Trixie - Saviour of all Equestria. What, you don't believe Trixie?

by Fimbulvinter

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Celestia looked down at the changeling before her. The drone appeared identical to every other drone in the hall, but she had been struck by a sense of familiarity from this one.

“Yes princess, I am Drone. Please do not do anything rash. My Queen has ordered us not to harm anypony if we can avoid it, but if you resist we will have no choice but to subdue you and your companions.”

Around them, the hall was in a total state of panic, ponies were crushing against the doors and windows in an attempt to get out and escape from the invading changelings. For their part, the changelings had prepared for this well, and had ensured that all the entrances were bared off and locked, trapping everypony inside. Screams and cries of pain echoed throughout the hall as some ponies tried to fight back and were quickly subdued by the co-ordinated efforts of the changelings.

Up on the stage, Chrysalis cackled with glee, rubbing her hole-ridden fore hooves together as she surveyed the pandemonium before her. A number of magical images sprang up around her, images of her field commanders reporting in.

“Guard Barracks secure”

“Train Station secure”

“City Hall secure”

It was all going to plan, her forces had infiltrated the city and disabled key points in its infrastructure before revealing themselves, something she hadn’t done the first time around.

“Yes Celestia, don’t do anything rash and you will all survive this day unharmed.” Chrysalis quickly turned her attention to Twilight who had been trying to charge up a banishment spell. “I wouldn’t do that, Twilight Sparkle. My drones roam free once again, and without me to command them, who knows what destruction they may cause.”

Twilight glared at Chrysalis but slowly lowered her spell, glaring at Chrysalis as she did so.

Celestia put a wing onto Twilight’s back, her regal presence calming her student down slightly. “Don’t worry Twilight. Chrysalis needs us alive and unharmed if she wants to feed off of us. Isn’t that right Chrysalis?” That last question was directed at the changeling queen.

Chrysalis was looking back amused, her sea green eyes beaming with mirth as she watched. “Quite right, my dear Celestia, quite right.” She paused for a moment before addressing the entire hall with a magically augmented voice.

“HEAR ME PONIES OF CANTERLOT. YOUR PRINCESS IS SUBDUED, YOUR DEFENDERS BEATEN. CHANGELINGS HAVE TAKEN EVERY KEY POINT OF YOUR CITY. BUT DO NOT DESPAIR, WE HAVE NOT COME HERE TO HARM YOU.”

Chrysalis paused for a moment, looking around the hall as the booming of her voice echoed through out the room and further into the city. By now, her army would have infiltrated all the major areas of Canterlot and would be in position to prevent any resistance from forming. Areas like the guards barracks and law enforcement headquarters were simply caught in a stasis spell, cast by a number of mage drones working in tandem. One of the many advantages of having an entire army already in a city before attacking.

Twilight looked around and noticed that none of the drones appeared to be paying attention to her or Trixie, focused as they were on the proclamation of their queen and Celestia’s reactions to it.

“Trixie, we need to do something to stop them, something to slow down the invasion.” Twilight hissed to Trixie.

Trixie shook her head. “This isn’t an invasion Twilight, this is a victory.” Looking out one of the windows, Trixie saw the black insectoid forms of drones marching along the street, ponies fleeing before them and the festive atmosphere of the day long forgotten. A pair of royal guards burst forward from one house, brandishing weapons and attempting to herd a family inside to assumed safety. They were quickly overwhelmed by a patrol of drones and covered in some form of organic matter that hardened around them.

“It is far too late to stop them Twilight. They have already won.”

Up on the stage, Fancy Pants and Fleur pushed past their guards and stood before Chrysalis.

“What is the meaning of this Chrysalis. You gave us your word that we would not see you again.” Fancy demanded of the ruler of the changelings.

Chrysalis turned to face the gentlecolt. “Ah, the aristocrat. You of all ponies should know a lie when you hear it After all everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie, is it not?”

Fleur’s normally calm face contorted with rage as she heard Chrysalis insult her new husband. “No pony insults Fancy Pants like that. He is one of the most honest ponies I have ever met. Take that back, now.”

Chrysalis laughed. “And the model who thinks she is a warrior. All style, no substance. Drones, restrain her. I have heard all about her supposed skills and lineage.”

Two drones instantly detached from guarding the congregation of ponies and moved over to hold Fleur down. Chrysalis knelt down near the struggling body of Fleur and began intoning a spell. Her jagged horn glowed with a sickly green light as the spell neared its end, a beam of light emerging from the razor sharp tip and connecting to Fleur’s, the two mares connected by a single thin beam for a few seconds. Fleur’s eyes quickly changed colour from her normal light purple to the sick green as energy from the changeling queen entered her body. In a moment, her struggling ceased and she remained perfectly still.

Fancy pants could see his wife’s skin glow as Chrysalis’s power flowed through her, her veins transporting it through out her body. Soon the spell ended and Chrysalis removed her head. Fleur’s eyes returned to their normal colour and the glowing around her body ceased. The two changelings guarding her also let go and Fleur got back up to her hooves and moved over to stand next to Chrysalis, looking perfectly at ease.

“Fleur? What are you doing?” Fancy called out, but didn’t get any response from his wife. “What have you done to her?” he asked Chrysalis.

Chrysalis looked at him, but addressed the entire crowd. “This mare is now under my control, totally and utterly. She won’t even breathe unless I allow it.” As if to make a point, Chrysalis looked at Fleur and the lanky model ceased to breathe in, her face slowly beginning to take on a darker purple tone. Fancy could do nothing but watch.

A moment before Fleur was likely to pass out, Chrysalis dropped her will and Fleur began to breathe again, calmly and measured, as if she hadn’t just about strangled herself.

“You all now have a choice. You may fight my power, in which case all of you will die, or you can voluntarily submit, in which case only some of you will die – the ones foolish enough to continue struggling. Guards, bring me the next one. Celestia’s student will do.”

Twilight was instantly grabbed by a pair of black insectoid arms and dragged across the hall towards Chrysalis. Her eyes grew wide as she saw Chrysalis begin to charge up her mind control spell again.

“Chrysalis, enough. You win.” Celestia said, bowing her head in resignation. Very slowly, she cast the same magical voice augmentation spell that Chrysalis had been using.

“ATTENTION PONIES OF CANTERLOT, THIS IS YOUR PRINCESS. EFFECTIVE INSTANTLY, I WANT ALL GUARDS TO LAY DOWN WEAPONS AND SURRENDER. I REPEAT, LAY DOWN WEAPONS AND SURRENDER. ACT IN A CALM MANNER, DO NOT RESIST INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO YOU AND YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED. CANTERLOT IS TAKEN AND TO FIGHT ON NOW IS A LOOSING BATTLE. WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE.”

Celestia turned off her augment spell and looked Chrysalis directly in the eye. “Now what happens? Are we all to be your slaves? Or pawns in your mad dreams of conquest?”

“Oh, a little from column A, a little from column B.” Chrysalis chuckled. “But thank you for ordering a surrender. That will make things so much easier. Fleur, be a dear and take them all down to the prison.”

Fleur nodded and stepped down from the stage, motioning for a group of drones to follow her. Drone joined the group and without any ceremony the cluster of drones gathered around Celestia, Twilight and Trixie and began to force them off at spell point.

"Wait" Chrysalis called out, comming over to Celestia and pausing to excrete a mat of organic goo over her horn. Celestia felt her control over her magic slip, and she couldn't get a good grasp on any spells. Chrysalis waved them on again.

“Fleur stop, think about what you are doing.” Fancy pants cried out and he tried to follow, only to be held back by Chrysalis. No matter how he struggled, Fancy could not shake off the Changeling and he was quickly brought to his knees. Trixie’s last view of the gentlecolt was of him being struck by the same mind control spell that had felled his wife.

Fleur cleared a path between the drones and the hostage ponies, the spell she was under clearly giving off some kind of signal to the drones that she was working for them, as every drone that she passed made way without a fuss or obeyed orders that she issued without complaint.

The doors to the wedding hall opened and Trixie saw the world outside. Ponies galloped in all directions, trying to escape the insect menace that assailed them, most without success. A small group of royal guards appeared to have not listened to the order to stand down and were still trying to fight off waves of flying black drones. A fight that they were clearly loosing, as one by one the members of the guards were struck down and encased in the organic slime that had covered their bretheren earlier.

The carnival settings fluttered in the breeze, but nopony stopped to appreciate them. In an almost ironic sense, the sun remained shining high in the sky, perched in a deep blue ocean unfettered by clouds. It beamed an undeserved sense of peace and calm over the entire scene of chaos and panic. Before the group, a mother was trying to shield her foal from the nightmare creatures while the father was trying to erect a shield spell around them. Every time that he cast the shield, one of the changelings would shatter it with one of their own spells.

“Let them go, they are a family with child.” Celestia pleaded to Fleur, hoping to break through the control that now twisted the unicorns mind. Fleur returned her plea with a blank look, indifferent to the plight of the family.

“The child is suitable for conversion. We must expand the hive.”

Celestia’s mind blanked in horror as she realised what Fleur was talking about. Drone had informed her once that foals could be turned into changelings if they were converted early enough. Clearly this was at least a part of Chrysalis’s plan for the city and likely the entire kingdom. “You can’t do that. You have no right. I won’t let you.”

Fleur laughed, a hollow noise bereft of any measure of mirth. “And just what do you plan to do to stop us. My Queen has already captured this capital, and from there we will spread out again and again until every city and every settlement has been taken. Colts and Mares will be harvested like crops in a field and a portion of all newborns will be converted into the next wave of drones, eager to serve their queen as I do now.”

Fleur returned to the head of the group and lead the way briskly towards the Canterlot jail complex. Celestia tried to hang back and assist the family, but three drones blocked her way and forced her back into the group, their spells aimed no only at her, but also at the family, a very clear message to the sun goddess not to interfere or else it would lead to trouble for all involved.

Celestia considered trying to take the drones of in hoof to hoof combat, but eventually she dismissed the idea. For all her magical powers, Celestia hadn’t taken exceptionally good care of her physical body. She would be more likely to harm herself and others in a fight than to actually achieve anything beneficial.

Although it may serve as a distraction for Twilight and Trixie.

Just as she was about to make her move on the closest drone, Fleur turned around and stared directly at Celestia. “No, I don’t think so princess. I heard you inhale and your hoof step tense up. Don’t do anything rash or I will gut your dear student like a pig. You know I can handle a sword, and I know just where to cut so that she dies in agony, slow and screaming.”

Fleur’s words chilled Celestia. Even if she knew that it was only because she was under a mind altering spell, it was still disturbing to her a pony that Celestia had considered a friend speak so coldly and of actions that would have revolted her normally. The remaining fight left Celestia’s body and she resigned herself to the trip to the jail. She would have to wait for a better opportunity to present itself later.

The procession marched through the now nearly deserted streets, the few ponies out trying to stay out of sight, and unable to help their princess. One earth pony tried and was quickly subdued by Fleur with a quick sleep spell, a drone picking him up and buzzing off to somewhere with his sleeping form.

Eventually the grim, foreboding structure of the Canterlot Penitentiary came into view. Unlike most of the city, which was done up in a white marble and gilt with golden filigree, the Penitentiary was constructed of solid grey stone, squat and solid as anything could be. It was mostly viewed as a relic of a long passed time, when ponies were less civilised than they were now. Now days the prison was mostly used as a tourist stop, but there was one wing still in service for those offenders deemed dangerous enough for segregation. The building itself was only a front however, the actual cells and innards to the jail were carved directly out of the mountain. The idea had been so that there would be only one way in or out, every other direction other than the exit would be bounded by solid rock.

The design was efficient, as in the prisons history, there had only been one escape and that was mostly down to the resourcefulness of the prisoner, who had spent 30 years planning his escape down to the last detail, only to end up rushing a guard who was still a little drunk one day and just waltzing out the front door in his uniform.

Celestia didn’t hold out much hope that she would be able to replicate such a feat inside a single day.

As they entered into the main entry hall, Celestia, Twilight and Trixie were pushed roughly to the ground and a trio of magic suppressor bands were attached to their horns, clamping down and cutting of their control over their magical abilities. Trixie flashed back to when she was captured by the royal guards, the feeling of being totally cut off from her magic was not a pleasent sensation.

Twilight had never had a suppressor band put onto her horn before and she panicked as she realised that she was without magic for the first time since she was a little foal. It had always been the defining attribute for her, and without it she was helpless to do anything. She started to panic, hyperventilating as she tried to cast a spell, the lower half of her horn glowing but being blocked by the band from going any higher.

Trixie saw her panic and moved over to put a hoof on her shoulder, catching Twilight’s purple eyes in her own. “Relax Twilight. Your magic isn’t gone, we just can’t use it for the moment. We will get that band off you soon, just breathe for now.

Celestia was fitted with a band but one of the drones also coated her horn with a layer of saliva, which instantly hardened to form a crystallised shell around the magical appendage. As the saliva solidified, Celestia felt her connection to the elemental primal magicks of Equestria fade.

Before Twilight’s eyes, Celestia’s muted rainbow mane ceased flowing in the solar wind and faded away until it became a solid mass of pink. The magical presence that Celestia exuded at all times, the regal bearing and hints of vast and untapped power vanished, leaving Celestia a hollow shell of her former glory.

Twilight’s own panic vanished as she felt outrage and indignation towards the handling of her mentor rise in the back of her mind. “What have you done to her?” she demanded of the changelings surrounding her.

Drone stepped forwards to offer an explanation. “We have not harmed your princess. Alicorn magic is far more potent than unicorn magic and must be treated as such. The secretions that now coat her horn disrupt her abilities to control that magic. Do not fear, it will not be permanent. Providing that you all follow instructions, it will only last a short while.”

Celestia looked over her now solid mane and tail. “Why Drone? Why are you doing this?”

Drone gave Celestia a hard look. “I told you, I cannot defy my Queens orders. After the delegation and I split ways, Chrysalis returned to the hives to consolidate her rule. She dispatched 2 other queens who implied that she was unfit to retain her title and conscripted their hives in her own. Her plan has not changed, she still intends to drain Equestria dry of love and joy and use it to fuel her empire. Those who are not suitable for conversion will be mind controlled like our friend Fleur. She will be condition to love and admire the queen endlessly, a constant buffet of emotion for her to feed on. Those who are deemed too much of a risk, not worth the effort or those who struggle against her rule will simply be removed from her way in much the same fashion as the other queens.”

“Enough drone” Fleur cut Drone off coldly. “We have much work to do, take these prisoners to the cells and let’s be done with them.” Fleur began marching again, passing through the hallways and into the prison complex proper, her white coat standing out against the gloom and dust on the walls.

Celestia recognised where they were headed. Fleur was leading them towards the maximum security wing, a place that hadn’t been used in any meaningful way for nearly three centuries. The cells in this wing were special - they had been enchanted with dimensional locks and null fields. Within each cell, a unicorn could use magic providing that they were not wearing a suppressor band, but the bars on the cells had been constructed so as to nullify all forms of magic that came into contact with them, and the entire prison was contained within a dimensional lock that prevented teleporting and phase shifting.

As the trio progressed deeper into the prison, the noticed that the trappings of modern society gave way to rough hewn walls and far simpler designs, no carved stone or fancy decoration. It reminded Twilight of her trip down into the Diamond Dogs warrens. The cages that they passed were old and rusted, but still appeared to be strong – a solid piece of wrought iron tacked onto the front of a blasted out hole in the wall. A small ditch in each cell acted as a privy, but the cells had been abandoned for so long that no smells came from any of them.

Only a few of the cells had been prepared by the changelings however, as the bars on these ones had been coated with the same secretions that covered Celestia’s horn, further negating any spells that could be used down here by the prisoners.

Fleur opened one of the cells and shoved Twilight and Trixie into it, pausing for a moment to remove the suppressor bands that locked their magic. Now that they were in the cages, they would not be needing them. She locked the cage behind her and walked away, leading Celestia further into the line of cages.

Twilight watched her mentor go, Celestia looking back at her and trying to send reassurance through her expression.

Trixie however was more interested in the contents of their cage. There were a few stands of straw that clearly were meant to serve as a bed for the occupants. Other than that, there was nothing of any significance.

There seemed to be some other ponies in the cells next to her, but she couldn’t make out who they were. One white unicorn seemed to be very familiar though.

“Twilight?” A crisp cultured accent asked.

Twilight recognised the voice instantly and it brought her out of her musings over the fate of the princess. “Rarity! Oh thank goodness you are alright.” Twilight rushed over to the edge of her cage, hoping to get a better view of her fashionista friend.

Rarity was unharmed but covered in dirt and dust. To her credit, she didn’t seem worried about it, as she had far more pressing matters to attend to – namely not allowing the changeling goo to touch her instead. She was close to the bars so as to get a better look at Twilight but was still clearly holding back from actually netting near it.

“Twilight, what’s going on? What happened to the princess?”

Twilight sighed. “The changelings are back again, they infiltrated the wedding of Fancy Pants and Fleur-De-Lis and captured the princess. I don’t quite know how they did it.”

“Ah Twilight, I meant after that. I was at the wedding too. Did you really think I would miss the event of the season?”

Twilight skipped ahead in her recap and brought Rarity up to speed on everything she and Trixie had learned from Drone and what they could surmise from what Fleur had been saying. It wasn’t a lot to go on – just that Chrysalis planned to turn Equestria into a love battery and use it to fund and fuel her plans for total domination. It was clear that Chrysalis had to be stopped in any way that they could do so, and somehow prevented from being able to try again. Twilight had never killed anypony before, but she grit her teeth on this one. For the safety of her friends, to avenge what had happened to the princess, and for the common good of all ponies everywhere, she would kill Chrysalis if she had to.

“What we need is a plan to get out of here and free the princess. I’m sure that we could win if we had her help. We can’t just blast our way out through the bars, and we don’t have the time to try and dig our way out. Rarity, Trixie, do you have any ideas.”

Rarity shook her head, but Trixie was busy inspecting the bars of the cage, trying to send small pulses of magic energy through them. Every pulse of magic quickly fizzled when it came too close to the bars, evaporating until there was nothing left. Likewise when she tried to teleport a rock away from her, if vanished for a moment, only to reappear a second later right where it had been.

“Its useless trying to bust out with magic Trixie, I once researched the wards around this place for a paper, not even the princess could escape from these cages unless she had help from the outside. That was the point of them – that if these cages can hold the princess, what hope could a normal unicorn have?”

Trixie didn’t seem to be listening to Twilight though, as she held up a hoof and got closer to the bars, allowing the magical null field to close her magic off as she reached out and touched one of the bars. “Quite, Trixie is thinking.”

Quickly pulling her head back and then jerking it forward, Trixie spat. A glob of her saliva flew through the air, passing cleanly through the bars of the cage and landing on the floor of the walkway.

“Ugh, Gross. Do you really have to do that now?” Rarity wailed as she backed up away from the offending spit, afraid that it may somehow come to life and try to dirty her coat.

Trixie just stared at the glob of her saliva, sitting there and mocking all the ponies with its ability to pass between the cage bars. Twilight could see the gears whiring inside Trixie’s head, an idea bulb all but plastered above her head. After a few moments, the metaphorical bulb lit up and Trixie jumped up.

“Trixie has a plan, but she has no idea if it will work or not. Timing will be critical and she will need your full and unhesitating help for it to work Twilight.”

Twilight perked up at the mention of a plan that she could help with. Whatever it was she would do her best to help Trixie if it meant them all getting out of the prison soon. “Alright, what do you need?”

“Trixie wants you to melt her.” Trixie replied calmly.

“Say what? Melt you. Have you lost your mind Trixie? I can’t do that.” Twilight exclaimed, her conviction of assisting in anyway she could of a few moments ago vanishing like smoke.

“Look, the cage is set on an incline, water would flow out of it and into the walkway. We all saw how Trixie could get a spitball through the bars. If you melt her into water, then she can run through the bars and reform on the other side. Once that has happened, Trixie can find the guard with the keys and free you all.”

Twilight was not convinced. “Are you even sure that your powers can work like that?”

Trixie shook her head. “Trixie only knows that we will get nowhere just sitting in here. Do you have a better idea?”

Twilight dropped her eyes. “No, I don’t. Fine, I’ll try.”

“Good, now before we try, remember what happened when Trixie showed you in Ponyville.”

Twilight thought back. “That’s right, I almost froze. Everypony, get as far away from us as you can.”

The ponies in the other cells back off except for Rarity. “Twilight, what are you talking about?”

Twilight looked over to her friend. “Rarity, Trixie has a plan that might work, but you all need to get as far away from us as you can. It will get very cold in here soon.”

Rarity back away from the bars and joined up with the other ponies in her cell. Trixie for her part moved over close to the bars on her own cell, trying to find the perfect spot for water to flow out through the gaps. “Remember Twilight, you must commit to this fully, else the others in here may freeze. We will only have one shot at this. Are you ready?”

“No, but do I have a choice?” Twilight admitted.

“Not really, now get ready.”

Trixie’s body glowed and she began to shimmer, her coat and mane freezing over as she shifted into her ice form. She found that each time she had done it, it was becoming easier to shift and even in this dank place filled with magic disrupting enchantments it was no problem.

Over in the other cell, Rarity and the others gasped and shrank back as far as they could as they felt a sudden drop in the temperature of the air, frostbloom beginning to form over the slimy gunk coating the cage bars and quickly creeping towards them. Through her crystal eyes, Trixie could see them beginning shiver and their warm breath appear as steam in the air.

“Quickly, Twilight. It’s now or never.” Trixie demanded of Twilight, her voice coming out like the breaking of ice, harsh and scratchy.

Behind Trixie, on the other side of the cage, Twilight also focused on shifting into her elemental form, flames bursting from her mane and her coat changing from her normal purple to a searing hot white.

In the other cage, Rarity’s jaw dropped as she watched her friend burst into flames, her discomfort of the cold momentarily forgotten as she gazed at one of the most intensive displays of magic she had ever seen. While she could make it look as if she was a translucent crystal pony for a short period, Twilight and Trixie appeared to have changed so that they were composed of their respective elements. Burning embers flicked off of Twilight’s coat and settled on the stone ground.

Twilight’s eyes glowed a bright red and several spot fires erupted around Trixie, surrounding her in a wall of flame. The sound of sizzling water quickly followed and Twilight could hear Trixie hiss as the flames licked at her body.

Twilight gasped and the flames surrounding Trixie began to die away as she broke her concentration.

“No, keep going.” Trixie cried out, her voice laced with pain. “We can’t stop now.”

Twilight grit her teeth and focused again on her control over the flames. The fires, which had receded to flickering embers burst forward again and once again encompassed Trixie’s frozen form. Steam began rise up from her body and Twilight could see through the flames as if there were not there.

Trixie’s body was beginning to loose definition, droplets of water running down her flanks and forming slowly expanding puddles on the floor. Her icicle mane was drooping down as if melted and Twilight could see Trixie’s expression as she felt her body melt away into water, she was clearly in pain but was suffering silently. Twilight wanted to stop, but knew that they were too far gone to stop. From this point on, it was total commitment or bust.

With a sickening crack, Trixie’s body shattered into several pieces as her legs broke apart from her body, so melted that they could not support her weight. The water user her body began to flow away from the cell and Twilight quickly doused the fires around the exit point.

As the first drops of water began to flow out and past the bars, the last remains of Trixie’s body melted away into the puddle – her head had landed so that her eyes were looking directly at Twilight’s. Even through the deformation of her features, Twilight could make out the ‘trust me’ look on Trixie’s face.

With no ice remaining, Twilight doused the remaining flames, plunging the prison cell back into the partial dark that it had once been in, glowing crystals providing just enough illumination to see by. Her body quickly followed, her burning tail and mane settling down into her purple mane with the pink forelock, a few charred points the only evidence that she had been consumed by fire just a moment ago.

She settled down on the hot stone floor behind her, hoping that Trixie was right, and that she hadn’t just killed one of her newest friends.

“Twilight, what was that?” Rarity called out tentatively from the other cell, fear of what had just happened colouring her voice as she struggled to comprehend what she had just seen. From her perspective, Twilight had just incinerated Trixie, not even a single strand of hair remained, just a puddle of what she hoped was water. “What did you do to Trixie?”

Twilight looked from the puddle of Trixie that was slowly forming a new pool of water in the middle of the room to Rarity. “She said she had a plan. That puddle of water on the floor IS Trixie. I just hope she knows what she is doing, or we are all in a whole lot of trouble. As to what happened to me, Trixie showed me something about myself when she came to town. We are part of some prophecy, I don’t know exactly what it entails.”

Both ponies turned to look at the expansive puddle that was now welling in the centre of the room. Nothing appeared to be happening at it, it was just resting in a depression on the floor.

Please be ok Trixie, I don’t want to loose you now, not when you are so close to reaching your potential

Minutes passed and nothing seemed to be happening to the puddle. It just remained still, as any puddle of water would do in a similar situation. Twilight felt the bottom fall out of her stomach. She had just killed Trixie, and she was trapped inside a prison controlled by changelings who were going to either turn her into a changeling or convert her into a love battery. She didn’t see how this day could get any worse.

The approaching sounds of hoof steps called her attention back outwards. From around the corner, Fleur came striding out with purpose. In the time that she had been gone, Fleur had found time to don some light barding armour and had strapped a sword to her side. She was not ready for battle if it should come to it. She strode through the puddle of water, pausing only to shake her hooves and glancing around to see if there was a leak of any sort.

Not finding anything, Fleur inspected the cages. Rarity’s cage was exactly as she had left it, all the ponies were accounted for, but the cage containing the two unicorns that had been with the princess was missing one.

“You there, purple one. Where is Trixie?” Fleur demanded of Twilight.

“I don’t know” Twilight lied, hoping that Fleur would not pick up on it. “She just teleported out of here the moment you left us. She is the greatest unicorn that ever lived after all.”

Fleur didn’t look impressed. “You lie. Nopony, not even the Alicorns could escape those cages. Now where is she?”

Behind Fleur, unseen by almost everypony, the puddle of liquid Trixie began to move and shift. Four small mounds of water began to rise up out of the liquid, soaking up the puddle as they rose higher and connected together. Slowly the liquid began to take on the shape of a mare, the four pillars of water resolving into legs and hooves. Twilight saw the spectacle and realised that Trixie was not dead, but was up to something. She would have to keep Fleur attention until Trixie made her move.

“She said something about having another appointment to keep, then she just vanished in a burst of magic. She could be anywhere by now.”

Out of the corner of her eye Twilight saw the liquid pony form finish forming. If looked just like Trixie would, except that it was perfectly clear, exactly as if it was a pony that was comprised out of gravity defying water. With a quiet squelch, Trixie began to take a step forward, her hooves and lower legs beginning to take on a solid shape and her natural blue colour.

“Maybe she is just using a cloaking spell.” Twilight offered a little bit louder than she had been speaking before, hoping that she would be able to cover the sounds of Trixie’s movement. On the stone floor of the prison, hoof steps would echo and reverberate loudly.

Slowly Trixie make her way over towards Fleur, her body now almost fully reconstituted, though her fur and mane were very patchy, looking as if she had had large chunks of her coat ripped off, revealing the pink flesh beneath. As she get behind Fleur, Trixie lifted up a hoof and twirled it in the air behind Fleur’s head, a sign for Twilight to get her to turn around.

Fleur snorted at Twilight. She clearly didn’t believe Twilight’s stories. “I will ask you one last time. Either tell me where Trixie is or I can have you executed right now. Chrysalis remembers you from the last time, all you so called ‘Elements’ were put on the list of ponies too dangerous to keep alive. A public execution would have been preferred, but needs must.”

Twilight took a breath, affecting a look of sadness, as if she was really about to betray another pony. “You want to know where Trixie is. Well she is…”

“Right behind you.” Trixie finished for her.

Fleur whirled around to face the new voice, only to find that a dark blue hoof was rushing directly at her face. She tried to duck, but Trixie was too fast for her and the hoof connected solidly with her muzzle.

Fleur fell to the floor like a dropped sack of potatoes and lay there, not moving in her quilted cloth gambeson but for her breathing. Trixie took a step back and kicked Fleur once again for good measure.

“That was for stepping on me you pompous turncoat.”

Twilight looked up at Trixie in amazement. “I can’t believe that actually worked, Trixie you really are the most talented unicorn in Equestria.”

Trixie looked back at Twilight, her showmare smile plastered all over her face. “Was there ever any doubt?”

Over in the other cage, Rarity was getting a little impatient. “Not to try to rush you or anything, but do you think you could, oh I don’t know, GET US OUT OF HERE?”

“Rarity is right. Trixie, search Fleur and see if she has a key or anything on her.” Twilight agreed.

Trixie got down next to Fleur’s prone body and began searching through the various pockets and pouches she had on. In one pouch she found a filled canteen of water, which she took and kept searching until she found a pair of small keys kept on a thin metal chain around the model turned jailer’s neck. She quickly grabbed both keys and walked over to Twilight’s cage.

“Trixie will have you out in a moment.” Trixie said as she inserted one of the keys and turned it, noting the clicking sound of locks retracting and the door swing open on its rusted hinges.

Twilight literally jumped out of the cage and hugged Trixie in tight, burying her face into the dishevelled remains of Trixie’s mane. “Oh Trixie, I was afraid I had killed you, but you did it. You saved me.”

“Trixie… Can’t… Breath.” Trixie managed to choke out as Twilight continued to squeeze her in tightly, blocking off her airway. Twilight noticed and quickly released her grip, blushing fiercly as she realised what she had been doing.

Trixie gasped for a few moments, sucking in the musty air of the prison before floating the other key over to Twilight. “Go and get the others. Trixie is going to lock this one into our cell.” Trixie indicated Fleur.

Twilight nodded and walked over to Rarity’s cage as Trixie levitated Fleur onto her back and began to walk into the empty cell, dumping the model on the floor with no grace. Back outside the cell, Trixie closed the door and locked it tightly again, sealing the traitor inside. No doubt she would come around and scream out for another guard eventually, but this would hold her for the short term.

As Twilight was opening the other cage and ushering the ponies inside out into the common area, Trixie lifted up the canteen and opened it, pouring all the water out and onto the floor where she had lain herself not a few moments before. Once all the water was out on the floor, Trixie stood in the puddle and she felt energy surge up through her hooves as she had when she was leaving Ixion’s cave.

Her tattered coat and mane began to repair themselves, water appearing over her body and resolving into undamaged hairs. On the other side of the common area, Rarity watched in fascination as Trixie was able to heal herself through nothing more than water, leaving her coat a sparkling blue as if she had just stepped out of a salon. Rarity looked down at her own dusty and matted coat, sighing as she began to tally up the bits it would cost to get herself looking even half as splendid as Trixie looked now.

When Twilight finished getting the last of the ponies out of the cage, the group moved as one in search of where the changelings had stashed princess Celestia. They would need her help in order to rid themselves of the Changeling threat once and for all.

---

Fleur-De-Lis found herself floating in an endless sea of darkness. All around her was an expanse of black, tinged with a sickly green glow. She found that there was nothing below her hooves, and she couldn’t feel which way was up.

Scanning around the expanse, Fleur found that there was only one feature to be found apart from herself. A large green crystal could just be seen floating off to her right, pulsating with the same green glow that permiated the entire region.

Despite its off putting colouration and the waves of vile magic that the crystal was putting out, Fleur didn’t feel repulsed by it, she almost felt as if she should listen to it, allow its magic to consume her and control her body for its own purposes. It promised her happiness free from the crushing burdens that were free will and choice.

She was almost about to open herself up to the crystal’s power when a commanding voice came from behind her.

STOP.

Fleur looked behind her and saw another pony, a unicorn like her, one whom she had never seen in person before, but recognised instantly.

The mare had a dazzling white coat that radiated out its own light, banishing the green glow of the crystal. Her eyes were miss-matched, one a burning red filled with fury that seared all it saw. The other was a frozen blue that pierced into Fleur’s soul and left no nook untouched. A closely cropped shock of blue hair made up her mane, except for one forelock that was a deep purple, which had been left longer than all the surrounding hair.

Strapped to her sides were two curved and wickedly sharp blades, each embedded with jewels and precious stones. Runes banded in gold marked the blades. One blade read ‘Take me up’, the other ‘Cast me away’. The mare radiated a feeling of power that Fleur had only ever felt from the Alicorn royalty.

It was her ancestor, the blademaiden Freize.

All other thoughts were purged from her mind as Fleur dropped to her knees before the greatest member of her family to have ever lived.

Member of my noble line, you have fallen from the path set down to you. Foul sorcery clouds your mind and twists your morals.

Fleur bowed her head at those words. Freize glared at her and condemned her even from the grave.

You must rise above this trickery and become the mare that you have always been destined to be. Your princess will need all the defenders she can get and it falls to you to be the one that shall carry on my legacy.

Fleur heard the sound of straps being undone, followed by the clatter of metal at her hooves. Looking up she saw the twin blades of Freize resting before her.

Take my blades and strike down that which clouds your mind. Purge its evil influences from your soul, become one with yourself once more.

Freize stepped back and Fleur got back to her hooves, picking up the swords and strapping them on to her body. Each of the twin blades left light in her magic, and the gems that adorned the hilts glowed brightly. She turned back to the green crystal, a new sense of purpose allowing her to overcome the wave of energy that lashed against her will.

Unlike before, Fleur found no difficulty in moving towards the crystal, her hooves finding purchase on ground that was invisible to her eyes. Soon she neared the crystal and drew the blades, the energy of the crystal threatening to overwhelm her senses again.

“What are you doing?” another voice came from beside her. Fleur turned to see the form of Chrysalis approaching her from beside the crystal. “Submit to the crystal and you will be at peace once again.”

This foul creature is the source of the taint upon your mind. Strike her from this place and free yourself.

Fleur lifted one of her blades and with a quick motion sliced through the image of Chrysalis, the changeling bursting apart into a cloud of greasy black smoke.

“AAAAAHHHHHHHH” the smoke hissed as it disappeared from view, vanishing inside the crystal and adding to its power.

Strike now, while the guardian is weakened. Cleave it in twain

Fleur lifted both swords up and above her head, the crystal’s power bearing down on her harder and harder the closer she got to striking. With one last burst of magic she sent both blades crashing down upon the crystal, each blade cutting cleanly through the crystal and exiting out the other side. The crystal flashed one and shattered into fragments that broke apart into nothing when they hit the ground.

A splitting pain in her head caused Fleur to loose her grip on the swords and they clattered to the ground. She quickly followed, dropping into a prone position as she clutched her head in agony.

As she rolled around, wishing either for the pain to cease, or the sweet embrace of death to remove her from her torment, Fleur felt a hoof touch her forehead. At once the pain receded from her mind and she lay still. Freize looked down at her, her twin coloured eyes glowing with compassion.

Go now my descendent, forge your own destiny. Equestria is in terrible danger and you must defend it. May Gram and Hrunting serve you as they served me

A bright light burst forth from Freize’s body and Fleur was blinded to all else, the light burning its way through her body and touching her very soul.

Fleur awoke to find herself lying of the floor of the prison cell that she had one used to keep Trixie and Twilight captive. The memories of her encounter with Freize were etched into her mind and she found that she could no longer find any trace of the changelings influence within her mind. It seemed that she was free from Chrysalis’s mind control spell. Getting to her hooves, Fleur began to look around the cell. She needed to find a way out of here so that she could help to save Equestria.

As she stepped forwards, her hoof clattered against something cold and sharp. Looking down she found two blades glittering with magic before her, one was fully formed, while the other seemed to be constructing itself out of the air. The blades were curved and marked in golden runes.

They were Freize’s blades, Gram and Hrunting, two swords not seen in Equestria for hundreds of years. Legends passed down through her family said that they would one day appear again to only a descendent of Freize who was worthy of the title of Sword Master. Fleur had always scoffed at such tales, but here she was, looking directly at the weapons of legend. They had chosen her, and she would honour the call.

Lifting the blades together, Fleur swiped at the bars that blocked her path to freedom. The blades glittered as they flew through the air, gripped tightly in Fleur’s magical glow. The blades cut through the metal and the goo covering the cage door as if they were made of paper and the door instantly fell off its hinges, creating a gap through which Fleur could escape the prison.

Sheathing Gram and Hrunting, Fleur stepped out of the cell and made her way towards the exit. She may have banished Chrysalis from her mind, but her blades now thirsted for the real thing.

She would give them what they wanted before long.

Author's Note:

And we are now into the business end of the story. Trixie learns a new aspect to her power and Fleur takes up her family birthright.

For those who are interested, Freize's weapons reference 3 legendary swords from myth.
The sword Gram was a weapon wielded by the Norse Hero Sigurd (Sigfried) to slay the Wyrm Fafnir
The other sword Hrunting is the blade used by Beowulf in combat against Grendel's Mother. Those who know the Epic of Beowulf may speculate on the significance of this specific sword.

The runes that adorn their surfaces are meant to be on another sword. In several depictions of Arthurian Lore, the magical sword Excalibur is adorned with runes on one side that say 'Take me up', and 'cast me away' on the other side, indicating the need for the sword to be used only in the most critical of times.

Comments

[RaZz0r]

Well i really like this fic so far i cant wait for the next chapter Keep up the good work!

[Fimbulvinter]

1946609 I can assure you I am hard at work on the next chapter.
Thanks for watching we too

[RaZz0r]

1946619
/deep breath YaY! I cant wait!