blue-gray mare that approached them. Her long midnight blue mane and dark amber eyes were a stark contrast to her bright cloudy surroundings, but it was the pair of bat wings folded to her sides that drew the group’s attention. The bat-pony flashed a wide smile which exposed a set of tiny fangs. “I’m Minuit, one of Princess Luna’s personal guards.”
“Well ain’t you a peach,” Cheryl said in an annoyed tone. “So what in tarnation do you want?”
“You must be Cheryl, the grumpy one,” Minuit giggled. “Princess Luna asked me to relay a message to Trixie. There has been a change of plans and the princess cannot attend Debon’s soiree tonight.”
“A change of plans?” Trixie asked. “How much of a change are we talking here?”
The bat-pony scratched her chin. “Well, you didn’t hear this from me, but I overheard that Celestia suspects there is a mole among her advisory staff. So she decided to move the other half of Sombra’s journal out of the Cloudsdale museum by airship, tonight. Only the royal guards assigned to the transport know where the journal is going.”
“Did you happen to overhear where it was headed?” Zeeps asked eagerly.
Minuit glanced around to ensure no other ponies were eavesdropping before she leaned closer. “Can you keep a secret?” she whispered.
“Not really, no,” Zeeps replied softly.
“Me neither, that’s why they didn’t say it out loud,” Minuit said with a grin.
Trixie tapped a hoof impatiently on the white ground. “Well, thank you for that diversion,” she said tersely, “But we have a mission and if the princess isn’t attending Debon’s party, then I have one less card in my hand to play… unless you wish to assist us?”
“No, I have my orders,” Minuit replied, “But I would presume that Luna has confidence in your ability to improvise around this challenge. Good luck and fare thee well!” The bat-pony gave a slight bow and then took off into the air toward the city.
“That was an awfully strong presumption,” Ellie commented. “I reckon she knows something about this party that we don’t.”
Zeeps rubbed her elbow against Ellie. “Or the princess expects that we’ll burn the house down with our crazy antics. You know, like the last one in San Anponio?”
The azure unicorn angrily tugged at her purple hat. “Don’t remind me,” she said slowly. “Alright then, we have one suspicious bat-pony following us. Though, if she is genuine, why would Princess Luna send us a messenger instead of something more secure such as magic scroll?”
“Maybe she’s too busy?” Ellie postulated.
Cheryl cleared her throat. “If we’re done here, can we get this stupid job over with so that I can get back down to solid ground? I’m getting dizzy looking at all this empty sky here.”
Ellie let out an amused snort. “I didn’t realize you were afraid of heights, Cheryl.”
“I ain’t afraid of ordinary heights,” Cheryl said defensively, “But I draw the line at standing on a cloud being held up by some cheap unicorn spell.”
“Very well,” Trixie stated as she urged the group to resume their pace. “Let us continue with our plan as it is. I’ll make adjustments as problems crop up.”
~ ~ ~
Debon’s residence in Cloudsdale was a simple three-story apartment building deep within a middle-class neighborhood. The clouds that made up its exterior walls were sculpted to look like bricks and the surrounding streets were lit with floating paper lanterns anchored to the clouds with silk strings. It was slightly shorter than its surrounding neighboring structures, but its wooden framed glass windows were found on no other building in the area. This was a clear sign that this was no ordinary apartment. Who else but a well off globe-trotting stallion with eccentric tastes and a small organization of black-magic wielding ponies at his disposal would live here?
Trixie and her friends stood on the roof of the apartment building behind Debon’s abode. The sun began to set upon their backs as they looked across the significant gap between the buildings. Trixie couldn’t see through the curtains to confirm what was inside. She made a guess on which window might be the bathroom and noted it in the back of her mind.
Down below, a gathering of pegasi filled the street. It was a casual party, one without any fancy decorations or a large orchestra playing music. Just ponies that conversed quietly and drank various soft beverages. Trixie had to check the address to ensure she was at the right place.
Ellie pulled out several devices from a burlap sack. She attached a bracer to her fore-leg that was equipped with a grappling hook. Next the pegasus donned a pair of goggles with three lenses. The third lens was set in between the first two and was filled with a fine white powder. The last device was a set of mechanical wings on a harness. Trixie stood still as the pegasus strapped this contraption to the unicorn’s back.
Ellie furled her brows and poked at the numerous scars on Trixie’s left foreleg. “What did you do to yourself?” she asked the unicorn in a concerned tone.
“Oh, those?” Trixie said dismissively. “It was just a small accident with some fireworks, nothing serious.”
Zeeps cleared her throat. “Actually, Trixie was letting me blast her with magic,” the changeling corrected. “She wanted to duplicate that spell reflection effect she did with Golden’s lightning last month.”
“What?!” Ellie shouted out. “Trixie, what were you thinking?”
The unicorn stammered in place. “Shhh! Keep it down!” she whispered harshly. “Fine, I was doing something stupid. I wanted to know how I was able to throw that lightning spell back, but so far nothing I’ve tried worked. Yes, I even let Zeeps hit me a few times with her spells too, but nothing too dangerous. It’s not like it was my worst idea ever.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Cheryl muttered flatly.
Trixie made a pout and looked away from her friends. Ellie sighed and tightened the straps on the mechanical wings. As the pegasus finished her work, Cheryl glanced down at the three-story drop between the two buildings.
“Well, I don't see Debon, or any of the Walkers we've met before," Cheryl stated. "I have to ask though. Is there a particular reason why you’re not taking your usual direct approach, blue bunko? I mean, maybe Debon is inside, maybe one or two Horizon Walkers are out there in the street, but I don’t see stealth to be your style.”
Zeeps nodded in agreement. “Yeah, there are pegasi flying all over this city. I would think that we’d be less noticeable on the ground. I’m sure just two of us can overpower his butler at the door.”
Trixie shook her head. “You mean Debon’s psycho claw-wielding butler, Cervantes? Thank you, but I rather keep my face intact. Celestia only knows what his house maid turns into. No, rather than risk a nasty fight at the front door, I will glide silently over to his roof and sneak inside.”
“Gliding silently is easy,” Ellie pointed out, “But landing silently is going to be a trick for some pony who was never a pegasus.”
“Ever the doubter,” Trixie said with a smirk as she approached the edge of the roof. She pulled a cord on the harness with her magic and the mechanical wings unfurled wide. “So then, how do I look?” the unicorn asked.
“Like Icarus just before his maiden flight,” Cheryl chided.
Trixie frowned. “Humph, then prepare to be amazed.”
“I’m already amazed that Cheryl actually read a piece of classic literature,” Ellie chimed in. The pegasus flinched as the earth pony slapped her hard behind the head.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come along?” Zeeps asked.
The azure unicorn nodded. “I need you to be my distraction. Once I’m on the roof, you draw out the crowds by impersonating Princess Luna. Cheryl will back you up should the crowd question your performance.”
Zeeps had an indignant look upon her face. “Luna? She’s kind of… big for me to impersonate.”
“You can’t do tall ponies?” Trixie asked incredulously.
“It’s not like your illusions,” the changeling explained. “Our ability only does subtle changes to our size. That’s why we usually copy ponies of similar builds. I’d look like a really short Luna if I tried.”
The azure unicorn let out a vexed sigh. She thought about an alternate distraction that would draw a large crowd, but Ellie blurted out something that surprised even her.
“Change yourself into Princess Twilight,” the green-maned pegasus suggested. “She’s not much taller than you.”
“Do I look like your trick monkey?” Zeeps growled.
Trixie put a hoof on the changeling’s shoulder. “We don’t have time to debate this. Please help me out here Zeeps. You’ll earn my adoration and respect if you do, which in your case I’ll assume is like giving candy to a child.”
The changeling transformed herself in a flash of green light. She now stood there as a purple unicorn with a short sapphire blue mane. “Oh! Oh! Trick monkey, ready for distraction!” Zeeps said eagerly as she pranced over to the fire escape.
“She scares me at times,” Ellie muttered.
“The colors are slightly off,” Trixie whispered thoughtfully, “But it’ll have to do. Watch her, Cheryl.”
The earth pony nodded and walked off to follow Zeeps down the side of the building. Trixie and Ellie stepped up on the roof’s railing. The chilly evening air buffered the unicorn’s mane as she looked down at the gap between the buildings. She held her breath and jumped off the roof.
Trixie held onto the straps of her wings tightly. She glided slowly over the street below and reached the roof of Debon’s abode. All four of her hooves planted themselves on the soft surface, but she slid several feet across the roof to an awkward stop and nearly toppled over.
The azure unicorn triumphantly raised a hoof, but her celebration was quickly cut short when Ellie swooped in and landed beside her with a sound no louder than a cat’s step. The unicorn quickly brushed through her mane as if that was what she meant to do with her raised hoof.
“Should we try the door to the stairwell?” Ellie asked.
Trixie shook her head and walked over to the edge of the roof. “No, that’s probably locked tight. Let’s try a window.” The azure unicorn pulled out a rope from underneath her purple hat and tied it to a metal ventilation pipe on the roof. She had to stop and think about that for a moment. Metal pipes and wood-framed windows on a building made of clouds? Trixie began to think Debon was trying to redefine the word 'eccentric'.
“Do be careful,” Ellie whispered as she grabbed the rope to help support Trixie’s weight.
“I believe we’re past that point,” the unicorn said as she slid quietly down the side of the building. She reached what she believed was the bathroom window. Trixie used her magic to pull the window pane up and open. It was at that moment that a white pegasus maid had pulled the curtains apart to look outside. The two stunned ponies locked eyes for a full second.
Trixie threw herself into the open window as the maid tried to shut the pane. The unicorn’s mechanical wings tangled against the window frame and left her caught halfway inside the bathroom. The maid shrieked and slapped Trixie several times over with a hand towel. Ellie slid down the rope to help Trixie, but the unicorn’s flailing legs prevented her from untangling the stuck wings.
Cheryl watched the chaotic scene unfold from across the street. She sighed heavily while Zeeps giggled like a little filly. The earth pony scowled. “You better get out there and distract the crowd before they look up,” she stated.
The changeling nodded with an amused snort. She pranced out onto the street with a flick of her tail. “Greetings, winged citizens!” Zeeps shouted. “It is I, Princess Twilight. Gather around and look upon my princess-ness!”
The crowd of pegasi gathered, but they bore expressions of confusion instead of awe. Zeeps continued to prance and bow on the street in a show of mockery until two burly pegasi in black bowties approached her.
“Leave,” one of the two large ponies commanded.
“I will not,” Zeeps countered. “I am Princess Twilight and I’ll prance where I please.”
The second pegasi grabbed Zeeps by the shoulders and lifted her off the fluffy ground. “Oh yeah?” he said angrily. “Well if you’re the princess, then where are you wings?”
“Wings?” Zeeps muttered with a confused look.
Cheryl mentally kicked herself that she hadn’t noticed it before. Zeeps assumed Twilight was still a unicorn! The earth pony gulped down her fears and raced out onto the street. She pushed her way through the crowd and seized the changeling by the tail.
“Look, I’ll take her off your hooves,” Cheryl said to the two burly ponies. “She’s just an addle-minded friend of mine.”
“Well what do we have here? An earth pony in Cloudsdale?” the first bowtie wearing pegasi asked aloud. “You’re way out of your element, missy.”
“Yeah, I know,” Cheryl muttered in reply. “Ain’t my idea, but if it’s all the same to you, I’ll just take my friend and leave.”
“You do that,” the second pegasi said sharply as he dropped Zeeps on the ground. “Get out of my sight, you stupid background pony.” He managed to take one step back as Cheryl’s fore-hoof smashed into his jaw. The burly pegasus flopped onto the soft ground while the earth pony pounded on his head.
The other burly pegasus quickly jumped on Cheryl and pulled her back. Zeeps dropped her disguise entirely and hissed loudly to intimidate the stallion. She instead incited a stampede.
The crowed screamed and flew off in all directions. Shouts of ‘changeling!’ from the panicked pegasi drew the attention of the entire street. Cheryl bucked the other stallion off her and fought back. She kicked him square in the gut and he responded with a blow to Cheryl’s head. Zeeps jumped on the burly pegasus’ back and sunk her fangs into his shoulder.
The bowtie wearing opponent struggled to pull away, but the changeling fed upon his emotional energy. The stallion tired out and then collapsed on the ground. He let out a weakened moan of pain.
~ ~ ~
“¡Victor, ayúdeme!” the maid cried out as she dropped the towel. The white pegasus galloped out of the bathroom and into the connected bedroom.
Trixie reached out to grab her, but the tangled wing harness prevented the unicorn from reaching the maid. She quickly fired off a magical bolt at the escaping pony. The errant spell missed and exploded a roll of toilet paper into bits of confetti. “Pony feathers,” Trixie cursed.
Ellie grabbed onto the stuck mechanical wings and forced them to fold back against the harness. The unicorn wiggled herself free and fell onto the bathroom’s cold, cloudy floor.
“Not my most graceful entrance,” Trixie muttered to herself. The azure unicorn rolled to her hooves and moved into the adjoining posh bedroom.
Ellie slid into the bathroom behind Trixie. “If you’re going to do something,” the pegasus warned, “Do it now. I just saw Zeeps drop her disguise and the crowd’s reaction isn’t pretty.”
The bedroom walls were decorated with framed paintings of faraway exotic locations. On Trixie’s right was a short oak dresser where a stack of leather-bound books sat. Each book was titled ‘Debon Aire’ in gold-leaf letters. The four-post bed was unmade and upon it sat a box of rolled up maps and a suitcase of wadded up clothes. It appeared to Trixie that Debon recently packed for a hasty trip, but to where?
Ellie peaked into the bedroom. “How does he make this entire furniture set float on clouds?” The pegasus asked quietly. She was about to ask a second question, but her thought trailed away as a blue-gray unicorn stallion ran into the room.
“Victor Justice?” Trixie said in a surprised grin. “I didn’t know rain clouds were a hot real estate market for property lawyers. So is the housing market always under water during the rainy season?”
“No,” Victor responded angrily. “No, no, no, NO! Get out of here, you crazy mare! If Debon finds you, he will personally strangle you!”
Ellie backed up toward the bathroom window. “Trixie, we’d better skedaddle.”
Trixie leaned against the dresser and stretched out a hind leg. “Oh, Trixie thinks Victor won’t mind if we linger a moment longer,” she said with her show-mare smile. “We’re only curious to know what Debon was up to these days.” She gestured to the items on the unkempt bed.
The middle-aged stallion glanced back into the hallway before he walked up to her. “This isn’t funny,” Victor whispered. “If any of the Horizon Walkers show up, they will kill you. Now please, get out and stay away from Debon. He’s still upset at you from your last encounter.”
“Interesting,” the azure unicorn said as she stood up tall. “Trixie never said anything about the Walkers, but you just gave away that you know of them and that they're here.” She leaned forward and gave the older stallion a gentle kiss on the lips. The azure unicorn then spun around in place. Her purple cape flourished in front of Victor’s face in a distracting array of stars and folds.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Trixie said as she followed Ellie out the window.
The two mares spread their wings and sailed over the chaotic street below. Most of the crowd had fled, but a few pegasi were hurling objects at Zeeps. Trixie whistled down to her two friends and then dropped down with an illusion spell of fog around herself. The magic concealed their escape down a dark alleyway between apartment buildings. They galloped for a full two blocks until they were certain that no one followed them.
The team stopped to catch their breath. Zeeps donned her disguise of Daring Do while the others readjusted their personal effects.
“Well,” Trixie began, “Never let it be said that Zeeps is not an efficient distraction.”
“I can’t believe you kissed him back there,” Ellie commented with a scrunched nose.
“Kissed who?” Cheryl asked with disbelief. “Were you making out with someone up there, blue bunko?”
Trixie shook her head with a smile. “No, it wasn’t like that. Ellie and I were discovered by Victor, the property lawyer,” she answered. “He had accidentally let it slip that he knows who the Horizon Walkers are and that several of them were indeed inside the building.”
“Is he a member, then?” Zeeps inquired.
The unicorn shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but it’s best to assume that he is and has been given a strange power like the other members. Luckily, he was kind enough to let us go.”
“Still,” Ellie interrupted, “You kissed a stallion that’s probably three decades older than you.” She made a gag motion to punctuate her point.
“Yes, yes, disgusting as it may be,” the unicorn stated, “I needed to distract him so that I can grab this.” She magically levitated a small leather journal out from under her purple cape. Her friends moved in closer to get a good look at the book Trixie had stolen. The unicorn cast a light from her horn upon the book and it was unmistakable that Debon’s name was upon the cover.
“I didn’t even notice you swiped that,” Ellie whispered.
Trixie only smiled as she cracked the journal open. She skimmed through the pages quickly with her friends over her shoulder. The unicorn’s eyes darted back and forth between the dated entries. As the dates drew closer to the present month, her eyes became glued to the page before her.
“What did you find?” Zeeps asked curiously.
“The Horizon Walkers are on the move,” Trixie replied after a pause. “Debon has them all taking inventory of their resources; money, equipment, and even their artifacts. For some reason he’s staging everything toward Mount Reindeer.”
Ellie’s eyes went wide. “Is he planning a war against the changelings?”
Trixie looked up and noticed Zeeps scowled at the page. The azure unicorn closed the book and tucked it back under her cape. “I don’t know, but we need to inform Princess Luna about this information,” she said matter-of-factly. “Debon had several packed bags on his bed, which means he’ll be traveling very soon. We also still need to track down where he’s keeping the stolen half of Sombra’s journal.”
“Ugh,” Cheryl grumbled. “What’s so important about a stupid book that we have to keep trailing it everywhere?”
“You mean besides the fact that the late King Sombra wrote it?” Trixie stated. “Well Princess Luna told me that the journal was being translated, and that it might contain some dark secrets within its pages.”
“Translated?” Ellie asked with immediate interest. “Wait. Didn’t Minuit say that the other half of the journal was kept here in Cloudsdale?”
Trixie paused in her stride. “I-I suppose so. She had mentioned that the guards were moving it tonight. Why?”
Ellie threw her hooves up in the air. “Well, if the other half of Sombra’s journal was here, then wouldn’t the translation work and the translator be here as well?”
The sudden realization hit Trixie like a hammer to the skull. “Oh,” she muttered in shock.
“Uh, mind cluing me in on this thought?” Zeeps asked.
Ellie turned to the changeling. “The guards are moving the journal, but what about the translator? Debon is a pretty slick stallion, so he could use his influence to get the translator to tell him what he or she knew about the book’s contents.”
“Well then,” Cheryl interrupted, “We ought to go find the translator. Where did that bat-pony say the journal was kept?”
“The museum!” Trixie and Ellie shouted simultaneously.
~ ~ ~
The darkened steps leading up to Cloudsdale’s museum felt like marshmallows under Trixie’s galloping hooves. The building was made up of dense clouds, like all structures in Cloudsdale, but unlike most of the buildings, this one was lavishly decorated with banners and works of art upon the walls. The glass display cases were enchanted to float on their cloud pedestals and their contents were no less intricate than a museum found in any ground-based city.
The museum appeared to be closed, but there were no guards posted at the entrance. Trixie wanted to believe the reason was because they were all called to help protect the journal when it was moved, but she assumed that the reality would be worse. The team stopped near the offices to read the names on the doors.
“Alright, Cheryl and I will check for an expert on languages around here,” Trixie commanded. “Ellie, you and Zeeps locate the master curator and find out who was translating Sombra’s journal. We got to find this pony before Debon does.”
“Okay, but what if any of the Horizon Walkers show up?” Ellie asked.
Trixie shrugged as she walked away. “Then do what we’re good at- Scream and start smashing stuff.”
The unicorn and earth pony scanned the offices down the length of the hallway until they happened upon a door with ‘Historia Books – Ancient Linguistics’ written on the placard. Trixie tested the knob and found that it was locked. She reached for some mane-pins under her hat, but Cheryl bucked the fragile cloud door open with a forceful kick.
“After you,” Cheryl said with a bow.
“Show off,” Trixie whispered playfully as she walked inside the office.
The room was a scattered mess of papers and books. The volumes on the bookshelf were haphazardly stacked and there were more tomes on the floor than on the shelves. The open window sill was cluttered with two tall stacks of history books. The writing desk in one corner had a large pile of opened letters to Ms. Books, but curiously, they were all written from the same address within the city of Seaddle.
“Well, unless she’s buried alive under this mess,” Cheryl commented, “She ain’t here.”
Trixie silently snatched several letters and tucked them under her cape. “Let’s see if she has any translations on Sombra’s journal lying about.”
“Alright, but I’m not sure what it’ll look like,” Cheryl said as she flipped through a stack of documents. “Is it going to be obvious when we see it?”
“I’m not sure,” Trixie mused aloud. “This place is more cluttered than Ellie’s house.”
A few seconds later a light-gray pegasus mare with thick round glasses walked up to the doorway and cleared her throat. “Excuse me, what do you two think you’re doing in my office?”
“Are you Historia Books?” Cheryl asked bluntly.
“Yes I am,” the angry mare replied. “Now, who are you?”
Cheryl waved her question away. “No time for that. We got to get you out of here before some dangerous ponies come and snatch you.”
"Pot and kettle," Trixie muttered.
The stacks of books on the sill tumbled loudly on the ground. A large tanned pony with long fangs leaned in through the window. Her pointy crimson hat was stained with what appeared to be dried blood, but her most notable features were the forked tongue and her slit pupils.
“Hello, I’m here to pick up the near-sighted mare,” the big pony stated with playful hiss.
Trixie backed away to the door, but Cheryl stood her ground. “Nuts to that!” the earth pony shouted defiantly. “The only thing you’re getting is a buck in the face!”
“Oh my, aren’t you a cute little pony when you’re violent,” the snake-like pony said.
Cheryl got up on her hind legs and put up her fore-hooves to fight. “Then I’m about to get downright adorable,” she proclaimed. “Come in here and get your face rearranged, varmint!”
“Okay, if you insist!” the cream-colored creature playfully giggled. She pulled herself into the room with her strong forelegs. Then a second pair of forelimbs pulled more of her body into the small office. Behind that her long snake-like body continued to slither indoors until it filled the tiny room. Her tail ended in a thick, bony rattle that shook with excitement.
Cheryl glanced back at Trixie with utter disbelief. A bewildered Trixie only shook her head slowly in reply. Without warning Trixie screamed, turned, and grabbed Historia in an all-out run as Cheryl smashed the bookcase against the monster with a hard shove.
The large snake-like pony hissed and tossed the bookcase aside. Trixie continued to drag the protesting Historia out towards the main entrance with Cheryl right behind her. They were only a dozen feet away when Golden Jubilee sauntered up the museum steps with a small viper around her neck. Trixie came to a halt and held Historia behind her. Cheryl grabbed a nearby flagpole and pointed the sharp tip toward the approaching snake-like pony behind them.
“We meet again, Trixie,” Golden stated in a confident tone. “To what do I owe this chance passing?”
“Bad luck is Trixie’s guess,” the unicorn answered with a scowl.
“Hmm, yes, I suppose it is,” the cream-coated sorceress mused. “Well, pleasantries aside, I believe you have something there that belongs to me.”
“Last time Trixie checked,” the unicorn countered, “Ponies were not a commodity.” She glanced over at the large four-legged serpent that leaned close to Cheryl’s makeshift spear. She needed to stall until her remaining friends returned.
“Trixie is curious, however,” the unicorn continued. “What creature did Debon let you use to create your newest four-legged pet? Was that a garden snake or a pony before you cursed it?”
“Excuse me,” the pony-snake interrupted, “But my name is Phoebe, and I am a bona fide marilith. I eat ponies!”
“For the love of Luna’s left hoof,” Cheryl angrily muttered to Trixie. “Are we going to have to kick the snot out of every monster across this continent? Don’t the Walkers still hire normal ponies?”
Golden laughed. “And what do you call normal?” she asked skeptically. “That changeling you hang around with? On the inside we’re all monsters. Some are simply meant to be subservient to others.”
“Oh, Trixie has no doubt you keep them on a tight leash,” the unicorn responded. “No creature in Equestria would care to associate with you willingly.”
“Snakes seem to enjoy my company,” Golden said contently as she kissed her pet viper.
“That’s because you’re both cold-blooded,” Trixie sneered back.
The sorceress let out a snort. “You flatter me, Trixie, but I must cut this banter short,” Golden stated impatiently. “Now turn over Ms. Books to me and die.”
“Shouldn’t that be an ‘or die’ statement?” Trixie asked.
“Ha, you think that I’d give you a choice?” Golden asked condescendingly. She held out a fore-hoof and a small ball of magical sparks appeared.
Cheryl turned and hurled the flagpole like a javelin at Golden. The sorceress jumped out of the way, but her spell was disrupted. Trixie pushed Historia aside and fired a volley of magical fireworks at Phoebe. The blinded marilith whipped her tail out in response, but Trixie easily rolled away from the flailing serpent. Historia took to the air in a panic and tried to fly out through one of the openings in the ceiling.
“Tut, tut, Ms. Books,” Golden said. “Leaving us so soon?”
The sorceress pulled the viper off her neck using levitation magic and then shot the serpent at the escaping pegasus. Cheryl jumped to block the snake but it dashed between her fore-hooves. The small snake latched around Historia’s neck and bit into her back. The pegasus let off a faint yelp as she fell out of the air and crashed onto the floor. Her wings twitched uselessly. Phoebe, still partly blinded by the fireworks, slithered toward the fallen pegasus.
Ellie and Zeeps swooped down from the roof and collided with the marilith. The three rolled across the ground in different directions. Golden rushed Trixie and the two ponies fired spells at each other. Pyrotechnic magic bounced off the floors and walls of the museum while an electrical arc seared the brim of Trixie’s hat.
Cheryl charged and toppled Golden to the floor with a well-aimed body slam. The sorceress reached out and grabbed the earth pony by a leg.
“Goodbye!” Golden shouted gleefully as her hoof flashed a sinister cold gray aura.
Cheryl faltered and then fell through the floor.
Trixie dove to grab her, but Cheryl vanished under the clouds. The unicorn hit the soft floor with a flop. “Zeeps, Cheryl is falling!!” Trixie shouted.
The changeling dropped her Daring Do disguise, blasted a hole beneath her, and dove after the free-falling friend. Trixie scrambled back up to resume the fight, but Golden grabbed her by the shoulder from behind.
“Have a nice trip,” Golden sneered.
The sickly gray flash disoriented Trixie for a moment, followed by the sudden rush of the ground up and away from her. She reached out and seized Golden by her long red tail. The sorceress slammed into the soft floor as Trixie’s weight tried to pull them both through the clouds.
Phoebe slithered over and grabbed Golden. Ellie jumped on Phoebe’s back and struck the marilith in the head repeatedly with her mechanical wing. The snake-pony squirmed to throw the little pegasus off her back.
“Ellie, just go!!” Trixie shouted. “You can’t fight a marilith by yourself!”
“I’m not leaving without you!” Ellie shouted back as she held onto Phoebe.
“Well Trixie is exiting, stage down!” She aimed her horn and shot a tight jet of magical fireworks at Golden’s tail. The red hair burst in flames and tore apart instantly.
The sorceress howled in pain, but the sound was quickly muffled as Trixie fell through the museum floor. A blur of gray clouds whisked around her, shooting upwards as she fell, until Trixie finally dropped out on the underside of the city.
The unicorn impacted against the enormous black gasbag of an airship, but her momentum carried her down the port side quickly. Trixie's hooves scrambled to grab onto something as she careened off the bag. Her left foreleg brushed up against the ship’s rigging and she seized it tightly. The ropes seared painfully into her flesh as they zipped between her hooves.
Trixie came to a stop and hung off the side of the gasbag. Her pointed hat plummeted toward the distant world below her. Her hooves throbbed with pain, but she gritted her teeth and held on. Trixie looked at the colossal black parchment that loomed beside her. The rising moon illuminated the huge symbol of a white seven-pointed star painted above an arc. She had never seen the symbol before, but the list in Trixie's mind of who would hide a black airship underneath Cloudsdale was quite short.
Trixie pondered if it was safer to just let go and fall.
A small green-maned speck darted out the underside of the city and sped toward her. “Good girl, Ellie,” Trixie muttered to herself as her heart fluttered with relief.
Two pegasi stallions in black body suits climbed up the airship’s rigging. They each had a steel cylindrical tank strapped to their back and wore a goggled helmet with a large fin on top. The badges sewn onto their suits named them Thundercracker and Skywarp.
Trixie decided not to wait and find out what they wanted. She held her breath and leaped off the rigging. As she sailed through the air, she pulled the strap on her harness to unfurl her mechanical wings.
Nothing happened.
“Ellie, I need some help!” Trixie shouted as she fell through the air like a stone.
The two black-suited pegasi dove into the air after Trixie, followed by Ellie several dozen feet behind. The stallions pulled small cords on their straps and a short jet of white foam to burst from the back ends of their tanks. The propellant accelerated them both quickly towards their target. Trixie grabbed onto the harness and fought her buffeting purple cape to open the wings by force. Thundercracker reached her first and drew a knife from his belt.
“Oh crap!” Trixie shouted with a startle. She spun around as Thundercracker swung his knife. The blade pierced into her wing's metal components, but allowed the wings to partly unfurl like a broken chute.
The stallion continued his descent past Trixie, but Skywarp now reached her. He ricocheted off Trixie with a hard kick and sent her into a wild spin. Her vision was a dark blurry mess that rotated between sky, ground, purple, sky ground, purple, and then abruptly locked on Thundercracker's knife that darted upwards into her chest.
Trixie screamed as she grabbed the stallion’s fore-leg and pushed it away from her. The knife tumbled away into the sky. Droplets of blood flew into Trixie’s hair. The harness tore wide open and the wings flapped uselessly in the air. Thundercracker put his hooves around the unicorn's neck and tried to choke her. Trixie was no match for his strength, so she grabbed the cord on his strap and tore it off with all her might. The pegasus rocketed away into the distant night sky.
Skywarp drew his knife and closed in on Trixie. Ellie finally caught up and latched onto his cylindrical tank. She kicked the knife out of Skywarp's hoof before he attacked, but he still grabbed Trixie with he free hooves. The three ponies grappled with each other as the ground quickly approached. Ellie shoved the grappling hook on her left fore-hoof up against his head.
“Let go or I’ll brain you!” Ellie shouted.
Skywarp grabbed his cord and pulled hard. The cylinder fired off its propellant and shot Ellie away at high speed while he and the unicorn went into another spin from the opposing force. Trixie grabbed Skywarp's cord and continued to pull on it. She fought him over control of the tank which continued to fire haphazardly. Skywarp pressed a hoof against Trixie’s wound. Pain shot through the unicorn’s chest. She released her grip and the stallion pushed off her to retreat into the darkness.
Trixie braced herself as the jagged outline of the forest reached up to engulf her. A bat-winged pony slammed into her from behind and pulled Trixie across the forest tree tops.
It was Minuit.
“Hold on!” the bat-pony commanded between her gritted teeth. She pulled up hard on her dive to level out their fall. The highest branches whipped and gashed the two ponies as they sailed through them. Minuit’s wings cried in pain from the forces that tried to push her down, but she growled back to remain aloft.
The forest would have them however, and Minuit snagged a hind leg on a gnarled branch. She was yanked out of the air and her grip on Trixie broke. The two ponies tumbled down through the trees, smashing branches, gnarled branches, and bigger branches until they landed in a patch of bushes.
Trixie’s body burned with pain and she could do little more than groan. The unicorn rolled slowly onto her back. Her eyes were covered in tears and dirt, but she had no strength to wipe them. Three small and blurry creatures galloped up to her with a bright yellow light between them. The creatures muttered among themselves excitedly.
“Ugh, where am I?” the show-mare asked weakly.
“Equestria. Welcome!” squeaked the white blur.
“Sweetie Belle, she ain’t an alien,” the yellow blur corrected. “That there is Trixie!”
The orange blur leaned closer to the azure unicorn. “What was she doing falling out of the sky?”
“I don’t know,” the yellow blur answered, “But it better not have anything to do with that magical amulet nonsense again. Come on, there’s another pony over there. We need to get them both out of the forest!”
Amulet nonsense? Trixie wondered who would know her name and associate it with… wait. Her mind quickly snapped to attention. There was a magical amulet she was associated with and there was one town that would have clearly linked it to her. Trixie had crash landed near the one backwards little town that she never wished to return to.
Ponyville.
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I love how nothing goes as planned for Team Trixie, and how plan B is to scream and start smashing things. It's as if the more skilled they become, the more every plan goes wrong
The last scene in the museum and falling into the forest was maybe a bit hard to follow. Action scenes often are tricky, but I think this was largely due to a lot of 'the azure pony', 'the green-maned pony', 'the black assailant', and such. I try hard to avoid any such descriptors myself, as they are often unnecessary at best or a distraction at worst.
For known ponies, using their name or 'he/she' usually works best. I also try to keep each character's actions confined to its own paragraph as well, which means that if I use 'Trixie' once in a paragraph, then for the rest of that paragraph I can usually make do with just 'she'.
Just some thoughts for tonight. Looking forward to next chapter.
This was the only place I noticed Luna using the archaic 'thou', so it probably should be 'you' to be consistent. I also think the proper archaic version would be "What thou shouldst focus on ..." but that sounds like it could be articulated better somehow
Shore mare? Or was it meant to be Show mare?
Something seems to be missing from this sentence, but I'm not sure what.
Huh... not sure how I missed this update, but I managed to miss it until now. Well, in any case, I'm here now, and that's all that really matters, now, isn't it?
All in all, this was another fun little stomp through Equestria, but you finally took Team Trixie out of their usual "comfort zone"; the skies!
You've done a fine job once again.
3611777
3589229
Thanks for all the feedback!
I've gone back finally and made edits. I decided the best way to fix the fight in freefall was to reveal the two pegasi names early so I can make the read much easier. Should be good now.
Oh, dammit. How'd I let this slip through my proverbial fingers?!
Anyway... wow. Good action, like adcoon said it was a might hard to follow. I just about lost it at the names Thundercracker and Skywarp.
And Luna... you'd BETTER make sure they get good financial compensation for this. 
3589229 I disagree on your descriptor analogy--at least the best/worst scenario. I've seen it used very well, but is best to use it sparingly. Like any synonym, if over used it's just like saying the character's name time and again.
3611777 You and me both, I just discovered this sequel today!
3699134 Love your latest work and will continue to look forward to it.
I wonder what Trixie did in a past life to piss off Lady Luck to the point Lady Luck spites her with the maid opening the curtains at the same time Trixie opens the window, and for Zeeps to completely goof and not know about Twilight Sparkle having wings now...and then she ends up in Ponyville at the end of the chapter
Maybe Trixie and Luna are going to have to team up and go commit some good old-fashioned deicide against a goddess of luck.
I'm mildly baffled about why Trixie shot magical fireworks at Golden Jubilee's butt and burned off her tail, since rereading it, it seems like Trixie had a grip on Golden's tail and could have dragged her down with Trixie. Well, in any event she lucked out in the process by discovering Golden's new airship.
The real question is if Trixie is gonna have to fight Golden Jubilee followed by Debon one after another in their last battle, or if she'll get breathers in between the two.
Luna's gonna have to make a massive pay-out to Trixie after this story's over. Like, at least Team Trixie's own stained-glass window massive.
7705841
Well up to this point she's been having flipping Nathan Drake levels of luck and then she just happens upon Ponyville where a skilled groups of allies live including a Princess.