Operation: APPLECRACK

by Redd Herring

Things Get Serious

Since Trixie had been strangely adamant about foregoing the use of the train, they'd had to walk the entire way. Walking long distances was, of course, not very difficult for ponies, but it was still quite a long way to go, especially for unicorns. Fortunately it was relatively easy for them, with their telekinesis, to make use of multiple tools and items at once, and there was plenty of clean, drinkable water along the way, so their canteens remained satisfyingly full.

"Ahhhh! What a fantastic day! It is only natural that the pegasi would create such lovely weather for the Great and Powerful Trixie to enjoy as she goes to single-handedly save every pony in Equestria with an effortless flick of her horn! As backwoodsy and insignificant as your 'quaint' little cluster of hovels is, even Trixie will admit that the weather here is second to none. Much better than the dismal climate of Manehatten! One can hardly fathom how they put up with it, hmm?"

"Oh, I've heard of Manehatten! Applejack talks about it sometimes. Can't say that I've ever been, though."

"You really should travel more! As putrid and unclean as the streets of Manehatten are, there is something to be said for their cuisine. MUCH better than that of Ponyville, which Trixie is perplexed to find is almost entirely desserts."

"I don't think I've had any Manehatten cuisine..."

"...Hmph. You are not incredibly worldly, are you, Twilight Sparkle?"

"I guess not..."

It quickly became clear that the only common ground that they could think of was the subject of practical magic, and so they whiled away the hours discussing the latest advanced theories and units of measurement. Periodically, Trixie would remove one of the thaumic instruments from her saddlebag and make a big show of testing the nearby environment.

"Stand back! Prepare to be amazed as the Great and Powerful Trixie consults her magical globe, the likes of which are beyond your puny comprehension!"

Twilight rolled her eyes as mystical wind and sparkly magic swirled around the oddly gesturing magician, when suddenly Trixie cut the special effects and stared at the finely-engraved globe with a troubled expression. Upon the magically-suspended bronze globe were mounted hundreds of tiny interlocking shapes and sigils, which were mounted on rails and constantly shifting. She stopped walking for a moment, her dark eyes flicking all around as she observed the movement of the markings.

"What? Did you find something?" said Twilight, trying to see what Trixie was looking at.

"Sssh!"

The reply was unexpectedly serious and without snarky rebuttal, so Twilight fell silent. Trixie continued to stare deeply at the unfamiliar device; even Twilight hadn't practiced the use of such a complex object, although she could guess its purpose as a sensor of magical activity.

"Yes... yes, indeed, Trixie had her misgivings about the validity of your hysterics, but these truly are some troubling readings. The Myr should not be moving in such a manner. Best we pick up the pace, Twilight Sparkle."

"I understand. The source should be somewhere past that hill." She pointed to a protrusion in the ground, quite steep despite being such a small hill. With some effort the two unicorns carefully pushed their way up the hill; Trixie made it up before Twilight, apparently being in much better physical shape. Twilight could hear her gasp as she crested the top of the hill.

"What in Equestria...!?"

Twilight quickly scrabbled up to the top, anxious to see what had disturbed the magician so. Instantly, a bizarre sight met her eyes. Down in the valley below was a thick conifer forest, not an uncommon sight in the wilderness of Equestria. What was uncommon, however, was the bizarre coloration: the entire forest looked like some ridiculously huge target, with concentric circles of lighter trees interspersed with much darker circles of gnarled, dead branches that almost seemed to be tainted a dark red. On top of that, the magically-gifted ponies had a strange metallic taste in their mouths: a sure sign that this area was absolutely inundated with Myr in dangerous quantities. The air seemed to subtly vibrate and hum, something that would be invisible to the untrained eye. Such an environment was exactly the kind of thing that, in the olden days, would make the paranoid villagers declare an area to be haunted or forbidden. It was perhaps for the best, however, since they knew that prolonged exposure to this environment could be hazardous for the body in many strange and hideous ways. The two academic ponies exchanged a serious glance, communicating much with their eyes, testing each other's confidence. They looked again at the strange and dangerous display, before Trixie finally spoke.

"It seems that there is only one course of action. We must venture through the forest and to the center of the anomaly."

"Are you sure? You know what might happen."

"Yes, I do. However, you and I both know that such a thing cannot go unchecked. We took on this burden when we chose to become practitioners of advanced magic. We are currently the only thing that stands between our beloved land and possible doom. As such, I believe it is our duty to investigate and put a stop to this, no matter the risk to ourselves."

She turned to look at Twilight with a dead serious expression, her enigmatic eyes boring directly into her fellow mage's.

"We have no other choice."

Twilight was taken aback by the solemnity of the magician's voice. She had not thought of Trixie, usually boastful and irreverent, as having such a bold and serious side within her. Unable to return the intensity of the magician's gaze, she broke eye contact and stared back into the anomaly.

"I guess you're right."

Her eyes shifted back and forth, just a tinge of fear creeping into the back of her mind.

"We have to do it. For Equestria..."

"Are you ready?" the suddenly brave unicorn asked, still glaring intensely at Twilight.

"...Yes, I am. Let's go."

Upon that simple response, the two of them began to descend the slope towards the forest, uncertain of what mysterious thing awaited them at its center.

Comments

[SuperChaosKG]

Serious Trixie?

Under the circumstances, seems legit.

[HaoKyruss]

Yay badass trixie is badass