Camaraderie is Sorcery

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 3:5 - Return of the Black Sorceress

Author's Note:

Translations

Chapter 3:5 – Return of the Black Sorceress

The rain pelted down steadily over Los Pegasus, a warm rain that did nothing to dispel the heat or humidity in the air. In the city’s harbor, the royal fleet sat at anchor, prepared to sail on the morrow on a mission to Stygra. In the royal palace, Queen Helianthus slept soundly while guards patrolled the corridors and walls. In the twisted backstreets of the city, a shadowy figure darted along, seemingly unaffected by the rain or the heat. The mare was swathed all in black, including the thick cloak that covered her entire body and concealed her face in its shadow. She was a pony that didn’t wish to be seen.

Through the narrow and winding streets she went, her hooves kicking up splashes of water where the rain had already begun to pool, until she found her destination. Tucked back among the tightly packed houses and shops was an unmarked door—locked, of course, but that was no barrier. The mare whispered a few words under her breath, and the door was locked no more. She slipped inside and felt her way through the darkness, her task made harder by the many crowded shelves that filled the shop. Her eyes had finally adjusted to the blackness, allowing her to pick through the items on display, when a candle appeared in a doorway different than the one she’d come in from, held by a middle-aged stallion in a vest, glazed spectacles perched on his nose.

“Can I help you?” the shopkeeper asked wryly.

This pony hadn’t come to his shop by accident, and she was not a common thief, who would have just grabbed the first thing they’d found inside the store instead of coming so far in. No, this was a pony in search of a specific item, and somepony who knew their artifacts. Likely she was a sorceress from Applewood Tower come to get an item that would give her an edge over her colleagues. The shopkeeper had plenty of relics, even if he legally wasn’t allowed to sell them; hence, the shop’s hidden nature and the secrecy that most of his clients insisted upon. Sorceresses weren’t always above just taking what they wanted, but when confronted, they were unlikely to take it without paying—or, without killing him for discovering them in his shop. His newest customer simply stared at him without saying a word, which wasn’t uncommon; even one’s voice could give an identity away.

“Something powerful drew you here, am I right?” the shopkeeper said, being dramatic, “I have many a powerful artifact in my possession, madam sorceress. Which one is it that you seek?”

Without hesitation, the sorceress pointed a hoof toward a cluster of amulets next to the shopkeeper that his candle’s light caused to glimmer and glow in myriad colors. There were many amulets there, but he knew exactly at which one the sorceress had pointed. A red gemstone was set into an angular silver medallion with two wings and a horned head, a second, smaller ruby set into the face glimmering like an eye.

“Ah, you are a powerful sorceress indeed to be drawn to this relic,” the shopkeeper said, buttering up his client, “The Alicorn Amulet was created by Nostracom the Wise, you know, rumored to make an already great sorceress tremendously powerful, though exacting a terrible price. It is a fine piece but, I’m afraid, too dangerous for me to part with.”

The stranger reached into her cloak and removed a pouch before tossing it at the shopkeeper. As it landed near his forehooves, it tipped over and a diamond rolled out dramatically.

“Well, perhaps something might be arranged,” the shopkeeper admitted greedily.

***

Twilight Sparkle rested in the shade of a tree outside Ponieville, a stack of books on either side of her. At a safe distance nearby, Spike was practicing his fire breath, much to the delight of the ponies who were supposed to be working on building Mayor Mare’s new wall around the town. A few were taking great delight in throwing apples to him and watching him roast them in midair. He was getting better at controlling the heat and length of his flame and had managed to get a few of them cooked just right, though there were plenty of scorched or half-baked failures lying around him. While the workponies did cheer and holler quite a bit, it didn’t bother Twilight too badly.

The sorceress was brushing up on Saddle Arabia, a realm she’d barely thought of in years. Saddle Arabia was a pony sultanate occupying a desert peninsula that had the misfortune of lying smack between Tyrannus and the Zebrikaanian Empire. When they weren’t being extorted or raided by dragons, they were being blockaded or sabotaged by zebras. The Zebrikaanian Empire had long viewed Saddle Arabia with interest, but rumor had it that the newest Zebrikaanian padishah had it in his mind to finally accomplish what his forebears had failed to do and bring the realm under the empire’s control. And, with all internal dissent crushed, he might just be able to do it. The Saddle Arabians were understandably worried about their chances against the massive empire that dominated the Eastern Continent, and they had sent emissaries to Equestria to speak with the leaders of its realms, seeking an alliance or promise of aid if Zebrikaania attacked. They were due to arrive in Ponieville in a few days to speak to Celestia and Luna, who’d offered to meet them in the small village instead of making them travel all the way to Cant’r Laht. Celestia had made it clear that Twilight was to be present and engaged during the meeting, so she wanted to be prepared.

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she shot out of the sky, skidding to a halt just before knocking over any of the sorceress’s books, “Come with me! Hurry! It’s an emergency!”

“What is it?” Twilight asked as she rapidly stood, before carefully closing the book she’d been paging through and returning it to the unread stack, “What is happening?”

“Golden Oak’s Laboratory! Hurry!” the Hunter said.

Concentrating, Twilight whisked them all away with her sorcery, leaving the workponies who’d been watching Spike befuddled. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Spike appeared in the market square in front of Twilight’s home as the books were teleported insider her domicile. That, perhaps, was not the safest place for them, which she realized as soon as she materialized. Golden Oak’s Laboratory was shaking vigorously as a tempest swirled around it. A crowd had gathered in the square but were all standing far back from a pony wearing dark black robes and hood, surely uncomfortable beneath the summer sun.

“Twilight Sparkle! Come out and face me!” the figure yelled at the laboratory, and Twilight thought she recognized that voice.

“Trixie?” she said questioningly.

The storm shaking Twilight’s home vanished as the black-cloaked figure spun around and pulled back her hood. It was definitely Trixie, and the pale blue unicorn had murder in her eyes as she stared at Twilight. Over two years had passed since the Black Sorceress had been in Ponieville and Twilight had saved her and the town from an Ursa attack. But, when Trixie had last been here, she’d only been able to cast illusion and minor teleportation spells. How was she now able to conjure something so large, unless it was merely an illusion, too?

“Indeed! It is I, Tryxanna Lucrecia St. Rowan Lulamoon of Rumydshire!” Trixie proclaimed boldly, a name that Twilight knew this time for certain was completely false, “You made a fool of me the last time we met, Twilight Sparkle, but I am here to prove once and for all that I am the superior sorceress!”

“And how do you propose to do that?” Twilight asked skeptically.

“I challenge you to a duel!” Trixie proclaimed, “Whoever wins may stay, but the loser will be banished from Ponieville forever!”

“Don’t do it, Twilight!” Rarity called out.

“Quiet, you!” Trixie growled, and ice spread from her hooves, freezing Rarity and everypony around her who wasn’t quick enough to flee in place.

“Rarity!” Twilight despaired, and she cast a counterspell to thaw out Trixie’s unfortunate victims.

“Well, what will it be, Twilight Sparkle?” Trixie asked smugly, eyes flashing crimson, as Rarity and the others collapsed to the ground soaking wet.

“How was she able to cast that spell?” Spike whispered to Twilight.

“I do not know, but something is not right,” Twilight whispered back.

“Answer me!” Trixie demanded and stomped her forehooves on the ground, causing the ground to shake and toppling a few of the houses around Ponieville.

“What could you hope to gain from a duel?” Twilight asked, playing for time, and the earthquake stopped.

“Respect!” Trixie cried overdramatically, “You humiliated me by showing me up, and word spread all through Equestria! Ponies speak in awe of Twilight Sparkle and the Brave Companions, but they mock the Black Sorceress! I lost everything! I even had to resort to manual labor to get by, taking a job at a miserable quarry! At least it provided the means for my return!”

“Hey, what’s wrong with a quarry?” Pinkamena demanded, having been raised in one herself, “You’re lucky they took pity on the likes of you and let you work there!”

“That’s the last word out of you!” Trixie said cruelly, and Pinkamena suddenly found herself unable to get a sound out.

“Stop it, Trixie,” Twilight demanded, “Leave them alone.”

“Only if you agree to duel me!” Trixie yelled as she uprooted the entirety of Golden Oak’s laboratory with her magic.

“Fine!” Twilight Sparkle agreed, before anypony was seriously hurt.

“Excccelent!” Trixie purred, dropping the laboratory back into the ground with a heavy thud, “Let’s get started!”

“No,” Twilight said, “We cannot have a magical duel without seconds, and there are no sorceresses in Ponieville besides the two of us. You will have to wait until seconds are procured.” Hopefully that will give me some time to figure out how she has so quickly increased her power, and to think of a plan.

“Forget the seconds!” Trixie said, eyes flashing.

“If you meant to come here to try to kill me, you might have said as much,” Twilight said stoically, acutely aware of her friends and Ponieville’s townsponies watching her, “A magic duel is unsafe without seconds, and I will not be part of it without these precautions.”

“Oh, very well,” Trixie said begrudgingly, “I did not come here to kill you, Twilight Sparkle, just to show my superiority. The Great and Powerful Trixie vows to use only non-lethal spells in the duel. Does this satisfy you?”

Twilight Sparkle had a tough decision to make. She could continue to refuse Trixie her duel and insist on acquiring seconds for the two of them from Cant’r Laht, but Trixie didn’t seem likely to accept any further delays after she’d made the concession to use non-lethal spells only. Trixie had to know that trying to kill Twilight would only damage her reputation further, but she might just try it anyway. As Celestia’s personal protégé, she should have no trouble trouncing Trixie no matter how the Black Sorceress had improved since their last meeting, but there would undoubtedly be severe damage to Ponieville in the process. No, she had only one course of action.

“I accept,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Very well; let us begin,” Trixie replied.

“Not here. We should duel outside of the town,” Twilight said, mindful of the minute or two that would gain her.

Magic enveloped Twilight, and she and everypony else in the crowd were teleported to a field outside of Ponieville. With her magic, Trixie cleared the space of crops to form a dueling ground. A pedestal supporting a bell appeared next to Spike for the dragon to signal the beginning of the duel. Having spent the majority of his life in Cant’r Laht, Spike was well acquainted with how magic duels worked, but he wasn’t happy to see Twilight Sparkle facing off against Trixie. Even with non-lethal spells only at the duelists’ disposal, it was dangerous to engage without seconds to save you.

“No more excuses! No more delays!” Trixie said ravenously, “We duel now, Twilight Sparkle, or I raze Ponieville to the ground!”

Trixie glared at Spike, and he hurriedly rang the bell to signal that the duel had begun.

“Mrinessen’r caen!^[1]” Trixie called as soon as the bell sounded.

A column of frigid air slammed against Twilight Sparkle with greater force than she’d ever seen from this particular spell. Her hooves quickly lost purchase on the soil, sending her sliding backwards and toward the edge of the makeshift dueling grounds.

“Eren’r majia acca Ye’r accael!^[2]” Twilight incanted, and a barrier of earth rose up behind her, keeping her from sliding back farther, “Falan otha Ye’tin ossi!^[3]”

A transluscent shield sprang up around Twilight, and she no longer felt the icy cold. For all the fury of the wind, Trixie didn’t seem to be breaking a sweat in conjuring it. Instead, she simply stared at Twilight with narrowed eyes.

“Eren’r torrisal!^[4]” Trixie cried, and bands of earth grew out of the ground to wrap around Twilight and drag her down.

“Ye seni cavan’r doros’i!^[5]” Twilight cried as she teleported out of the trap.

Chains of magic wrapped around Trixie’s limbs and neck, pulling her down, but she broke free of them with unbelievable ease, shattering them in an instant with no more than a flick of her head. Something was wrong about the Black Sorceress’s magic. Just judging by what Twilight had seen, she must have been even more powerful than Cadence, and Trixie was no alicorn. Also, she hadn’t realized it initially, but during the duel when she had the opportunity to see Trixie’s spells up close, she sensed that they were layered in a peculiar way. The typical magic that Twilight expected to perceive was there, but it made up only a tiny fraction of the spell. Wrapped around and over it was the kind of magic with which King Sombra had imbued his traps within the Crystal City. That was where the majority of the spells’ potency came from.

“Eren nof onon leya!^[6]” Trixie commanded, and soil and stones rose into the air all throughout the dueling area, the stones spinning around and cutting the ground into patterns and runes while the clumps of earth just floated there, “Tempis!^[7]”

It was the same spell that Twilight Sparkle had used against the Ursa, and it was now turned against her. There were no pieces of buildings to shred her here, but she was pelted with dirt from every direction, knocking her around and keeping her from casting any spells of her own. Meanwhile, Trixie watched with glee, safe within a protective bubble.

“Majia vinta!^[8]” Twilight Sparkle managed to get out and tried to undo the spell around her, with little success.

When the storm of dirt did stop, it was because Trixie had cut it off.

“Eren leya nof ita senarey’i’r kalar!^[9]” the Black Sorceress crowed, and massive earthen figures rose up, the sheer displacement of soil causing the dueling ground to sink into a pit.

“Falan otha Ye!^[10]” Twilight cried as a massive hoof tried to pin her to the ground.

“Do you yield, Twilight Sparkle?” Trixie asked as the hoof continued to press down, sinking Twilight and her shield into the dirt.

With strenuous concentration, Twilight focused on the ground beneath her and opened a portal that she and her shield could pass through. She fell through the portal and emerged above Trixie; at least, that’s what she’d planned. Instead, Trixie had opened a second portal above herself, and Twilight fell through into the open air of the dueling ground. This surely would disqualify Trixie for trying to kill her, but one of the giant golems snatched up Twilight’s shield in its jaws and held her in place.

“Face it, Twilight Sparkle, I am the superior sorceress,” Trixie demanded as the golem lowered its head to the ground, and Trixie raised herself up on an earthen pedestal so she could look down on Twilight, “Yield.”

No matter what she threw at Trixie, she failed, and even trying to escape from the prison she was in now might not succeed. There was a madness in Trixie’s eyes, and she was so bent on revenge that Twilight was sure she would die in this duel if it continued, even if Trixie had vowed to be non-lethal. After all, accidents happened.

“I yield,” Twilight said, and a gasp arose from the ponies still watching the duel.

Trixie cackled gleefully and dispelled the golems, returning their soil to the pit while she teleported everypony back into Ponieville.

“Trixie is truly the greatest and most powerful sorceress!” Trixie proclaimed, and nopony dared to challenge her.

“How?” Twilight asked accusatorially, “How were you able to cast those spells?”

“Oh, Twilight Sparkle, that was just a trickle of my power,” Trixie said condescendingly. “Observe!”

Two unfortunate foals were picked out of the crowd and levitated into the air. Visible magic wove around them, culminating in a flash that everypony was forced to look away from. When they were lowered to the ground, one had been reduced to a newborn infant and the other to extreme old age, looking fit to perish at any moment. That’s impossible! While slowing one’s aging was a trick that sorceresses had known for millennia and was not overly complicated, most other spells involving aging were either considered impossible or doable only if one had reached the very limits of magical potential that a body could hold without spontaneously combusting (or surpassed that limit by becoming an alicorn). Simultaneously aging two ponies in different directions by a substantial number of years; well, Twilight wasn’t even sure if Celestia or Luna were capable of that feat. They must be, though, for surely Trixie is not more powerful even than them. Is she?

“Now, Twilight Sparkle, we had an agreement,” Trixie said smugly after effortlessly returning the poor foals to their natural forms, “You are henceforth banished from Ponieville. Forever!”

The Brave Companions rushed in to object, but Twilight was already gone, teleported into a different field outside the town from where the duel had taken place. She watched as a red-tinted shield sprung into being over Ponieville, completely sealing off the village. Rainbow Dash darted toward the barrier but bounced against it. Twilight tried to teleport into the town, but the spell failed. Likewise, she found herself unable to open a portal into Ponieville, either. That terrified her, especially when she also found herself incapable of creating a portal to anywhere els. She couldn’t go to Celestia and Luna in Cant’r Laht or to Cadence in the Crystal City to seek their help in ousting Trixie. She was on her own. Her friends were now trapped with Trixie, and Twilight Sparkle was unable to do anything to free them. Until she understood how Trixie had become so powerful, she was at a loss for how to help. Trixie’s magic had been unfamiliar, and without being able to travel to the Crystal City to study King Sombra’s enchantments or search the Crystal Archives, she had only one other source to turn to in the hope that she might know about this unfamiliar magic.

***

“I know not how I might help you, Twilight’Sparkle,” Zecor said later as she set a dubious beverage before the sorceress that turned out to be a kind of tea, “Very little I know about magic, and pony magic even less.”

The improvement in her Low Equestrian was phenomenal for just a couple of years of lessons with Twilight, which were now supplemented by more frequent appearances in Ponieville. The residents of the town were finally beginning to accept Zecor’s presence, and speaking with them had done her good in learning the language most commonly spoken in Equestria. Twilight too had learned quite a bit of Cainhiran Zebrikaanian during that time, but her knowledge was not as complete as Zecor’s; she had too many other things that required her attention, and when she spoke with Zecor, the zebra most often wanted to speak in Low Equestrian to get more practice.

“That is why I thought you might be able to help,” Twilight said after venturing a sip of the drink she’d been offered. “Trixie’s magic was not like the pony magic I am used to. Perhaps similar, at least in part, but very different.”

Different cultures in Equestria had developed different styles of magic, but all were similar at their cores (apart from chaos magic). Sorcery followed basic rules no matter who the caster was, but different techniques and methods could grow up where there was little contact between groups of sorceresses. The zebra magic that Twilight knew of was not radically different from what she had learned in Cant’r Laht, but some large differences did remain. Who was to say that the unfamiliar magic that Trixie was now wielding or that she had found in the Crystal City hadn’t been learned from zebra shamans?

“Magic, I have found, is like a river,” Zecor said thoughtfully, “It may flow differently, down from the mountains or through a bog, but still is water moving along a course. There is no difference between zebra and pony magics in that regard, only how the flow move.”

“I was afraid of something like that,” Twilight sighed, “If I must travel to Cant’r Laht—and if Trixie will not stop me as she already has—then I shall, but I had hoped for some answer here. It is remarkably similar to what I saw in the Shadow King’s traps in the North, an overlay of shadowed magical threads on a core of traditional magic. Perhaps I should attempt to travel to the Crystal Empire to see if I can learn more about the king’s magic.”

“Shadowed threads … wrapped around the magic … like a web, yes?” Zecor asked, and Twilight nodded hopefully, “Maybe it is that you speak of … maniz’hurilee-pankrat’ié.”

Maniz’hurilee-pankrat’ié. Translated from Cainhiran Zebrikaanian, it would mean something like “magic born of the stars.” The Zebrikaanian religion that Zecor followed worshipped the sun and, to a lesser extent, the moon as a reflection of the sun, but feared and reviled the darkness and the stars that populated it at night. If there was an equivalent to the Sundered of the Church of One in the Zebrikaanian sun religion, the stars would be it.

“Are you speaking of dark magic?” Twilight asked.

“Dark magic,” the zebra tried the phrase out, “Yes, very dark, a magic born of the false lights jealous of the sun’s rays to tempt and corrupt zebras. Powerful, but deadly to its user.”

Twilight Sparkle had never considered that a true divide, related to the supernatural or not, might exist between regular magic and dark magic. There were certain spells that were forbidden, but she’d thought that was because they were dangerous, not because dark magic was some other form of magic. Perhaps it was, though; perhaps that was what Sombra had used and what Trixie was currently using. She’d managed to grasp it herself in the Crystal City, though it had betrayed her only the second time she’d taken advantage of it. She might be able to fight Trixie with it again, but the only spell she’d managed was one where she’d seen a diagram for it drawn out in exquisite detail. She doubted she’d be able to puzzle out how to defeat Trixie in any reasonable time without a teacher.

“You were led to my home not by chance, Twilight’Sparkle,” Zecor said, “One of the first thing I learned was how to defend against the dark magic. I can teach you, if that is your wish.”

“It is,” Twilight said without hesitation. Maybe she wouldn’t be able to best Trixie in a traditional way, but being able to blunt or stop her attacks was still useful. Anything was better than the current situation she was in.

***

It was a dour state that Ponieville had fallen into. Completely cut off from the outside world, everypony who’d been within the town when Trixie had conjured up her shield was trapped there, and everypony who’d been outside was unable to get in. After sealing Ponieville off, Trixie had taken control of the town as its new resident sorceress. Mayor Mare protested this at first, until Trixie had brought her newfound powers to bear against the Mayoral Keep and the mayor’s retinue; they didn’t question her any longer. To make the mood even more severe, dark clouds piled up along the top of the shield’s dome and, despite all efforts, the pegasi in town were unable to move or dissipate them. Trixie had brought a pall over the town.

She was the undisputed mistress of Ponieville now, taking up residence in the mayor’s own quarters after ousting her. She was dressed once again as she had been during her first visit to the town, in black robes and a pointed hat. Trixie also now openly wore the relic she’d purchased in Los Pegasus from a merchant who’d had little idea what he’d truly been selling. The Alicorn Amulet gleamed upon her breast, and she treated it as her symbol of office, though she was considering ordering Rarity to make a crown for her in the same style. Everypony had to jump to her will unless they wanted a taste of her magic, and her demands grew more and more outrageous.

Applejack slipped into the seemingly abandoned laboratory once inhabited by Golden Oak and more recently by Twilight Sparkle, fresh off a long shift working to build a massive statue of Trixie in the center of town, the stones for Mayor Mare’s town wall sacrificed to create the monument to the Black Sorceress’s ego. The rest of the remaining Brave Companions were here, as well as Spike, looking through the many books that filled the laboratory. Spike had tried to send letters to Celestia during their entrapment, by they all returned as piles of ash, so he’d dedicated himself to another cause. There were so many tomes here, both left by Golden Oak and added by Twilight from her Cant’r Laht collection, that there had to be an answer in one of them on how to oust Trixie or rejoin Twilight.

“Does anypony else think we may have set ourselves a hopeless task?” Rarity asked as she set aside yet another book, “How are we even supposed to find what we’re looking for?”

“Twilight has a system, but I don’t know if even she could find something in this mess,” Spike said pessimistically.

The laboratory’s rough treatment by Trixie had left books scattered in piles all over the place, with few still left on the shelves grown into the laboratory’s walls. If Twilight had been able to see the state of things, she’d have had a fit and begin reorganizing immediately. However, Twilight hadn’t been seen in two days. Rainbow Dash has seen her heading east, toward the Everfree Forest, but that was the last they’d known of her. It was possible that Trixie had decided she wasn’t happy with just trouncing her after all and had decided to finish the job and kill her, but Spike didn’t want to think about that.

“I think I may have found something,” Fluttershy said quietly, clutching a copy of The Complete Guide to the Artifacts of Nostracom the Wise, one of Twilight’s recent acquisitions after finding that the ancient alicorn had created the Crystal Heart and that the gemstone was not mentioned in Magical Relics of Modernity and Myth.

“Yes, I think we may have to accustom ourselves to Trixie’s rule,” Rarity despaired, not having heard the druidess, “I imagine any day now she’ll demand I craft her a crown. It will probably be terribly garish, too, like the one worn by King Sombra, if she wants it to match that trinket she wears around her neck.”

“Yes, I found it,” Fluttershy tried again, “It’s the Alicorn Amulet, and whoever wears it—”

“Speak up, Fluttershy,” Applejack hollered, startling her, and she dropped the tome.

“Hey, look at that!” Spike said, spotting the book where it had fallen open to the page Fluttershy had marked, “That’s Trixie’s necklace, all right! Huh, she found a relic. No wonder she’s so powerful.”

“Well, what does it say?” Rainbow Dash demanded, clustered around the dragonling with the other ponies.

“Oh, sorry,” Spike said, “The Alicorn Amulet was created by Nostracom the Wise and imbued with his alicorn magic. When worn by a sorceress or sorcerer, it grants them untold magical reserves rivaling that of an alicorn, allowing one to overcome one’s natural limits. It was intended to be used after Nostracom’s death to allow a single non-alicorn to raise the sun and moon rather than a large circle of mages, but the temptation for misuse was too great, and Nostracom hid the amulet away. The Alicorn Amulet did not reappear until many years later, when the zebra shaman Sa’vannah corrupted it with dark magic. While the Alicorn Amulet still grants the bearer tremendous power, it also corrupts them and slowly takes over their mind until the bearer is merely a puppet under the amulet’s control.”

“We have t’ get that amulet away from Trixie, both for our sake an’ her own,” Applejack said, and Rainbow Dash looked dubious about the last part.

“Easier said than done,” Spike said, still reading the book, “Once affixed, the amulet can only be removed by the wearer.”

“I imagine cutting off Trixie’s head would do it, too,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Well, maybe,” Spike said, “It doesn’t mention it, but death could allow the amulet to be removed. It requires a living sorceress to channel its power.”

“As if you’d even be able t’ get close t’ Trixie,” Applejack berated the Hunter, “No, we need t’ get this information t’ Twi’; she’ll know what t’ do wi’ it.”

“Quite right, Pinkamena,” Rarity said after the still-voiceless mare tried to pantomime something for them, “How are we supposed to get this to Twilight if nopony can pass through Trixie’s magical bubble?”

“No pony can pass through—or dragon, I guess—but that doesn’t mean that nothing can pass through the bubble,” Spike said knowingly, “The river still passes through the shield, and so does anything you throw at it.”

“We haven’t seen Twilight in days,” Rainbow Dash protested, “Even if we can get a message through the shield, how is she supposed to receive it?”

“We find someone to deliver it to her,” Spike said, looking at Fluttershy.

***

Once Spike wrote the long and detailed letter he knew that Twilight would want, it wasn’t difficult to find a means to get it to her. It appeared only inanimate objects were able to pass through the shield; that was no problem, because many of the animals that Fluttershy looked after were already on the other side of the shield, searching for the druidess. She wouldn’t be able to cross over, but she could still speak to them without the shield posing much trouble . They tossed the message over, and a fox picked it up before darting off. Apparently, some of the animals already knew where Twilight had gone: the Everfree Forest.

“This is bad. This is very bad,” Twilight said as she read through the letter in Zecor’s home after receiving it by surprise. “If Nostracom intended the Alicorn Amulet for raising the sun and moon, then Trixie may be just as or more powerful than Celestia. How am I supposed to face that?”

“You cannot,” Zecor replied, though the question hadn’t directly been addressed to her.

“Am I supposed to give up, then?” Twilight asked, “Or wait for Celestia and Luna to learn of this and intervene?”

“If you wish, though I would advise seeking a different course,” Zecor counseled, “You cannot best her in magic with Sa’vannah’s amulet, so you must rely on something else to defeat her.”

Twilight Sparkle considered her alternatives. Whatever she considered, though, the fact remained that Trixie had remarkable magical powers at her disposal and could undo almost anything Twilight could level against her. She had been practicing counterspells with Zecor that would allow her to defend against Trixie, but they would not be overly effective when Trixie had such a vast store of power to draw upon. If only Trixie would remove the Alicorn Amulet … but there was no chance of that, not when it was corrupting the Black Sorceress more thoroughly all the time. The only reason that Trixie might remove the amulet would be if it was holding her back from even greater power, but what could tempt her to believe such a thing was possible? To convince Trixie that Twilight was more powerful than she was sounded very much like what Trixie herself had done when she’d first visited Ponieville, but would she fall for it?

“Zecor, do you have some parchment I could use?” Twilight asked.

***

Her town was very quiet today. Not that it had been particularly lively ever since Trixie had taken over Ponieville, but usually there were at least a few ponies on the streets either out of necessity or pretending that everything was normal to keep themselves from giving in to despair. Now, however, there was not a single pony to be seen. Where her majestic statue was being constructed—still only hindlegs and hindquarters at the moment—there were still no ponies.

“Where are they all?” Trixie demanded angrily.

One pony slipped out of a building ahead of her and immediately bolted away upon spying the Black Sorceress.

“Follow him!” Trixie demanded of the ponies carrying her chair, and they hurried to oblige her, not willing to face her wrath.

The fleeing pony led them out of town, past the palisade and up to the edge of her shield where a crowd had formed, all staring outward.

“What is the meaning of this!” Trixie demanded, her voice booming, “Get back to work!”

“They are not going anywhere, Trixie,” Twilight Sparkle said, and the crowd parted to reveal her on the other side of the shield, “Not until the two of us settle things.”

“You!” Trixie exclaimed, hopping down from her chair to trot closer to Twilight, “What’s the matter, Twilight Sparkle? Is exile not to your liking?”

“Not when you have enslaved my friends,” Twilight Sparkle said, and she nodded at the Alicorn Amulet, “I see you are wearing it boldly now, the artifact you used to cheat and win our duel.”

“Cheat?” Trixie sneered, “Artifacts are not banned from duels between sorceresses, you are just a poor loser.”

Technically, she was correct. Magical artifacts were not outright banned from duels, but they were highly frowned upon. Any sorceress who was found to have won a duel by using an artifact, especially one that improved their abilities, would be despised. This wasn’t Cant’r Laht, though, so there weren’t fellow sorceresses to look down on Trixie for the underhanded way she’d won, and the townsponies already despised her for plenty of other legitimate reasons.

“It does not matter. I have something even better than the Alicorn Amulet anyway,” Twilight Sparkle said, rubbing a hoof across the amulet around her own neck, “With this, I am once again the superior sorceress.”

“Nothing is more powerful than the Alicorn Amulet!” Trixie yelled, “Nostracom the Wise created this!”

“And Yliiena the First created mine,” Twilight Sparkle shot back.

Nostracom the Wise was the most famous artificer of all time, but Yliiena the First was often seen as the superior alicorn. She’d lived centuries longer than Nostracom and had been part of major events during the Age of Uncertainty, including the establishment of what sorcery would become, whereas the sorcerer had mostly just traveled the world creating objects of power. Even if she hadn’t been known for the creation of artifacts, just the name of the first alicorn was enough to make any sorceress question.

“I will not challenge you to another duel, for I do not want anypony to be hurt by the power we both now wield, but I will demonstrate to you the power of Yliiena’s amulet. That way, you will see you are outmatched, and I will let you leave peacefully,” Twilight Sparkle said severely. “Lower the shield and I will show you, Trixie.”

Trixie considered her options for a long moment. Surely there was nothing that could best the Alicorn Amulet, but if there was, then it would be an artifact created by Yliiena the First. And … if the amulet that Twilight Sparkle had was legitimate, then it would make Trixie even more powerful than she already was if she took it for herself. The Alicorn Amulet’s corruption was pushing into her heart and enhancing the greed already there, so there was no way Trixie could not have Yliiena’s amulet if it was truly more powerful.

“Very well, Twilight Sparkle, I will humor you,” Trixie said as she allowed the shield over Ponieville to collapse.

“Last time, you showed me an age spell. Let us start there,” Twilight Sparkle said confidently as she trotted closer, “Applejack, Rarity.”

Acting surprised, Twilight’s friends stepped out of the crowd. Twilight concentrated on the two, and they lifted into the air lightly before being absorbed in a blast of blinding light. The crowd gasped when they saw that Applejack had become quite elderly and Rarity was now a foal. Trixie too was baffled and suspected a trick, but when she reached out with her magic, she could sense no illusion on the duo; they had truly been aged in opposite directions simultaneously, just like what she’d done before. Twilight Sparkle didn’t give her a moment to speak, though, as Applejack and Rarity were transformed rapidly through different ages, drawing more gasps from the audience. What she was doing clearly outstripped Trixie’s abilities.

“Impossible!” Trixie exclaimed, her eyes darting back and forth between the now correctly aged mares and Twilight’s amulet.

“What was it you said before? This is just a trickle of my power,” Twilight Sparkle said before directing a spell at Fluttershy.

The druidess yelped and jumped back as a second pony identical to her appeared alongside her (who also yelped and jumped back) in a flash of light. More flashes strobed as Twilight repeated the spell three more times, resulting in a crowd of sixteen Fluttershys all trying to escape their doppelgangers.

“You—you cannot duplicate living ponies!” Trixie exclaimed in disbelief, though her eyes and magical senses confirmed that was what had happened, “It’s impossible!”

“It is hardly impossible if I was able to do it,” Twilight Sparkle said theatrically, “Maybe just one more demonstration. I can also transform a mare into a stallion.”

Applejack swallowed powerfully when Twilight’s gaze turned her way, and in a moment, she disappeared in a flash of light. Standing awkwardly in her place was a stallion who looked just as she would have had she been born a colt instead of a filly. His eyes pleaded for Twilight to turn him back, and the sorceress obliged, returning Applejack to her proper sex.

“Satisfied, Trixie?” Twilight asked, “With Yliiena’s amulet, you are no match for me. Leave Ponieville now, and we do not need to come to blows.”

“Yes, you are right, Twilight Sparkle. With Yliiena’s amulet, I am no match for you,” Trixie admitted as she glared at her fellow sorceress. “And with it, I will be sorceress supreme once again!”

The amulet around Twilight’s neck vanished and reappeared in Trixie’s hoof. The crowd gasped, and a few brave souls tried to steal it back for Twilight but were rebuffed as Trixie momentarily surrounded herself with a whirlwind.

“Ha! I see Yliiena was not so wise as her successor, allowing her amulet to be removed by just anypony! With this, nopony will be able to challenge the Great and Powerful Trixie!” the Black Sorceress proclaimed and removed the Alicorn Amulet, attaching her new piece of neckwear in its place.

The moment that the Alicorn Amulet was no longer around Trixie’s neck, Twilight Sparkle teleported it away to a safe place. Finally, it’s over.

“Do what you wish with the Alicorn Amulet,” Trixie sneered condescendingly, “Now that I have the might of Yliiena, all of Equestria shall kneel before their new empress or be made to kneel—starting with you, Twilight Sparkle!”

Trixie attempted to cast something that was no doubt incredibly nasty on Twilight Sparkle, but she found herself completely unable to do so. She reached for the magical reserves and ability she’d been relying on and found nothing. But that was impossible! Only minutes earlier, Twilight Sparkle was casting spells beyond even Celestia with this amulet, but now Trixie felt exactly the same as she had before she had acquired the Alicorn Amulet.

“I—I don’t understand,” Trixie despaired.

“You were tricked, Trixie,” one of the Fluttershys said, sounding nothing like the druidess.

Remembering how Trixie had mimicked transmutation magic using flash and teleportation, Twilight Sparkle had concocted a plan in Zecor’s home. She had managed to get messages to ponies within and without the shield over Ponieville, with the help of Fluttershy and her ability to communicate with animals. Dye had been liberally applied to many ponies’ coats and manes to make them appear to be differently aged versions of Applejack and Rarity, Big Mac had volunteered to stand in for his sister in the last spell, and many pegasi had been cosmetically altered to resemble Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash had wanted to volunteer in the druidess’s place, but there was too much of a risk that Trixie would realize what was going on when the duplicates didn’t have her Hunter’s eyes. It was a risk they were already taking with the fact that not everypony enlisted in the ruse had the right eye color, but at least it wouldn’t stand out as starkly. Once that cosmetic disguises were done and Rarity had made matching clothing for everypony who was standing in, they had positioned themselves nearby but out of sight so that Twilight could swap them in whenever the flashes blinded onlookers. Without needing any magical aid, Twilight Sparkle had beaten Trixie at her own game.

Realizing that the amulet around her neck was no more than a worthless trinket, the Black Sorceress looked around worriedly. She had ample reason to be worried after what she’d done during her time controlling the town. Before ponies could seize her, however, she wisely teleported away. There was some confusion as to where she’d gone, but it was a good riddance. The clouds that Trixie had trapped within her shield began to let loose their rain on Ponieville, cooling the heads that wanted to pursue her and bring her back for punishment (not always with the consent of the law). Trixie was gone, and nopony wished to see her again.

***

In the few days before the Saddle Arabians arrived in Poniville, the townsponies worked to put their village back in order. All signs of Trixie’s reign were torn down and the buildings she’d damaged with her careless use of sorcery were repaired. Trixie herself was long gone, though she had evidently hidden nearby for a short while after her disappearance, judging by the note Twilight had found in Golden Oak’s laboratory. In it, Trixie apologized for her actions and begged forgiveness for what she’d done under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet, but she was wise enough not to stay around and ask in person or to bring the same apology to Mayor Mare. Even with the Alicorn Amulet corrupting her, the actions that Trixie had taken would warrant a severe punishment if she ever showed herself in Ponieville again. When Celestia and Luna arrived with the delegates from Saddle Arabia, there were few signs left that the town had undergone a recent hostile takeover. After the Saddle Arabians departed, Twilight would brief her mentor on what had happened and entrust the Alicorn Amulet into her keeping, but there were other formalities to see to first.

The Saddle Arabians were hosted at the Mayoral Keep, and Twilight chatted amiably with them during the feast the night of their arrival. With both her banishment and attempts to make Ponieville presentable again, she hadn’t been able to read up on the sultanate as much as she’d have liked, but she still got by reasonably well. The Saddle Arabians had visited four Equestrian realms on their journey, and apparently that was enough for them, as they would be headed back home after their time in Ponieville. Balte-Maer, Fillidelfiyaa, and Manehattan had all turned down their alliance proposals; and they weren’t going to try for Stalliongrad, Vanhuv’r, or Los Pegasus, so there was no more reason for them to stay. Celestia, always mindful of the Zebrikaanian Empire and Tyrannus, would do everything she could, but the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht was its own beast now that she and Luna didn’t have as firm a control of as they’d like. Still, any assurances helped the Saddle Arabians.

“I have heard about what happened in Ponieville this last week. Well done, my faithful apprentice,” Celestia said as she leaned over to Twilight Sparkle as the meal was winding down, causing a surge of pride in the unicorn as her mentor praised her for managing things on her own, “I must assume that you did not receive the letters I sent to Spike during that time when Trixie was in control of the town. Twilight, you will be leaving with the Saddle Arabians when they begin traveling home tomorrow.”

“I will?” Twilight said with great surprise.

“Yes, Luna and I must return to Cant’r Laht, but I want to send an ambassador along with them to meet with Sultana Rashida,” Celestia replied, “I know you are up to the task, Twilight.”

Comments

[TasermonsPartner]

She couldn’t go to Celestia and Luna in Cant’r Laht or to Cadence in the Crystal City to seek their help in ousting Trixie.

Um, yes, she could, She could just walk there, or get a ride on a passing wagon. But much like the show, it would be the "obvious, easy" solution with no real "lessons" learned.

Zecor wasn't quite as helpful here as her show's counterpart. Zecora was clearly shown to be the one to help Twilight trick the trickster at her own game, whereas here Zecor just seemed to be some zebra to bounce ideas off of and have Twilight come to the idea all on her own, essentially.

Still, the bit of using Fluttershy's animal friends to relay messages was very clever. I also wondered if the Crusaders didn't help with the mimicry of their sisters' age magic?

[Xanderfox]

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I think it's more a case of she can't because it would take too long as opposed to they wouldn't be able to help.