After half of the late King Sombra's diary was stolen, Team Trixie is hired to recover it from the Horizon Walkers before the terrible knowledge inside is used against Equestria!
After the demise of King Sombra, the royal sisters seized his personal writings for study and eventually to seal them away. However, half of his journal is stolen by Golden Jubilee, a sorceress from the secretive organization called the Horizon Walkers. Team Trixie is hired to recover this journal before the Walkers can learn of the dark knowledge the late king had written within them.
As the investigation brings Trixie close to the Walkers, she uncovers how Golden knew of the hidden half of the journal and just what reason the Walkers want the second half. Trixie must confront a past fear as the trail leads her to an old artifact she is uncomfortably familiar with - The Alicorn Amulet.
The quiet and serene evening that enveloped the Crystal Empire was killed with a fiery explosion from the castle. Shattered glass and bits of crystalline wall from the third floor rained down upon the streets below. A black pillar of smoke slowly crawled out of the newly ripped hole in the castle and slithered up into the night sky.
Shining Armor led the guards to the origin of the explosion at the palace gallery. His wife, Princess Cadance, reigned in the panicked staff away from the fires that consumed the tapestries in the hallways outside the entrance. The guards ripped the burning drapes down and stomped out the flames. The gallery itself contained a raging inferno that consumed everything it touched.
“Is it a changeling attack?!” one of the guards asked nervously.
“I’m not sure, but that explosion definitely came from inside the gallery,” Shining responded. “Bring the fire brigade over here! We need this fire under control!”
Crystal ponies with yellow helmets and thick coats galloped down the hall with buckets full of water. They formed a line and passed the water buckets forward to douse the flames. Smoke severely reduced visibility and the brigade had to swap out members constantly due to the harsh soot-soaked air. The orderly line began to disperse into a chaotic crowd as ponies got lost under the dark haze.
“Where are the pegasi?!” Shining bellowed, “I need this smoke cleared, now!”
Four pegasi guards arrived to move the dark smoke out of the hallway. The fire brigade advanced slowly into the gallery and a second fire team arrived with a long hose and water pump. The fires were snuffed out under a torrential attack of water from the ponies. A search began once the fires were controlled for victims. An amber-coated brigade mare spotted a body between two statues. She seized him and dragged the injured victim out to safety. Shining Armor recognized the body as Lieutenant Flint Locke.
“He’s still alive. Take him to the infirmary,” Shining commanded to the mare.
The mare hoisted Flint onto her back and she hurried off down the hallway as the rest of the brigade put out the last of the flames. The smoke was finally cleared out of the gallery to fully assess the damage.
The fire marshal walked up to Shining, his gaze at the large hole in the castle wall that led outside. “Was this an attack?” the marshal asked.
The white stallion shrugged with frustration. “I don’t know for sure, but I want all available guards to battle-ready positions immediately. Princess Cadance will likely declare a state of emergency.”
“Sir!” shouted one of the guards from the far end of the corridor. It was the rookie Flash Sentry, and upon his back was an unconscious mare from the fire brigade. She was the same mare Shining had sent out minutes ago to the infirmary with Flint, but this mare was missing her uniform.
“I found her stashed away in a closet!” Flash remarked with worry.
Shining quickly gathered the troops around him. “Gentlecolts, we have a spy among us.”
~ ~ ~
The false brigade mare reached the top of the staircase and dropped Flint Locke carelessly against a large wooden door. The lieutenant grunted in pain as he looked around.
“This… this isn’t the infirmary,” Flint said weakly.
The mare rummaged through the lieutenant’s pockets and took his set of keys. She began to locate the right key to unlock the door.
Flint tried to grab at the keys, but the mare pushed him away. “Just who are you?” Flint asked.
The mysterious mare unlocked the door and stepped inside the castle’s restricted library. She ransacked the two desks in a hurried search for an item, but appeared to not find what she looked for. Her attention then turned to a stack of large paintings that leaned against a wall.
Flint sat up and called out to her. “Hey, I don’t know what you’re looking for,” he said, “But you won’t find it before you’re caught!”
The mare pulled back a tarp over several portraits of the former King Sombra. She rummaged through the thick-framed paintings until she came to one that was different than the others. This painting depicted the late tyrant wearing a pair of rose-colored reading glasses. The mare ripped into the canvas with ease and pulled out half of a book that was hidden within the wooden frame.
Shining and half a dozen palace guards reached the top of the stairs and took position at the doorway. The guards pointed their strapped slingshots at the mysterious intruder and pulled back steel ball bullets.
“Drop the book and put those hooves up in the air!” Shining ordered.
The mare pulled off her fire brigade helmet. Long locks of crimson fell around her shoulders. Shining was momentarily stunned when he gazed upon the mare’s silver eyes.
“Golden Jubilee…?” the stallion muttered. He quickly regained his composure. “Open fire!”
The guards released their slingshot bands and unleashed a hail of steel balls at the cream earth pony. Golden ducked behind a desk for cover as bullets chewed into the large tomes and furniture that protected her. The sorceress concentrated on a spell and produced small arcs of electricity at the end of a fore-hoof. She shot the energetic black bolt aimlessly over the desk at the guards. Two of the guards were struck by the errant spell and fell paralyzed on the floor.
The exterior wall behind her exploded and sent chunks of crystalline stone through the bookshelves. The guards grabbed Flint and backed away from the shrapnel. An airship with a black gasbag hovered just outside the breech. From the deck, three pegasi in dark blue flight suits jumped over the gap into the library. They raised long tube-like weapons with hoses that trailed back into the airship. Pressurized steam in the hoses fed the steel balls through the tubes and straight out at the guards with high velocity.
The ponies scattered as the bullets smashed against the doorway. Torn pages from books fluttered everywhere as the guards returned fire from the cover of various crates and shelves. Golden tried to retreat toward the airship, but the heavy fire from Shining’s guards kept her pinned down behind the desk.
“Out of the way!” shouted a burly stallion that arrived with a large mechanical container upon his back. “Flamethrower coming through!”
The heavy soldier reached the doorway, followed by another half dozen armed guards. Another guard grabbed the handle on the large tank and pumped it several times. The stallion leveled a long metal hose attached to the tank and pointed it at the enemy pegasi.
“Are you mad?!” Flint interrupted.
“Necessary precaution!” Shining shouted out. “Left flank, keep Golden pinned down! Flamethrower, I want those pegasi cooked!”
A jet of fire burst forth from the hose and quickly consumed the air around the dark suited pegasi. They took cover behind debris from the scalding heat. One of the hoses caught fire and burst into a cloud of hot steam. Golden fired another black bolt of lightning at the guards. She quickly jumped out from behind the desk and grabbed the flamethrower’s tank with her levitation magic. Her magical silver eyes narrowed and the burly stallion was thrown backwards down the stairs with a resounding, and painful, clatter, tank and all.
Steel balls whizzed past Golden’s head and one struck her in a hind leg. The sorceress fell over in pain, the journal still clutched tightly in her grasp. The enemy pegasi dove out from their hiding positions and grabbed Golden under the hail of bullets from the guards.
Shining Armor led a charge into the room. Two of the pegasi fired off steel balls into the guards’ paths as the third carried Golden back to the black airship outside. The sorceress held up the stolen journal with a wave to Shining as the ship pulled away from the castle.
“Mine now,” Golden said with a satisfied grin.
The guards continued to fire the last of their steel balls at the escaping airship, but their bullets did little damage to the craft’s hull. The dark airship emitted a soft hum as it faded away like evaporating fog. The guards were dumbstruck that the airship had vanished so quickly.
Shining Armor gathered the guards together. “Get the injured to the infirmary,” he commanded, “And will some pony get me a quill? Princess Celestia must be informed immediately!”
“What good is half of a journal to them?” one of the guards asked.
Shining shook his head. “That was half of the late King Sombra’s diary. There is nothing good at all within that journal.”
Warm, firm hooves held Trixie by the shoulders as she slowly opened her eyes. Sitting over her on the bed was a fine stallion with an azure coat and a mane of bright cornflower blue hair like her own. The stallion gazed into Trixie’s violet eyes with a beaming smile as he leaned in. He kissed Trixie gently on the lips. She blushed dreamily for a moment… but then realized his lips were cold and coarse like sand.
Trixie swung her left fore-hoof and struck the stallion hard in the head. He rolled off the bed and landed with a hard thud against the wooden floor of Trixie’s wagon home. In a flash of sickly green light, the once handsome stallion transformed into a scrawny bug-like pony.
“By Starswirl’s beard, Zeeps!” Trixie scolded as she wiped her lips. “What do you think you’re trying to do?!”
The changeling sat up and rubbed her aching head. “I was trying to make myself some breakfast,” Zeeps replied.
Trixie jumped out of bed and walked angrily past the changeling. “Humph!” the unicorn barked. “I am no pony’s meal ticket, let alone their meal.” She walked up to the wagon’s only window and opened a pair of shutters to let the crisp autumn air caress her face. The residents of the gypsy commune outside Trixie’s wagon were out and about their morning business. The azure unicorn magically levitated a brush off her dresser and casually combed her mane as she watched the ponies trot about. The peaceful atmosphere inspired a song in her mind.
“Quiet town, Trixie bids you morning…” she began to sing.
“Shut up, we don’t need a musical number!” interrupted a grumpy old stallion from the crowd.
Trixie frowned and put her comb back down on her dresser. “Philistines, the lot of them,” she grumbled. The azure unicorn scratched at an itch from one of several scars she had on her left foreleg.
Zeeps magically changed her own appearance to look like Daring Do and walked over to join Trixie by the window. “This commune seems much more irritable then how you described them,” the changeling pointed out.
“Things were different when I grew up here years ago,” Trixie remarked longingly. “There was always song and merriment in every pony’s heart. Now it seems the community is more…”
“Smelly? Dirty?” Zeeps interrupted to finish Trixie’s sentence. “Have they heard of soap?”
“Jaded,” the unicorn snapped back, “And yes, they’ve heard of soap. The Broncks is just one of those odd-smelling places in Neigh York. Open sewers, factory smoke, that sort of thing. You won’t find the luxury of a princess out in this borough.”
“What about the royal guard?” Zeeps asked.
The changeling pointed to a pair of pegasi guards that wore the royal gilded armor of Canterlot. The two soldiers ignored the odd looks that the nomadic ponies gave them as they slowly marched over to Trixie’s little home. Neither soldier appeared to be armed, but Trixie noticed that they each had more than enough muscle to make that fact trivial.
Without a knock, Ellie and Cheryl burst into the wagon. Ellie was flapping her one good wing with anticipation while Cheryl remained stoic as usual. The two friends hurried inside and closed the door.
“Trixie, there are Canterlot guards here!” the pegasus said excitedly.
“Yes, I noticed that,” Trixie replied as she watched the two guards circle around the wagon to the door. “Why they are here is the million bits question.”
The shorter guard rapped loudly on the front door. The other eyed the commune residents with suspicion. “Miss Trixie Lulamoon?” the short soldier called out. “Princess Luna requires your immediate presence!”
Trixie exchanged a surprised glance with her friends before she hurried over to the door. The show-mare cleared her throat and swung the door open with fanfare.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie welcomes you!” she said in a boisterous tone. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Trixie looked behind the guards, but she noticed that Princess Luna was nowhere to be seen. The two stoic guards at her doorstep were the only ones here.
The taller guard stepped forward. “Her majesty has a task for you in the name of the royal crown.”
Zeeps leaned in closer. “Do you mean a job?” the changeling asked. “Does it pay well?”
“It is a service,” the shorter guard corrected, “One that the princess wishes Trixie to perform for her country.”
“That would be a ‘no’, bug butt,” Cheryl whispered to Zeeps.
The azure unicorn felt slightly crestfallen that she was asked to work pro bono, but if the task garnered a lot of attention, she could still turn it to her advantage. “A service for the crown?” she asked with a beaming smile. “Ah, no doubt that the princess has recognized Trixie’s expertise on changelings and wishes to utilize her skills to deal with the growing threat to the west?”
“No, Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight are dealing with the changeling issue,” the second guard corrected. “Princess Luna would like you to research information on a book.”
At that moment Trixie’s ego hit the cold floor. She was filled with disappointment wrapped in an ugly little bow of jealousy… or was it insult? She couldn’t decide. The unicorn’s eyebrows furled. “I must apologize, but Trixie is not currently available for menial library studies. Please let the princess know that Trixie must decline the offer.”
She turned around to abandon the conversation, but her eyes met the white crescent symbol of Princess Luna’s necklace. Trixie and her friends all jumped away with a startle. Even Cheryl was surprised with the alicorn’s sudden appearance. How long was Luna standing behind them and how did no one notice her enter the wagon? The princess was not a pony of small stature.
“That was a command, not a request,” Luna said firmly. “Guards, you are dismissed. Citizens, I ask thee to vacate as well. I wish to speak with Trixie in privacy.”
Cheryl and Ellie left the wagon without a word, but Zeeps defiantly stepped closer to her unicorn friend. “I insist that I remain with Trixie for our mutual protection,” the changeling stated. The two strong guards seized her from behind and pulled her out the front door with minimal effort. Zeeps let her hooves drag across the ground.
“On second thought,” the changeling timidly said to the guards, “How about we go out for quesitos? I don’t know what they are, but I heard there’s a bakery up the road that makes them every morning with love. You think that’s a real ingredient?”
Once they all were out of earshot, Luna closed the door and window shutters with her magic. Trixie recomposed herself in front of the princess and invited her to sit down. As there were no chairs in her tiny home, the unicorn motioned to the bed.
“Trixie hopes this isn’t about the embellishment of your character in her second novel,” the unicorn said worriedly. “Trixie can still make changes before it goes to the publisher.”
“Nay,” Luna corrected, “I speak of a great threat to Equestria, more so than the changelings from Mount Reindeer.” The princess looked around to ensure that they were alone. “Let us utilize the privacy of the dream world to converse further.”
Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Alright, how do we get there?”
Luna touched her horn to Trixie’s forehead. “To sleep!” she bellowed as a spell struck the azure unicorn.
Trixie felt her body collapse on the hard wooden floor, but her vision remained in the air. She couldn’t see her body beneath her, but she could feel it. It was a very disorienting sensation. A black veil with tiny star lights surrounded them. Luna sat down on what appeared to be a throne made of shadows. Trixie had to admit to herself that Luna’s dream world was quite impressive.
“Three days ago there was an attack upon the Crystal Empire,” Luna stated. “Half of a dangerous journal was stolen by the earth pony you and I know as Golden Jubilee.”
The azure unicorn’s heart skipped a beat. “What… But then… How?” she stuttered. Trixie wished she had a pair of forelegs in this non-corporeal form to flail about.
The princess shook her head. “How Golden accomplished the heist is of no consequence. What you should focus on is that the journal she had stolen belonged to the late King Sombra. My sister and I have only recently commissioned the decryption of his writing, but what our scholars have gleaned thus far is that Sombra’s journal contains information pertaining to two dangerous artifacts he had hidden away before his downfall. These artifacts were instrumental in his takeover of the Crystal Empire over a thousand years ago.”
The unicorn looked at the princess with uncertainty. “Alright, but what is my role in all this? Your guards said I’m to do research on a book, which I now assume is this journal. No offense, but this doesn’t seem necessary if you already have scholars translating it.”
Luna leaned in closer to Trixie. “’Research’ is an understated word for the task I charge you with,” the princess explained. “I wish for you to infiltrate the Horizon Walkers and glean information on what they plan to do with Sombra’s journal. Perhaps you will even learn what the two artifacts are from the Walkers.”
Trixie gulped down hard. At least, she tried to, but she couldn’t feel her throat in this dream world. If she was going to be pitted against the Horizon Walkers again, she expected retaliation by some vicious magic spells. “Why haven’t you come out publically about the Walkers yet?” Trixie asked the princess.
“They may have members within our own government,” Luna explained with concern. “Therefore, I cannot trust any pony outside of the royals. This is why I have sought you. I need an agent who can work outside the system and your experience with the Walkers gives you the best chance of uncovering their agenda.”
“I’m flattered that you have this much faith in me,” Trixie said, “But working outside the system has a few challenges. One of which is prison, and I’ve not been too fond of that experience.”
Luna nodded. “I shall pardon any misdemeanor charges should you be caught. However, please use discretion with your activities. I can only do so much before my sister learns of our unsanctioned espionage.”
“Princess Celestia doesn’t know we’re doing this?” the unicorn asked in a surprised tone.
“No, my sister would not approve of my plans to infiltrate the Horizon Walkers without due process,” Luna replied. “Therefore it is best that we keep our investigation a secret for now. Debon Aire has invited me to a soiree this evening at his current location, so you may see it fit to use that distraction for your activities. Send word by magical scroll tomorrow morning if you have learned anything of relevance.”
Trixie snorted. If there was ever a pony who considered Trixie their antagonist, it was sure to be Debon.
The princess stood up. “I know that I am asking a lot of you,” Luna said gravely, “But these are dark times for Equestria and they can only be met with bold actions. Once we overcome these challenges, I promise that you shall be rewarded the due respect of a hero. Now go and gather your friends. I must return to Canterlot before my sister learns of my absence.”
“Wait, one last question,” Trixie interrupted. “Why are you only telling me this? Why not explain it to Team Trixie all at once?”
Luna took in a deep breath. “Your changeling friend is my reason why.”
“You don’t trust Zeeps?” Trixie asked. “I assure you, she has no loyalty to the Horizon Walkers.”
“No, but she does to her hive,” Luna countered. “I have walked her dreams, Trixie. Your friend is from Mount Reindeer and should her hive and Equestria clash… well, you shall be wise to keep your wits about you.” Princess Luna raised a hoof and unleashed a bright flash of white light.
Trixie found herself lying alone on the wooden floor of her wagon home. She sat up and wiped the drool from her lower lip. On the ground beside her was a note with an address written upon it.
The note read ‘Debon Aire, 5318 Nimbus Street, Cloudsdale.’
The unicorn turned over the address a few times in her mind. “Cloudsdale?” she muttered to herself. Trixie wondered what had driven Debon to stay in a city that was inherently difficult for non-pegasi. This posed a unique challenge for her, but one she felt confident to overcome with her friends. The azure unicorn donned her purple cape and hat hastily before she jumped out the front door.
The commune continued to mind its business as if the guards had never shown up. Indeed, they both had disappeared without a trace of their visit. Trixie located her friends on a nearby bench, eating a stack of cheese pastries. The azure unicorn trotted over to them with a confident smile, though her grin began to wane at the sight of a pastry impaled on Zeep’s horn.
“Hey Trixie!” Ellie greeted. "So, are you already done with your meeting? What did the princess want?"
Zeeps offered up a pastry. “Want a quisito? They’re pretty good.”
The unicorn shook her head. “Perhaps later,” she replied. Trixie looked up at the pastry over the changeling's head. “Do I want to know?”
“The bakery told bug-butt that they’re made with love,” Cheryl explained flatly. “She’s just taking it to a stupid level.”
“Like you’re an expert on how we eat emotions,” Zeeps said defensively.
Trixie held up a hoof. “Table it. I want a team huddle right now. Princess Luna tasked us with an important investigation and we need to start planning immediately.”
“Sweet, we’re going on a new adventure!” Ellie cheerfully stated. “I’ve been itching to try out a few new inventions I came up with.” The pegasus rubbed her fore-hooves together eagerly.
Cheryl rolled her eyes at the pegasus. “I hope your ideas don’t involve fire this time,” the earth pony muttered.
“Can we meet some place fancy?” Zeeps asked as she took another bite of her pastry. “I mean, this commune is alright, but it is pretty dull and smelly.”
Trixie smirked as she held up the address. “How about we hold our meeting at Debon’s place? Is that fancy enough for you?”
Zeeps spent the next five minutes coughing up the pastry she had nearly choked on.
~ ~ ~
“Mind the gap, folks,” the captain joked as the passengers disembarked from the airship. The bright orange of the evening sun glowed upon the pegasi entering Cloudsdale. As the passengers claimed their luggage, they took flight off the ship’s deck and into the grand city above the clouds.
Ellie and Zeeps gathered the team’s sparse gear while Trixie spoke with one of the unicorn attendants on the ship. “Trixie will need three cloud-walking spells,” the azure unicorn stated as she dug out some money. “Two days duration should suffice.”
The attendant looked at Ellie and Zeeps questioningly. “You know pegasi don’t need this spell,” the gray-coated attendant explained.
Trixie waved off the attendant’s concern. “Look, that’s not really Daring Do over there. She’s just an earth pony who really loves the books.” The azure unicorn shoved the bits into the attendant’s hooves. “Now make with the magic, chop-chop.”
As the attendant prepared the spells, Trixie noticed that Cheryl stood by the railing and stared nervously at the soft, white surface that floated near them. The show-mare felt bad that her friend was the only earth pony on the airship. However, this was the city that Princess Luna’s address pointed them to and they had an important mission to accomplish. Trixie mentally noted to make it up to Cheryl later once they were back on solid ground.
The attendant cast the cloud-walking spell on Trixie, Cheryl, and Zeeps. The group then lifted their bags and walked to the edge of the deck. Without a second thought, the unicorn jumped off the ship and landed safely on the fluffy white ground across the gap. Ellie and Zeeps followed suit, but Cheryl hesitated.
“Confound these pegasi,” Cheryl muttered as she studied the gap between her and the clouds. She took in a deep breath and sprung off the airship’s deck. She cleared the space and her hooves dug into the soft surface. Her weight was held up by the spell, but Cheryl spread her legs out and walked gingerly as if she was treading upon eggshells.
“Come on, Cheryl,” Ellie implored as she adjusted her saddlebag. “We don’t want to be late for the party.”
The earth pony refused to walk faster. “This is a bad idea,” Cheryl angrily complained. She tried not to look down through the many open spaces in the clouds. “So how come bug-butt had to get a spell too? She can fly.”
“Cloud-walking is inherent with pegasi, alicorns, and certain types of birds,” Zeeps explained, “But not with changelings. Casting such a spell on an entire hive to duplicate the effect isn’t practical. Otherwise we would have invaded this city long ago since Cloudsdale can’t be defended with ground troops.”
“What a comforting notion,” Trixie muttered sarcastically, “That this city’s best defense is the fact changelings can’t flap their wings all day.”
“Yeah, lucky pegasi,” Zeeps added as she missed the joke.
“Pegasi aren’t the only cloud-walkers,” said a blue-gray mare that approached them. Her long midnight blue mane and dark amber eyes were a stark contrast to her bright cloudy surroundings, but it was the pair of bat wings folded to her sides that drew the group’s attention. The bat-pony flashed a wide smile which exposed a set of tiny fangs. “I’m Minuit, one of Princess Luna’s personal guards.”
“Well ain’t you a peach,” Cheryl said in an annoyed tone. “So what in tarnation do you want?”
“You must be Cheryl, the grumpy one,” Minuit giggled. “Princess Luna asked me to relay a message to Trixie. There has been a change of plans and the princess cannot attend Debon’s soiree tonight.”
“A change of plans?” Trixie asked. “How much of a change are we talking here?”
The bat-pony scratched her chin. “Well, you didn’t hear this from me, but I overheard that Celestia suspects there is a mole among her advisory staff. So she decided to move the other half of Sombra’s journal out of the Cloudsdale museum by airship, tonight. Only the royal guards assigned to the transport know where the journal is going.”
“Did you happen to overhear where it was headed?” Zeeps asked eagerly.
Minuit glanced around to ensure no other ponies were eavesdropping before she leaned closer. “Can you keep a secret?” she whispered.
“Not really, no,” Zeeps replied softly.
“Me neither, that’s why they didn’t say it out loud,” Minuit said with a grin.
Trixie tapped a hoof impatiently on the white ground. “Well, thank you for that diversion,” she said tersely, “But we have a mission and if the princess isn’t attending Debon’s party, then I have one less card in my hand to play… unless you wish to assist us?”
“No, I have my orders,” Minuit replied, “But I would presume that Luna has confidence in your ability to improvise around this challenge. Good luck and fare thee well!” The bat-pony gave a slight bow and then took off into the air toward the city.
“That was an awfully strong presumption,” Ellie commented. “I reckon she knows something about this party that we don’t.”
Zeeps rubbed her elbow against Ellie. “Or the princess expects that we’ll burn the house down with our crazy antics. You know, like the last one in San Anponio?”
The azure unicorn angrily tugged at her purple hat. “Don’t remind me,” she said slowly. “Alright then, we have one suspicious bat-pony following us. Though, if she is genuine, why would Princess Luna send us a messenger instead of something more secure such as magic scroll?”
“Maybe she’s too busy?” Ellie postulated.
Cheryl cleared her throat. “If we’re done here, can we get this stupid job over with so that I can get back down to solid ground? I’m getting dizzy looking at all this empty sky here.”
Ellie let out an amused snort. “I didn’t realize you were afraid of heights, Cheryl.”
“I ain’t afraid of ordinary heights,” Cheryl said defensively, “But I draw the line at standing on a cloud being held up by some cheap unicorn spell.”
“Very well,” Trixie stated as she urged the group to resume their pace. “Let us continue with our plan as it is. I’ll make adjustments as problems crop up.”
~ ~ ~
Debon’s residence in Cloudsdale was a simple three-story apartment building deep within a middle-class neighborhood. The clouds that made up its exterior walls were sculpted to look like bricks and the surrounding streets were lit with floating paper lanterns anchored to the clouds with silk strings. It was slightly shorter than its surrounding neighboring structures, but its wooden framed glass windows were found on no other building in the area. This was a clear sign that this was no ordinary apartment. Who else but a well off globe-trotting stallion with eccentric tastes and a small organization of black-magic wielding ponies at his disposal would live here?
Trixie and her friends stood on the roof of the apartment building behind Debon’s abode. The sun began to set upon their backs as they looked across the significant gap between the buildings. Trixie couldn’t see through the curtains to confirm what was inside. She made a guess on which window might be the bathroom and noted it in the back of her mind.
Down below, a gathering of pegasi filled the street. It was a casual party, one without any fancy decorations or a large orchestra playing music. Just ponies that conversed quietly and drank various soft beverages. Trixie had to check the address to ensure she was at the right place.
Ellie pulled out several devices from a burlap sack. She attached a bracer to her fore-leg that was equipped with a grappling hook. Next the pegasus donned a pair of goggles with three lenses. The third lens was set in between the first two and was filled with a fine white powder. The last device was a set of mechanical wings on a harness. Trixie stood still as the pegasus strapped this contraption to the unicorn’s back.
Ellie furled her brows and poked at the numerous scars on Trixie’s left foreleg. “What did you do to yourself?” she asked the unicorn in a concerned tone.
“Oh, those?” Trixie said dismissively. “It was just a small accident with some fireworks, nothing serious.”
Zeeps cleared her throat. “Actually, Trixie was letting me blast her with magic,” the changeling corrected. “She wanted to duplicate that spell reflection effect she did with Golden’s lightning last month.”
“What?!” Ellie shouted out. “Trixie, what were you thinking?”
The unicorn stammered in place. “Shhh! Keep it down!” she whispered harshly. “Fine, I was doing something stupid. I wanted to know how I was able to throw that lightning spell back, but so far nothing I’ve tried worked. Yes, I even let Zeeps hit me a few times with her spells too, but nothing too dangerous. It’s not like it was my worst idea ever.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Cheryl muttered flatly.
Trixie made a pout and looked away from her friends. Ellie sighed and tightened the straps on the mechanical wings. As the pegasus finished her work, Cheryl glanced down at the three-story drop between the two buildings.
“Well, I don't see Debon, or any of the Walkers we've met before," Cheryl stated. "I have to ask though. Is there a particular reason why you’re not taking your usual direct approach, blue bunko? I mean, maybe Debon is inside, maybe one or two Horizon Walkers are out there in the street, but I don’t see stealth to be your style.”
Zeeps nodded in agreement. “Yeah, there are pegasi flying all over this city. I would think that we’d be less noticeable on the ground. I’m sure just two of us can overpower his butler at the door.”
Trixie shook her head. “You mean Debon’s psycho claw-wielding butler, Cervantes? Thank you, but I rather keep my face intact. Celestia only knows what his house maid turns into. No, rather than risk a nasty fight at the front door, I will glide silently over to his roof and sneak inside.”
“Gliding silently is easy,” Ellie pointed out, “But landing silently is going to be a trick for some pony who was never a pegasus.”
“Ever the doubter,” Trixie said with a smirk as she approached the edge of the roof. She pulled a cord on the harness with her magic and the mechanical wings unfurled wide. “So then, how do I look?” the unicorn asked.
“Like Icarus just before his maiden flight,” Cheryl chided.
Trixie frowned. “Humph, then prepare to be amazed.”
“I’m already amazed that Cheryl actually read a piece of classic literature,” Ellie chimed in. The pegasus flinched as the earth pony slapped her hard behind the head.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come along?” Zeeps asked.
The azure unicorn nodded. “I need you to be my distraction. Once I’m on the roof, you draw out the crowds by impersonating Princess Luna. Cheryl will back you up should the crowd question your performance.”
Zeeps had an indignant look upon her face. “Luna? She’s kind of… big for me to impersonate.”
“You can’t do tall ponies?” Trixie asked incredulously.
“It’s not like your illusions,” the changeling explained. “Our ability only does subtle changes to our size. That’s why we usually copy ponies of similar builds. I’d look like a really short Luna if I tried.”
The azure unicorn let out a vexed sigh. She thought about an alternate distraction that would draw a large crowd, but Ellie blurted out something that surprised even her.
“Change yourself into Princess Twilight,” the green-maned pegasus suggested. “She’s not much taller than you.”
“Do I look like your trick monkey?” Zeeps growled.
Trixie put a hoof on the changeling’s shoulder. “We don’t have time to debate this. Please help me out here Zeeps. You’ll earn my adoration and respect if you do, which in your case I’ll assume is like giving candy to a child.”
The changeling transformed herself in a flash of green light. She now stood there as a purple unicorn with a short sapphire blue mane. “Oh! Oh! Trick monkey, ready for distraction!” Zeeps said eagerly as she pranced over to the fire escape.
“She scares me at times,” Ellie muttered.
“The colors are slightly off,” Trixie whispered thoughtfully, “But it’ll have to do. Watch her, Cheryl.”
The earth pony nodded and walked off to follow Zeeps down the side of the building. Trixie and Ellie stepped up on the roof’s railing. The chilly evening air buffered the unicorn’s mane as she looked down at the gap between the buildings. She held her breath and jumped off the roof.
Trixie held onto the straps of her wings tightly. She glided slowly over the street below and reached the roof of Debon’s abode. All four of her hooves planted themselves on the soft surface, but she slid several feet across the roof to an awkward stop and nearly toppled over.
The azure unicorn triumphantly raised a hoof, but her celebration was quickly cut short when Ellie swooped in and landed beside her with a sound no louder than a cat’s step. The unicorn quickly brushed through her mane as if that was what she meant to do with her raised hoof.
“Should we try the door to the stairwell?” Ellie asked.
Trixie shook her head and walked over to the edge of the roof. “No, that’s probably locked tight. Let’s try a window.” The azure unicorn pulled out a rope from underneath her purple hat and tied it to a metal ventilation pipe on the roof. She had to stop and think about that for a moment. Metal pipes and wood-framed windows on a building made of clouds? Trixie began to think Debon was trying to redefine the word 'eccentric'.
“Do be careful,” Ellie whispered as she grabbed the rope to help support Trixie’s weight.
“I believe we’re past that point,” the unicorn said as she slid quietly down the side of the building. She reached what she believed was the bathroom window. Trixie used her magic to pull the window pane up and open. It was at that moment that a white pegasus maid had pulled the curtains apart to look outside. The two stunned ponies locked eyes for a full second.
Trixie threw herself into the open window as the maid tried to shut the pane. The unicorn’s mechanical wings tangled against the window frame and left her caught halfway inside the bathroom. The maid shrieked and slapped Trixie several times over with a hand towel. Ellie slid down the rope to help Trixie, but the unicorn’s flailing legs prevented her from untangling the stuck wings.
Cheryl watched the chaotic scene unfold from across the street. She sighed heavily while Zeeps giggled like a little filly. The earth pony scowled. “You better get out there and distract the crowd before they look up,” she stated.
The changeling nodded with an amused snort. She pranced out onto the street with a flick of her tail. “Greetings, winged citizens!” Zeeps shouted. “It is I, Princess Twilight. Gather around and look upon my princess-ness!”
The crowd of pegasi gathered, but they bore expressions of confusion instead of awe. Zeeps continued to prance and bow on the street in a show of mockery until two burly pegasi in black bowties approached her.
“Leave,” one of the two large ponies commanded.
“I will not,” Zeeps countered. “I am Princess Twilight and I’ll prance where I please.”
The second pegasi grabbed Zeeps by the shoulders and lifted her off the fluffy ground. “Oh yeah?” he said angrily. “Well if you’re the princess, then where are you wings?”
“Wings?” Zeeps muttered with a confused look.
Cheryl mentally kicked herself that she hadn’t noticed it before. Zeeps assumed Twilight was still a unicorn! The earth pony gulped down her fears and raced out onto the street. She pushed her way through the crowd and seized the changeling by the tail.
“Look, I’ll take her off your hooves,” Cheryl said to the two burly ponies. “She’s just an addle-minded friend of mine.”
“Well what do we have here? An earth pony in Cloudsdale?” the first bowtie wearing pegasi asked aloud. “You’re way out of your element, missy.”
“Yeah, I know,” Cheryl muttered in reply. “Ain’t my idea, but if it’s all the same to you, I’ll just take my friend and leave.”
“You do that,” the second pegasi said sharply as he dropped Zeeps on the ground. “Get out of my sight, you stupid background pony.” He managed to take one step back as Cheryl’s fore-hoof smashed into his jaw. The burly pegasus flopped onto the soft ground while the earth pony pounded on his head.
The other burly pegasus quickly jumped on Cheryl and pulled her back. Zeeps dropped her disguise entirely and hissed loudly to intimidate the stallion. She instead incited a stampede.
The crowed screamed and flew off in all directions. Shouts of ‘changeling!’ from the panicked pegasi drew the attention of the entire street. Cheryl bucked the other stallion off her and fought back. She kicked him square in the gut and he responded with a blow to Cheryl’s head. Zeeps jumped on the burly pegasus’ back and sunk her fangs into his shoulder.
The bowtie wearing opponent struggled to pull away, but the changeling fed upon his emotional energy. The stallion tired out and then collapsed on the ground. He let out a weakened moan of pain.
~ ~ ~
“¡Victor, ayúdeme!” the maid cried out as she dropped the towel. The white pegasus galloped out of the bathroom and into the connected bedroom.
Trixie reached out to grab her, but the tangled wing harness prevented the unicorn from reaching the maid. She quickly fired off a magical bolt at the escaping pony. The errant spell missed and exploded a roll of toilet paper into bits of confetti. “Pony feathers,” Trixie cursed.
Ellie grabbed onto the stuck mechanical wings and forced them to fold back against the harness. The unicorn wiggled herself free and fell onto the bathroom’s cold, cloudy floor.
“Not my most graceful entrance,” Trixie muttered to herself. The azure unicorn rolled to her hooves and moved into the adjoining posh bedroom.
Ellie slid into the bathroom behind Trixie. “If you’re going to do something,” the pegasus warned, “Do it now. I just saw Zeeps drop her disguise and the crowd’s reaction isn’t pretty.”
The bedroom walls were decorated with framed paintings of faraway exotic locations. On Trixie’s right was a short oak dresser where a stack of leather-bound books sat. Each book was titled ‘Debon Aire’ in gold-leaf letters. The four-post bed was unmade and upon it sat a box of rolled up maps and a suitcase of wadded up clothes. It appeared to Trixie that Debon recently packed for a hasty trip, but to where?
Ellie peaked into the bedroom. “How does he make this entire furniture set float on clouds?” The pegasus asked quietly. She was about to ask a second question, but her thought trailed away as a blue-gray unicorn stallion ran into the room.
“Victor Justice?” Trixie said in a surprised grin. “I didn’t know rain clouds were a hot real estate market for property lawyers. So is the housing market always under water during the rainy season?”
“No,” Victor responded angrily. “No, no, no, NO! Get out of here, you crazy mare! If Debon finds you, he will personally strangle you!”
Ellie backed up toward the bathroom window. “Trixie, we’d better skedaddle.”
Trixie leaned against the dresser and stretched out a hind leg. “Oh, Trixie thinks Victor won’t mind if we linger a moment longer,” she said with her show-mare smile. “We’re only curious to know what Debon was up to these days.” She gestured to the items on the unkempt bed.
The middle-aged stallion glanced back into the hallway before he walked up to her. “This isn’t funny,” Victor whispered. “If any of the Horizon Walkers show up, they will kill you. Now please, get out and stay away from Debon. He’s still upset at you from your last encounter.”
“Interesting,” the azure unicorn said as she stood up tall. “Trixie never said anything about the Walkers, but you just gave away that you know of them and that they're here.” She leaned forward and gave the older stallion a gentle kiss on the lips. The azure unicorn then spun around in place. Her purple cape flourished in front of Victor’s face in a distracting array of stars and folds.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Trixie said as she followed Ellie out the window.
The two mares spread their wings and sailed over the chaotic street below. Most of the crowd had fled, but a few pegasi were hurling objects at Zeeps. Trixie whistled down to her two friends and then dropped down with an illusion spell of fog around herself. The magic concealed their escape down a dark alleyway between apartment buildings. They galloped for a full two blocks until they were certain that no one followed them.
The team stopped to catch their breath. Zeeps donned her disguise of Daring Do while the others readjusted their personal effects.
“Well,” Trixie began, “Never let it be said that Zeeps is not an efficient distraction.”
“I can’t believe you kissed him back there,” Ellie commented with a scrunched nose.
“Kissed who?” Cheryl asked with disbelief. “Were you making out with someone up there, blue bunko?”
Trixie shook her head with a smile. “No, it wasn’t like that. Ellie and I were discovered by Victor, the property lawyer,” she answered. “He had accidentally let it slip that he knows who the Horizon Walkers are and that several of them were indeed inside the building.”
“Is he a member, then?” Zeeps inquired.
The unicorn shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but it’s best to assume that he is and has been given a strange power like the other members. Luckily, he was kind enough to let us go.”
“Still,” Ellie interrupted, “You kissed a stallion that’s probably three decades older than you.” She made a gag motion to punctuate her point.
“Yes, yes, disgusting as it may be,” the unicorn stated, “I needed to distract him so that I can grab this.” She magically levitated a small leather journal out from under her purple cape. Her friends moved in closer to get a good look at the book Trixie had stolen. The unicorn cast a light from her horn upon the book and it was unmistakable that Debon’s name was upon the cover.
“I didn’t even notice you swiped that,” Ellie whispered.
Trixie only smiled as she cracked the journal open. She skimmed through the pages quickly with her friends over her shoulder. The unicorn’s eyes darted back and forth between the dated entries. As the dates drew closer to the present month, her eyes became glued to the page before her.
“What did you find?” Zeeps asked curiously.
“The Horizon Walkers are on the move,” Trixie replied after a pause. “Debon has them all taking inventory of their resources; money, equipment, and even their artifacts. For some reason he’s staging everything toward Mount Reindeer.”
Ellie’s eyes went wide. “Is he planning a war against the changelings?”
Trixie looked up and noticed Zeeps scowled at the page. The azure unicorn closed the book and tucked it back under her cape. “I don’t know, but we need to inform Princess Luna about this information,” she said matter-of-factly. “Debon had several packed bags on his bed, which means he’ll be traveling very soon. We also still need to track down where he’s keeping the stolen half of Sombra’s journal.”
“Ugh,” Cheryl grumbled. “What’s so important about a stupid book that we have to keep trailing it everywhere?”
“You mean besides the fact that the late King Sombra wrote it?” Trixie stated. “Well Princess Luna told me that the journal was being translated, and that it might contain some dark secrets within its pages.”
“Translated?” Ellie asked with immediate interest. “Wait. Didn’t Minuit say that the other half of the journal was kept here in Cloudsdale?”
Trixie paused in her stride. “I-I suppose so. She had mentioned that the guards were moving it tonight. Why?”
Ellie threw her hooves up in the air. “Well, if the other half of Sombra’s journal was here, then wouldn’t the translation work and the translator be here as well?”
The sudden realization hit Trixie like a hammer to the skull. “Oh,” she muttered in shock.
“Uh, mind cluing me in on this thought?” Zeeps asked.
Ellie turned to the changeling. “The guards are moving the journal, but what about the translator? Debon is a pretty slick stallion, so he could use his influence to get the translator to tell him what he or she knew about the book’s contents.”
“Well then,” Cheryl interrupted, “We ought to go find the translator. Where did that bat-pony say the journal was kept?”
“The museum!” Trixie and Ellie shouted simultaneously.
~ ~ ~
The darkened steps leading up to Cloudsdale’s museum felt like marshmallows under Trixie’s galloping hooves. The building was made up of dense clouds, like all structures in Cloudsdale, but unlike most of the buildings, this one was lavishly decorated with banners and works of art upon the walls. The glass display cases were enchanted to float on their cloud pedestals and their contents were no less intricate than a museum found in any ground-based city.
The museum appeared to be closed, but there were no guards posted at the entrance. Trixie wanted to believe the reason was because they were all called to help protect the journal when it was moved, but she assumed that the reality would be worse. The team stopped near the offices to read the names on the doors.
“Alright, Cheryl and I will check for an expert on languages around here,” Trixie commanded. “Ellie, you and Zeeps locate the master curator and find out who was translating Sombra’s journal. We got to find this pony before Debon does.”
“Okay, but what if any of the Horizon Walkers show up?” Ellie asked.
Trixie shrugged as she walked away. “Then do what we’re good at- Scream and start smashing stuff.”
The unicorn and earth pony scanned the offices down the length of the hallway until they happened upon a door with ‘Historia Books – Ancient Linguistics’ written on the placard. Trixie tested the knob and found that it was locked. She reached for some mane-pins under her hat, but Cheryl bucked the fragile cloud door open with a forceful kick.
“After you,” Cheryl said with a bow.
“Show off,” Trixie whispered playfully as she walked inside the office.
The room was a scattered mess of papers and books. The volumes on the bookshelf were haphazardly stacked and there were more tomes on the floor than on the shelves. The open window sill was cluttered with two tall stacks of history books. The writing desk in one corner had a large pile of opened letters to Ms. Books, but curiously, they were all written from the same address within the city of Seaddle.
“Well, unless she’s buried alive under this mess,” Cheryl commented, “She ain’t here.”
Trixie silently snatched several letters and tucked them under her cape. “Let’s see if she has any translations on Sombra’s journal lying about.”
“Alright, but I’m not sure what it’ll look like,” Cheryl said as she flipped through a stack of documents. “Is it going to be obvious when we see it?”
“I’m not sure,” Trixie mused aloud. “This place is more cluttered than Ellie’s house.”
A few seconds later a light-gray pegasus mare with thick round glasses walked up to the doorway and cleared her throat. “Excuse me, what do you two think you’re doing in my office?”
“Are you Historia Books?” Cheryl asked bluntly.
“Yes I am,” the angry mare replied. “Now, who are you?”
Cheryl waved her question away. “No time for that. We got to get you out of here before some dangerous ponies come and snatch you.”
"Pot and kettle," Trixie muttered.
The stacks of books on the sill tumbled loudly on the ground. A large tanned pony with long fangs leaned in through the window. Her pointy crimson hat was stained with what appeared to be dried blood, but her most notable features were the forked tongue and her slit pupils.
“Hello, I’m here to pick up the near-sighted mare,” the big pony stated with playful hiss.
Trixie backed away to the door, but Cheryl stood her ground. “Nuts to that!” the earth pony shouted defiantly. “The only thing you’re getting is a buck in the face!”
“Oh my, aren’t you a cute little pony when you’re violent,” the snake-like pony said.
Cheryl got up on her hind legs and put up her fore-hooves to fight. “Then I’m about to get downright adorable,” she proclaimed. “Come in here and get your face rearranged, varmint!”
“Okay, if you insist!” the cream-colored creature playfully giggled. She pulled herself into the room with her strong forelegs. Then a second pair of forelimbs pulled more of her body into the small office. Behind that her long snake-like body continued to slither indoors until it filled the tiny room. Her tail ended in a thick, bony rattle that shook with excitement.
Cheryl glanced back at Trixie with utter disbelief. A bewildered Trixie only shook her head slowly in reply. Without warning Trixie screamed, turned, and grabbed Historia in an all-out run as Cheryl smashed the bookcase against the monster with a hard shove.
The large snake-like pony hissed and tossed the bookcase aside. Trixie continued to drag the protesting Historia out towards the main entrance with Cheryl right behind her. They were only a dozen feet away when Golden Jubilee sauntered up the museum steps with a small viper around her neck. Trixie came to a halt and held Historia behind her. Cheryl grabbed a nearby flagpole and pointed the sharp tip toward the approaching snake-like pony behind them.
“We meet again, Trixie,” Golden stated in a confident tone. “To what do I owe this chance passing?”
“Bad luck is Trixie’s guess,” the unicorn answered with a scowl.
“Hmm, yes, I suppose it is,” the cream-coated sorceress mused. “Well, pleasantries aside, I believe you have something there that belongs to me.”
“Last time Trixie checked,” the unicorn countered, “Ponies were not a commodity.” She glanced over at the large four-legged serpent that leaned close to Cheryl’s makeshift spear. She needed to stall until her remaining friends returned.
“Trixie is curious, however,” the unicorn continued. “What creature did Debon let you use to create your newest four-legged pet? Was that a garden snake or a pony before you cursed it?”
“Excuse me,” the pony-snake interrupted, “But my name is Phoebe, and I am a bona fide marilith. I eat ponies!”
“For the love of Luna’s left hoof,” Cheryl angrily muttered to Trixie. “Are we going to have to kick the snot out of every monster across this continent? Don’t the Walkers still hire normal ponies?”
Golden laughed. “And what do you call normal?” she asked skeptically. “That changeling you hang around with? On the inside we’re all monsters. Some are simply meant to be subservient to others.”
“Oh, Trixie has no doubt you keep them on a tight leash,” the unicorn responded. “No creature in Equestria would care to associate with you willingly.”
“Snakes seem to enjoy my company,” Golden said contently as she kissed her pet viper.
“That’s because you’re both cold-blooded,” Trixie sneered back.
The sorceress let out a snort. “You flatter me, Trixie, but I must cut this banter short,” Golden stated impatiently. “Now turn over Ms. Books to me and die.”
“Shouldn’t that be an ‘or die’ statement?” Trixie asked.
“Ha, you think that I’d give you a choice?” Golden asked condescendingly. She held out a fore-hoof and a small ball of magical sparks appeared.
Cheryl turned and hurled the flagpole like a javelin at Golden. The sorceress jumped out of the way, but her spell was disrupted. Trixie pushed Historia aside and fired a volley of magical fireworks at Phoebe. The blinded marilith whipped her tail out in response, but Trixie easily rolled away from the flailing serpent. Historia took to the air in a panic and tried to fly out through one of the openings in the ceiling.
“Tut, tut, Ms. Books,” Golden said. “Leaving us so soon?”
The sorceress pulled the viper off her neck using levitation magic and then shot the serpent at the escaping pegasus. Cheryl jumped to block the snake but it dashed between her fore-hooves. The small snake latched around Historia’s neck and bit into her back. The pegasus let off a faint yelp as she fell out of the air and crashed onto the floor. Her wings twitched uselessly. Phoebe, still partly blinded by the fireworks, slithered toward the fallen pegasus.
Ellie and Zeeps swooped down from the roof and collided with the marilith. The three rolled across the ground in different directions. Golden rushed Trixie and the two ponies fired spells at each other. Pyrotechnic magic bounced off the floors and walls of the museum while an electrical arc seared the brim of Trixie’s hat.
Cheryl charged and toppled Golden to the floor with a well-aimed body slam. The sorceress reached out and grabbed the earth pony by a leg.
“Goodbye!” Golden shouted gleefully as her hoof flashed a sinister cold gray aura.
Cheryl faltered and then fell through the floor.
Trixie dove to grab her, but Cheryl vanished under the clouds. The unicorn hit the soft floor with a flop. “Zeeps, Cheryl is falling!!” Trixie shouted.
The changeling dropped her Daring Do disguise, blasted a hole beneath her, and dove after the free-falling friend. Trixie scrambled back up to resume the fight, but Golden grabbed her by the shoulder from behind.
“Have a nice trip,” Golden sneered.
The sickly gray flash disoriented Trixie for a moment, followed by the sudden rush of the ground up and away from her. She reached out and seized Golden by her long red tail. The sorceress slammed into the soft floor as Trixie’s weight tried to pull them both through the clouds.
Phoebe slithered over and grabbed Golden. Ellie jumped on Phoebe’s back and struck the marilith in the head repeatedly with her mechanical wing. The snake-pony squirmed to throw the little pegasus off her back.
“Ellie, just go!!” Trixie shouted. “You can’t fight a marilith by yourself!”
“I’m not leaving without you!” Ellie shouted back as she held onto Phoebe.
“Well Trixie is exiting, stage down!” She aimed her horn and shot a tight jet of magical fireworks at Golden’s tail. The red hair burst in flames and tore apart instantly.
The sorceress howled in pain, but the sound was quickly muffled as Trixie fell through the museum floor. A blur of gray clouds whisked around her, shooting upwards as she fell, until Trixie finally dropped out on the underside of the city.
The unicorn impacted against the enormous black gasbag of an airship, but her momentum carried her down the port side quickly. Trixie's hooves scrambled to grab onto something as she careened off the bag. Her left foreleg brushed up against the ship’s rigging and she seized it tightly. The ropes seared painfully into her flesh as they zipped between her hooves.
Trixie came to a stop and hung off the side of the gasbag. Her pointed hat plummeted toward the distant world below her. Her hooves throbbed with pain, but she gritted her teeth and held on. Trixie looked at the colossal black parchment that loomed beside her. The rising moon illuminated the huge symbol of a white seven-pointed star painted above an arc. She had never seen the symbol before, but the list in Trixie's mind of who would hide a black airship underneath Cloudsdale was quite short.
Trixie pondered if it was safer to just let go and fall.
A small green-maned speck darted out the underside of the city and sped toward her. “Good girl, Ellie,” Trixie muttered to herself as her heart fluttered with relief.
Two pegasi stallions in black body suits climbed up the airship’s rigging. They each had a steel cylindrical tank strapped to their back and wore a goggled helmet with a large fin on top. The badges sewn onto their suits named them Thundercracker and Skywarp.
Trixie decided not to wait and find out what they wanted. She held her breath and leaped off the rigging. As she sailed through the air, she pulled the strap on her harness to unfurl her mechanical wings.
Nothing happened.
“Ellie, I need some help!” Trixie shouted as she fell through the air like a stone.
The two black-suited pegasi dove into the air after Trixie, followed by Ellie several dozen feet behind. The stallions pulled small cords on their straps and a short jet of white foam to burst from the back ends of their tanks. The propellant accelerated them both quickly towards their target. Trixie grabbed onto the harness and fought her buffeting purple cape to open the wings by force. Thundercracker reached her first and drew a knife from his belt.
“Oh crap!” Trixie shouted with a startle. She spun around as Thundercracker swung his knife. The blade pierced into her wing's metal components, but allowed the wings to partly unfurl like a broken chute.
The stallion continued his descent past Trixie, but Skywarp now reached her. He ricocheted off Trixie with a hard kick and sent her into a wild spin. Her vision was a dark blurry mess that rotated between sky, ground, purple, sky ground, purple, and then abruptly locked on Thundercracker's knife that darted upwards into her chest.
Trixie screamed as she grabbed the stallion’s fore-leg and pushed it away from her. The knife tumbled away into the sky. Droplets of blood flew into Trixie’s hair. The harness tore wide open and the wings flapped uselessly in the air. Thundercracker put his hooves around the unicorn's neck and tried to choke her. Trixie was no match for his strength, so she grabbed the cord on his strap and tore it off with all her might. The pegasus rocketed away into the distant night sky.
Skywarp drew his knife and closed in on Trixie. Ellie finally caught up and latched onto his cylindrical tank. She kicked the knife out of Skywarp's hoof before he attacked, but he still grabbed Trixie with he free hooves. The three ponies grappled with each other as the ground quickly approached. Ellie shoved the grappling hook on her left fore-hoof up against his head.
“Let go or I’ll brain you!” Ellie shouted.
Skywarp grabbed his cord and pulled hard. The cylinder fired off its propellant and shot Ellie away at high speed while he and the unicorn went into another spin from the opposing force. Trixie grabbed Skywarp's cord and continued to pull on it. She fought him over control of the tank which continued to fire haphazardly. Skywarp pressed a hoof against Trixie’s wound. Pain shot through the unicorn’s chest. She released her grip and the stallion pushed off her to retreat into the darkness.
Trixie braced herself as the jagged outline of the forest reached up to engulf her. A bat-winged pony slammed into her from behind and pulled Trixie across the forest tree tops.
It was Minuit.
“Hold on!” the bat-pony commanded between her gritted teeth. She pulled up hard on her dive to level out their fall. The highest branches whipped and gashed the two ponies as they sailed through them. Minuit’s wings cried in pain from the forces that tried to push her down, but she growled back to remain aloft.
The forest would have them however, and Minuit snagged a hind leg on a gnarled branch. She was yanked out of the air and her grip on Trixie broke. The two ponies tumbled down through the trees, smashing branches, gnarled branches, and bigger branches until they landed in a patch of bushes.
Trixie’s body burned with pain and she could do little more than groan. The unicorn rolled slowly onto her back. Her eyes were covered in tears and dirt, but she had no strength to wipe them. Three small and blurry creatures galloped up to her with a bright yellow light between them. The creatures muttered among themselves excitedly.
“Ugh, where am I?” the show-mare asked weakly.
“Equestria. Welcome!” squeaked the white blur.
“Sweetie Belle, she ain’t an alien,” the yellow blur corrected. “That there is Trixie!”
The orange blur leaned closer to the azure unicorn. “What was she doing falling out of the sky?”
“I don’t know,” the yellow blur answered, “But it better not have anything to do with that magical amulet nonsense again. Come on, there’s another pony over there. We need to get them both out of the forest!”
Amulet nonsense? Trixie wondered who would know her name and associate it with… wait. Her mind quickly snapped to attention. There was a magical amulet she was associated with and there was one town that would have clearly linked it to her. Trixie had crash landed near the one backwards little town that she never wished to return to.
A single bright light in the darkness glared upon the spectacles over Historia’s eyes. Her legs were held down by straps to a cold metal surface. She blinked slowly until her eyes adjusted to the poorly illuminated room. There were shadows in the corners of the room, forms that barely moved, but made soft ticking sounds. Historia tried to get a better look, but her head was restricted by a copper cap strapped to her.
The sound of metal sliding upon metal emanated from the darkness behind her. Hooves walked slowly up to her table, but she could not turn her head upwards to see who it was. A soft female voice sung out to her.
“Tell me your secrets.”
Sweat rolled down Historia’s face. “What? What do you want?”
Golden leaned over the pegasus from the shadows. The mare’s eyes made Historia cringe. They were completely black with silver irises, but what startled Historia more was the viper that slithered around Golden's neck.
“I thought I was being clear,” the sorceress responded. “I want you to tell me your secrets.”
“J-Just who are you?!” Historia stammered.
Golden smirked. “I see you didn't pay attention to introductions at the museum. Very well, my name is Golden Jubilee, leader of Equestria’s new underground army which I call the Zenith Dawn.” She lifted the light away from Historia's face and flipped a switch above the bulb.
Several other lights above Historia turned on and dimly illuminated the laboratory they were in. Cold metal tables held strange mechanical contraptions and vials of colored liquids. The shadows in the corners were now visible. Ponies made of clockwork parts and canvas coverings that ill-fit their angular bodies stood around her. A diamond dog in a white lab coat and red-colored goggles walked up to the pegasus. He ensured that Historia’s straps were secure.
“Let me go! Please!” Historia cried.
Golden shook her head. “Not until you give me your translation of King Sombra’s journal.”
“His… journal?” Historia asked meekly. “I-I don’t know anything about it. It’s said to be untranslatable without the proper cipher. No one can read it!”
“Poppycock,” Golden said with disdain. “It seems silly that Canterlot would sink a lot of money to have a useless journal protected, in two very different places no less, while paying your salary to sit on it. Oh, and by the way? I noticed that your half in Cloudsdale wasn’t in the museum anymore, so some pony of authority had it moved to protect the knowledge contained within. Now tell me, how untranslatable is it really?”
The viper around Golden’s neck began to crawl over Historia’s chest. The pegasus gulped down hard. “Well, I did make a little progress on the cipher.”
“Fascinating,” Golden said in a happier tone. “Were you able to translate any of his entries yet?”
“N-No, not really,” Historia replied slowly.
The sorceress sighed. “Disappointing,” she said as she picked up her snake. “You stuffy historians are always keeping your discoveries to yourselves until you find a way to make money off them.” Golden walked over to a valve on the far wall and began to turn it. The ceiling slowly opened up like an iris and a large machine lowered down over Historia.
“Rico Barkla is my chief inventor,” Golden said with a nod to the diamond dog. “He’s a mite eccentric, but all the smart ones are. Rico put this little contraption together as a means to extract information from the minds of… difficult ponies.”
“It also brews a very nice cup of coffee,” Rico added in a raspy voice.
The diamond dog flipped two switches on a nearby machine. The contraption overhead came to life as gears slowly rotated and pistons began to slide and hiss steam. Historia wiggled in her binds to get free, but she was held tight. Rico walked over to her and secured a long hose between the hanging contraption and the cap on her head.
“Any last words before you snuff it?” Golden asked happily.
“Wait! I know what King Sombra’s journal actually is!” Historia cried out. “Let me live and I'll tell you!”
“How adorable, you make it sound like bargaining for your life was an option,” Golden chided. “My dear historian, I already know that the journal is a key to unlock his hidden vault. I just can’t find its location. Rico, flip the switch.”
The diamond dog pulled a small lever on the contraption. The machine squealed to life with squealing gears that spun rapidly. Historia twisted her body in pained contortions and let out a curdled scream from her lips. Rico covered his ears from the pony’s screech. A dark fluid bubbled out from the leaky hose attached to the cap and the contents traveled up the line and into the horrific machine above.
Historia’s lungs seized up and her scream ended. She collapsed like a limp doll. Her eyes were left wide open and glazed over. The machine hissed loudly for several seconds before its pistons finally came to a stop. Several unseen gears spun and finally poured a muddy brown liquid into a tin cup.
Golden reached up and took the cup into her hooves. She gently smelled the light steam that rose from the hot liquid before she took a deep gulp. The sorceress grimaced as she swallowed her drink in spite of the scalding temperature. Golden dropped the cup and it splattered the remainder of its contents all over the floor. She swallowed the fluid, her face scrunched in pain from the heat.
“Mistress, was it too weak?” Rico asked worriedly.
The sorceress slowly grinned with a chuckle. “No, it was perfect this time,” she whispered. “Yes, I can taste her thoughts. I know the translations…” Golden paused. She glanced back at the dead pegasus on the table and shook her head with an amused grin. A snicker came out between her lips. It grew into a giggle and then escalated into a deep, howling laugh.
“I do not get the joke,” Rico stated with a confused look. “What is the joke here?”
Golden recomposed herself, but the vicious smile remained. “It seems that Miss Books had a pen pal, one that she was selling the translations to for a little extra money under the table. See? You just can’t trust a historian. Well, it looks like I’ll be tying off a loose end in Seaddle. I’ll leave you to clean up here.”
The steel door to the lab screeched as it slid open. Two pegasi stallions approached Golden with a salute. Their manes were disheveled and several tears were visible on their body-suits.
“Thundercracker and Skywarp reporting in, my mistress,” the blue-maned pegasus stated aloud. “We haven’t found Trixie’s body, but we recovered her hat from the Everfree Forest.”
Golden stomped a hoof firmly on the floor. “Her hat is not the problem! That mare has the devil’s luck,” she countered. “Until a body is found, your team is to assume that she’s still alive. Where’s the nearest town from the forest?”
“Ponyville, ma’am,” Skywarp responded.
“Then fetch the other Black Wings and begin your search there,” the sorceress commanded.
“But… wouldn’t that attract attention?” Thundercracker asked hesitantly. “Debon may find out and follow us there. He may even find Phoebe by chance.”
“Since I pay your salaries, I give the orders,” Golden interrupted. She kicked the tin cup over their heads. “Now go and turn that town inside out until you find me that blasted unicorn!!”
~ ~ ~
Trixie squirmed as Scootaloo tightened the bandages around her hooves. Despite the many lacerations and bruises on her body, it was a miracle that she didn’t break any bones when she crashed into the Everfree Forest. On the other hoof, she was spending tonight in the care of a filly whose medical knowledge was based on the pamphlet that came with the first-aid kit.
“Ow!” Trixie exclaimed. “For a child you are not very gentle.”
“Well if you think you can do a better job patching yourself up,” Scootaloo retorted, “Then you can do it yourself!” The orange filly took an adhesive bandage and pressed it over the bridge of Trixie’s snout with deliberate force.
Minuit was resting her eyes in the corner while Apple Bloom assisted Ellie with repairs to the mechanical wing harness. The bat-pony fared no better than Trixie, as her many bandages suggested, but her upbeat attitude had not been bruised in the slightest. She opened an eye to look at Trixie.
“Relax,” Minuit said with a smirk. “Just be grateful that Scootaloo doesn’t have to apply iodine to your colossal ego. Now that would sting like the dickens.”
“Says the peanut gallery napping in the corner,” Trixie grumbled. "Thank you for your wonderful insight."
Minuit shrugged. “Complaining about my pain would only waste time,” she explained with a smile. “Besides, do you really want to argue with a foal that is helping you pro bono?”
Trixie sighed silently. “I’m only suggesting that she use a little more ‘T’ in her TLC.” She flexed a bandaged foreleg. Scoot’s work really wasn’t that bad and the fact that the filly and her two friends willingly hid her here in the treehouse meant that the unicorn should be nothing less than grateful.
“Fine… I’m sorry Scootaloo,” Trixie admitted to the little pegasus, “I didn’t mean to be condescending.”
“Apology accepted,” the orange filly responded with a final hard tug on the last bandage around Trixie’s waist. She smirked when her patient grimaced from the pain that the tug caused.
“Now ain’t that interesting,” Apple Bloom commented.
“What’s interesting?” Trixie asked. “That I apologized to your friend?”
“No,” the yellow earth pony replied with a smile. “That you’re referring to yourself in the first person. I think it’s nice that you’ve started to become a better pony since the days you’ve fallen off your high horse.”
“Literally in today’s case,” Scootaloo added with a cheeky grin.
Trixie snorted. “Ah, I see,” she began with a sarcastic tone. “I’m glad that you all still find me entertaining in some capacity.”
There was a rapid series of stomps on the ramp outside. A few seconds later Sweetie Belle bounded into the treehouse full of energy. Cheryl and Zeeps followed behind her at a much slower pace. “I found them! I found them!” the little white unicorn proclaimed.
Scootaloo did a double-take. “I didn’t know you were friends with Daring Do!” she exclaimed.
Trixie was relieved that Zeeps had her disguise on. It appeared that the three fillies were none the wiser on the changeling’s true nature. However, Zeeps and Cheryl flopped over onto the floor wearily without a word.
“What tired you two out?” Trixie asked. “It’s only a quarter after nine.”
“Bug butt got held up in town,” Cheryl explained. “She was fawned over by a bunch of fans.”
“Fans?” Trixie asked with a confused look. “Zeeps doesn’t have any fans.”
Zeeps lazily waved a hoof. “No, but Daring Do does.”
“Oh,” Trixie said slowly as she now understood. She quickly cleared her throat. "Scootaloo, this is Zeeps. She's an avid fan of Daring Do and likes to dress up as her. Beside her is my other friend Cheryl, who makes up strange nicknames for everyone."
Cheryl pulled out a small wrapped package from her saddlebag and slid it over to Trixie. “Here, the mail mare handed this to me, but it’s got your name on it.”
Trixie looked at the package hesitantly. “A package for me? Who knows that I’m out here in Ponyville?” She looked for the sender’s address, but only his name was written down. “It's from Rose Stone,” she said with surprise.
“Your ‘benefactor’ wrote you again?” Ellie asked. “Isn’t that just a wee bit creepy that he seems to know where you are?”
Trixie unwrapped the brown paper packaging and found an old pair of rounded reading glasses inside. The lenses were rose-colored and slightly chipped. She tried them on, but found nothing remarkable about them.
Minuit took an interest to the glasses. “Why are the lenses tinted red? Did this mysterious Rose Stone leave you a note?"
“No, just the glasses,” Trixie answered. She stored the eyewear in her saddlebag. “I’ll think on it later. Right now Golden is on the move and we should find ourselves some transportation to keep up with her ship.”
Ellie looked up from the repaired harness. “You reckon that black airship under Cloudsdale was hers?”
“I’d bet my horn on it,” Trixie stated flatly. “That seven-pointed star is likely part of a new front for the Horizon Walkers. We’ll need to come up with a new attack plan before we confront them again. Our collective rumps were kicked badly today by that marilith they have.”
“What’s a marilith?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“A big, ugly rattler with a hat,” Cheryl muttered.
Apple Bloom threw several tools into a small box. “I bet my siblings can help you fight off these Horizon Walkers. They’re among the bravest ponies in this town!”
Trixie shook her head. “You little hayseeds are better off staying out of my business,” she replied.
“Horse-apples!” Apple Bloom interjected. “You were nearly killed tonight by what you said was an earth pony that can cast spells! If one unicorn is no match for that, then you’re going to need all the help you can get!”
“They’re not your run-of-the-mill kind of spells,” Trixie countered. “Like I explained to you when you first took me in, the Horizon Walkers use forbidden artifacts. Magic that can easily kill a pony.”
Sweetie curled up with fright. “I don’t think I want to meet these walkers,” she said quietly.
“Unless you’ve forgotten,” Bloom retorted to Trixie, “You are a pony too. Who died and put you in charge of taking on dangerous folks in Equestria anyway?”
“Luna did,” Minuit interjected. Her answer made the fillies nearly jump with a startle. “Err, that is, the princess put Trixie in charge. Luna isn’t dead. She is fine, really. She just… you know, put Trixie in charge of things… because she’s alive.”
“Has Princess Celestia done anything about this evil sorceress?” Scootaloo asked. “The Elements of Harmony could easily defeat Golden and they all live right here in Ponyville!”
Apple Bloom shook her head. “You forgot an important detail, Scoots,” she pointed out. “Twilight is out of town on an errand. The Elements of Harmony won’t work without her.”
Trixie felt disappointed in her own abilities. She couldn’t fight off a superior organization while she was in this poor of a condition from just one skirmish. Her eyes glanced out at the twinkling lights from Ponyville. However, there was one light that appeared too high to be from any of the houses. Trixie limped over to the telescope by the window and adjusted it to get a better look. She saw that the light hovered high above a huge tree that served as the town’s library.
That light belonged to an airship.
“Gals,” Trixie muttered without looking up. “I think the town has some unwanted company.”
“Golden?” Ellie asked worriedly.
Trixie adjusted the focus on the telescope. “No, but you’re awfully close. Here’s a hint; I can see the initials ‘D.A.’ on the hull.”
“Debon!” Zeeps angrily called out.
Trixie nodded as she stepped away from the telescope. “His airship is hovering over the library and I’m certain he’s not there to return a book.” She hobbled over to her effects and donned the torn purple cape and saddle-belt. Trixie levitated Debon’s stolen journal out from under the cape and perused the entries.
“So what is Debon doing here?” Bloom inquired.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the room. It lasted for a full minute before Trixie slammed the book closed. “Little hayseeds, please don’t take this question the wrong way,” she said nervously, “But where did Twilight hide the Alicorn Amulet?”
The three fillies looked at each other and shrugged. Trixie’s friends appeared to grow worried. Ellie raised a hoof. “Are you certain that’s what Debon is after?” the pegasus asked.
“Yes,” Trixie answered firmly. “He listed ‘magical amulet in Ponyville’ as one of the resources he was collecting. It was because of that accursed thing that Debon even knew about me!” She tucked the stolen journal under her cape and reached for the winged harness.
Apple Bloom stepped forward. “Trixie, even if we knew where Twi hid the amulet, we just can’t trust it with you.”
“I wouldn’t trust it with myself either,” Trixie added in a softer tone. She stopped to take in a deep breath. “I only wish to prevent Debon from getting his hooves on it. As long as the amulet remains hidden, I’ll be satisfied.”
“Alright, finally some action,” Minuit said as she rubbed her fore-hooves together. “What’s the plan?”
Trixie gathered the ponies together. “Apple Bloom, take your friends and walk the perimeter two blocks out from the library. If you find any townsfolk wandering about, keep them away from Debon’s airship. Minuit and Zeeps will fly behind the library and sneak in from an upstairs window. Cheryl, Ellie, and I will take the front door. We go in, surround Debon, and take him out quickly. His fellow Walkers will hopefully grab him and flee from our surprise attack.”
“Take out the leadership,” Minuit said happily. “A simple plan is often the best plan.”
“Yeah, it sure beats fighting on a cloud,” Cheryl added. “Alright, let’s go cause us some trouble.”
The three fillies got up and ran out the door with a cheer. “Cutie Mark Crusaders night watch squad, go!!” They skipped the last steps on the ramp with an excited leap.
“Where do they get that kind of energy?” Trixie wondered. She brushed a hoof through her mane and felt a longing for her signature purple hat. She donned her Stetson from Ellie’s saddlebag. “I suppose this one will have to do.”
Zeeps patted her on the back. “Don’t worry, Trixie. You can break just about anything regardless of what’s sitting on your head.”
“Twilight, please forgive the mess I’m about to turn your library into,” Trixie muttered as she limped out of the treehouse.
~ ~ ~
The airship hovered silently high above the library. Trixie saw neither movement upon its main deck nor lights from the few portholes along the hull. The town was also silent this night with no guards or townsfolk in sight. Trixie studied the area around the library from behind a nearby shop. There were two stallions guarding the library entrance. One she recognized as Roc Tumbler, the unicorn who could manipulate rocks. The other was an earth pony with a gray coat, but there was nothing familiar about him.
“How did Debon get his airship here without anyone noticing?” Trixie asked quietly.
Ellie donned her goggles. “I reckon he used sails instead of running his engines. I wonder if the ship’s crew is just hiding below deck for stealth.”
“Well, you two can go admire his fancy ship,” Cheryl whispered back. “I’m going to go beat the tar out of those two Walkers by the library door.”
Trixie held up a hoof. “Hold on, I think we can circle around and approach from behind the library.”
Cheryl charged out into the open at Roc. The yellow stallion saw her and lifted several large stones with his magic. The dense stones zipped into the air like bullets at Cheryl, but she gracefully dodged them. The stones shattered a glass window near Trixie’s hiding spot.
“She’s going to get us killed!” Ellie angrily stated.
Trixie sighed. “I know. That used to be my job.” She hobbled out from her hiding spot and lifted her slingshot. With careful aim, Trixie fired a metal bullet at Roc.
The yellow stallion dodged the incoming bullet. Cheryl reached him and swung a hoof. She connected with his snout and sent him stumbling backwards into the bushes by the library door. The gray stallion leaped on Cheryl and pulled her away.
“Hold her, Slate!” Roc commanded to his partner.
Cheryl threw her head back into Slate’s forehead, but the blow struck her like she had just head-butted a brick wall. “Ouch! Your head’s denser than a month old cow patty,” she commented.
Roc lifted and threw several more stones at Cheryl’s friends. Ellie jumped around them as she closed in, but the pain in Trixie’s legs only allowed her to fall over and duck the stones that sailed over her head. She fired back a poorly aimed bullet. The iron sphere smashed through one of the library windows.
Trixie winced. “I hope Luna can pardon that.”
A larger stone lifted off the ground at Roc’s command. Ellie pressed a switch on the side of her goggles. The powder in the third eye burst into a bright white flash and blinded Roc. Unfortunately the glare robbed Ellie of her sight as well. She charged blindly right into the hard wood of the library’s wall.
“Get off me!” Cheryl growled as she wrestled Slate to get free. She managed to turn herself sideways and jab his chest with a hoof. The stallion felt like a solid block of muscle.
A branch above them snapped apart. Zeeps and Minuit dove out of the tree above and slammed on top of Slate. Cheryl pulled away as her opponent was squashed by her friends. Zeeps lifted the heavy branch she had torn off and smashed it over Slate’s head. The branch snapped in half, but knocked the stallion out instantly.
“Ha! Fear the branch!” the changeling cheered.
Now free, Cheryl took several swings at the still dazed Roc. The yellow unicorn backed up toward the library entrance, his fore-hooves held up to block the blows. Minuit rushed in and slammed Roc to the ground. Cheryl kicked at his head several times until he surrendered.
“Stop! Stop!” Roc cried as he covered his bloody face. “I give!”
Debon swung the front door open and stepped outside. “What is the meaning of this?!”
Cheryl and Minuit turned and together kicked him square in the gut. Debon momentarily left the ground and then flopped to the floor, head first. He moaned weakly as he curled up in pain.
Trixie caught up with her friends and together they surrounded the three Horizon Walkers. “I thought I told you two to sneak into library,” Trixie said to Zeeps and Minuit.
“And miss the action out here?” Minuit asked.
Several townsfolk had awoken from the noise of the fight and gathered around the violent scene. Trixie was pretty sure they’d see this moment as a random beat down of a rich pony on the library’s doorstep. The crowd murmured Trixie’s name angrily among themselves, which assured her that they did not forget who she was.
Minuit cleared her throat. “Do not be concerned citizens,” she assured the townsfolk. “I am a member of the royal guard on official business.”
“Where’s your badge then?” one of the ponies demanded from the crowd. “Do you have proof that you’re with the royal guard?” Several other townsfolk shouted in agreement.
“Uh, no I don’t,” Minuit corrected sheepishly. “Okay, this business might be slightly less official than I stated.”
Debon slowly sat up. “What… do you think… you’re doing?” he wheezed out.
“We’re here to stop you from doing something stupid,” Trixie replied.
“Pot and Kettle, reunited at last,” Cheryl muttered.
Ellie snorted. “Said the pony who charged headlong into danger,” she accused.
An orange earth pony with a Stetson shoved her way through the crowd. “What in tarnation is going on here?!” she shouted. It only took her a second to notice the azure unicorn with the same hat she wore. “Trixie? I don’t know if I should be flattered or insulted by your new look. Just what are you and Daring Do up to here?”
“You’re Applejack, right?” Trixie responded with a devilish smile. “See, I was inspired by your magic of friendship and decided to gather element bearers of my own. I took up the same role as the greatest earth pony with a hat. That would be you and your element of Justice.”
“Honesty,” Minuit corrected.
“Whatever,” Trixie dismissed.
AJ narrowed her eyes. “You’re about as honest as a snake oil sales-pony,” she muttered. “So who is this poor feller here that y’all are beatin’ up on and where’d that airship come from? It’s been sitting up there all night.”
“The ship belongs to this stallion, Debon Aire,” Minuit answered. “He has been charged with theft of the late King Sombra’s Journal.”
“We came here to stop him from stealing the Alicorn Amulet as well,” Trixie continued.
There was a resounding round of gasps at the mention of the artifact’s name. Half the crowd took a step away as everyone muttered about the day Trixie had come to Ponyville wearing the amulet. The crowd grew agitated and began whispering plans of chasing Trixie out of town.
“You might want to hold back on the details,” Ellie whispered to Trixie. “These folk seem uppity.”
Zeeps nodded in agreement. “Seems like popular emotion in any town we visit.”
“I wonder why,” Cheryl muttered to the disguised changeling.
Trixie adjusted her cape as she addressed the crowd. “Despite my unfavorable personal disadvantage in this town,” she said with a glance to AJ, “I’m actually here to defend you all. I have been charged by Princess Luna to retrieve Sombra’s journal, stolen by this flank-kissing stallion.”
“That is not true!” Debon interjected.
AJ turned her attention to him. “It’s not true?”
“Of course it’s true,” Trixie sarcastically interrupted. “I’ve seen him kiss a lot of flank.”
“Will you just shut up?!” Debon angrily shouted back. “I didn’t steal Sombra’s Journal!”
“Well a member of your exclusive club did,” Trixie countered.
Despite her injuries, Minuit grabbed Debon by his vest and nearly hoisted him off the ground. “Golden had seized the first half of the journal under your orders," the bat-pony accused, "And you have been found in Cloudsdale today where the second half was kept.”
“You’re all insane and completely wrong!” Debon corrected. He pulled himself out of Minuit’s grasp. “Golden left my so called exclusive club, and she’s on her way here to take the amulet. I was attempting to intercept her before she could find it.”
“Really?” Ellie asked. “Golden went rogue on you?”
“Are we surprised that she did?” Cheryl asked flatly.
“Fearful might be more appropriate,” Trixie answered thoughtfully.
One of the spectators shouted above the others. "Let's lock them all away until Princess Celestia can sort this out!"
The rest of the crowd nodded in agreement, but Apple Bloom pushed her way through the crowd to Trixie’s defense. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were not far behind. The three fillies stood between her and the angry townsfolk.
“Hang on a minute everyone!” Bloom shouted. “Trixie here is telling the truth!”
“Apple Bloom!” AJ scolded. “I’ve been looking all over town for you! Get yourself back home right now, this is grownup business!”
The fillies did not budge. “We saw that Trixie was attacked by some dark shadows as she fell out of the sky! Haven’t you even noticed that she’s talking in the first person? I think she’s being honest with us this time around and we should give her a chance.”
“Honesty or not,” AJ countered, “I reckon we should first confirm her story before we divvy out our trust blindly. I say we contact Princess Luna and ask her for confirmation.”
The crowd applauded AJ’s idea. Trixie said nothing, but felt that if that’s what it took to prove that she was telling the truth, then so be it. However, her mind was nagged by the idea that if Golden had indeed left Debon and stole the journal, then this venture against Debon was a complete waste of time.
“I thought Luna expressly stated that we keep this mission a secret?” Minuit whispered to Trixie.
“Ah, that bit did slip my mind,” she responded, “But I’m out of ideas on how to get out of this mess.”
There was a series of short hisses in the night air. The crowed appeared oblivious, but Trixie and her friends found it eerily familiar. As the sound came closer it was accompanied by the flapping of wings and the jingles of loose metal buckles. Trixie and her friends looked up to find the source.
“I know that sound,” Ellie said softly. “What is that?”
“Sounds like Celestia after eating too much curry,” Minuit remarked with a smirk. Her eyes picked out five dark silhouettes in the sky. They were the same black-suited pegasi that attacked Trixie earlier. She grabbed her friends and pointed out the shapes. “Over there! We’re under attack!”
“Everybody take cover!” Ellie shouted. “Get indoors!”
The crowd was confused and looked around for the danger instead of fleeing. Trixie tried to push them along, but the ponies ambled slowly along the ground with their eyes up to the sky. Cheryl sighed and waved to Zeeps. The changeling dropped her disguise in front of the crowd and presented her true form with fanfare.
“Boo!” Zeeps playfully barked.
The townsfolk broke out into a panic and ran in all directions. Cheryl and Ellie shoved Debon and his two injured accomplices into the library. Zeeps waved her hooves in the air to scare Applejack away from the library. AJ responded by clocking her in the face.
“Excuse me, don’t damage my friends!” Trixie scolded.
“That’s a changeling!” AJ retorted.
Trixie pulled Zeeps behind her. “Well, we all can’t be beautiful unicorns,” she rebuked, “And this one is pretty harmless. I suggest you take cover with your sister…” Trixie just noticed that Apple Bloom and her two friends had already disappeared.
AJ galloped off to find her sister. Trixie pulled her friends together and headed toward the marketplace. Her chest wound stung as she tried to move quickly. The pain also made thinking difficult.
“Do you have a plan?” Ellie asked her.
“I have a loose collection of ideas not unlike a plan,” Trixie answered. “We need to ground those fliers. Let’s see if we can get them tangled up with ropes and tents.”
The five pegasi in the air drew knives and swooped down at Trixie’s friends before they reached the market. Team Trixie scattered to avoid the swings of sharp metal. The pegasi broke formation and chased them in pairs. The fifth one circled around and watched the bat-pony who remained steadfast.
Minuit took off into the night sky and charged the lone pegasi. As the two reached each other, Minuit banked away sharply to avoid his sword. She continued her tight loop and reached him from behind. Minuit grabbed the pegasus by the leg that held the knife. She folded her wings against her body and she wrestled him for the weapon. The pegasus was unable to carry the combined weight of her and his cylindrical tank. His altitude dropped sharply and the two crashed into the side of a tall house.
Minuit landed on top of her opponent. She got up on shaky legs and kicked his weapon away. “It appears that you have… um, something. I’ll think of a snappy remark later, bye!” She took off to find her friends.
Farther down the street, Cheryl pulled the lid off a wooden barrel and stayed close to Trixie. Two pegasi swooped down at them. Cheryl blocked the first knife with her makeshift shield, but the second pegasus slammed into her and pushed Cheryl down on her back. Trixie tried to aim a spell at him, but Cheryl was too close to the target.
The pegasus thrust his blade down, but Cheryl wiggled her head away from the weapon. She saw a patch on his body suit with the name Dirge.
“What kind of stupid name is Dirge?” Cheryl mocked.
“It’s the last song your friends will hear of you!” he replied proudly.
Cheryl rolled her eyes. “Yeah, still stupid.”
Trixie charged Dirge with sparks spitting out of her horn. The other pegasus landed in front of her and swung his knife. Trixie jumped back to avoid it. She tripped over her own hooves and fell over onto her side. The ache in her chest made Trixie angry that she couldn’t fight effectively. However, she still had her voice.
“So what are you, Hymn?” Trixie asked.
The pegasus pointed to his suit patch. “It’s Thrust!” he angrily corrected.
Trixie held back a snort of laughter. “Cheryl, can we trade opponents? I cannot take a pegasus named Thrust seriously.” She wiggled her butt to underline the innuendo. "Careful, he's trying to poke me with... his short sword," she said with a giggle.
Thrust angrily dove at Trixie, but the unicorn blasted his face full of magical fireworks. She rolled away and Thrust completely missed her in his dive. He bounced off the ground and collided into a thick haystack.
"Looks like Thrust has been... screwed," Trixie joked cheekily.
"Hey!" Dirge called out. "I'll make you eat that joke!" He got up off Cheryl to attack Trixie.
Cheryl reached up and yanked the cord on Dirge's straps. The cylindrical tank on his back roared to life and he shot off into the air haphazardly. Cheryl wiped the sprayed cold foam off her face.
Two blocks down the street, Ellie and Zeeps took cover behind a tented fruit stand. The pegasi Skywarp and Ramjet stalked them on the ground with their knives raised. Ellie picked up pears from a basket and threw them, but the fruit bounced harmlessly off the two armed pegasi.
“Come over here so we can gut you both,” Skywarp threatened. “I promise to make it quick!”
“What color do you suppose changelings bleed?” Ramjet mused.
Zeeps growled at them. “We’re not monsters!” she argued. Her horn flashed green as she fired off a magical bolt of energy at Ramjet.
The pegasus jumped over the magical bolt and sliced his way through the stand’s tent covering. With another swing he cut Zeeps across the left foreleg before the changeling could dodge. Ellie threw another pear and pulled Zeeps away.
“See, red?” Zeeps remarked as she clutched the wound in her leg. “And… pain too.”
Several apples struck Skywarp and Ramjet. They turned their attention over to the nearby produce cart. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo waved from on top of the cart. The three fillies jumped down on a plank which launched a basket of lettuce like a catapult. Skywarp was pelted by the barrage of food. His weapon was knocked out of his grasp and the bucket struck him hard in the snout.
“So how do you like your honeymoon tossed salad?” Bloom taunted. "Lettuce alone!"
Skywarp retreated up into the air. Ramjet scrambled to get off the cart, but his tank was tangled in the torn tent above him. He pulled the cord on his tank for extra lift, but the unbalanced force instead sent him into a hard right bank and into the wall of a cottage.
“That ought to teach you to mess with our town!” Scootaloo jeered.
Minuit landed by the three fillies. “Those tanks they carry must be fun at parties, but they’re quite a liability in battle.”
“They look similar to a fire extinguisher,” Ellie commented. “I wish I could get a hold of one to find out what they’re using for propellant.”
Cheryl came around the corner with Trixie. “Why don’t you ask them to attack you again?” she suggested.
Applejack ran up from another alley and interrupted the conversation. “I’d watch out with what I’d wish for,” she said sternly. “Just who are these fellers chasin’ y’all around town?”
“I believe that they’re Golden’s minions,” Trixie answered. She tore a strip from her cape and bandaged Zeep’s wound with Scotaloo’s help. “I’m pretty sure they were sent to kill us.”
“You just can’t keep out of trouble, can you Trixie?” AJ asked in an annoyed tone. “Well if they’re all after you, then kindly take your friends and get out of my town.”
The propellers on Debon’s airship spun up as its anchor retracted back into the hull. Lights ignited and the ship flew over the town towards the hills to the west. Everyone watched it rise and disappear beyond the thick patches of clouds in the distance.
“There, why don’t you go and take his cue,” AJ said.
“I’d love to,” Trixie replied, “But as unwelcomed as I am, I cannot leave if Golden is here. I must prevent her from acquiring the Alicorn Amulet. I just don’t know where the artifact is hidden in order to stop her.”
“And it should stay that way,” AJ added.
“Debon was at the library, right?” Ellie pointed out. “That thing is probably hidden away there... unless he just grabbed it and fled.”
Trixie glanced at AJ with suspicion. “No, Twilight wouldn’t hide such a dangerous artifact in an obvious place. She’d bury it someplace out of the way, but still within reach in case someone went searching for it.”
“What are you lookin’ at me for?” AJ asked. “Twi didn’t tell me nothing about where it is.”
Trixie adjusted her hat. “You’re a terrible liar,” she said accusingly. “You stated earlier that you were looking for your sister, but you failed to check her treehouse first which happens to be back at your farm. Since Twilight is out of town and you obviously noticed the airship hours ago, I think you went to check on the spot where the amulet was hidden.”
Applejack glared at her. “I trust you and your friends about as far as I can throw the lot of you, and I especially don’t want you near that amulet again!”
Cheryl walked up AJ. “Listen bucko,” she said sternly. “From one earth pony to another, I’m going to be straight with you. Golden and Debon don’t play fair. They have killed folks to get after what they want. Stubborn morals ain’t going to protect that amulet. You have to be willing to fight dirty, and right now I will deck you if you stand in our way.”
“Cheryl, stop helping,” Trixie growled. She pulled the two ponies apart before hooves were thrown. “Look, Princess Luna chose us because we’re familiar with how Debon and Golden act. This may be your town, but they are our fight. If you want to help, then by all means join us, but don’t block me just because of our bad history. This situation is a lot bigger than a petty grudge.”
“Trust in your princess!” Minuit added. “Luna would not have chosen Trixie if she did not feel her to be worthy of such an important task.”
Trixie nodded in agreement. “Besides, I’m certain that these three fillies are going to follow me around town if you don’t keep an eye on them.” She glanced at the Cutie Mark Crusaders and they sheepishly smiled in return.
Applejack exhaled loudly. “Alright, I doubt I could rustle up my friends before your problems get someone hurt. Twi buried it under the clock tower at the south end of town. I didn't see anyone there an hour ago, but who knows if anyone is there now. Go and stop those vagrants, but don’t you even think about usin’ that amulet. If you do, Celestia help me I will rip that horn off your head.”
“If I ever find myself with such thoughts again,” Trixie said seriously, “Then I will destroy myself first.”
~ ~ ~
The thick rolling clouds slowly followed Trixie and her friends. The moon’s light was completely blocked and left the town quite dark. Trixie maintained a light spell upon her horn as she led the way to the clock tower. The other light sources within the group were a lantern that Cheryl had pilfered from a shop’s porch and the little necklace Ellie wore that gave off a dull white light from a chemical powder.
The group neared Ponyville’s clock tower. The tall wooden structure had a weathered face that was still readable from a great distance. Trixie thought about how logical it was to hide the amulet here. No pony would need to go near the clock in order to read the time and whoever maintained it had no need to dig about on the ground under it.
A large shadowy figure slithered out from the clock tower’s entrance. With its long, snake-like body Trixie assumed it was the marilith from Cloudsdale. The creature moved toward a small covered wagon, but then it quickly turned around and headed back toward the tower.
“I think our lights were spotted,” Trixie whispered to her friends.
“Then let’s put out her light!” Minuit brashly stated as she took off and darted toward the creature.
Ellie let out a sigh. “For being as injured as you, she sure seems to fight like a champ.”
“Follow her Zeeps,” Trixie commanded. “The rest of you come with me.” She led the charge past trees and groups of bushes for cover while the changeling zipped directly after the bat-pony.
Minuit reached the doorway and the marilith. Phoebe lashed out with her long tail. Minuit swooped under it and struck her in the gut, then she followed through with an uppercut to the chin. Phoebe recoiled back inside the tower and nearly fell down a large hole had been dug.
“Surrender now and I’ll spare you a broken snout!” Minuit shouted.
Phoebe scooped up a hoof-full of loose dirt from the ground and threw it at the bat-pony’s face. Minuit was blinded with a painful sting in her eyes. She felt a hard blow strike her in the chest and throw her backwards into the cart outside.
“Tag!” Zeeps shouted as she passed over Minuit with a firm touch on the head.
Phoebe swung at the changeling with both left hooves. Zeeps dodged upwards and then came down on the marilith’s head with a thud. Phoebe growled at her. “By Tirek’s horn, you’re an annoying little pest!”
Zeeps latched onto the marilith’s neck and bit down into the shoulder. Phoebe snarled from the pain. She coiled her powerful tail around the changeling’s body. With a hard yank she pulled Zeeps off and held her tight.
“I will crush you!” Phoebe threatened. Her tightening tail made Zeeps whine in pain. She hissed happily with her captive, but was interrupted by a hoof to her face.
“Tag!” Minuit shouted as she smashed in the marilith’s snout.
Phoebe dropped the changeling as she recoiled back further and slammed into a set of wooden stairs. Trixie, Ellie, and Cheryl arrived with heavy panting from their lips. They cornered the marilith carefully.
“Where’s the amulet?” Trixie asked firmly.
“Go jump in a hole,” Phoebe hissed back with a nod to the deep pit behind the unicorn.
Cheryl stomped hard on the marilith’s tail. “Start talking or I’ll make you into mashed potatoes.”
Two mechanical ponies climbed out of the hole with a large wooden box between them. Their large, dirt-covered clockwork gears clicked softly. The pair of machines dropped the box upon the ground and immediately attacked Trixie’s friends with their heavy hooves.
“Ah, jump in a hole,” Trixie muttered. “Well played.”
Minuit and Zeeps seized one of the mechanical ponies in an attempt to pin it down. Although it was slow, the machine was just as strong as the two friends combined. The three were in a deadlock wrestling match. The other clockwork pony placed itself between Trixie and Phoebe.
“Smash their skulls in!” the marilith commanded.
Trixie blinded Phoebe with a blast of magical fireworks. The marilith thrashed about haphazardly with her hooves over her face. “Ugh! What is with you and bright lights?!” she shouted.
Cheryl kicked the clockwork pony in the head, but it continued to advance on her. Ellie pulled out a screw driver and stabbed the machine’s inner parts from behind. Gears began to grind and teeth popped out. The clockwork pony bucked Ellie off and the pegasus crashed into a stack of empty barrels. The damaged machine continued to limp towards Trixie.
"Anyone have a bigger screwdriver?" the unicorn asked.
“How about a little help over here?" Minuit asked. The machine she and Zeeps wrestled with began to overpower them.
Cheryl threw her lantern and hit the undamaged clockwork pony in the chest. The greasy gears caught fire and engulfed the entire machine. Minuit and Zeeps jumped back from the burning clockwork, but it continued to advance upon them. The burning hooves on the machine set the dry hay on the ground ablaze with each step.
“I said a little help, not an extra challenge!” Minuit angrily stated.
Ellie got up and ran toward the burning clockwork pony. She grabbed a shovel from the ground and rammed it into the hot springs in the machine’s legs. The softened metal snapped apart and the machine tumbled to the ground.
“It’s still on fire,” Zeeps noted.
“I’m aware of that!” Ellie exclaimed between several coughs. “Shovel some dirt over it!”
Trixie continued to back away from the limping clockwork pony that followed her. She shot her fireworks spell at it, but the machine was unfazed. Cheryl jumped on the machine and held on as it tried to buck her off. Trixie sighed in relief for the distraction, but Phoebe’s tail whipped at her from the side. The blow knocked Trixie over the deep hole. She dug her hooves into the edge and held on, but her strength was already weak from her injuries.
Phoebe slithered expediently up to the hole and scooped up the box with two hooves. Her other two hooves protected her eyes from Trixie’s blinding spells. Without a word, the marilith moved toward a window and looked for the latch to open it.
Zeeps and Minuit took off and darted at Phoebe. The marilith swatted Zeeps away with her tail, but Minuit collided into her gut and knocked out the air from her. Phoebe dropped the box in a coughing fit and wrestled with Minuit.
The limping clockwork turned its attention to defend Phoebe from the bat-pony. Cheryl let go of the machine and galloped over to pull Trixie out of the hole. She reached down and lifted the unicorn up by the shoulders. “You still know that Iron Horn spell?” Cheryl asked inquisitively.
“Of course,” Trixie answered with a pained cough. “Why would you… no, wait. Don’t do this!”
Cheryl leveled Trixie out like a lance and charged the limping clockwork pony. Trixie screamed as she quickly cast the spell. Her horn turned a bright-gray and became a solid sharp point. Cheryl thrust Trixie horn-first into the machine and pierced the gears and springs that held it together. Cheryl’s momentum carried her, Trixie, and the now impaled clockwork into the wall with a resounding crash. The machine fell over lifeless, but Trixie’s horn remained stuck to its side.
Phoebe grabbed Minuit with her tail and slapped the bat-pony against the floor. She scooped up the box again and began her escape out the window. Zeeps and Ellie rushed to follow Phoebe, but the sudden whistle of something through the air outside gave everyone pause.
The entrance to the clock tower exploded. Phoebe was blown out of the window. The fires were snuffed out from the shockwave and the remaining ponies were thrown backwards into the stairwell. Everyone’s ears rang from the cacophonous burst of sound.
Cheryl limped to a standing position and pulled Trixie free from the dead machine. Gear teeth, springs, and grease were all tangled in the unicorn’s mane.
“What… what exploded?” Trixie asked.
Ellie pulled herself off the broken stairs. “Cannon… that was a cannon,” she weakly replied.
“Zeeps? Minuit?” Trixie called out.
“Not dead,” Zeeps weakly called out from the ground.
Minuit rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, not dead yet either,” she said.
Debon’s airship slowly hovered into view beside the clock tower. The ship’s crew aimed two cannons at Trixie and her friends, with a third pointed at Phoebe outside. The marilith appeared to be unconscious. Rope ladders were lowered and a raiding party disembarked to capture everyone.
“You are not leaving with that amulet!” Debon shouted from the ship’s top deck.
Trixie limped weakly out of the tower. “I wasn’t planning to,” she replied, “but I don’t believe you should either.” Her friends rallied behind her.
The crew secured Phoebe in iron chains and hoisted her up using the airship’s anchor. Debon himself came down the ladder to recover the wooden box. He opened it carefully and took in the sight of the Alicorn Amulet. Trixie felt a shudder down her spine upon looking at the artifact again.
“Round up Trixie’s friends too,” Debon barked, “The townsfolk will be here shortly. Let us make haste.”
“You’re giving us a ride?” Trixie asked curiously. “Aww, so you did miss me! I knew you’d come around.”
Debon slapped Trixie’s face with the back of his hoof. The blow sent Trixie to the floor. Zeeps growled and took two steps toward him, but Ellie and Minuit held her back. The changeling fought to free herself.
“Let me go!” Zeeps protested. “We should break him right now!”
“Calm down!” Ellie countered. “He has cannons pointed at us! There’s nothing we can do to him right now.” She gave Zeeps a hug to reassure that everything would be alright.
Trixie sat up from the cold ground. She was shocked that Debon struck her hard… that Debon would strike a lady at all! Trixie sat there bewildered. There was no warmth or charm in his tired eyes.
Debon let out a snort. “You all will come with me,” he stated. “This way there will be no more surprises from you.”
“Keeping one’s friends close and enemies closer?” Minuit remarked.
“Indeed,” Debon replied as he walked back to his ship. “In your case, the line between them is excruciatingly narrow.”
The airship crew shuffled Trixie and her friends up the rope ladder. They slowly climbed aboard and were led below deck to a small room. Whether they were guests or prisoners, Trixie didn’t know anymore. Any stallion that could strike a lady without remorse was capable of many frightening things.
Trixie stood in a dark and cold stone hallway. Her horn’s magical light fought hard to push back the shadows that danced around her. To either side of the hall stood misshapen crystal statues. Whoever the statues were supposed to depict, their bodies and faces were warped beyond recognition.
One end of the hall stretched to a large gilded door at the edge of the darkness, while the other end opened out to a dark sky above a snowy landscape. The land outside was unfamiliar, but Trixie swore that she had seen this hall once before in a dream. Perhaps she was dreaming now?
She slowly crept towards the large door. Her hooves shook slightly with fear as she approached. The shadows continued to dance behind the warped statues she passed, but the door remained distant. Trixie picked up her pace. She felt her heart thumping faster as she tried to reach the door, but the hallway appeared to stretch before her. She broke into a gallop; her hooves thundered upon the stone floor as she raced past the silent statues that mocked her vain attempt to reach that gilded door.
Her pace slowed down for a minute and then she came to a halt. Her warm breath was visible in the cold air. The door remained as far as it ever was. Trixie was frustrated with this place, and with herself. Tears welled up in her eyes. Doubt became an ugly beast in her mind.
Trixie felt something sneak up behind her and she spun around. She was startled to be face to face with Princess Luna. The regal alicorn sat down beside her and studied the warped crystal statues.
“Princess, I…” Trixie stuttered. She couldn’t speak up. The words choked in her throat.
Princess Luna nodded, but didn’t take her eyes off the statues. “You and your friends have been captured, I know,” she said bluntly, “But for the moment you are safe.”
“How… how did you know I was captured?” Trixie finally asked with effort.
“I have been watching you,” the princess answered. “I have eyes everywhere.” She finally turned to look directly at Trixie.
Her expression appeared slightly curious to Trixie, as if the princess was studying her now. Trixie hoped there was no disappointment under that. “By eyes... you mean Minuit?” Trixie probed. “Is she one of your spies?”
Luna furled her bow. “I spy on my enemies. I watch over my citizens. Minuit is no more than my agent to assist you in accomplishing our goals. Isn't she helpful to you?”
Trixie nodded in the affirmative. “Oh, well yes, Minuit is very helpful. She’s quite strong. It’s just… I feel that I’m a bit out of my league here. Debon has the Alicorn Amulet and Golden has a marilith working for her. All I’ve acquired are injuries and possibly the ill will of Ponyville once they see their ‘remodeled’ clock tower.”
“Are you not The Great and Powerful Trixie?” Luna asked. “Have you not destroyed artifacts and slain monsters before?”
Trixie sat on the cold stone floor and stared down at her hooves. “Yeah… I have. I’ve managed to succeed against some spectacular odds before, but… I feel that it will take more than guile and a few stage tricks to win this time.”
“Your wit is a weapon that cannot be taken from you,” Luna remarked sternly. “You have friends that cannot be discouraged and you have my backing which does not waver. I argue that it is you that has the unfair advantage in this fight. The Great and Powerful Trixie fears no cheap piece of jewelry or garden variety snake! Cast off those doubts and live up to your expectations!”
She wasn’t sure if Luna meant any humor by her statement, but Trixie found that a smile had crept upon her own face. Her confidence began to return. “You’re right,” she replied sheepishly. “With you and my friends, I shouldn’t be afraid. The amulet by itself can’t harm me, and neither can that marilith.”
“Well, the marilith could,” Luna corrected.
“Whatever,” Trixie dismissed. She tried to focus on positive thoughts. “Debon captured Phoebe when he took us, so she’s out of the way for now. I just have to convince that stallion to let my friends and I go. We are both after Golden, so maybe I can get him to agree on a truce.”
Luna nodded. “See? The odds of success are easier than you think. I shall continue to monitor the situation from my end. Once you recover the stolen journal, we shall see about bringing Golden to justice.” She continued to study the warped statues silently.
Trixie took a closer look at the nearest statue. She saw a warped reflection of herself in it, but there was something else there in the image. There was the reflection of a shadow behind her. Trixie gently touched the crystal and it felt cold like ice. She turned back to Luna.
“What is this place supposed to be?” Trixie asked the princess.
Luna only shrugged. “I do not know. It is, after all, your dream.” She pointed to the landscape outside.
The sun began to rise and fill the hallway with a bright morning light. It continued to grow steadily until the shadows were consumed and the radiance enveloped Trixie in a blinding flash. She woke up from her dream.
~ ~ ~
Trixie’s face burned from the daylight that poured in through a small circular window. She moved her head out of the glare. Her body was sore from her wounds and a single iron shackle clenched her left hind leg. Trixie noticed that her belongings were gone, as well as the personal effects of her friends. Even Ellie’s mechanical left wing was confiscated.
Zeeps, Cheryl, and Minuit were fast asleep and shackled to an adjacent wall. Ellie sat nearby and was not only wide awake, but she had assembled a collection of junk into a makeshift pair of lock picks. Unfortunately she was unskilled at picking her shackle’s lock.
Trixie scooted over to the pegasus. “Allow me,” she said as her horn’s magic levitated the tools out of Ellie’s hooves. With graceful proficiency, Trixie worked the lock on the pegasus’ shackle. “What time is it?”
“I’m not sure. Afternoon is what I reckon,” Ellie answered. "No one has been here to check on us that I know of. I wonder if Debon ever planned on even feeding us?"
“Oh, I have plans to feed him something,” Trixie grumbled. She unlocked her friend from the shackle in less than thirty seconds. Another half-minute later she freed herself and stood up.
Ellie rubbed her leg. “So why aren’t you a famous escape artist like Hoofdini?” Ellie asked.
“Because Hoofdini sues copycats,” Trixie replied with a smile.
They trotted over to wake up the others. Minuit and Cheryl were quick to get up, ready to escape despite all the cuts and bruises upon their bodies. Zeeps let out a wide yawn. Trixie worked on their shackles and had them freed in rapid succession. As the last shackle was unlocked, the door to their room swung open.
Victor stood in the doorway with a furled brow. “What’s coming off in here?” he demanded.
Victor took a step back from the apparent jailbreak in progress. “Is there ever a moment you all are not causing trouble?” he asked openly.
“Your boss put us in here,” Trixie countered as she stepped forward. “Blame him for holding the wolf by the ear.”
“You’re more like a siren, Trixie,” Victor muttered to her. “Look, Debon asked me to fetch for you. He wishes to speak in private about your intentions against Golden.”
Trixie used her magic to shut the door in his face. “No,” she stated firmly.
“Please don’t be difficult with me,” Victor pleaded.
“Trixie said NO!” she bravely shouted. “If Debon wishes to speak to The Great and Powerful Trixie, then he will do so on her terms! First and foremost, he shall release Team Trixie and treat them as his guests. Otherwise he can kiss a changeling’s tail.”
“And we can most certainly arrange that,” Minuit added happily with a nod to Zeeps.
Victor kicked the door hard. He growled something incoherently before he opened the door again. “Fine… come along. All of you.” He motioned for the group to follow him.
“Thank you,” Trixie said politely as she limped out of the room.
They followed Victor up to the main deck. The airship cut through the clouds effortlessly as it zipped through the air. Trixie wondered where Debon was in a hurry to get to, though she had her suspicions that it may be near Mount Reindeer where his resources were being gathered. The crew kept their distance from Trixie and her friends, especially Zeeps who was not in her usual disguise.
Victor shuffled them all into the captain’s room and then shut the door after he entered. Debon sat on a plush chair behind a large wooden desk. His room was bare, save for a bed, a hope chest, few books on a shelf, and three additional chairs. He stood up as the ponies spread out in his room and sat down wherever there was space. The large window behind his desk was covered by heavy velvet curtains to keep the room dark.
“Let me guess,” Debon said to Trixie. “You insisted that your friends be present just in case I had intentions to harm you?”
The azure unicorn sat down on a chair and folded her forelegs. “Trixie was already hurt when you slapped her and took her friends as prisoners on this ship. Now you seem to be interested in what we know, yet you sent a useless lawyer to fetch for us? Trixie believes you owe us an apology first.”
“Ever the difficult pony,” the dapper stallion stated with disdain. “Miss Lulamoon, I only need to pick your brains.”
“Debon wants to eat your brains?” Zeeps asked Trixie.
“Shut up, you wretched little insect!” Debon snapped at the changeling. “I have no patience with your kind, you in particular after how you played upon my feelings for Trixie. So if you aren’t going to pay attention, then remain silent!”
Zeeps growled angrily, but Minuit raised a hoof to hold the changeling back. Debon appeared unfazed and opened a drawer in his desk. He threw the contents out for everyone to see. Trixie recognized the items as the journal she stole from Debon and the letters she snatched from Historia.
“I’ll make this quick,” Debon said as he pointed to the letters. “Who’s your benefactor in tracking down King Sombra’s journal? Is it one of the princesses? I am certain it was by no coincidence that you found my hideout in Cloudsdale. Someone gave you my address!” He pointed to the slip of paper that bore his Cloudsdale residence.
“Why is that important?” Trixie asked. “The priority here is that we track down Golden and stop her from getting the rest of that journal. Historia’s letters make it obvious that a translation is up for grabs in Seaddle.”
“This is the priority!” Debon boomed. “My order has been compromised, by you of all ponies! I want to know who is feeding you this information because I intend to end their little spy game!”
Trixie glanced at her friends. Although they sat quietly by her side, she could tell that they were on edge. She was nervous as well. Debon’s anger was boiling over and Trixie needed to get him to see merit in working together. She slowly stood up and brushed her mane to one side.
“Debon, there is no game here,” Trixie calmly explained. “We were after the pony that stole Sombra’s journal. We… I thought at first that it was you, but now I know I was wrong. Golden is who we’re after and it’s clear that she is a common enemy.”
“Stop right there, Trixie!” Debon interrupted as he held up a hoof. “Don’t ask me to work with you because I flat out refuse. The Horizon Walkers will stop Golden. The only thing you have proven the capacity for is instigating disasters!”
Cheryl darted over the desk and her fore-hoof smashed Debon’s snout. The stallion hit the back wall hard and slumped down to the floor. The others bolted to their hooves. Victor ran for the exit. Zeeps fired a green blast of magic at the lawyer and struck him in the back. Stunned, Victor was unable to resist Minuit who pinned him hard against the wall. Ellie rushed to the door and locked it with a turn of the key. Every pony acted so fast that Trixie was only able to stand there and dither.
Cheryl rubbed the hoof she struck Debon with. “At least Trixie has tried to fix her mistakes,” she muttered angrily.
Blood slowly oozed out of Debon’s nostrils. He remained seated and pinched his nose to stop the bleeding. Everyone looked to Trixie for guidance, but she wasn’t sure what to do. Their chances of taking the airship were slim, but the idea of surrendering was only a slightly better prospect since they just assaulted the crew’s leader.
There was a knock at the door. “Hey boss, everything alright in there?” asked one of the crew. The door knob jiggled several times.
Trixie heard the airship crew gathering outside the door. She hurried over to Victor and whispered into his ear. “Tell them we’ve come to a truce,” she commanded.
“What?” Victor inquired with disbelief. “Do you think you can take on the entire crew?”
There was a louder pounding on the door. “Hey, answer us or we’ll bust this door in!” shouted another crewmember. The sound of unsheathing steel was unmistakable in Trixie’s ears.
“No, we can't take them all,” Trixie softly replied, “But I believe you’re smart enough to let us leave this ship alive. We’re after Golden as much as you are. If we’re a detriment, you can at least see value in making us Golden’s detriment.”
The crew smashed the door open and piled into the room. Minuit let her captive go and backed away. The crew was quick to surround Trixie and her friends. Swords were held up to them, but Team Trixie didn’t resist.
Victor waved at the crew. “Stay your hooves,” he said firmly. “We’ve come to an understanding. Trixie is after Golden, not us. We will drop her and her friends off at a suitable town and then continue on our way. Until then, put them back in irons downstairs.”
“Excuse me?” Trixie surprisingly stated. “I didn’t agree to remain a prisoner.”
“The agreement was to let you leave unharmed,” Victor countered. “However, you failed to negotiate the terms of your stay until you are released. Therefore, until we arrive at Seaddle, you shall remain locked up as you were upon capture. I am not the ‘useless lawyer’ you think I am.”
Trixie wanted to kick him for outsmarting her. “If you were ten years younger, I’d kiss you again,” she said with a smirk.
“If I were ten years younger,” Victor rebuked, “I’d still know better than to let you.” He motioned for Trixie to be taken away.
The crew moved to drag her away, but Debon barked out a command. “Stop!” He pulled himself up against the desk, his nose still pinched under a hoof. “Not their room. Throw them in with the marilith!”
“Sir?” Victor questioned. “Isn’t that action a bit extreme for us?”
“You will join them if you question me!” Debon snapped back.
The crew obeyed their leader’s orders. Trixie and her friends were seized and brought down below deck. They passed their original room and went farther down into the darker bowels of the airship. They reached a wooden door reinforced with a pair of metal slats. One of the crewmembers opened it as the others shoved Trixie inside. The room was completely dark and filled with hanging chains. Her friends were soon pushed into the room and the door was slammed shut behind them.
“I think we’re pretty screwed at this point,” Cheryl whispered.
“It doesn’t seem that bad,” Minuit replied softly. “Marco!”
Trixie lit her magical horn. The light reflected clearly upon Phoebe’s smiling face. Everyone jumped back against the door with a startle. The marilith hung from the ceiling, bound by a web of heavy iron chains.
“…Polo,” Minuit whispered nervously.
Phoebe licked her lips. “Hello little nuggets,” she teased. The tip of her tail began to rattle softly. “Didn’t Debon warn you not to feed the marilith?”
“He didn’t give us anything to feed you with,” Zeeps replied.
Cheryl slapped the changeling. “You’re slower than molasses in January.”
“Enough, both of you,” Ellie sternly warned. She pulled them apart. “Phoebe can’t hurt us as long as we keep our distance and just ignore her.”
“Yes, you keep thinking that,” Phoebe said with a sinister grin.
Minuit shook a hoof at the marilith. “No one asked you,” she threatened.
“Everyone shut up for a minute!” Trixie shouted. The light on her horn flared up for an instant. The room got quiet as the attention fell upon the unicorn. She recomposed herself. “We need to stick together here. Has anyone else noticed that Debon is growing a bit unhinged?”
Minuit tugged on one of the iron chains. “Yeah, this has gone beyond eccentrics,” she replied. “Why would he keep Phoebe locked up alive when he could just turn her into a pair of boots?”
“Because you can’t interrogate a pair of boots,” Ellie answered.
“Debon can also use her as bait,” Cheryl said. “Assuming Golden even cares to rescue her.”
Phoebe began to giggle. This made the ponies uneasy, Cheryl in particular. The earth pony kicked Phoebe’s tail out of spite. “What’s so funny?” Cheryl demanded. “Do you know something we don’t about Debon?”
The marilith shook her head. “I’m simply amused that you all regard a pawn with such value in this little game,” Phoebe explained, “When the king is open for capture.”
Trixie let out a frustrating snort. “Great, even you are calling it a game. What game are we all playing now, chess? All I can see are two ponies racing each other to collect the most… chess pieces...” Trixie’s words trailed as she had a realization what the ‘king’ piece in this game was.
Minuit’s expression showed that she caught on as well. “Wait, Princess Twilight buried the Alicorn Amulet and very few ponies knew where it was. How did Phoebe know where to dig it up?”
“I reckon the same way Golden will know that it’s somewhere on this airship,” Ellie piped in.
“We need to leave,” Trixie stated worriedly as she pulled out the lock picks hidden in her mane. Her thumping heartbeat made it difficult to concentrate on the reinforced door’s lock.
“We ain’t got time for being stealthy!” Cheryl cried out. She pushed Trixie away from the door and gave it a solid kick with her hooves. The door splintered, but held due to the metal slats that reinforced it. Cheryl backed up to give herself a running start, but Minuit stopped her.
“Together,” the bat-pony instructed. They lined up side by side in front of the door. “One, two, three!”
They slammed into the door hard and broke off the bolt. The door swung open and Minuit tumbled out into the hall. Cheryl looked around for guards, but there was no one around. She helped Minuit back up and waved for the others to follow. There were sounds of shouting and running above them on the main deck.
Trixie looked back at the marilith. “I’m curious to know,” she asked. “Why are you working for Golden? What do you get out of all this?”
“I get to be myself,” Phoebe replied. “What else would I need in a world where I’m just a hunted monster?”
“Oh, good answer,” Zeeps applauded.
“Don’t give her compliments,” Trixie muttered as she left the room. “She’ll only eat you last, if anything.”
The airship shook with the sound of cannonballs hitting the sides. Steam pipes hissed loudly as the ship’s own cannons were pressurized and fired back at its opponent. Trixie hobbled along with her friends up the stairs. They reached the chaos that ensued on the main deck. Golden’s black airship hovered right beside Debon’s ship. The Black Wing pegasi had boarded and were battling Debon’s crew.
“Great, they all seem distracted enough,” Cheryl asked her friends. “What’s the plan?”
Ellie studied the damaged gasbag above them. “We won’t stay afloat for long. We need to get off this ship.”
“No, we need to recover the Alicorn Amulet,” Minuit countered.
“There are five of us and only two of us can fly!” Ellie argued as she showed off the stub of her left wing. “Unless you think you can carry two ponies?”
“I can most certainly try!” Minuit stated loudly.
“I’m all for leaving,” Zeeps added. “This really isn’t our fight, is it?”
“It rather is, bug butt,” Cheryl corrected. “Both sides are off their nut fighting over dangerous magic I don’t reckon either side should have. Come on Trixie, you know I’m right.”
The unicorn levitated a nearby barrel lid. “We can at least try to recover the amulet. Minuit and Cheryl, you two lead us to Debon’s cabin. The amulet is likely in there.”
“What about you?” Ellie asked worriedly. “You can barely manage a canter with those injured legs.”
“I am The Great and Powerful Trixie,” she said boastfully. “If I cannot dodge bullets, then I will command them to stop. Now move it, you little hayseeds!”
Cheryl broke into a full gallop across the deck with Minuit flying adjacent to her. They shoved several of Debon’s crew out of their way to clear a path for the others. Ellie and Zeeps raced behind them and Trixie attempted to keep up. The unicorn levitated the wooden lid around like a shield.
Slingshot bullets grazed Trixie’s mane. She brought her wooden shield up and deflected several steel spheres. The pegasus named Thrust threw his knife at her from across the deck. Trixie ducked as the blade impaled the wooden shield.
Skywarp dropped from his perch and tackled Minuit from above. The two ponies tumbled across the deck and knocked over several barrels. Minuit spun back up to her hooves and swung at Skywarp’s face. She connected with the side of his head and followed up with a solid strike to his chest. Skywarp grabbed Minuit by her foreleg as he stumbled backwards. He used his momentum to pull her off her balance and then swing her into a barrel. The container smashed upon impact and splashed water in all directions.
Cheryl jumped on Skywarp’s back and held him in a chokehold. Her opponent bucked and flapped his wings to throw her off, but Cheryl held him tight until he collapsed on the deck. She let Skywarp go and pulled Minuit away from the fight. The pegasus coughed and gasped for air.
“Kill that unicorn!” Golden bellowed from the deck of her own ship.
Trixie turned and saw Golden’s furious face. The sorceress’ rear end was marred by patches of hairless burned skin and the extremely short frayed remains of a tail. It took Trixie a lot of willpower not to laugh.
Golden was anything but pleasant however. She fired off a bolt of black lightning at Trixie. The spell sailed over the deck toward her and she threw the improvised shield at the bolt. Sparks and splinters exploded as the spell hit the wood.
Debon threw the door to his room open and stepped out. He transformed into a black cloud of smoke and rushed over to fight Golden. The sorceress fired an electrical bolt at him, but the spell passed through his smoke body.
Zeeps cheered. “We get to see Golden taken down!”
“I’m pretty sure Golden will kill Debon first,” Ellie countered.
“Well that’s almost as good!” the changeling stated happily.
Trixie rushed over to Zeeps and Ellie as fast as she could move. “I’ve changed my mind!” she shouted over the cacophony of the battle. “Let’s go with your plan and get out of here!” She pushed her friends to the edge of the airship. The gray clouds below obscured most of the ground save for a few protruding mountain tops.
Ramjet landed beside Trixie and grabbed her by the neck. Zeeps jumped at the pegasus and butted her head against his. Ramjet let go and staggered back. The changeling didn’t let up on her attack. Zeeps dove forward, slammed into his gut, and shoved Ramjet over the side of the airship. He disappeared into the clouds below.
Trixie let out several coughs as Ellie walked her away from the railing. The unicorn paused to hold up a hoof. “I’m alright,” she hoarsely stated. She saw two of Debon’s crewmembers approach. Trixie fired a burst of magical fireworks into the face of the nearest one to blind him.
The other stallion attempted to grab Ellie. She blocked his advances, but struggled to keep him away. Cheryl came up from behind and seized the stallion around the shoulder. She rushed him to the railing and slammed his head against the hard wood. The stallion dropped to the deck unconscious.
Minuit limped over to the group with a dejected expression on her face. “I’m sorry Trixie. I don’t think I could carry two ponies right now.” Her right wing twitched with pain.
“It’s alright, I’ll think of something,” Trixie assured her. She scanned the deck quickly for an idea on how to get one more pony to fly.
Debon regained his solid pony form and dropped to the deck of Golden's ship. His body was covered in burn marks and he appeared labored for breath. Golden kicked him aside and prepared another magical bolt, this one aimed at Trixie’s friends. She let out a roar as the magical energy left her hooves and arced across the airships toward its target.
Trixie jumped in front of her friends. She put her fore-hooves up to block the spell with her own magic. She wasn’t even sure which spell to cast, but she hastily threw whatever spells she knew together. The lightning hit a magical barrier in front of Trixie and stopped. It sparked and crackled in the air like a snake wiggling to break out of a net. Unable to push through, the spell exploded.
The blast scattered the ponies back toward the railing. Trixie slipped overboard. Zeeps and Cheryl dove and caught her before she fell.
“Don’t let go!” Zeeps shouted.
“Why would I?!” Trixie yelled back. She tried to pull herself up, but her legs were too weak to lift herself.
Skywarp returned with Dirge and they landed on opposite sides of Team Trixie. Dirge kicked Cheryl in the back. The earth pony’s grip loosened and Zeeps now held the majority of Trixie’s weight. Minuit rushed forward and took Dirge’s second kick to the chest. Skywarp advanced on Zeeps with the same intention of harm, but Ellie blocked his path.
“Minuit, Zeeps,” Ellie shouted, “Just get the others out of here!”
“What about you?” Minuit asked hesitantly.
Dirge shoved Minuit against the railing. They collided with Cheryl and in turn, Cheryl lost her faltering grip on Trixie. Zeeps couldn’t hold the unicorn by herself and fell over the railing with Trixie.
Ellie threw herself on Skywarp to hold him back. “Get out of here you two!” she pleaded.
Minuit and Cheryl held each other as they jumped off the airship. Dirge grabbed onto Minuit as they went over the side of the airship. The extra weight pained Minuit's injured wing. The bat-pony struggled to get Dirge off her back.
“Don’t you varmints ever quit?!” Cheryl shouted. She grabbed onto Dirge and struck him in the head.
Zeeps carried Trixie closer to their falling friends. “Shoot him, Trixie!”
The unicorn couldn’t see an opening to fire a spell off without harming her friends. “Get me closer!” she shouted to Zeeps. The changeling swung Trixie like a flail. “Not like this!” the unicorn shouted.
Trixie collided with Cheryl and they both tumbled into the air. Dirge pushed himself off of Minuit and struck Zeeps in the head with both fore-hooves. The changeling was knocked out in an instant and Dirge grabbed his prize before he flew upwards.
Minuit dove down and caught the two tumbling ponies, but her injured wing couldn’t support all three of them. They continued to fall through the gray clouds. “One of you needs to lose a lot of weight real quick!” Minuit warned them.
Trixie surrounded herself with levitation magic in an effort to lower her weight, but they were still falling. The ground came into view and Cheryl scanned the landscape for something softer than rocky hills. She spotted a small body of water below them.
“Think you can hit that lake?” Cheryl asked.
“I’ll be hitting something for sure!” Minuit replied.
The lake was quick to meet up with them. Trixie shot a burst of magic at the water’s surface just before they hit. The three ponies splashed hard and completely submerged down into the murky cold water.
The freezing shock to her body caused Trixie to exhale her breath too soon. Water entered her lungs and the painful drowning sensation gripped her. She paddled with all her might up to the surface. Her nose met the crisp air above and she gasped loudly for air. Trixie splashed and fought to stay above water, stunned while her lungs tried to expel the water in them. A hoof pushed her toward the shore.
One by one the three friends climbed out of the lake and flopped down along the shore. They gasped to catch their breath and their bodies shivered to keep warm. The land around them appeared ashen and dead. The sun was obscured by the clouds and the ground was desolate of most vegetation.
Minuit patted Cheryl and Trixie to each side of her. “Good job. Let’s… never do that again.”
“Agreed,” Trixie said weakly.
Cheryl nodded. “Yeah, I’m getting mighty tired of all this falling. That stupid useless changeling of ours…”
Cheryl’s words trailed as a group of changelings surrounded them from the hills. Trixie sat up and took a quick head count. There were five of them, and she was too exhausted to even cast a simple light spell.
“We’re sorry,” Trixie apologized, “Is this your spot? We can find another beach. The water here is too brisk anyway.”
The changelings hissed and bared their teeth. One of them appeared to communicate to the others with a series of hard consonants and clicks. Trixie wondered if they even understood her language.
“Luna damn it,” Cheryl muttered. “Can we get just five minutes before we’re eaten?”
“Watch your language,” Minuit whispered sternly.
The talkative changeling made several gestures to them and then pointed to the hill that they were hiding behind. Trixie had a suspicion that she wasn’t about to become dinner just yet.
“I think they’re taking us prisoner,” Minuit said quietly.
Trixie nodded in agreement. “I believe that is their intention. Don’t fight them. Let’s just see where they want to take us.”
“Like back to their hive where they’ll feed us to their young?” Cheryl asked sarcastically.
“Yeah, something like that,” Minuit responded.
Trixie sighed. “Well, I wasn’t planning to do anything else today.”
The changelings seized the three ponies and lifted them up to their hooves. Trixie and her friends were guided up the hills toward a cave. Trixie noticed that everything along the landscape was covered in a thin blanket of ash and dust.
“Does anyone know where we are?” Cheryl asked quietly. “This place doesn’t look right.”
They were stopped at cave entrance. One changeling flew inside while the other four guarded the ponies. Trixie looked to the north as the dark clouds on the horizon lazily revealed a towering object. It was Mount Reindeer, but a large chunk of the mountain was missing from one side. Now she understood why the landscape appeared so desolate. She pointed out the mountain to her friends.
“Well I’ll be,” Cheryl muttered. “Ain’t that the mountain that mysteriously exploded a few weeks back?”
“That it is,” Minuit said. “Mount Reindeer, the former home to a hive of changelings. No pony knows the cause behind its destruction, but I have an intuitive guess as to the cause.”
A shiver went down Trixie’s spine. She had a fairly good guess as well.
Trixie, Cheryl, and Minuit were led down through the winding tunnels that comprised the changeling hive. Clumps of moss gave off a soft green glow to the otherwise dark tunnels. Some passages had small holes dug to the surface to let in additional light. Trixie limped along the dark maze-like corridors and was pushed in the right direction whenever the passages branched.
They passed a large cavern where the hive had set up two steam engines purposed to warm the area and keep the air humid for their meager mushroom farm. The changelings had gathered wood from the outside as fuel, but the only available water was apparently from the murky lake outside. Trixie grimaced when she saw a changeling drink the foul-looking liquid from a shallow stone bowl.
The changelings all had manes and tails in various light shades of blue to aquamarine, quite similar to Zeeps’ coloration. Unlike their friend however, the residents angrily hissed and beat their wings as the three ponies were escorted through the caverns.
They finally arrived at a small chamber that branched off of the recently dug tunnels. Farther down workers were chipping away at the stone to extend the path upwards. The changelings shoved the three ponies inside the room and remained in the hallway to guard them.
Cheryl poked the slimy green moss with a hoof. “It’s like being in a giant ant farm,” she commented, “Except the ants can fly and suck the life out of you.”
“Indeed,” Minuit said. “I never imagined they were resourceful enough to employ steam engines.”
“They’re also suffering,” Trixie added. “What water I saw seemed pretty unfit to drink.” She sat down against the rough wall and began chanting incantations for several spells she knew. Sparks of light fluttered off of her horn.
“What are you doing, blue bunko?” Cheryl asked inquisitively.
“I did it again,” Trixie muttered in between spells. “I somehow stopped one of Golden’s spells back on the airship. I’ve been trying to figure out how I did that the first time for weeks.”
Minuit sat down near Trixie and leaned back. She rubbed her sore wings. “Perhaps it’s just a magical surge from adrenaline? That’s quite common in unicorns.”
“No, this feels different,” Trixie countered. “It’s not like a spell, it’s more like… Uh, I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Well whatever it is,” Cheryl commented, “I don’t think it’ll help us in here. I reckon they’ll feed us to their young for dinner.”
“They could use us for political gain,” Minuit commented. “Put us on trial for crimes against destroying their home and then use that as leverage to get other hives to declare war upon Equestria.”
“What crimes?” Cheryl asked skeptically. “I mean, yeah, we reckon either Debon or Golden had something to do with their mountain exploding, but are these bugs going to blame all of Equestria for that?”
Trixie ceased her spells and shrugged. “If you lost your home and way of life, you’d want someone to blame,” she explained. “Why not make it an entire town or nation, even if only a few specific ponies caused your suffering?”
“Since when have you known true suffering?” Minuit questioned Trixie. “An Ursa trampling your stage is barely a hardship.”
“I had my way of life trampled,” Trixie countered as she stood up. “You want hardship? Try working a rock farm for a few months! The only difference between there and this hole is that the farm’s water won’t taste like sand!”
Minuit got up in Trixie face. “Try a life where no pony appreciated your work! Where you had the talent to paint a beautiful masterpiece, but you were shunned just because you had a sibling that was prettier than you!”
“I’m a stage magician in a land of magic!” Trixie yelled out. “Oh, and right now I’m being out-staged by a damned earth pony who can cast spells!”
“At least I’m on your team against that witch!” Minuit screamed back. “My own sister stabbed me in an argument over art and all my friends took her side!!”
Cheryl grabbed the two friends by their heads and in one motion planted them both to the ground. “I want you both to shut up! You two want to have a pissing contest? Take it out on Golden! She’s the one causing every pony here to suffer. I sure as Hades don’t need a couple of ponies bouncing off the walls over whose life sucked more when we have some mad witch out there holding two of our friends hostage, or did you two forget that part?”
Three changelings entered the room with a very tall fourth behind them. The tall female had a short and unkempt aquamarine mane topped with a bent crown, the proclamation that she was this hive’s queen. Her expression bore that of curiosity.
Cheryl let her two friends go. “Are you the one in charge here?” she asked the tall one angrily.
The guards hissed, but the queen held up a hoof to calm them. “Yes, I am Queen Andrenida of Hive Mephera,” the monarch replied with a slight nod. “You are quite bold to not address a queen with respect. Who are you?”
Minuit placed herself between her friends and the queen. “Let me do the talking,” she whispered firmly to Cheryl. The bat-pony took a bow before Andrenida and Trixie followed her lead. “I am Minuit, a humble agent of Princess Luna’s royal court. This is The Great and Powerful Trixie and behind me is Cheryl the… uh, fierce warrior.”
Cheryl hesitated out of confusion, but soon mimicked her friends with a quick bow.
“Forgive our impertinence,” Minuit explained. “Our arrival was not by choice. We had just escaped from a maverick faction that threatens peace in Equestria. They are led by a wicked sorceress.”
“Golden Jubilee,” Andrenida interrupted. “Yes, I am quite familiar with her. She destroyed our home and drove us out into these wastes. I overheard your argument and I am intrigued by your emotional hatred for her.”
“Then let us go,” Cheryl said. “We’ll gladly string up that polecat by her tail for you. Heck, we were going to do it anyway, so just let us skedaddle on out of this ant hill.”
Trixie growled at the earth pony. “Cheryl, could you try to be a little more polite?” she asked.
“Please,” Minuit added. “We can’t bargain for our lives if you show all the manners of a Diamond Dog.”
“Bargaining will not be necessary, Minuit,” Andrenida said. “As you are a member of the Equestrian court, I instead wish to petition you for a meeting with Princess Luna.”
“I… wait, what?” Minuit asked skeptically.
The queen paced around the three. “Golden Jubilee occupies our homeland and hunts us down like common vermin,” she explained, “But I have seen her attack your forts and caravans with equal malice. I have seen your soldiers fall before her cruelty. I am willing to ally with Equestria to defeat our common foe and bring a lasting peace to both our races.”
Trixie did not expect such a statement from the queen. She nudged Minuit, who appeared to have been even less prepared for this revelation.
“This isn’t some skullduggery, is it?” Cheryl asked. “No offense, but I only know of one changeling that’s harmless and I still use the term pretty loosely with her.”
Another changeling walked into the chamber. She was taller than the guards, but still notably smaller than the queen. Her frame was scrawny, but healthy. “Mother, these ponies will not trust us!” she warned Andrenida. “They will attempt to murder you like those pegasi before them.”
“Would these pegasi happen to wear black suits?” Trixie asked.
“Silence!” the princess shouted.
Andrenida shook her head. “Daughter, these ponies are our guests until I say otherwise,” she scolded. “Minuit, this is Princess Apida. She is skeptical that our respective species could ever live in harmony, but she is young and inexperienced. I am confident that she will mature with my wisdom to see that our families can coexist.”
Princess Apida snorted and looked away. “I will believe it when I see it with my own eyes,” she said.
“Not to scoff at your ideals, your highness,” Minuit said, “But an alliance between Equestria and changelings would be a tremendous undertaking. Chrysalis’ attack on Canterlot has not been forgotten and there are other hives that currently skirmish with both Equestria and the Crystal Empire.”
Andrenida approached Minuit and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Yes, I’m aware that a hive had attacked Canterlot not long ago, but it was not my hive,” she explained. “Every day my workers scrounge for the last branches of wood to keep us warm. I watch my children go to bed each night without supper. If they were your family, what would you do? We could raid your towns for food, but we choose not to because we are civilized. I wish audience with Princess Luna for aid in our recovery. I wish to prove that there can be lasting peace between our species if she would give us the chance. I realize such a fancy would take years to realize, but it can happen within our lifetimes and only if we take the first step now.”
Princess Apida silently left the room. Minuit was at a complete loss for words and Cheryl leaned against the back wall stoically. However, Trixie was already plotting out what a half-starved and desperate changeling hive could do to help fight against Golden.
“How far is it to Seaddle from here?” Trixie asked the queen.
Andrenida pondered the curious question. “It would be several hours by air. We would need to fly around our home mountain to avoid an attack by Golden’s minions.”
“Why do you want to go to Seaddle?” Minuit asked.
“Historia’s letters, remember?” Trixie reminded her. “She sold the translations of Sombra’s journal to Franklin Gothic in Seaddle. If we can find a copy of the translations, then maybe we can play catch up to Golden and see where Sombra’s hidden treasure is.”
“Well the queen just said that Golden is at Mount Reindeer,” Cheryl pointed out. “Why waste time tracking down a copy of the journal when we can get the info from the horse’s mouth?”
Trixie flicked her tail. “Searching Franklin’s home would be easier. Besides that, we could also use some supplies while we’re in town. I feel naked without my effects.”
“A mutual feeling, I’m sure,” Minuit pointed out jokingly.
“Yeah, well I’m usually all for the ‘easy way’,” Cheryl said, “But I reckon that by now Golden knows about Franklin and the translation notes. Heck, all she had to do was check Historia’s office like we did; assuming Golden didn’t already make Historia sing. Let’s be honest here, Franklin is probably dead and that sorceress likely took his translations as well. Hittin’ the mountain is our best bet.”
“What about contacting Princess Luna?” Minuit asked. “We could do that in Seaddle.”
“You got money to pay for a magic scroll?” Cheryl asked pointedly.
"I have one which you may utilize," Andrenida stated.
“Well, if Franklin is dead,” Trixie mused aloud, “Then he won’t complain if we ‘borrow’ a few of his possessions anyway. We can use Andrenida's scroll to contact Luna so that any spare bits Franklin has lying around can pay for some food.”
“I’m quite certain that Equestrian laws do not work that way,” Minute said to Trixie, “And I must admit now that Cheryl has the strongest argument. We know where Golden will be. If she is now in possession of the Alicorn Amulet and both halves of the journal, then she may very well have all the keys required to unlock Sombra’s secret treasure.”
Cheryl nodded. “I know we’ve been running around blind lately, but there ain’t a better way of getting answers than going to the source. Heck, maybe she’ll be so distracted with Sombra’s secret thingamajig that we can rescue our friends without a big confrontation.”
The queen quietly approached. “I am not sure what secret Golden is after within the mountain,” Andrenida stated, “But our home has a number of hidden entrances. I can personally guide you through so that you may reach Golden before her minions have taken notice of our intrusion.”
“I suppose,” Trixie said defeated. She was out of arguments in favor of visiting Seaddle first. Instead she paced around to plan a rescue, but a sudden jolt of pain in her leg caused her to fall. She reached out and caught Cheryl by the shoulders.
“Maybe you ought to rest for a bit?” the earth pony asked. She sat her friend down. “You’ve been beaten up pretty hard lately and haven’t had a breather.”
“No, I’m okay,” Trixie replied. “It was just a sleep of the hoof, err, slip of the hoof.”
“I insist that you allow yourself the comfort of rest,” Andrenida said warmly. “I can use the time to organize my strongest fliers to take you to the mountain quickly. We’ll talk more of this later, but for now do try to relax.” The changeling knelt before Trixie. Her black, craggy horn gave off a soft greenish glow.
Trixie frowned as she tried to fight back a powerful yawn. “What are you…?” Her head slowly lay down on her hooves and she fell asleep.
“A sleep spell?” Minuit asked the queen.
Andrenida smiled. “A suggestion,” she explained. “All I did was ask your friend to relax. Her own fatigue did the rest.”
“Huh,” Cheryl grunted, “Well, just don’t put any ‘suggestions’ on us, you hear?”
“As you wish,” the queen replied softly. “You will be safe as long as you remain in this room. I shall return after nightfall and you will then be taken to the mountain.”
“Is there any chance that you can assist us with this fight?” Minuit asked.
“I will lead you to Golden, but I will not have my children confront her directly,” Andrenida answered. “In our weakened condition that is tantamount to suicide. If you would give me an audience with Princess Luna, and she grants us the aid I seek, then we will ally with you. Until then, I cannot provide you with anything more than a ride to the mountain. Now rest well, for you face an arduous battle ahead.” Andrenida left the room, but the guards remained posted by the entrance.
“Fat lot of help she is,” Cheryl whispered to Minuit. “Guess we’ll be on our own.”
The bat-pony scratched her head. “Well, at least she’ll get us to Golden. The three of us will be much stealthier than a large group of changelings.”
“I reckon so, but by now you ought to know our luck,” Cheryl warned. “Our chances of getting into a row are always high. A few warm bodies between us and that sorceress would be a welcomed bonus. Not to be cruel, but I don’t completely trust these bugs to just leave us in their own home.”
“Nor do I,” Minuit admitted softly. “I feel Andrenida also lied about her ignorance of Sombra’s treasure. I find it difficult to believe one can establish residence over such an evil presence and remain ignorant of it, buried or otherwise.”
“I ought to tell you about Saddlestone sometime,” Cheryl commented. She glanced at the guards, and then to Trixie. The unicorn snored quietly as she slept. “Well, guess there ain’t anything we can do right now other than take a nap,” the earth pony said.
“Indeed,” Minuit replied. “We can only play along until we’re dealt a better hand.”
“Too bad we can’t cheat at this card game,” Cheryl whispered as she laid down against a rock.
The bat-pony smiled. “We can always cheat,” she said slyly. “It’s just a matter of waiting for our opponent to look away.”
~ ~ ~
Trixie yawned as she hung lazily over the inky black landscape. She didn’t get much sleep at all over the past few hours, but a nap was currently impossible while she and her two friends were flown over the landscape by a swarm of changelings. The night air was cold and it whipped harshly against her fur.
The group dove suddenly and landed on the side of a hill. Mount Reindeer was so close now that it towered up past the clouds as if it stretched on forever. The moon’s dim light illuminated little other than the hills found in all directions. Minuit and Cheryl flanked Trixie as the three waited for Queen Andrenida’s direction.
“We will enter the mountain through this entrance,” the queen stated. “I will take you down to the lowest chamber and from there it is up to you to find Golden.”
Trixie used her magic to brush back her mane. “Are you sure you won’t stick around to see The Great and Powerful Trixie in action? This will be a grand battle for the bards to sing!”
“More like a slaughter,” Cheryl muttered.
“That’s the spirit!” Trixie happily beamed.
“No, our slaughter!” the earth pony corrected. “I told you, blue bunko, we just need to get some info on Sombra’s journal and if we can swing it, rescue Ellie and Zeep. I don’t want to tangle with a pony wearing that Alicorn necklace thing, and neither should you.”
“Hmm,” Trixie grunted dismissively. “I suppose we shouldn’t. Very well, lead on your majesty.”
Queen Andrenida walked away several paces and touched her magical horn to the ground. The ground responded with a dull yawn as it revealed a small tunnel leading down. She led the way inside, with Trixie, Cheryl, and Minuit not far behind her.
The former home of Hive Mephera was an alien world to Trixie. Large chambers were lit with bluish-green bioluminescent moss that hung from the ceiling like giant spherical chandeliers. Tunnels forked and snaked in all directions like an ant hill. Trixie was a bit enchanted with its strangeness, but she snapped back to reality when they passed the destroyed huts and honeycomb-like buildings; former homes to the changelings. Entire sections of tunnels and chambers had collapsed. Small chips and dust flaked off the huge cracks in the walls.
Trixie noticed dark, dried stains that appeared to have dripped out from under the rubble in several places. The unicorn wondered how many changelings were buried alive in those structures. She shuddered at such a thought. “This place isn’t livable anymore,” she commented.
“It is the only home we have,” Andrenida said. “I am prepared to accept that our hive will take years to rebuild.”
“What if Princess Luna offers to relocate your hive?” Minuit asked. “The damage to your mountain is substantial. It would be far easier to move your changelings to a new area.”
The changeling queen raised a curious eyebrow to the bat-pony. “Have you ever relocated an entire settlement? It is no simple matter. We require land to grow our food and materials to build our homes. To say it is ‘easy’ is ignorant. I would certainly accept such an offer from your princess, but we must be realistic with our goals.”
“'Sides,” Cheryl added. “I reckon nopony would want changelings moving next door to them.”
“Another matter that will take some time to reconcile,” Adrenida said to no one in particular.
The queen led them into a small passage that sloped downward. The alien world was left behind; replaced with the smooth masonry of old pony design. At the end of this hall-like corridor was a large doorway. The stone doors that had once stood here were nothing more than blasted rubble scattered around. Trixie pointed out several empty crates marked ‘dynamite’ that were left behind.
“A vault that was sealed shut for a thousand years,” Minuit whispered thoughtfully.
“And then opened in just five minutes,” Trixie sarcastically added with a nod to the crates.
Beyond the doorway the ponies saw the dim glow of flickering yellow light. There was a sinister whisper beyond the light. They were close to their quarry.
“This is as far as I shall take you,” Andrenida stated. “Beyond this passage is what you seek.”
“Yeah, kind of figured that out already,” Cheryl muttered.
Trixie stretched her legs. “Well your majesty, unless you’ve changed your mind, this is where we part ways for now.”
The queen nodded. “Indeed. Good luck to you and your friends.” She turned around and walked back through the tunnels.
“And to you,” Trixie responded. She led the way down the stone block hallway with Minuit and Cheryl side by side with her. Trixie noticed they both had puzzled looks on their faces.
“What did you mean by ‘for now’ with the queen?” Minuit asked.
“Well, you did promise her audience with Princess Luna, didn’t you?” Trixie stated.
“No,” Minuit slowly responded.
Trixie scrunched her nose. “Ah, well I suppose I made that promise for you,” she said with a smirk. “The queen was adamant that she wouldn’t help us unless we could give her an audience. I made the arrangements through the magic scroll she had while you two slept. It has a pretty purple bow too. Don’t feel cheated though; I did give you partial credit for the idea.”
Minuit frowned at Trixie.
“So, do we have her help then?” Cheryl asked. “Saying ‘for now’ sounds like you got a plan going on.”
Trixie looked down at the ground. “No, it’s… it’s not really a plan,” she admitted. “I asked her for a favor, but I don’t know if she’ll go through with it.”
“Well, tell us later,” Minuit whispered. “We just walked into ground zero.”
The tunnel opened up into a colossal circular chamber, lit brightly by several magical bonfires and dozens of large oil lamps. Golden and a dozen of her minions were gathered here, including three of the Black Wings. The sorceress stood upon a large circular dais with the Alicorn Amulet in one hoof. Beside her were the marilith Phoebe and a tied up Debon Aire. Among the small crowd of ponies around the dais were Ellie and Zeeps, also restrained with rope.
“Who are all these ponies?” Cheryl whispered.
“I’m guessing they’re the bottom rung of Celestia’s ninety-nine percent approval rating,” Minuit replied.
Cheryl pulled Trixie and Minuit quietly to a hiding spot behind a pile of crates. They watched Golden place the amulet down into a slot on the dais. Once it was firmly in place, the marilith gave Golden a dagger and then held Debon up, with his neck exposed to the sorceress. Golden held her dagger high above the stallion.
“Ladies and not-so-gentlecolts,” Golden stated loudly, “We, the Zenith Dawn, stand here upon the vault of the late King Sombra. With the Alicorn Amulet, and a little spilled blood graciously donated by Debon, we shall open the door to his greatest power. The same power which the tyrant used to conquer the Crystal Empire over a thousand years ago. Now that this power is ours, I say why break a good precedent, am I right?”
“If there is any justice left in this world,” Debon angrily grumbled to Golden, “Then this power shall be your grave.”
“Zenith Dawn, Black Wings,” Trixie muttered. “I must admit, crazy as Golden is, she knows how to pick a catchy name.”
Cheryl narrowed her eyes. “Yeah well that loon appears ready to sacrifice Debon, if you haven’t noticed that detail,” she remarked quietly.
“Ladies, if we’re planning on doing something,” Minuit warned, “Now would be the time to shut up and do it.”
Trixie nodded. “The curtain is up and they’re playing my song. It’s time for the show.” She jumped over the crates and galloped forward into the crowd. Minuit jumped after her, following the unicorn on hoof.
“Yeah, this is going to suck,” Cheryl muttered.
Trixie shot a quick burst of magical fireworks into the air. Everyone present halted and turned their attention towards the azure unicorn. She pointed accusingly at Golden. “Stop right there, witch!” she commanded. “Trixie demands that you to put the dagger down, preferably not on Debon’s head, and step away from the dais.”
“Well, if it isn’t the one and only Trixie,” Golden said as she tightened her grip on the dagger.
“That’s The Great and Powerful Trixie,” she corrected, “But Trixie will remember that in case she decides to update her business cards.”
Minuit stood alongside the unicorn and unfurled her wings threateningly. “Do not open that vault!” she shouted. “I doubt Sombra would have left his powerful secrets without protection.”
“You mean the secrets he used to conquer an empire?” Golden asked. “Well I’m willing to make that sacrifice. I mean, in a literal sense since I’m about to stab Debon in the neck. I thought that part was clear?”
“Can we hurry this up?” Phoebe asked Golden. “My hooves are getting tired holding Debon up like this.”
“Nobody moves!” Trixie shouted. She stood with her legs apart and her horn aimed at Golden’s face. She began to channel magic into her horn in preparation to shoot. Golden raised an eyebrow, but then a sinister smile crept upon her face. She began to chuckle.
“Do you actually think you can hit me from back there, little unicorn?” Golden taunted. “There are at least a dozen minions between us and they will body-check you so hard that your name will be swollen.”
“If you or that marilith so much as twitch,” Trixie threatened, “I’ll scorch your face to match your rear end!”
The sorceress laughed. “That is rich!” she said with amusement. “Trixie, you’re a pretty talented illusionist, but you’re no combat wizard. I’m wise to your pyrotechnic tricks this time. You can’t hurl bolts of actual lightning or beams of raw magic like I can. So what are you going to do? Sparkle at me?”
“I’M NOT TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!” Trixie screamed.
The magic in her horn exploded in a blinding flash of white light. Ponies yelled and covered their burning eyes as their vision went dark. Golden stumbled backwards and looked away. She caught a glimpse of Cheryl’s blurry hoof just before it connected with her face.
The sorceress hit the dais floor with a flop, her dagger skittering away. Phoebe swung at Cheryl, but the earth pony rolled under the marilith’s hooves. She head-butted Phoebe in the gut and knocked the air out of her lungs. The marilith dropped Debon unceremoniously as she recoiled in pain.
Cheryl turned and dove upon the Black Wings by Ellie and Zeeps. She swung hard against the pegasi, and struck blows against all three of them in succession.
“I’d love to help!” Zeeps shouted, “But I’m a bit tied up right now.”
“Yeah, I figured,” Cheryl grunted as she lifted Dirge up and threw him into the crowd.
“Behind you!” Ellie shouted at the earth pony. “No, the other behind you! To your other left!”
Cheryl growled as Skywarp and Thrust dog-piled on top of her. “Ellie, quit talking!” she scolded. “I can get my butt kicked just fine without you!”
Meanwhile, Minuit was fighting off a horde of angry ponies while half-blind from the earlier flash. “Ugh, she meant glittering like a sparkle,” the bat-pony angrily stated as she bucked one of the minions away from Trixie. Minuit shoved a second assailant away. “Hey, Not Twilight, are you alright?”
Trixie faltered on shaky legs. “Maybe, sorta... no,” she muttered. Her horn pounded with pain from the magical surge she had just fired. Too weak to cast more spells, Trixie swung at the pony that grabbed onto her. She missed pathetically and the assailant shoved Trixie to the ground. “Really wish we had that hive army right now,” Trixie stated.
Debon attempted to crawl away from battle, his hooves still tied together. Golden grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him back. “Where do you think you’re going?” the sorceress asked him. She scooped up the knife and held it close.
The stallion barred his teeth as he tried to wiggle away. “Wherever it is I’m going, you’ll catch up with me soon enough.”
“Probably,” Golden remarked as she stabbed him in the chest, "But I'm in no hurry."
Debon barked in pain as he bled over the dais. The Alicorn Amulet shined a brilliant red. Sand, gravel, and blood were drawn to the amulet and formed a tall vortex around the magical artifact. The mass rose up and pulsed with a dark magical aura. The dais began to crack. Chips of stalactites above rained down upon the crowds. The fight momentarily stopped as everyone looked on with apprehension.
“Prepare yourself Trixie!” Golden cackled. “For this is what brought down an entire empire!”
The vortex released a sphere of force that threw Golden off the dais. Blood and stone came together and took form; body, legs, hooves, and head. The mass softened from stone to sand to flesh and it let out an ear-piercing scream of pain before it collapsed onto the ground. Everyone looked on in silence at the now breathing, living body. He was covered in gashes and a dark liquid slowly oozed from a wound where a unicorn horn should be. King Sombra himself had returned to bodily form.
“What?!” Golden shouted loudly as she approached the unconscious body. “No, this isn’t his power! This is a half-dead paperweight!”
Debon began to laugh, but he quickly devolved into coughing up blood. “Don’t you see?” he wheezed. “A vain unicorn like Sombra... he would think that he is the great power that conquered the Crystal Empire. He... played you for a fool! A fool he used to resurrect himself!” The stallion let out another round of blood-soaked coughs.
“Shut up!” Golden snapped. She kicked Sombra out of spite before she returned her attention to Trixie. “I can at least be rid of you!”
Minuit pounded both fore-hooves on the ground. A large shadow of night poured out from her wings and enveloped the bat-pony’s body. Her eyes flashed a brilliant white, a magical horn extended from her forehead, and her body grew in size and strength. The shadows burst forth from Minuit’s body and revealed her true form, the alicorn Princess Luna.
“Wait, what?!” Golden stammered as she backed away. “But she’s, no, what? Princess Luna? What?!”
The horde of minions backed away nervously from the princess. As Trixie sat there looking up at the alicorn, a magic scroll swirled into existence with a ‘pop’ sound and fell in front of Luna. It had a very pretty purple bow tied to it.
“I’m sorry for the deception,” Luna explained to Trixie, “But I did not want to draw attention while I traveled with you on this quest.”
Golden stomped her hoof. “I don’t believe this! Sombra’s treasure is himself and the stupid bat-pony was a princess all along?” She turned to Phoebe and pointed a hoof accusingly. “So what are you really, a sheep or something?”
“Shall we dance?” Luna asked Trixie.
The unicorn was completely taken by surprise. “I… uh, sure,” she replied.
Luna swung Trixie in the air and onto her back. The princess charged into the crowd, bowling over the ponies in her way like the oncoming tide to a sandcastle.
Golden charged up several bolts of lightning and hurled them at the princess. “Don’t just stand there you idiots! Kill them all!”
The princess deftly dodged the dark magic as she continued to weave through the mob of ponies. “I’ll keep these minions in check while you free your friends!” Luna commanded. She leaped into the air and bucked Trixie toward Cheryl.
The unicorn flailed through the air and slammed into Thrust with enough force to shove him off Cheryl. With the encumbrance on her cut in half, Cheryl mashed her hoof into Skywarp’s face. She pushed the evil pegasus away and rolled toward Ellie and Zeeps.
Cheryl untied her friend and then bucked away a pony that tried to grab her from behind. She looked back at the former king on the ground. “Yes, he’s a menace to white carpets everywhere. Now how about we get going while we’re not bleeding in the same way he is?”
Ellie untied Zeeps and Cheryl picked Trixie back up. The crowd began to rout back through the tunnels as Golden and Princess Luna continued to hurl spells at each other. Trixie saw Phoebe slithering toward the sorceress, right by the alicorn amulet. The unicorn stepped forward, but Cheryl yanked her back.
“Hold up, bunko” the earth pony warned. “Don’t try to get yourself killed. You might actually succeed this time.”
“We can’t let Golden keep the amulet!” Trixie countered. “Her minions are fleeing and she’s distracted in a fight with Luna. This is our chance to get it back!”
“That makes sense in a really regrettable way,” Ellie muttered, “But I reckon you’re right.”
Zeeps nodded in agreement. “So should we start screaming and smashing things now?” she asked.
“Alright, fine,” Cheryl relented. “Bug-butt and I will distract the marilith while bunko and chicken wings grab the amulet. Fair plan or do you want more details?”
Trixie brushed back her mane. “Do we ever plan anything with more details than that?”
“Nope!” Zeeps happily answered.
Golden and Luna continued to discharge spells at one another, but they failed to land a solid hit. The walls and ceiling of the cavern, however, took the brunt of their spells. Rock began to crumble and rain down in large chunks.
Trixie and her friends charged into the fray. Phoebe snaked her way into Trixie’s path and struck out at the unicorn. Trixie ducked and slid under the marilith. Cheryl collided into Phoebe head first, followed by Zeeps. The marilith recoiled from the blows. Her tail whipped Cheryl away, followed by two hooves to swat the changeling off her. Ellie dove between the thick coils of the marilith’s body and pulled the amulet off the dais.
“Give me that!” Phoebe commanded. Her snake-like body coiled around Ellie’s tail and pulled the pegasus into a grapple. Zeeps dove at Phoebe and kicked her in the back. With a grunt, the marilith fell forward.
Ellie pulled herself from the marilith’s loosened grasp. “Go long, Trixie!” Ellie shouted.
The pegasus threw the amulet as hard as she could. Trixie raced to catch the artifact, stumbling over fallen rocks from the ceiling that still threatened to collapse.
Golden saw the Alicorn Amulet arc through the air toward Trixie. She summoned up her magical strength and took aim. “Over my dead body, unicorn!”
“Acceptable terms!” Luna interrupted. The princess fired a beam of raw magical energy.
Golden spun around and deflected the blast upwards with her own counter-spell. The errant magic pierced the ceiling and exploded upon contact. Stalactites and huge chunks of rock came crashing down around everyone. Zeeps dove to rescue Ellie. Golden continued to fire bolts at everyone despite the mountain coming down around her. Luna blasted giant chunks of rock before they crushed Cheryl.
The earth pony dodged around the shower of rocks. “Come on bunko, before you become a flapjack!” she commanded.
Trixie reached for the Alicorn Amulet on the ground, but hesitated. She felt it calling out in her mind, to put it on and use its powers to stop the collapse. It would be an easy task to perform with the amulet. A simple spell was all Trixie needed to cast, one that could save everyone.
In her hesitation, Trixie failed to notice Golden’s magical bolt of lightning. It struck her in the back with a searing pain that blurred her vision. She collapsed from the shock, paralyzed. Screams of her name rang in her ears, but they were quickly drowned out by the torrential quake of the mountain collapsing around her.
The unicorn curled up and covered her head. She hoped that if the mountain of rock were to crush her that it would be over with quickly.
The air was thick with dust. Zeeps fought a coughing fit to cast a light spell. The eerie green light pulsed slowly with her labored breaths for air. She sat beside a mound of rubble, beyond it was likely the chamber she had just escaped moments ago. The changeling stumbled away, unsure of where her friends were. The dust stung her large icy-blue eyes.
“Hello, anyone?” Zeeps called out with a cough. She saw lights up ahead and the air was clearer in that direction. She hobbled over as hope swelled in her chest.
Three ponies bearing the Zenith Dawn patch on their sleeves came into view. They put their lanterns down and seized the surprised changing.
“Hello? Anyone else?!” Zeeps called out as she weakly struggled to get away. She gave up quickly, her strength not nearly enough to break free of their grasp. She was pushed along the tunnel’s path until it exited into a large cavern.
The cavern was so enormous that it had nearly two dozen other passages converged here. Scattered around the chamber were several members of the Zenith Dawn. They had regrouped to tend to their wounds and search for other survivors. They also had two other prisoners, Cheryl and Ellie.
Zeeps had her wings and legs bound together by a burly earth pony. She was then shoved against her friends. “Ow! Are you trying to hurt me?” the changeling complained.
“Feh, yeah,” the burly pony responded as he walked away.
“Zeeps, you’re alive!” Ellie cheered softly. “I’m glad you’re okay. I hope Trixie and Princess Luna made it out too.”
“Trixie got hit by Golden’s lightning in the fight,” Cheryl said flatly. “Luna went after her, but I don’t reckon her luck is that good.”
“Don’t say that!” Ellie scolded.
Zeeps looked at all the surviving members of the Zenith Dawn here. She was relieved that neither Golden nor Phoebe were among the ponies here, and their absence may have been the only reason she and her friends were still alive. The three Black Wings, Skywarp, Dirge, and Thrust, appeared to have taken charge of the group.
“Two minutes and then we’re moving back to camp,” Dirge commanded the group.
Thrust cleared his throat. “Not going to search for the princess?” he asked.
“Nuts to that,” Skywarp replied tersely. “I’m not wasting my time chasing a mare who can teleport.”
“I agree,” Dirge added. “We should head back to the fort and join the charge against what’s left of Debon’s group. Finish off the Horizon Walkers for good.”
“Don’t you mean, for bad?” Thrust asked coyly.
The three pegasi shared a laugh among the crowd. Zeeps growled at them, but her noise went unheard. Ellie looked around at the cavern’s plethora of tunnels with wonderment.
“I wonder what this place was used for?” the Pegasus muttered.
“Common room,” Zeeps replied. “Where the hive would generally hang out when they’re not working.”
Ellie gave Zeeps a look of surprise, though Cheryl didn’t seem to visibly respond. The Pegasus leaned in closer. “How do you know? Is this…?”
“This was my home, once,” Zeeps said affirmatively.
Cheryl let out a snort. “How did I know you were part of Hive Mephera,” she said with disbelief. “Guess I could of asked that Andrenida lass.”
“You met my queen?” Zeeps said with renewed enthusiasm. “Is she doing well? How are my hive siblings?”
Cheryl scrunched her face at the questions. “Well, I reckon about as well as anyone who had their home blown up. I mean, Andrenida seems like an alright monarch. Your… siblings weren’t too fond of us though.”
“Pipe down, gang,” Ellie abruptly hissed. She pointed to something that came out from one of the tunnels.
A green magical bolt of fireworks streaked out of the tunnel and hit Dirge in the butt. The bright burst of scintillating colors stunned the Black Wings and sent Dirge to the ground face first. Skywarp jumped forward to check on Dirge’s injuries, but the crowd turned towards the source of the blast. It came from an all too familiar ornery azure unicorn-Trixie! She smirked at the crowd and then ran back into the tunnel she had appeared from.
“I’ll gladly take her down a peg,” Thrust growled. “Get that unicorn!”
The minions began to gallop after Trixie. Just as they entered the passage a burst of fireworks showered them from above. Manes caught fire and prompted several shouts of panic to put them out. Trixie waved from the elevated tunnel.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie cannot be caught!” the unicorn exclaimed as she retreated into the passage.
The pegasi members of the Zenith Dawn took to the air and gave chase. A few earth ponies continued down the original passage. Dirge sat up and rubbed his bleeding nose. He looked around at the other tunnels and saw that three more Trixies had stepped out of hiding. The pegasus pointed them out.
“There!” Dirge blurted out. “There’s… more of her?!”
“Trixie is a master of illusion!” the three identical unicorns exclaimed. They were followed by another two Trixies from an adjacent tunnel and three more from a tunnel behind the remaining crowd. Seconds later the ponies that had ran into the tunnels to give chase found themselves retreating back from the sudden army of azure unicorns.
“Curse your illusions!” Thrust shouted. “Somepony find the real Trixie!”
The crowd was disjointed and confused. The plethora of Trixies all laughed in unison, their voices echoing eerily in the colossal cavern.
“Do you foals think you can figure out which one of us is the real Trixie? Well guess what,” they all boasted together, “We’re all real!” The surrounding Trixie army fired bolts of fireworks into the crowd. Ponies were burned and thrown flat on their backs from the rain of magical shots. Everyone scattered in fits of screams and panic.
Skywarp took a direct blast of magic to the head. He hit a large rock on the ground and was knocked out. Dirge charged the closest Trixie. Fireworks exploded all around him with deafening bangs, but he flew over the Trixie and escaped into the tunnel. Thrust spread his wings to follow, but two Trixie behind him blasted the pegasus with their magic. Thrust skidded across the ground several feet, his wings burned. The pegasus bit back the pain and scrambled back up to resume his escape on hoof into the maze of tunnels.
“Whoa, that ain’t really…?” Cheryl muttered.
“No, it isn’t Trixie,” Zeeps interrupted. Her voice buzzed happily. “It’s my hive!”
The Zenith Dawn fled into the tunnels, but many members were captured before they could escape. One by one the Trixies dropped their disguises with a sickly green light to reveal that they all were indeed changelings.
“Effective, that’s for sure,” Ellie commented.
Cheryl nodded as she freed herself from the ropes around her legs. “Yeah, frighteningly so,” she added. “Though I am a bit disappointed that our blue bunko wasn’t actually among them.”
Queen Andrenida stepped into the chamber. She walked around the captured ponies that were strewn about before approaching Cheryl. Zeeps hid behind Ellie for protection.
“Where are Trixie and Minuit?” the queen asked. “Have they been captured elsewhere by these ponies?”
“Sort of,” Cheryl explained. “We rescued our friends, but the cavern collapsed in a big fight. Trixie and Minuit are lost somewhere down there, so we got to dig them out.”
“I am risking too much to linger this close to Golden’s minions,” the queen countered. “Do not take this as indifference to your friends, but I must preserve the greater needs of my children over two ponies.”
Cheryl smirked as she freed Ellie and Zeeps from their binds. “How about if one of those two ponies is a princess?” the earth pony inquired, “'Cause you’ll be swanned to know that Minuit is actually Princess Luna in disguise.”
Andrenida’s jaw nearly hit the ground. “Is that so?” she asked. “She’s as crafty as a changeling. I’m impressed, and that bit of news does hold weight against my decision. Very well, my children will dig a path into the collapsed section so that you may search for your friends. However, my hive must return to our sanctuary before Golden regroups her forces for a counterattack.”
“Fair enough,” Cheryl agreed. “I reckon you could show us around here in short order.”
The queen turned to her subjects and began speaking to them in an odd language of their own. After addressing them, the changelings began to gather and bind the captured ponies. She returned her attention to Cheryl. “Now then, do you and your friends need their wounds tended to?” Andrenida asked.
Cheryl pointed to the little changeling that poorly hid behind Ellie. “I reckon they’re both alright. The pegasus with one wing is Ellie and that there cowering behind her is Zeeps. I just put two and two together here that she’s one of your subjects.”
The queen stretched out her hoof at the little changeling. “Come forward my child,” the queen beckoned. “Today a great many things will change.”
Zeeps stopped cowering and slowly approached the queen. When she bowed, Ellie reflexively bowed as well. The queen lifted Zeep’s chin to meet eye to eye.
“In the past, any changeling who would embrace the concept of independence was to be banished from the hive,” the queen stated. “However, we can no longer maintain the old ways of thinking and survive in this developing world, least we become relics of its past. I decree that on this day, Hive Mephera will accept the concept of individualism as the first step toward the goal of peace between us and ponykind.”
Zeeps stared blankly into the queen’s eyes.
“That means,” Andrenida explained, “Welcome home, my child.” She gave Zeeps a gentle hug.
The hive began to beat their wings happily at Zeeps. The little changeling gasped with delight and flew over to join her family. They began chattering profusely in their own language and exchanged several friendly slaps. Ellie glanced from Cheryl to the queen and back to Cheryl again.
“Um, so is this a good thing?” the pegasus asked.
“I reckon so,” Cheryl replied.
“Zeeps was one of my spies,” Andrenida said. “She infiltrated Equestrian towns and other hives to report on their actions. After several months spying on Queen Chrysalis, she disappeared. I presumed that Zeeps either was killed or had become in individual within a pony town somewhere.”
Cheryl stroked her chin. “This is the favor that Trixie asked for, ain’t it? She asked you to let Zeeps come home?”
“She did,” Andrenida replied. “Trixie considers Zeeps a good friend, and such a bond is exactly what I’d like to foster between our species. I would have welcomed Zeeps back regardless, but such a request gave me hope that we could live in harmony someday.” The queen glanced down the tunnel the ponies had come from.
“Now then, I do believe that I am owed a princess.”
~ ~ ~
“Achoo!”
Trixie awoke to the sound of a hefty sneeze nearby. She slowly sat up and rubbed the painful blister on her back. There was just no getting used to being struck by magical lightning. Unable to see anything, she cast a light spell. Soreness pricked at her horn as well, but the cavern still lit up with a soft yellow-white light. She gathered her thoughts and remembered that she had the Alicorn Amulet. Had… Trixie looked around for the cursed piece of jewelry.
She spotted it on the ground about twenty paces away, next to Princess Luna. The alicorn was battered from the fallen rocks and her right hind leg was bent in an awkward direction. Trixie grimaced, but made her way over to the princess.
“How badly are you hurt?” Trixie asked as she looked over the bent leg.
“My leg,” Luna hoarsely replied. “Too much pain... to cast a spell.”
“Let me see what I can do,” Trixie said. The unicorn thought back to the bits of rudimentary first aid she picked up in her travels. The odd position of the princess’ leg gave her the idea that maybe it was pulled out of its socket. Well, it was a hefty ‘maybe’ as she was no doctor. Still, that was also how one set a broken bone, right?
“Um… this will probably hurt. A lot,” Trixie said apprehensively.
Luna removed one of her shoes and clamped her teeth down on it. “Ready,” she mumbled with a nodded.
Trixie braced a hind-hoof against Luna’s flank. She grabbed the bent leg tightly and yanked it hard. There was an audible ‘pop’ in Luna’s hip. The princess screamed into her shoe, but her leg was now pointed in the proper direction. Luna spat her shoe out and caught her breath. She was able to move her hind-leg again, albeit with limited motion. The princess worked her weakened magic to dull the ache and restore some strength to her limb.
“Nurse Trixie saves another patent!” the unicorn said proudly to herself.
“Uhhh, Trixie?” moaned a weak, male voice from a dark corner.
The unicorn nearly jumped out of her fur. She pointed her light in the direction of the voice. Her eyes met with Debon. He was sprawled on the ground in a pool of his own blood. Trixie slowly approached him. The stallion’s throat was also covered in grotesque scabs and tumors that were still bleeding. Trixie guessed that that the stallion tried to heal himself with a spell and he failed badly.
“Trix…” Debon muttered.
Trixie sat as close as she could without touching the caking blood. She held out a hoof and Debon seized it. The stallion felt cold and clammy.
“You… were right…” he said hoarsely. “I guess… you can gloat…”
“No, not like this,” Trixie replied. “I mean, yes you were wrong about trying to tame these stupid artifacts, but you at least had Equestria’s best interests. I just… I don’t know how I expected this to end.”
“He’s slipping,” came another voice, notably deeper.
Trixie turned her head and saw a battered gray stallion laying not far away on the ground. Despite one eye swollen shut, his remaining dull red eye still managed to pierce Trixie with an otherworldly gaze. She was staring at Sombra.
“Great, what are we supposed to do with you?” Trixie muttered.
Debon moaned in pain. “So… cold…” he weakly whispered.
“I-I don’t think I can help you,” Trixie said sadly.
“I do not believe any of us could,” Luna added as she limped over. The princess had the Alicorn Amulet tucked under her right wing. “He’s lost too much blood and I'm too weak to heal that wound. I can try-”
“No, save... your strength, for you,” Debon interrupted.
“There is nothing,” Sombra said with a hiss, “Nothing either of you could do for him now. I can see death standing beside him. A bony hoof rests on his shoulders.”
“Kindly shut up,” Luna snapped at the stallion.
Debon pulled Trixie closer. She stepped into the caked blood and a chill ran up her spine from the sticky, cold splatter. The dying stallion stared at Trixie without blinking.
“Please… stop Golden. At least… grant me that…” Debon wheezed. His grip loosed and went limp on the ground. After another three short breaths his chest stopped moving at all.
Trixie stepped back in horror. Luna comforted her with a wing around her back. The two stood there silently for several seconds until Sombra broke the silence with his raspy voice.
“Now, what of the late king?” he said ominously. “Shall he go as well?”
“Luna said to shut up,” Trixie muttered angrily, tears in her eyes. “You’re more than welcome to just… oh!” She had only now noticed that where Sombra’s horn should have been was instead a shallow protrusion of chipped bone. Caked blood covered the edges where the bone met his torn skin.
The thought of a unicorn without their horn left Trixie stunned. She stammered and paced a bit on what she should do. This was the former King Sombra, right? She was fairly sure it was, except that the evil unicorn tyrant from a thousand years ago was now reduced to a half-dead blithering earth pony.
“We should take him with us,” Luna stated clearly.
Trixie stopped in her tracks. “What?”
The princess used her levitation magic to gather pieces of wood and rope together from broken crates. “Let us build a sled and take him with us. I do not believe he is the same tyrant from ages past, but we should not let him out of our sight as a precaution.”
“Well, he does look like Sombra,” Trixie said as she wiped her bloodied hoof on a rock.
“One pony does look like another… at a fair distance,” Sombra whispered enigmatically.
“I have never heard of magic that could bring a pony back from the dead,” Luna said. “Therefore, whoever… or whatever this pony is, I do not believe it is the same Sombra.”
Trixie helped tie the boards together into a simple sled to pull Sombra. She sighed heavily upon its completion. “Are you sure about this? You’re hurt too, and Debon’s body…”
“I’ve fought Discord, Sombra, and my own sister,” Luna stated defiantly. “A lame leg… is nothing to me. As for Debon, there is nothing more we can do here.” She hobbled over to the wounded stallion and lifted him onto the sled.
“Well, you did lose that last fight,” Trixie muttered to herself.
“What did you say?” Luna asked.
Trixie patted Sombra on the back. “Nothing, just telling the king here that he used to cause quite a fright,” she fibbed. The unicorn picked up the rope and pulled the sled toward the only tunnel they could see.
The two ponies slowly made their way to the tunnel and looked around. It appeared to be intact, so Luna limped into the passage first.
“This path slopes upwards,” the princess stated. “With luck we will find a way out.”
Trixie pulled the sled into the tunnel and followed along. She was still in shock after witnessing Debon’s death. After all their encounters she felt bad that their rivalry came to end so sudden. The tunnel’s upward slope distracted Trixie’s mind. She began to regain hope that they were moving toward the surface, but the silence around her was smothering.
“So, is this Sombra look-alike a prisoner?” Trixie asked the princess idly as they hobbled along.
“For now,” Luna replied. “If he does not expire within the next few hours, we can interrogate him to learn what he actually is and if he poses a threat to us.”
“The real threat… lies ahead,” Sombra hissed.
“I’m going to kick you,” Trixie stated plainly to the stallion. There was a long pause as she decided what to ask the princess next. “So… Minuit, huh? Now that whole story about being back-stabbed by your sister over ‘art’ has an interesting context. Did you come up with that disguise recently?”
Luna glanced at Trixie with what might have been a smirk. “Yes, it is a recent nom de plume. My sister has, on rare occasions, snuck out of the castle disguised as a white unicorn or pegasus. I merely copied her disguise for my own needs.”
“Really?” Trixie said with interest. “Why would Celestia sneak out? Is it to avoid the media?”
“I am not entirely sure,” the princess admitted. “However, you would be wise to be courteous around any pony named Sunny Skies.”
The two mares reached a fork in the tunnel. Both branches sloped upward and appeared identical. There were no clues as to which path would get them closer to an exit. Trixie shone her light into both tunnels, but gleaned no further information.
“I guess we can flip a coin,” Trixie mused aloud, “Except that I don’t have one.”
“Ugh,” Sombra muttered from behind them. “We are just stumbling in the dark like blind rats in a feline's gut.”
Luna snorted. “If you have a better idea, do tell me.”
Trixie wondered if there was something else missing in his head besides the horn. She leaned over to the princess. “You've fought him once ages ago, right? Was he like this, or is the stallion just some look-alike suffering from being… ‘mostly’ resurrected?”
“You are asking me to recall something from a thousand years ago?” Luna replied uncomfortably. “Well, my memory is a bit hazy of our encounter, but he was a tyrant of no fear and few words.”
“And?” Trixie questioned.
“Well, this creature does not appear to fear death. However, it seems more curious than the Sombra I remember.”
The unicorn sighed. “I just really want to know if this stallion is the real deal.”
“Doubtful. According to Twilight, when the empire's Crystal Heart was recovered it caused him to… well, explode. I would say such an end is final to any being. This is precisely why I do not believe that this animate thing is the same late king.”
Trixie began to wonder what it was that she dragged along on the sled. “I see. Well, I’m not sure you’re going to learn much from him if he isn't Sombra.”
“I will not need to speak to him long to get what I want,” Luna corrected.
The marching sound of hooves interrupted their conversation. Light began to seep down the right passage as a group approached. The two pegasi, Thundercracker and Ramjet, led three earth ponies down the tunnel with lanterns strapped to mining helmets. The ponies drew bladed weapons upon noticing Trixie’s magical light.
“Left tunnel it is,” the unicorn declared. She left Sombra behind as she pushed Luna down the other passage. Her retreat was cut short when the servant Cervantes and two more armed unicorns came up from the left tunnel. The enemy unicorns each levitated daggers that gave a soft white glow.
“Okay, Trixie can see that there’s a demand for her greatness and power,” Trixie stated to both parties as she tried to compose herself.
“Excuse me,” Luna remarked, “Beautiful alicorn princess in your presence? Did you forget about that?”
“Hush, Trixie is trying to weasel out of this,” the unicorn whispered back. She returned to addressing both groups. “Since both the Horizon Walkers and the Zenith Dawn wish me captured, we shall resolve this situation as civilized ponies. You both shall fight to the death and Princess Luna here will judge you on form and skill. The team with the most points wins.”
“Wouldn’t one team be dead after fighting to the death?” Luna remarked flatly.
“Fine, we’ll skip the judging part,” Trixie corrected.
Thundercracker stepped forward. “Don’t bother brandishing your superfluous looks and sly tongue,” he stated. “Cervantes has pledged his allegiance to Golden, so he’s actually on my side.”
“Wha… whose looks are you calling superfluous?!” Trixie angrily shouted. “Why, I could blind you all right now on my charm alone!”
The two unicorns behind Cervantes pulled out what looked like water balloons from their saddlebags. They lobbed the objects over to Trixie and the balloons burst upon hitting the ground. A clear liquid inside vaporized immediately into a noxious gas. Thundercracker and Ramjet flapped their wings to push the gas toward their opponents.
Trixie and Luna began to cough violently. They backed away from the gas cloud as fast as they could. Luna fired several bolts of magic at her opponents. Two of the earth ponies were struck and knocked down by her attack. The other ponies charged to overwhelm the princess with their numbers.
“Back off!” Trixie warned. Her eyes were watery from the gas, but she saw several shapes converge on her. She fired several magical fireworks blindly ahead of her and the shapes yelped loudly in response. Trixie aimed to shoot again. Someone’s hoof came down and struck her in the head. The unicorn stumbled backwards and tripped over Sombra. She hit the ground, followed by a hoof pressed against her chest and a blade against her throat. Trixie froze in place.
Princess Luna fired a magical bolt point-blank at Cervantes. The magical blast sent the clawed pony backwards against the hard tunnel wall. The two pegasi dove on top of Luna to bring her down. She faltered and pressed too much weight on her bad leg. The pain paralyzed her backside and the princess fell to her knees. The amulet tucked under her wing clattered on the ground.
“We don’t technically need you alive,” Thundercracker threatened as he put his hooves around Luna’s neck, “So why don’t you be a good lass and just give up on this tomfoolery?”
Luna pushed against Thundercracker, but Ramjet seized her hind-legs. Luna was pinned down tight. One of the earth ponies hurried over with a conical metal device. He clasped it around Luna’s horn with a sharp snapping sound. The metal object squeezed painfully and rendered Luna unable to cast her magic.
The remaining ponies held Trixie down as an identical device was clasped to her horn. Trixie recognized the device as something that was used on her in the San Anponio prison. One of the earth ponies gagged Trixie’s mouth with a rag.
Luna ceased her struggles, but spat on the ground. “When I get free of your grasp, Thundercracker,” she threatened, “You will be the first to taste the royal hoof!”
“Yeah, that’s not happening,” the pegasus leader replied. He clenched Luna’s jaw shut as one of the unicorns tied a leather strap around her muzzle. Once Luna’s jaw was secured, Thundercracker swiped her tiara. “This ought to fetch some decent coin on the black market.”
Ramjet picked up the Alicorn Amulet and examined it. “I wonder if this thing works on pegasi?”
“It’ll corrupt you just the same,” Cervantes stated flatly as he stood up.
“Eh, it isn’t worth the trouble,” Ramjet stated. He placed it in a pouch just before he poked the barely conscious Sombra. “Should we take this guy too? He doesn’t seem particularly useful.”
“Yes, bring him along as well,” Thundercracker replied. “It’ll give Golden’s pet marilith a snack so that she doesn’t eat one of us.” The pegasus leader pushed his prisoners to walk ahead of the group.
Trixie walked quietly alongside Luna. She glanced back at her captors, but they remained focused on locating the exit. However, she had noticed that Ramjet pulled the sled with Sombra still on it. That in itself wasn’t interesting, but Sombra was quietly drawing arrows in the dirty ground with a hoof. It seemed the stallion had some wit left in him after all.
All Trixie needed now was her friends to find the trail and follow it.
~ ~ ~
The changelings dug tirelessly through the collapsed tunnel. They worked methodically from the top down, careful to avoid further collapse of the rubble. Cheryl wiped the sweat that rolled off her brow as she helped pull away the large chunks of rock.
Ellie interrupted to offer Cheryl a drink of water from a canteen. “Hey, don’t hurt yourself, okay?”
“Bah, this is easy work,” Cheryl countered as she took a sip. “The only reason I’m sweating like this is because it’s hotter than a bed-house on nickel night.”
“I’m not asking how you know that,” Ellie muttered with a blush. “Well, the prisoners won’t tell us anything useful. Not too surprising considering only a hoof-full of changelings speak a common tongue and none of them were the ones doing the interrogation.”
“Where’s Zeeps then?” Cheryl asked.
Ellie’s eyebrows slowly raised. “She’s right there,” the Pegasus said with a point to the nearest changeling. “Honestly, do they all look alike to you?”
“Eh, I reckon so,” Cheryl said indifferently.
Queen Andrenida approached with a grim expression. She commanded the changelings in her own language and they ceased digging. The queen addressed the two ponies. “I’m afraid the cavern you last saw Trixie had utterly collapsed. Digging it out is a fruitless task.”
“What about Princess Luna?” Ellie stated. “She was with Trixie and if you want your princess, you got to keep digging!”
“There is a better way,” the queen countered. “One of my scouts has sighted Golden’s minions searching these tunnels for survivors. We shall infiltrate their ranks and see if they have rescued the princess for us.”
“Well that might work for y’all,” Cheryl began, “But what should us non-changelings do? Sitting on the side-lines ain’t my thing when I’ve got a friend needing to be saved.”
“If the princess and Trixie have been captured by Golden’s minions, then they will be taken to the surface,” Andrenida answered. “Golden has utilized a captured fort previously used by your royal guards. She keeps her prisoners there.”
Cheryl wiped her brow. “Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s just cut to the chase and assault that place!”
“Patience, little pony,” the queen stated. “I must first secure our prisoners for the hive and infiltrate Golden’s ranks. Changelings are not straight-up warriors like you may be. We rely on stealthy attacks. However, if you wish to attack Golden’s fort, then I will not stop you. I only suggest you do so carefully and with guile. I’m sure Zeeps will be happy to accompany you.”
“Come on, bug-butt,” Cheryl said to the nearest changeling she saw. The earth pony felt a tap on her back from behind.
“I’m over here,” Zeeps corrected.
“Confound it,” the earth pony muttered angrily. “Whatever, let’s just get going.”
Ellie stepped forward. “Your highness, I would like to take one of the prisoners with us.”
“Why?” Cheryl asked. “Not as collateral I hope. You know Golden would just as readily blast her own mooks along with the rest of us.”
“That pretty much makes us all the other kind of collateral,” Zeeps added.
Andrenida nodded her head. “Indeed, Golden cares little about the value of her servants.”
“He’ll be useful in pointing out the easiest way into the fort,” Ellie explained. “I’m sure we can persuade him with a little force.”
Queen Andrenida was silent for a moment before she nodded in approval. “Very well, you may take one prisoner,” the queen said. “Do be careful out there. I am in no position to attempt two rescue efforts.”
The three friends walked down the tunnels back to the spacious cavern. The prisoners were aligned in two tidy rows, guarded by four changelings. The prisoner legs were all bound together with a green hardened gel-like substance. Ellie picked up a length of rope and walked over to Skywarp. She pulled him up on his hooves.
“I want you coming with us,” Ellie stated bravely. “You will show us where Golden’s hideout is and how to get inside.”
Skywarp smirked at the little pegasus. “What’s my incentive?”
“I won’t hurt you if you help,” Ellie replied.
“Ha, you?” Skywarp countered. “Young mare, I’m a Black Wing. My tolerance for pain is quite deep. A broken flower such as yourself could barely leave a bruise upon my cheek.”
Cheryl head-butted the pegasus in the jaw. Skywarp was knocked over backwards like a bowling pin and landed askew upon the other prisoners. Everyone leaned away as Cheryl walked up and lifted the stallion off the ground. Skywarp spat blood on the ground and smirked.
“Your friend, on the other hoof, is quite persuasive,” the stallion commented, “And quite pretty.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Cheryl said as she put him back down. “Zeeps, tell your friends that we’re taking him with us.”
Zeeps spoke to the other changelings in their own language. The guards nodded, but said nothing in return. Cheryl broke the hardened gel off Skywarp’s legs to allow him to walk, but she left the gel holding his wings shut.
The stallion turned to Ellie with a smile. “Not that you aren’t cute yourself,” he then added. Skywarp stretched his legs and began walking toward one of the tunnels. “Follow me, and do keep pace. I’d hate to see you fall behind and killed by a member of the Zenith Dawn.”
“Yeah, I bet you would,” Cheryl muttered under her breath.
Ellie tied a loose knot around Skywarp’s neck with the rope. The stallion led the three mares through the winding tunnels. He was quick on his hooves and he only stopped to read carvings that the Zenith Dawn had left to navigate the maze-like passages. No one spoke, though Cheryl grunted occasionally when Skywarp stopped abruptly.
On the stallion’s latest halt, Ellie tripped on his hind-leg, dropped the end of the rope, and fell forward. She reached out to stop her fall and grabbed the hardened gel on his wings, tearing the binding off.
“Oh no!” Ellie shouted without reaching for the rope. “He’s free!”
Cheryl and Zeeps immediately jumped forward and latched onto Skywarp. The stallion stood there nonplussed. He didn’t make an effort to escape nor did he fight back from the grapple of the mares.
Ellie got up and frowned at him. “You had a chance to escape!” she shouted.
“So?” Skywarp asked indifferently.
“Well don’t you want to get away from us?” Ellie inquired. “Shouldn’t you escape, leaving us lost in these tunnels so you can rejoin Golden?”
Skywarp smirked. “Let me guess, your plan was to free me so that I could fly off to Golden’s hideout and inadvertently lead you to the sorceress so that you can assassinate her?”
“Well, yeah,” Ellie admitted.
“It doesn’t work that way,” Skywarp said.
“Kid’s got half a brain in that noggin of his,” Cheryl said to Zeeps. She let Skywarp go and took a step back.
The stallion remained standing where he was. “First and foremost, we Black Wings are mercenaries. Our allegiance to Golden only goes as far as what she pays us, and that is a very short walk. Secondly, I don’t foresee you three accomplishing anything beyond getting yourselves captured by the Zenith Dawn. I’m only leading you to them because I would be heading in that direction regardless to get paid for my services before I leave.”
Ellie dug at the ground a bit. “So all those times you tried to kill us were…?”
“Business,” Skywarp stated proudly. “Granted a few of my associates take more pleasure in the job than I, but I strictly work for the money. There are no ideals or causes behind what we do.”
“Can I hit him again?” Cheryl asked her friends. “Just one good strike between those smug eyes of his.”
“Let me get in a good swing too,” Zeeps added angrily.
Ellie waved her friends down. “Oh stop it!” she barked. “He’s just playing us, okay? We keep walking until we find the way out. Then you two can do whatever.” She removed the knot around Skywarp’s neck and instead tried it around his barrel to keep the stallion’s wings shut.
Skywarp only shrugged and pointed at the ground. “I noticed someone had drawn several arrows in the dirt here. They are not the same as the markings Golden's group left so perhaps they are from your missing friends. Shall we?”
Ellie grunted with annoyance, but she followed the arrows. Skywarp and the others walked behind her down the tunnel. The stallion quckened his pace to get alongside Ellie.
“Now, if you folks have some money,” Skywarm said, “I could be persuaded to help out in a more supportive capacity.”
“We’re dead broke partner,” Cheryl stated.
“Then forget it,” Skywarp replied. “Charity only leads to trouble.”
“Who’s Charity?” Zeeps asked. She was promptly slapped in the back of the head by Cheryl.
Trixie and Luna were shoved into chairs and tied up with lengths of iron chain. Their prison was a dark, windowless room with cracked masonry stone walls and dusty wooden floor boards. Cobwebs hung quietly from the ceiling’s wooden beams. Cots stacked in the far corner and a few empty trunks and paper trash was scattered about the floor. A gentle fire glowed from within the fireplace, but Trixie’s handlers were anything but gentle to her.
Cervantes ran a hoof through Trixie’s hair to check for anything hidden underneath the unicorn’s mane. Sombra was unceremoniously dropped on the ground by the fireplace. Ramjet and Thundercracker then tied Sombra’s legs together with rope. Satisfied that the prisoners were secured, the former butler led the other Zenith Dawn members out of the room. They were intercepted at the doorway by the yellow unicorn Roc Tumbler.
“I thought the butler was tasked to dispose of the trash, not drag it in,” Roc joked.
Cervantes said nothing in reply as he shoved his way past Roc into the hall. Trixie, however, was muttering something incoherent through her gag. Roc stepped into the room after the other ZD members passed through.
“What do you want?” Thundercracker asked tersely.
Roc shrugged nonchalantly. “I was merely curious to know who our newest guests were.” He glanced over to the three new prisoners and immediately recognized Prince Luna. “Is that…? How did you manage to capture her?”
“We have skills,” Thundercracker stated proudly. “More than an archeologist such as yourself could do.”
“No, it must have taken a barrel of luck to capture one of the Canterlot princesses!” Roc countered.
“Luck is one of our skills,” Thundercracker wryly stated as he left the room.
The yellow unicorn narrowed his eyes at the boasting pegasus. He then untied the strap around Luna’s muzzle. “Hello, your highness,” Roc greeted, “I believe we’ve not had the pleasure?”
“No, and do not expect any,” Luna growled.
Ramjet cleared his throat loudly as he began to leave the room. “Don’t get too chatty with them,” the pegasus warned, “That blue unicorn in particular has a bit of a sly tongue on her.”
“Believe me, I know that tidbit first-hoof,” Roc stated. He walked over to the gagged Trixie and smiled. “Trixie has caused me a good bit of pain in the past. I look forward to returning the favor.” He ran a hoof through the back of Trixie’s mane.
Trixie growled as she recoiled from the stallion.
“Don’t be too eager to satisfy your grudge,” Ramjet warned from outside the room. “I’m pretty sure when Golden arrives, she’s going to have Trixie ground down into paste.”
Roc snorted at the statement before he turned and left the room. The door was slammed shut and barred from the outside. Trixie’s eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of the fireplace. She began an effort to remove her gag, but she also felt something prickly in her hair, just behind her neck.
The unicorn’s discovery was interrupted by the voice of a fourth prisoner in the room. He had sat silently in the shadows until this moment and his sour speech was clearly familiar to Trixie.
“Princess Luna? They have you as well?” Victor asked in a defeated tone. “Please don’t tell me that Trixie had an involvement with your capture. You are a curse, Trixie! Ever since the day we’ve met.”
“You two have a history?” Luna asked the stallion.
“Victor Justice, property lawyer,” he introduced, “And yes, I’ve had the displeasure of meeting Trixie on several occasions.”
Trixie worked her gag loose and spat it out. “Please, Trixie is no less the victim than you are,” she countered, “And she is tired of being blamed for everyone’s stupid luck.”
“My involvement here is of my own free will,” Luna explained. “There is no need to pass judgment on anyone.”
“That’s right, and she was assisting us to bring Golden down,” Trixie added. “We could have captured the marilith in Ponyville if you and Debon hadn’t shown up to the party.”
“Well maybe if you hadn’t meddled in Debon’s affairs like I told you,” Victor said sternly, “Then you wouldn’t be here. Do you know how hard you’ve made my job to keep Debon’s activities a secret?”
Trixie let out a scoff. “Fat lot of good it is to keep your stuff private when all of your friends have betrayed you. Just count yourself lucky that Cervantes didn’t go for a literal backstabbing.”
“Oh, the attempt was made, believe me,” Victor said angrily, “But maybe if you weren’t such a distraction we could have done our job of stopping Golden before she caught on to our plans!”
“Well Debon is now dead, so have fun looking for new employment!” Trixie snapped back. She was nearly in tears after shouting those words.
“Oh joy,” Princess Luna muttered, “I’m being held captive in daycare with two foals.”
Victor visibly bit his tongue. He sat there stunned at Trixie’s news of Debon’s death, unable to utter another word. He glanced at the princess, but was still silent.
Sombra chuckled from his spot by the hearth. The dark gray stallion had sat up and was trying to burn his bindings against the small flame of the fireplace.
“Well, I see that somepony is amused by this sour squabble,” Luna said. “Would you like to add anything to our petty argument?”
“No,” Sombra answered as he glanced at Luna with his good eye. “The two unicorns have added all that the argument will hold.”
“Shut up,” Trixie growled. She shifted in her seat to loosen the mysterious object in her hair.
Victor finally spoke once more. “Who is this stallion?” he asked the princess.
“I’m not sure what he is,” Luna answered, “But he has the appearance of the late King Sombra. He was created when Golden sacrificed Debon in some kind of blood ritual involving the Alicorn Amulet. Would you happen to know anything about that?”
“No, sorry,” Victor replied weakly. “I know nothing about the amulet.”
“I could teach you a thing or two about it,” Trixie interrupted. The object in her mane fell out and landed between her hooves. She could feel that it was some kind of key. Perhaps it was the key to undo the lock from her chains… wait, did Roc actually give her this key on purpose? “Huh, maybe you still have a friend around these parts,” Trixie stated.
“What are you talking about?” Victor inquired.
Sombra suddenly jerked back as the rope binding caught fire. “Ow!” the stallion shouted loudly. He pulled his hooves out from the burning rope and tossed the pieces away. The hot embers kissed the lid of a nearby wooden trunk. The container burst into flames abruptly.
“Are you mad?!” Victor shouted. “We are now going to die in a fire!”
“I keep telling my sister,” Luna calmly grumbled, “That these modern lacquer finishes are just too dangerous around an open flame, but does she listen to me?”
“Are we really arguing about fire codes right now?” Trixie interrupted. She worked the key into the chain’s lock and freed herself. The unicorn quickly jumped out of her chair and freed both Luna and Victor from their restraints.
Sombra limped over to the pile of cots and began to push them aside. His weakened state left him unable to move the beds very quickly. The flames began to spread across the floor to other containers around him.
Princess Luna hurried to the door and kicked against it with her good leg. “If the three of us work together, we should be able to kick this door down.”
Victor tugged on the door’s handle. “I don’t know. This door seems to be reinforced really well.”
“It will not hurt to try,” Luna stated. She had Trixie and Victor flank her facing away from the door. “Together on three. One, two, three!”
The ponies kicked hard against the door. The wooden structure made a resounding bang, but they only succeeded in cracking the door partially down the middle.
“Oww,” Victor cried as he hobbled away. “It does hurt to try!”
“What about King Vitamin over there?” Trixie asked as she pointed to Sombra.
“What about him?” Luna retorted. “Somb- that creature is too weak to be of any use. It will just perish in the first battle we face escaping this fort.” She began to cough from the thickening smoke in the room.
“I may be physically feeble,” Sombra growled, “But I can certainly think like a titan.” He pointed to the direction the smoke was moving. As it rose, it blew away from the cots.
Trixie cantered over to the cots. She lowered her head to the ground and felt a light breeze over the floor. “There’s a draft behind the cots! Rolling just over the floor here!”
Victor let out a cough before he spoke. “How did Sombra know about that?”
“Because he was the only one sitting on the floor and not up on a chair,” Luna remarked. “Well, maybe he’s not entirely useless.”
Luna and Victor joined Trixie to push the cots out of the way as the fire grew more intense by the minute. The ponies tapped on the walls and floor around the corner for the source of the draft. A hidden trap door dropped open to the room below. It looked like the fort’s larder, although much of the foodstuffs was previously ransacked.
Trixie climbed down into the room and then helped the others descend. Sombra’s shaky balanced caused him to tumble to the larder room’s floor noisily. It elicited a ‘Shhh!’ from the princess.
“Smooth,” Trixie commented. “So is this a hidden escape hatch or just a shortcut for late-night snacking?”
“Not now,” Luna scolded. “That fire will spread down here in moments.” The princess moved quickly towards the only door in the room and peeked through the keyhole.
“Kitchen?” Victor whispered.
“Yes,” Luna confirmed quietly. “I see two earth ponies. They do not appear to be combatants, but they are drawing knives out of the drawer. They may have heard us. I’ll rush the one on the left and strike him with my wings.”
“Humph, there is no need to fight them,” Sombra stated. He threw the door open and stepped out. The two chefs nearly dropped their knives from the startle. Sombra walked toward the chefs and they backed away, cutlery held in self-defense.
“D-Don’t come any closer!” one of the chefs stated fearfully.
Sombra scoffed at them and pointed at the larder room. He opened his swollen red eye and stared them down. “There is a fire in the barracks. Get out now if you don't wish to burn!” he commanded.
The two ponies dropped their knives and galloped out of the kitchen. They shouted ‘Fire!’ as they ran down the halls.
“That was easy,” Trixie remarked.
“Ponies are adorably stupid creatures,” Sombra stated matter-of-factly. “Prone to panic, confusion, and are easily suggestible with just a little motivation.”
Victor nodded slowly. “Yes, that does seem to describe a number of my former associates.”
“Don’t agree with him!” Luna snapped. “Trixie can you get these magic locks off our horns?”
The azure unicorn rummaged the kitchen drawers for small utensils. She worked quickly on Luna’s lock, but nothing in the kitchen served as a useful lock pick. She tossed the various utensils aside in frustration.
“This would be easier if I could levitate the tools instead of manually handling them,” Trixie grumbled.
The princess grabbed Trixie’s horn lock and yanked on it. The device did not budge and only caused the unicorn a great deal of pain.
“Ow!” Trixie said reflexively. She rubbed her sore horn. “Don’t do that! If the magic locks were that easy to remove, I’d have done so already!”
A section of the larder’s ceiling collapsed in flames, lighting the remaining foodstuffs ablaze. Everyone jumped at the cacophony and instinctively backed away. They looked out into the hallway, an intersection with three paths to take.
“The chefs ran left,” Victor pointed out, “So perhaps if we go right?”
“The left path is surely the exit,” Sombra countered. “Why would the chefs run further into the castle to escape the fire?”
Luna pointed at the center hallway. “There are stairs in that direction. It would likely lead us to the ground floor.”
Several Zenith Dawn members were heard shouting from the left hallway. Hoof-steps were heard galloping across the wooden floor toward them, along with the clanging of tin buckets. Princess Luna led the way down the center hall, the limp in her canter still noticeable. Victor and Trixie followed, but Sombra was much slower than the others.
Trixie turned back and lifted Sombra to help him down the hall. The weak stallion leaned heavily against her. “My full strength… not yet returned,” Sombra wheezed. “I would not… blame you for leaving me.”
Luna hissed in Trixie’s direction. “You heard him, leave the creature behind and let’s go!”
“But he helped us out of the fire,” Trixie countered.
“Yes, that he started,” Victor pointed out.
The Zenith Dawn hurried into the kitchen to put out the fire. Buckets of water were hastily passed back and forth, but it appeared that they were ill-equipped to control the blaze. As the brigade backed out of the kitchen they saw the escapees on the far side of the hall.
“How did they get out?!” Thundercracker shouted. “Forget the fire, catch those ponies!” The pegasus led the group in a chase to apprehend their prisoners.
Trixie stopped running and stood her ground. “Get ready to fight.”
“May I offer a second choice?” asked a familiar voice from farther down the hall.
The escapees turned to see Roc Tumbler waving from a nearby door. The yellow unicorn beckoned them to follow. “Come inside, I think I can help you escape.”
“Can we trust him?” Luna asked Victor.
The lawyer nodded. “Roc did give Trixie a key for our chains. I trust him.” He gave his fellow unicorn a quick hug. “I am ever so grateful you’re still on my side!”
Roc nodded. “We could do better without the baggage following you,” he said with a glance to Trixie, “But no pony is perfect.”
Trixie shot Roc an angry glare as she entered the room with Luna and Sombra. The small chamber was a simple bathroom with no other exits. Trixie shut the door and pushed the small deadbolt into the locked position.
“This is an interesting place to be trapped in,” Luna muttered. She raised an eyebrow as the Zenith Dawn pounded and pulled on the bathroom door to get inside.
Roc approached the far wall and placed his fore-hooves against it. The wall began to crack and shift. The stones warped, cracked, and pulled open like the yawn of a mouth. Dozens of stone shards flaked off the crumbling moving wall and revealed a narrow passage into another room. The princess was left astonished.
Sombra looked more inquisitive than surprised. “What a curious ability you have.”
Victor was the first through the new opening. “Roc, this is genius! Where does this go?”
“The north hallway I think, but I’m not certain,” Roc admitted. “It’ll buy you a couple minutes in any case. Just head for the nearest staircase and you’ll find an exit.”
“Wait, what about you?” Victor asked.
Thundercracker and the other ponies crashed against the door before Roc could answer. Cracks formed in the hinges as the collective ramming intensified. Trixie shoved Victor through the small passage and then dragged Sombra along.
“Enough questions, get moving!” she commanded. Luna squeezed through the little hole and pushed Sombra along.
The next strike sheered the hinges off and the door fell to the ground. Roc grabbed the edges of the hole and pulled them back together with his magic.
“Don’t help them!” Ramjet shouted. The pegasus tackled Roc to the ground, but the passage was now too narrow to squeeze through. He struck the yellow unicorn several times in the face.
“Go around! Go around!” Thundercracker angrily commanded the other minions as they haphazardly piled into the tiny bathroom. The pegasus found himself pressed up against a corner. “Ramjet, stop tenderizing Roc’s face and help me!!”
~ ~ ~
The hoof-drawn arrows in the cave’s dirt floor led Ellie to an exit adjacent to a large, partly damaged fort. The fort’s perimeter walls were breached in several spots and a column of smoke rose out from one of the upper-floor windows. Cheryl, Zeeps, and Skywarp noticed the fire once they caught up.
Debon’s captured airship sat quietly in the courtyard below the fire. Three sentries patrolled the grounds outside the outer walls, but they appeared to be distracted by the rising smoke from the fort. Zeeps was apprehensively beating her wings.
“Calm down, bug-butt,” Chery warned. “That fire just means Trixie is alive and kicking somewhere inside that place.”
“The unicorn you mean?” Skywarp asked. “She has the devil’s luck, but is she that much trouble?”
Cheryl let out a snort. “Partner, she’s a walking natural disaster.”
“I knew I was underpaid for this job,” Skywarp muttered.
Ellie let out a ‘shush!’ and waved everyone to get down. One of the earth pony sentries walked over toward their location. The stallion looked around for movement, but appeared not to notice Ellie and her friends. He then removed a small flask from his saddlebag and took a deep gulp of its contents.
Cheryl took advantage of the sentry’s momentary distraction and jumped out of the cave entrance. She grabbed the guard from behind and with a swift motion slammed his head into the ground. The sentry went limp into unconsciousness. His flask lay on the ground, slowly dripping its contents.
“Hmm, drinking on the job,” Cheryl remarked as she sniffed the flask’s odorous contents. The earth pony picked it up and took a swig. “Not a bad brand of whiskey either.”
The group lifted the unconscious sentry and pulled him back into the cave. Ellie rummaged through his things and procured a bow, quiver, some rope, and a whistle. She handed the bow and quiver to Cheryl.
“I have an idea,” Ellie stated. “We could tie the rope to the arrow and then shoot it over the wall. We then climb into the courtyard and capture the airship. Cheryl, how well can you use a bow?”
“I can’t even nock an arrow,” Cheryl replied.
“Can’t nock an arrow?” Ellie questioned. “That’s the easy part. I just need your strength to get the arrow over the wall. You don’t need precise aim for that.”
“Chicken wings, I cannot nock an arrow for anything!”
“Not nock?” Ellie said confused.
“Who’s there?” Zeeps interrupted.
Ellie shot the changeling a dirty look. “Not now, Zeeps.”
“Not now Zeeps who?” the changeling asked curiously.
“ZEEPS!” everyone shouted.
Cheryl grabbed the changeling by the shoulders and placed her in front of the unconscious sentry. “Okay, simpler plan. Zeeps, make yourself look like this guard. You’ll take me over to the other two guards and pretend I was captured. When the two guards come over, we’ll jump them. Good plan? Good plan.”
“What about me?” Skywarp asked. He nodded toward the rope that bound his wings.
The earth pony picked up a rock and struck Skywarp between the eyes, knocking him down with a grunt. Cheryl tossed the rock aside. “Done. Any questions?”
The others shook their heads slowly and remained silent. Skywarp groaned in pain.
Zeeps transformed into a copy of the unconscious sentry and walked out of the cave with Cheryl. Ellie gathered the saddlebag, rope, and whistle off the guard, but she left the flask of whiskey for Skywarp.
“Sorry about that,” she said politely. “Cheryl can be a bit forward. Just stay here out of sight, okay?” Ellie gave Skywarp a quick pat on the head and then quietly followed behind her friends.
Zeeps and Cheryl approached one of the two remaining sentries, a unicorn with an oversized iron helmet. The guard looked between Cheryl and the disguised Zeeps with confusion. The changeling cleared her throat, but realized she didn’t know what the pony she was impersonating sounded like. Zeeps then opted to just jump the unicorn and feed on his emotions.
The unicorn yelled out for help. The last sentry took notice and blew a whistle around his neck. Cheryl grabbed the unicorn’s helmet and pitched it at the whistle-blowing pony. The sentry tried to get away, but tripped over the helmet as it bounced on the ground and rolled between his legs.
“Yes, a perfect shot!” Cheryl congratulated herself.
Three more guards from the Zenith Dawn appeared from atop the wall. They drew slingshots trained on the earth pony.
“Oh crap!” Cheryl said as she ran.
Zeeps took the cue to drop her disguise and flee. The guards fired their bullets at the intruders. Two of the shots grazed Cheryl’s mane. The earth pony dove behind a large stone block as another shot impacted near her.
“Confound you, Zeeps!” Cheryl cursed.
“I’m sorry!” the changeling apologized as she caught up. “I choked up under the pressure!”
Ellie caught up with her friends and hunkered down behind the stone. Another round of bullets whizzed by her from the sentries. “I reckon we need a new plan?” she asked.
“Reckon so,” Cheryl answered. “Anyone got any ideas?”
One of the three sentries on the wall turned and kicked the other two off the wall. They fell and hit the ground hard. Two changelings jumped up from their hidden spot by the mountain and flew over to disarm the injured ponies. The remaining sentry dropped his disguise to reveal that he was a changeling as well.
Zeeps stood up from behind the large stone. “I think the queen already has a plan going.”
The changeling on the wall waved to Zeeps and pointed to the fort. Zeeps nodded and pulled her two friends up. “Come on, they’re helping us get inside!”
“That’ll work,” Cheryl grunted. She led the way past one of the larger breaches in the outer wall. As the three moved into the courtyard, Ellie turned toward Debon’s airship.
“The airship seems to be in good condition,” the pegasus said confidently. “It even has cannons we could use!”
Cheryl followed along, but frowned. “Alright, but this time don’t set it on fire.”
“It was just that one time!” Ellie shouted defensively.
A large group of Zenith Dawn members galloped out of the burning fort. They were not armed like the sentries, but instead carried tools and supplies. The group headed toward Debon’s airship and noticed the intruders immediately.
“Hey, get those mares!” one of the ZD ponies shouted.
The three changelings over the outer wall swooped down to attack the relatively unarmed ponies. Behind them a larger swarm of a dozen more flew over the wall, led by Queen Andrenida.
“Finally, the cavalry arrived!” Cheryl cheered.
Zeeps let out a squeak of glee. “This is so much fun! Just like old times.”
“Bug-butt, you have a funny definition of fun,” Cheryl stated.
Ellie tugged on her two friends and they continued to close in on the airship. Many of the changelings had transformed to appear as Zenith Dawn members. Cheryl was confused by the duplicates of different ponies fighting one another.
She was so distracted that she failed to notice Phoebe above her on the airship. The marilith leaped down and pounced Cheryl with a heavy thud. The earth pony let out a barely audible yelp of pain.
“That’s what I love about ponies,” Phoebe said as her tail wrapped around her victim. “Crunchy on the inside.”
“No eating my friend!” Zeeps shouted. She jumped up and struck the marilith from behind.
The blow loosened the grip on Cheryl, but the earth pony could only roll away a short distance. Phoebe lashed out at Zeeps and connected with a hoof. Her blow bounced the changeling off the hull of the airship.
Ellie pulled out the rope she acquired earlier and made a lasso knot. She threw it over the marilith, but failed to snag her target.
Phoebe grabbed the lasso and began pulling the pegasus closer. “I’m going to rip out your other wing!” the marilith threatened.
A bright green blast of magic knocked Phoebe to the ground. She quickly coiled up like a rattler and looked up. Queen Andrenida landed in front of Cheryl protectively.
“Pick on a monster your own size,” the queen commanded.
“That’s too much work,” Phoebe replied. “However, you are still shorter than me!” She lashed out at the queen with her teeth bared.
Andrenida ducked down and struck upwards into Phoebe’s shoulder with her jagged horn. The marilith recoiled quickly. Blood had been drawn. She turned and swatted the queen’s legs with her tail. Andrenida stumbled as she flapped her wings to stop her fall.
Phoebe struck down on the queen’s head with two hooves. The changeling hit the stone ground with a grunt. Andrenida flashed a bright light from her horn as the marilith closed in for a second strike.
“Arg!!” Phoebe wailed as her eyes stung. Her tail seized the queen by a hind-leg. “You stupid bug!”
Several magic beams struck Phoebe in the chest and she was thrown backwards, her tentative grip on Andrenida lost. The hive came to the aid of their queen and formed a row around her. The marilith growled in pain as she slithered away toward the fort.
Ellie ran to Cheryl’s side while Zeeps and several other changelings helped their queen stand up. Andrenida turned down their help. “I am alright. Zeeps, how is your friend?”
“Not eaten, thanks to you!” Zeeps replied.
Cheryl grunted from the pain in her chest. “Yeah, though what happened to not affording two rescues?”
“I never said this was your rescue,” the queen corrected with a smile. “You just happened to be in my path of liberation.”
Ellie helped Cheryl stand up. The earth pony grimaced more from the pain, but was able to stand upright. “Might have cracked… a rib or something,” she muttered.
“Maybe we should get you back to safety?” Ellie proposed.
“Why? We’re already here,” Cheryl countered with a wave to the airship. She looked around and noticed that the changelings had taken out the Zenith Dawn ponies. “’Sides… there doesn’t seem to be a lot of opposition out here. I reckon that means Trixie is doing something pretty nasty that has their other fighters occupied.”
“Like what?” Zeeps asked.
“Well like I said before, the fort is burning down,” Cheryl answered. “Knowing Trixie, that means someone is about to die.”
Andrenida nodded. “Yes, but I do not wish your princess to be slain by Trixie’s mischievous antics,” she said worriedly. “We need a plan of locating and extracting her and Trixie quickly.”
Ellie climbed up the airship’s anchor rope. “Let’s get on board. This ship has cannons, right? We could circle the fort with this ride and then blast a hole in the wall once we find our friends.”
Zeeps carried Cheryl up to the deck of the airship and the other changelings followed. The Earth Pony grunted from the pain in her chest. “Well the plan ain’t bad,” she pointed out, “Except for the little detail that I reckon none of you know how to actually fly an airship.”
When they arrived on deck, the group saw several of Debon’s airship crew bound and gagged to the central mast. Ellie beamed with joy as she turned to Cheryl. “I think we got our answer to that too!”
~ ~ ~
The halls were rife with shouts and screams. The out of control blaze continued to consume the fort implacably. Trixie opened a door that led into a long hallway. Her group had passed through three rooms already and they were quite lost. She could hear the Zenith Dawn shouting incoherent statements to one another from several directions, but she couldn’t make out how far they were.
Trixie noticed the slit windows in the hallways before her and assumed they had reached the north wall. Down the left path was a spiraling staircase that led down. “The windows are too small to fit through,” Trixie told the others, “But I see stairs at the end of the hall. Let’s make a dash for it.”
“The others are going catch us,” Victor said dejectedly. “I think escape is a lost cause.”
“If you do not attempt escape,” Sombra pointed out, “Then you will burn. The difference between our pursuers and the fire is that the latter cannot be outwitted.”
Princess Luna nodded. “For once I agree,” she said. “If we are to perish, then we shall fight to the last breath.”
“If only I were so bold,” Victor said defeated. He pulled out a small locket on a silver chain from his vest pocket and held it to his chest for comfort. “I’m just a property lawyer in way over his head. I don’t even know why Debon held me in such close confidence.”
Trixie snatched the familiar locket away and opened it. The little photo of her mother was still inside. “Well you can stop being so close to other ponies’ things!”
Victor scowled. “Excuse you,” he barked. “That happens to be my locket!”
“And this happens to be a photo of my mother!” Trixie snapped back. “How did you even get a hold of her photo? Did you know her?”
“Wait, Jessenia is your…?” Victor questioned. “No. You’re just pulling my tail. You’re just saying that to try and raise my bristles!”
Trixie slapped the stallion across the face. “I am not joking!” she shouted.
“There is no reason to shout,” Luna said calmly as she peeked out into the hallway.
“There’s plenty of reason to shout!” Trixie yelled. She pointed a hoof accusingly at Victor. “Answer the question, you two-bit pencil-pusher! Did you know my mother or not?!”
“Yes! In the name of Celestia, yes, I knew her!” Victor confessed. “We dated for a short time, had a fling or whatever it is your generation calls it, but what does that have to do with anything?”
The azure unicorn took a step back. “For the love of Luna’s left hoof…”
Luna snorted. “I’m amused that the names of both my sister and I are being used so colorfully while I’m here in your presence,” she said flatly. Sombra quietly nodded to her with a smirk. The princess threw him a dirty glance. “Not a word out of you, false king.”
“Sorry,” Trixie apologized to Luna, “I’m just having a personal problem believing this stallion could be my father!”
“The feeling is mutual,” Victor added. “Surely your mother has had other stallions in her life?”
“The name is Trixie, not Shirley,” she corrected, “And no, she only ever mentioned the one city slicker that stole her heart. The one stallion that left her for whatever reason I never understood!”
“Hey, don’t think for a minute that I abandoned her!” Victor countered angrily. “She let me go! We came from two different worlds. It wouldn’t have worked out!”
Luna stepped in between the two bickering unicorns and pushed them apart. “I hate to break up this potential heartwarming family reunion, but I need to remind you both that we’re being chased by Golden’s henchponies.”
“I wondered how long these two would keep going at each other’s throats until that fact occurred to them,” Sombra commented.
Trixie growled and walked into the hallway. “Fine, I’ll table this argument, but we are not done!” she stated. “Let’s go.”
The group of ponies sprinted down the hallway, past several tiny slit windows and cobwebs that hung from the wooden ceiling beams. The staircase ahead of them spiraled both up and downwards to other floors. Trixie looked back and noticed that Sombra was moving at his usual much slower pace.
“You need to hustle that royal tush!” Trixie shouted behind her.
Luna gave the unicorn an angry glare. “Watch your tongue!”
“Not you,” Trixie corrected. “I was talking to the honorary earth pony holding us up.” She turned around and headed back for the slow stallion.
“I’m fascinated that you refuse to give up on me,” Sombra said. “If I really am the late King Sombra, how do you know I wouldn’t turn on you later?”
“I don’t know,” Trixie answered. “Maybe you aren’t Sombra.”
“Maybe I’m something worse?” he asked brazenly.
The question gave the unicorn pause, but before she could answer the worst possible occupant of the fort arrived from the opposite end of the hall. Golden, three Zenith Dawn members, and a diamond dog in a lab coat turned the corner to stop the escapees.
Trixie dove on top of Sombra. “Get down!!” she shouted.
Golden fired a bolt of black lightning at them. Trixie and Sombra hit the floor hard as the bolt flew over their heads. The spell whizzed right by Luna and Victor who threw themselves against opposite walls to avoid it. The lightning sparked and popped against the stairwell walls.
The sorceress marched toward the escapees. “Why did I believe,” Golden began to rant, “That I could trust my minions to kill one lousy unicorn on sight?”
“Actually, you told them to capture Trixie,” Rico corrected.
Golden fired a second bolt of lightning at the diamond dog. Rico and the Zenith Dawn trio dove out of the spell’s path. The bolt hit the wall and showered them with sparks and embers. “Don’t correct me, Rico,” she scolded.
Hooves stomped up from the stairwell by Luna’s side of the hallway. Thundercracker and Ramjet led more members of Zenith Dawn to intercept the escapees. They drew weapons as they reached the landing. Roc was unceremoniously thrown down on the staircase, both his forelegs broken.
“Roc!” Victor shouted. He pushed past the ZD ponies to lift his friend off the cold stairs. “Hang in there!”
“Not sure if there’s much of a point now,” Roc replied with labored breaths.
Golden flicked her tail. Magical lightning began to arc and spark off her legs. “Time to put you cows out to pasture. Start with the princess. Trixie is mine!”
Thundercracker walked confidently over to Luna and stroked her chin with a wing. “Any last words before you’re gutted, princess?” he asked.
Luna smashed her hoof against the stallion’s teeth. “Kiss the royal left hoof!” she shouted.
The pegasus recoiled and toppled over backwards against the other ponies behind him. Ramjet darted forward to strike the princess, but Luna grabbed him around the barrel and slammed him into the wall behind her. The Zenith Dawn charged forward.
Trixie got up and faced off against Golden. Her own magic was still locked from the device on her horn, but she still had her wits and speed. “Alright Golden, which of your freaks wants to tangle with Trixie first?” she said confidently. “I bet I could take them all out without my fancy spells!”
Golden nodded to Rico. The diamond dog took a deep breath and then stretched out his arms and legs to absurd proportions. His body expanded into a larger feral form. His teeth elongated and Rico bared them with a menacing growl. Saliva from his mouth dripped slowly to the stone floor.
“Eww,” Trixie muttered.
Rico leaped at the unicorn with his sharp claws aimed for her throat. Sombra reached up and grabbed Rico by the hind-legs. The monstrous diamond dog stopped short in his lunge and hit the floor awkwardly. Golden nodded to the three minions beside her and they charged forward to grab the unicorn.
Trixie kicked the first stallion away from her, but the other two managed to seize her by the shoulders. Sombra tried to get up and help, but Rico yanked the former king back down to the floor. Golden let out a chortle of amusement.
The Zenith Dawn that poured out of the stairs crashed against Luna like an ocean wave. The princess tried to force her magic through the horn lock, but the device inflicted pain upon her skull. She pushed her arcane power harder against the lock, more so than against the half-dozen ponies that had her pinned against the wall.
“Princess Luna, you’re going to hurt yourself!” Victor shouted. He grabbed one of the Dawn members and pulled him off the alicorn. “Stop trying to fight the lock!”
The magical device strained and cracked under the pressure of Luna’s power. It shattered in a volley of tiny pieces, followed by a burst of built-up magic that blasted the Zenith Dawn off her. Ponies slammed against the walls and ceiling as Luna got up. She turned her attention to Thunderctacker. Her eyes were a pure white glow.
“This is going to hurt,” the pegasus muttered.
Luna seized him with her telekinesis spell and slammed him against the ceiling, the floor, both hallway walls, and then pitched him down the stairwell. He bounced off the steps several times before disappearing from view. The other ZD members scrambled to get back up and away from the mad princess.
Golden focused her dark magical energy. “Come at me, princess! Let’s see what you’re made of!” she taunted. The lightning in her hooves came together into a ball of dark electrical current.
“Duel acknowledged,” Luna answered as she charged her own bolt of raw magic.
The two ponies fired simultaneously at one another and both magical beams of energy collided with a deafening thunderclap. Sparks of hot arcane energy ruptured in all direction. The wood in the ceiling burst into flames.
Trixie shoved one of the stallions on her into the magic beam’s path. The stallion screamed in agony as he caught fire. She struck the other pony in the eye and crawled away from him. Trixie grabbed Sombra and yanked him out of Rico’s clawed grasp.
Victor grabbed Roc and dragged his friend into the hall. The magical combat was so blinding in the hallway that he couldn’t see Trixie or Sombra on the far end.
Princess Luna and Golden both began to breathe heavily. Their strength waned in the magical duel, but neither let up their attack. Sweat dripped down the princess’ snout.
A loud whistle rang toward the hall from the exterior windows. The walls then shattered in several areas and turned into a crushing shower of stone shrapnel. The opposing spells were disrupted by the blast, blowing both participants off their hooves. Bits of stone and wood flew everywhere. The smoke from the fires wafted away from the breaches as a gust of wind flowed into the fort.
Debon’s airship coasted up to one of the large openings, the steam cannons hissing from the volley they just fired. Zeeps jumped from the railing to the edge of the hallway.
“Trixie!” the changeling exclaimed. “We’re here to rescue you!”
“Zeeps?!” the unicorn replied with surprise.
“Princess Luna!” Ellie added gleefully from the airship railing. Several changelings waved at the princess from behind the pegasus.
“Queen Andrenida is with you?!” Luna replied.
The changeling queen approached the railing. “That I am,” she said happily. “Shall we egress?”
“Well, a port in any storm!” Victor said with joy. He lifted Roc upon his back and made for the airship. “Somepony help Roc, his legs are broken!”
Golden got up, her breath labored from the fight. “Why must… everyone interrupt me when… I want some pony dead?!” She pointed a hoof at the princess, but her magic did little more than weakly spark.
Rico grabbed Trixie off the floor and held her in place. Sombra rolled on his back and kicked the feral diamond dog behind the knee. Rico dropped to the floor with a yelp. Trixie pulled herself free from Rico and mashed his face in with both fore-hooves. She and Sombra scrambled to a standing position and limped quickly to the airship.
Several members of the Zenith Dawn regrouped and attempted to grab Luna. The princess wrestled with them as she retreated to the airship. She levitated several stones and struck her opponents with them. Luna broke free of the fight and reached the nearest breach. She grabbed Roc off Victor’s back and with a mighty heave, she threw him to the airship crew on deck.
Ellie loaded another iron ball into one of the cannons. “Hurry up!”
The flames ate through the ceiling supports and it began to crash down around everyone in the hallway. Golden retreated back around the corner she came and the Zenith Dawn raced down stairs to escape the collapsing fort. The changelings grabbed Victor, Trixie, and Sombra and lifted them back to the ship. Luna spread her wings and flew behind the changelings.
Rico charged toward the breach and leaped to the airship. He latched onto Luna and held on tight. The princess fell out of the air and hit the deck’s railing. She tried to climb on board, but Rico attempted to pull her off the airship. The airship crew ran to the railing and grabbed the princess before she fell off.
“Let me go!” Luna angrily commanded the creature. “Bad dog! Heel! Sit! Drop dead!”
Rico climbed up the princess to swipe at the airship crew. He raked one across the face and scratched another on the legs. Queen Andrenida dove at Rico.
“You shall not have her!!” she shouted with a blast of magic at the diamond dog.
Rico jumped away from the queen and grabbed onto Ellie’s cannon. His grip slipped and the diamond dog slid down the length of the barrel. He caught the edge and stopped, but found himself looking into the business end of a large and armed cannon.
Cheryl waved and then pulled the firing trigger on the cannon. The air pressure exploded forward with a thundering ferocity. The iron ball shot out and slammed into Rico’s face. Every bone in his head and neck was pulverized by the force of the blow. What was left of him fell three stories and landed in the courtyard below.
Andrenida pulled Luna onto the airship deck. “Princess Luna, it is a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“Forgive me if I remain in shock,” Luna responded. “This is a most interesting rescue.”
Victor addressed the airship crew. “Take us to Seaddle, as fast as ponily possible,” he commanded.
The airship’s two prop-driven engines roared to life and pushed the ship away from the destroyed fort. Several more ponies from the Zenith Dawn fled the area below on hoof. No one attempted to chase after Trxie and her crew. As the fort shrank into the distance, Victor turned to Trixie.
“Come with me to the cabin and we can take these damned horn locks off,” he said to her. “Then, we can talk about your mother.”
“Yes, please,” Trixie replied. She was more than happy to have her magic back and settle her dispute.
Victor galloped through the crowded platform to reach his train. He bumped shoulders and briefcases with other travelers as he hurried along with shouts of ‘Sorry!’ to his victims. He cut in front of a luggage car and made a sharp left turn. The unicorn lawyer collided with a burly earth pony construction worker.
“Watch where you’re going, ya bum!” the earth pony scolded angrily.
Victor got up quickly. “I’m sorry, sir! Just late for my train!” He picked up his briefcase. It didn’t break open in the crash, but it was quite scuffed up from hitting the ground.
The train whistled its departure just as Victor boarded. There was no seats left and several ponies were already standing in the aisles, so victor stood near the door. The locomotive lurched forward and slowly left the station, packed with ponies headed for other boroughs.
Broncks was the first borough the train traveled through. Victor looked out of the train window at the old and modest neighborhoods that passed by. It was a stark contrast to the well-developed and upscale areas of Manehattan that he called home.
His thoughts were interrupted when the train made a stop here. The station platform was just as crowded as the one before. When the doors opened, Victor was shoved out of the car with the crowd of departing passengers. He fought to get back onto the train, but someone grabbed him from behind.
“Change?” asked a skinny and grizzled earth pony. “Spare some change, would ya?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t have any on me,” Victor said tersely.
The earth pony struck Victor across the face, which broke his telekinesis spell on his briefcase. Both stallions lunged for the case. Victor managed to grab the handle, but the earth pony tore the lock open and snatched several documents and a pair of fancy fountain pens.
“Those are not yours!” Victor shouted.
The earth pony dashed away with the documents and pens, but Victor gave chase. Ponies on the platform yelled at the two reckless stallions that plowed through the crowds.
“Look where you’re running!” an elderly mare screamed angrily.
Another mare swung her purse at victor, but missed him. “Get outta here!” she jeered.
Victor leaped forward and seized the grizzled pony by the rear legs. The two stallions tumbled off the platform and fell several feet onto some trash cans on the street below. The clatter of the cans falling over rung in Victor’s ears, but he managed to snatch the documents from the fleeing earth pony. His favorite pens were as good as lost, however.
The locomotive whistle startled the lawyer. “No! My train!” he shouted. Victor jumped up to his hooves and hurried down the street to climb back up to the platform. Three young pegasi swooped in and blocked him from proceeding.
“Hey mister,” said the red-coated stallion, “Where are you going in such a hurry?”
“Excuse me, I’m late to catch my train,” Victor responded.
The pink mare pegasus pushed him back off the steps. “Why don’t you just teleport with your magic?”
Victor tried to weave around the three. “Please, I just want to board my train. Let me pass!”
“Sounds like you think you’re too good to talk with us,” the red-coated stallion stated. “Roll him for his wallet!”
The pegasi shoved Victor backwards onto the ground. The unicorn tumbled, but he managed to hold onto his documents. The train up on the platform lurched forwards with a clickity-clack and began to leave the station.
“Aww, too bad mister,” said the third pegasus, a white colt with a blonde mane. “Looks like you missed it. You want us to give you a ride?”
The three pegasi grabbed Victor and wrestled him for anything valuable. The unicorn tried to fight back, but was rewarded with a blow to the stomach. Victor fell to the ground, winded and dazed. The pegasi flew off with his wallet as a couple witnesses continued on their own way without looking back.
The unicorn sat up, out of breath and in pain from the short fight. A sky blue hoof moved into Victor’s view and offered him help. He looked up and met eyes with a beautiful silver-maned mare.
“Do you need help, or are you content with sitting on the ground?” the mare asked him.
Victor took her hoof and stood up. “Um… thank you,” he said out of breath. “I’m just, well a bit lost. I missed my train to Manehattan and some pegasi made off with my wallet.”
“Well, I know of a place you could stay at, and you don’t need money,” the mare stated. “As long as you aren’t afraid of dancing with a stranger.”
“Uh, I kind of am,” Victor replied.
The mare smiled. “Well then, let’s stop being strangers. I’m Jessenia.” She shook his hoof firmly.
“Victor,” the unicorn replied. He was impressed by her grip.
“There, now we are friends,” Jessenia said happily.
There was a loud gagging sound that interrupted the flashback and brought Victor out of his reminiscing. The unicorn frowned as all eyes turned to the source—Trixie.
~ ~ ~
“What is it, Trixie?” Victor asked with a very annoyed look.
“Are you telling it right?” Trixie replied. “Because that sounds like a real campy story that you just made up.”
Victor snorted. “I did not make it up. This is how it really happened. Did Jessenia tell you a different story?”
“No, it was similar to yours,” Trixie responded, “But she didn’t give it cheesy details like that. Mother said that she stumbled upon a hapless, beaten up unicorn on the street. Trixie just doesn’t like the part you added about her saying ‘oh now we’re friends’.”
Ellie interrupted. “So what would your mother say, Trixie?” she asked.
“Well… something nice, but not cheesy like what victor said,” Trixie replied. There was denial and anger in her tone of voice.
The captain’s room on the airship was a cluttered mess. The furniture appeared to have been overturned and rifled through when the ship was captured and no one made an effort to tidy it up. Ellie, Cheryl, Zeeps, and Princess Luna looked on as Victor tried to explain how he knew Trixie’s mother.
Trixie, on the other hoof, was trying her hardest to deny any possibility that Victor could in fact be her father.
Princess Luna stood up from the bed and stretched. “Perhaps we should take a break. It won’t be long until we reach Seaddle and I do not wish to panic our citizens by landing an airship full of changelings in the middle of their town.”
“Well that’s an easy fix,” Cheryl said nonchalantly. “Just have ‘em all disguised as ponies.”
Victor shook his head. “I really don’t think letting a hungry hive of changelings loose upon the city is a good idea.”
“And why is that?” Zeeps argued. “Is it because we’re really good at infiltrating your town and feeding on your love?” In a flash of green magical flames she transformed herself into a near-perfect copy of Debon Aire. The changelings bowed to Trixie and attempted to kiss her hoof. Trixie recoiled out of disgust.
“Oh my Celestia, Zeeps,” Ellie said worriedly. “Are you arguing for or against your species?”
“Ahem, sister’s name taken in vain,” Luna warned. “And as for your rude display, Zeeps, please do not mock the dead. It is in poor taste.”
The changeling transformed back into her natural form. She folded her forelegs together and pouted.
“I’ll instruct the crew to land the airship outside of town,” Luna stated. “I must write my sister of what has transpired and make arrangements to safely escort Queen Andrenida back to Canterlot. I am certain my sister will be most intrigued to host peace talks with a changeling hive.”
Cheryl scrunched her nose. “What about Golden Jubilee and her cronies?” she asked. “They’re still out there causing mischief.”
“The Zenith Dawn will be dealt with, but it is still a delicate situation,” Luna answered. “Golden appears to be well connected, so I do not wish to make any plans that her spies could snatch up.”
“Think any of her spies were among the crew you rescued, Ellie?” asked Trixie. “How about you, Victor? Any of them owe you money or something?”
Victor sighed with frustration. “Don’t be so paranoid. I trust the crew of this ship.”
“Oh, Trixie shouldn’t be paranoid?” the azure unicorn snapped back. “Yeah, says the lawyer who won’t hesitate two seconds before kicking Trixie out.”
“I have good justification not to trust you!” Victor shouted defensively. “You’re a rambunctious free spirit that cannot be controlled! Tornados are more amicable to discussion than you are!”
“At least Trixie is a free spirit and not leashed to some broken ideology of taming dark magic!” she countered.
“You’re a wild fire, just like your mother!”
“At least we agree on that!!” Trixie said in a huff for the door. She walked out of the room and slammed the door hard enough that it failed to properly close.
Victor rubbed his temples. “She really is Jessenia’s daughter.”
“That’s all well and good,” Ellie said softly, “But I think the original question was if she’s your daughter?”
“I don’t know,” the lawyer said exasperated. He sat back in his chair. “Jessenia and I had a causal relationship for a few weeks, but we mutually agreed to part ways. She was a carefree spirit living in a poor gypsy community and I… I had my career. Neither of us were willing to leave our old lives behind. As far as I know, we parted on good terms.”
“So how many times?” Cheryl asked with a sly smile.
“Um, what?” Victor responded.
The earth pony leaned forward. “How many times did you and Jessenia make it to home base?”
“That’s a rude thing to ask,” Ellie interrupted. She looked to Luna for backup, but the princess remained silent.
Victor sighed as he thought about it. “Just once that I can remember. Her community had a little party and we both had a few too many drinks. We got to talking about our lives and she asked me out of the blue at one point if I'd be hers for the night. I don’t think I would of said no had I been sober. I did love her, but…”
“But you loved your work even more?” Luna asked to finish his statement.
“Yeah.”
The princess walked toward the door out. “Well, I do not believe we need to discuss this matter any further. The possibility is there and it is up to Trixie and Victor to pursue further talks. If you will excuse me, I have others issues to address.”
Luna exited the room and surveyed the main deck of the airship. She found one of the ‘issues’ she needed to address, the creature that may or may not be Sombra. He was sitting by the port-side railing alongside Trixie, watching the dark storm clouds roll above them. The princess approached and made her presence known by clearing her throat loudly.
Sombra chuckled. “Ah, the mighty princess of the night. Here to pass the time, or to pass my sentencing?”
“That is what I wish to discuss with you,” Luna answered. “You are to come with me back to Canterlot so that we may settle the matter on what you are exactly.”
“Without a horn, I’m afraid what I am is an earth pony,” Sombra said. “One with none of the benefits and all of the drawbacks.”
“Magic alone does not a unicorn make,” Trixie said, though her gaze was still on the passing clouds.
Luna rolled her eyes. “And the real Sombra’s strength was not in his magic, but in his cunning intellect.”
The stallion gave a wily smile. “But you must admit, having dark magic at your disposal couldn’t hurt.”
Princess Luna glared at him.
“Okay, it wouldn’t hurt me,” Sombra corrected, “But if I really am the late king, have I not already served my sentence? What was your judgment then; banished into the form of shadow? A thousand years sealed in ice? Death?”
“That last one was Princess Twilight's doing,” Luna corrected.
Sombra shrugged. “Judge me as you wish, but you do not scare me. I am a unicorn stripped of his horn and talent. No torture you could devise would do me a worse disservice that what I have already been reduced to.”
“You have to admit, he’s got a point,” Trixie added as she finally turned to look at the princess. The anger on Luna’s face gave Trixie the impression that she shouldn’t have turned around.
“Do not defend this cur,” the princess said tersely.
Trixie swallowed. “There's a chance he might not be the real Sombra, and he did help us escape… well, he didn’t hinder our… okay, he behaved himself when we escaped the fort.”
Luna leaned in close to Sombra and studied his eyes. “Words stir no sympathy from me. If he is not the former king, he is at the very least an abomination born of a cursed artifact. Whatever the true nature is of this creature, my sister and I will ensure that his so-called ‘tortured existence’ will be made short.”
Her thoughts were interrupted by Queen Andrenida. “Excuse me, your majesty,” the changeling queen said, “But I wish your audience for a moment.”
“Speak briefly,” Luna responded. “I do not wish to discuss matters in front of this… creature.”
The queen opened her mouth to speak, but her thought was interrupted by a high-pitched whistling sound from above. That sound drew closer at a high rate of speed and was accompanied by a small round object that arched over the airship from behind. It continued off through the air, rapidly sailing downward toward the rocky land below.
“What was that?” Andrenida asked the princess.
The airship crew took note as a second object flew by them, closer than the first. Luna’s eyes widened with a shout. “Cannonball! We’re under attack!”
Victor came galloping out of the captain’s room with the others. The crew scrambled around the deck as would a colony of roaches when one opened the door and startled them. The ponies and changelings were unsure on what to do in this situation other than brace against sturdy parts of the ship.
Luna stomped a hoof against the deck. “Be still, all of you!” She turned to the pony at the helm. “You! Increase our speed and climb higher!” She did not shift her gaze away until the helmspony did as she commanded.
“I don’t see an enemy ship,” Trixie said as she scanned the skies.
“Perhaps our assailants are invisible?” Queen Andrenida suggested. “I've seen a flying craft around these parts that can vanish into the sky. Princess Luna, would you be so kind as to assist me with a spell?”
“Certainly,” the princess answered.
The two channeled their magic together and created an enormous bubble of faintly blue magic. Andrenida mentally pushed the bubble away and it floated back past the airship’s stern and ascended into the darkening sky. As the magic receded it slowly expanded and dispersed into the air. Andrenida sat down, exhausted from the complex spell she cast.
There was a series of white sparks in the air behind them. The magic bubble popped and tore away the invisibility from another airship behind them. A familiar black ship bearing the crest of the Zenith Dawn was following them.
“Oh no,” Victor muttered. “That’s Golden’s airship!”
“I reckon they’re looking for another round,” Cheryl said. “I’ll gladly oblige them.”
“No, no, no!” Victor argued. “This isn’t a battleship! It’s Debon’s yacht. He only put cannons on it recently, and this crew has never had actual battle experience. We’re going to die!”
Sombra smirked. “Then they must grow up a little faster from colts into stallions.”
“I don’t know how to lead a battle!” Victor yelled.
Princess Luna pushed her way past the group and flew up to the helm. With her magic she levitated an old admiral’s hat that decorated the helm’s drum. “I have led battles before your ancestors were but motes in the eye of the heavens. If we are to go down, we shall go down with our last breath in defiance! Rally to me and I shall lead you all into a glorious battle!”
Several crew members cheered and others began to panic again. Trixie glanced over at Victor. “Still think we’re going to die?”
Princess Luna beckoned Victor to approach. “What is your assessment of our enemy?” she asked.
“From what I’ve seen in the previous engagement, Golden’s airship can outrun us and out-shoot us,” he answered. “She’s even got trained pegasi at her command to board us at any distance.”
Cheryl spoke up. “Couldn’t we just shoot their gasbag? It’ll drop ‘em like a stone out of the sky.”
“Their bag has been strengthened by magic. It'll take too long to puncture,” Victor answered, “Unlike ours which can’t take much punishment at all.”
The princess thought for a moment. This moment ended abruptly as a cannonball shot out from the enemy ship and nearly struck their port side hull. She turned to the crew. “We shall employ deceit and take them by surprise! Ellie, join the engineers down in the boiler room. I want you to rig the starboard propellers to give me full power on my command. Only the starboard side.”
The pegasus nodded and went with a few ponies down below. Queen Andrenida repeated the order to her hive, asking those with mechanical aptitude to assist Ellie. Several changelings volunteered and went below deck.
Luna continued her commands. “The rest of you I want to unhook all the cannons from the starboard side and move them to the port side. Connect the steam hoses and tie those cannons down. Load them as soon as they are secure!”
Golden’s airship fired another round. The metal ball sailed through the air and dealt a glancing blow against the railing on the poop deck’s port side, splintering the wood.
“Their aim appears to consistently leaning to port,” Luna remarked to Victor. She turned to the helmspony. “Drift starboard, five degrees. Drop speed to about half. Queen Andrenida, command your remaining changelings to fully unfurl the port sails. Trixie, please assist them. I want as much drag as those sails will give me.”
“What are you planning to do?” Victor asked.
“We shall play the wounded gazelle,” Luna responded as she watched the enemy ship close in. The princess glanced over at the crew working diligently to follow through wither her orders. The sight of ponies and changelings working together would have been heartwarming… if they weren’t about to engage in a lethal ship battle for their lives. If they were apprehensive about working together, they certainly didn’t show it. She even saw Sombra assist with tying the cannons in place.
“Your majesty,” the helmspony spoke up, “Seaddle is coming up real fast.”
“So is the enemy,” Victor added.
Luna pointed to the lawyer. “Call the engine room and inquire if they are prepared to engage my plan.”
Victor lifted a cap over a funnel and spoke into it. “Engine room, are preparations set?”
“Yes, I believe we’re ready,” Ellie responded through the pipe, “But I just want to point out that this is going to damage the ship.”
“Moot point when Golden catches up to us,” Victor stated.
Trixie shouted from the main deck. “What’s the next step? The sails are out and the cannons are loaded.”
“Steady,” Luna commanded with a raised hoof. “Steady.”
“Your majesty?” the helmspony inquired, visibly straining to keep the airship from turning under the unbalanced drag.
The crew of the enemy vessel moved cannons to the bow in preparation for a full volley. Luna continued to hold her hoof up. Her crew waited with abated breath, their hooves on the cannons that all pointed in the wrong direction to defend the ship.
“Princess…” Victor whispered with concern.
The silence on the ship was deafening. Luna broke from her statuesque pose and seized the wheel with the helmspony. “Hard to port!” she commanded. “Victor, tell Ellie to give me full power! Everyone hang on to something!!”
The starboard side propellers wound up to full speed and the airship made a left turn so tight it nearly stopped in midair. The crew held on for their lives as everything unsecured rolled across the deck and slammed against the railing. Ropes that held the ship to its gasbag began to fray and snap apart. Loose barrels rolled off the airship to the unsuspecting town below. One cannon broke loose and skidded into the center mast with a loud crash. Its air hose tore off and flapped wildly in the air.
The sudden turn now placed all of the ship’s cannons pointed at the very surprised enemy. Golden’s ship made a hard right turn in a futile attempt to avoid a collision and to bring its own cannons to bear.
Luna saw the surprised eyes of the enemy crew. She tipped her hat forward, pointed to the sky above, and then stomped her hoof against the deck to bellow the one command that the entire crew awaited desperately.
“Fire!!”
The air cannons on Debon’s airship exploded with thunderous booms as they rained metal balls into the deck and hull of Golden’s ship. Half a second later Golden returned the favor with her own ship firing back at them. The two ships tore each other apart and then collided. Wood splinters flew in all directions as the hulls smashed into one another. Sails and support beams became entangled. The ships were locked together and drifting over Seaddle.
Princess Luna grabbed a long piece of loose wood and held it up like a sword. “Prepare to be boarded, crew! Death may try to take us, but today it will be greatly disappointed!”
Luna’s crew cheered with renewed courage and grabbed whatever weapons they could find. Those that could not arm themselves reloaded the air cannons. From the enemy craft, the Black Wings lead the charge as Golden’s crew leaped over to board Debon’s airship. The opposing crews clashed with swords and slingshots, hooves and spells.
Thundercracker dived over ponies, kicking at their heads as he sailed over them. Ramjet and Thrust flanked with their leader as they landed on the main deck. “Divide and conquer, colts,” Thundercracker said proudly to his team. He was immediately dazed by a sudden burst of fireworks in his face.
“You will be dividing by zero, losers!” Trixie shouted from atop a barrel, “For the Great and Powerful Trixie shall stop you!”
Cheryl gave her friend a scowl. “I don’t think you can actually do that, Bunko. Divide by zero I mean.”
“Don’t kill the moment,” Trixie snapped back. She jumped off the barrel and used her magical telekinesis to shove the barrel at the pegasi.
The Black Wings easily hopped out of the way, but left themselves open to Cheryl’s charge. The earth pony head-butted Thundercracker in the chest, sending him to the floor. Thrust dove on Cheryl in response while Ramjet took off to attack Trixie.
The unicorn set off a burst of light from her horn. Ramjet veered away from Trixie, his vision blurred by the light spell. He landed on the ground and skidded to a halt.
“Grr, I can’t stand you unicorns and your freaky magic,” the pegasus growled.
“Trixie is also beautiful,” she boasted.
Ramjet pulled out a knife from his flight suit pocket and threw it at the unicorn. Trixie ducked under the blade, but failed to get up before the pegasus closed in and struck her with both of his wings. Trixie kicked out with her fore-hooves ineffectively.
Cheryl lifted Thrust off herself and threw him against the railing. The pegasus bounced off the wooden structure and landed heavily on the ground. The earth pony turned to help Trixie, but Thundercracker got up and grabbed her from behind. Cheryl and swung at him, but her blow was parried by his wing.
“Get off me, you chicken-winged pony!” Cheryl yelled.
Sombra galloped behind Ramjet and slid into his hind legs, unbalancing him. Trixie dropped to her backside and kicked out. She struck the pegasus in the jaw and knocked him out. Thundercracker pushed Cheryl away and retreated into the air.
“I had him,” Trixie mumbled to the faux earth pony. She telekinetically lifted Thrust before he could recover and pushed him over the side of the railing. The injured pegasus unfurled his wings and glided under the ship, out of view.
“Yes, you are quite welcome,” Sombra commented. He rummaged through Ramjet’s bag and found the Alicorn Amulet. “Ah, this should prove useful.”
“To who?” Cheryl questioned as she approached. “You so much as try to put that thing on and I’ll strangle ya with it!”
Trixie nodded. “I’m going to agree with Cheryl. No pony should trifle with that amulet, least of all you.” She seized the amulet and wrapped it around Cheryl’s foreleg. “There, it should be safe with you.”
The chocolate earth pony shrugged. “I suppose, as long as I don’t hear voices in my head or anything.”
Sombra scowled at Trixie, but did not say anything in response.
Luna came down on the main deck and flattened one of Golden’s crew. “Avast you heartless scallywags and other pirate words!” she shouted as she waved the wooden stick she still held. “Who is next to taste the broadside of my hoof?” Her question was answered by several opponents who attacked together with the intent to pin Luna down. The princess swatted at them with the stick and both wings. A bolt of black lightning streaked across the deck next to her.
The princess pushed the goons away and looked up. “Trying to get my attention, sorceress?” Luna shouted at Golden on the other ship.
“No, trying to hit you!” Golden responded. “Now be a sport and hold still!”
“Ha!” Luna snorted back. She grabbed one of the dazed enemy crew-members on her and levitated him up as a shield. The next bolt fried the hapless pony into an unconscious heap, leaving the princess unscathed to charge ahead. “Come fight me like a mare, Golden!”
~ ~ ~
Down below deck the warping hull of the airship began to crack the pipes, shooting steam out into the room. Ellie tried to direct the three changelings to plug the leaks, but the air was too hot to work in. The changelings threw blankets over the pipes to keep themselves from being boiled alive.
One of the pegasus engineers pulled Ellie away from the scalding steam. “We’re not going to be able to keep the pressure going. Let’s shut the boiler down and evacuate.”
“Alright, we’ll do that,” Ellie agreed. She galloped over to the air valves and closed them to starve the fire.
The floor beneath them ruptured from a blast that shot wooden planks upwards into the room. Every pony without wings fell through the breech. They were followed immediately by the pegasi engineers who tried to save them from being splattered against the streets below. Dirge climbed inside with a satchel full of dynamite. The changelings hissed and buzzed their wings in anticipation of a fight.
“No! Save our friends first!” Ellie shouted as she pointed down at the hole. The changelings understood her intent and dove through the breech, helping the pegasi engineers catch their falling allies.
Ellie and two remaining unicorns were left in the destroyed boiler room. Dirge pulled out a match and struck it against his belt. One unicorn grabbed Ellie and led her toward the stairs up to the main deck while the other unicorn tried to grab the match with her telekinesis.
Dirge let the match go and pulled out two sticks of dynamite. He threw them into the still smoldering boiler as he dove out the hole in the floor. The unicorn wasn’t fast enough to seize the sticks. They clattered against the burning coals inside.
The explosion created a lethal storm of hot shrapnel. Ellie felt needle-like pricks of pain in her legs and then the sudden sensation of falling. She faltered with her sole intact wing, plummeting to the ground. Skywarp swooped in to pluck her out of the air.
Ellie cringed with pain. Her legs were cut up from the boiler explosion. She didn’t have the strength to resist the pegasus that held her. “Get… away…” she squeaked.
“Let me at least take you to the ground,” Skywarp protested, “Unless you think you can flap that one wing of yours really fast.”
Ellie relented and allowed herself to be carried to the ground. She felt the coarse sandy street beneath her feet, and sighed. “Don’t you... aren’t you with Golden?”
“I’m a merc, miss,” Skywarp replied with a shrug, “I was hired specifically to kill Trixie, but I’ll save a pretty face for free.” He then took off, but flew away from the battle above.
“Okay,” Ellie said to no one around her. Unfortunately now grounded, she couldn’t do anything but watch the fight continue.
~ ~ ~
Princess Luna collected magical energy around her horn and shot it off as a beam at Golden’s head. The sorceress deflected the beam away with a swat of her hoof. The errant magic attack burned into the deck of her ship, leaving a long scorch mark. Her own hoof was burned as well, but Golden appeared not to feel the pain.
“You’re pretty strong for a mare over a thousand,” Golden remarked.
Luna snorted angrily. “And you are but a whelping to me!” She charged to close in, prepared to fire off another spell. Two crewmembers from Golden’s side jumped in Luna’s path, blocking her run at the sorceress. Queen Andrenida swooped in and kicked one of them away. The other latched onto Luna in a pathetic attempt to hold her back.
“Get off me, cretin!” Luna angrily commanded.
Andrenida pulled the clinging pony off Luna with her magical telekinesis. Golden fired another bolt of black lightning. The princess immediate erected a magical barrier, but only deflected part of the bolt. Andrenida cringed in pain from the spell and dropped the pony she held, her strength sapped by the dark electric magic.
Trixie, Cheryl, and Sombra hurried to the railing between the two airships. The unicorn climbed up and prepared to jump to the other ship’s main deck. “Hey, short-tail!” she shouted out to get Golden’s attention. “Trixie still has some unfinished business with you!”
The sorceress glanced back at her short, burned tail and growled. “Yes, I do owe you for singeing my rear end. Allow me to add interest!” Golden angrily stomped her hoof against the deck. The crackle of electricity sizzled at the soles of her hooves.
The azure unicorn crouched on the railing, ready to spring into action when Golden launched her attack. “Come on Golden, are you just going to use the same boring lightning attack?” Trixie goaded. “Don’t you have any new tricks?”
A cannon ball struck the railing Trixie crouched on and it burst violently. The unicorn was thrown overboard under a hail of splinters. Cheryl leaped to the edge and caught her by the fore-hooves. Slivers of wood painfully pricked at the earth pony’s legs.
“I do have minions,” Golden commented wily.
Princess Luna released her held beam spell at the cannon that fired upon Trixie. The ponies operating the cannon jumped back as the metal heated up and burst into flame. Golden fired off her magical lightning and struck Luna hard. The princess yelped at the pain and collapsed on the deck. Andrenida placed herself protectively in front of Luna despite her weakened state.
Golden approached the two royal figures confidently. “So sorry, your highnesses. With you both gone, that means a hive dies off and Celestia will have to find another pony to move the moon. Well, I guess she could do it herself. Eh, either way you two still die.”
“I will take you down with me,” the changeling queen replied. She grabbed golden by her mane and pulled her down.
“Ow! Ow! Let go!” Golden shouted. The earth pony swatted Andrenida’s hoof away and backed up out of her reach. “That hurt! Oh, I’m going to kill you much slower now!”
“Bunko, you need to pull yourself up!” Cheryl commanded.
Sombra hurried over and began to climb down the wrecked hull toward the unicorn. Trixie held on to Cheryl, but her rear hooves could not find a stable purchase to hold. She attempted to make herself lighter with her telekinesis magic.
Zeeps flew in from above and grabbed on to Trixie. “I got you, Trixie!”
Golden overheard the perky little changeling come to the unicorn’s rescue. She magically shoved Andrenida away and fired a bolt of lightning at Zeeps. “You got nothing, you stupid insect!!”
Zeeps was blasted across the deck like a thrown ragdoll. Trixie fell, only to have been caught by Sombra in the most tentative of grips. Cheryl reached down to help the stallion save Trixie.
The ground was still quite far below Trixie and she felt her grip start to weaken. “Sombra,” Trixie warned the stallion, “You better have some hidden strength to pull me up!”
“I almost have you!” Cheryl strained to reach for Trixie’s other hoof. She glanced up and saw that Golden was changing up another bolt of her magic. “Aww nuts. Sombra, pull her up! Pull her up!”
“I cannot,” Sombra replied. “I haven’t the strength.” He seized the amulet around Cheryl’s leg and yanked it off. The stallion slid down the side of the broken hull and hooked the amulet around Trixie’s neck. “However, Trixie does!” he shouted on his tumble off the side of the hull.
“Ack! No!” Trixie protested. The amulet began to glow and feed magical energy into Trixie’s body.
Cheryl growled. “Sombra, you jerk!” she shouted.
It made no difference, however. The stallion fell down through the sky toward the ground below. Trixie levitated with her powered up magic and touched down on the deck. The violet magical aura on her horn turned a sinister blood red color.
“Oh no you don’t!” Golden commanded. She shot her signature bolt at the azure unicorn.
Trixie pulled up her hooves instinctively to block… and succeeded! The electrical spell discharged harmlessly in the air around her. “Ugh, this power… too much!” Trixie growled. She fought the surge of magic that flowed through her body, the temptation of supremacy coursing inside her mind. Ultimately, she lost the fight.
The sorceress was now greatly concerned.
Cheryl was as well. She got up and backed away from Trixie. “Dear Celestia, did Sombra just…” The earth pony continued to back away. She moved toward Zeeps and was releived the changeling was still breathing. “Bunko? You gonna be alright?”
Trixie gave an angry glance to the earth pony. “No.” She flew like a dart and slammed into Golden. The two mares tumbled away from the princess and queen.
“If it’s not one problem,” Golden ranted, “then it’s this damned unicorn.” She reached over and grabbed the amulet around Trixie’s neck. The amulet sparked and burned at Golden’s touch. The mare pulled away from the painful object.
“It’s locked,” Trixie explained. “Only I can remove it.” She sat up and levitated Luna back over to Debon’s ship. Luna flopped to the deck unceremoniously where Victor ran over to protect her.
Golden backed away from the over-powered unicorn, but Queen Andrenida moved quickly to block. “You’re not going anywhere, fiend!”
“But you are,” Trixie interrupted. She struck the queen with a magical ball of force that sent the changeling flying off the ship. “Take your hive and leave golden to me!”
Andrenida caught herself in the air and retreated from the airship. Golden seized the opportunity to strike Trixie in the chest with a hard blow.
“Finally, I can kill you in peace!” She launched her electrical spell at the unicorn with fury.
Trixie disappeared in a flash of light. She reappeared behind Golden and kicked her in the barrel. The sorceress toppled over, but seized the unicorn with her own magical telekinesis. Trixie fought to break out of the magical grip. Golden lifted her into the air and then slammed Trixie into the hard wooden deck, splintering the planks. The unicorn pointed to the sorceress’ hooves and conjured flames that burst forth.
Golden let Trixie go and jumped out from the fire. “Arg! Stop trying to immolate me!” she shouted frantically.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie always leaves her audience hot for her,” the unicorn countered with a sly grin.
The sorceress screamed and magically tore chunks of wood off her ship. She hurled them like daggers. Trixie erected a magical barrier and blocked the hail of splintered wood. Golden quickly lifted a cannonball with her magic and hurled it.
The metal sphere shattered the barrier as if it were glass. Trixie dove out of the cannonball’s path. She landed on her face against the deck and roared loudly. The unicorn slammed her forehooves against the deck and the floor under Golden magically tore itself open. The sorceress jumped away from the open rift.
“Trixie!” Victor shouted from the other airship. “These airships aren’t going to remain aloft for long if you two keep fighting!”
“Let me help you!” Cheryl added. The earth pony raced toward the edge of the ship’s deck.
“Get away from me!” the unicorn commanded. "I will hurt you if you get too close!" She waved at their airship and pulled the two crafts apart with an unseen magical force. The hulls snapped and broke apart as Trixie forced the two ship to untangle. The crippled airship of the late Debon descended from the sky like a parachute.
Golden charged the distracted unicorn. She jumped on Trixie and pulled her down, pounding Trixie in the face with her hooves. The unicorn grabbed the sorceress’ hooves and butted foreheads.
“Didn’t you have the ability to teleport?” Trixie asked Golden. “Trixie is wondering why you haven’t used that in so long… ah! Your tail! Your mane!”
“Shut up!” the sorceress hissed. She grabbed a splintered piece of the deck and lunged forward.
Trixie exhaled and leaned into the blow. Golden stabbed her in the chest with the improvised weapon, inflicting a grievous wound. The unicorn went limp. She fell forward over Golden’s shoulder. Before the sorceress could pull her weapon back, Trixie bit down on her mane. With all her strength, the unicorn pulled back and tore a huge chunk of hair out of Golden’s head.
The sorceress screamed out in pain. She clutched her head, stunned and disoriented. Trixie spat out the hair and laughed. The unicorn pulled the wooden splinter out of her chest and clutched the bleeding wound.
“Trixie had forgotten. All these magic powers that Debon gave his followers, they were all from artifacts worn somewhere on their body… or in your case, as part of your hair!”
Golden continued to cry in pain. She swung wildly in front of her, unable to strike Trixie with any amount of reasonable force. Trixie swatted Golden’s hoof away and seized the mare by the neck. She held the sorceress close to herself.
“There was somepony Trixie promised a while back,” Trixie whispered in her opponent’s ear, “That should Trixie ever wear this amulet again, she would destroy herself. So, let’s go out together, shall we?”
Trixie closed her eyes and concentrated her magical might into the amulet. Golden hung weakly in Trixie’s grip, gasping for breath as the artifact began to glow brightly with the red shine of the setting sun. In a moment the Alicorn Amulet shined so bright it was painful to look at.
“W-what are you doing?!” a frightened Golden asked.
“Trixie is fulfilling Debon’s dying wish,” the unicorn responded. “Saving Equestria from her enemies.” She put a hoof over the amulet to shield her eyes from the intense red light. The heat of the artifact began to blister against her flesh.
“B-but you…”
“When you arrive at the gates of whatever hell lies beyond this life,” Trixie said matter-of-factly, “You can tell them that The Great and Powerful Trixie is not sorry.”
The amulet’s central gem cracked.
There was a blinding flash of light above Seaddle and an intense explosion that vaporized Golden’s airship. The shockwave threw pegasi and changelings out of the air. Storefront windows rattled loudly as the thunderous detonation of the amulet rung across the city.
Debon’s airship crashed into the ground and skidded several dozen feet before it came to a stop. Its passengers looked up at the dark ashen cloud where the explosion had occurred. Cinders of the other airship drifted in the wind.
“Stars and moon,” Luna muttered. “I don’t think Trixie survived that blast.”
Zeeps whimpered. “You mean... she…”
“Well, there’s a mess of ponies all over the place,” Cheryl said. “I reckon there might be a slim chance she got away.”
Queen Andrenida landed by the group with several of her changelings. They all looked quite weary. “Let us regroup and see who has survived the battle.”
Princess Luna got up and led the way towards Seaddle. Victor followed solemnly. Zeeps remained sitting on the ruined deck and looked to be in shock over the possibility that Trixie may have perished. Cheryl comforted the changeling.
“Come on, bug-butt,” the earth pony said. “Let’s find our friends. Ellie is probably scared and worried about us.”
Zeeps looked up at her. “Yeah.”
Cheryl put a hoof on Zeep's shoulder. The changeling leaned into her and started to cry. The earth pony remained with her a while, thinking about what kind of friend Trixie was that could make a changeling feel emotional over losing her. She had to be honest with herself, she too began to shed a tear.
~ ~ ~
It was a dark day in Manehattan with heavy rain clouds looming overhead. Cheryl and Zeeps finished packing the last of Trixie’s things into her wagon as Ellie inspected the axles. Most folks wouldn’t go on a long trip with the threat of a heavy downpour, but Trixie was never ‘most folks’. Once Zeeps closed up and locked the wagon door, she felt Cheryl tap her on the shoulder.
“Hey, Trixie’s here,” the earth pony commented to the disguised changeling.
Zeeps turned and saw the unicorn standing nearby. Trixie wore a heavy cloak and hood to cover her identity, as well as an unfathomable number of gauze wrappings and bandaged stitches. The changeling walked over and gave the unicorn a silent hug.
“Not so tight,” Trixie painfully muttered under her breath.
“You’re late,” Cheryl commented.
The unicorn snorted. “Trixie is never late. She arrives precisely when she means to.”
Ellie walked over to the group. “Your wagon is all packed up. You sure you’re up to traveling? You look like a mummy escaped from a museum.”
“Trixie will be fine. Her magic will pull the cart,” the unicorn explained. “Besides, Trixie needs to remain hidden for a while longer. She still has enemies believing her to be dead.”
“You? On the down low?” Cheryl questioned with a smirk on her face. “Yeah, I’ll eat my hat when I see it.”
The unicorn was about to make a rebuke, but another pony approached the group. It was Victor, dressed in a nice black suit and tie. He carried a small wrapped gift box in a saddle pouch while levitating an umbrella in case the rain came down suddenly.
“I uh… I hope I’m not interrupting,” Victor said. “I just wanted to see Trixie off.”
“Not at all,” Ellie said with a cheerful smile. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“Not too nice,” Trixie corrected.
Victor levitated the present and hovered it to Trixie. “Well, maybe I’m your father, maybe not. However, we can at least be civil acquaintances. Despite what I think of you, I know you were doing what you thought was right.”
Trixie took the package with her own levitation magic and looked it over incredulously. She shook it lightly.
“It’s not a bomb,” Victor assured, “Or a bill for the mess you caused. Just a token of appreciation.”
The showmare tore the giftwrap open and revealed a small frame with an old photo of her mother. “She never liked her picture taken,” Trixie said softly. “Believed it could steal a bit of your soul.”
“Well, it cost me a lot of my wallet to convince her otherwise,” the stallion replied with a smirk. “I think you deserve it more. You are definitely her daughter.”
Trixie slipped the frame under her cloak and nodded. “Thank you. I suppose you’re not that bad of a pony. Though if I ever find out that you are my father… well, for one thing you owe me years’ worth of missed birthday presents.”
“Why am I not surprised you’d say that?” Victor commented with a chuckle.
Cheryl was more amused that Trixie accidentally dropped her third-person act.
The showmare gave her friends each a light hug before she strapped herself to the wagon’s harness with Ellie’s help. With her eye-catching smile, Trixie gave everyone a nod.
Zeeps fluttered her wings. “Will you write us or something?” she asked. “I mean, how will we know if you’re okay?”
“Read my next book,” Trixie replied. She cast a spell on the harness and the wagon slowly began to move. “It will be obvious when you do.” With a grunt she was off across the muddy streets and in a westerly direction. She didn’t know what her next stop would be, but she was sure there would be adventure waiting when she arrived.
“I should go visit Applejack along the way,” Trixie thought. “Give her a big ‘I told you so’.” She chuckled, but stopped short as the laughter caused her pain in the ribs. It would still be worth it.
~ ~ ~
Epilogue
It was a quiet night inside the tavern. The bartender quietly polished glasses after declaring ‘last call’. His only patrons were five bandaged pegasi in odd-looking tattered black flight suits. Anyone who wore that much black and gauze was trouble.
“Hey barkeep, another!” Thundercracker demanded.
“I’m closing up and you had your last,” the bartender replied flatly.
Dirge stood up. “He said serve us another!”
Somepony threw the front doors open and entered the tavern. He was a tall dark-gray stallion with a fine suit and top hat that was just a couple shades lighter than he was. The stallion’s monocle reflected the dim lantern light of the tavern as he walked over to the pegasi. There was a notable limp in his stride.
“Evening gentlecolts,” the sharp dressed stallion said.
Thundercracker and Skywarp exchanged incredulous looks. “Aren’t you that… King Sombra fellow?” Skywarp asked.
“That is what they called me, yes,” the stranger replied. “However, I am no king today. Only an entrepreneur looking to hire a few seasoned pegasi for a business venture.”
“And why would we want to work with you?” Thrust asked.
Sombra smiled. “It is a paying job, one that requires a good amount of flying skill. I am willing to offer it to you all first, the Black Wings, despite the fact you all have reduced yourselves to a gaggle of drunken reprobates.”
“You did not...” Thundercracker slowly growled. He jumped at Sombra and took a hard swing at his face.
The well-dressed stallion easily dodged the sloppy and slow attack. He tripped Thundercracker and pushed him hard against the floor. The pegasus grunted in pain, but did little more than simply roll onto his backside.
Ramjet was next to get up. He took two steps toward Sombra with the intent to grab him by the coat lapels. Sombra parried his hooves and delivered a haymaker. The remaining pegasi grabbed Ramjet and held him back. The bartender had put down his glass and had a hoof over a large club under the bar.
“Are we done being barbaric?” Sombra politely asked.
The Black Wings remained silent, but they nodded slowly.
“Very good. Now then, if you interested in my employment opportunity, I suggest you all sober yourselves up by morning and be on the train station platform at eight o’clock,” Sombra instructed. “I expect you’ll arrive sharply. Details will be discussed on the trip to Las Pegasus.”
“How much are you paying?” Thundercracker asked as he got up.
Sombra reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small purse of bits. He tossed it onto their table, where it opened and spilled out a good number of coins.
The Black Wings each picked up some of the money. It was genuine, and enough to pay their bar tab twice over. They looked at each other, nodded and… Sombra was gone before they could say anything else.
“Anyone else find that stallion just a little bit creepy?” Skywarp asked.
“Yeah, but he’s the paying kind of creepy,” Dirge responded.
The Black Wings stacked coins to pay for their drinks and then headed out to find an inn for the night. They had a train to catch in the morning.
