Trixie Through Time

Chapters

0 - Prologue
1 - Gathering More Information
2 - The Crystal Mine
3 - Investigating The Black Crystals
4 - The Everfree Forest
5 - Crystal Uprising
6 - The Fated Day
7 - Epilogue

0 - Prologue

Today couldn’t possibly get any worse. That’s what Trixie Lulamoon thought as she made her way through the Canterlot 6th Street market square, holding a list of what should have been ingredients for tonight’s dinner in front of her with her magic. Instead, in her haste, she seemed to have picked up the rough sketch of her roommate’s next ‘masterpiece’, which means that, right now, her roommate was probably either fuming, or trying to paint something based on the grocery list they now had.

Trixie sighed and stuffed the paper back into her cape. As if today hadn’t already sucked enough. First, she woke up early because she forgot to set her clock back an hour. Why did daylight saving even have to exist? It never gave more sunlight, just the illusion of more sunlight!

Then, she burned her toast when she was checking her lottery ticket against the winning numbers. She thought she had won for a second, but then did a double-take and found that she had not. She hadn’t won even a single bit, and instead, she had to eat blackened toast, and with no butter, because apparently, her roommate had finished off the last of the stuff.

Well, there was regular butter, but Trixie was unwilling to try anything that wasn’t ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter’. She had to watch her figure, after all, to make sure that she remained as Great and Beautiful as she always has been.

And then, on her way to the theatre after her less than satisfactory breakfast, she ran into a fan that just wouldn’t leave her alone. Until she got to the staff only area in the theatre, and the security was able to handle the rest, she had to restrain herself from beating the raving lunatic who obviously had no awareness of personal boundaries to a bloody pulp.

After that, her cape got caught on a loose nail, and ripped. She had it sent to be repaired immediately, and in the meantime, had to use a substitute, which didn’t smell as nice as her previous one did.

Then there was some kind of mix-up with her makeup, and she didn’t realise it until she had already applied some. She quickly washed it off, and scolded the pony responsible. The second time went better, but by then, she was already fed up with her day and just wanted it to be over.

The bad luck just wouldn’t stop there, though. She stepped in gum in the hallway, she tripped over a tool that had been left out carelessly, she passed by a family on her way home, and the baby filly saw fit to grab her mane and not let go, and to top it all off, she had a run-in with that dressmaker from Ponyville, who Trixie referred to as Marshmallow, and learned that she was attending the same dinner party as her later that week.

And it’s not like Trixie could cancel. One does not simply turn down a dinner party with Fancypants, even if you are on friendly terms with him. It would be like saying ‘no’ to a direct order from Princess Celestia or Princess Luna.

After she finally got home, Trixie was asked by her roommate to go and do some shopping for tonight’s dinner. Some simple shopping. Nothing could go wrong there, right?

“Somewhere, Celestia is eating bananas and watching me through a crystal ball, laughing,” Trixie told herself with a groan. “Well, I guess I’ll just improvise. The Great and Powerful Trixie knows plenty of recipes, so I’ll just pick one, and gather the ingredients.”

It occurred to Trixie that money might be an issue. She checked her purse. “Hmmm… If cherry prices haven’t gone up since last week, Trixie should be able to make her favourite salad…”

And so, Trixie wandered over to the nearest cherry stand that she could find. Of course, her bad luck was working overtime today. Cherry prices had gone up a whole three hundred percent since last week!

“This is ridiculous! You expect ponies to pay twenty bits for a dozen cherries?!”

The mare at the stand simply shrugged. “Crops got attacked by a pack o’ hungry critters. We gotta increase the price ta make up for lost profits.”

“Well then, Trixie will just try another cherry stand.”

“Sorry, darlin’, but this here’s the lowest price y’all will find. Trust me, ah did some scoutin’ earlier.”

Trixie gritted her teeth together. If she played this mare’s game, there’s no way she’d be able to make the salad tonight… Well, unless she removed the orange slices, but they were the best part!

“Seventeen bits,” Trixie said. The mare scowled.

“Ah ain’t hagglin’. Twenty bits.”

Trixie’s eyes narrowed. “Eighteen.”

“Ah said ah ain’t-”

“Alright, alright, fine! How about if Trixie just pays ten bits for six cherries? Is that fine?”

The mare considered it for a second. “Ah don’ know…”

“One bag of cherries, please,” a mare beside Trixie said. Trixie recognised the voice, and turned to see her friend Feathermay flying beside her. “Thanks.” She offered the bag to Trixie. “Here ya go. You can pay me back whenever.”

Trixie stared blankly at the bag in front of her, and took it into her magic. “You sure you got enough money to just throw it around like that?”

“You’re welcome,” Feathermay said sarcastically as she landed on the ground, and the two began to walk towards another stall. “And it’s cool. I got a date tonight. Guy’s loaded, so everything’s on him.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Let me guess: you have no intention of seeing him again after tonight.”

Feathermay frowned at the implication. “Hey, this one’s different! He’s actually kinda cute.”

“U-huh.”

“Geez, what’s up with you?” A grin spread across Feathermay’s face, and her wings spread out. “Ya need a little help smiling there, Trixie?”

“Touch me and die,” Trixie said, though it didn’t seem to get through, and Feathermay’s wing began to stoke Trixie’s neck. Trixie had to hold back the smile forming on her face as she batted the wing away with her hoof. “Today’s been positively dreadful, and the Great and Powerful Trixie would just like it to be over already.”

“Hey, we’ve all been there,” Feathermay said. The two arrived at an apple stall, being run by a very familiar face. “Hey there, Fritter! Be careful, Trixie’s feeling a bit grumpy today.”

Trixie shot a glare towards her friend, whilst the mare at the stall simply giggled. “What’s up? One of yer shows get cancelled?”

“No,” Trixie said, levitating a few apples with her magic to examine them. “That’s actually the one thing that’s gone right today.”

“And bumping into me,” Feathermay added.

“… As Trixie said, the only thing that’s gone right today.” Feathermay pouted and turned her head away, and the apple seller let out another giggle.

“Well, it can’t be that bad, if ye’re able ta make jokes like that.”

Trixie placed most of the apples she had lifted up down, and levitated two towards herself. “Trixie will buy these two apples. How much?”

“Five bits each.”

Trixie frowned. “What, no ‘friendship discount’ this week?”

“Y’all said friendship is stupid, an’ for the weak,” Apple Fritter said, shooting a sly grin at Trixie.

Trixie shrugged. “Ponies change. Friendship is magic.”

“Nice try. An’ sorry, but no. As much as I’d love ta give both of ya a discount, I’m afraid I can’t.”

“Why not?” Feathermay asked.

“Haven’t ya heard? A pack of hungry, unidentified creatures are roaming across the Country, eatin’ farmers’ crops. Produce prices have gone way up as a result. Why, even the apples in Ponyville, which used ta go for one bit each, are suddenly four bits each!”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “How has Trixie not heard of that yet? Surely such news should be all over the place by now.”

“Well, I don’t know about you,” Feathermay started, “But as for me, I had the day off, and didn’t really do much outside of taking out the trash.”

Apple Fritter shrugged. “In any case, that’ll be five bits each. And I warn you, the rest of the prices around here ain’t gonna be any better.”

With a sigh, Trixie placed one apple down, and levitated five bits out of her purse. “Looks like it’s going to be a small salad tonight…”

Apple Fritter thanked Trixie for her business, and apologised for not being able to cut her some slack.

Feathermay and Trixie continued down the market square, and were both shocked, and sometimes even appalled, at the new prices. Three bits per orange? Eight bits per banana? Watermelons had shot up from ten bits to twenty-five bits! Clearly, this was the start of an economic recession. Trixie decided that she’d have to be prudent with her spending for a while.

Once Trixie had acquired what she deemed an acceptable level of ingredients to make two small (very small) salads, she and Feathermay parted ways, and Trixie began to make her way home.

“… Think I’ll take a shortcut,” she said to herself, cutting into an alleyway that was rather dark, and filthy. “Already got the bad luck virus, so I might as well. Hay, I’d like to see just what else the world can throw at the Great and Powerful Trixie.”

Halfway through the empty alleyway, her challenge was accepted. She stopped when she saw a bright light shining from behind her, and heard the sound of very powerful magic being discharged. She turned around, and was suddenly blinded by an explosion of light.

When she could finally see again, she was sure that her eyes had been damaged. Because, standing before Trixie… was herself. Or, she thought it was herself, at least.

This new Trixie was… definitely a blue Unicorn mare, and her mane and tail were definitely silver, but the manestyle was completely wrong. It was completely flat, and not to mention, it had streaks of red in it.

The mare’s left eye was swollen, and bloodshot, and her right foreleg was completely wrapped in bandages. The mare was breathing heavily, and covered in sweat and scratches from head to toe.

The final thing that caught Trixie’s eye, was the red coming out of this new Trixie’s mouth. It was then that Trixie caught the scent of blood in the air, and it only grew stronger as this new Trixie approached her.

“Trixie!” the new Trixie shouted. “I don’t have much time! You have to listen to me!”

“Who are you?!” the real Trixie asked, pushing her hoof out to stop the other Trixie’s advances. “You look like me, but there’s only one Great and Powerful Trixie!”

“I’m you from the future!” the crazy Trixie explained. “I don’t have much time, I need to-”

The real Trixie scoffed. “Please! It’s impossible to travel through time!”

“No, it’s not!”

“Then prove that what you say is true!”

The ‘future’ Trixie sighed, and rolled her eyes. “You wet the bed until you were six years old.” The real Trixie’s eyes widened. “You had a crush on Lieutenant Armor for two years, before he rejected you. You sleep with a stuffed teddy bear named Orion. You-”

“Okay, okay!” Trixie shouted, desperate to keep her darkest secrets hidden, even if nopony else seemed to be around. You can never be too careful, after all. “Amazing… The Great and Powerful Trixie, a time traveller! Oh, this is simply… How far from the future did you say you were from?”

“I didn’t. Four days from now.”

“Half a week you say? Oh, this is just-” Before the present Trixie could get too excited, the future Trixie slammed her hoof against her mouth, silencing her immediately.

“Listen to me! I have a warning for you!” Suddenly, the future Trixie stopped talking, and her pupils shrank as her eyes widened. She gagged for a second, before coughing up a large volume of blood, and then collapsing onto her side. “T-Trixie… One, five, seven, three. C-Crystal… mine…”

The future Trixie coughed up one final pool of blood, and then fell completely silent. Meanwhile, the past Trixie could only watch with shock, confusion, and horror, as she watched her self lying on the ground before her, submerged in a pool of her own blood.

Slowly, Trixie leaned down to her body, and pressed a hoof to her neck… “Nothing…”

The body was suddenly enveloped in a bright light, which blinded Trixie once more. When she could see again, both the body and the pool of blood were gone.

Trixie rose to her hooves, her legs shaking and her breathing rapid as she stared at the empty space before her. She raised her forehoof, and looked at it. She did not imagine what she had just witnessed… She knew it was real. She didn’t understand what had happened, why it had happened, or what the message left by her future self was supposed to mean, but she knew one thing for sure…

In only four days from then, the Great and Powerful Trixie… will die.

Author's Note

Thanks to SlashopentheSky and Shining Glory for pre-reading ^_^

1 - Gathering More Information

Inkamena “Inkie” Pie huffed as she looked up at the clock above her fireplace. It was nearing 18:00, and there was still no sign of her roommate returning home. She hadn’t been able to begin painting her latest masterpiece, because somepony took her rough sketch shopping with them. And now, she was getting hungry.

‘Honestly. Why do I put up with her?’ Inkie asked herself, but she already knew why. When she first met Trixie, it was at her parents’ rock farm, when she decided to visit them for the weekend. At first, she was put off by the mare’s aggressive nature, and wanted nothing to do with her after their first encounter almost led to a hooffight. But, that changed the following day, when her mother asked Inkie to deliver Trixie’s lunch to her.

As she watched Trixie digging away at rocks with that sad look in her eyes, she felt her heart sink. When she watched Trixie blast large rocks away with that look of burning anger in her eyes, she felt scared. But even so, she wanted to know why the mare was so depressed, and angry. So she asked her, and she learned about the misfortunes of Trixie’s life.

As she learned more about Trixie, she felt it easier to talk to her. She realised that Trixie’s violent nature was simply a defence, to prevent anypony from hurting her further. And, as the two bonded, Trixie herself found it easier to open up to Inkie Pie, and be her usual self around her. It was perhaps the first time in a long time for the former showmare, and the joy it brought her was reflected in Inkie’s own smiles.

She found it hard to believe that such an energetic, confident, and fun-loving pony, could be reduced to such a miserable, aggressive loner, and quite frankly, the thought that such a thing was possible frightened Inkie Pie. She loved this Trixie. She was in love with this Trixie, and she didn’t want her to go away again. To go back to the way she was when the two had first met.

She had a new desire. A desire to help, and protect, Trixie Lulamoon, who had been kicked around, and rejected, by ponies all over Equestria.

She offered Trixie a place to stay, and a small job as her assistant, until she could get back on her hooves. Trixie rejected her, though, opting instead to follow the path of revenge. She vowed that she would right the wrong she had been done, by humiliating Twilight Sparkle, the mare who had ‘ruined her life’ in front of everypony.

A week later, she was awoken early in the morning by a knock at her front door. She opened it, to find Trixie Lulamoon there, looking even more down and miserable than before. Trixie told her everything. How the Alicorn Amulet had corrupted her, how she banished Twilight Sparkle from Ponyville, and then, how she lost it all.

And how she wasn’t even sure if she regretted her actions or not, because, even if it cost her her soul… she was happy.

That time, Inkie wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer. She insisted that Trixie stay with her, in Canterlot, and offered to do whatever she could to get the mare back onstage.

As luck would have it, Inkie was able to work something out with Fancypants, a pony who admired her artwork, and had even purchased a few pieces before. Trixie now worked in a theatre owned personally by him, and her shows were being accepted by the ponies who came to watch them. The crowd started out small, but there was a definite increase each show. And there was no chance of hecklers, either. Not in a show that Fancypants himself has approved of.

In the past few months, Trixie’s confidence returned with renewed vigour, and the showmare was now able to start her days with a spring in her step and a song in her heart. Inkie was happy, but unfortunately, this new Trixie could be quite a pain sometimes.

Inkie sighed as she brought a glass of water up to her mouth. “Guess that’s the price you pay for friendship…” Inkie frowned at the final word, and then downed the water in one go. ‘And that’s as far as it will ever go, if I keep on avoiding it like this.’

Behind her, the sound of the front door opening alerted Inkie, and she turned around hoping to see Trixie. Indeed, that was the pony that she saw. “Well, you sure took your time,” she said as she watched the blue mare walk into the room, and sit down a nearby couch. “You get the ingredients just fine? You know, without the list?”

Trixie presented her saddlebags to Inkie and remained silent. Inkie gave her a strange look, and walked over to her. “Hey, you okay?” Her eyes widened as she got closer, and she then she saw it. The evidence of fresh tears running down her face. The way Trixie closed her eyes, to prevent anypony from seeing into her soul. The way she forced her mouth to stay even, to hide the fact that she was hurting inside. It may have fooled anypony else, but not Inkie Pie. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Trixie responded immediately. “Prices went up, so I could only get enough for two small salads.” There was a slight pause. “Actually, make yourself a big one. I’m not hungry right now.”

Inkie put her hooves firmly on Trixie’s shoulders. “Trixie, tell me what happened,” she said sternly, staring at Trixie’s face, even though the showmare had her eyes closed.

“Nothing happened.”

“Trixie.”

Trixie’s eyes opened slowly, and she looked straight into the fiery ones glaring at her. “… Fine. I… I had a run-in with…”

“… Yes?” Inkie was worried. Was it an old foe? A heckler from her past? … One of her sister’s friends? Or even her sister herself?

“… Me. From the future.” Inkie didn’t know how to respond to that. Anypony else would be laughing right now, she was sure. But, she knew that Trixie wasn’t joking right now. Trixie was good at acting, true, but Inkie Pie had spent enough time with her that she knew when Trixie was being sincere… Especially as far as her emotions were concerned.

“Your… future self?”

Trixie nodded. “She came to give me a warning. She looked to be in pretty bad shape.”

“Hold on. Are you trying to tell me… that you travelled through time?”

‘Was there ever any doubt’, is what Inkie was expecting to hear. “Yes,” was all she got. “She said that she came from four days from today. She certainly didn’t look to be that much older than me.”

“… So… what was the warning?” Inkie wasn’t sure whether she was crazy or not for going along with this. Hay, maybe Trixie was crazy. After all, there’s no way that time travel could really happen, right?

“I don’t know,” Trixie said. “Because… she died… before she could give it.”

Inkie’s breath caught in her throat, and she simply stared at Trixie with her eyes wide, and her jaw dropped. The look she gave Trixie could rival that of a mother hearing that her child had just been found dead, or maybe a wife, hearing that their partner had died.

“I checked her pulse before she went away. She was… I was gone.”

“Four days,” Inkie said. “You said… that she was from four days from today?”

Trixie nodded. “That’s what she told me.”

Inkie felt the need to sit down all of a sudden, but there was no chair immediately behind her, so she instead fell down onto her haunches, instead. “… And… you’re sure that that’s what happened?”

Trixie gave the other mare an incredulous look. “You think I would mistake a thing like that? My own death?!”

Inkie shook her head. “N-No… I guess not…” Over and over, a singly thought ran through Inkie’s mind: that Trixie had lost it. That Trixie had just imagined the whole scenario. That it wasn’t true at all. She wasn’t going to die in a half a week. She just had a little meltdown due to some hecklers, that’s all. “Was anypony else with you at the time?”

Trixie shook her head. “Feathermay and I split ways before it happened.”

‘So she was with Feathermay. I’d better talk to her later about Trixie’s behaviour… Come to think of it, she seemed fine earlier.’ Inkie shook her head. She couldn’t believe this… The only way to assure herself that Trixie was alright, was to prove that Trixie had gone off the deep end.

“Crystal mine…”

“Come again?” Inkie asked.

“The crystal mine… That’s what the future me said, before she died.” Trixie put a hoof to her chin. “Along with some numbers. One, five, seven, and three.”

Inkie raised her eyebrow. “What’s that? Some kind of pass code?”

“… That may be it,” Trixie said. “But then, it could be anything. For now, though, I think I should focus on the location that I was given. The crystal mine… I know I’ve heard that before, but where?”

“Well, can’t think on an empty stomach,” Inkie said, getting up off of the floor and picking up Trixie’s saddlebags. “C’mon, let’s go make some dinner, and-”

Trixie suddenly shot up, and gave Inkie a frantic look. “Didn’t you hear me? In four days, I’ll be dead! Unless…”

“… Unless?”

“Unless I can change things now, to prevent my death from happening in the future!” Trixie turned around, and walked out of the room. Inkie followed.

“Where are you going?”

“To the library! I have to find out more about this ‘crystal mine’!”

Inkie furrowed her brow, and ran in front of Trixie to try to stop her. “Oh no you don’t! At least not without getting some food in your belly first!”

“I don’t have time! I’ll die if I don’t figure this out! Don’t you understand that?!”

“You’ll die if you neglect your body by not eating!” Inkie countered, moving forward to push Trixie back. “You can go to the library after dinner! It’s open 24/7, after all.”

“But-”

“No buts!” Inkie shouted, in a tone that she hadn’t used since Trixie had first showed up at her house months ago. It was the tone that told Trixie she would not be getting away. That she was not going to let Trixie foolishly tackle her problems on her own, at the cost of her own health. It was the tone that Trixie had a hard time arguing against.

“But-” Still, she tried.

“Trixie,” Inkie said, her tone not changing. “Turn around, march into that kitchen, and help me make a delicious dinner for the two of us. Then, after we’ve eaten, I will walk with you to the library.”

“B-” Trixie couldn’t even get one word out. Inkie was not going to have it, and Trixie realised that she was beaten. Sighing, Trixie turned around, and began to mumble something under her breath.

Inkie smiled, and followed her roommate into the kitchen. “And I promise you, Trixie, that I’ll be by your side throughout this entire thing.”

“… And if I don’t want you to be?”

“Friends don’t abandon each other. Even if it means using a little ‘tough love’.”

Trixie shook her head, but smiled regardless. “Very well then, but don’t come crying to Trixie when your latest ‘masterpiece’ is never finished.”

Inkie wrapped a foreleg around Trixie’s neck, bringing the showmare closer to her. “Friends come first, Trixie.”

That was Inkie’s answer to practically every negative remark that Trixie had about friendship. Whenever Trixie questioned the value or legitimacy of friendship, that was how Inkie Pie would always answer. And, no matter what situation arose, Inkie would always have Trixie’s side.

“The salad’s good,” Inkie said as she jabbed a piece with her fork, and lifted it gracefully to her mouth. Living in Canterlot, she had adapted to their mannerisms, and even if there was nopony watching her, her body automatically tried to act with grace and dignity at all times.

Trixie, on the other hoof, was much too distracted with bigger things to remember her table manners. She levitated her fork into the air, and brought it to her mouth, and ate her salad with about the level of grace one would expect from a pony from Cloudsdale.

“Those numbers the future me left… what could they mean?” Trixie levitated a pencil alongside her fork, and brought it down onto a piece of parchment lying next to her salad. “Like you said, it could be a pass code… Or maybe it’s a clue to finding the crystal mine? Maybe a clue to finding the right book Trixie will need?”

“Well, it is you that left them. Think, if you had to give an important message, but didn’t have the time to say it all, how would you relay it?”

Trixie shook her head. “Depends on what the message is. If it was a pass code, then Trixie would simply spit it out. If it were something else, Trixie definitely wouldn’t disguise it as something as cryptic as four numbers. The idea would be that the message is obvious and clear.” Trixie brought her pencil to her mouth. “Maybe she died before she could give Trixie the full warning? In which case, we may be missing some key information here.” Trixie shoved the pencil into her mouth, and then spat it out again almost immediately. Inkie giggled as she watched Trixie spit, and reach for her glass of water.

“Calm down, Trixie. If that’s the case, then let’s assume that you received the full message. If the message was meant to be obvious, then you would have given yourself something that tell us what the numbers mean, right?” Trixie nodded, and then brought her fork over to her mouth to take a bite of her salad. “Then, maybe the numbers only become obvious later, when we see what they’re for.”

“… Yes, that’s probably correct. In any case, our only solid lead so far is the crystal mine. We must find that, and investigate!” Trixie lowered her fork, and looked across the table, and at her roommate. “That is, if you insist on tagging along?”

Inkie smiled. “I’ll have to cancel an appointment, but sure, I’ll come along.”

“You sure? You’d cancel an appointment, just to follow Trixie on what may be a wild goose chase?”

Inkie shrugged. “It’s only a meeting with Prince Blueblood, about selling one of my pieces to him. Nothing special.”

“… There’s nothing special about selling your art to Royalty?”

Inkie grinned at Trixie. “Not when you compare it to helping a friend in need.”

“Your loss,” Trixie laughed. She finished off the last of her salad, and lifted her dish with her magic. “Oh, and don’t tell the others about this.”

Inkie Pie frowned at that. She had thought Trixie had learned a little bit about friendship over the past few months, but every day, it was seeming like a lost caused. “Why not?”

“Apple Fritter has this new crop problem to deal with, and Feathermay would overreact. Vinyl’s being planning a trip with her marefriend for weeks now, and then that one…”

“… What’s wrong with telling Lightning?”

“She has a test coming up soon. She’s been practising so much for it, and it’s in two days.”

Inkie was genuinely surprised. Trixie didn’t asked her to keep this between them because she wanted to go it alone, or because she distrusted her friends… She didn’t want to inconvience any of them with her problem. She smiled, but she still found one fault in her logic. “Trixie, Feathermay’s been your friend since childhood, right?”

“We hadn’t spoken for five whole years.”

“Even so, she’s a friend, Trixie. A close one. Don’t you think she deserves to know what’s happening? And if she wants to help… you should let her, and be happy, that you have such a wonderful friend by your side.”

“… Trixie already has you, though.”

Inkie blushed at that. She knew Trixie didn’t mean for it to sound like what it sounded like, but she couldn’t help but misinterpret her words in that way. “E-Even so, two friends is always better than one.”

“… Fine,” Trixie sighed, walking past Inkie and towards the kitchen. Inkie had also finished her salad now, and got up out of her seat to follow her roommate. “Now let’s hurry with this. The Great and Powerful Trixie is fighting against the greatest foe ever here.”

“… Who?”

Trixie tilted her hat, and looked up at the clock hanging above her with a serious look on her face. “Time.”

The library was almost completely empty that day. A lot of ponies were no doubt at home, sitting in front of their warm fireplaces, and drinking some hot cocoa after a long day of work. Not Trixie and Inkie, though. No, these two walked five blocks through the harsh, cold winds that the Pegasi had scheduled for that evening, all so that they could reach the library that, as it turned out, was having a heater malfunction. So now, the two were searching through stacks and stacks of books, shivering as they felt their flanks freezing over.

“If anything’s going to kill you, it’ll be pneumonia,” Inkie said, before letting out a sneeze. “Or me.”

“Not here,” Trixie said as she placed a book back onto its shelf, ignoring Inkie’s threat. “Or here. Or here. Or here. Or-”

“Here!” Inkie shouted, drawing Trixie’s attention to the book that she was reading. “… No, wait. False alarm. This says ‘crystal quarry’.”

Trixie sighed, and went back to her own books. She had found ‘diamond mine’, ‘amber mine’, ‘Crystal Empire’, and ‘crystal mountain’, but no ‘crystal mine’. So much information, but not on the one topic she was looking for.

“Maybe we should try the ‘Earth Sciences’ section?” Inkie suggested. Trixie mused that idea for a bit. They had little luck in the ‘History’ section, so maybe…

“Excuse me,” a voice called out beside them. They turned to see a Unicorn mare with thick glasses standing behind them. “Is there something you’re looking for? If so, I can help. I know almost every book in here.”

“We’ll be fine, thank you,” Trixie said, turning back to the next book on the shelf she was checking.

Inkie smiled at the mare. “We’re looking for information on the ‘crystal mine’. Do you know where we could find something like that?”

The mare put a hoof to her chin in thought. “Hmmm… Darndest thing. Somepony asked me the same thing a while back. She checked out all of the books we had with even the slightest information in them, but has yet to return them.” The mare frowned. “Come to think of it, a whole bunch of ponies did the same thing, but they asked for different information each time. I think it was about a week before the Royal wedding.”

“So who asked for the books on the crystal mine?”

“It was Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” Inkie’s eyes widened. “I know, right? I don’t know why she didn’t use the Royal Archives, or have her servants collect the books for her…”

Trixie placed the books she was reading back on their shelf. “So, she has all of the books with the information we need?” The mare nodded. “Then the answer is simple! Dear librarian, please do not fret! We, the Great and Powerful Trixie, and her assistant, shall go henceforth to retrieve these long overdue books for you!”

Inkie frowned and being labelled as Trixie’s assistant. Especially when, if anything, it was the other way around. But there was also something else that bothered her. “And how do you propose we do that?” she asked, giving Trixie an even stare. “She’s Royalty, Trixie. It’s not like we can just waltz on up to her and demand she return the library books.”

“And why not?” Trixie asked. “Just because she’s a Princess, does not give her the right to hog all of the world’s literature to herself! And maybe you aren’t aware, but you can arrange audiences with the Princesses.”

“But they take months to process!”

“Then we shall simply inform them that Trixie will be dead before the end of the week! Simple!”

“What, you think they’ll just take your word for it?! That you saw your future self die before your eyes, and nopony else happened to witness it?!”

“Um…” The two mares stopped their arguing, and looked at the librarian. “Actually, I might know a way for you two to see the Princess.”

“You do?!” Trixie asked excitedly.

“You do?” Inkie asked disbelievingly.

The librarian nodded, and levitated a card out from her vest’s pocket. “The truth is, we’ve been meaning to go and collect those books for a while now, but none of us have had the stomachs to carry through with it. However, if you two are willing, then perhaps you could do it for us. All you need to do is present this guard to the Princess’ guards, and request the books back.”

“That sounds simple enough,” Trixie said. “Do not worry yourselves, humble librarian! The Great and Powerful Trixie fears no mare, not even a Princess!”

“Right. Just ursas,” a stallion behind her said, before snickering at his own joke.

Trixie turned around, and gave the stallion a hate-filled glare, before raising a hoof to walk over to him. She was stopped by Inkie, who quickly moved herself in front of Trixie. “Well then, let’s not waste any time, right?”

Trixie turned her attention to Inkie, who was bobbing her head to the librarian behind her. With a sigh, Trixie turned around, took the card with her magic, and made her way past the mare to leave the library. Inkie let out a relieved sigh, though it was short-lived when the stallion spoke up again.

“All bark and no bite.”

Inkie turned around, and gave the stallion a glare of her own. He flinched, and turned his attention back to his book when Inkie began to approach him. She grabbed the stallion’s shoulder, and spun him around so that they were face-to-face. “You may not realise it, but I just saved you a world of hurt. However, if you don’t stop insulting my friend like that, then I may just be inclined to retract that kindness. Got it?!”

The stallion, intimidated by Inkie’s words and the accompanying glare, nodded quickly. “Yeah, I got it! S-Sorry ‘bout that!”

Satisfied, Inkie released the still-trembling stallion and, with a warm smile on her face, turned to follow after her friend, walking past the stunned librarian as she left.

“Oh man! That was rich!” a voice above Inkie Pie called out. Inkie looked up, and saw Feathermay floating above her. “Y’know, if you wanted to scare the poor guy, you could’ve just pulled a knife out or something!”

Inkie blushed when she realised her actions, and also when she saw all of the ponies around her looking at the two of them. “Feathermay, why are you here?”

“Eh, date didn’t go so well. Turns out the dude’s a real player.”

“That’s never bothered you before.”

“It bothers me when his other three marefriends all show up and start attacking him.”

Inkie nodded. She could see how that would ruin a romantic evening. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

“I saw my two best friends comin’ here despite the cold weather outside, so I thought something was up. What’s all this crystal mine business about, anyway?”

Inkie was about to answer, when Trixie’s voice suddenly cut her off. “Hey, Inkie! You coming or what?”

Inkie turned to the doorway, where Trixie was waiting impatiently outside. “I’m kind of in a hurry. But if you want to come along, I can tell you on the way.”

Feathermay nodded. “Sure! Sound like fun!”

“Okay, it did sound like fun, at first,” Feathermay said as she walked alongside Inkie and Trixie through the streets of Canterlot. “You dying kinda put a downer on things.”

“Believe Trixie when she says she would love to have that part of the story removed. But unfortunately, Trixie witnessed it with her own eyes.”

“Nopony else did, though,” Inkie whispered to Feathermay, who nodded in response.

“So, like, even if we show the Princess’ guards the card, what if she refuses to give the books back?” Feathermay asked. Trixie stopped for a second, annoying Inkie as it meant stopping in the middle of a snowstorm.

“In that case, we’ll have to plan B.”

“Which is?”

“Sneaking in and taking them under the cover of night, of course.”

Inkie hoped that that was a joke, but with Trixie, it probably wasn’t. “Do you have any idea how difficult it is to sneak into a Princess’ bedchambers, and get out, without being caught?”

“Do you?”

“Well, no, but… it can’t be easy.”

Trixie shrugged. “We won’t know until we try. And besides… Trixie doesn’t exactly have much to lose, right?”

Inkie felt a cold chill run down her spine, and not just from the weather. Trixie once again caused the image of her death to run through Inkie’s mind, and even though Inkie still wasn’t convinced… it seemed that Trixie was.

“Feathermay,” Inkie whispered to her friend, “You don’t suppose… Trixie’s lost it, do you?”

Feathermay shrugged. “She seemed fine earlier.”

“… That’s what I was afraid of.”

Upon reaching the castle, the three mares wasted no time in getting inside the warm, grand hallway, and took a moment to warm up before continuing. A Royal Guard stood at the foot of the stairs leading further inside, and stared straight ahead with a unreadable look on his face. As the three mares approached, his wings stuck out of his sides, and he set his gaze on them.

“Who goes there?”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie shouted, getting up to the guard’s face giving him a strong, fearless look. The guard did not budge. “We have come to collect some overdue books from Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!”

Trixie took out the card she had received from the librarian, and held it up for the guard to see. He studied it for a second, before nodding and turning around. “Wait here. I shall send somepony word to the Princess of your visit.”

Trixie nodded, and then watched as the stallion moved up the stairs. She heard some voices at the top, followed by the stallion returning moments later. “A message has been sent to the Princess’ chambers. Please wait here for a response.”

“How long’ll that take?” Feathermay asked.

“About ten minutes, ma’am.”

“Then, I guess we got some time to kill.” Feathermay looked around at the spacious hallway, decorated with many oversized portraits and landscapes, and the walls and the floor all sparkling in the light of the chandelier hanging above them. “Man, rich folk have the strangest tastes.”

“Haven’t you ever been here before?” Inkie asked.

“Nah. A few stallions have offered to bring me here once or twice, but I was never really that interested. I preferred high-class restaurants, or theatres that are always fully booked.”

“In other words,” Trixie started, “You preferred it when you could eat or be entertained without having to spend any money.”

“Well when you put it that way, sure it sounds bad. But hey, I get free stuff, they get a date with a cute mare like me. Everypony wins!”

“And when they ask you for a second date, and you turn them down?” Inkie asked.

Feathermay waved her hoof dismissively. “Details, details.”

The three friends continued to talk, in order to pass the time. After eight minutes had passed, a Unicorn guard approached the group from the top of the stairs, and whispered something to her comrade. The Pegasus guard nodded, and the new one approached the three mares.

“Ma’ams,” she said, gathering the group’s attention. “The Princess has requested to see you.” This prompted a surprised reaction from the three ponies, who clearly weren’t expecting to suddenly be having an audience with the Princess. “This way, please.”

Trixie grinned, and flicked her mane as she began to follow. “It seems the Princess had heard of the Great and Powerful Trixie, and clearly wishes to receive her autograph.”

“I’m sure that’s not it,” Inkie said flatly. “Maybe she just wants to make sure we’re who we say we are. Or maybe she wants to make sure she gives us all of the books.”

“Maybe she wants to have a sleepover!” Feathermay suggested, causing the other three to stare at her with bemused looks. “What? It could happen!”

“Trixie very much doubts it. Though, on the other hoof, if she is Trixie’s fan, then maybe…”

“Better be careful, Trixie,” Inkie said. “She might be a crazed fan.”

Trixie shivered. “Ugh, Trixie hates those. Although, the Princess is apparently very cute, so…”

“Please remember that you are referring to a member of Royalty,” the guard said, stopping in front of a pair of large double doors. “Please mind your manners when you speak to her. And remember: make one sudden suspicious move, and I will not hesitate to use force.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Trixie said.

“We got it,” Inkie said.

“Man, this is kinda cool!” Feathermay said. “A real Princess! I’m so glad my date went awry!”

“Trixie feels like she’s forgetting something…” A blue glow surrounded the doors, and they opened slowly to reveal what was inside. A very large, and very pink, bedroom that was almost completely buried in stuffed toys. There was a vanity on one side, a large four-poster bed on the other, and hot tub on another, and in the centre, standing and smiling at her visitors, was Princess Mi Amore Cadenza herself. And standing next to her was her husband, Shining Armor.

“… Oh yeah,” Trixie said as she locked eyes with Shining Armor, who suddenly looked very nervous. Trixie’s smile turned into a scowl, and she took an aggressive step forward. The guard caught this, moved to stop her, but the Princess ordered her to be at ease. “Trixie forgot about him.”

Shining laughed nervously as he continued backing away. He looked to his wife for support, only to find her still smiling at her visitors. Apparently, she found this amusing. “Um… Long time no see, huh?”

Something inside of Trixie snapped, and she suddenly charged forward until she was face-to-face with the Captain of the Royal Guard. “‘Long time no see’?! Don’t give Trixie that crap! You’re lucky you’re surrounded by your guards right now, or the Great and Powerful Trixie would rip you to pieces!”

Feathermay, both confused, and amazed, by Trixie’s outburst, turned to Inkie Pie for answers. “I miss something?”

“I seem to recall Trixie telling me a story once, about when she was in school…” Inkie put a hoof to her chin as she tried to recall it. “Something about a stallion who ‘lost his chance to be with the greatest equine who ever lived, just so he could marry that pretty face with rich blood’.”

Feathermay thought about it for a second, and then gasped as she added the pieces together. “You mean… she had a crush on him?!”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie had no such thing!” Trixie shouted back, her face now red. “She merely gave this worthless oaf a chance with her because she felt sorry for him, that’s all!”

“Even though I was already so popular with the mares,” Shining said, half-sarcastic, half-proud. He then remembered that his wife was also in the room. “Er, not that any of them could ever hold a candle to you, of course!” he quickly added, facing the Princess, who simply giggled in response.

“Well, this is certainly a pleasant surprise,” she said, approaching Trixie and looking her in the eyes. “So you’re her, huh? The pony my dear husband hurt so many years ago? I’m truly sorry for that, but if it helps, I’m the one that has to deal with him now.”

“Hey!” Shining protested.

“Hmph! The Great and Powerful Trixie cares not for your words of sympathy. She came here for just one thing.”

“Right. The library books…” The Princess bit her lip, and scratched the back of her neck nervously. “About that…”

“What’s wrong?” Inkie asked, approaching the Princess, before remembering who she was talking to.”Er, Your Highness?” she added with a bow.

“Please, call me Cadance,” Cadance said, motioning with her hoof the Earth Pony to rise. “And, you see, the problem is that I never borrowed those books. The one who really borrowed them was Queen Chrysalis, a changeling who disguised herself as me during the Royal Wedding.”

Trixie groaned, and brought a hoof to her face. She felt a migraine coming on. “Okay, so where can we find this ‘Queen Chrysalis’?”

“We don’t know, but there’s no need to know, either,” Cadance said. “You see, the books she borrowed, she… burned.” The room fell completely silent. “She destroyed them as soon as she was finished with them.”

The migraine forcing its way into Trixie’s head started to grow more and more painful, and her right eye twitched as she tried her best to keep her anger in check. “You don’t say…”

Inkie saw Trixie’s rising anger, and motioned to Feathermay. The Pegasus nodded, and quickly ran to her friend’s side, wrapping her in her wings to calm the showmare down. It started to take effect very quickly. If there was one thing that Feathermay was good at, it was getting ponies to smile, laugh, and just generally be happy.

“… So what now?” Trixie asked with a dejected look. “Those books were the only lead we had. And now they’re gone… We came all this way, just to hear that the books we so desperately needed are gone for good!”

Inkie brought a hoof up to her chest, and held her breath as she watched Trixie hanging her head low. This was no act. And the more time she spent around Trixie, the more she was certain that the showmare hadn’t gone crazy. ‘If what she said was true… If the future Trixie really visit her, and then die…’ Suddenly, Inkie started to feel angry too. Those books may have been the one thing that could Trixie’s life, but now…”

“Oh, Twi-” Cadance caught herself, and stopped as she giggled to herself. It was often the case that the filly she used to sit for, Twilight Sparkle, would make a rather big deal about even a single book being unavailable to her. Right now, Trixie reminded her of such times. “Miss Lulamoon, was it?” Trixie nodded, and Cadance brought a hoof to her shoulder, prompting the showmare to look up at her. “Don’t worry. Most of those books can be found in the palace’s library, too.”

Trixie’s eyes widened, and suddenly, her heart filled with hope once more. “You mean-”

Cadance nodded. “I thank you for reminding me, actually. The castle needs to reimburse that library with the books that it has lost. As thanks for bringing this matter to light, I will personally give you permission to seek whatever information you were after.”

Trixie and Inkie’s faces beamed to life, and they were both pulled into a group hug suddenly by Feathermay. “Alright! Isn’t that great, Trixie? We’ll be at the crystal mine in no time!”

“The crystal mine?!” Shining Armor shouted, startling the three mares.

“Uh… yeah?” Feathermay answered. “That’s why were after those books. For information on the crystal mine.”

“Why would you be after the crystal mine?” Cadance asked. “Do you even know what it is?”

“Not at all,” Trixie said. “But it is imperative that we find it at once.”

“Why’s that?” Shining Armor asked.

“Sorry, but that’s secret,” Trixie said, sticking her tongue out at the stallion.

Shining furrowed his brow, and stepped closer to the showmare. “The crystal mine is a restricted area. You can’t go down there without permission.”

Trixie pulled her tongue back in, and her ears flattened against the sides of her head. “Ah…”

“Why is it restricted?” Inkie asked.

“Safety hazards, mainly,” Cadance said. “I must admit, I am also curious as to why you would want to go down there.”

“… To, uh… mine crystals?” Trixie said, putting a fake smile on and hoping that they would buy it.

“Nice try,” Shining said. “Want to try again, or should I alert the guards to look out for you three?”

Trixie growled in response, and tried to think of another lie. Something that would sound completely believable, and that would convince him to grant them entry. Inkie leaned over and whispered to her: “Maybe we should just tell him the truth.”

“Do you think he would believe Trixie?” Trixie whispered back.

“I don’t see how we have any other choice but to try it.”

Trixie considered her options, and then nodded reluctantly. “You’re right. Well then…” She turned to Shining Armor, who was still waiting patiently for the true story. “Alright, so it’s like this… Trixie was walking home when she was suddenly stopped by this big flash of light, which turned out to be Trixie from four days in the future. Future Trixie had a warning for past Trixie, but future Trixie couldn’t deliver it because future Trixie died, and so past Trixie, that is to say, Trixie, is now on a quest to save Trixie’s life, and right now, the only lead she has is the crystal mine, since that’s what future Trixie managed to say before she died. Any questions?”

Shining and Cadance both stared blankly at the Unicorn as she finished her story, blinking a few times as they tried to process what they had just heard.

Shining was the first to speak. “Uh… So I got that you were in there,” he said to Trixie, who nodded. “… And that’s about it.”

Trixie sighed, and slammed a hoof into her face. ‘This is the pony that Trixie asked to her graduation prom?’

“Basically,” Cadance began, “You’re going to die four days from now, and the only clue as to why, and thus, how to save you, may be resting in the crystal mine. Is that it?”

Trixie smiled, and nodded. “That is correct! Well, it’s clear who had the brains in this relationship!”

Shining frowned. “Hey!”

“Didn’t you get your little sister to help you with your homework?” Trixie asked, remembering a rumour she had heard floating around about Shining Armor back in school.

“That’s… not entirely true…”

Cadance giggled, causing her husband’s face to turn red. “Well, I’d say she has a pretty good reason. Don’t you agree, Shining?”

“Now before you go writing this off as crazy-” Inkie began, before she realised what the Princess had actually said. “Wait, what?”

“You believe her?” Feathermay asked. “Just like that?”

Cadance nodded. “I’ve sat for a lot of foals in my youth. I’ve developed a keen sense for tales.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is no foal, and is a master of deceit!” Trixie bragged, rearing up on her hind legs and using her magic to conjure up some illusionary fireworks.

“She’s going to help us!” Inkie pointed out. “Just let it go!”

“But such an insult cannot go unchecked!” Trixie responded.

“And how else would you suggest we enter the crystal mine?”

“…” Trixie cleared her throat, and then turned back to the Princess. “Well then, if you could kindly point us in the direction of the library…”

Cadance shook her head. “Actually, your story has me intrigued,” Cadance said. “And, I’d like to help you out. Since you’re an old friend of Shining’s.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call her that,” Shining mumbled, but it was ignored by his wife.

“However, it’s getting rather late. And it’s much easier to work after a good night’s rest, don’t you agree?”

“There is no time for rest!” Trixie shouted. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is fighting against the clock here! We must hurry and-”

Cadance stopped Trixie by gently placing a hoof on the showmare’s shoulder, and looking into her eyes with a calm, gentle smile. “Go get some rest, Trixie. And I promise, I will do all that I can to help you in the morning.”

“… B-But-”

“I’m going to count to three,” Cadance warned, her voice a little more stern this time. “And if you still refuse when I’m done, then there will be no visit to the library, or to the crystal mine.” Trixie narrowed her eyes, glaring daggers at the Princess before her. “One…” Trixie growled. “Two…”

“Okay! Fine!” Trixie shouted, batting the Princess’ hooves away. “Come on, Inkie Pie. Let’s go home and-”

“The storm is rather bad right now. Why don’t you stay here, at the castle?” Cadance asked, still smiling at her guests.

“No thanks! We’ll just bear the storm and-”

Inkie cut her friend off by wrapping her forehooves around her mouth. “That’s very generous of you, Your Highness. And of course, we’d love to take you up on your offer.”

Cadance nodded, and then looked past the trio, at the guard still standing in the open doorway. “Helena, please show these three to the guest chambers.”

The guard saluted. “Yes, Your Highness!” She led the three ponies out of the Princess’ bedroom, Feathermay fluttering in the air above them, and Inkie dragging a protesting Trixie by her tail down the castle’s corridor.

Once they were gone, Shining used his magic to close the doors, and then turned to his wife. “You haven’t used that look since you sat for Twiley.”

Cadance turned to her husband, a proud grin on her face, and shot him a quick wink. “And I’ve still got it.”

Author's Note

Thanks to SlashopentheSky for pre-reading ^_^

2 - The Crystal Mine

Trixie groaned as she rubbed her eye, and glared at the door on the other side of the room, which was a blur at the moment, as her eyes were squinting whilst they got used to the morning sun.

Last night, she had very vocally protested to spending the night in the castle, but after Inkie insisted on staying there, and thus threatening that Trixie would have to walk home all by herself, she stayed. She had almost grown to accept the situation, as she found the bed very much to her liking. It was the most comfortable thing she had ever slept on, and there was so much room, so she could roll around to her heart’s content until she was comfortable.

Not having her stuffed bear ‘Orion’ with her was a downside, but the warm, soft bedcovers wrapped around her and the fluffy pillows beneath her head, allowed her the most comfortable night she had had in a long time. And the dream that followed was very nice, too.

What was now causing her to regret all this was that now, she had to get up. She had convinced herself five times now that she was going to, but every single time, the door would just seem too far away for her to even bother, and she would simply drop back down onto the mattress again.

“Sixth time’s the charm,” Trixie said as she willed all the muscles in her back in order to sit up. It was working… It was working! It was… totally not working at all, and Trixie quickly gave up with a defeated sigh. And then a relieved one. This bed was just so darn comfortable. “Maybe five more minutes…”

As Trixie closed her eyes, a vision of her future self laying dead on the stone floor in front of her passed through her mind. Her eyes shot open again, and the showmare practically jolted out of bed and ran straight for the connected to her room. She wasn’t aware that Inkie was already in there, taking a shower, but that didn’t stop her anyway. She headed straight for the sink, and emptied her stomach into it.

“Oh Celestia!” Inkie shouted as she shut off the water, and climbed out of the tub to run over to Trixie. “Are you okay?”

“F-Fine…” Trixie said, raising her head and gagging a little as some trace amount of vomit was still caught in her throat. “Must’ve been something I ate…”

Inkie gasped, and quickly began cursing herself mentally. “I’m so sorry! I thought my cooking had got better! I didn’t think it’d-”

Trixie immediately cut her off. “N-No! It wasn’t that! It was… Trixie pictured her death… Apparently, that’s not a good thing to do first thing in the morning.”

“Oh…” Inkie shifted about nervously on the spot. “Was it… gruesome?”

“… It looked like Trixie had just been on the receiving end of a rather harsh beating.”

Time seemed to slow down for Inkie, and she slowly opened her mouth to ask: “Do you… think it was murder?”

Trixie only nodded in response, before falling completely silent, and staring down at the floor with what seemed to be a look of fear. Inkie placed her wet forehoof on Trixie’s, and gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Trixie. We’re going to stop it. We will.”

Trixie smiled back, and then used her magic to switch on the sink’s faucet, washing her vomit down the drain. “Thanks… Uh, sorry for interrupting your shower.”

Inkie blinked, and then suddenly remembered that she was still soaking wet. She felt a shiver down her spine, and her entire body shook in response.

Trixie giggled, and turned off the faucet when she was done. “Trixie will let you finish. But don’t take too long, okay?”

Inkie, her face now red as Trixie began to leave, nodded. “Feathermay’s already up and about,” she informed Trixie. “She’s in the kitchen, helping the chefs make breakfast.”

Trixie nodded back, and left the bathroom, making sure to close the door on the way out. “Honestly… Where does Feathermay get all that energy?”

After a quick shower and some breakfast, Trixie, Inkie, and Feathermay were led to the palace library by some Royal Guards, where they were met by Princess Cadance, who looked a little too eager to start their quest for knowledge.

“Don’t you have Royal duties to attend to?” Trixie asked as soon as they arrived, bowing simply so that the guards leading her wouldn’t be at her throat.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” Inkie said, bowing with a bit more sincerity, along with Feathermay.

“Good morning, everypony. And don’t worry about my Royal duties,” she said to Trixie. “Today’s my day off.”

“Do Princesses even have days off?” Feathermay asked, giving the Princess a curious look.

“Well, not officially,” Cadance admitted. “But we are permitted to take special days, such as birthdays, anniversaries, and funerals, off, providing that there are no crises happening at the time. And today happens to be my birthday!”

“Oh. Well, happy birthday! Sorry I don’t have anything.”

Cadance giggled. “It’s okay, Miss Feathermay. Just seeing my subjects in such high spirits is enough for me.”

“And, you’re really okay with spending your birthday helping a bunch of random ponies find some books?” Trixie asked.

“Actually, I’m as interested in the crystal mine as you are. Though, for different reasons, of course. I asked Celestia about it last night, and she said it might be a good idea for me to go with you and investigate it. That it would be a valuable learning experience for me.”

“First, we need to find some information on it,” Trixie said. “The future Trixie also gave Trixie some numbers. One, five, seven, and three. They clearly hold some sort of significance, so-”

“One, five, seven, and three,” Cadance cut off, putting a hoof to her chin in thought. “They don’t ring any bells… But, let’s see what we find, okay? In particular, Celestia mentioned five books that we should look into. I’ve already found one of them.” Cadance levitated a book over to Trixie. A History of Mining in Equestria was its title. “Chapter eight is where all the information on the crystal mine is.”

Trixie nodded, and took the book into her own magic. “Trixie will give this a thorough read then. Inkie, Feathermay, could you see about finding the other books?”

The two friends nodded. “Sure thing,” Inkie said.

“You got it!” Feathermay answered enthusiastically, saluting as she took to the air. “I’ll search all the high shelves, I guess.”

Trixie, smiling, took the book over to a nearby table, and opened it up to the chapters mentioned by Cadance. “Now, let’s see what we’ve got here…”

“Advisor Wind Whistler, General Firefly, and Ambassador Bright Eyes… These three names pop up fairly often,” Trixie noted, flipping over to the next page in her book.

“Those are the ponies that erased racial segregation in Equestria, right?” Inkie asked, reading her own book quite intently. “They’re also mentioned a lot in here, too.”

Cadance nodded as she put down her own book. “The three of them saved many Earth Pony slaves from being forced to dig out the crystals beneath Canterlot. Many of those Earth Ponies were then employed fairly under Bright Eyes, and the crystal mine changed from a place of horror for those ponies, to a nice working environment that they actually looked forward to visiting.”

“So they look up to them, then,” Trixie observed. “Hmmm… Something about them feels strange to me…”

“In what way?”

“Trixie can’t put her hoof on it. It’s just, whenever she sees a picture of them, something starts screaming out to her. In any case, it seems that there isn’t much useful information in these books. There are a few maps that we could make use of.”

“There are also details about how to navigate the mine safely,” Feathermay said. “That seems pretty important, if you ask me.”

Trixie closed her book as soon as she was finished reading it. That was the last one, and she was still no closer to solving this whole mystery. It was time to stop reading now, and head straight into the lion’s den. “We’ll take these books with us, in case we discover something important whilst we’re there.”

“So, we’re heading out then?” Feathermay asked, to which Trixie nodded as she levitated the five books towards herself.

“Well then,” Cadance began, “May I ask that you all wait here for a moment? Celestia told me that there are some objects that we should take with us if we are to investigate the crystal mine.”

“‘Some objects’?” Inkie asked.

“Yes. Some sort of keys to unlock the mine.”

“This book mentions something about that,” Trixie said, opening a thick green book up to a certain page. “‘When set alone, the Elements are but stone. But when combined through harmony and light, the door shall answer thy wishers’ plight’.”

“Yeeeeah, I kinda just skimmed that bit,” Feathermay admitted, scratching the back of her head as she ran the passage through her head. “What the heck’s that mean, anyway?”

“Why exactly did ponies back then love riddles so much?” Inkie asked with a sigh.

“When thinking of ‘Elements’, there are three possibilities,” Trixie said. “‘The four elements’, the elements of the periodic table, and the ‘Elements of Harmony’.”

“It could also be a metaphor,” Cadance pointed out. “In any case, we won’t know until we look, right?” As Cadance rose and walked past the three mares to leave the room, she stopped by Inkie Pie and leaned down to whisper: “That goes for love, too.”

Inkie’s face turned red, and she quickly turned to ask the Princess what she was talking about, but Cadance was already on her way out of the room.

“What’d she say?” Trixie asked, packing the last book into her saddlebags.

“Hm? Oh, nothing! Nothing important, anyway…”

Trixie tilted her head as she regarded Inkie with a confused look on her face. However, it wasn’t the first time that Inkie had acted weird, so she simply shrugged and decided not to pay it any more mind.

“So, does anypony else think Trixie might end up being killed by like a cave-in or something?” Feathermay asked, resting her chin on her hooves as she waited for Cadance to return. “I mean, how else would an old abandoned mine like that cause somepony’s death?”

“Why would Trixie travel back in time, just to send herself to her own death?” Trixie asked, staring dumbfounded at Feathermay, who simply shrugged in response. “But perhaps you raise a valid point. We should send a canary down there first to make sure it’s safe. Or, if we can’t find one, some other type of winged animal.”

Feathermay quickly folded her wings to her side. “You know, I think that if the Princess is going down there, it should be safe enough.”

“This is actually kind of exciting, if you think about it,” Inkie said. “It’s been a long time since ponies have been down there, and we get to go with the Princess of the Crystal Empire. Not only that, but it’s kind of like going on some epic adventure together, don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” Feathermay said, smiling as she sat up straight and looked between her two friends. “Hey, maybe we should pack a lunch before we go!”

“This isn’t exactly some friendly picnic we’re going on,” Trixie said.

“C’mon! If we’re together, it’ll feel like one, right? Besides, shouldn’t we cherish the times we spend together while we’re young?”

Trixie considered it for a moment, and then smiled as she leaned back in her chair. “Well, I guess you’re right. After all, Trixie might not even be here next week.”

Feathermay’s face fell, and she cursed herself as her smile fell to a frown. “I-I didn’t mean it like that, Trixie. Of course you’ll be here next week…”

Inkie leaned forward, and kicked Trixie’s leg under the table to gather her attention. She gave Trixie a stern look silently for a few moments. Trixie got the message, and kicked back.

“Trixie was joking,” she said, turning to Feathermay. “Of course we’re going to get through this. Trixie trusts you two well enough, after all we’ve been through.”

Feathermay sighed in disbelief, and shook her head as she laughed quietly to herself. “Unbelievable. You really should stop with the comedy, Trixie. You’re just terrible at it.”

Inkie giggled, and nodded in agreement. “That really was in poor taste, Trixie. Even if you’re completely confident, we still don’t appreciate you making jokes like that.”

Trixie crossed her forelegs, and turned her head to pout. “Forgive Trixie for trying to lighten the mood! Maybe you two shouldn’t have tagged along in the first place!”

The three friends laughed together for a while, before being interrupted by Cadance’s return. She smiled warmly at the display of friendship before her, and approached the group with a blue box in her magical aura. “Sorry for the delay,” she said.

“It’s quite fine, Your Highness,” Inkie said.

“Please, just ‘Cadance’.”

Inkie nodded. “Er, right. Cadance.”

“What’s in that box, then?” Trixie asked, reaching a hoof forward to examine it. The wandering hoof was batter away by Inkie, who quickly gave Trixie a stern look, to tell her not to touch it without asking first. “Trixie’s just curious, that’s all!”

Cadance lowered the box onto the table, and opened it up with her magic. “It’s these,” she said, pulling out three small, spherical rocks from within. “Celestia said that these are the keys that we’ll need to get into the lower mines. The area that even Queen Chrysalis was unable to reach. If there’s anything worth investigating, it will be down there. That’s what she told me.”

“Rocks are the key?” Feathermay asked, staring at the rocks with a sceptical look on her face. “What, are they magical or something?”

“I don’t know,” Cadance admitted. “But I trust Celestia’s words, so I’m sure that we’ll find out when we get there.”

“What are these symbols?” Trixie asked, taking one of the rocks into her magic and bringing it closer to examine it. “This one has the letter ‘I’ on it.”

Inkie examined the other two rocks. “This one has the letter ‘V’ on it,” she noted, pointing at one of the rocks. “And the final one has both a ‘V’ and two ‘I’s.”

Cadance nodded, and levitated a small brown bag up into the air to store the rock in. “Celestia told me that the symbols are representative of the ponies that created them.”

“And those are?” Feathermay asked, but Cadance only shook her head in response. “You don’t know?”

“Celestia said that we would have to figure that out for ourselves. She said that, if we cannot, then it means we were not meant to access the deeper areas of the crystal mine.”

“Did you happen to tell her that a pony’s life is at stake?” Trixie asked.

Cadance bit her lower lip, and turned her head away. “She… I-It’s a sensitive subject, so I… didn’t bring it up.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow, and was about to pursue the question further, before being interrupted by Feathermay. “Hey, we were thinking of taking a lunch with us! D’you think you could wait for us a bit, before we leave?”

A smile graced Cadance’s face once more, and she turned her attention to Feathermay. “That sounds like a wonderful idea! In fact, why don’t the four of us go make something together?”

“Is that alright?” Inkie asked. “I mean, we’ve already imposed enough.”

“It’s fine,” Cadance assured them. “You three are my honoured guests, after all. Come now, let’s not dawdle.”

Cadance motioned for the three to rise, and follow her to the kitchen. She stored the bag filled with the rocks into her saddlebag, and handed the chest back to one of her guards for safekeeping. As she left the library with the three mares, a frown formed on the Princess’ face, which she did her best to hide from the ponies following her.

‘Celestia believes that destiny can’t be changed… But, for Trixie’s sake, I must prove her wrong. I’m sorry, Celestia, but I just cannot accept that answer. I cannot accept that there is no way to save her, without first doing all that I can to help her.’

The group of Trixie Lulamoon, Inkamena Pie, Feathermay, and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, were escorted by two Royal Guards, Piers and Helena, through the streets of Canterlot to where the supposed secret entrance to the crystal mine lay hidden somewhere in the city. As they passed, ponies bowed to their Princess, and gave curious looks to the strange company that she was keeping.

“This should help Trixie’s image,” Trixie said. “Ponies see Trixie walking with the Princess, they’ll think she’s all chummy with the Royal family.”

“And more ponies will want to see my art displays if they think the Princess has taken an interest in me,” Inkie said, smiling nervously as she tried to ignore the looks sent their way. “Though, I do wish these ponies would stop looking at me like that.”

Trixie shrugged. “Better than looks of hate or condescension.”

Feathermay picked up her pace to catch up to the Princess. “Hey, Cadance,” she whispered, “How far exactly is this ‘secret entrance’?”

“It’s actually on the outskirts of the city. There are other entrances, but this is the only ‘real’ one. The one that was actually used back when the mine was in use. The other entrances don’t have proper pathways, so they’re not safe to traverse.”

“Are you really sure it’s okay for us three to go there? I mean, you didn’t tell Princess Celestia about why we need to go, right?”

“… Miss Feathermay, I’ll be honest with you, but please don’t tell Trixie.” Feathermay hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. “Celestia, she… she said that there’s no way to save Trixie. That time is not something that can be altered. But, I don’t believe that. I challenged Celestia’s word, betting that, with enough effort, the power of lover of friendship can change destiny.

“Celestia accepted my challenge, and gave me permission to help the three of you, and… and asked me to save Trixie’s life.” Cadance sighed and shook her head. “She wants me to prove her wrong. She has no doubts that she’s right, but, some part of her wants her to be wrong. She wants to see Trixie saved just as much as I do.”

Feathermay nodded. “I understand. I’ve never put much thought into the whole destiny thing, but one thing I do know, is that I won’t just sit back and do nothing when a pony is fighting for their life. Especially not my friend, y’know?”

“And what do you value most about your friendships?”

“That’s easy! Making ‘em laugh!” Feathermay brushed one of her wings against the Princess’ side, causing her to giggle involuntarily. Cadance had to motion for her guards to stand down, before they both tackled Feathermay to the ground. “And by the way, you can just call me Feathermay. In fact, I’d prefer it if you did. Never did care much for titles.”

Feathermay retracted her wing, sparing the Princess from more of her tickle treatment. “I see. You don’t let such things as the past or the future bother you. You just want to make sure your friends are happy now, and that, in turn, makes you happy.”

“Pretty much. Like, when Trixie came back to Canterlot some time ago, she was a total wreck. Not at all like the Trixie I remembered from my childhood, y’know. Don’t tell her this, but I actually took a lot of unauthorised time off of work, so that I could visit her and help her laugh again. In the end, I got fired… but it was totally worth it.”

Cadance smiled. “You are a good friend, Feathermay. And I take it that Inkie and Trixie are also very close?”

Feathermay rolled her eyes. “Inkie essentially saved Trixie’s life, by giving her a place to fall back to after her… issues. Trixie appreciates that, and values Inkie’s friendship more than she lets on.”

“And Inkie values Trixie a lot more than just a friend, doesn’t she?”

“Heh. As expected of the Princess of Luuuurve.” Feathermay and Cadance both giggled simultaneously. “Inkie never once left Trixie’s side the whole time that Trixie was bedridden.”

“‘Bedridden’?”

Feathermay waved her hoof dismissively. “Trixie simply refused to get out of bed for a few days. After that, she refused to leave the house for a few weeks. Anyway, point is, despite how difficult Trixie may have been, Inkie never once left her side. And Trixie, even though she can now afford a place of her own, still lives as Inkie’s roommate. That should give you an idea of just how grateful Trixie truly is to Inkie.”

Cadance nodded. “Yes. Oh, it seems we’re here.” She stopped, followed by the three friends following her. The two guards leading them continued on through the empty field that they were in for a short while, before stopping at the foot of a watchtower. “Here it is. The watchtowers were built to hide this secret entrance.”

“Really?” Trixie asked. “All that work, just to hide the entrance to the crystal mine?”

“If Celestia deemed it necessary, then it must have been necessary,” Cadance said. “In any case, not even the guards normally stationed at these towers know of the secret entrance. That’s why we’ve had to call in a special squad to man this one today.”

“There must be something down there that the Princess really doesn’t want us to know about,” Inkie said.

Cadance shook her head. “I think that it’s more to protect the crystals that are down there. Now-a-days, we can harvest our crystals from the crystal mountain, and it is much safer, and easier to monitor. However, with the crystal mine, it is easier for ponies to sneak in and steal the crystals down there.”

“Are the crystals really such a big deal?” Feathermay asked.

“According to the books,” Trixie said. “The crystals can have immense magical properties, if they’re harvested and refined in certain ways.”

“That’s right. Remember, the Crystal Heart itself was made from the same crystals mined here. We don’t want that kind of power to fall into just anypony’s hooves.”

“I can certainly understand that,” Inkie said, feeling a little bit nervous now about visiting such a well-protected area. “The Princess must have a great deal of trust for us, if she’s allowing us to go down there.”

“Or it’s just that she trusts her Royal Guard will have no problem dealing with us if we step out of line,” Trixie said, looking over to the two guards talking to the watchtower group with a grin on her face.

“Don’t worry. I trust you all, and I won’t let any harm come to any of you.” Cadance smiled reassuringly at the three mares, two of which smiled back. Trixie, however, was still watching the guards as they made their return to the group.

“We may now enter the crystal mine, Your Highness,” Helena reported, saluting to her Princess.

“Thank you. Let us not waste any time, then.”

Everypony resumed their walking, moving closer and closer to the watchtower that held the secret entrance to the crystal mine.

The group descended down the large stone staircase leading down into the mine, taking care not to trip on the narrow steps, or slip on some of the water dripping down from the ceiling. Leading the group were the two guards, using torches embedded into their chest plates to light the way. They weren’t on alert for any enemies, but they did have their eyes open for sudden cave-ins and the like.

Despite the lights already being supplied, Trixie didn’t want to go any further without her own light source. Therefore, as she walked, her horn was wrapped in a bright purple glow that reflected off of the sparkling walls all around her, illuminating the area for all to see.

“There are certainly a lot of gems up here,” Inkie noted. “But, where are all the crystals?”

“They’re further down,” Cadance explained. “The crystals are in the lower levels, locked away by a powerful seal. That’s where we’re heading. After the crystal mine was closed off, it was noted by the nobles of Canterlot that there were still many, many valuable gems on the upper levels. Eventually, that was closed off, too. But not for a while.”

“Why close it off at all?” Trixie asked. “The crystals, Trixie can understand, but what’s wrong with harvesting gems?”

“Ponies we’re curious about the lower levels, and why it was locked up. Some even tried to get inside, though it was naturally fruitless. In the end, Celestia closed off the mine, claiming that it had been completely dug out, and bribed off the curious nobles with some of the gems that still remained down here to drop the whole issue.”

“The Princess, giving out bribes?” Inkie asked, shocked at what she was hearing.

Cadance nodded. “To Celestia, wealth is a tool that should not be collected for one’s own benefit, but for the benefit of others. If all it takes is a few gems to keep the secret of the crystal mine safe, then she is not above paying off her subjects. Better than forcing them into silence, don’t you think?”

“And yet, information about this place could still be found in a public library,” Trixie scoffed.

“Yes… Celestia was quite embarrassed to learn that those books were just lying around for anypony to find. Just like when she found out that the Alicorn Amulet was resting in a shop here in Canterlot, right under her nose.”

Trixie shuddered at the memory of the dark, brain-washing amulet, and slowed down a bit as images of her wielding it came flooding into her mind. She saw herself, wielding a whip in her magic, ordering ponies to carry her around, and make cakes a tall as Canterlot castle for her.

Suddenly, the feel of another’s fur against her own caused the showmare to snap out of it, and look to her left. There, she saw Inkie walking closely beside her, giving a reassuring smile and connecting her forehoof with Trixie’s. Trixie smiled back, and already felt her heart at ease once more, now that she had her friend by her side.

“… So, you know about that?”

“Only bits and pieces. I’m sorry if I brought up painful memories. That wasn’t my intention, I was merely trying to get the point across that even Celestia has a difficult time managing an entire kingdom. Many things slip under her radar, even here in Canterlot. In fact, especially here. Many of the Royal Guard are too sure of their own abilities, that it is easy for something bad to slip in unnoticed.” Cadance giggled as the two guards leading the group glanced back momentarily. “No, not you two. You are two of our finest guards. However, Shining has had many a rant about how his troops are too relaxed, just because they are here in Canterlot.”

“Man, so many gems,” Feathermay said, her eyes wide as she admired the beautiful, sparkling gemstones all around her. “And we didn’t have to break any boxes open…”

“What?” Inkie asked.

“One of her video games,” Trixie said, rolling her eyes. “What was it? ‘Dash’ something or other?”

“‘Crash’,” Feathermay corrected. “And don’t pretend you aren’t interested! I saw you watching me play it quite intently the last you came over.”

“Trixie has no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Come to think of it,” Inkie started, “Vinyl mentioned something about you walking out of a game store the other week.”

“Lies!” Trixie shouted, her horn’s light dimming down a bit to hide her red face. “Utter lies! The Great and Powerful Trixie grew out of such childish things a long time ago!”

“That’s a shame,” Feathermay said. “I was gonna ask how you get the secret ending, but I guess, if you’re not interested…”

“There isn’t a secret ending,” Trixie said with a confused look on her face, looking over her shoulder at the Pegasus behind her. When she saw Feathermay’s grin, she realised that she had fallen into her trap. “… Oh, crud.”

“Eheheh! I love trippin’ you up like that!” Feathermay hovered into the air, and moved over to Trixie, gently tickling the Unicorn with her wings. “Hey, c’mon now! Nothing wrong with enjoying a good game, no matter what age you are. And besides, now we can play multiplayer together!”

“This conversation is over,” Trixie said, trying to remain calm.

“Nu-huh! You can’t just end it ‘cause you don’t like where it’s going!”

“No. It’s over, because we’re here.”

Feathermay looked up, and around the room that the group was now in. It was a large, open dome, with four pedestals resting in it, and a large, crystal door at the other end. The pedestals were laid down in the centre of the room, arranged in a line. From left to right, there were three small pedestals of equal size, and then one much larger one.

The group approached the pedestals, and examined them. The smaller ones had small, spherical holes in them, one hole per pedestal. The larger one was a flat surface. There seemed to be engraving on each pedestal, but it was all scratched away, and couldn’t be read.

“That’s odd,” Cadance said. “This wasn’t the result of erosion, or any natural process. This was done intentionally.”

“Hey, is it just me, or do those holes look about the right size for those rocks Cadance brought with her?” Inkie asked, examining the holes closely. Cadance pulled out the three rocks, and placed one next to one of the holes. “An exact fit…”

“I see,” Feathermay said. “That’s it! We have to place these in the holes… But, in what order?”

“If I may,” Helena started, and then received permission to speak from her Princess. “Please forgive me for overhearing, but did the books not state that the door was protected by ‘the three heroic ponies of the crystal mine’?”

“Yes, they did,” Cadance muttered. “‘The three heroic ponies’… I can only think of those three who brought equal rights between the three tribes.”

Trixie opened up her saddlebag, and pulled out one of her books. She flipped to a page that detailed the three mentioned ponies, and held it open for all to read. Included was a picture of the Earth Pony, Bright Eyes, wearing his uniform as official Ambassador of the Earth Pony Tribe.

Something caught Trixie’s eyes. “What’s that shape on her uniform?” she asked, pointing to the picture.

Cadance narrowed her eyes, as the picture was black and white, and not very high quality. However, she could just about make out what Trixie was pointing at. “That’s… ah, that’s her family’s crest. Wait, it seems familiar somehow…”

Trixie used her magic to pull out a second book, and flipped it open to a page that contained a picture of all three ponies together. She grinned as she examined the photo, and then looked up at Cadance. “They all have family crests on their uniforms. And, they should all be familiar, no?”

Cadance pulled the book closer towards herself, and examined the photo. Indeed, it was as Trixie had said. All three of them had a shape on their uniforms… Wind Whistler’s was the letter I, the Unicornian symbol for wisdom, with a snake wrapped around it. Firefly’s was the letter V, the Pegasopolis symbol for power, with a hawk behind it. And Bright Eyes’ was a field of wheat, with a ram feeding off of it.

“I don’t see it,” Inkie said, poking her head around the book to also get a good look at the picture.

“Try looking at the rocks again,” Trixie said. Cadance brought the rocks up into the air for everypony to look at, and then gasped. “Now you see it, don’t you?”

“The Unicornian symbol for wisdom, and the Pegasopolis symbol for power, and… that’s not a ‘V’ with two ‘I’s. It’s a crudely carved-out image of a wheat field, just like in Bright Eyes’ family crest.”

Trixie nodded. “In other words, those rocks represent these three ponies. And now, Trixie finally knows the meaning behind the numbers she gave to herself.”

Feathermay put a hoof to her chin in thought. “You do?”

Trixie nodded. “We need to place these in a specific order. Most likely, that order was written on the pedestals. But, with the writing gone…”

“We won’t know the order,” Inkie finished. “So, the numbers are the order? But how do we know which number relates to which stone?”

“Romane numerals,” Cadance said, to which Trixie nodded. “I see… The symbols on these stones can also be letters, depending on how you look at them. You noticed that, and, seeing that you didn’t have time to give a long explanation, you converted the symbols into Romane numerals.”

“Oh!” Inkie said as she was struck with realisation. “So, ‘one’ refers to the rock that has the ‘I’ on it, right?”

“That’s right,” Trixie said. “‘Five’ would therefore be the rock that has the ‘V’ on it, and ‘seven’ would be the rock with the ‘V’ and two ‘I’s on it.”

Feathermay titled her head in confusion. “But, then, what does the ‘three’ mean? Is there another rock we’re supposed to have?”

Trixie shook her head. “Remember the riddle? ‘When set alone, the Elements are but stone. But when combined through harmony and light, the door shall answer thy wishers’ plight’. What’s interesting is that the word ‘wishers’ in the book had the apostrophe after the final ‘s’, implying that more than one would be present. And, that pedestal there, doesn’t it look big enough for about three average sized, non-Alicorn ponies to stand on?”

Inkie gasped, catching on to what Trixie was getting at. “You’re saying that the ‘three’ refers to three ponies?”

“Not just any ponies,” Feathermay said, smiling as she approached her two friends. “A Unicorn, a Pegasus, and an Earth Pony, all joined together through the bonds of friendship.”

“… A little cheesy,” Trixie said, flicking her mane, “But yes, that is Trixie’s guess. Just like the three ponies that came together to abolish inequality in Equestria, three ponies of separate races must prove that they have an air of harmony about them. Then, the door should, hopefully, open. That’s Trixie’s theory, anyway.”

“Well, it sounds good to me,” Cadance said, levitating the three rocks over to their respective pedestals. “You left yourself that clue for this exact moment, Trixie. I have no doubt that any conclusions you draw from it would be correct. After all, nopony knows you better than yourself, right?”

Trixie hesitated for a second, before nodding slowly. “Yeah… Well, it’s not like we have any other leads, anyway. So, let’s go for it.”

“I agree,” Inkie said. “If this door wants friendship, then that’s what we’ll give it.”

“I’m with you two!” Feathermay cheered, grabbing her friends and lifting them up into the air. They began to flail and protest, but she didn’t let them go. Not until she had made it over to the larger pedestal and touched down onto it. “Alright! Let’s do this!”

Cadance nodded, and then slowly placed the three rocks into their holes. The ground began to shake for a second, before suddenly, four pillars of light shot out from the ground, around the larger pedestal. This lasted for a few seconds, before the lights disappeared, and were then replaced by a single light shooting out of the centre of the pedestal, arching down and splitting into three beams, each one hitting a different rock.

The rocks began to glow a rainbow colour, before shooting out similarly-coloured rainbow beams at the crystal door at the end of the room. The door slowly began to open outwards, much to the delight of everypony in the room.

“I see,” Cadance said. “Yes, I get it now. These rocks, they’re Elements of Harmony. The Elements that represent the ties binding us together, that is much stronger than our wings or our horns, and much thicker than our bloodlines.”

“Friendship, right?” Feathermay asked, but to her surprise, Cadance shook her head.

“Sharing, caring, and protecting. Sharing our knowledge, our food, our water, and everything, because the land is for all of us, not just the one. Caring for each other, taking care of each other, so that nopony is ever left to care for themselves. And finally, protecting each other. Nopony should ever have to fight for their own sake. Instead, we should all fight for those we care about. And in turn, they will fight to protect us.

“It was through these three policies, that Wind Whistler, Firefly, and Bright Eyes united together, and defeated those who disagreed with their ideals on equality. Individually, they never would have stood a chance. But together, they were unbeatable.”

“How nice,” Inkie said, hopping down from the pedestal as soon as the lightshow was over. “They should teach that more often in schools.”

“Ah, but then the Princess would be forced to admit that there was a time that slavery and oppression happened under her rule,” Trixie remarked, earning sharp glares from the two Royal Guards in the room.

“Trixie!” Inkie hissed, before quickly turning and bowing to Cadance. “Please forgive her, Your Highness! She didn’t mean it! She just-”

Cadance giggled, and waved her hoof dismissively. “Actually, that’s quite accurate,” she said, shocking everypony in the room. “To gain the support of her subjects of today, her crimes of the past must be covered up. Whilst she wouldn’t have been faulted on such things hundreds of years ago, times change, and now-a-days, ponies would lose faith in her as a ruler if they learned that she used to condone such things.”

Feathermay let out an impressed whistle as she hovered gently down to the ground. “You sure you’re okay with saying such things? Isn’t that, like, treason or something?”

Cadance simply smiled in response. “Celestia does not imprison ponies for telling the truth,” she said, before turning to her two guards. “We have no idea what may be down there, so be on full alert.”

“Yes, sir!” both guards responded, saluting simultaneously.

“Well then, please lead the way…”

The crystal mine prove the be a very large, very confusing, and very bizarre place. The group started off by simply going in a straight line through the first corridor that they found, but they ended up passing many passageways, before eventually reaching a fork that split off into two directions.

“It’d help if we knew what we were even looking for,” Feathermay said, sighing as she leaned against a wall.

“The future Trixie gave no further clues,” Trixie said. “She simply told Trixie about the crystal mine, and gave her a clue on how to get inside of it… that is all.”

“Well, at time like this, we just trust our instinct,” Cadance said. “And my instinct is telling meeeee…”

“That way!” Cadance, Trixie, and Piers shouted all in unison. However, whilst Trixie and Cadance were pointing down the left-hoof passageway, Piers was pointing down the right-hoof passageway.

“Left it is, then,” Inkie said, giggling as she watched the dejected Piers walking alongside a sighing Helena. The group continued to walk, before Trixie stopped suddenly, and turned her head to face the wall beside her. “What’s wrong?” Inkie asked, also stopping to face her friend. The rest of the group stopped too, wondering what the holdup was.

“This wall,” Trixie said, walking closer towards the wall and placing a hoof onto it. “… It’s fake!”

“It’s what?”

“An illusion, to be more precise. Hold on…” Trixie horn glowed brighter, increasing the illumination from her spell casting, and a purple beam shot forth, striking the wall. The wall started to shake for a moment, before then starting to blur out of existence. Finally, it disappeared, and Trixie’s magic lowered back down to her simple illumination spell. With the wall gone, a hidden staircase was revealed, one which led even further down into the mine.

“… Shall we?” Cadance asked, her voice showing her excitement plain as day. “This is just like Daring Do, don’t you think?”

“Aw, man! I love that series!” Feathermay said, flapping her wings and gaining some lift for a moment. “Wait… does that mean we’re gonna get tied up and thrown into a room with snakes and stuff? ‘Cause I don’t think I’d be okay with that.”

“Don’t worry,” Trixie said. “That won’t happen.”

“You sure?”

“Like, ninety-nine percent absolutely positive.”

“… And, the other one percent?” Feathermay never received her answer, as Trixie began to follow the two guards and Cadance down the staircase, soon followed by Inkie, who was laughing at Feathermay’s nervous look. “Aw, man. I’m gonna get bit by a poisonous snake, aren’t I?”

With a sigh, Feathermay quickly began to follow everypony else, not wanting to be left alone in the dark mine without a light source.

Nopony from the group could have possibly predicted what they saw as they reached the bottom of the stairs. So far, the crystal mine had been filled with beautiful, sparkling crystals of practically every colour. With the light sources the ponies used, the mine was bright, and dazzling, and the group could see their reflections in the surfaces of the walls around them.

As they got deeper, though, the brightness began to dim, and the sparkling died down, until it was not even present anymore. And, when they reached the bottom, the crystals of many hues were replaced instead by crystals of just one shade.

“Man, it’s pretty gloomy down here,” Feathermay said as they looked around in the large chamber they had found themselves in, filled to the brim with jet-black crystals, sticking out of the ground, the ceiling, and the walls. “Trixie, you think you can make your spell a little brighter?”

Trixie nodded, and focused more magic into her spell. It helped only a little bit, but it was still very dark down there in that room. And, to make matters worse, they was a strange hissing sound that passed through the room every now and then.

“I knew there were gonna be snakes,” Feathermay said, watching the ground closely for signs of slithering serpents crawling towards her.

“It’s not snakes,” Trixie said. “Most likely just the wind passing through.”

“No,” Cadance said, her eyes wide and her face pale as she stared at the sea of crystals before her. “It’s not the wind. And it’s not snakes. It’s something much worse…”

“Great,” Feathermay said, rolling her eyes. “Guys, I think we should go back upstairs. All in favour.”

“Yes. Let’s do that, right now.” Everypony turned to look at Cadance, surprised that she had actually agreed to cut the expedition short, and also, at the sense of urgency in her tone. “Piers, Helena, please be on your full guard.”

“Cadance?” Inkie asked, approaching the Princess. “What exactly is down here?”

Trixie felt something brush against the right side of her coat, and quickly turned around to see what it was. When all she saw was a vast, empty space, she tilted her head in confusion, before looking around to make sure that nothing was there.

“I’ll explain later. For now, we-” Cadance gasped as she turned around, and her eyes fell onto Trixie. “Trixie! Behind you!”

Everypony’s attention was immediately on the blue Unicorn, who quickly spun around, just in time to see a black mist floating before her. She could see something in there. Something that resembled a mouth, curving up into a smile, and then bearing its teeth as it grinned at her. The sound of laughter followed. It sounded like a stallion’s laughter, although it echoed through her head as the sound grew louder.

Suddenly, something shot out of the mist, flying towards Trixie’s face. She raised her right foreleg just in time to shield her face from the projectile, and fell backwards as whatever was thrown at her pierced her leg, making her scream out in pain.

“TRIXIE!” Inkie quickly ran over to her friend’s side, taking her eyes off the mist as she focused on the injury on Trixie’s leg. There seemed to be smaller black crystals piercing her leg, with blood trickling out of the wounds ever so slightly.

“Sombra!” Cadance shouted, her horn alight as she lowered her head towards the mist. A blue barrier formed around Cadance, and expanded very quickly, passing through the others just fine, but forcing the black mist back with a howl.

“Princess!” Helena called out, reaching Cadance’s side and drawing her spear.

“Everypony, run!” Cadance ran over to Trixie, who was now off the floor thanks to Inkie’s help, with her hoof draped over her friend. “Place her on my back. We must leave this place at once!”

Feathermay wrapped her foreleg around Trixie’s waist, and flapped her wings quickly to lift Trixie off the ground. She grunted as she carried the Unicorn over to Cadance. “Princess,” Inkie began, “What’s going on? What was that mist?”

“There’s no time. I will explain once we are all safe.”

“Fools,” a voice called out, seemingly from all around everypony. It was the same voice that was laughing earlier. “I don’t know how you found me, but I will not let you leave now. You will never find safety.”

“O-Oh yeah?!” Feathermay called back, shaking like a leaf but shooting a strong glare at the ceiling. “We aren’t afraid of some stupid, disembodied voice!”

“Princess, you lead the way,” Helena said as she cautiously scanned the entire room. “As your Royal Guard, it is our duty to protect you and your companions.”

“Trixie, can you still conjure up a light?” Piers asked. Trixie raised her head, grunting at the pain in her leg, and then closed her eyes as she focused. Her horn lit up once more, illuminating the area around them. “Good. Please just hold on like that until we’re out of here.”

“It’s coming!” Cadance shouted, looking up at the mist reforming above the group. “Let’s go!” Leading the way out, Cadance began to run up the stairs that had brought them here in the first place, Inkie Pie and Feathermay following, and the two guards bringing up the rear.

“Everypony keep running!” Cadance shouted, hearing the hoofsteps behind her starting to slow down. “We’re almost at the chamber with the crystal door!”

After a few more seconds of running, the group arrived at the large chamber where the stone Elements were still resting in their pedestals. They had no time to stop and rest, though, and continued to run straight through the room, towards the entrance to the gem mine on the other side.

“There is no escape,” Sombra’s voice called out, and a black mist began to form in the entryway to the gem mine, preventing the ponies from leaving. “This shall be your final resting ground.”

Cadance stopped her galloping, and turned around to find that the crystal door was also blocked by a black mist. “We’re trapped!” she shouted, before several black crystals began to slowly emerge from the walls around them.

“W-What do we do?” Inkie asked, backing away from the mist with a look of horror on her face. “P-Princess Cadance?”

“You die,” Sombra said, in a voice that sent chills down the spine of everypony present. The mist began to stretch out towards the group, prompting them all to take several steps back, and then began to stretch and shape itself into the figure of a pony.

The pony was just a little taller than the average stallion, and from the appearance of a horn on its head, appeared to be a Unicorn. Its coat was grey, and its mane and tail black. Its horn began to glow red as the mist separated from the pony’s body, and a red cape began to take form on its back, followed by iron shoes around its hooves.

Finally, the pony opened its eyes… and shot a wicked grin at its victims as streams of purple energy leaked from its green eyes. The Royal Guard ponies, Cadance, and Trixie, all knew what that meant. It was the sign of a pony using dark magic.

The pony began cackling as it took steps towards its frightened prey, licking it lips as it eyed each and every one of them. “Crysssstal Princess,” he said as his eyes met Cadance’s. “Sssso, you finally meet your end.”

“Princess, stand back!” Piers shouted, himself and Helena both running forward and taking defensive stances in front of their Princess. “We shall run this demon through, Your Highness!”

“Wait!” Cadance pleaded. “That’s not somepony you can take lightly! That’s King Sombra, the pony who enslaved the Crystal Empire on thousand years ago!”

“One thousand years ago?” Piers asked, before grinning as he pointed his spear forward. “Well then, it’s clear why he succeeded. One thousand years ago, I wasn’t born!” Piers ran forward, swing his spear down towards Sombra. The dark Unicorn simply grinned, and used his magic to repel the spear’s attack. “Helena!”

“On it!” Helena shouted as she gathered magic into her horn and released it at her target. Piers jumped back, allowing the blast to hit Sombra directly. Or it would have, had Sombra not turned himself into mist for a moment to dodge the blast. “No way!”

“How do we hit something like that?!” Piers asked, backing away as the mist landed in front of him, and began to solidify once more.

“Princess, there’s gotta be something we can do to get out of here!” Feathermay shouted, looking towards the mist blocking their escape. “Can’t you use some magic or something?”

Cadance shook her head. “I… I don’t… know if my magic is strong enough. King Sombra is on a whole other level.”

“But-”

“GAH!” Helena screamed as she fell to the ground, her spear sliding across the floor. Sombra grinned, and approached his fallen prey.

“Oh no you don’t!” Piers shouted, charging at Sombra’s side and swing his down at him. It was once more blocked by Sombra’s magic, but rather than fighting against it, Piers quickly ducked down, grabbing Helena’s spear by his hooves, and thrust it up towards Sombra’s face.

Sombra had no time to conjure up a second defensive spell, and could only move his head to the side to dodge the incoming attack. The spear sliced the side of his face, causing him to lose his focus for a moment, and giving Piers the opening he needed to kicked Sombra square in the chest, knocking the Unicorn back a good few feet.

“Nice!” Inkie shouted, cheering alongside Feathermay.

“He’s not done yet,” Cadance said, bringing the mood down as she grimly watched Sombra climb back to his hooves. The King was panting heavily, and holding a hoof to his chest, as he glared at the pony responsible for knocking him down. “Please,” she whispered. “Please, don’t…”

“You want some more?” Piers asked, grinning as he returned one of the spears to his partner. “You may be a King, but that doesn’t make you immortal!”

“Fool!” Sombra shouted, his glare intensifying and freezing the two guards in place momentarily. With his target no longer able to move, Sombra returned to his mist form, and shot forward across the room at a speed unattainable for any solid being. He reformed once he was in front of Piers, and grinned as his horn lit up.

“What’s he-” Inkie’s question was cut short by a black crystal suddenly shooting forth from the ground, growing instantaneously, and piercing the guardspony in the chest. Everypony froze as they witnessed this, and simply watched in horror as Piers’ body continued to shake for a bit… before falling limp.

Everypony, except for Cadance. Cadance had already seen the attack coming, and had already seen the guard’s demise for his acts against King Sombra. She knew it was coming… and yet, she was powerless to stop it.

As she watched the guard’s life being taken before her very eyes, Cadance felt her blood begin to boil, and her vision started to blur as tears formed in her eyes. She watched on as Sombra cackled at his deed, and then gasped as she saw him turn his attention to Helena. He wasn’t done yet. Another pony would die, if he wasn’t stopped now.

But, who was going to stop him? A lone Royal Guard would stand no chance against a foe like Sombra, Inkie Pie and Feathermay were just ordinary citizens, and Trixie, although a little more adept at magic than other ponies, was injured.

There was nopony else who could save them…

‘If I don’t do it, then nopony will!’

Cadance closed her eyes, and began to concentrate. ‘Piers… you were one of my dear subjects. Shining Armor had high hopes for you. Your family was looking forward to seeing you again, I’m sure. You had a marefriend, didn’t you? You had a whole life ahead of you, and yet, you lost it. Because of Sombra. Because… I couldn’t save you.’

“You bastard!” Helena shouted, swinging her spear at Sombra, but being blasted back by his magic before it could connect.

‘And now, there are four other ponies here, whose lives are also in danger. I came here today to save a life… And now, I’m going to lose five of my previous subjects, all because I am simply too weak…’ Cadance’s eyes opened, and her horn started to glow a gentle blue. ‘No.’ The gentle aura around Cadance’s horn began to spark. ‘I won’t lose any more of my little ponies to you, Sombra.’

“Die,” Sombra said as he approached the downed Helena. However, he stopped his advance as he felt a disturbance building up beside him. He turned to where the others were standing, and saw a lot of power building up in Cadance’s horn. “… Crysssstal Princess…”

“Do it,” Trixie said, holding onto Cadance a little tighter as she felt the magical build-up in her horn. “Take him out.”

Cadance’s eyes met with Sombra’s, and her resolve started to waver. Her magic began to die down as she continued to stare into Sombra’s dark, cold eyes. “But, what if I-”

“Does it matter?” Trixie asked, slowly raising her good foreleg to the side of Cadance’s face, pushing slightly to try to avert her gaze from Sombra’s. “If you don’t, we’ll all be killed. Is that what you want?”

Trixie’s words echoed through Cadance’s mind, and her magic began to build up once again as she imagined her subjects dying at Sombra’s hooves. ‘No,’ she thought, her eyes narrowing as she returned Sombra’s glare. ‘That isn’t going to happen.’

“I won’t let you,” Sombra said, turning his body back into mist and racing towards Cadance.

“I won’t let you harm my subjects anymore!” Cadance screamed, before her horn’s light shined to blinding levels. A barrier formed around her, and shot out, just like earlier. However, this time, it did more than simply repel the black mist.

Sombra screamed as he felt the barrier tearing away at him, ripping him apart piece by piece. As the barrier hit the black crystals around everypony, they shattered and faded away into nothing. As it hit the black mists blocking their escape paths, they evaporated into thin air. And, when the light began to die down, and the barrier started to disappear, the tortured screams of King Sombra, steadily became quieter and quieter, until they could no longer be heard at all.

“… I… I… did… it,” Cadance said between deep breaths, amazed that she had actually managed to defeat such a foe with her magic. “I… defeated… him…” The Princess suddenly gasped, and felt her legs buckle beneath her, before suddenly falling to her haunches.

“Your Highness!” Inkie shouted, rushing up to Cadance’s side. Feathermay grabbed Trixie, and dragged her off of Cadance’s back, propping the Unicorn up against a nearby wall so that she could rest.

“I’m fine,” Cadance said, smiling at the concerned Earth Pony beside her. “Just… a little tired, that’s all.” Her smile fell into a frown, as she looked over at where Piers lay on the ground, a few feet away from her. “… He’s…”

Helena approached her partner slowly, and placed a forehoof to his neck. She shook her head, and turned her grim face towards the Princess. “… Dead, Your Highness.”

Cadance could feel the tears building up in her eyes once again. She already knew that he was dead, but some small hope still lingered in the back of her mind.

“Princess,” Feathermay said, getting Cadance’s attention, “I… know you must be feeling down right now, but, Trixie’s wound needs serious medical attention.”

“What do you mean?” Inkie asked, getting up and approaching her friends. “It wasn’t that bad earlier.” Her eyes widened as she saw Trixie’s leg. With the crystal that was once inside it now gone, the wound was completely open, and a large amount of blood had flown out of it. “T-This is bad! Princess, we need to get her to a hospital!”

Cadance nodded, and slowly climbed to her hooves. “… Right. There will be time to mourn later, but right now, we must act fast to prevent a second death from befalling us. Helena.” Helena snapped to attention and saluted her Princess. “Please apply some first aid to Miss Lulamoon’s wound, and help carry her out of here. Once we’re out, I’ll arrange for a squad to come and collect Piers’ body.”

“… Understood, Your Highness.” Helena picked up Piers’ bag with her magic, and rushed over to Trixie’s side. She opened the bag up, and, with Inkie’s help, wrapped a bandage around Trixie’s open wound. Whilst she was doing this, something caught Cadance’s eye. Something sparkling on the floor, around the area where Sombra’s mist form was hit by the barrier. She approached the sparkling object, and found it to be a small black stone of some kind. It had a shiny surface, and was shaped like a bead.

“What’s this?” she asked herself as she picked it up. “A piece of King Sombra, maybe?” She stashed it away in her saddlebag, deciding to have the Royal Court Magi examine it later. “Well at least it’s over now…”

A few hours later, Trixie awoke to find herself in a white room. There was a green curtain to one side, a window to the other, and a door in front of her. She was lying on a bed with green sheets, and seemed to be wearing a green gown that she did not remember putting on. To her immediate right was a small set of drawers, with a lamp sitting on top of them. Outside the window, Trixie could see that it was evening.

“Welcome back, Trixie!” Trixie found Inkie Pie sitting beside her to her left, smiling as she placed a bookmark into her book, and closed it up. “How are you feeling?”

“… I passed out from blood loss, how d’you think I feel?”

“Oh, so your memory’s intact. That’s good. Seems your attitude’s fine, too, so I guess no serious damage done.”

Trixie slowly began to raise her injured leg, to confirm that what she remembered happening had actually happened. It hurt as she raised it, which should have made her stop, but when she thought back to her encounter with the future Trixie, she knew that she had to continue.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Inkie asked, getting up and leaning over Trixie. “Stop that! You’ll hurt yourself!”

“… Pull off the covers,” Trixie said. “I need to see it. I need to see my leg.”

“… You could have just said so,” Inkie said, lowering the covers so that Trixie could get a good view of her injured leg, completely wrapped in bandages. It wasn’t quite as messy or as dirty as she remembered it, but… “There, happy now? The doctor said it’ll need to stay in bandages for about a week, to avoid infection.”

“… That’s… This is… the way future Trixie’s leg looked, when she visited me.” Inkie’s eyes widened, and she dropped the cover she was holding back onto Trixie’s leg. “Does that mean… the future hasn’t changed? We defeated Sombra, right? What more do we still need to do?”

“… Actually, Trixie,” Inkie began, closing her eyes and sitting back down onto her stool beside Trixie’s bed, “Whilst you were out of it, when we exited the crystal mine… we heard a report, from the Royal Guard. Black crystals have begun to appear all over Equestria.”

Author's Note

Thanks to SlashopentheSky for pre-reading ^_^

3 - Investigating The Black Crystals

The following morning, Trixie received a surprise visit from Princess Cadance, who had come to apologise for putting the showmare in danger yesterday. She came accompanied by two Royal Guards, who both waited silently in the room, keeping their eyes on their Princess at all times.

“Miss Lulamoon, I-”

“Just Trixie,” Trixie said. Her throat was dry, so her voice was a little scratchy. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is still in the prime of her youth, thank you very much.”

Cadance nodded. “Trixie, I want you to know how sorry I am for allowing you to be hurt so bad. I wanted to come and apologise yesterday, but something urgent came up.”

Trixie waved her hoof dismissively. “Forget about it. Trixie would have gone down to the crystal mine anyway, even if you hadn’t accompanied her… In truth, you saved Trixie yesterday. For that, the Great and Powerful Trixie thanks you.”

Cadance smiled upon hearing this. She had been plagued by guilt over what happened to Trixie and Piers, and was unable to find any piece of mind last night. But, now that she could see that Trixie was fine, part of that grief had gone away. Of course, that wouldn’t last for long.

“This ‘something urgent’ that you mentioned,” Trixie continued, “Do you by any chance mean those black crystals that have begun popping up around Equestria?”

Cadance’s smile vanished, and she sighed as she took a seat next to Trixie’s bed. “So you’ve heard about them.”

“Inkie told Trixie. We’re going to Los Pegasus this afternoon, to investigate the crystals that have popped up there.”

Cadance immediately shook her head, completely opposed to the idea. “You’re fine, but you’re still injured! You need to rest!”

Trixie raised her bandaged leg as far as she could. The pain it brought her was clearly reflected on her face. “This bandage is proof that Trixie hasn’t changed the course of events leading to her death just yet,” she said. “These crystals must have something to do with this whole thing. Sitting around and doing nothing will not help. And besides, it’s not Trixie’s style.”

“This is a very serious matter, Trixie,” Cadance said in a stern tone. “Although the crystals have not acted up yet, the fact that they resemble those we found in the mine too closely is enough reason to believe them to be a bad omen. As such, we have cordoned off all of the black crystals that have popped up, and we cannot allow anypony near them. Including you.”

“… The Great and Powerful Trixie shouldn’t need to remind you, that King Sombra was defeated by your magic. He is dead. These crystals popping up are probably part of whatever scheme he had going, I’ll admit, but there’s no way they could be any possible harm to us now that their master is dead.”

“But we still don’t know that for sure. And until we do know for sure, we cannot risk anypony going near them.”

The door opened suddenly, interrupting the discussion between the two mares. A tall Unicorn stallion in a white lab coat walked in, but stopped when he saw Princess Cadance sitting by the patient’s bed. “Is this a bad time?”

Cadance shook her head, and sent one final smile Trixie’s way. “No. We’re done here.”

“Trixie is going to Los Pegasus today,” Trixie said in a defiant tone. Cadance only giggled in response. “If you try to stop Trixie, then you will learn why she is called ‘Great and Powerful’.”

“Very well then,” Cadance said. “How’s this? I’ll post three guards to watch over you, and keep you in this room. If you can sneak past all of them, then you can go to Los Pegasus. If not, then you remain in here and get better.”

“Should a Princess really be gambling with a commoner?”

Cadance gave Trixie a sly grin. “It’s not gambling. I have complete faith in my guards. I assure you, you will spend the rest of the day resting up.”

“Oho?” Trixie sat up as the doctor approached her, knowing that a series of tedious tests awaited her. She then directed her attention to Cadance, who was now leaving her room, her two guards following behind her. “It seems the Princess is confident. It’ll be fun to put that naïve little foalsitter in her place.”

“Oh my,” the doctor said as he removed the bandages from Trixie’s leg. Trixie looked at him with a curious look on her face, and gasped when she could see her un-bandaged leg. There was a large swelling where the black crystal hard pierced her flesh, and around it, black markings that seemed to be climbing up and down the length of her leg. “This… looks quite bad. We may have to amputate.”

Trixie’s eyes widened in horror. “WHAT?!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, the force of her voice almost blowing the doctor’s toupee off of his head.

“A joke, Miss Lulamoon,” the doctor laughed as he righted his toupee with his hoof, and lifted a clipboard up with his magic. “According to your examination yesterday, your leg has been tainted by King Sombra’s magic. It should wear off over time.”

“Oh.” Trixie released a heavy sigh of relief at the news, but then thought back to her meeting with her future self. ‘Future Trixie had still had her leg… If my leg was amputated…’

“Anyway, I must agree with the Princess. You need plenty of bed rest.” The doctor grabbed Trixie’s leg, causing her to wince as a shockwave of pain passed through it. Although he tired to be as gentle as possible, to Trixie, it felt like he was trying to rip the limb off of her body. “I’m going to apply some cream that should ease the pain a little bit. But it will also make your leg numb for a few hours.”

“That’s fine,” Trixie said. “The Great and Powerful Trixie can get by with just three legs for a bit.” The door opened behind the doctor, and in walked a familiar mare, whom Trixie had been expecting to drop by around this time. “Morning, Inkie.”

Inkie Pie closed the door behind her and walked closer to Trixie’s bed, standing by her side as the doctor applied the cream. From the look on Trixie’s face, it must have felt very uncomfortable. Her eyes were twitching, she was biting down on her lower lip, and her entire body tensed, as if she were resisting the urge to flail about in her bed.

“I, uh, got the tickets,” Inkie informed her, sitting down on the stool beside Trixie’s bed. “That’s a lot of guards standing outside your room. What’s going on?”

“Princess Cadance has insisted that the patient remain here,” the doctor answered, seeing Trixie biting her lip as he applied the cream. “Sorry, but it looks like you’ll have to return those tickets.”

Inkie frowned at the news, and looked over at Trixie with an angry look. “Honestly. I told you you wouldn’t be allowed to leave, but did you listen?”

“Don’t return the tickets,” Trixie said as soon as the doctor had stopped for a moment. “We’re leaving. We just need to get past the guards, that’s all.”

“Well, good luck with that,” the doctor laughed as he pulled out some fresh bandages. “Miss Pie, could you please help me with this?”

“Sure.” Inkie held Trixie down as the doctor applied the bandages, keeping the showmare from kicking him, or making it impossible to apply the bandages in the first place. “Oh, I ran into Fritter on the way here.”

“Apple Fritter?” Trixie asked, receiving a nod from Inkie. “Ah. I guess she’d be going back t- AGH!”

“Sorry,” the doctor apologised, and then resumed wrapping up Trixie’s leg, a little more gently this time.

“… Trixie assumes that Fritter’s going back to… that apple place… Apple…”

“‘Appleoosa’,” Inkie said.

“Yes. That. She must be quite worried about her family, huh?”

Inkie nodded. “Yes, she did say that she was going to go back, to make sure that everypony there was okay. However, when I told her about our little quest-”

“You what?!” Trixie shouted, trying to bolt up in her hospital bed, but failing from the weight that Inkie Pie was putting on her. “Why did you tell her?!”

“She found out on her own that you’re in the hospital,” Inkie explained. “And, well, you know what she’s like. She’s probably the most generous pony in Canterlot, so she offered to come and bring you some fruit, to help you get better. I couldn’t exactly stop her, since she’s a friend who’s just worried about her other friend. And when we got here, and Princess Cadance approached me…”

Trixie sighed, and raised her good leg to slam it into her face. “Guess it didn’t take long for her to put two and two together. For a country mare, she has quite a head on her shoulders.”

Inkie frowned at that statement. “Hey! I’m a country mare too, y’know?”

“Yes. You are,” Trixie said, grinning from ear-to-ear, until she felt the grey mare pressing more weight onto her. “GAH! A-And you’re one of the smartest, m-most beautiful ponies that Trixie k-knows!”

Inkie blushed as the word ‘beautiful’ reached her ears, and she eased up a bit, releasing some of the pressure she was putting on the showmare. “R-Right… Anyway, she’s in the lobby with Feathermay right now. Once she heard the full story, she said that she would do whatever it took to help you out.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow at Inkie’s story. “What? You mean, she believed it, just like that?”

Inkie shrugged. “At the very least, you believe it, and you’re doing whatever you can to prevent your death. The fact you’re in the hospital, and that you’re still moving forward, is proof of how committed you are. And as your friend, she wants to help you.”

“… Well… the Great and Powerful Trixie supposes, that Apple Fritter can tag along, if she really wants to.”

“Oh, and she said that you should be ready for a good lecture for not telling her soon.”

Trixie groaned. Apple Fritter’s lectures were never fun to hear, but there was never any way out of them. “GAH!” Inkie jumped at Trixie’s sudden scream, and then looked across the bed to find the doctor laughing as he lowered her leg down gently onto the mattress.

“Sorry, sorry. But, I’m all done now, so I’ll just get out of your hair.” The doctor gave Trixie a serious look for a moment. “Like I said, you should stay in bed and rest. If there’s something you need, please don’t hesitate to call a nurse with the button by your bed.”

“Gee, thanks,” Trixie growled, still feeling the pain from the doctor’s latest fumble.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me… Busy busy busy…” The doctor left the room, and Trixie waited for a few seconds, before looking over at Inkie Pie.

“Hey, Inkie. I have a favour to ask you.”

Chains had been a member of the Royal Guard for many years now. He was a veteran, and one of the most well-respected Captains in Canterlot. All of his subordinates looked up to him, and that’s because he knew how to get the job done. If he was asked to arrest a purse-snatcher running through the streets, he would track that thief down and have him subdued in a heartbeat. If he was asked to protect the Princess at a social banquet, his keen senses would alert him to dangers well before they could present themselves.

And, when Princess Cadance asked him to make sure the mare inside this hospital room doesn’t leave the hospital, he dedicated himself to doing exactly that. No yawns escaped his mouth. His eyes never blinked. His nose remained unblocked. He would be on high-alert until the end of time, if necessary, until he received the okay from his Princess to step down from his post.

The two lesser soldiers with him, however, were not quite as experienced as he was, and it showed every time they slouched to relax their legs, or every time they would rub their eyes to relieve some of their tiredness, or every time they would start a casual conversation to pass the time. Every time, he would have to remind them that they are on duty, and that there would be time for all of that stuff later, in their own spare time.

A soldier had to exist separately from the rest of the world. They had to be a mere backdrop, watching every single aspect of the world around them, and act only when it is in relation to their assigned duty.

For example, that grey mare who had left the patient’s room a while ago, was now coming back, pushing some sort of trolley in front of her. Did she plan to smuggle the patient out in that thing? How typical. Still, he couldn’t stop her from bringing it in, but he sure as heck would stop her to search it on the way out.

“Halt!” Chains shouted as he extended his wing, preventing her from entering. “What is inside this trolley?”

The mare opened the top up slightly, revealing some sheets of paper, some brushes, some paint tubes, and a few other things that Chains didn’t have time to identify, because she closed it up again in just a few seconds. “I’m an artist, sir,” the mare said, turning to her side to show the guard her Cutie Mark, which was a single ink splotch. “I want to paint my friend whilst she’s lying in her hospital bed.”

Chains grinned. Of course that’s all she wanted. ‘I’m on to your little scheme.’ Removing his grin and returning to his neutral expression, Chains folded his wing back to his side. “Very well. You may enter.”

The mare nodded, and moved past the guards, into the patient’s room. And now, back on standby.

Another thirty minutes passed, with yet more yawning, chatting, and daydreaming from the two rookie soldiers. Chains sighed, and held back his laughter. ‘Man, they remind me of when I was an inexperienced hoof soldier.’ The sound of the door opening alerted Chains. ‘Showtime, huh?’

Turning around, Chains was surprised to find not the grey mare coming out with the trolley, but the blue mare coming out, wearing her gown and a hospital cap, and draping her good leg around the grey mare’s neck. If this was their attempt at breaking out of here, it was a poor one. “And where do you think you two are going?”

“To the bathroom,” the blue mare said. “What, ‘sat a crime?”

“Then we shall accompany you,” Chains said. “To make sure you don’t try to make a run for it.”

The blue mare rolled her eyes. “Yeah, ‘cause I could totally run with my leg like this.”

The two rookie guards escorted the two mares through the hospital corridors, whilst Chains followed them, keeping a close eye on the two for any sign of suspicious movement. So far, nothing. Were they really just going to the bathroom, after all? ‘How boring.’

Once they reached their destination, the two mares entered the bathroom together. Chains originally planned on following them inside, but he knew that, even as a soldier, there were lines that weren’t meant to be crossed. Instead, he gave them five minutes. If they weren’t out by then, he would go in to check on them. Besides, he had already confirmed with the hospital staff that there were no windows in there that were big enough for them to climb through.

Three minutes passed, and so far, the only pony they had seen leave the bathroom was that yellow one with the green mane. Her mane was kind of funny. Like she had woke up that day without brushing it at all. Not that that mattered, though. They were on duty, they didn’t have time to think about the odd manestyles they saw passing them by.

Finally, the grey mare came out. However, the blue mare wasn’t with her. And she looked panicked, and flustered. Chains didn’t like this one bit. “Please help!” the mare cried. “Trixie’s collapsed!”

“What?!” Chains shouted.

“I’m going to go find a doctor!” the mare shouted as she ran off down the corridor.

Chains tried to stop her, but it was already too late. So instead, he told his men to wait outside, whilst he check on the patient. This was an emergency now, so nothing was stopping him from entering the mare’s bathroom. ‘Huh… So this is what it looks like,’ he thought to himself as he walked in. He searched the area quickly, but found no sign of the blue mare anywhere. “What the? Where is she?”

Trixie watched from under her hospital bed as two of the guards posted by her door walked off down the corridor, followed by Inkie and Apple Fritter, whose coat was painted to match her own, and who mane and tail were hidden by the hospital cap and gown supplied to her. The third guard followed after them, and after their hoofsteps could no longer be heard, the showmare slid out from underneath her bed.

“Seems it worked,” Trixie said to herself, wincing as her bad leg touched the ground. She quickly pulled it back up, and made a mental note to be more careful of that in the future. “But then, of course it did. After all, it was Trixie’s wonderful plan.”

The plan was a simple one. First, have Inkie Pie wheel in a trolley containing paints and some clothes. The hospital security would have already checked it on the way in, so there’s no need for the Royal Guard to do so, too. Next, Apple Fritter would enter the trolley, and be snuck into Trixie’s room. Then, she would be disguised as Trixie, by Inkie’s magnificent artistic ability, whilst Trixie would slip on the dress and the hat that were in the trolley.

The Royal Guard would accompany Inkie and ‘Trixie’ to the bathroom. Apple Fritter would wash the paint off of her body, and casually stroll out, soon followed by Inkie, who would claim that Trixie had collapsed, and would then run off to find a doctor. The Royal Guard would then rush into the bathroom, only to find that the Great and Powerful Trixie was nowhere to be seen.

A simple disappearing act, that would give her ample time to slip out with Feathermay whilst the Royal Guard would undoubtedly check her room first. Trixie let loose a chuckle as she exited her room. “Well, Cadenza, you did say that Trixie was free to go if she could slip past your guards.”

“You shouldn’t talk to yourself so much,” Feathermay said as she approached the showmare, pushing an empty wheelchair. “Ponies will start to think you’re crazy… And they won’t exactly be wrong, either.”

Trixie harrumphed, and turned around to back up into the wheelchair. Because of her injured leg, she could only walk so quickly, so she asked Feathermay to secure a wheelchair to move her out of the hospital. However, the stethoscope and the lab coat were not part of the plan.

“Feathermay, why are you dressed like a doctor?” Trixie asked as she was wheeled down the corridor by ‘Dr.’ Feathermay.

“Hey, if you’re gonna commit a crime, might as well do it right.”

“… You stole this wheelchair, didn’t you?”

“You think they’d actually give me a wheelchair without showing them who it’s for? Oh, look out. It’s your doctor.”

Trixie’s ears twitched, and she looked ahead of her to find that he doctor was indeed approaching them. She pulled down on the rim of her hat to hide her face. Luckily, ridiculous hats were the norm in Canterlot, so she actually drew less attention to herself by wearing it.

The two made their way to the lobby without any incidents happening, and then made sure that the receptionist was looking away before making for the door. Trixie climbed out of her chair, and slowly moved towards the door, making sure to keep her hoof off the floor. Feathermay offered to be a crutch for her, but the showmare refused.

“I’m fine,” Trixie said, pushing herself away from her friend. “… And, lose the outfit, for Celestia’s sake.”

“But I like being a doctor,” Feathermay said with a pout.

“You’re not a-”

“Oh, good. You made it.” Trixie and Feathermay stopped as they exited the hospital, greeted by the sound of Inkie’s voice as soon as they stepped outside the doors. “Uh… why is Feathermay dressed up as a doctor?”

“Doesn’t it feel more like a secret spy mission when we dress up in costumes?” Feathermay asked, receiving sighs from her three friends. “… What?”

“Guys, just FYI, the train’ll be leavin’ in fifteen minutes,” Apple Fritter said, looking off into the direction of the train station. “If we’re gonna get there in time, we should get a move on right now.”

“You heard the mare!” Feathermay shouted, flapping her wings to lift up into the air. “C’mon! All aboard who’s going aboard!”

“Wait!” Trixie shouted after Feathermay as she took off ahead of the group. Apple Fritter followed after her, and Inkie offered herself as a crutch for Trixie, who had refused the assistance, but was given it anyway. “Lose the doctor’s outfit!”

Later that afternoon, the group had arrived at Los Pegasus. The train ride was a good four and a half hours long, giving Trixie plenty of time to practice walking on three legs. The act alone was easy for most ponies, as carrying certain things in the mouths whilst walking wasn’t always sanitary, or appropriate. But for Unicorns, who could just carry whatever they needed to carry in their magic, it is often difficult to walk on three hooves for an extended period of time. Even with all of the practice she had in the train, Trixie still found it quite awkward, but at least now she found it easier to keep her leg off the ground.

“Los Pegasus. The city of dreams,” Feathermay said, gazing off into the big city with eyes full of awe and wonder. “Never been here myself, now that I think of it, but I hear that this place never sleeps. By day, it’s a city full of ponies hard at work. Business ponies running all over the place, and showponies working on their acts. But by night, that all changes.”

Trixie nodded in confirmation. “That’s right,” she said. “By night, all work shuts down, and ponies just go out and have a good time. Casinos open, showponies start performing, bars start serving their ‘special menus’, and eventually, the streets become packed with drunken idiots, either picking fights, or just making a public nuisance of themselves.

“Between that, and the bright lights that ensure this place is illuminated all through the night, it’s a wonder anypony ever manages to get any sleep here.”

“You’ve been here before, right?” Inkie asked Trixie, though her attention was attracted to the bustling streets that she could see out of the train station window. “Did you have trouble sleeping?”

“… A little, at first. Newcomers to this place can easily run into trouble at night, but you quickly learn that there are certain tricks to ensure your survival.” Trixie turned to give Inkie a serious look. “Don’t leave Trixie’s sight.”

Inkie blushed, and took a few steps back from Trixie, giving her a bewildered look. “W-W-What?! Where did that come from all of a sudden?!”

“Trixie doesn’t want the situation to become more complicated than it already is, that’s all,” Trixie said coolly, flicking her mane as she turned to look out of the window.

“Then, in that case, what about the other two?!”

“Apple Fritter has already been here. Isn’t that right?”

Apple Fritter nodded. “Yeah. I used to have a job as a barmaid here, whippin’ up drinks and sellin’ ‘em. But I kinda got dragged into a bar fight, so I decided ta move on back to Manehatten an’ make up with mah folks. How’d you know I’ve been here before, though?”

“Like these two, newcomers are always in awe their first time visiting this place. Trixie was the same way, in fact. But you share a look of indifference that can only belong to somepony familiar with this town.”

“I see. Yeah, I guess I looked pretty much the same way my first time visitn’ here. This place’s as big as Manehatten, but it’s still so different.”

“Okay, so she’s a veteran,” Inkie summarised, casting an annoyed look Trixie’s way. “But that still doesn’t explain why I should stay with you, but not Feathermay.”

Trixie cast a quick look at Feathermay, who was still busy gawking at the sight outside of the window. “… She can handle herself well if trouble comes along.”

That explanation didn’t help to relieve any of Inkie’s anger. “What, are you saying I’m weak?”

Trixie, sensing that she had chosen her words poorly, quickly wracked her brain for a smooth line to calm the enraged Earth Pony down. “N-No! It’s not that, it’s… it’s that you have a big reputation up in Canterlot, right? T-Trixie was just thinking that you don’t want to ruin that by getting into a fight down here!”

“She has a good point,” Apple Fritter said. “I’m just a salespony there, and Feathermay’s a… Wait, what do you do, exactly?”

“Hm? I never told you?” Feathermay asked. All three mares shook their heads in response. “Well, I run a small joke shop, but business is kinda slow, so I also work part-time on the weather team.”

Suddenly, something clicked in Trixie’s mind. “Wait… is that why, when it rained last month, everypony broke into sneezes?”

“And why, when there were clouds two months ago, but no rain at all, everypony suddenly started laughing?” Inkie added.

Grinning, Feathermay nodded her head. “That’d be why! I needed to test out my new practical joke powders, and working on the weather team is kinda boring, so I thought, hey, why not kill two birds with one stone?”

Ignoring their crazy friend as she broke out into very loud laughter, Apple Fritter decided to resume where she left off. “Right. Anyway, you have a reputation among even the noble, Inkie. You can’t really afford to lose it on account of a few drunkards rilin’ you up in this town.”

Inkie calmed down a little bit, seeing the logic behind that. If Trixie’s past was any indication, word travels fast in Equestria, and reputations are easily destroyed. “But, it’s day, right? So we should be fine.”

“Hopefully, we’ll be done before nightfall,” Trixie said, glaring outside of the window at a nearby park, where a large, black crystal was poking out of the ground. “Trixie really doesn’t want to stay here longer than necessary.”

None of her friends said anything. They were all well aware of her reputation, and even though it had been repaired in Canterlot to some degree, there was a good chance that she still wasn’t well-received elsewhere in Equestria. That’s why she never left the city of Canterlot before. And if there was anywhere that ponies would try to give her a hard time, it would be here.

Inkie anticipated this, though, and made sure to stop by a small shop in Canterlot before leaving. Reaching into her saddlebag, she pulled out a cap with the Wonderbolts’ emblem on it, and placed it forcefully onto Trixie’s head, much to the showmare’s annoyance.

“Hey, what-” Trixie began, but was cut off when Inkie offered a pair of sunglasses to her.

“Here,” she said. “… I’ll stay close to you, if you wear this.”

Trixie frowned at the offer. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is more than capable of sticking up for herself.”

“… But you also have a reputation up in Canterlot, right? It may not be anything big, but it’s there, and it’s growing.” Trixie’s look softened, and she stared at the sunglasses as if seriously contemplating whether to accept them or not. “And besides, if somepony starts to give you trouble, I don’t think I’d be able to hold myself back. Then my reputation would be ruined, and it’d be your fault.”

Trixie gritted her teeth in anger. “Hey now, that’s not fair!” Inkie’s look didn’t falter, and she didn’t move her hoof even an inch away from Trixie. With an aggravated groan, the blue mare swiped the sunglasses from Inkie’s hoof, and put them on. “There. Happy now?”

Smiling, Inkie nodded. “Very.”

Although Trixie would never admit it out loud, she actually felt some relief to the knowledge that she could hide her face out there. She took one final glance at the black crystal sitting outside, with numerous tourists gathered around it, and some members of the Royal Guard keeping them from getting too close.

“Well then, let’s think about how we’re going to get closer to that thing.”

Everypony nodded, and began to make their way towards a small café shop sitting inside the train station, when a sudden voice called out to them. “Hey! What’re you guys doing here?”

A waitress approached the table where Trixie and her friends were sitting, and placed the tray carrying their orders down onto the centre. “Anything else I can get ya?”

“That’ll be all, thanks,” Inkie answered, reaching out to pick up her cup of tea. The waitress left them, and everypony took a moment to sip their drinks before continuing their conversation. When she was done, Inkie faced the two new additions to their group: Vinyl Scratch and Octavia.

Vinyl Scratch was Trixie’s roommate for a few months, back when Trixie had just graduated from school, and started to perform in a small theatre in Manehatten. Ever since Trixie started living with Inkie, the two had put on a few join performances together, where Trixie would back up Vinyl’s music with special effects created from her magic. She was one of the few ponies who didn’t pay any attention to the stories about the ursa minor incident in Ponyville, and, although Inkie was sceptical of her at first, she was thankful for the kindness displayed towards Trixie in her disheartened state, and had come to accept her as a good friend.

Octavia was somepony who Inkie knew well from her art displays, but the other three mares only knew her by reputation. All four were surprised, though, to find out that she was Vinyl’s marefriend.

“So that’s the story,” Inkie concluded as she finished catching both mare up on the situation thus far. She wasn’t at all surprised to find that Octavia didn’t quite seem to believe them. She couldn’t tell what Vinyl was thinking, thanks to the shades that she always wore over her eyes.

“Man, heavy,” Vinyl said as she placed her empty glass down. “You really travelled though time?”

“It does seem a little hard to believe,” Octavia said. “Especially given this mare’s… reputation.”

Trixie scowled at the cellist’s words, but for the sake of not getting herself arrested, she chose to let it pass… ‘This one time.’

“Hey, c’mon now Octy,” Vinyl said to her marefriend. “Trust me, I know Trixie. She wouldn’t lie about something like that, and even if she would, she isn’t now.”

“What makes you so sure?” Feathermay asked with a curious look on her face.

“We’re both performers. I can tell one of her tales a mile away, just like she can predict what music I’ll play next at one of my concerts.”

“Even so,” Octavia cut in, “It’s still a little farfetched that you received a visit from yourself in the future. Maybe you believe that’s that what happened, so it’s not technically lying. Were you drinking at all at the time?”

“No,” Trixie answered flatly. “And Trixie did not hit her head, before you ask. Trixie saw what she saw, and she only has two days left to prevent her death!”

“And you think there’s a clue in those black crystals, right?” Vinyl asked, receiving a nod from the showmare. “Right! Then I guess we’d better find a way to distract those guards and get close enough to examine one of the crystals!”

“‘We’?” Octavia asked. “Vinyl dear, I know that these are your friends, but perhaps you are forgetting that we have been planning this trip for a good length of time now.”

“Well, we had to cut it short anyway,” Vinyl pointed out. “After all, those stupid crystals caused our hotel to close. Hey, maybe we can think of this as payback for ruining our trip!”

“Alternatively, we could just move the trip elsewhere. I’m fine with anywhere, as long as it’s with you, Vinyl.” A blush immediately formed on Octavia’s face as she said that, remembering that there were other ponies present.

“Ooooh,” Feathermay cooed. “Nice catch with this one, Vinyl! Wouldn’t let her go if I were you.”

“What’s wrong with just staying at another hotel?” Inkie asked. “You did get a refund, right?”

“‘Course we did,” Vinyl answered. “But… see, thing is, this was the cheapest hotel we could find. And, the only one we could afford…”

Octavia released an exasperated sigh. “Ever since that new cellist from the Crystal Empire appeared in Canterlot, things haven’t been going well for me…” she said, with just a hint of disdain in her voice.

“And kids today just have no idea what kinda music sounds good anymore,” Vinyl added, pouting as she rested the back of her head against her hooves. “I refuse to play the kinda crap they’re requesting me to, just because it’s popular. I’m no sell-out, y’hear?!”

“Who are you yelling at?” Trixie asked.

Vinyl simply waved her hoof dismissively. “So, how long d’you need to analyse one of those crystals, anyway?”

“Longer than you could possibly distract them for,” Trixie answered. “But, if you could just buy us ten minutes, then Trixie could chip away some of the crystal, and analyse it later.”

“Do you even know how to analyse it?” Inkie asked.

“Do not insult Trixie’s ability!” Trixie snapped. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will have you know that she was at the top of her class when it came to magical analyses!”

“I was just asking. No need to flip your lid,” Inkie replied with a grin. Trixie simply harrumphed and looked away.

“So, you want ten minutes?” Vinyl asked, receiving a confirmatory nod from Trixie. “You got it! Heck, I could get you thirty minutes, no problem!”

Octavia sighed and looked down into her coffee. “I guess there’s no changing your mind now.” She turned to face Vinyl with a serious look on her face. “Just, don’t do anything illegal, okay?”

“‘Course not!” Vinyl answered, leaning back on her chair and giving Octavia a reassuring grin. She felt her chair falling more backwards than it should have, and quickly flailed her forelegs to prevent herself from falling. Everypony else stood up quickly as they saw this, but then relaxed when they saw the DJ’s chair landing safely on all four legs once again. “Man, that was close…”

Octavia brought her coffee to her lips, and drank the entire cup in one go. ‘Well, this still beats the camping outside at a rock concert for three she put me through nights last year.’

Whilst Vinyl Scratch and Octavia kept the guards busy with their… rather unique distraction – which involved yelling at each other whilst slapping each other with fish, both mares wearing masks at Octavia’s request – Trixie and Inkie Pie snuck up close to the crystal, and got to work extracting a sample of it, with Apple Fritter and Feathermay playing lookout for them.

“How much sample do we need?” Inkie asked.

“We’ll take a few small chunks,” Trixie said, raising a small mining pick up to the crystal. “Ugh. Trixie never thought she’d be doing this again,” she said as she struck the crystal.

“Yeah,” Inkie giggled. “I know how you feel. I mean, digging rocks all day was peaceful, sure, but it just wasn’t… me, y’know?”

“That reminds Trixie, you never did tell her how you earned your Cutie Mark.”

“You never asked,” Inkie retorted, grinning at Trixie as she returned the showmare’s line that had been used on her so many times.

“Well, rather than suffer in silence, how about you tell Trixie now?” A piece of the crystal fell to the ground, and Inkie collected it just as instructed by Trixie – by wrapping a hoofkerchief around it to pick it up, and then placing it inside an airtight jar. ‘To avoid contamination’, as Trixie put it.

“Nothing much to tell, really. I was going through a rebellious phase, and refused to dig anymore rocks until my parents agreed to take me and my sister on a vacation. Y’know, to do something fun.”

“So you went to some city or town or something, and discovered your talent for art there? Oh, let me guess: you visited a museum?”

Inkie shook her head. “My parents didn’t have the money for us to go on vacation. Not that I understood that, being the little kid that I was. I guess, seeing my sister Pinkie leave home all of a sudden when she earned her Cutie Mark made me quite… bitter, and I refused to listen to anypony. So, while I was cooped up in my room, I decided to find something to keep myself occupied. I found some old art supplies that belonged to my grandfather, and… well, you can probably guess the rest.”

“Hold on. Trixie thought you had a degree in art. How, if your family was so poor?”

“A valid question,” Inkie replied, pretending to adjust a pair of glasses that weren’t there. “Simply put, some of my art at a Manehatten art festival caught the eyes of a wandering professor at the local University. He offered me a scholarship entry into the University, provided I complete a two year foundation course to make up for my… lack of prior education…”

“Wow. You must have worked really hard at that, then,” Trixie said, chipping off the third piece of the crystal. She decided that they had time for one more. “Similar to Trixie, actually. She entered Celestia’s School on a scholarship program, because she had not a bit to her name. Fat lot of good a magic degree does you, though, when you don’t already have a name for yourself. There’s a reason only the noble brats enter that school: everything in Canterlot revolves around your family name, You don’t have one, you’re screwed.”

“I don’t have one, but I’m getting by alright,” Inkie pointed out.

“You got lucky enough to meet the one stallion in Canterlot who doesn’t judge based on who your family is,” Trixie argued. “Had you never met Fancypants, your art would have never made it in that city. It wouldn’t have even been considered. You never would have found a home there, and we’d both probably still be at your parents’ rock farm… unless you decided to try your luck elsewhere, in which case, we’d both be there.”

Inkie’s ears flattened at hearing that. “It was thanks to living in Canterlot, that we met Apple Fritter and Lightning Dust,” she said. “And I never would have met Feathermay if you didn’t start living with me. We’d probably have run into Vinyl Scratch at some point, but… just think: one small change like that, would mean that our circle of friends would be halved. Or at least, it would be completely different.”

Trixie sighed as the fourth piece of the crystal came off, and lowered her pick back into her bag. “Yes, it’s quite something to think about… But, one thing would have remained the same. You still would have saved Trixie’s life.”

Inkie swallowed as she saw Trixie turn to meet her gaze, and she felt her cheeks heating up as she stared into the showmare’s eyes. “W-Well, that would never have happened… if you never went to Ponyville that one time…”

“True enough,” Trixie said with a smile on her face. “If Trixie had never visited Ponyville, her show would never have been ruined. She would still be out there, performing all over Equestria. She would never have been consumed by hatred, and the Alicorn Amulet wouldn’t be in Celestia’s grasp right now. She would have never seen the ugly side to this Country… and, she would have never met you. When Trixie thinks of it like that, it’s difficult to know whether to hate that incident, or be thankful for it.”

“… If you could go back in time to back then, would you do so, to stop yourself from going to Ponyville?”

Trixie laughed at the thought, and then shrugged. “If Trixie could do that, she would go back to tell herself: ‘Hey, avoid Ponyville at all costs! There’s nothing but bad dreams there! Also, go to the Pie family rock farm, and make acquaintances with the artist there named Inkie Pie.”

“That’s just being greedy,” Inkie teased with a playful nudge of Trixie’s foreleg.

“No, greedy would be going back to give the filly Trixie a winning lottery ticket, and then telling her who to make friends with in the future. But, such a thing is completely beyond even Trixie’s power. Half a week is all that Trixie can manage, apparently.”

“So basically, it would be pointless to regret the past,” Inkie concluded, picking up the final piece of the crystal with her hoofkerchief. “We should make sure that our futures are happy.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is going to create a future where her name is remembered by all, in a positive way,” Trixie said, grunting as she pushed herself up onto her three good legs. Inkie also rose to her hooves. “I trust you will be there by my side when that happens?”

“Of course,” Inkie said with a smile. “You watch my back, and I’ll watch yours.”

After a quick – and awkward, due to Trixie’s bad leg – hoofbump between the two, they scurried off away from the crystal, and gave the signal for Vinyl and Octavia to stop their distractions… after watching for just a few more minutes.

After obtaining the samples, the group decided to get out of there before somepony recognised Trixie. Even with her disguise, there were a lot of ponies in Los Pegasus. Still, it was the only place where they could easily distract the Royal Guard without looking suspicious. After all, strange things happen all the time there.

At Apple Fritter’s request, the next destination was Appleoosa. She wanted to check on her family, to make sure that they were okay, and it was a small, quiet town, so there was little risk of being spotted there.

Octavia and Vinyl Scratch parted ways at that point. Octavia wanted to go back to Canterlot, to check on her own family, and although Vinyl offered to go with her, Octavia insisted she stick with her friends.

“I know you, Vinyl. You want to help Trixie with her problem, and you’ll be kicking yourself later if you don’t.” Octavia gave her marefriend a warm smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. You go and help your friends, and when you get back, I’ll…” She leaned in to whisper the rest, and Vinyl’s ears suddenly shot up.

“Whoa! Well, if you insist!”

And then, with a final farewell kiss, the two mares went their separate ways, Octavia boarding the train bound for Canterlot, and Vinyl Scratch boarding the train bound for Appleoosa with her friends.

During the train ride, Trixie spent a lot of time analysing the crystals, only to reach a dead-end as she learned that the crystals were designed to absorb magical energy directed at them, and then grow larger as a result. At the very least, they would make a great shield against hostile magic, but that was all.

And so, with nothing else to go on at that point, the five mares simply enjoyed the train ride to their heart’s content.

“By the way,” Inkie said as she turned to face Trixie, who was staring out of the train’s window, watching the passing scenery. “You didn’t tell me your Cutie Mark story. Think you could share it with me?”

Trixie looked away from the window and at Inkie, a huge grin on her face. “Why, the Great and Powerful Trixie would be happy to share this story with you!”

“What’s this? Trixie’s tellin’ a story?” Vinyl asked, turning from her card game with Apple Fritter and Feathermay with an excited look on her face. “Sweet! I was getting bored of poker anyway!”

“Only ‘cause you were losing,” Apple Fritter taunted, drawing attention to her large pile of chips, and Vinyl’s pitiful stack of only three chips.

“Whatever,” Vinyl scoffed. “So, what kinda story you got for us?”

Trixie’s grin grew even wider. She now had the attention of all four of her friends. Her horn lit up, and she cleared the glasses and empty sweet wrappers from the table to allow room for a small, magical image of herself to appear. “This is the story of how the Great and Powerful Trixie got her Cutie Mark.”

“Oh,” Vinyl said, looking a bit disappointed. “I’ve already heard this one.”

“Well I haven’t,” Apple Fritter said. “So ssh!”

Trixie cleared her throat, and waited to make sure that everypony was finished before she continued. “As Trixie was saying…” The image of Trixie began to move. The Trixie they saw appeared to be a filly version of herself, and her flank was blank. “It all began with a simple trip to the market during Trixie’s day off from school. On her way, she happened to spot four ponies that she recognised from her school. Three of whom were surrounding and bullying the fourth,”

Images of ponies formed and moved in accordance with Trixie’s words. The three ‘bully’ ponies were seen as three white ponies, one colt and two fillies, with blonde manes and tails, and the ‘victim’ pony was a small blue colt with a red mane and tail.

“As one who had experienced the terror of bullying in the past, Trixie decided to simply leave it be. After all, she had no desire to risk her own neck for some unfortunate unknown.”

“Wow, that’s kinda harsh,” Apple Fritter said, frowning as the image of Trixie began to walk away.

“Well, that was Trixie’s plan, at least,” Trixie continued. “Until one of the bullies caught Trixie looking their way, and then decided to approach her.” The three bullies started to approach Trixie, just as she had described. The previous victim of their bullying scrambled to his hooves, and ran away quickly. “Trixie was quick to assess the situation. Running would do no good; they would catch Trixie for sure. Begging for her life would have worked, but would have also made Trixie their toy for the future. All that Trixie could do, was make herself look fearsome.”

The image of Trixie growled at the three bullies, and flared her horn up, shouting some colourful words that made Inkie blush. “How… charming,” she said, giving the image of Trixie an un-amused stare. Vinyl simply laughed, and voiced her desire to have Octavia with her right now, so that she could hear this.

“This didn’t quite go as planned, though, and the bullies started to get physical.”

“Duh,” Feathermay said, rolling her eyes. “Three against one? Of course they’ll beat you up if your start cursing them.”

“As luck would have it, though, this was around the time that the Great and Powerful Trixie’s destiny was forged.” The image of Trixie, which was previously being pushed around by the three bully ponies, started to glow brightly. “In a pinch, the magic of a Unicorn whose special talent is magic itself, will start to go berserk. This is what happened with Trixie.”

Vines formed out of the table, wrapping around one of the bullies and preventing her from moving. Flames shot up around the second one, and then icicles shot up around the third, all whilst Trixie was floating in the air in front of them.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie’s body acted on its own, in order to protect her from further harm. Trixie will cut out the rest, as it is not meant for innocent eyes,” she said, looking over at Inkie, who was watching with wide eyes at the scene before her, “But basically, they all passed out from intense trauma, and when they showed up at school the next day, they were completely terrified of Trixie.

“Even though Trixie had no memory of how to actually perform those illusions again, word had gotten around about what Trixie had done, and the Cutie Mark that then adorned Trixie’s flanks was proof of those stories being true. After that, it wasn’t long before Trixie was scouted by Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.”

“Your illusions were that good?” Apple Fritter asked.

“More like, they wanted to put a leash around Trixie,” Trixie answered. “Though Trixie did not know this at the time, there is actually another purpose to Celestia’s School than just housing those with plenty of magical talent. It is also a place for Celestia to keep a watchful eye on those with power, where she can make sure that their powers grow the way she wants them to, and that those powers will never be used against her.”

“So basically, they were scared that you might abuse your powers, right?” Inkie summarised, receiving a nod from Trixie, followed by a long yawn from the tired showmare. “I suppose we’ve been pretty active today. It’ll be another three hours ‘til we get there, we should try to get some rest while we can.”

“Agreed,” Trixie said, shutting off her magic and rising to her hooves.

“But wait, we only have four beds,” Apple Fritter pointed out. “I expected Vinyl to return with Octavia to Canterlot, and only booked a cabin for four… So, one of us is gonna have ta share.”

Trixie turned to face Inkie. “That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Inkie’s face turned red faster than a parasprite eating a basket of fruit. “Y-Y-Y-You and me, in the s-s-s-same bed?!”

“What’s the big deal? We’ve shared a bed in the past.”

‘Yeah, when you were so depressed I thought you’d hang yourself if left alone!’ Inkie screamed in her head. “W-Well, I guess that’s true…”

“Then it’s settled. Now let’s go. The Great and Powerful Trixie really is getting quite tired…”

As Trixie, Apple Fritter, and Feathermay left the train car, Vinyl approached the still-shocked Inkie, and gave her flank a gentle nudge. “Lucky you,” she said with a grin. “Sleepin’ with Trixie? I bet you’ll have some good dreams, eh?”

Inkie growled at the grinning DJ, and slapped the Unicorn’s face with her tail as she walked past her. “Oh, shut up…” she said as she followed the others out of the train car, sighing as she walked through the next car. ‘Like I’ll be able to get any sleep now…’

Apple Fritter jumped off of the train the very second it had finished pulling into the station, desperate to see the level of damage inflicted upon her home by the crystals popping up. She braced herself for the worst, but it still wasn’t enough.

“Fritter!” A brown stallion called out as Apple Fritter stared in horror at the wreckage of her town. “You’re safe! Oh, thank Celestia!”

“Braeburn! Is anypony hurt?!”

“Only a few broken bones and a bunch of scratches, but nothin’ serious. And no deaths.” Apple Fritter sighed at the semi-good news, but was still in shock over the level of devastation that had befallen her town. “We were lucky the crystals missed our orchard. That’s where most of us were at the time. The town though… as you can see, it was struck pretty bad.”

“Yeah…” Apple Fritter felt a hoof on her shoulder, and turned around to find Vinyl Scratch standing behind her, her shades lifted over her horn and her eyes filled with sympathy.

“Sorry dude,” she said as she looked at the town beyond. More than half of the buildings had crystals passing through them, and the rest of the buildings had been turned into temporary relief stations and lodgings for the residents. There were some tents outside, where simple meals were being prepared, and where children were being educated, as the schoolhouse had also been hit.

Only a few ponies were working on the orchard at this time. Most of the efforts were going towards making the hit buildings safe, before they began making efforts to remove the crystals.

Trixie and Inkie followed the two out of the train, and Feathermay came out last. “No Royal Guards,” the Pegasus said. “Guess it’s to be expected, in a small town like this.”

Trixie nodded. “They’ll prioritise the big towns, and the towns with VIPs. So Canterlot, Manehatten, Los Pegasus… Ponyville…” The last name was said with a noticeable level of venom in the showmare’s tone. “Towns like this won’t even be on Celestia’s radar. At least not until the other towns are all taken care of, by which point, it will be too late to intervene.”

“You really don’t like the Equestrian Royal Family, do you?” Vinyl asked.

“Trixie just feels that, despite Celestia’s claims, she really does not do a lot to help those of the lower-class.”

“Well, I’m sure it can’t be easy to lead a whole Country,” Inkie said. “She can’t help everypony, y’know?”

“Trixie doesn’t see her helping anypony without the right connections,” Trixie responded with disdain in her voice. “Anyway, what do we do now? We’re out of leads, and the final day is drawing closer…”

“Don’t say that,” Inkie said in a stern tone. “It won’t be the final day.”

“It will be if we don’t find anything!” Trixie argued. She looked towards the town with an angry look on her face, and growled as she looked at the crystals coming out the ground. “Trixie is going to take another look at these crystals. You guys do whatever you want.”

“Wait!” Braeburn shouted, cutting off Trixie as she tried to move towards the town. “Please wait! We’re trying ta secure the buildings so they don’t collapse! Please just give us some time before you start lookin’ at them crystals!”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie does not have any time to give you! Her life is on the line here! If you have to rebuild a few buildings because of this, she doesn’t care!”

“Trixie,” Apple Fritter said, “We built this town from nothing. This town is the result of all our hard work. Our sweat and blood went into making this home for ourselves.” Trixie flinched at the mention of ‘home’. “Please… try to understand.”

Trixie looked at Apple Fritter, and then at her friends. “… Trixie will try not to collapse any buildings, but she’s not making any promises.”

“… Then, may I ask you at least look at the crystal in the sheriff’s office?” Braeburn asked. “I’ll smooth things over with the sheriff. We’ve already set up a temporary holdin’ place for varmints, so it should be fine.”

“Very well then.” Trixie turned to look at her friends. “And what will you guys be doing in the meantime?”

“I want to help the townsfolk,” Apple Fritter said. “Braeburn, what jobs need doing right now?”

“Well, we could sure use some help at the storage huts. There’s a lot of food an’ water in there, but we can’t reach it ‘til we’ve secured the roof.”

“I’ll help,” Inkie said. “I was raised on a rock farm, so I’m quite good at manual labour.”

“Yeeeeah, not really my thing,” Vinyl admitted, scratching the back of her head nervously. “But, I guess I can help with the cooking and stuff, if that’s cool with you guys.”

“I can help you reach those high places,” Feathermay offered. “I notice a distinct lack of Pegasi in this town.”

“Heheh… Yeah, we’re an Earth Pony settlement. I reckon a Pegasus like you’ll do a heap o’ good ‘round here!”

“Well then, if you’ll show Trixie to the sheriff’s station…” Braeburn nodded, and turned around, motioning for Trixie to follow him. As she did so, she waved goodbye to her friends, who went off into different directions to help the town.

“So, you’re Miss Lulamoon,” Braeburn said. “A pleasure ta meet ya, ma’am.”

“Just Trixie,” Trixie said. “Trixie does not like being addressed that way by somepony older than her.”

“Y’all reckon I’m older than ya?”

Trixie simply shrugged. “You seem to be something of a leader around here. You give off that vibe… and you seem to have a level-head for somepony whose town is in such disarray right now.

Braeburn blushed, and let out a nervous chuckle. “Aw, shucks. It’s all ‘cause of mah cousin Applejack, really. When I was just a lil’ colt, she came round to the farm I lived at one summer. Her brother was kind of a useless idiot at the time, always pickin’ fights and such, so I guess I took on that role for her. ‘Course, after her parents passed away, her real big bro started takin’ care of her, and I… Well, enough ‘bout me. Fritter’s told me lots ‘bout you.”

Trixie smiled and flicked her mane. “Well, of course she has. How could she ever resist?”

“Yep, sounds like somethin’ you’d say,” the stallion laughed. “Her description of ya is very through. She says you’re always full of energy, and spirit. Though I guess you’d have ta be, ta be hogtiein’ mah cousin like that.”

Trixie stopped immediately, and lit her horn up as she watched Braeburn closely. He stopped too, and turned around to face her with a curious look on her face. “Your cousin is that orange farmer?”

“She farms apples,” Braeburn corrected.

“Her coat colour!” Trixie shouted.

“Oh. Well, yeah. But hey, don’t worry. AJ’s a big filly now. I’ll let her fight ‘er own battles. ‘Sides, I thought it was pretty funny.” He chuckled to himself for a bit, and Trixie eased off on her magic. “And I’ll let you in a lil’ something: she used ta hogtie me all the time when we were children. Y’know, as practice. So actually, I’m kinda sad I wasn’t there ta see it myself.”

“… Hmph. Trixie had this idea that all farmers were as stubborn and hard-headed as that orange fool. But between Inkie, Fritter, and now you… it seems that is not the case.”

“‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’. Isn’t that one of them things y’all told Fritter once.”

“Ah, touché,” Trixie said, grinning as she continued walking. “Indeed. Since Trixie’s art form lies in manipulation, she knows better than anypony, that you should be careful when it comes to determining a pony’s character. She made that mistake in Ponyville… Trixie was not expecting such a wide variety of characters there.”

“Ya weren’t aware of the history of that town?” Trixie shook her head. “Long story short, it started off as just a small apple orchard. It grew into a town when a rich stallion became enthralled with the family’s zapapple goods there, and soon, ponies from all over Equestria started ta populate it. In short, the entire town is made up of ponies from a different cultural background.”

“How interesting. Trixie had no idea. Well, not that it hindered her in anyway… until she met the world’s two most dumbest colts.”

“Ah, the ol’ ursa minor, right?” Trixie shot the stallion a glare, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Actually, mah cousin sided with ya on that one.”

“Fritter?”

Braeburn shook his head. “AJ. Ya only met her for a brief moment, so ya probably don’t realise this, but she’s actually one of the wisest ponies in our family. And when she’s taken the time to calm down an’ relax, she’s often the first ta see through both sides of a situation, an’ make a level judgement.”

“Oho? Well, not that it matters what she thinks, when the rest of Country disagrees.”

“Yeah, well, I hear you an’ Fritter have you lil’ spats now an’ again, but otherwise, you’re pretty good friends.” The two stopped as they reached the sheriff’s office, which was split in half by a crystal emerging from the ground, piercing the building right through the middle. “This’s it. I’ve gotta go now, but don’t be afraid to approach anypony if’n ya need a hoof.”

“Trixie will keep that in mind, but she doesn’t think that it will be necessary.” Braeburn nodded, and left the showmare to her own devices. “Now then, if these crystals absorb magic… there must be a source somewhere that supplied them with magic initially for them to grow. Perhaps she should check under the crystal.”

As the day carried on, Trixie continued to examine practically every inch of the crystal in sheriff’s office, taking great care not to damage the building anymore than it already was in the process. Meanwhile, her friends had helped the townsfolk a great deal, and by 20:00, everypony in the town started to gather in one spot to eat the supper that had been prepared for them.

Trixie pulled her friends to the side to talk to them privately. “Everypony, the Great and Powerful Trixie has made an astounding discovery!”

“That’s great!” Vinyl said enthusiastically. “Can we eat now?”

“Later! Listen, Trixie has found a way to track down the source of the crystals’ energies!”

“The… what now?” Inkie asked, tilting her head to the side.

“You said these things grow when they absorb magic, right?” Feathermay asked. “… Kinda makes ya wonder how they grew so big in a town full of Earth Ponies, huh?”

Suddenly, Inkie connected the dots in her head. “Ooh! They must have been given a jumpstart from some kind of power source, right?”

“Exactly!” Trixie answered. “Trixie tried to check beneath. She through that maybe they had sprouted from some kind of seed, or something similar. What she found instead, were roots.”

“Roots?” Vinyl asked. “Like a tree?”

“Exactly like a tree,” Trixie said. “But it doesn’t stop there. The crystals poking out of the ground, are parts of these roots! In other words, there are roots spread all across Equestria, tunnelling underground, and they have popped up onto the surface!”

“These are roots?” Feathermay asked. “What from? And why have they suddenly popped up everywhere?”

“In my experience,” Apple Fritter began, “Roots are designed to absorb nutrients and such from the soil around it.”

“Replace ‘soil’ with ‘environment’, and ‘nutrients’ with ‘magic’,” Trixie said, causing the group to gasp at once. “Yes, These ‘roots’ are designed to sap the magic from all over Equestria! Though right now, they seem inactive. But they must come from somewhere, so if we can just dig down deep enough, we can follow them back to their source!”

“… Yeeeeah, I’m gonna have ta pass on that,” Vinyl said, patting her stomach with a hoof. “I don’t usually dig on an empty stomach… or at all, for that matter.”

“Well, what else can we do?!” Trixie asked. “We need to find out where the roots are coming from, but they’re not visible aboveground!”

“Perhaps I can help you there,” a voice called out. Trixie froze at the familiar voice, and slowly turned around to see Princess Cadance approaching, flanked by two Royal Guards, as usual. “After all, we have already figured out where the source of the roots is.”

“You have?” Inkie asked, seeing that Trixie was too stunned to ask the question herself.

“Yes. And I must say, I am quite surprised to find you have discovered so much, in such a short amount of time… and I was also quite surprised when I heard that you had escaped.”

“You told Trixie that you would let her go if she snuck past your guards!” Trixie shouted, pointing her good foreleg at the Princess.

“Yes, yes, and I intend to keep to my word. But, I still wanted to come and check up on you.”

“How did you find us?” Apple Fritter asked.

Cadance smiled, and extended a forehoof over to Trixie’s hat. “I asked a professor I know to put a little enchantment on this hat of hers. Just in case.”

“Okay, but why go through so much trouble?” Inkie asked. “We’re just five ordinary civilians. Her safety isn’t your responsibility.”

Cadance looked at the mare with a questioning look on her face. “Oh my. Is it really so unthinkable that I would want to help somepony simply for the sake of it?”

“Yes,” Trixie said flatly. “Especially when the entire Country is in a state of crisis.”

“… Well then, you’ll just have to trust me!” she responded with a giggle, and a bright, wide smile on her face. “Anyway, about the source of these roots… No, maybe I shouldn’t say anything. You guys would probably go after it…”

“You bet we will!” Trixie shouted. “Look, Trixie’s life is on the line here! Tell Trixie what she needs to know!”

“… It will be very dangerous.”

“Trixie does not care! She is prepared to face whatever challenges come her way. Hay, she’s probably faced worse already.”

“And your friends?”

Inkie stepped forward. “I’m with her all the way.”

“I’ll make sure she doesn’t get herself killed,” Vinyl said. “I actually took a first aid class in Collage, y’know?”

“You did?” Trixie asked in surprise.

Vinyl waved her hoof. “Eh, it was kinda hard to follow, but I think I got the gist of it.”

“That doesn’t exactly inspire much confidence,” Trixie deadpanned.

Feathermay giggled, and hovered in the air. “You kiddin’? No way I’m missing this! These guys are great!”

Apple Fritter looked at the wreckage of the town behind her, and then turned back to her friend. “… Well, I think the town can wait a few days. They seem to have it under control, and ‘sides, property can always be replaced. Friends cannot.”

Trixie smiled as he four friends made their points very clearly, and then turned back to Cadance with an expectant look on her face.

Cadance smiled at the five mares, and nodded. “Very well then. This is what I know…”

“Of all the places,” Trixie mumbled as she looked outside of the train’s window. “Of all the possible locations in Equestria for this ‘mother crystal’ to be, it just had to be in the Everfree Forest!”

“Hey, could’ve been worse,” Feathermay said. “Could’ve been out at sea! Then I wouldn’t have been able to come along.”

“Oh yeah. You don’t know how to swim,” Vinyl mused, putting a hoof to her chin. She then shot the Pegasus a grin. “Want me ta teach ya sometime?”

“Hmmm… You know, come to think of it, I don’t really have much planned this summer, so sure! Then maybe we could all go to the beach together!”

“That sounds like a great idea!” Apple Fritter said. “Though, maybe you should find a different teacher. Vinyl’s methods are a little… radical.”

“What? Birds teach their young ta fly by pushing them off cliffs, right?”

“… Inkie, could you teach me?” Feathermay asked. Inkie blushed and turned away.

“Well, growing up on a rock farm, I never really learned myself, so…”

“Then I’ll teach ya both!” Vinyl offered. “Totally free of charge!”

Apple Fritter sighed. “No choice. Guess I’ll have ta tag along ta keep you both safe.” She and her friends, minus Vinyl and Trixie, shared a laugh together. She then looked over at Trixie, who looked like she was deep in thought. “By the way, that bead… what exactly is it?”

Trixie took out the bead that was given to her by Cadance from her cape. “Mi Amore said that it shared similar properties to the roots, so it’s most likely connected. Well, our primary job is to investigate, but if we can somehow stop these roots, then even better.”

“We’re nearing the station,” Inkie said as she leaned over to look out the window. “But it’s too dark out. I think we should rest up at the inn, and set out in the morning.”

Trixie groaned, and sat back in her seat, placing the bead back into her cape. “You realise where this is, right?”

“… Ponyville, yes,” Inkie said, followed by an uncomfortable silence between her and her friends. “But, I still say we should rest up. I can’t defend you against monsters in the dark, but I can at least protect you from ponies in the middle of town.”

Vinyl nodded in agreement. “I know some ponies here. I don’t think they’ll bother you if ya stick with me.”

“And if they do, AJ’ll put a stop to it,” Apple Fritter said. “At least if she sees me with you.”

“And if not, I can show them that not all Canterlot mares follow the ‘ladylike’ stereotype!” Feathermay added, grinning maniacally as she raised her forehooves into the air.

Inkie laughed nervously, and reached forward to gently lower her hooves. “Please, let’s try to keep violence our absolute last resort, okay?”

“… Tch. Fine,” Feathermay said, sitting back and pouting. “But yeah, just chillax, Trixie! Oh, wait. That should be Vinyl’s line.”

Vinyl raised a hoof to adjust her shades, and then turned to Trixie. “… Yeah, just chillax, dude. ‘Sides, I hear they’re havin’ some kind of party today, so the streets’ll probably be empty.”

“A party?” Inkie asked. “Yeah, that sounds like my sister… Knowing her, it could be for anything, from winning the lottery, to somepony breaking their leg for the first time.”

The train stopped as it pulled into the station, and everypony got up, with Trixie being a little more reluctant than her friends. In the end, she decided to put her disguise back on, and then slowly left the train with the others.

“Alright, we’ll stay. But no sightseeing!” Trixie said. “And we’re leaving first thing in the morning. Got it?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Vinyl said, stretching her legs a bit on the train station platform.

“Huh? Hey, what’re you guys doing here?” The five mares turned to their left, and their eyes widened as they saw another of their friends, Lightning Dust, approaching them. Only, rather than being in the air, like she usually was, she was on the ground… and quite shaky.

“Lightning? What happened to you?” Inkie asked.

Lightning Dust stopped as she got close enough to the five mares, and by that point, they could all smell the scent of alcohol in her breath. “Eheheh! Me an’ Dash totally aced that thing, so we decided ta hit up Ponyville’s bar ta celebrate! What about you guys?”

“Oh, you passed! Congratulations!” Feathermay said in an excited voice. “Well, guess we should throw you a party when we get back!”

Lightning Dust noticed Trixie standing amongst the group, and narrowed her eyes. “Hold on… Trixie, in Ponyville? … What’s going on?”

Trixie flinched, and looked away nervously. “N-Nothing. Trixie’s… just here on vacation, that’s all…”

“… Yeah, I’m not buying it.” Lightning Dust pushed past Inkie Pie and Apple Fritter, and approached Trixie more closely. “C’mon, out with it.”

“… We’re… here to do research…”

“… Alright. Now the full story,” Lightning said. Trixie groaned, and stomped her good hoof on the floor. This brought Lightning’s attention to the showmare’s injured leg. “What happened to you?”

Trixie sighed, and Vinyl placed a hoof on her shoulder, drawing her attention. “Dude, you know nothing gets past Lightning. Drunk or not, she’s a living, breathing lie detector.”

Trixie considered that for a moment, and then nodded in agreement. “I don’t think we should keep her in the dark, anyway,” Apple Fritter said. “She is our friend, after all.”

“In the dark about what? Tell me!” Lightning demanded, causing Trixie to cringe at the strong scent of alcohol in her breath.

“… Very well then. Trixie will tell you everything.” And so, Trixie explained the current situation to Lightning Dust. The incident with the future Trixie, their travels in the crystal mine, and their investigation of the black crystals. As she talked, and her friends added little omissions in here and there, Lightning seemed to sober up a little bit.

“And you were just gonna leave me out of this?” Lightning asked, glaring daggers at the showmare. “My pal’s life is in danger, and you think I wouldn’t be onboard with helpin’ you out?”

“We didn’t want to interrupt your test,” Inkie said. “And then we just… sort of forgot about you… Sorry…”

“Well, it seems your little plan failed!” Lightning declared as she jumped into the air, performing a somersault, before striking a pose in the air, her wings flapping and her forelegs crossed. “‘Cause now I know everything, and there ain’t no way you guys are gonna leave me out of this!”

“You realise this will be dangerous, right?” Trixie asked, watching as Lightning slowly descended down to the ground in front of her.

“Trix, maybe you’re forgettin’, but I’m the strongest of all of us here,” Lightning said in a proud tone, and a grin on her face.

“She’s got a point,” Vinyl said. “Inkie and Fritter are tough, yeah, but Lightning’s actually done some martial arts before.”

“So has Trixie,” Trixie argued.

“Yeah, but with that leg, you’re kind of at a disadvantage.”

Trixie frowned as she looked down at her wounded leg, and then looked back up at Lightning Dust. “… Well, if you’re okay with taking the risk, then… you can come along with us.”

“Sweet! Well then, let’s go hit the bar and get a few drinks! Since it’s been a while since the six of us were together and stuff.”

“We’re going to the inn,” Trixie said. “And we’re going to rest. And you’re going to sober up.”

At that, Trixie motioned to Inkie to lead the way. She turned and led the other mares towards the town on Ponyville, with Lightning Dust flying at the back of the group, folding her forelegs together and pouting. “Tch. Spoilsport.”

Author's Note

Thanks to SlashopentheSky for pre-reading ^_^

4 - The Everfree Forest

After waking up early the following morning to a nightmare, Trixie tried to fall back to sleep for a few more hours, but found herself unable to stop thinking of her dream. It was the same dream she had two nights ago, which involved her future self dying before her eyes… only this time, she was seeing it through the eyes of her future self.

To Trixie, it was a harsh reminder that time was running out, and that she would have to hurry if she wanted to change the future. She still had no idea what the cause of her death was exactly, but the way things were looking, it was probably a result of investigating these black crystals. They certainly seemed like a bad omen. She considered simply running far, far away, out of the Country, and waiting until the promised day had passed. However…

“The future Trixie set me on this path in the first place. I never would have thought to investigate these crystals had I not visited the crystal mine. Running away won’t do any good. If I want to change the future, I have to trust my future self’s judgement. There has to be a way, there just has to…”

“Why don’t ya stop worrying so much and just get some sleep?” Lightning Dust suggested, startling Trixie. She thought that her friends were all still asleep. “No point stayin’ up worrying about it. Save the worryin’ for later, when it’s actually time to act.”

“… Trixie know this, but… it is hard to sleep, when every time Trixie closes her eyes, she’s forced to see herself die. Or even worse, experience it.”

“Hey, look at this way: when your time actually does come, you’ll have had plenty of practice, so it won’t be so bad… Probably.”

Trixie threw a disapproving glare at the smirking Pegasus. “Is that supposed to make Trixie feel better?”

“It was a joke. Lighten up, Trix.” Lightning Dust stretched her legs, and looked outside the window. “It’s still early, but let’s go for a walk.”

“A what?” Trixie asked, giving her friend a strange look as she climbed out of her bed.

“C’mon, it’ll clear your mind. Help ya chill out. And ‘sides, I need to pick up some coffee, anyway. Can’t exactly go into the Everfree Forest hungover.”

“Then go by yourself,” Trixie said. “Trixie isn’t in the mood.”

“I know you’re not, but if you don’t come with me, I’m not gonna let you go into that forest.”

Trixie shot the Pegasus a threatening glare. “The Great and Powerful Trixie would like to see you try to stop her.”

Lightning didn’t back down. “There’s no way I’m letting a friend into that forest, when she’s in no state to defend herself. Until you cool down, you’ll just be putting your life at risk by goin’ in there.”

“Trixie’s life is already at risk.”

“I know. That’s why us five are goin’, to find a way to save you. But there’s no sense in you going, if you’re just going to shorten your life even more!”

Trixie growled for a few seconds, glaring into Lightning’s narrowed eyes. Lightning did not flinch, or even move a single muscle, as Trixie stared at her. She just stared right back, a determined look in her eyes. “… Fine then. Trixie supposes you have a point. But don’t wake the others.”

“I wasn’t going to, but why not?” Lightning asked, creeping across the room carefully, not making a single sound as she moved.

“Two is company, three or more is a crowd. And right now, Trixie would prefer not to be crowded.” Trixie climbed out of her own bed, and approached the door, where Lightning was waiting for her. She stopped to take a quick glance at Inkie, who was still sleeping soundly in her own bed. “Besides, we’re trying to lesson our worries here, not spread them.”

Lightning’s stifled laughter drew Trixie’s attention, and she looked at her with a questioning look on her face. “Dude, you look ridiculous! Maybe you should tidy up a bit, first.”

Trixie used her magic to draw a nearby mirror towards herself, and frowned at the mess that was her mane in the mirror’s reflection. She then shot a glare over at Lightning Dust, whilst using her magic to summon a brush to tidy her mane. “You could be a little more tactful about it,” Trixie said.

“Hey, I just calls it like I sees it.”

Trixie sighed, and ran the brush through her mane. ‘Well, at the very least, she should be a nice distraction from that nightmare…’

After brushing her mane to tidy it up, and donning her disguise, Trixie headed out into the streets of Ponyville with Lightning Dust. They walked around for a bit in silence, down the near-empty streets where a few early-risers were setting up their market stalls, before stopping at a small café to get some coffee for Lightning Dust. Trixie just bought some water, since she intended to get some sleep when she returned to the inn.

“So, this test of yours,” Trixie began, no longer able to take the silence, “What exactly does passing it mean for you?”

Lightning put down her coffee, and a proud grin spread on her face. “It means me and Dash are on the fast track to becoming full-fledged Wonderbolts!”

“Trixie thought you were already on the fast track?” Trixie asked in a teasing tone. “In fact, haven’t you been on the ‘fast track’ for the few months now?”

Lightning Dust scowled at the showmare for a second, but then grinned as she decided to turn the conversation around. “So, you found yourself a coltfriend yet? Y’know, one who isn’t already seeing a Princess?”

Trixie slammed her good hoof on the table, and her face flushed red as she glared daggers at Lightning. “He wasn’t seeing her at the time, he was just chasing after her flanks!”

“Who?” Lightning asked, feigning ignorance.

Trixie realised her slipup, and started to sweat as she tried to come up with something. Unable to think properly in her sleep-deprived state, she simply brought her glass of water to her lips and drank slowly, so as to avoid answering.

“Oh, you mean that Prince Blueblood guy?”

Trixie spat the water into Lightning’s face. Not out of shock or surprise, she simply wanted the Pegasus to shut up. “Please! To think that oaf could ever catch Trixie Great and Powerful eye is simply-”

“Didn’t you try to court him at the last gala?”

“… That was then. Before Trixie realised what a crude, arrogant, stuck-up mule he was.” Trixie turned to face something at the table beside her. “No offence.”

“None taken,” the mule sitting beside her said.

“Anyway, that was only because Trixie didn’t want to dance alone. She never intended a long-term relationship to come from it, and thankfully, she realised what a terribly insufferable stallion he was before she allowed herself to be seen on the dance floor with him.”

“All so that you could make Shining jealous and come crawling back to you.”

“THAT’S NOT IT!” Trixie shouted, slamming her hoof on the table again. “If you keep insisting such nonsense, the Great and Powerful Trixie will make your name very literal.”

“Gonna have ta catch me, first!” Lightning challenged, jumping out of her seat and hovering in the air. “Unless the ‘Great and Powerful’ Trixie doesn’t feel confident in her own abilities?”

Something inside of Trixie snapped, and she climbed out of her seat and glared up at Lightning Dust, her horn sparking as she scuffed a hoof against the ground. “Bring. It. On.”

“ThreetwooneGO!” Lightning shouted before she flew down the street at a high speed, stopping by a flower shop a few feet down and waving to Trixie. “C’mon ya slowpoke! Or is running not one of you ‘extraordinary talents’?!”

Trixie gritted her teeth together, and charged down the street after Lightning Dust. “Now you have incurred Trixie’s wrath! Prepare yourself!”

“Ooh, so scared!” Lightning responded in a sarcastic tone. “Perhaps you’re forgetting that I can fly?”

Trixie ran towards Lightning, who responded by ascending higher into the sky. “And perhaps your forgetting that I’m the Great and Powerful Trixie?” Trixie’s horn lit up, and two clouds appeared above Lightning. Both of them shot bolts of lightning towards the Pegasus’ flanks, narrowly missing as Lightning nimbly dodged them. Trixie anticipated this, however, and was already casting her next spell to create a magical wall where Lightning Dust was attempting to fly to, blocking her path and leaving her open to a magical ensnarement spell.

“Got you now!” Trixie shouted as she pulled the ensnared Pegasus down. Lightning struggled as she was lowered the ground, and Trixie grinned in victory as she approached her. “Is that enough proof of Trixie’s extraordinary talents?”

Lightning stopped her struggling, and let out a chuckle as she quickly extended her wings, breaking the magical bond that had her ‘trapped’. “That’s more like it,” she said, floating up in the air in front of Trixie once more. “No worrying, no pessimism. Just have faith in yourself and keep movin’ forward. That’s why I started hangin’ with you guys in the first place, ‘cause you and Inkie always powered through everything with nothing but complete faith in yourselves. Being worried about what the future holds… just isn’t like you at all, Trixie.”

Trixie stared at Lightning Dust in silence for a few moments, before looking down at the floor with a smile and a sigh. “… Trixie will make you take back your insults today,” she said, before turning around and beginning to walk. “But later. After Trixie has altered the course of time to avoid her own demise.”

Lightning followed after Trixie, a satisfied grin on her face that her plan had worked. “You’ll have ta earn it, y’know?”

“Then, you’d better not run away and hide before all this is over,” Trixie responded, before letting out a loud yawn. “Now, let us return to the inn. Trixie thinks she might be able to fall asleep now.”

“Right behind ya, Trix!”

Trixie looked at herself through mist-filled eyes, her breathing hot and heavy as she struggled to remain standing upright. The Trixie before her stared at her with a look of horror, her eyes wide and her pupils small. Her mouth moved, but no words came out.

“Trixie,” a voice called out. The scared Trixie’s eyes started to close up a bit, soon returning back to normal as her shaking stopped. “Trixie!”

Trixie gasped and turned. She saw five ponies standing behind her, each of their faces obscured by a shadow, save for their mouths, which were curved into wide smiles.

“Trixie, c’mon!” one of them said as it moved forward. “C’mon, get up!”

Trixie opened her eyes and let out a tired groan. She felt herself moving from side to side, and wondered if there was an earthquake happening. Then she realised that it was just Inkie Pie shaking her with her hooves.

“Come one, wake up! We’re all waiting on you, y’know?” she said as she continued to shake the waking showmare. Trixie slowly pushed herself up and rubbed her tired eyes. “Up bright and early, just like you said!”

Trixie stopped to glare at the gray mare for a second. “… Don’t use Trixie’s words against her like that.”

“Hey now, get up already,” Apple Fritter said, grabbing Trixie’s bedsheets and pulling them off. A chill passed over the showmare’s body, causing her to shiver. “If ya don’t, we’re gonna have ta get Vinyl ta start gettin’ loud.”

That caused Trixie to roll over and jump out of her bed. In the process, she almost landed her bad leg on the floor, but managed to catch herself and raise her leg before it touched down. “Alright, I’m up! Unplug that keyboard!”

On the other side of the room, Vinyl’s face fell as she was forced to unplug her instrument from the wall socket. “Awww. And I had the perfect ‘wake up Trixie’ song, too!”

Inkie sat down on her bed beside Trixie’s, and opened up her saddlebag. “Let me just replace that bandage real quick, and then we’ll get going.”

Trixie let out a long yawn, before nodding and walking over to Inkie. She sat down beside her friend and extended her leg, allowing Inkie to take the bandage off so that it could replaced with a fresh, clean one.

Upon seeing the horrible swelling and black marks trailing up Trixie’s foreleg, Apple Fritter and Feathermay both cringed. Vinyl and Lightning simply stared at it in awe for a few seconds, before the sound of Inkie clearing her throat snapped them out of it.

“Hey guys,” Lightning called out, “Let’s go get some grub while we wait.”

“Uh, yeah…” Apple Fritter couldn’t help but keep her attention on Trixie’s wound. She knew that she was hurt, but she never imagine it would look so… horrifying. It gave the farmer an idea of just what kind of force they were up against. In that, she now had no idea just what to expect from this kind of enemy.

Feathermay tugged at Apple Fritter’s foreleg to get her to stand up, and the four mares walk out of the room together, leaving Inkie and Trixie alone. Inkie applied some cream to Trixie’s leg to prevent that would prevent it from itching, and then began to wrap a new bandage gently around it.

“How’s your magic?” Inkie asked. In response, Trixie’s horn lit up and began to spark.

“Pretty good, after a good night’s rest,” Trixie answered with a grin. “So no, Trixie will not run away if things look dangerous. She can still fight.”

“I wasn’t going to say that,” Inkie said. “But if you’re going to fight with us, don’t push yourself. We don’t know what the cause of your future self’s death was, so it would be best if you kept yourself strong and healthy when the day comes. You’ve got five friends with you. Put some faith into them, okay?”

“Trixie doesn’t need to tell her that,” Trixie responded. She felt Inkie’s wrapping stop, and looked up to see the gray mare giving her a disbelieving look. “Maybe five months ago,” Trixie sighed, “But you’ve nagged Trixie to the point where she puts more faith in others. Satisfied?”

With a smile, Inkie resumed her bandaging. “Alright, now brace yourself.” Inkie tightened the bandage and fastened it up, causing Trixie to wince in pain. “I said to brace yourself.”

“Not much good warning ponies, if it comes at the same time as the thing you’re warning them about!” Trixie shouted, resisting the urge to rub her leg better, knowing that that would only make it worse. “Gee, thanks Inkie. So glad to have a dependable friend like you,” she said in a sarcastic tone.

“You’re very welcome,” Inkie replied. “I hope the others have our breakfasts ready.”

Trixie stood and began to walk towards the door. “Trixie hope that this town at least has good food. She ate here the last time she came, but the amulet had some negative effects on Trixie’s memory.” Trixie stopped for a second to think. “For some reason, apples are turning her off right now.”

Inkie shrugged and walked past the showmare. “After those three train rides, I’ll be happy with anything, so long as it’s cheap.”

“Be careful what you wish for. You’ll regret it later if you suddenly get hit by food poisoning in the Everfree Forest.”

Inkie shuddered at the thought as she opened the door and stepped outside. “Good point. Thankfully, Fritter’s with them, so it should be fine.”

The Everfree Forest was a strange and mysterious place. There, the fauna and flora tended to themselves, and the weather acted entirely on its own. It was also a dangerous place, too. There were many creatures that lived there that love the taste of a pony’s flesh, and they are adapted to hunting, be that by having large claws, binocular-vision, a poison-tipped tail, or just being as tall as the trees that they live amongst.

“So we’re really going in there?” Feathermay asked, a shiver going down her spine as she was certain she saw something moving in the bushes. “Wow, it’s… even scarier close-up.”

Vinyl shrugged. “Yeah, it’s creepy an’ all. But compared to getting’ around the paparazzi with Tavi, this’s nothin’.”

“Come on girls,” Trixie said as she marched forward, a determined look on her face. “We’re wasting precious seconds here. According to Mi Amore, the mother crystal is located near an old campsite in the forest. We have to find a stream and then follow it to the campsite.”

“And we’ll find the stream by going straight down this path, right?” Inkie asked, receiving a nod from Trixie. “We’ll be walking along the edge of a cliff at some point, so we’d better proceed with caution.”

Lightning flew beside Inkie and gave her a strange look. “Man, you’re really nothing like your sister, are ya?”

“Ah, so you met Pinkie today, I take it?” Inkie asked, receiving a grim nod from Lightning Dust. “Yeah, believe it or not, but she’s the oldest sibling. My twin sister Blinkie is a little more like her… but, more on the perverted side, which contrasts well with Pinkie’s child-like innocence.”

“Really? ‘Cause, lemme tell ya, that pony was totally all over me and Dash last night.”

Inkie raised an eyebrow at that. “You… didn’t let her near alcohol, did you?” When all Inkie got in response was a sheepish grin from Lightning Dust, she sighed and shook her head. “I’d have thought Ponyville would’ve learned by now, to keep my sister sober at all times.”

“So basically,” Apple Fritter said, “Yer sisters are the easy-going, carefree type of ponies, and you’re the calmer, more responsible one, right?”

“‘Sane’ would be a better word,” Inkie said. “Let me tell you, as much as I love them, it was not easy sharing a room with those two growing up. And there’s a reason I always avoid inviting them to any big events up in Canterlot. It’s hard enough as it is for the ponies there to take me seriously.”

“Guys, stop!” Trixie shouted, drawing the group’s attention to her. Ahead of Trixie was the path that would start leading down the cliff they were currently standing on… but it was blocked off, by part of the path not being there. “It looks like it collapsed. What should we do now?”

“We’ll have to find another way around,” Inkie said. “Unless Lightning and Feathermay can carry us over, of course.”

“Sorry guys,” Feathermay said. “I don’t quite have the upper-body strength for that.”

The group turned to Lightning Dust, who was shifting her eyes between everypony quickly, sweat running down her brow. “Uh… well, of course, I could do that, but, uh…”

“What? Spit it out already!” Apple Fritter said.

“Ugh! Fine! I hurt my back during the test yesterday. I don’t think I can lift anypony right now.”

Trixie sighed, and turned back to look at the collapsed path one more time. “No choice then. We’ll have to find another way around.” Trixie turned back to the group, and was about to suggest they split up to look for a new path, when something caught her eye. Some stones had fallen from the plateau beside them, and the showmare quickly turned to see what it was.

Everypony else turned too, and they all gasped as they saw something jump down towards them. It was large, had claws, fangs, a sharp tail, and wings. It didn’t take long for Trixie to identify the creature. “A manticore!”

“Inks, heads up!” Lightning shouted as the manticore charged towards the stunned Earth Pony. The fast-thinking Pegasus quickly charged the large beast before it could reach her friend, knocking it to the side, and accidentally sending it towards Trixie. “Oops!”

“Wha-Wha-WHAAAAAA!” Trixie shouted as the manticore collided with her, and sent her tumbling down the cliff. “LIGHTNIIIIIIIING!”

“Sorry!” Lightning shouted down at Trixie. “Hold on! I’m comin’ down!” She quickly turned back to her friends. “You guys find another way down! I’ll help Trixie!”

“I’ll come too!” Feathermay said as she extended her wings and followed Lightning down the cliff. As they flew down, they found Trixie hanging off of a branch on the side of the plateau. “Trixie, hold on!” she cried as she sped up towards her. Reaching her hooves out, she grabbed Trixie’s good leg, and immediately felt the showmare’s weight pulling her down. “Oof!”

“Heads up! We got company down below!” Lightning shouted as she watched the manticore below them looking up at the three mares, and lowering itself as it got ready to jump. “I’ll handle this guy!”

“R-Right!” Feathermay said as she struggled to keep herself and Trixie from plummeting down to their deaths. She flapped her wings as hard as she could, to lower Trixie slowly to the ground. “Just… keep him busy for a bit…”

“No problem!” Lightning said as she clapped her forehooves together. The manticore jumped up, and Lightning bolted forward as fast as she could to intercept the pouncing beast, kicking it square in the face. As the manticore fell down the base of the plateau, Lightning followed after it, landing just a short distance away. “What’s wrong? Lil’ kitty not tough enough to play with the big cats?”

The manticore roared as it shot up into the air, flapping its wings above Lightning Dust, before charging towards her. Lightning jumped back to avoid the attack, and delivered a roundhouse kick. However, she underestimated just how tough a manticore’s skin could be, and failed to do any significant damage.

She saw the manticore raise its claw and swing it towards her, and nimbly dodged it by back flipping into the air. “Too slow!” she taunted as she charged forward and kicked again, this time aiming for the manticore’s stomach as it stood up on its two hind legs.

The manticore roared in pain as the kick connected, and was sent stumbling back a few steps. Lightning continued her assault by kicking with her forelegs at the manticore’s chest. When the manticore finally had enough, it raised its two forelegs, and attempted to crush Lightning Dust between them. However, she managed to fall back just as the manticore’s paws slammed together.

“Close!” she said to herself as she hovered before the beast. She narrowed her eyes as she watched it carefully for its next move, but then felt a sharp pain down her back. “ARGH! My spine, at a time like this?”

“Lightning, watch out!” she heard Feathermay call out. She saw the manticore swinging a paw towards her again, and made a move to evade it, but another pang of pain down her back halted her for just a brief moment, allowing the manticore’s attack to connect.

Lightning Dust yelped as she was swatted like a fly by the manticore’s paw, and sent flying into a tree to her side. Picking herself up off of the ground, Lightning let out a few coughs as she tried to steady her shaking legs and focus her mind. She slowly turned her head to find the manticore charging towards her, eager to finish the Pegasus off.

A sudden blast of purple magic caused the manticore to stop in its tracks with a startled yelp, and then turn around to locate the source of the blast. “Tag out, Lightning Dust!” Trixie shouted as she glared the manticore down, her horn sparking and her hat levitating above her head. “The Great and Powerful Trixie shall handle the rest!”

The manticore growled, with such force that Trixie had to focus to stay up on her three legs, and then charged towards the showmare. “Have at thee!” Trixie shouted as she used her magic to form a whip, which she flicked towards the charging beast.

“‘Have at thee’?” Lightning Dust asked as she watched Trixie keeping the manticore at bay. “Seriously? What century does she think this is?”

“Feathermay, now!” Trixie shouted as she flicked her whip one last time.

“En garde!” Feathermay shouted as she landed down onto the manticore’s back, a small knife in her hoof. She drove it down into the manticore’s neck, causing it to howl and flail about in pain. She jumped off and landed beside Trixie, watching as the manticore fell down onto its side. “Wow. A fake knife did that?” Feathermay asked as the knife in her hoof began to fade away.

“The power of suggestion is a force to be reckoned with,” Trixie explained. “In reality, the manticore has not been harmed. But it felt the pain as if it were real, and fell unconscious through shock.” Trixie dispelled the magic forming her whip, and smiled as Lightning Dust flew over to her. “You don’t seem to be in too bad a shape.”

“Nah. I’ve hit the ground harder than that before,” Lightning told her, grinning as she landed in front of Trixie. “So, what now? We wait here for the others?”

“The path leads here,” Trixie said, turning around to look at the path that leads up to the cliff. “We could go up and meet them halfway, but if there are forks in the road, that would cause complications.”

“I say we stick together, and wait for our friends,” Feathermay suggested, to which Trixie nodded.

“Agreed. This place is far too dangerous to go wandering off and-” A loud roar interrupted Trixie, who quickly turned back around, only to find the manticore towering behind Lightning Dust. “It’s back up already?!”

“Must have not been so shocked! Watch out!” Feathermay shouted, but it came too late. The manticore swiped its paw at Lightning, knocking her across the clearing and sending her rolling across the ground. “Lightning!”

“Heads up!” Trixie shouted as the manticore’s tail rose and lunged towards Feathermay. Trixie moved to intercept it, charging her magic to create a barrier. The tail collided with the hastily-made barrier, and seemed to be stuck for a moment, before the barrier shattered, and the tail made its way towards Trixie’s face.

“TRIXIE!” Feathermay grabbed the showmare as she fell backwards. Trixie was panting heavily, and there was a wound around Trixie’s left eye, blood pouring out of it. Feathermay panicked as she held Trixie in her hooves, completely forgetting about the manticore until she heard its roar once more.

“Oh no…” Feathermay squeaked as she looked up at the beast looming over her, getting ready to finish the two mares off.

“Oh no you don’t!” Feathermay gasped and fell back onto her haunches as a yellow and green blur rushed past her overhead, and collided with the manticore. “You’re not eatin’ any friends of mine without a fight!”

“Fritter, make way!” Vinyl shouted as she stopped beside Feathermay. Apple Fritter quickly ducked to the side, and Vinyl’s horn lit up. “Let’s see… what was that frequency?”

The manticore roared and charged towards the mare. “W-What are you doing?!” Feathermay screamed to Vinyl, who was sweating and grinding her teeth together as she worked her magic through her horn.

“Got it!” Vinyl shouted, before quickly unleashing a blue shockwave of magic, which was accompanied by a loud screeching sound that caused Apple Fritter to stumble a bit. “Fritter, move a bit farther back!”

Apple Fritter nodded, and turned around to run away. The manticore stopped its assault, and held its paws to its ears as it roared and thrashed about.

“What’s going on?” Feathermay asked as she watched in awe.

“Sound magic,” Trixie explained, groaning as she tried to lift her head up to get a better view. “Vinyl’s speciality. Trixie… may have t-taught her some s-self-defence magic… but, to think she c-could amplify it to such a degree…” A grin appeared on Trixie’s face, and she let out a slight chuckle. “Vinyl Scratch, you truly are… Equestria’s top DJ, without a doubt.”

“This frequency is designed to give intense headaches and stomach aches to ponies and other creatures that it reaches,” Vinyl explained as she continued firing her spell, adding a little more power to be on the safe side. “I figured it would affect the manticore, too, so I gave it a shot.”

“You mean you took a chance?!” Feathermay asked in complete bewilderment. After seeing the DJ’s confident grin, Feathermay found herself smiling, too, and began to laugh. “Yeah… that sounds like you. Totally crazy. Octavia must have fun with you around. Wait, how come Trixie and I aren’t affected?”

“It doesn’t affect those close to the source,” Trixie explained. “We’re in Vinyl’s ‘safe zone’, as it were.”

“Yes! It’s working!” Vinyl shouted as she watched the manticore turn around and begin to run away. “That’s right, pussycat! Run to yo momma!”

“That should keep it away for a bit,” Trixie said. “Manticores cower easily, and they have sensitive ears. Trixie wagers it will stay away from us until its ears are back to normal.”

“Will you be okay?” Feathermay asked as she gently lowered Trixie onto the ground. “We need to get this cleaned up. The scent of blood will definitely attract other creatures.”

“Hold on. I’ve got some water in my bag,” Inkie said as she approached the three mares with Lightning hanging off of her shoulder. Apple Fritter was supporting the Pegasus from the other side. “Vinyl, you have the first aid supplies, right?”

“Yep!” Vinyl answered as she used her magic to open her bag. “How’s Dusty? She need anything?”

“She’ll need to have her wounds cleaned and bandaged, but they don’t look so bad. What about Trixie’s?”

Feathermay moved some of Trixie’s mane away from her eye, and examined the wound closely. She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that it wasn’t that deep. “It’s actually pretty shallow. And the bleeding’s already stopping. I think the barrier altered the tail’s path just enough to avoid a fatal strike.”

“Manticore tails are poisonous,” Trixie pointed out, bringing a worried look to Inkie’s face. “Check again. Do you see any purple in Trixie’s blood?”

Feathermay took another look, and shook her head. “No. Just red.”

“Oh… That’s good, then. It means that either the poison wasn’t injected, or it was in a small dose. In the latter case, Trixie will still need an antidote, but she’ll actually have the time to get it.”

“What kind of antidote?” Inkie asked as she lay Lightning Dust down beside Trixie. Lightning’s wounds became visible now that they were no longer pressing against Inkie’s side. A few claw marks ran down Lightning’s side, and there was light bleeding coming from each one.

“Trixie made sure to pack some, just in case. It’s the grape juice in Fritter’s bag.”

“Oh, that?” Feathermay asked. “… Oops. I, uh, kinda drank that.” Everypony stared at the Pegasus in shock, and Trixie began to grow very nervous. “I’m kidding!” she said with a nervous laughter. “Just trying to keep your spirits up!”

Trixie sighed heavily. “Well do so in a manner more friendly to Trixie’s heart.”

Apple Fritter opened her bag, and pulled out a carton of grape juice from within. “How much do we need?”

“Just a few drops… It will have to go into the wound, so…” Trixie gulped, and shifted her head to look at Inkie Pie. “… You’ll… have to hold Trixie down, to keep her still. This is undoubtedly going to sting, so…”

Inkie nodded in understanding. “I got it. I’ll do my best.”

“I’ll help too,” Vinyl said. “Octy will confirm I’m good at keeping mares from moving.”

Trixie would have rolled her eyes if she weren’t in so much pain. “Right… Well then, no time like the present.” Trixie braced herself as she felt the two mares holding her down at either end of her body, and closed her eyes as she awaited the painful treatment.

As she felt the first drop of grape juice enter her wound and began to scream bloody murder, a thought crossed Trixie’s mind. One that she wasn’t able to fully grasp until about one minute after the treatment, when the pain had finally subsided, and she was able to rest on the ground and catch her breath as her friends tended to Lightning Dust.

“The future Trixie,” she said in a whispered voice, “Had a swollen left eye… And it was bloodshot, too.”

“… T-That doesn’t mean anything,” Inkie, who had volunteered to stay by Trixie’s side, told the showmare. “We’re still not done here yet. We’ll find this mother crystal, and put an end to this whole thing.”

Trixie smiled slowly, and nodded her head. “Yeah… Definitely.”

“Alright, Lightning’s wounds are all wrapped up!” Feathermay said as she helped Lightning, whose chest was now wrapped in bandages, up to her hooves. She had insisted on carrying her along with Apple Fritter, but Lightning assured them that she was fine, and insisted on walking alongside the rest of them. They knew that she was lying, from the way her wings twitched in their folded-up states, but they decided to humour her, under the condition that they watch her very closely.

Trixie wasn’t offered the same courtesy, as Inkie insisted on carrying Trixie for the rest of their trip through the Everfree Forest. Not that Trixie could walk in her state anyway, but it still bugged the showmare that she wasn’t offered the helped, so much as it was forced onto her.

The group continued through the forest exercising extreme caution, until they eventually found the stream that Cadance described to them. They checked the direction of the current, and then moved against it, as per the Princess’ instructions.

As they walked, Lightning felt her legs growing heavy, and her chest beginning to burn. Her breathing started to increase, and she had to wipe the sweat from her brow with a foreleg. “How much longer ‘til we get there, exactly?” she asked, trying not to let on that her wounds were starting to hurt her.

“Mi Amore said that it won’t be far, as long as we stuck to the path up to the stream,” Trixie answered. “She said that the campsite was used back when the Royal Sisters’ castle was in the forest. It was essentially an outpost that would warn of enemy attacks well in advance.”

“And then, the mother crystal should be somewhere near the campsite, right?” Inkie asked, received a confirmatory nod from Trixie.

“… Guys, I think we’re nearly there,” Apple Fritter said, pointing to something on the other side of the stream. Her friends turned to look, and their eyes widened as they saw a large black crystal in the distance, poking out over some trees.

“Huh… Well, there’s the mother crystal. Let’s go,” Trixie said.

“One problem,” Feathermay said. “This stream has a pretty fast current. How are we supposed to cross exactly?”

“Oh. Did you need to cross, my little ponies?” a voice called out. Everypony looked around for the source, and then jumped back in shock as something emerged from the water. It was a long, snake-like creature… with a moustache. “Oh, terribly sorry! I’m taking my bath right now and, well, I do love a fast current against my scales! But here, allow me to help you to cross this stream!”

The serpent dove underwater, and arched various parts of his body to create makeshift stepping stones for the six ponies.

After exchanging some confused looks with each other, the six ponies shrugged and approached the serpent. Vinyl was the first to cross the stream, followed by Feathermay and Apple Fritter. Lightning Dust cross next, but slowly so as to avoid straining herself too much.

Finally, Inkie had no choice but to release Trixie so that they could both cross the stream. She allowed Trixie to move first, and watched with worry as the showmare moved dizzily across the serpent’s body. Thankfully, though, she managed to cross without any major disasters happening, and then Inkie followed after her.

“Well, that was strange,” Trixie said before the serpent popped up again.

“Thanks for the help, man!” Vinyl said, waving to the serpent.

“My pleasure! You ponies should visit more often. It isn’t often that I get company around here that doesn’t wish to eat me.”

“Then why don’t you move somewhere else?” Feathermay asked.

“Because the air here is soothing, and the lack of daylight helps me to relax.”

“… Oh. Well, uh, I guess I could drop by again, if I have the time…”

“Hey guys!” Lightning shouted, drawing the group’s attention. At some point, she had moved ahead of them a little bit, and was now looking at something beyond the trees. “Check it out! It’s the campsite!”

“No kiddin’?” Vinyl asked. “Sweet! Though if it wasn’t for the mother crystal, we would have just walked past it…”

Trixie sighed and placed a hoof to her forehead. “Of course. An outpost like that would be hidden, so that enemies wouldn’t find it. Why did Mi Amore not think to tell us this?”

“Well, all’s well that ends well,” Inkie said. “That’s the direction of the mother crystal. We might as well check the place out, to see if there’s anything useful there.”

Trixie nodded in agreement. “Right. Let’s go.” Inkie offered to help her out again, but Trixie declined. This time, Inkie didn’t force it, as it was clear that Trixie’s injuries weren’t affecting her movements too badly. Still, she kept close to her friend, ready to catch her should she suddenly fall.

Continuing on with their quest, the group passed through the some thick bushes and past the trees around them, and were soon at the campsite. Indeed, it was difficult to spot, and had they not been taking this route to find the mother crystal, they likely would have never found it.

Everypony looked around the small campsite, trying to find anything that could be useful. “There’s a first aid tent over there,” Inkie said, pointing to a tent that bore the Equestrian first aid symbol on its side. “There might be something in there.”

“Looks like the camp was abandoned in a hurry,” Trixie said, looking over to a watchtower. “There might be weapons or tools in there. And there’s a granary over there.” She turned to look at the building not too far from the watchtower. “There might be other supplies in there that we can use.”

“Right! Well then, let’s split into three pairs and look around,” Vinyl suggested. “I think Trix and Inks should pair up, and I’ll stick with Feathermay. Since Fritter and Inkie are the two strongest among us who aren’t injured, it makes sense to partner them up with the injured ponies.”

“Since when were you elected as group leader?” Trixie asked. “While Trixie agrees with most of what you just said, Lightning and Fritter aren’t exactly known for paying attention to detail, and are likely to overlook something. Inkie, as an artist, is able to pick out the subtlest details that even Trixie might miss, so Trixie thinks that Inkie should go with Lightning.”

Vinyl scratched her head nervously at the suggestion. “Ah, yeah. That’s a good point, but, uh…”

“It’s okay, Vinyl,” Inkie said, walking over to Lightning Dust. “I agree with Trixie. If we leave it to these two, we could miss out on something that might save our lives later.”

Sighing, Vinyl seemed to give in to the suggestion, and turned her attention to Feathermay. “If you say so. C’mon, Feathermay. Let’s go check out that granary.”

“We’ll check out the watchtower,” Inkie announced as she started to move towards the watchtower with Lightning Dust at her side.

“Guess that leaves us with the first aid tent,” Apple Fritter summarised. “Shall we?”

“After Trixie,” Trixie said, moving past Apple Fritter to move towards the tent first. The Earth Pony mare followed after her, sticking close so that she could help her should she suddenly collapse. As they entered, the first thing that caught Trixie’s attention was the horrid stench in the air. “One thousand years of abandonment… Unless they stored their supplies magically, it’s doubtful anything here is still good.”

“Doesn’t hurt to check though,” Apple Fritter said, making her way over to what seemed to be a cupboard. She opened it up, and was greeted to a large layer of dust flying her way, making her back up and cough as she wafted the dust away with a hoof.

Trixie walked over to a small chest in the corner, and tried to open it. It wouldn’t lift open though, so she tried her magic. The stubborn lid still refused to lift up, so she applied a little more force, grunting as she strained herself to get the chest open. “Fritter, would you care to lend a hoof over here?”

Apple Fritter looked over from where she was standing, and made her way over to Trixie. “I found some bandages over there. I think, if we combine them with what we have left over from treatin’ Lightning, we’ll have enough to cover yer eye. They were in an airtight box, so they’re still clean even after all these years.”

“That’s great,” Trixie said. “But first, could you help with this chest? Trixie believes it may have locked itself with rust over the years.”

Apple Fritter nodded, and gave the chest a quick glance. Trixie was able to make a small opening, but that was it. Looking around for something that she could use, her eyes fell upon a long metal pole on the other side of the tent. “Here, I’ll use this to lever it open.”

Trixie nodded as she waited for Apple Fritter to grab the pole and return to the chest. Once the pole was in position inside the small opening, Trixie shifted her focus onto the other end, pushing down with her magic whilst Apple Fritter aided her with some physical force.

“Keep going! We’ve almost got this!” Apple Fritter shouted. Finally, the chest gave in and opened up, and Apple Fritter almost tripped as the pole fell down to the floor. “Finally! There better be somethin’ good in there!”

Trixie moved over to the chest and looked inside. As she did so, Apple Fritter offered to apply some bandages over her eye. There was a mirror to Trixie’s side, and a quick glance revealed that the eye had, indeed, become swollen and bloodshot. However, the future Trixie didn’t have any bandages around her eye, so…

“Do whatever you want,” Trixie said as she searched through the chest with her magic, allowing Apple Fritter to start gently wrapping the bandages around her head.

“So, anythin’ useful in there?” Apple Fritter asked after the first wrap.

“There are some fireworks in here,” Trixie told her. “And some paper… The writing hasn’t degraded too much. Let’s see… ‘In the event that the signal fires are unusable, use the fireworks stored in here to alert the Princesses of impending danger. In the event that the outpost is lost, use the gunpowder to destroy all traces of it. Our supplies, our equipment, our research. Nothing must be allowed to fall into enemy hooves. By Royal decree of Princess Luna, Captain of Her Majesty’s Night Guard.’.”

Apple Fritter finished applying the bandages she had around Trixie’s head, covering her eye completely, and a hold of the paper. “‘Her Majesty’s Night Guard’?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “Ain’t ever heard of that.”

“If memory serves, the Night Guard was one of two elite forces that served and protected Equestria during the time that the Princesses’ mother and father were its rulers. The Day Guard, led by the first Prince Blueblood, was in charge of patrolling the streets of Equestria, keeping an eye out for troublemakers and protecting the common citizens. The Night Guard, led by Princess Luna, was more of a shadow organization. They protected Equestria by watching it from the darkness, never revealing themselves until it was time to strike.

“According to documents found in ruins across Equestria, it is possible that the Night Guard have been responsible for saving Equestria many times in the past, and at the time, even Princess Celestia had no knowledge of their actions. Even today, it is rumoured that she is also in the dark about the Night Guard’s full history.”

“Wow. So this campsite was set up by the Night Guard, then?” Apple Fritter asked. “Wait. ‘Gunpowder’? You mean there’s gunpowder in this here chest?! Whoa nelly… I sure am glad we didn’t set off a spark while we were forcin’ this thing open!”

“Don’t worry. In this damp place, stored for a thousand years, this stuff likely isn’t going to be exploding any time soon.” Apple Fritter breathed a sigh of relief. “So basically, nothing all that useful in here. Let’s go ahead and meet back up with the others.”

“Yeah, I think the bandages are about the only useful thing we’ll be gettin’ out of this place.” The two mares moved to leave the tent, with Apple Fritter exiting first. However, as she got out of the tent, she immediately backed up to the site of three timberwolves turning to face her.

“You guys! Get out of there!” Lightning’s voice called out. Apple Fritter looked up to see the Pegasus on top of the watchtower, with Inkie at her side. “Over here! Hurry!”

Looking over at the granary, Trixie saw that Vinyl Scratch and Feathermay were also okay, standing on top of the second floor balcony as two timberwolves below them growled at the pair.

“Trixie, over there!” Apple Fritter shouted, pointing to an opening to their right. The two immediately began to move, and the timberwolves followed after them, only to be halted momentarily by a blast of magic Trixie’s horn.

“Over here!” Lightning Dust repeated. “Inkie’s gonna open the door for ya! Hurry up!”

“Easier said than done!” Apple Fritter shouted back as she continued to run, with Trixie behind her running out of breath as she continued to cast spells at the timberwolves. The spells were slowly losing their effectiveness, and she had to alter them a little bit to make them intimidating once more. “Don’t ya have anythin’ in there that can help us?!”

“Not from up here! If I could fly, maybe, but…”

“Fritter!” Trixie called out. “Trixie is going to make an opening! When you see it, just run straight towards the watchtower!”

“What about you?” Apple Fritter asked.

“Trixie won’t make it in her condition, but fear not! She has a plan!”

Apple Fritter stared at Trixie sceptically for a second, before noticing the incoming timberwolves. “Alright, I’ll trust ya! But ya’d better not be lying!”

Trixie grinned, and cast a spell to set off some illusionary fireworks near the timberwolves, making them stop and jump away from the flashy explosions. “There’s your opening! Go, now!”

Apple Fritter nodded, and narrowed her eyes as she readied herself. She ran forward, streamlining herself to achieve maximum speed, and kept her eyes solely on the watchtower as she ran through the opening given to her by Trixie. As she reached the watchtower door, it swung open, revealing Inkie Pie on the other side. She quickly charged in, and the door was slammed shut before any of the pursuing timberwolves could get in.

Trixie smirked, happy to see that her plan had succeeded. “Now then… I’ve just got to buy some time…” Trixie’s horn lit up once more, and a cloud of smoke surrounded her. As the smoke dissipated, numerous Trixie stood in the campsite, all grinning together in unison at the pack of timberwolves. The real Trixie watched as Feathermay flew towards the top of the watchtower. ‘Good, she caught on. Now I just have to wait for her to bring me something I can use…’

The timberwolves howled, and charged towards the group of Trixies. However, instead of attacking them, they simply charged straight through them, making their way closer towards the real Trixie. As soon as Trixie realised her mistake, she cursed and undid the spell, before charging another one up in her horn. “Damnit, of course! Timberwolves have a heightened sense of smell!” ‘And I’m too weak to put up a scent illusion… No, even if I could, their sense of smell is too good. They’d easily be able to pick out mine.’

“Dude, run!” Vinyl shouted as a timberwolf pounced towards Trixie. Just as it was about to hit her, a blast of magic from her horn sent it flying backwards and crashing onto the ground, shattering it upon contact. “Nice!”

“Not quite!” Trixie shouted as she turned to run. Behind her, the pieces of the downed timberwolf began to pick themselves up and join together again. “This damn forest… There’s a reason that even heroes like to avoid timberwolves!”

Trixie saw another timberwolf right on her tail, about to catch up to and attack her. She used her magic to summon a storm cloud, and fire a bolt of lightning at the beast, causing its wooden body to catch fire. The timberwolf stopped to let out a loud howl towards the sky, which vibrated through the air, followed by its body glowing an emerald-green. Moments later, the fire was put out, and it continued its pursuit of the fleeing showmare.

“Damnit… Hurry up, Feathermay!”

“You called?” Feathermay asked as she flew above the running timberwolves, carrying a pile of something in her forelegs. “Special delivery!” The Pegasus threw her forelegs up into the air, causing many sticks to fly up and then land onto the floor. The timberwolves lost their footing as they tripped over the round sticks, and fell to the ground. Trixie stopped for a moment to see what they were.

“Dynamite?” she asked as she took a close look at one of the sticks.

“That won’t work!” Vinyl shouted. “No way that stuff’s still gonna work after all this time!”

An idea crossed Trixie’s mind, and she grinned as her magic flowed through her horn. “No, but it can still be useful!” The sticks of dynamite glowed together with the showmare’s horn, and a moment later, large clouds of smoke emerged from them. “Feathermay, go high!”

Feathermay nodded, and quickly flapped her wings harder to go higher. She continued until she was out of range of the smoke cloud, and then cringed and began to tear up as a horrible smell reached her nose. She quickly placed a foreleg to her muzzle. “W-What the? Is this some kind of stink bomb?” The smell seemed familiar to the Pegasus, but she wasn’t quite sure why. “Is that… mane dye?”

Vinyl used her sound magic to blast the smoke cloud away from her, removing her shades to wipe the tears forming in her eyes. “Hey, I recognise this from High School! We used it in our Science classes. It was… uh…”

“Ammonia!” Lightning Dust shouted as she realised what the scent was, before quickly placing her foreleg back over her muzzle. “That’s right! In Daring Do and the Pirate’s Ransom, there was a part that said how dynamite was made! But, man, this stuff stinks…”

Trixie used her cape to cover her own muzzle and watched through a teary eye as the cloud of smoke began to clear up. She breathed a sigh of relief, and then used her magic to create a gust of wind to carry away the leftover scent of ammonia in the air.

Whatever timberwolves hadn’t been able to flee in time, were now passed out on the floor, kicking their legs weakly as they seemed to be struggling for air. “They’re down! And the one that fled won’t be returning for a while! It should be safe now!” she told her friends as she approached the centre of the campsite. A few moments later, the other five mares all joined her, and the six friends all shared a brief moment of celebration together over their surviving this recent close call.

“Well, I don’t know about you guys,” Vinyl said after she was done cheering, “But I’m about done with the forest now. I think we should just finish up our journey, then head back to Canterlot and order some pizza.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Feathermay said. “But not from that same place as last time. I think they’d probably spit on our pizzas after our… recent business with them…”

“That wasn’t my fault!” Lightning shouted in protest. “The guy was totally five minutes late! You guys agreed with me!”

“Yeah, but we didn’t tell you to start a fight with him when he disagreed with you,” Inkie said. “Or to throw his bicycle into the lake.”

“He got it back! Anyway, that guy was a jerk, and he kept makin’ eyes at Trixie. Didn’t that bother you?”

Inkie’s face turned red. “W-Why should it?! It’s not like it’s any of my business if somepony has a thing for one of my friends!”

“Alright, alright,” Vinyl said, stepping in-between the two. “We’ll buy from a different place. And we’ll all have a big party round mine to celebrate both Trixie’s survival, and Lightning passing her latest test!”

“Can’t wait,” Apple Fritter said. “But no alcohol. I’ll stay for the party, but I’ll have ta get on the train ta Appleoosa the next morning, an’ I don’t wanna be goin’ home all hungover an’ stuff.”

“Well then,” Trixie started, “The mother crystal isn’t far now.” She looked towards the large black crystal that was visible in the distance, along with her friends. “Let’s go end this, then go home and enjoy one of the Great and Powerful Trixie’s amazing showcases of extraordinary magical ability!”

“Yeah!” Feathermay, Vinyl, and Lightning cheered in unison, whilst Apple Fritter and Inkie both rolled their eyes and chuckled to themselves.

After spending a good amount of time trying to find a safe, traversable pathway through the forest, the group had finally arrived at the mother crystal. After seeing it up close, the mares were able to fully appreciate just how big it was. It easily dwarfed the buildings in Canterlot, and quite possibly reached the same height as the skyscrapers in Manehatten. The mares couldn’t even see the top. And that wasn’t all…

“It’s still growing,” Trixie pointed out as she felt the ground shaking beneath them, and saw the crystal move slightly towards them. “It must be taking magical energy from all over Equestria. But what is it going to do once its absorbed enough?”

“At that point, the attack shall begin,” a low, raspy voice called out, sending shivers down the mares’ spines and putting them on their guards. “The purpose of the Fuente de la Corrupción, is to take in the magic that exists everywhere in the land of Equestria, and then taint it, before returning it. This new tainted magical energy will weaken the ponies, making them unable to fight back, almost like a foul poison affecting their minds. And then, it will only take one attack on Equestria’s capital, Canterlot, and your land shall be mine.”

“Who are you?!” Trixie shouted. “Show yourself at once!”

“My, it seems your leg has also been tainted,” the voice said. “Though how strange that your mind has not been affected by it. Are you, perhaps, Princess Luna?”

Trixie tilted her head in confusion. “As Great and Powerful as Trixie is, it is understandable you would liken her abilities to a Princess’, but… does Trixie look like an Alicorn?!”

“Oh, forgive me. I have never actually seen the Princess of the Night, so I was unaware that she was an Alicorn. Your name is Trixie?”

“That’s right. Now, why don’t you introduce yourself?”

“I’ve never heard that name before,” the voice mused. “For you not to be tainted by dark magic, means that your mind must be under the protection of one with strong magical powers.”

Trixie growled, angry that she was being ignored. “What are you saying? Start making sense already!”

“Trixie,” Inkie began, “Back at the hospital, when you were still out of it, I saw Cadance casting her magic on you. I figured that was simply checking on your wound, but…”

“It seems she did something more,” Trixie finished, looking down at her bandaged leg. She then looked back up at the large crystal before her. “… Are you… King Sombra?”

The voice laughed, and the laughter continued to echo through the forest for a full minute, before it finally died down. “King Sombra… That fool attempted to attack Canterlot from within, using the Fuente de la Corrupción to brainwash its citizens into serving him. I saw this, and decided to take advantage of his plan. I stole a piece of the Fuente de la Corrupción, and planted it here, outside of Celestia’s watchful eye. Then, I waited, biding my time whilst my crystal grew larger and larger.

“On the day of King Sombra’s attack, I sprouted the crystal’s roots across Equestria, with the intention of building a powerful army that would take down whoever won the battle. However, for whatever reason, the attack never came. I wonder why?”

“That’d be because we stopped him!” Feathermay shouted in a proud tone.

“We discovered his plot and stopped him. And from what it sounds like, we stopped him just in time,” Inkie added.

“You don’t say,” the voice said. The crystal glowed, and a shadowy figure began to form before the six mares. “How interesting. So, you defeated King Sombra… Well, that essentially removes one of my enemies, then.”

“Yeah, and now, we’re gonna defeat you!” Lightning Dust said, moving forward, but stopping when Apple Fritter extended a hoof in front of her.

“Careful now. This guy can use some pretty freaky magic.”

“It doesn’t matter what you try,” the voice said. “I have already merged with the Fuente de la Corrupción. What you see now is merely a projection of my true form. To destroy me, you would have to destroy the crystal itself, which, in its current state, is impossible.”

“We’ll see about that!” Trixie shouted, charging magic into her horn and firing it at the crystal. Not so much as a single scratch was left on the crystal’s surface.

“I told you, it is impossible. Trying is useless. Equestria is doomed.”

“It’s not over until the curtain calls!” Trixie fired another blast, but the result was the same. “Damnit! Now what do we do?”

“Trixie, try the bead!” Inkie said. “Maybe it can do something?”

“Bead?” the shadowy figure asked, and then gasped as the showmare pulled the small black bead out of her cape. “Where did you get that?!”

“Hey, he doesn’t seem too happy with you havin’ that,” Vinyl pointed out with a grin. “Guess we’re on the right lines then.”

Trixie held the bead up to examine it, and her eyes widened as it began to glow a dark purple colour. “Trixie! The crystal!” Feathermay shouted.

Looking up, Trixie could see the crystal glowing the same colour as the bead. She held it closer, and the glowing intensified. “Try touching them,” Lightning suggested, to which Trixie nodded and cautiously stepped forward.

“I won’t let you!” the shadowy figure shouted, shooting forward and pushing Trixie backwards. As Trixie fell back with a pained cry, she used her magic to grasp the bed and throw it at the crystal. “NO!”

The bead hit the crystal with a ding!, and all fell silent for just a few moments. Suddenly, the crystal began to change from a solid black colour, to a dark purple that occasionally flashed white.

“No! You foal! How dare you?!” the shadowy figure cried out, reaching down and grabbing Trixie’s cape. Inkie and Feathermay moved to defend their friend, but stopped when they saw the shadow beginning to fade away. “I see! So this was his plan! He knew of my attack all along, and he intended to… But, it doesn’t matter. You waited too long to stop me. Stopping me here changes nothing; Equestria is already doomed!”

The crystal began to crack at the base, and the shadowy figure was drawn towards it. The cracks spread up the crystal, and a ringing sound echoed through the area. “You may have destroyed me and thwarted my plans, but I shall not go, without giving you all a little parting gift. Enjoy seeing your beautiful Equestria turned upside down, my little ponies.”

With that last threat, the shadowy figure completely disappeared into the crystal, which then shattered only moments later, exploding into many shards that evaporated into the air around the six mares.

All fell quiet in the forest, and the six friends exchanged confused looks for a moment, before Inkie made a move to help Trixie back up onto her hooves.

“Uh… I-Is it over?” Vinyl asked, scratching the back of her head as she looked at the spot where the mother crystal once lay.

“I… guess so,” Inkie said, also looking at the same spot. She saw the bead lying on the ground, but before she could make a move to pick it up, the small bead cracked, and then shattered, much like the crystal had done moments earlier. “I guess… the bead was designed to shatter the crystal…”

“But, why?” Lightning asked. “Why would that Sombra guy have something like that? Wasn’t the crystal his in the first place?”

“That would be why he was able to make such a thing,” Trixie said. “The crystal was his, so he knew how to destroy it. If he knew that somepony had stolen his crystal… he probably made a move to create a weapon that could be used against this new threat.”

“And since this guy said he was one with the crystal or whatever, by destroying it…” Apple Fritter trailed off as the thought ran through her mind. The atmosphere between the six ponies became grim as the sudden realisation of what they had just done had hit them.

“No. Don’t you dare feel guilty about this,” Trixie said, glaring at the farmer. “Trixie was the one who threw that bead. Trixie was the one that shattered the crystal, not you.”

“But we were in this together,” Apple Fritter said. “I know the guy was a threat ta Equestria, and he had ta be stopped, but… shouldn’t we have tried ta find another way, or somethin’?”

“And in the meantime, let him destroy our home and kill our friends and family?” Lightning asked, before shaking her head. “Sorry guys, but as much as you’ll probably hate me for saying it, I think we did the right thing.”

Vinyl adjusted her shades on her face, and turned away. “I… I dunno, man. I mean, I get where you’re comin’ from, but… I just can’t help but put myself in the dead pony’s position, and think how I would feel about my life being taken from me.”

Trixie cleared her throat, breaking the tense mood and drawing her friends’ attentions to her. “Well, what’s done is done. If you feel guilty about this, then we can report to Mi Amore about we did here today… and let the Princess decide whether we should be judged or not. How does that sound?”

“… Guess you’re right,” Vinyl said with a shrug. “Anyway, if we hadn’t have done that, I can’t help but feel that Octy might have become one of this dude’s victims. When I think about that… I’m not sure what to think anymore. But I know one thing: whether I learn to accept it, or feel guilt over this for the rest of my life, I don’t regret doing what we had to do to save Equestria.”

After a moment of thought, the other mares all nodded in agreement. “You’re right,” Inkie said. “If we hadn’t done this, many more would have suffered… Anyway, I think we should probably get out of here.” A howl carried across the wind, causing Inkie to shiver. “I’ve had enough danger for one day, thank you very much. Or for one week, for that matter.”

Trixie looked back towards the trees that they had come through, when a thought crossed her mind. “… Anypony remember the way back to the campsite?” After a brief moment of silence, the six mares all sighed and slammed their hooves into their faces simultaneously. “Great. Looks like we’ll just have to hope we get lucky.”

Navigating the forest back to the campsite took a lot longer than the six mares thought it would have, not made any easier by Trixie’s need to stop and rest after a long day of exhausting her magical energy. However, after much trudging through the forest, cutting away at thorn bushes, and avoiding a pit of quicksand on the way, they eventually reached the campsite.

From there, it was simple to retrace their way back to the stream. Unfortunately, the fast current from earlier hadn’t ceased, and the strange yet generous serpent from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

The mares had no choice but to follow the stream until they came across an alternate pathway to get across. This alternate pathway eventually presented itself in the form of a bridge, but when they finally found it, the mares were so tired that they had to stop to rest once more.

After a long walk back down the flow of the stream to find the pathway leading to the cliff, everypony was happy with the fact that the end of this little journey through the Everfree Forest was almost over, and that they would soon be able to get some rest after boarding the train to the Crystal Empire, to report in to Princess Cadance, as per her request.

As they were walking up the cliff’s path, Vinyl, who was bringing up the group’s rear, stepped on something on the path. “Oops!” She raised her shades over her eyes to see what it was.

“I told you not to wear shades in a dark place like this,” Lightning Dust said. “So what’s up? What’d ya step in?”

“I’m not sure,” Vinyl said, narrowing her eyes as she examined the strange curly object beneath her. The object that then began to move into the bush to her side, before the head of a chicken rose out of that same bush. “A… chicken?”

Trixie’s ear’s twitched, and she quickly turned around. She gulped as she saw the ‘chicken’ walking out of the bush, but with a snake’s body attached to its head. “Run!” she shouted, drawing her friends’ attentions. “That’s a cockatrice! We have to run!”

“Heh, you said-” Vinyl started, but was interrupted by Trixie.

“Not now Vinyl! And whatever you do, don’t look into its eyes, or it’ll turn into stone!”

“Say what?!” Lightning shouted, before a loud roar from the cockatrice caught her attention, causing her to turn to face it.

“Don’t look!” Feathermay shouted, twisting Lightning’s head with her hooves.

“Go!” Inkie shouted, and almost in unison, the six mares began to run together, the cockatrice squawking as it chased after them.”

Inkie slowed her pace to match Trixie’s, to make sure she could pick her up should she fall. “We’re almost there!” Trixie shouted as she eyed the exit to the Everfree Forest. “Don’t look back! It only slows you down!”

“It’s still behind us!” Apple Fritter shouted, hearing the roaring behind her drawing closer. “What if it attacks the town?!”

“Cockatrice’s are cowards! They won’t attack a settlement on their own!” Trixie told her as the six mare crossed the threshold of the Everfree Forest. “We made it!”

The six mares stopped, and looked back to see the shape of the cockatrice shifting back and forth in the forest, before letting out a loud cry, and then turning around in order to flee.

“Yeah, you’d better run!” Feathermay shouted, hovering in the air with elation after surviving such a close encounter.

“That was strange,” Trixie muttered. “Cockatrices get scared of settlements, sure, but… that thing looks downright terrified.”

“What does it matter?” Lightning asked. “We’re outta there! And now we can catch the train to the Crystal Empire, and-”

“What d’you mean there are no trains to the Crystal Empire?!” Lightning Dust shouted as she slammed her forehooves on the ticket booth’s counter. “Why the hay not?!”

“I’m terribly sorry, ma’am, but the train that runs between here and the Crystal Empire hasn’t returned yet, and we’ve yet to receive a response to our enquiry about this,” the ticket conductor replied, nervously backing away from the enraged Pegasus.

“You’ve gotta be freakin’ kiddin’ me…”

“It can’t be helped, Lightning,” Vinyl said, scratching the back of her head. “I guess we’ll just have ta walk there, then.”

Lightning groaned, and stomped a hoof onto the floor. “Well there’s no way we’re walking in the states we’re in now!” Lightning pointed out.

“I agree,” Apple Fritter said, looking between Lightning and Trixie. “You two need ta get those injuries checked out an’ treated. I say we head on over to the hospital, an’ then get some lunch, ‘fore we go travelling half the Country on hoof.”

Trixie thought about it for a second, and then nodded her head with a sigh. “Alright, Fritter. Although the fact that the train has yet to return concerns Trixie, you bring up a valid point. With the mother crystal gone, the roots should also be gone, so the threat to Equestria should be no more.”

“I noticed the crystals outside of Ponyville are no longer around,” Inkie pointed out, receiving a nod from the showmare.

“Therefore, we shall grab lunch, rest our tired bodies, and set off at…” Trixie looked up at the train station’s clock to find that it was just a little past 13:00. “… Say, half-past-two? We should then be able to make it to the Crystal Empire just before nightfall.” A smile crossed Trixie’s lips as she looked between her five friends. “And hopefully, that will be the end of it. And… Trixie thanks you, for tagging along with her on this journey.”

“Yeah, well next time, make sure to invite us from the start,” Vinyl said, throwing a foreleg across Trixie’s shoulders. “Got that, buddy?”

Trixie chuckled nervously, and then nodded her head. “Yes… The Great and Powerful Trixie shall commit that to memory.” With that, the six mares began to make their way into Ponyville. As they moved, Trixie mumbled: “Thank you, all of you…”

Author's Note

Thanks to SlashopentheSky for pre-reading ^_^

5 - Crystal Uprising

As the six mares walked along the train tracks leading towards the Crystal Empire, they decided to pass the time by playing a game of ‘I Spy’. Or rather, Feathermay had decided to start playing on her own, and the rest joined in afterwards, with the exception of Trixie. The showmare told them that they were too old for such childish games, though despite her protests…

‘It’s got to be ‘turnip’. What else could it be? But wait, were we passing the turnip field when she came up with it?’ Despite her protests, Trixie still found herself trying to solve each riddle in her head.

“We have to have gone through the entire dictionary by now!” Lightning shouted as she hovered gently beside Apple Fritter. Even though the doctor in Ponyville told her to stay grounded for a few days, that still didn’t stop the Wonderbolt-in-training from doing what she loved most – flying. “C’mon Feathermay, just tell us what it is already!”

“Wait,” Trixie said. “… Is it ‘the Great and Powerful Trixie’?”

“Nope!” Feathermay responded. “But good guess! And glad to see you’re finally playing along!”

Trixie sighed and shook her head. “Then that’s it. Trixie gives up. She can’t see what else it could possibly be.”

“I admit, I’m out of ideas, too,” Inkie said, still looking around the landscape in the hopes of some last-minute inspiration. “Go on then. What is it?”

“It’s Terry!” The other ponies exchanged looks with each other, wondering if anypony else knew what she was on about. When all they could see were blank look on each other’s faces, they turned back to Feathermay for clarification.

“Who?” Vinyl asked.

“Remember that rat we passed by a while ago that Inkie thought was totally gross?” The mares all nodded their heads. “Well, I named him Terry!”

“Ooh…” Vinyl said, whilst Feathermay continued to walk with a proud grin on her face. “And just how exactly were we meant to know that?”

“You weren’t!” Feathermay answered. “Isn’t that the whole point? I come up with something so hard you can’t figure it out?”

“Something we at least have a chance of figuring out,” Trixie said as she turned her head to look in front of her. “That’s it, Feathermay’s not going again. Fritter, you go.”

“Whaaaat?” Feathermay asked in a whine. “It’s not my fault you guys aren’t mind readers!”

“Fritter, you go,” Trixie repeated, causing Feathermay to pout as Apple Fritter looked around for something to use.

“Okay, I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…”

“Hey guys!” Lightning interrupted. “I think I see the top of the crystal palace over this next hill!”

“No foolin’?” Feathermay asked. “Woo! Thank Celestia, my hooves are getting tired!”

“Why didn’t you just fly, like me?” Lightning asked.

“Because then my wings would be tired, and I only have two of those, as opposed to four.”

Lightning Dust wasn’t sure whether the argument was sound or not, so she simply settled for nodding her head and flying higher to confirm what she saw. “Careful up there!” Apple Fritter yelled. “Ya shouldn’t even be flying at all!”

“It’s okay,” Trixie said. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will be ready to catch her should something happen.”

“Is there something special going on today?” Lightning asked as she descended back down towards the group. “It looks like they’re having some kinda party or somethin’ out in the streets.”

“… Maybe it’s some important pony’s birthday?” Inkie guessed. “Or an important Crystal Empire tradition?”

“Maybe they’re celebrating the black crystals disappearing,” Apple Fritter offered.

“Maybe they’re aware we’re coming, and are preparing a celebration in our honour,” Trixie said, grinning widely as she giggled to herself.

“Yeah, well, after what we went through, there’d better at least be some good food waitin’ for us when we get there,” Lightning said, licking her lips as an image of a huge tomato pizza topped with the spiciest peppers in Equestria entered her mind. “And medals. Medals wouldn’t hurt.”

“You think they’ll have a stained-glass window of us put up?” Vinyl asked as she used her magic to remove her shades for a moment, wiping them on Trixie’s cape to remove some dust. Trixie used her own magic to yank her cape away, and gave the DJ a frustrated growl.

“Guys, we should just be happy we were able to save our fellow ponies,” Apple Fritter said. “Rewards and such would be nice, but really, I’ll just be happy knowing mah friends and family are safe.”

“I agree,” Inkie said with a nod. “I’ll happily welcome any rewards we get, but I don’t really mind if all we get is a simple ‘thank you’.”

Trixie, Lightning, and Vinyl exchanged looks for a brief moment, and then laughed in unison. “Yeah, no,” Lightning said. “I almost died out there. The least they could do is give us some kinda grand party.”

“Well, we’re almost there now,” Trixie said as she picked up the pace a little bit, heading up the steep hill before her. “Trixie can see the crystal palace. Finally, we’re-” She stopped as soon as she reached the top of the hill, and was able to see the Crystal Empire in front of her. Only, it was not the sight that she was expecting it to be.

Down below, the streets were filled with ponies running all over the place, causing havoc and mayhem in the Empire. The Crystal Ponies were breaking into buildings and fighting with the Royal Guard, whilst the Royal Guard itself was protecting the non-Crystal Ponies and escorting them towards the palace.

There was a black mist hanging in the air, polluting the streets of the Crystal Empire, and Trixie gasped as she saw a single black crystal in the middle of the street.

“What’s wrong?” Inkie asked as she grew worried. A bad feeling washed over her, and she ran forward to meet with Trixie. As she did, she also noticed the Crystal Empire. “W-What’s going on?!”

“Trixie does not know,” Trixie said, “But we should find out! Let’s go!”

“Wait! We shouldn’t just charge in there recklessly!”

“Inkie’s right!” Apple Fritter said as she and the others caught up to the two. “We should look before we leap! See what we can find out, before we go chargin’ in there!”

“But-” Trixie began, but was cut off by a scream at the bottom of the hill.

“Help me!” The six mares saw a yellow Unicorn mare running full gallop away from three pursuing Crystal Ponies. As they watched, the mare tripped over a rock on the ground, and fell down onto her face, allowing the three Crystal Ponies to catch up to her. “Somepony, please help!”

“Change of plan!” Vinyl said as she ran forward down the hill.

“Trixie, Lightning, you two stay here!” Feathermay instructed as Apple Fritter and Inkie followed Vinyl down.

“What?!” Lightning shouted in anger. “Why the hell should we?!”

“Because you’re both injured, and as such you’ll just cause problems if you end up slipping and tumbling down this steep hill,” Feathermay said bluntly, causing the two mares to scowl at her. “Please, just leave this to us, and take the safer way down.”

Trixie and Lightning Dust looked over at the less-steep pathway to the left of them, and sighed. It was definitely the much safer option, but also the much longer option, too. “… Fine,” Trixie said hesitantly. “You guys deal with that, and we’ll catch up to you.”

Lightning turned around and began to follow the long path down. “C’mon, let’s go! Every second counts, right?”

Trixie nodded to Feathermay, and then took off after Lightning. When Lightning looked over her shoulder and saw Trixie struggling on her tree legs behind her, clearly exhausted from the long walk the group had faced today, she slowed down to match her pace with the showmare.

“So what’s going on? I mean, shouldn’t the crystals be gone by now?”

Trixie winced as she felt a sharp pain through her body, but continued to run as she glanced to her side and found her friends fighting with the Crystal Ponies. “That’s right. Or at least, that’s what Trixie expected when we destroyed the mother crystal. It’s also what Mi Amore said would happen, too.”

“You think there’s another one out there?”

“If that were the case, it is odd that we have only seen this one crystal, despite travelling half the Country on hoof.”

“Damnit! And I thought we were done with all this stuff! And why is it only the Crystal Ponies goin’ all crazy?”

Trixie thought about it for a moment, but could not come up with an answer. She considered maybe it was a species-specific spell of some kind cast over the Crystal Empire, but then dismissed that theory as she realised such a thing would create an obvious epicentre, that the group would have seen long before arriving at the Crystal Empire.

“For now, let’s just find our allies and get somewhere safe,” Trixie said, receiving a nod from Lightning Dust. The two eventually reunited with their other friends, who had managed to drive off the three Crystal Ponies and protect the fleeing Unicorn mare.

“Are you alright?” Inkie asked as she helped the mare up to her hooves.

“Y-Yes. I’m fine. But, what is going on here? Why are all of the Crystal Ponies acting so… savagely?”

Inkie shook her head and sighed. “We were hoping that you could tell us. When did this all start?”

The mare took a moment to think. “A-Around the afternoon. The crystals that popped up recently all disappeared, and everypony was so happy. But then, a few more popped up, and this strange mist appeared. Moments later, the Crystal Ponies began talk of finding and killing the Princess. Ah, Princess Cadenza, that is. And now…”

“Now, it’s up to the Royal Guard to protect her,” Vinyl summarised. “And the trains are down because of this whole fiasco.”

“The Crystal Ponies destroyed the engine, so that the Princess couldn’t escape via train.”

“And is the Princess okay?” Lightning asked, grabbing the mare by the shoulders and turning her to look her in the eyes. The mare gulped and shivered under Lightning’s fierce glare.

“I-I think so. T-T-The guards have been keeping them out of the p-p-palace, so…”

“Lightning!” Apple Fritter shouted as she shoved the Pegasus away. “Ye’re scarin’ her!”

“Why hasn’t the Princess evacuated?!” Lightning demanded, ignoring Apple Fritter’s scolding. “She can just fly away, can’t she?!”

“I-I don’t know!” the mare answered, backing away from the enraged Pegasus. “All I know is that she’s holed up in the palace, that’s all!”

“And that’s where we’re going!” Lightning shouted, taking off into the air. However, something tugging on her tail prevented her from going far, and when she looked back she found a purple aura around her tail. “Ugh, fine! We’ll go together!”

“You should get outta here,” Apple Fritter said to the frightened mare. “And warn anypony you come across that it ain’t safe here. Spread word across Equestria ta stay away from the Crystal Empire.”

“Yes… Yes, of course,” the mare said, smiling and bowing respectfully to her saviours. “Thank you, all of you. I am in your debt.”

“Just keep ponies away from this place. That’ll be plenty enough payment.”

The mare thanked the six friends once more, and then quickly ran off down the path that Trixie and Lightning Dust had just trekked. Not long after did the sound of hoofsteps catch the group’s attention, and as they all turned to find who it was, they saw several Crystal Ponies standing before them. Only this time, they were dressed in Crystal Guard attire.

“These are the one who defeated you?” one of the guard asked the only Crystal Pony not dressed in armour. The pony nodded, keeping his distance from the six friends.

“That’s them. And there are two more, too.”

“Two of them are injured, and the rest don’t exactly look like they can put up much of a fight.”

“Oh yeah?” Feathermay challenged. “Wanna give it a try?”

“Octy’d be mad if she knew I was goin’ ‘round gettin’ into fights like this,” Vinyl said as she cracked her forehooves. “So if you guys can keep this a secret, there’re VIP tickets to my next show in it for you.”

“Aren’t you guys supposed ta be protectin’ the Princess?” Apple Fritter asked. “Why’re y’all tryin’ ta kill her all of a sudden?”

The lead guard pointed his spear forward, and his followers joined him. “The Crystal Princess must be killed! All who get in our way will also die!”

“That’s just barbaric!” Inkie shouted, backing away and sweating as she looked at the sharp tips of the spears. “Didn’t you swear an oath, to protect your Princess and her subjects?!”

“The Crystal Princess must be killed!” the guard repeated, charging forward and pointing his spear at Inkie Pie. “All who get in our way will also die!”

Inkie braced herself for the incoming attack, readying herself to dodge to the left at just the right time in order to launch an effective counterattack. However, a pink light appearing between herself and her assailant repelled the charging Crystal Guard, and prompted the one following him to stop in their tracks.

“If you wish harm them, then you shall have to go through me!” The Crystal Guards turned around, and were startled by the sudden appearance of an armoured white Unicorn stallion, approaching the scene with three Equestrian Royal Guards following behind him, a pink aura enveloping his horn as he glared the Crystal Guards down. “Captain Shining Armor, Prince of the Crystal Empire, and knight to Princess Cadance, hereby orders you: lay down your weapons, now!”

“Capture him alive!” the leader of the Crystal Guard ponies shouted as he rose to his hooves. “We’ll draw out the Princess by using him as a hostage! Kill the others if they interfere!”

“Sir, yes, sir!” the Crystal Guards shouted as they pointed their spears at the four interlopers.

“Do you think they’ll be okay?” Inkie asked as she turned to face Trixie.

“Well, Trixie can’t vouch for the other three, as she has never met them. But, if he brought them to this battle… then he must have faith in them. And as for the bumbling Captain…” A Crystal Guard slamming against the barrier surrounding the mares cut Trixie off, and startled the other five mares who were busy listening to the showmare. “… There is a big difference between the Captains and their subordinates. Even that oaf wouldn’t lose to lower-ranking soldiers like this.”

“But there are so many,” Inkie pointed out. “And isn’t one of them a Captain, too?”

“True, but they’re also Crystal Ponies,” Trixie replied, before another guard was thrown their way, and crashed into the barrier. “Their fighting styles are one thousand years old, very outdated. That gives the modern-day guard the advantage.”

“You guys, are you okay?!” Shining Armor shouted as he approached the six mares, his barrier disappearing as he cancelled his magic. “Thank goodness! When the train was broken, we feared you may have just forgone walking here and simply delivered a letter!”

“Providing we survived in the first place,” Lightning Dust said as she saluted the Captain. “Oh. Lightning Dust, Cadet at Wonderbolt Academy, rank one, sir.”

“At ease,” Shining said with a smile as he stopped in front of the group, his three guards following him. “I’m glad you guys are okay… though I can’t say I’m too happy with you being so reckless in such a state,” he added as he directed his attention towards Trixie’s leg. “You’re just civilians, you really should have just left this to the Royal Guard.”

“This is Trixie’s personal quest,” Trixie said coolly, flicking her mane as she looked away from the Captain. “Trixie’s been here since day one, and it’s her life on the line here.”

“Well, whatever. No use crying over spilled milk,” Shining said with a sigh. “So, I take you weren’t able to destroy the crystal then.”

“Wrong,” Vinyl said with a grin. “We actually busted that thing! Totalled it, with that bead your wife gave us.”

“The bead was destroyed too, though,” Apple Fritter added. “What happened here, though? The crystals all over Equestria are gone, so why are there still some here?”

“Captain Armor!” one of the guards shouted, interrupting the conversation. “The enemy is heading this way!”

“We’ll talk later!” Shining told the six mares, turning around and lighting up his horn. “Guards, I’ll leave this to you! I have to take these mares to the palace!”

“Yes, sir!”

With that, Shining Armor charged forward, using his magic to break through the approaching enemy forces, and motioned for the six mares to follow him. As they ran through the streets of the Crystal Empire, which had been overtaken by ponies running about and fighting each other, they caught the stallion up on what they had learned in the Everfree Forest, and how they had destroyed the mother crystal with the bead that Sombra had left behind.

When they finally reached the palace, Shining used a special spell to see them all inside safely passed the gathered mob, and told the mares to wait whilst he looked around for his wife. Forty minutes past, and they were beginning to grow bored of the wait, until the sound of hoofsteps drew their attentions.

“Princess Cadance!” Inkie shouted as the pink Alicorn Princess approached the group. She bowed, along with her friends, with the exception of Trixie, who took advantage of her leg as an excuse not to bow.

“Shining Armor has informed me of what you have told him,” Cadance said as she motioned for the group to rise. Her voice was a lot less gentle than they remembered it being. And also, more mature. “It seems that I was right after all. The Fuente de la Corrupción is behind all of this.”

“You serious?!” Vinyl shouted as she rose up, quickly catching herself and placing her forehooves to her mouth. “Er… Your Highness.”

“So there are still roots about? But how? And why only in the Crystal Empire?” Inkie asked.

Cadance shook her head. “You’re mistaken. These aren’t roots, but saplings.”

“Saplings?” Inkie asked. “I don’t understand.”

“Sometimes, when a plant dies, it will spread its seeds around the area, in order to keep the race alive.”

Trixie eyes widened, and she took a step forward. “Are you saying… that this is going on across all of Equestria?!”

“No, no,” Cadance said with a smile. “Thankfully, the situation is contained here. The original Fuente de la Corrupción, could only be grown here, in the Crystal Empire. There seems to be some special property in the air of the Crystal Empire that allows them to grow…”

“Damnit!” Lightning shouted as she slammed a forehoof against the floor. “This must’ve been what that bastard was saying before! About how it didn’t matter what we did? He knew this would happen! Like a final revenge kinda thing!”

“Please be calm, Miss Dust,” Cadance said as she placed a hoof under the Pegasus’ chin.

“Y-You know my name?” Lightning asked, stars in her eyes as she met the Princess’.

“But of course. Captain Spitfire has informed me of her number one flyer lots of times.” A proud grin formed on Lightning’s face, but it didn’t last long. “She also said that you’re rash, and reckless, and impulsive, and always need a good scolding to keep you in line.” Lightning simply gaped at the Princess’ bluntness, while the other ponies present tired to hold back their laughs. “You sound so much like Shining, back when he was a colt.”

“H-Hey!” Shining Armor shouted in protest.

“Anyway,” Cadance continued, looking over the rest of the mares now, “Hope is not lost yet. If we can destroy these saplings before they mature, then their effects should be reversed, and they will not be able to spread any more seeds.”

“Then what are we waiting for?!” Lightning shouted as she backed away from the Princess. “How many are there? I’ll take ‘em out in no time flat!”

“There are seven,” Shining Armor reported. “However, destroying them will be no simple task. In fact, it seems that the only method to destroy them, is that same method used to destroy the previous Fuente de la Corrupción.”

“… The bead,” Trixie said, putting her good hoof to her chin. “But, the bead’s gone now. We can’t use it again.”

“It would seem that Sombra’s plan, was to destroy the enemy’s Fuente de la Corrupción, and allow the saplings it created to create turmoil here,” Cadance surmised, receiving nods of understanding from the mares. “Only Sombra knew how to create the bead. And, although we have analysed it… we still do not know how to create one of our own.”

“No way…” Feathermay said as she looked outside the window behind her, her ears flattening against the sides of her head at the sight of ponies fighting below her. “There must be something we can do.”

“There is,” Cadance informed them. “Even now, our finest minds are working on analysing samples our troops have brought back from the saplings. We will find a way to create more of those beads. Until then, I shall remain here.” Cadance walked over to the window, and leaned on the edge as she looked outside. “… If I run, then the Crystal Ponies will follow after me, storming all of Equestria in order to find out my location.”

“Is that why you stayed?” Trixie asked.

“Yes. The Crystal Ponies seem to have two goals: to kill me, and to take over the Crystal Empire. As long as those goals have not yet been realised, they will remain here. But, if they were to leave… then, Celestia would no longer be able to hold her forces back. The only reason she hasn’t issued the order to detain or wipe out the rebel elements yet, is because it is contained in the Crystal Empire. Though they might be under the taint of the Fuente de la Corrupción crystals, they are my subject nonetheless. And I want to protect them…”

“… Is there anything that we can do?” Inkie asked. “Trixie, couldn’t you help them analysis the samples?”

Trixie shook her head. “Trixie is still exhausted from today. Maybe after a good night’s sleep, but right now she is in no state to go around analysing something she has never even heard of until yesterday.”

“Not to mention that analyses aren’t your strong point, right?” Vinyl asked in a teasing tone, earning a scowl from the showmare. “What? That’s what ya told me when we were bunkin’ together.”

“Regardless, she has a point,” Cadance said, drawing the group’s attention once more. “It is getting dark, and you have all travelled so far on hoof. I have prepared some rooms for you all to get some rest, and a meal shall be prepared shortly. Please, rest up tonight, and if you can, help us in the morning.”

“Sounds like a sweet deal to me!” Lightning shouted enthusiastically as she pumped a forehoof into the air.

The other mares agreed, with the exception of Trixie, who simply stared out of the window behind Cadance, at the setting sun in the distance. ‘… Tomorrow is the fated day. If I haven’t altered the course of time yet, then tomorrow, I’ll…’

“Trixie, let’s go,” Inkie said, snapping the showmare out of her trance. “Hm? Were you thinking about something?”

“… Just that, Trixie hopes tomorrow will go well.”

Inkie looked confused for a second, before she remembered what day tomorrow was. She was about to say something, before Trixie smiled and walked past her. Not sure what else to do, Inkie also smiled, and turned around to follow her friend. ‘If tomorrow really is her last day… If it turns out that we failed… then, at the very least, we can cherish this time together. And smile.’

“Man! That was awesome! It’s a wonder the Princesses aren’t so fat, with food like that being served to ‘em everyday!”

Apple Fritter laughed as she watched Lightning Dust lean back lazily in her chair whilst patting her stomach with a forehoof. “Careful there, Dust. You’ll turn into a cow at this rate.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, grandma.” Lightning responded as she fiddled with a toothpick between her teeth. “Hey, wait. Shouldn’t you guys be rationing your food, if you’re gonna hide in this tower?”

“Well, by our estimates, the guards outside won’t be able to keep the mobs at bay for any longer than three days,” Shining Armor informed them.

“And I have faith in my researchers to find a means to save the Empire before then,” Cadance added. “Not to mention, we have a special guest on her way to help us push the research along. If anypony can find the answer, it’ll be her.”

“Who’s that? One of the Princesses?” Vinyl asked, bringing her glass of wine to her lips.

“Yes,” Cadance answered. “Shining’s little sister, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

The sound of a glass shattering startled everypony in the room, and almost made Vinyl Scratch choke on her wine before she turned to see what was going on. Sitting at one end of the table, next to Inkie Pie, Trixie was glaring at the space in front of her and her horn was emitting furious sparks as fragments of a recently-broken glass, along with the wine it once held, floated above the table in front of her.

Inkie quickly reached a hoof over and placed it on Trixie’s shoulder, getting the showmare’s attention. “Trixie, calm down. She’s only coming to help the Empire, please try to ignore it.”

“C’mon Trixie, you’ve got more important things to think about, right?” Lightning Dust said. “Look, she’s gonna have to walk here, and I doubt she’ll make the journey at night. She’ll probably be here tomorrow, so just try to get her out of your head before then, alright?”

“It’s not her that’s the problem,” Trixie said, gritting her teeth as she gently levitated the glass fragments down onto the table. “It’s that, once again, she’ll take all the credit. And Trixie will be left with…” A fire lit in Trixie’s eyes as she moved her head aside, throwing the pool of wine in her magical hold out of the window behind her. “… Nothing.”

“That’s not true,” Vinyl said, placing her glass down and looking down the table at Trixie. “You get to hang out with us at a special, friends-only gig after this is over!”

“You get another story for your shows,” Apple Fritter pointed out.

“I’ll make sure ponies know that you played a part in this!” Lightning told her.

“And even if the rewards suck, the ride itself is fun!” Feathermay added. “Even when things were scary and looked pretty bad, I still enjoyed getting to travel with all of you.”

“I know!” Inkie shouted enthusiastically as she clapped her hooves together. “When this is over, I’ll paint a picture of your heroic deeds! Then, all of Equestria will know of what you did here today!”

Trixie stared at her friends for a moment, all smiling at her across the table, and then smiled herself as she lowered the brim of her hat. “The Great and Powerful Trixie used to have fans all across Equestria, and now she has a meagre audience of but five ponies.”

“Quality, not quantity, Trix,” Lightning Dust said, the others nodding in agreement with her.

“Huh. Trixie had never thought of it that way before. Perhaps you’re onto something… Perhaps, just you guys being behind me is enough… for now.” Trixie added the last part with a flick of her mane, earning a giggle from Inkie at showmare’s attempt to put on a cool face.

“That’s sweet and all,” a voice behind them said, interrupting them and destroying the cheerful mood that had been established, “But would somepony mind explaining to me why I came all the way to the Crystal Empire, just to have wine poured all over my face?”

Lightning’s eyes shot wide open, and she practically bolted up out of her seat as she saluted the new arrival. “C-C-Captain Spitfire! W-What are you doing here?!”

“What does it look like?” Spitfire asked as she snatched the towel brought to her by one of Cadance’s servants, and began to wipe herself clean. “I’m here to bring important information to the Princess of the Crystal Empire, that’s what!”

“Captain Spitfire,” Cadance addressed the Wonderbolt as she rose out of her chair, “I’m sure you have had a long journey, but could you please take a moment to calm down, before delivering any message you may have?”

Spitfire shot the Princess a glare for a second, but then softened her look as she took in a deep breath, held it, and then released it in one go. “… Sorry ‘bout that. It’s just that situation has gotten a lot worse!”

“How so?”

“It seems the attack on the Crystal Empire was just the start. A strange mist has started to spread through Canterlot, and ponies are starting to turn on each other left and right!”

Cadance gasped, and rushed over to the yellow Pegasus as fast as she could. “And black crystals have popped up in the city?”

Spitfire shook her head. “No, Your Highness. Just the mist. And it doesn’t seem to affect everypony, but so far, we’ve been unable to ascertain what kind of ponies it is targeting, and why.”

“Well, what kinds of ponies have been affected so far?” Inkie asked.

“Common citizens living in the less-wealthy areas are the most affected. Nobles and Royalty seem to be completely immune to it, and within the Royal Guard, it is unfortunately the strongest members that are being affected.”

“What about race-wise?” Trixie asked. “Is it safe to assume that Unicorns are suffering the least from this mist?”

Spitfire nodded her head. “That’s right. A good thing, too, since Celestia’s School is filled with Unicorns of exceptional talent.”

“Then, it’s likely affecting those with weak minds,” Trixie surmised, putting a hoof to her chin. “Unicorns generally have stronger minds than Pegasi and Earth Ponies, and as you said, it is the less-wealthy and the physically strong that are being affected by this.”

“That’s one possibility,” Cadance said in agreement. “But for that to be true, it would mean that somepony released that mist, not that the mist was released randomly. Otherwise, it would only target the Crystal Ponies.”

“Is that what’s happening here?” Apple Fritter asked. “Why does it only target the Crystal Ponies?”

“Because, it was originally designed to, by Somb-” Cadance stopped and stared into space with a horrified look on her face. “… Sombra… was the one who originally designed the Fuente de la Corrupción. The mist is the tainted magic that it collects, and it was he who designed it to attack the Crystal Ponies. To corrupt them and make them rebel. He’s the only one I can think of who would know how to alter it, and make it attack other ponies, instead.”

“Now that I think about it,” Inkie began, “Didn’t that guy in the Everfree mention that Sombra’s plan was to attack Canterlot from within?”

“So Sombra’s still alive,” Shining Armor muttered to himself. “And with the Crystal Ponies like this, we can’t use the Crystal Heart to defeat him!”

“No, the Crystal Heart still shines strong,” Cadance said, turning her attention towards the nearby window. “If we can remove those saplings, then the Crystal Ponies can power the Crystal Heart once more.”

“But will Canterlot last that long?” Lightning asked Spitfire, who looked to the ground with a grim look on her face and shook her head.

“Even supposing that the saplings can be removed tomorrow, at the rate things are going, there will be numerous casualties by then. And the Princesses refuse to evacuate or fight back.”

“We have to go to Canterlot, now!” Lightning shouted, slamming her forehooves against the floor. “At this rate, lots of ponies are gonna be killed, right? We have to do something! At least buy some time while the Crystal Heart is powered up!”

“That’s actually not a bad plan,” Trixie said. “But unfortunately, you can’t go.”

Lightning turned to Trixie with a look of disbelief. “Why not?! ‘Cause I’m injured?! You are, too!”

“Because you’ll likely fall under the mist’s influence!” Trixie corrected, causing Lightning Dust to settle down a little bit. “The same goes for all of you. With the exception of Trixie and Vinyl Scratch, the corruption would likely be too much for and of you to bear. At the very least, Trixie doesn’t want to take the risk. She doesn’t…” Trixie paused for a second, before adding in a whispered voice: “She doesn’t want to have fight you, of all ponies…”

The group fell silent for a short moment, before Vinyl interrupted it by speaking up. “Uh, Trix? Sure I may be a Unicorn, but I’m not exactly a magical powerhouse or anything.”

“No, but you have a pure mind and a strong resolve,” Trixie said with a grin. “Even when offered a contract that would ensure the sweet life for you, you refused it, because it would mean abandoning your friend in her time of need. And even after that friend had shrugged you off as a nuisance.”

Vinyl’s face turned a slight shade of red, and she let out a nervous chuckle. “Well, that was back in College. I did a lot of crazy things back then…”

“Trixie can’t imagine that you would fall under its corruption,” Trixie said. “But the rest of you, Trixie just isn’t sure. In any case, the Crystal Empire needs you here.”

Shining stepped forward. “I agree with Trixie. Our guard are doing all that they can to keep the mob at bay, and they’re utterly exhausted. We could use all the help that we could get here in order to reach the crystals, when the time comes to destroy them.”

“You guys can catch up to us when the Crystal Heart is powered up,” Trixie said. “Until then, we’ll minimise the damage done to Canterlot by keeping the corrupted ponies at bay and rescuing the non-corrupted ones.”

Princess Cadance considered the offer for a second, before nodding her head. “Very well then. Captain Spitfire, will you assist them?”

Spitfire saluted the Princess. “Yes, ma’am! It was my intention to return to Canterlot after this anyway to assist my troops.”

“There is an airship in the hanger that you can use to get there. When the Crystal Heart is powered up again, we will make our way to the outskirts of Canterlot, and launch a signal to tell you that we are ready.”

Trixie reached into her cloak and pulled something out. It was a small black tube with a fuse attached to one end of it. “Use this as the signal. It’s powerful, and makes a distinctive noise, so we’ll be alerted to it even if we are indoors.” Cadance looked at the strange object with a curious look, before deciding to take it into her hoof. “Just be careful! Light it from a distance.”

“Uh, okay…” Cadance studied the object, trying to determine what exactly it was.

“We will wait no more than thirty minutes after launching the signal,” Shining Armor told them. “If you do not meet up with us before then, then we will simply carry on without you.”

“Sounds fair enough,” Vinyl said. “C’mon, let’s go already! Octy could be in trouble right now!”

“Octy?” Spitfire asked.

“Her marefriend,” Lightning explained with a roll of her eyes.

However, Spitfire’s eyes seemed to light up at the news, and her mane seemed to flare up and wave about, making it look more like a fire than it already did. “You don’t say. Well then, let’s hurry this up! I totally understand the feeling of wanting to rescue one’s true love on the battlefield!”

“Good luck, everypony,” Cadance said as the three took off into the hallway of the Crystal Palace. “Shining, I’m going down to the balcony. I must make sure that nopony thinks I’m fleeing on the airship.”

“Then, I’ll come with you, and search the city through the telescope.”

The two left the dining hall, leaving the four other mares alone in the large room. “… Guess we should get some sleep,” Apple Fritter said after a long silence. “Ready for when we’ll be needed tomorrow.”

“Good thinking,” Inkie said, followed by a yawn. ‘Trixie and Vinyl are doing their best. We have to do our best, too.’

It was early in the next morning when the airship arrived at Canterlot. Trixie and Vinyl had rested up during the trip, though they didn’t manage to get much sleep. Thoughts of Octavia fighting for her life against ponies that were once her friends kept Vinyl Scratch awake, and despite her attempts to maintain a cold attitude, Trixie couldn’t help but be concerned for the ponies she had come to know well in the past few months.

Spitfire announced that they were drawing near, and the two mares prepared themselves as they watched the castle drawing closer and closer from the airship’s deck. “Pegasi rebels have the air completely blocked. We’re gonna have to land here and charge in through the entrance.”

“Trixie is ready,” Trixie said as she stared out into the night sky. ‘This is the day. The day that Trixie will supposedly die. It’s all-or-nothing, now.’

“Right, then hold on tight. It’s gonna be a rough landing, since the terrain is pretty mountainous.”

The airship descended some feet outside of Canterlot, and landed on the hilly plains outside of the city’s gate. After anchoring it down and locking the controls, the three ponies exited the ship and faced the city before them, which was illuminated brightly by the flames from within. With one final nod, they ran forward towards Canterlot, ready for battle.

“We’re in luck!” Spitfire shouted as she approached the gates, which were being guarded by two Unicorn Royal Guards. “The unaffected guards still hold the gate! Getting in will be simple!”

“Captain Spitfire, sir!” one of the guards called out as the three mares approached. Both guards saluted as the Captain reached them, and she motioned for them to be at ease. “Captain, how is the situation in the Crystal Empire?”

“Not much better than it was early, but Princess Sparkle should be there soon! I sent Soarin to give her a ride in the Firefly Mk. 3. As soon as the situation there is under control, Princess Cadance and Captain Armor will arrive with the Crystal Heart to restore the order here.”

“The Crystal Heart?” the other guard asked. “Will that fix whatever madness is going on here?”

“It will, providing our theory is correct,” Trixie said, receiving a nod from Spitfire.

“Until then, the three of us are going to go in and minimise the number of casualties by whatever means necessary. To that end, I order you to grant us entry.”

The two guards saluted briefly, before one of them ran towards the small shack at the side of the gate.

“Ma’am, it is total chaos in there. Princess Luna has been injured, and Princess Celestia is staying by her sister’s side.”

“Injured?!” Spitfire and Vinyl both shouted in unison.

However, Trixie didn’t buy it. “More like, she’s under the mist’s influence, too,” she whispered, just loud enough that only the other mares heard her. “Because she has been corrupted by dark magic before, it is likely that she is especially vulnerable to it, even if her mind is still strong.”

“Then, the Princess is making sure her sister doesn’t become Nightmare Moon again?” Vinyl asked, and Trixie nodded.

“Trixie’s theory, at least, but Trixie refuses to believe that Princess Luna would be injured by the citizens of Canterlot to such a degree that her sister would need to tend to her. For one thing, it hasn’t even been a full day since this turmoil started.”

“Then, all the more reason for us to get in there and help everypony out!” Spitfire shouted. “Where’s Discord? Isn’t he doing anything to help?!”

“C-Captain!” the remaining guard stuttered, looking at the two Unicorns behind the Wonderbolt with a fearful look on his face.

“Discord?” Trixie asked. “What does he have to do with this?”

“This is confidential, but given the nature of this incident, I guess I can brief you on this a little bit,” Spitfire said. “Discord was recently freed from his stone prison, and swore his allegiance to the Princesses.”

Trixie scoffed. “And they say that Trixie likes to tell tall tales.”

Vinyl chuckled nervously and adjusted her shades. “G-Good one, Cap’n. Yeah, as if Discord would…” Spitfire didn’t laugh, or turn to face the two mares, or respond in any way. “… Y-You’re for real?”

“As real as my flying abilities,” Spitfire confirmed.

“Impossible!” Trixie shouted in protest. “That bastard turned all of Equestria upside-down in less than one hour! He turned so many ponies into deformations of their true selves, and he-” Trixie stopped herself as she recalled what the Spirit of Chaos had done to her. “… I-In any case, there’s no way he would-”

“Soldier!” Spitfire shouted, interrupting Trixie. “Answer my question! What is Discord’s status?”

The guard hesitated for a second, before saluting once more and beginning his report. “… Unknown, sir. Discord… is on vacation, sir.”

Spitfire felt a vein in her forehead pop. “He’s what?” she asked in a flat tone. The gates began to open, but ignored it.

“H-He left on v-vacation, two d-days ago. W-We’ve been unable to reach him…”

Spitfire slammed a forehoof into the ground and let out a roar. “That bastard! I told them not to give him too much freedom, but would they listen?!” Spitfire’s wings shot out of her sides, and her body seemed to burst into flames as she lifted gently off the ground. The guard, Vinyl Scratch, and Trixie, all took steps back from the enraged Pegasus. “Forget him, then! We’ll protect Canterlot on our own! Trixie, Vinyl, move out!”

Spitfire shot forward through the open gate, into the city of Canterlot, leaving a stunned Trixie and Vinyl Scratch behind.

“Uh… should we follow her?” Vinyl eventually asked.

“Possibly…” Trixie said, before shaking away the shock of what she had just seen. “Well, we did say we’d help protect Canterlot whilst we wait for the Crystal Heart to be powered up, so… After you.”

“Gee, thanks,” Vinyl said as she ran through the gate followed closely by Trixie. The gate closed behind them, and they ran down the street, following the orange glow in front of them that was Spitfire. “Man, this place is a wreck,” Vinyl observed as she looked around at the destroyed buildings, the toppled stands and carriages, and the emergency relief tents set up by the Royal Guard.

“Looks like trouble up ahead,” Trixie said, causing Vinyl to look ahead of her to check it out. Spitfire had stopped, and was engaging some ponies dressed in armour in combat. Despite them also having weapons, and Spitfire having no equipment whatsoever, she was holding her own quite well. “She’s good, but we should back her up.”

“Totally,” Vinyl said, before being suddenly ambushed by somepony from the side, knocking her down onto the ground.

Trixie noticed this, and turned around to help her. “Vinyl! Are you o-” Trixie stopped when she noticed who had attacked the DJ. It was a brown Earth Pony mare, with a long black mane and tail. The pony’s hair and coat were a little messier than usual, but she was still easily identifiable, especially by her Cutie Mark.

“O-Octy…” Vinyl said as she gazed into the eyes of the pony on top of her. “Y-You’re okay! You’re-” Vinyl gasped and quickly moved her head to the side, dodging the knight that was thrust down towards her face by the mare above her. “What’re ya doing?! That could’ve killed me!” Another attack came, and Vinyl used her hind legs to push Octavia away from her, knocking the mare down onto her back. “Shoot! Are you okay?!” Vinyl asked as she rose to her hooves.

Octavia only responded by rising to her hooves slowly, and Vinyl got a good look at her eyes. They were completely black, with streams of purple mist flowing out of their sides. The cellist lowered her head and charged towards the DJ. Vinyl wanted to move aside, but if she did there was a chance that Octavia would hit the wall behind her. And she fight back without hurting her, either.

Octavia was about to connect her head with Vinyl’s shoulder, but stopped suddenly mid-charge. Despite the fact that her legs were still moving, the cellist simply remained suspended in the air, flailing her legs about and screaming at the top of her lungs. Vinyl noticed the purple aura around her, and looked over at the showmare she knew to be responsible.

“You okay, Vinyl?” Trixie asked as she struggled to keep Octavia in her hold.

“What are you doing? She’s not in pain, is she?” Vinyl asked, looking over at Octavia with a concerned look on her face.

“Not from Trixie’s spell. Trixie’s simply holding her, but her next spell will hurt a bit.” Before Vinyl could say anything, the light from Trixie’s horn intensified, and Octavia’s screaming stopped as she let out a pained yelp, before falling limp in Trixie’s hold. Vinyl ran over to the cellist’s body as it was lowered gently to the ground. “Don’t worry. Trixie applied a shock to her system to knock her out, but she’s under no harm.”

Vinyl didn’t say anything for a few moments as she simply stared at the sleeping body of Octavia on the ground. She looked like she was having a nightmare… and a tear ran down the cellist’s face as she uttered one word: “Vin… yl…”

Vinyl grit her teeth together, and reached down to pick Octavia off of the ground. “She’ll only slow us down,” Trixie said. “We should give her to one of the guards to look after her.”

“No,” Vinyl said. “We’re taking her with us. If I start to slow down, just leave me behind.” Vinyl pulled Octavia up onto her back, grunting as she adjusted to the new weight now on her.

Trixie sighed as she watched the scene before her. “Trixie isn’t going to do that… Very well, how about we drop her off at the castle? Will that suffice?”

Vinyl nodded after taking a moment to think about it. “Fine then. But only if we can get some kinda guarantee of her safety.”

“There are holding cells in the castle. Not the most pleasant places in Equestria, but at least she won’t be able to harm anypony. Or herself.”

Vinyl looked over her shoulder and at the mare on her back. “Sorry, Octy. We’ll take care of this real soon, and then you’ll be back ta normal. Just wait a little longer, okay?”

“Hey guys!” Spitfire shouted, drawing their attention towards her. She was just a little bit further down the street, kicking a pony dressed in Royal Guard attire in the chest. “Over here! There’s a family barricaded in there!” She pointed to the pub beside her, where the windows and doors were all blocked by various furniture. “C’mon, let’s get ‘em out!”

Trixie and Vinyl made their ways over to the Pegasus, who was just finishing off the last of the corrupted guards attacking her. “We gotta get in there and help them! I think there’s a corrupted pony in there with ‘em!”

“On it!” Trixie shouted as he horn lit up, along with the piece of furniture blocking the door. She grunted as she pushed forward. “Damnit! They’ve done a good job keeping ponies out! Spitfire, try charging it whilst Trixie pushes!”

“You got it!” Spitfire reared up in the air, and shot forward suddenly without warning. As Trixie pushed with her magic, Spitfire rammed the barricade with all her might. Trixie grinned as she felt it slipping. “Again!” Spitfire rammed the barricade again, and again. “One more should do it!”

Spitfire rammed the barricade one more time, this time succeeding in pushing it out of the way. “We’re in!” she shouted, looking around for the family. She found one stallion, one mare, and one filly huddled up in the corner, whilst a second stallion approached them with a knife being held in his magic. “Oh no you don’t!”

Trixie ran in after Spitfire, with Vinyl following behind her. They watched as Spitfire threw a kick at the stallion, who narrowly dodged it and attempted to counter by lunging his knife at her. She nimbly dodged the knife, and landed on the ground in a defensive stance, ready to engage the pony in combat. “You guys, get out of here!” she shouted to the frightened family.

“Over here!” Vinyl shouted, waving to them.

“H-Hold on!” the stallion shouted as the mare and filly moved slowly towards the door. “Our son is in the kitchen! We can’t leave him in there with that psychopath!”

Spitfire cursed under her breath as she quickly jumped aside to dodge another incoming knife attack. “Trixie!”

“Yes, yes, Trixie shall get the colt!” Trixie shouted, before turning to Vinyl. “Don’t let them leave the pub. We’ll escort them safely to the castle with us. It’s too dangerous out there.”

Vinyl nodded and moved in front of the door, whilst Trixie turned to head into the kitchen. When she entered, she found a Pegasus mare banging against the pantry door with her hooves. Trixie narrowed her eyes and focussed her magic on the mare’s tail as she took a step closer, but stopped as she felt her hoof kicking something on the ground. The sounds of something metallic rolling across the ground alerted the mare to Trixie’s presence, and she quickly spun around and glare at the showmare.

Trixie noticed that this mare had the same eyes as Octavia, and was momentarily thrown off by the almost inpony scream that the mare let out as she charged forward. The mare was faster than Trixie expected, and managed to swing a hoof around Trixie’s head before she could react.

Trixie’s focus dropped, along with the magic she had built up moment ago, and before she could react to this mare’s sudden attack she found her body being pushed aside, and her head being pushed down at such a high speed. She let out a startled scream, though it didn’t last long as her head was suddenly submerged into water. She flailed and kicked her legs in an attempt to free herself, and then soon focussed her magic once again.

‘If I remember right, it was right… there!’ Trixie felt her magic connect with the spoon she had kicked away earlier, and she threw it at the mare holding her down. The mare jumped at the sudden attack, and allowed enough of an opening for Trixie to trip her up and free herself from the water. “AIR! Oh Celestia do I love air!”

Trixie quickly turned her attention to the mare, who was already up and charging at the showmare again. This time, Trixie did not underestimate her opponent, and kept a close eye on the pony’s movements. Trixie dodged a few incoming blows, and when she saw an opening, she delivered her own kick with her hind leg.

At the same time, though, the mare had flared her wings and flapped them to thrust herself forward, allowing her to deliver her own blow to Trixie’s chest. Both kicks connected at the same time, and both ponies were pushed back by the blows.

Trixie felt something wet run down her head, and groaned as she struggled to push herself upright. Her nose caught a familiar scent, and she took a few sniffs to determine what it was. “Wine?” Righting herself once more, Trixie turned around to find that she had been pushed into wine barrel, which had subsequently exploded and poured all over her. “What a waste!” she screamed, before she remembered that she was in a fight.

A scream behind Trixie prompted her to turn around, and sure enough, her opponent was not finished just yet. And this time, she was holding a frying pan in her hoof. Trixie used her magic to throw one of the wine barrels towards the charging mare, and then ran in after it. The mare jumped to the side to avoid being hit by the flying barrel, and Trixie used her magic to explode the barrel as it flew past her.

The mare let out a startled yelp and held up her frying pan as a makeshift shield from the sudden torrent of wine, and Trixie took advantage of the opening to launch a magic attack at the mare’s chest, giving her the same shock that Octavia had received earlier.

The sound of the frying pan crashing against the floor was accompanied by the mare’s body colliding with the hard wooden floor beneath her, and was then followed by Trixie’s heavy pants as she fell back on her haunches and took a moment to recover from the recent ordeal. After the moment had passed, she remembered why she was there in the first place.

Getting up, Trixie ran over to the pantry door, and attempted to open it up with her magic, only to find that it would not budge. “… Hey! It’s safe now!” she shouted, but there was no response. “Hey, kid! You can come out now!” Again, there was no response. Trixie was about to try kicking the door herself, when a voice behind her stopped her from doing so.

“SON!” Trixie turned around to find the stallion from before running into the kitchen, with the mare and the filly following after him. “Son, it’s me! You can come out now!”

“Pops?” a voice called out from inside. Trixie was surprised to hear the sound of a teenager’s voice calling out, and as the door opened slowly, she saw that the Unicorn colt inside was indeed a teenager. Or maybe even a young adult. He had an unshaven face, a flowery jacket and headband, and a long, greasy mane and tail. He looked the exact opposite of his noble-looking father. “Pops, mum, sis! You’re all safe!”

The colt or stallion ran out of the pantry and joined his family a big group hug, which caused Vinyl, who had walked in moments after the father, to sniffle and wipe away a pretend tear. “Aww, isn’t that sweet, Trix?”

“Did Trixie miss the part where she told you to let these guys in here?” Trixie asked rhetorically.

“Hey, I have an unconscious mare on my back, and she’s not exactly light y’know!” Vinyl winced as she felt Octavia’s hoof pinch her side. “A-Anyway, how did you want me to stop ‘em? You’re lucky I convinced them to stick with us and follow us to the castle!”

Before Trixie could say anything, a flower appeared between herself and Vinyl. She turned to see the colt or stallion kneeling down next to her, his left hoof over his chest and his head bowed down as he held the flower in his magic.

“You’re the one who saved me, right? That was radical, man. Please accept this as, like, a symbol of my gratitude.”

Trixie looked at the colt or stallion with a raised eyebrow, before hesitantly accepting the flower by grabbing it with her magic. She ignored the sounds of Vinyl’s stifled laughter, more focussed on the fact that somepony had just said ‘radical’ in this day and age.

“Oh my goodness, are you okay?!” the mother asked as she rushed over to Trixie. “You’re bleeding!”

“She is?!” Vinyl asked, removing her shades from her eyes. “Darn things make me blind as a bat in dark rooms… Holy Celestia! That’s a lot of blood!”

Trixie wondered what they were referring to, until she noticed that they were looking at her head. She summoned a small mirror with her magic and looked at her reflection. Indeed, it did look like blood. Large streaks of it, in fact, staining her now-flat mane…

Trixie gasped, and dropped both the mirror and the flower as her magic suddenly stopped. ‘N-No way… I-I look just like the future Trixie did, when she visited me. With the exception of the bandages around my eye, I’m…’

“Trixie?” Vinyl asked with noticeable concern in her tone.

Trixie took a breath, and shot her friend a smile. “It’s just wine, Vinyl Scratch. Nothing to concern yourself over?”

“Wine?” Vinyl asked, before leaning in to take a sniff. The colt or stallion did the same thing, much to Trixie’s annoyance. “Hey, you’re right! Phew, thank goodness!”

Trixie cleared her throat, and used her magic to push the two ponies away from her. “Anyway, we should make haste! To the castle, at once!”

“Capital idea!” the father shouted, and the rest of the ponies agreed.

“Then if you’re all ready,” Spitfire began as she entered the room, “I’ll escort you all to the castle. Stay close to me, though. The guards were right; it’s total chaos out there.”

Trixie and Vinyl both nodded, and braced themselves as they followed the Wonderbolt Captain back out into the streets.

Upon reaching the castle, the Royal Guard saw Spitfire’s group inside safely and escorted them towards the refugee area for the family they had saved, along with the few other ponies they had helped along the way. A separate group escorted Vinyl Scratch to the holding cells, where they assured her that Octavia would be well looked after whilst they contained her.

Trixie, meanwhile, decided to take a walk around the castle in order to clear her mind. Not that it helped much; the fact that today was the day she would supposedly die still weighed heavy on her mind, and with all the signs of her death coming true, she was beginning to wonder if she should just run away now, whilst she could.

But she couldn’t. She knew that being in a place like this was probably a bad idea for somepony concerned for their life, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of her head telling her not to run away. That she had to see this through to the end. That she had to go back down into the crystal mine, and defeat this enemy.

As Trixie passed by a certain room, she felt her fur stand up, and stopped to look behind her. She was sure that somepony was there, but she could see no signs of anypony following her. She checked the room to her left, and was surprised to see that Starswirl the Bearded wing was open and unguarded. She had always wanted to take a peek in there, but being a commoner with no big family titles over her head made that impossible.

Now, though, with all the chaos going on outside, and all the guards none of the guards even caring for this place right now… Trixie decided to walk inside and take a look at some of the spells. ‘Maybe there’s something here that will help me,’ she thought to herself.

To her surprise, and shock, she found one scroll just laying on the floor. “What the? Who the hay would dare to just leave one of Starswirl the Bearded’s spells just lying around like that?!”

Using her magic to pick it up, Trixie’s curiosity got the better of her, and she opened it up to take a peek inside. “Wow, this is some complex stuff. Trixie might be able to pull it off, all except for the energy required to do so. Let’s see, the spell is for…” The spell’s title and description was covered by some strange brown substance. Trixie leaned in and sniffed it to see what it was. “Chocolate? Somepony dared to get chocolate all over this important document?!”

Trixie grit her teeth together in rage, and used her magic to gently remove the chocolate from the scroll. “Now, let’s see what you are…” Before she could finish, a loud bang from outside caused her to jump. “W-What the?!”

“COME ONE, COME ALL! COME AND SEE THE AMAZING MAGIC, OF THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!”

Trixie breathed a sigh of relief, and used her magic to roll the scroll back up. “That’s the signal. Guess it’s time to go. Now, let’s see here…” Trixie wanted to put the scroll back into its original place, but there was a problem. She had no idea where that place was. Biting her lower lip as she looked around, Trixie eventually decided to just take the scroll with her, and return it later.

“THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE, SHALL LIVEN UP YOUR BORING LITTLE LIVES!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Trixie shouted as she ran out of the room, the scroll now stowed away inside of her cape. “Trixie’s on her way! Hold your horseshoes already!”

After navigating the large maze-like castle, Trixie eventually grew tired of trying to find the door, and instead opted to use one of the smashed windows to get outside. She found herself in one of the garden’s near the front entrance, and as she looked up into the morning sky, she could see fireworks launching up into the air, and exploding into shapes of herself striking different poses.

“Trixie!” Trixie’s ear twitched, and she turned her head to see Vinyl Scratch approaching her. “There ya are! I’m gonna go ahead and guess this’s your signal?”

Trixie grinned and nodded. “It is! Pretty neat, huh?”

“Yeah, sure,” Vinyl said in a sarcastic tone. “‘Loud’, is also another word for it.”

Trixie waved her hoof dismissively. “Is it Trixie’s fault that they launched it at maximum volume?”

“Considering you didn’t tell them how to change the volume, yeah!”

“… Details, details! Remember that we have but thirty minutes to reach them! Let us no dawdle on such trivial matters, okay?”

“THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE, THE MOST AMAZING UNICORN IN ALL OF EQUESTRIA!”

“… How long does this go on for?” Vinyl asked, to which Trixie shrugged.

“No idea. This is actually the first time it’s been used.” Vinyl sighed and shook her head, laughing as Trixie walked past her. “Shall we?”

Vinyl turned to follow Trixie. “Yeah, right behind ya, Trix.”

The two braced themselves as they ran away from the castle, and into the city. ‘No matter what happens,’ Trixie thought to herself, ‘I won’t run away. I’m going to face this thing ‘til the end!’

Author's Note

Thanks to SlashopentheSky for pre-reading ^_^

6 - The Fated Day

Inkie Pie had never been more embarrassed in her entire life. Not even that time her sister had welcomed her to Ponyville by spraying cake batter all over her in the middle of the street, or the time her father tried to climb down the chimney as Santa one Hearth’s Warming Eve, only to get himself stuck. No, this definitely topped the list of her life’s most embarrassing moments. Above her, fireworks going off in the shape of the world’s number one egotist, with that same pony’s voice proclaiming her greatness to all of Canterlot.

“Well, if that isn’t a signal, I don’t know what is,” Cadance said in a light-hearted tone. “Now we just wait for them to get here.”

“Twenty minutes left,” Shining Armor announced. “After that, we’re heading to the crystal mine without them. We can’t afford to lose any more time than that.”

“It’s pretty bad in there,” Lightning Dust told everypony from her lookout position in the sky above them. “But it looks like the Royal Guard’s doing a good job protecting the citizens.”

“Of course,” Shining responded in a proud tone. “Those are my troops in there. They’re more than capable of handling a situation such as this.”

“Hey, I see them!” Lightning shouted, causing everypony sitting down to rise to their hooves as she descended to the ground. “Looks like they’re both okay! They should be here in just a few minutes.”

Shining nodded, and the group waited a further three minutes before the two Unicorns arrived. When they were close enough that everypony could see them properly, everypony but Trixie and Vinyl fell silent, staring at the showmare with puzzled looks on their faces.

“Hey guys! You, uh… miss us?” Vinyl asked, noticing the strange looks directed their way. She noticed that they were all focussed on Trixie, and looked over at the blue mare to find out why. When she realised what was up, she joined her friends in barely holding back snickers, whilst Trixie simply frowned and gave a deadpan stare to all of her friends.

“What?” she asked them in a flat tone, giving a glare that dared them to answer her.

Inkie Pie, confident that Trixie would not make good on the silent threat she seemed to be giving everypony, decided to accept her dare. “Nice manestyle,” she said, and suddenly their other friends could no longer hold back their laughs. Trixie sighed. “It really suits you.”

“If you like it so much, maybe Trixie should let you experience it too?” Trixie asked as her horn lit up. Inkie immediately stopped laughing and shook her head. “Anypony else?” she asked her remaining friends, who slowly stopped their laughing in turns and backed cautiously away her.

“Seriously, though, what happened?” Feathermay asked. Trixie’s magic died down as she turned to answer her.

“Trixie was thrown into a barrel of wine and simply hasn’t had chance to wash her hair yet, that’s all.” She turned to Shining Armor and Cadance, and then looked around to see if anypony else was present. “Is this everypony?”

Cadance raised an eyebrow at the strange question. “You were expecting somepony else?”

“Trixie was expecting that nosey Sparkle to try to steal the spotlight,” she answered, putting extra venom in her voice to sound as bitter as possible. ‘If Twilight was here, then whatever killed future Trixie might not do so here. That’s what I was counting on, at least.’

“Twilight’s exhausted from working so hard. Even if we brought her, we’d only be putting her in danger,” Cadance explained, receiving a nod from Trixie. Narrowing her eyes, Cadance examined Trixie’s a little more closely. She could tell that something was bothering the showmare. Something that Trixie was refusing to share with the group. “Trixie, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Trixie answered almost instantaneously. “If this is everypony, then let’s move out already. No sense in just standing around here, wasting time when innocent ponies are in danger.” For a few moments, Trixie moved on her own, and everypony else simply watched her. “… Well, are you coming, or is Trixie going to have to go alone?”

One-by-one, everypony began to follow after the impatient pony. Inkie was the first to speak up about Trixie’s odd behaviour, but Trixie simply told her that she was imagining things and refused to speak of it any further.

“What’s up with her?” Lightning asked the other mares quietly.

“You think she’s just nervous?” Feathermay asked. “Maybe we should try to loosen her up a bit.”

“That’s not it,” Inkie said. “She’s thinking. She’s running out of time, so she’s thinking hard about what to do next.”

“‘Out of time’?” Apple Fritter asked. “You mean… until she dies…”

“Don’t say that!” Inkie shouted in a hushed voice. “She won’t die! We won’t let her!”

“Darn right,” Vinyl said, removing her shades and placing them away in her saddlebag. “That’s why we’re here. No matter what, we absolutely won’t let her die in there. Right?”

The other four mares nodded, and the five of them stopped for a moment to join their hooves together in a circle. “No matter what,” Inkie said, “All six of us will return here, to go partying at night, to see Trixie put on another show, to eat doughnuts together… to do all the things that we enjoy doing together.”

The five of them nodded in agreement together, before being called out to by Shining Armor. “Hey, you guys coming?!”

Looking over to where the other three ponies were, which was much farther ahead of them, the five friends broke their little circle to catch up to them. “What were you doing?” Trixie asked.

Lightning Dust grinned, “Just making some plans for when the six of us come back here.”

Trixie sighed and shook her head, but then smiled as she looked over her five friends. “… Well, don’t get too distracted. Remember, we’re heading into the beast’s lair right now.”

“Not to worry!” Feathermay shouted. “So long as the six of us stick together, that big freaky shadow jerk won’t be able to lay a hoof on any of us!”

“Okay guys, here it is,” Shining Armor announced as the group arrived at the watchtower that hid the secret entrance into the gem mine below them. “I’ll recap before we head in: our job is to defeat Sombra, and destroy the Fuente de la Corrupción. To do that, Cadance will use the Crystal Heart’s power to repel him, and then we’ll use the Remedio para la Corrupción to destroy the Fuente. Questions?”

“One,” Vinyl said. “What’s with the weird names? Remeh who’s a whatsit?”

“That’s not important,” Trixie said, brushing the question aside. “What is, though, is why we’re only repelling him. Shouldn’t Sombra be captured and imprisoned for his crimes?”

“You want to try capturing something with no physical body?” Shining asked, receiving only a frown in response. “Exactly. Of course, killing him would be our safest option, but-”

“I refuse to kill anypony,” Cadance said in a strict tone.

“… There you have it. The Crystal Heart wouldn’t allow it, anyway. It weakens when such malicious thoughts are held by the wielder.”

“But won’t he just come back?” Lightning asked.

“Possibly, but for now, with the Princesses out of actions, this is all that we can do.”

“Celestia is doing her best to prevent Princess Luna from becoming Nightmare Moon again, isn’t she?” Trixie asked, receiving a slow, hesitant nod from the Captain. “Then let’s dispense with the questions and banter and get a move on already. Every second counts!”

Shining Armor looked over the other mares, who all confirmed that they were ready with their strong, determined gazes. “Okay, stay close everypony. And expect your worst nightmares to face you down there.”

After retracing their steps from their first time exploring the mine, Cadance and Trixie managed to lead the others to the door that lead down into the crystal mine without any exciting incidents taking place. However, as soon as they reached that door, they could tell that there was something big waiting for them further in. They could feel it in their bones, a cold feeling that made them shiver. The rest of the group felt it too, and Shining decided to move at the front of the group from there.

“So that mist,” Feathermay started, “It isn’t going to appear down here, is it?”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Cadance said. “The mist that Sombra uses targets a specific group, and doesn’t make exceptions for individual ponies. This one, for example, simply targets those with weak minds. Sombra may be bright, but his sanity was lost a thousand years ago. He can’t be exposed to his own mist, and he knows it, which is why he himself isn’t joining the attack on Canterlot. It’s also why the mist was released using a different method to the Fuente de la Corrupción’s roots.”

“What do you mean?” Inkie asked.

“Most likely,” Cadance continued, “He was simply biding his time down here so that he could produce enough of the tainted magic to successfully attack Canterlot. That’s what the mist is, after all, and Sombra has a lot of magic already. Whereas the other pony who you encounter in the Everfree Forest aimed to spread the tainted magic all over Equestria, Sombra simply wishes to attack Canterlot. To do that, he will release the mist for a short time to cause an uproar, and then attack when the mist dissipates.”

“Why only Canterlot?” Lightning Dust asked. “Even if he takes the capital, Equestria has strong ponies all over the Country, and they’d just band together to kick his flank!”

“The mist only targets our weakest fighters, so he can’t use it as a threat against us forever,” Trixie pointed out.

“Are you sure?” Cadance asked. “Why do ponies grow powerful in the first place?”

“To be noticed?” Trixie ventured.

“To be remembered!” Lightning answered.

“As a hobby?” Feathermay suggested.

Cadance giggled at the variety of answers presented to her. “Whatever the reason might be, we all have one. Ponies grow strong in order to protect. A loved one, a possession, a reputation… whatever it may be, that’s what ponies grow strong for. So if Sombra can threaten that, most ponies will be unwilling to take action.”

“I get it,” Apple Fritter said. “So while some ponies will fear their loved ones might be affected by the mist, others might fear the mist’ll affect something else precious to them. For Lightning, she wants to be a hero, so there ain’t no chance she’ll risk the lives of all the defenceless ponies out there.”

“Basically, he’ll hold a mass populace hostage,” Cadance summarised for the group. “The rest of us who can fight will fight amongst ourselves over whether or not we should. Some may take action on their own and die as a result. The real threat to him, is the Elements of Harmony. A power that once defeated him and locked him away, and that can dispel the mist and reverse its effects in an instant.”

“Wait,” Inkie said with a confused look, “If that’s the case, then why didn’t you just have my sister and her friends use the Elements in Crystal Empire, then come here?”

“Because that was a thousand years ago,” Shining Armor explained. “And when the Elements were in the possession of two who could wield far more effectively than the six who currently wield them.”

“So, Sombra doesn’t know?” Vinyl asked. “That the Elements are now in the hooves of six different ponies?”

“As far as he’s aware, they are still in the hooves of the Royal Sisters. That’s what this attack is all about. King Sombra is making sure that the two Princesses he fears above all else cannot join together to use the Elements, by weakening the one whose mind is easily influenced by darker desires.”

“Unfortunately, Twilight and her friends are not at a level where they can use the Elements in such rapid succession,” Cadance told them grimly. “Nor can they use it on something that has no physical body. Otherwise, we would have had them seal him away back when he first returned with the Crystal Empire.”

“Bummer,” Vinyl said. Something bright caught her eyes, and she turned her head so see something sparkling on the wall. “Hey, what’s that?” The group stopped to examine it with her, Trixie cautiously taking a step towards it. “A crystal?”

“No, this is just a walkway into the actual mine,” Cadance said. “Hmmm… Unfortunately, I’m not exactly an expert on mine and underground… miney stuff,” she said with a sheepish smile to the group.

“It could be a trap,” Shining said. “Best to leave it alone and just be on full alert as we proceed.”

Inkie felt something falling onto her head, and looked up above her to see what it was. As she did so, a falling piece of dust landed in her right eye, causing her to shut it instantly and reel back as she yelped. “My eye!” she shouted, drawing everypony’s attention to her. “GAH, DIRT CLODS!” she screamed as she rubbed her eye ferociously. “BLINKING DEBRIS THAT HURTS!”

“‘Dirt clods’? ‘Blinking debris?’” Vinyl asked as Feathermay and Trixie walked up to the mare to help her out.

Trixie used her magic to force Inkie’s eyelids open, whilst Feathermay held her hooves to keep her from flailing about madly. “It’s how she curses,” Trixie explained. “Her parents are very strict about the use of curse words at their farm.” She use a quick wind-based spell to blow the dust out of Inkie’s eye.

“HOLY COBBLESTONE! BRICKING…” Inkie bit her lower lip and closed her eye as soon as Trixie’s magic was turned off, and blinked a few times as she grumbled through the pain. A few tears fell down her face, and she breathed heavily as soon as the pain reached a bearable level.

“Better?” Trixie asked, making no attempts not to laugh as Inkie’s face turned a bright shade of red in just a matter of seconds. Vinyl and Lightning were also laughing, whilst the others were at least trying to stifle their giggles.

“Uh, yeah,” she answered quietly, rubbing the tears out of her eye. “… S-Sorry you had to hear that.”

“Honestly, what would your parents think if they heard you talkin’ like that?” Vinyl asked in a teasing tone. “I mean, other than wonderin’ why you aren’t a geologist or somethin’.”

Trixie and Lightning’s laughs grew even louder, and Inkie’s face another shade redder. “Let’s just move on, okay?” Inkie asked, pushing Trixie aside as she moved to the front of the group. A low roar passed through the tunnel, silencing the laughter coming from the three mares and sending a chill down everypony’s spines. “W-What was that?”

“Wasn’t me,” Vinyl told everypony. “I had breakfast back at the castle.”

“He’s coming!” Shining shouted, using his magic to draw his spear. “Inkie, behind me!”

Inkie quickly obeyed, turning back and running towards her friends. Trixie examined the spear in Shining Armor’s magic and gulped. She had seen Shining fight before, but only in self-defence. This was… a different side to the stallion that she had never seen before.

“Shining, since when do you use a weapon?” Trixie asked. “Even as a Private, Trixie recalls you never once drew your spear outside of standard training and sparring.”

“That’s just how dangerous this threat is,” Cadance answered, as Shining was too focussed on the incoming threat to even acknowledge the question. “Even if he were to go all out, he could never defeat Sombra with that weapon. That’s why he has no problem using it.”

“Here it comes!” As Shining Armor shouted those words, the ground beneath the ponies began to shake, and the air around them began to grow heavy. Cadance used her magic to summon a barrier around everypony, strengthened by Shining’s own magic, but it only offered minimal protection, and they all struggled to stay on their legs. Especially Trixie and Lightning, who were already injured.

Shining’s horn shined brightly, and the barrier pushed forward, repelling the strong magic pushing against it. “Attacking us with magic is useless, Sombra! You’ll have to come out and show yourself!”

“Uh, Captain Armor?” Inkie called out as the ground began to crack open beneath the groups’ hooves.

“Come on out already, King Sombra! Come on out and face me like a stallion!”

“Shining,” Trixie said, using her magic to try to keep herself standing.

“What’s wrong, afraid to take on a lowly hoof soldier?!”

“SHINING!” the entire group called out, finally getting his attention, but just a little too late. The ground broke apart, and the eight ponies fell down the now-open hole beneath them.

Trixie opened her eyes and looked forward. She could see a large wall made of crystals standing before her, glowing and illuminating the room that she was in. Looking around, Trixie couldn’t see much else besides all the debris on the floor, possibly form the cave-in that had brought her here in the first place.

A sharp pain caused her to jolt to her hooves as she suddenly realised that she was lying on her bad leg. “Damnit… You guys alright?” she asked as she raised her leg up, wincing and biting her lip as she waited for the pain to subside. She received no answer, and looked around the room again. “We’ve been separated?”

She gulped and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down as she considered what her next move should be. “Lightning Dust, Apple Fritter, Inkie Pie, and Shining Armor. Those four should be okay. Hopefully, the others have found themselves together at least. As for me… I shouldn’t remain in one spot for too long. Sombra might be trying to pick us off one at a time, and I can’t fight well in my condition.”

Using her magic to light the room further, Trixie noticed a door on the far side of the room. It was a large double-door, with red crystals embedded inside its doorway. As Trixie looked at it, she felt a familiar feeling run through her body. It was the same as the time she first wore the Alicorn Amulet. A quiet hiss, almost terrifying enough to scare her away, but somehow it drew her in. She had to know what was behind this door… She had to open it. She knew that she shouldn’t, but her body was beginning to move on its own. Step by step, she moved closer to the door, and the voice in her head telling her to run got quieter with each step. By the time she reached the door, she didn’t hesitate to stretch out her hoof and open it up.

On the other side, Trixie found herself in the streets of Canterlot. Not the damaged, chaotic streets from earlier that morning, but the calm, peaceful streets from earlier that week, with ponies walking around minding their own business, Royal Guard ponies standing around keeping a watchful eye on things, and the sounds of church bells ringing in the distance.

“Uh… what’s going on?” Trixie asked herself as she looked around. She caught sight of her friends in the distance, laughing to each other and acting like there was nothing wrong. She quickly ran over to them, calling out to them. “Hey guys! What happened? Why is everything back to normal?”

The five mares turned to Trixie with looks of confusion for a second, before they turned to looks of disgust. “Ugh, what is she doing here?” Feathermay asked. “Weren’t you supposed to die in that cave?”

Trixie tried to say something, but she struggled to find any words. She wasn’t sure why Feathermay had just asked her that, and before she could question it, Vinyl spoke up. “Figures. Can’t ever deliver what she promises, even her own death. What a loser.”

“A total fraud,” Apple Fritter added, turning her cold gaze away from the showmare. “And here I put myself in harm’s way just to see the day she finally shut up for good.”

“Face it Trix, you’re a nuisance,” Lightning Dust said, approaching Trixie and forcing her to walk backwards. “Nopony wants to see or hear from you again, now get out of here!”

Trixie tried to hold back her tears and her gasps as she looked at her friends, all glaring at her with burning anger in their eyes. The only one who wasn’t was Inkie Pie. The only one who she knew would be on her side, who she knew would defend her at any moment, was simply standing in place with her eyes closed, not saying a word as she allowed her friends to have their says.

Finally, when everypony else was done, she opened her eyes, and gave Trixie the same icy glare as the others. “Trixie, I don’t want anything to do with you anymore. Never show your face before me again.”

Trixie felt her heart freeze as the words reached her ears, and the entire world came crashing down around her as the mare she thought to be her closest ever friend approached her, and kicked her back into a puddle of mud on the ground.

“Get lost, you loser!”

“Like we’d actually help you!”

“You don’t belong here!”

“Go mine rocks, it’s all you’re good for!”

“Your disgust me.”

Trixie couldn’t hold it in anymore, and she began to cry in front of the five mares who just moments ago she called her friends, as they continued to scorn and detest her. They then began to berate her for being such an embarrassment, and scolded her for making them waste their time on her.

Trixie, her vision now a blur through her tears and the sounds of scorning filling her ears, pushed herself to her hooves and ran away as fast as she could. Through the street filled with ponies throwing trash at her. Through the cries of ponies telling her to just disappear forever. Through it all, she cried.

‘Why? Why don’t I belong anywhere?’

“Trixie?”

‘Why have you abandoned me?!’

“TRIXIE!”

Trixie gasped as she suddenly found herself sitting inside the cave once again, surrounded by the glowing walls of crystal, the same terrifying door from before standing before her. “W… What?”

“Trixie, are you okay?!” Trixie turned to her left to see Shining Armor standing over her, his hooves on her shoulders as he looked at her with a mixture of concern and anger. Concern for her well-being, and anger at himself for bringing Trixie along. “You’re crying… What happened?”

“Shining… Amor…” Trixie sniffed and wiped away her tears with her good hoof. “I-I get it. I’ll leave tomorrow, a-and none of you will ever h-hear from me again.”

“What are you saying?” Trixie pushed herself to her hooves, and attempted to walk away. However, Shining Armor grabbed her and spun her around to look at him once more. “Trixie, what are you talking about?! Why would you think I want you to leave?!”

“Because you all said so!” Trixie shouted. “Everypony… the only reason they came here, is to see me die… From the beginning, nopony has ever actually accepted Trixie before. I don’t… belong anywhere…” Trixie was suddenly pulled forward by some incredible force, and before she knew what was happening, her nuzzle was buried in Shining Armor’s chest.

“Moron,” he said, holding her in place as she tried to break free. “Nopony came here for that reason, Trixie. They came because they wanted to help you. They came to make sure you don’t die. And none of your friends will ever abandon you.”

“B-But I-”

“This door, it looks like the thing Twiley described to me at one point. It shows your worst fears, brought to life.” Trixie slowly turned her head to look at the door. “Whatever you saw, Trixie, rest assured that it will never happen in real life. Your friends all care about you deeply. All of us…”

Trixie stopped struggling to break free and sniffed back a few more tears as she considered Shining’s words. “… T-That’s right… Inkie Pie, Lightning Dust, Feathermay, Vinyl Scratch, and Apple Fritter… They would never say such things, would they?”

Shining smiled and shook his head. “Speaking of them, we’d better find them. They might be falling victim to the same trap as we speak.”

Trixie gasped, and quickly used her magic to break free of Shining Armor’s embrace. “You mean, they’re experiencing their worst fears right now?!”

Shining nodded. “Well, possibly.”

Trixie grit her teeth and looked around. “Then we can’t waste any time! Where’s the exit?!”

“There’s only one tunnel that I haven’t been through connected to this room,” Shining said, pointing at said tunnel behind the showmare. Trixie turned around to follow where his hoof was pointing. “So we should check down there.”

Trixie nodded. “Trixie will lead the way. We have to hurry, before we lose the others!”

The two quickly departed from the small room, down the tunnel that would hopefully lead to the rest of their friends. As they left, a dark chuckle filled the room, and the door that had shown Trixie her worst fear realised was enveloped in black flames.

It was a long walk down the dark tunnel, dimly lit up by Trixie’s horn as she led the two. They proceeded with caution, but also swiftness, wanting to find their friends before Sombra did. Eventually, the two arrived at another large chamber, the crystal walls glowing in a similar fashion to how they did earlier.

The first thing that caught Trixie’s eye was Inkie Pie, sitting on her haunches at the far end of the room and looking down at the ground. The next was the large door in front of her, looking exactly like the one that Trixie had experienced earlier.

Putting two and two together in her head, Trixie quickly galloped over to her friend, Shining Armor following closely behind her the whole way. “Inkie!” Trixie shouted, grabbing the grey mare’s shoulder with her good hoof and lowering herself to her eyelevel. “Inkie, snap out of it! Hey!”

“Trixie…” Inkie muttered. “Please, come back… W-Why-”

Trixie took in a deep breath, gripped onto Inkie’s shoulder tightly, and yelled, at the top of her lungs: “INKIE PIE!”

Inkie jumped up with a start, and looked at the showmare with a confused look on her face. “T-Trixie… you said… you said you had no more need for me… That I had outlived my usefulness, and that I-”

Inkie was cut off by a sudden hug from Trixie. A surprising gesture, one that neither she nor Shining could have ever seen coming. Not sure how else to react, Inkie just sat there and tried to make sense of the situation, until Trixie spoke up. “You idiot,” she said. “After all you’ve done for me… After you’ve helped me so much, there’s no way I would abandon you.”

A gasp escaped Inkie’s lips, and was accompanied by a single tear forming in her eye. “T-Trixie… y-you mean it?”

Trixie nodded her head, still holding Inkie in her forelegs as she answered. “Of course. You’re my best friend, Inkie. There’d never be anyone or anything to replace you.”

Inkie sighed, and raised her hooves to return the friendly embrace. ‘‘Best friend’, huh? … Well, I guess I can live with that.’ Inkie allowed the tear to roll down her face, and smiled as she nuzzled against Trixie’s cheek. “Thank you…”

After about half a minute, Shining Armor cleared his throat, bringing the two back to reality and causing them to quickly push away from each other, both of their faces turning red as they saw the stallion’s grin. “Sorry to interrupt, but, the others?”

Trixie suddenly remembered the rest of her friends that were still missing, and rose to her hooves, scowling at the snickering Shining Armor. “… If either of you two breath a word of this to anypony, then the Great and Powerful Trixie will make these nightmare doors seem like pleasant dreams.”

“My lips are sealed,” Shining said, making a zipping motion across his mouth with a hoof. “This way, girls.” He turned around and led the way towards another tunnel, the only other one in the room besides the one that they had come from.

Inkie stood up and the two mares began to follow him. “Um… Thank you, Trixie,” Inkie said as she walked alongside the showmare.

“Trixie also fell for one of these horrid doors, so she does not fault you for needing help snapping out of it.”

“Not that,” Inkie said. “For being my friend. For putting your faith in me all those months ago, and staying with me ever since.”

“Oh… In that case, it is Trixie’s place to say her thanks. After all, you saved Trixie’s life, and made the bad dreams go away.” Trixie turned her head to face her friend. “Inkie, thank you. The same goes for the rest of our friends, too, of course.”

“No problem, Trix!” Both Trixie and Inkie stopped moving, and turned their heads to face in front of themselves once more. There, they could see Shining Armor standing with five mares: Vinyl Scratch, Lightning Dust, Apple Fritter, Feathermay, and Cadance. It was Vinyl Scratch that spoke as she and the rest of their friends all joined the two mares.

“Man am I glad to see the two of you are okay!” Lightning shouted as she raised her hoof to Trixie, who high-hoofed it mostly on instinct.

“That strange door made me see a world where everypony forgot how to laugh,” Feathermay said. “A world where nopony could ever have fun. It was kind of heartbreaking… But, the real world is back now and that’s all that matters!”

“Well all fell victim to those doors,” Apple Fritter explained. “We all saw our worst nightmares. All ‘cept for the Princess, who went an’ snapped us all out of it.”

“I’ve seen those doors before,” Cadance said. “And Shining has received special training against mind-manipulation magic. That’s why the two of us weren’t affected by them.”

“Right, that’s-” Shining stopped, and gave his wife a confused look. “How’d you know I wasn’t affected by it?”

Cadance raised a hoof to her mouth and giggled. “Because if you were, you’d be hanging off of my leg by now,” she whispered in a teasing tone, bringing a blush to the stallion’s face. “Besides, I’m your wife. That means you can’t keep any secrets from me.”

“That’s not fair!” Shining protested, but his only response a quick peck on the lips from the Princess.

“Life’s not fair,” she said with a wink, before being distracted by a gagging sound beside her. She looked over to see five of the six friends grinning at the couple, and the remaining friend, Lightning Dust, making a gagging motion in the air above them.

“Dudes, do that in your own time!” she said as she landed onto the ground. “Totally gross, if you ask me.”

“What’s wrong Lightning? Y’all afraid of catching cooties or somethin’?” Apple Fritter teased, causing her friends to giggle, whilst Lightning Dust simply scoffed and turned her head away.

“I just think there’s a time and place for this kinda thing. Like, behind closed doors, and well away from me! I prefer action and adventure, not cheesy romance flicks!”

“Well,” Trixie began, cutting off her friend’s rant, “If Lightning Dust is quite done displaying her tomboyish side, perhaps we should all make a move before King Sombra finds us again?”

“Agreed,” Shining Armor said. “The sooner we finish up and get out of here, the better.”

The rest of the group agreed, and Shining Armor began to lead the way down one of the two tunnels that neither group had come from, using Cadance’s detection magic to determine it was the correct path.

As they moved, they passed by a smooth, shiny wall that allowed Trixie to see her own reflection. She noticed that the bandage around her eye was starting to come undone, and decided that it would only be a bother if it came off during a fight. Using her magic, she removed the bandage and threw it to the ground, and then looked over her body… and her eyes widened at what she saw.

Her mane, completely flat, and with streaks of red running through it.

Her left eye was swollen and bloodshot.

Her right foreleg was completely wrapped in bandages.

And finally, her body was completely covered in scratches from head to toe. They looked fresh, and Trixie deduced that they must have been caused by her fall.

‘The final sign,’ Trixie thought to herself, thinking back to her encounter with her future self. ‘… No, I’m still missing the blood pouring from my mouth. But other than that, the resemblance is-’

“Trixie, what’s up?” Lightning Dust asked. Trixie turned to face the group, who were waiting just a little further ahead of her. “You find somethin’?”

Trixie sighed and shook her head. “No. Trixie thought she saw something, but it was just the light shining off of this wall.”

“Well, if you think you see something, make sure to tell us next time,” Apple Fritter said. “It could mean the difference between life or death.”

“Right, right. Sorry ‘bout that.” Satisfied with her story, the rest of the group continued on, with Trixie brining up the rear alongside Inkie Pie. ‘It’s too late now. My friends are all right here. I’ve come too far to turn back now. Whatever happens, I’m seeing this thing through to the end.’

The group stopped when they reached a fork in the road. One tunnel seemed to continue on into complete darkness, whilst the other one seemed to lead down a large set of stairs. Trixie, Inkie, Feathermay, and Cadance all knew exactly where they were.

“It’s down there,” Cadance said. “Sombra and the Fuente de la Corrupción, they’re both down there.”

“Let’s hurry. I fear we’re running out of time,” Shining said, taking the first step forward. A loud roar sent shivers down his spine, but he continued on nonetheless. “Watch your steps, everypony. It looks like a long way down.”

“Trixie, you go first,” Inkie said. “If you fall, I’ll catch you.”

Trixie smiled at the offer. “Very well. Trixie shall leave it to you, then,” she said as she followed after Cadance, the last pony besides the two friends to move down the stairs. “This is it… Time to end this thing once and for all.”

Trixie’s horn lit up as she reached the bottom of the stairs, providing some light to the large, dark chamber that she was now in. Even with her strongest illumination spell, it was difficult to see in the room due to the dark shadows covering the walls, the ceiling, and the floor, and inching their ways closer and closer to the group of ponies…

“There are so many crystals,” Inkie observed, taking notice of all of the black crystals around them. “Which one is it?”

“It’s further in,” Cadance said, her own horn lighting up as a faint roar passed over the group. “He’s attacking! Run!”

As soon as she said that, the shadows shot towards the group, and the eight ponies immediately began to run forwards. A barrier formed around Cadance and shot out, pushing the shadows back a bit before it disappeared. “Is this Sombra?!” Lightning asked as the shadows began to move towards them again, once more being repelled by Cadance’s barrier magic.

“This is one of his many forms,” Cadance explained. “Sombra is a Unicorn who has explored the types of magic even Luna never dared to touch upon! The result was that he lost his sanity, and even his identity! He doesn’t know who he is anymore, he just seeks to harness the power of the crystals at any cost!”

“How do we hurt him then?!” Lightning asked. “How do we force him to go all… un-shadowy?”

“Just keep running! He can’t harm us in this form, so long as I keep these barriers up! Eventually, he will be forced to change shape!”

“Guys, slow down!” Inkie shouted, stopping for a moment to drape Trixie’s good leg around her neck. Trixie herself was panting and coughing heavily.

“Keep going!” Trixie shouted. “Don’t stop on account of Trixie’s injuries!”

“I gotcha!” Apple Fritter said, hoisting Trixie onto her back with Inkie and Lightning’s help. “Jus’ hold on tight, Trixie!”

“… Fools,” she whispered, wrapping her leg around Apple Fritter’s neck. “Don’t blame Trixie when you get yourself killed.”

Cadance readied her barrier spell for another round, but the shadows stopped their continuous advances. Shining Armor drew his spear as he observed the retreating shadows carefully. “Just keep running!” he shouted, motioning for Cadance to lead the way.

The Princess started to run forward, followed closely by the six mares behind her, who were then followed by Shining Armor. Trixie felt a chill run down her spine and looked up at the ceiling, and then gasped. “Above us!” she shouted.

Shining reacted quickly by turning his attention up and throwing her spear, sending it flying through the large, grinning face of King Sombra looming over the group. A hole formed in the face, revealing it to be nothing more than an image crafted out of smoke. A blue light enveloped the spear as Shining Armor used his magic to pull it back.

“It’s ahead of us!” Cadance shouted. “Just a little farther no- AH!” A crystal suddenly shooting out of the ground in front of Cadance startled her, and she did not have enough time to slow down before running face first into it.

Fortunately, the ponies following her managed to stop before meeting a similar fate. Feathermay and Vinyl Scratch quickly moved to help her out, whilst Shining Armor held his spear up and looked around for any signs of a sudden attack.

“Crystal Princessss…” Shining’s blood froze as he heard the chilling voice he knew all too well enter his ears, and he swiftly turned around to see the black Unicorn dressed in black armour and a red cape approaching them. “You will not stop me…”

Shining charged forward and thrust his spear towards Sombra, who used his magic to deflect the attack. Using his quick reflexes, Shining managed to avoid falling to the floor in favour of spinning on his forehoof to deliver a kick to Sombra’s face with his hind hoof, knocking him back and allowing the Captain time to regain his combat stance. “You guys go! I’ll keep him distracted!”

“You are not fighting him alone!” Cadance said in a stern tone, rubbing her nose with her hoof before reaching into her saddlebag with her magic. She pulled out a small black bead and gave it to Inkie Pie. “This is the Remedio para la Corrupción. Just get this close enough to the crystal and it will take care of the rest.”

“What about you?” Inkie asked as she took the bead into her hoof.

“I’ll assist Shining in stalling King Sombra, now go!”

“Come on Inkie!” Lightning said as she pushed the uncertain mare forward.

“But-”

“This is all we can do,” Apple Fritter said. “Let’s do this and then come back to help the Princess, but if we don’t destroy that crystal now, then Sombra will win!”

Inkie nodded, and then proceeded to run forward with her friends. Meanwhile, Trixie managed to look back over her shoulder at the scene behind her. She could see Shining Armor using her magic to fend off an enraged King Sombra, and Cadance holding the Crystal Heart high above her head. There was a sudden flash of light, and Trixie had to avert her eyes from the scene.

“Way to go Princess!” Lightning shouted as she also watched the battle as she was flying. “That’ll teach him not to mess with the Princesses!”

“… That was too easy,” Trixie said, looking back over at the two in the distance. She could no longer see them clearly, as the darkness in the room was obscuring her vision. “Way too easy. Is the Crystal Heart really so powerful?”

“It is the thing that protects the Crystal Empire, after all,” Apple Fritter pointed out. “I can see the Fu… The thing, up ahead!”

Trixie looked up and saw the large black crystal ahead of her. Their goal was just mere moments from in front of them, they just had to keep running straight ahead for a few more seconds, and this entire thing would all be over.

“Stop!” Vinyl shouted, skidding to a sudden halt. “I hear somethin’ weird!”

“You what?” Lightning asked as she and the other mares also stopped. “Dude, c’mon! We’re almost there! We just gotta-”

“I hear something,” Vinyl repeated. “It’s close… It’s below our hooves!”

Before anypony could respond, a black crystal shot out of the ground, startling everypony and shocking them as it pierced Inkie’s stomach, pushing her backwards as blood poured out of her open wound. The crystal morphed into the black Unicorn the group knew as Sombra and looked down at the grey mare, licking his lips as his eyes fell onto the bead she carried.

“YOU BASTARD!” Lightning Dust shouted as she dove at the distracted Sombra, kicking his side and knocking him over. She attempted to in for another strike, but was held back by Apple Fritter. “Lemme go! I’m gonna murder that guy!”

“Think rationally, Lightning!” Apple Fritter shouted, though she was just as angry as the Pegasus she was holding back. “We have ta get to the crystal an’ destroy it! Sombra can come after!”

“But Inkie-”

“Inkie is okay,” Trixie said. She had jumped down from Apple Fritter’s back to check Inkie’s wound, and to her relief she found that it wasn’t deep enough to be of significant concern. “Trixie has closed her wound already. Fritter’s right; we have to destroy the Fuente de la Corrupción.”

Trixie levitated the injured mare onto Apple Fritter’s back. Sombra took a threatening step towards the six mares, growling angrily at them as his horn sparked with dark magic. “Run!” Feathermay shouted as she grabbed the bead and dashed towards the crystal. The other mares followed after her, save for Lightning Dust.

“I’ll keep him busy! You guys go!”

“Lightning, don’t-” Trixie’s warning came too late, as the Pegasus attempted to deliver another kick to Sombra, only to be pushed back by his magic and restrained by black crystal growing around her hooves. Sombra then turned his attention towards Feathermay and started to run after her.

“C’mon!” Vinyl shouted after Trixie, who quickly turned back around to follow after her friends.

Sombra shot a blast of magic at the flying Pegasus, who nimbly dodged it by descending her flight path. However, it seemed that Sombra’s target was not the Pegasus herself, but the stalactites hanging above her head. One such stalactite forced her to come to a complete stop, and gave Sombra the opening that he needed to ensnare her in his dark magic.

“Vinyl!” Feathermay shouted as she threw the bead before it was too late. The bead was caught in Vinyl’s magic as she continued running, almost tripping over a few rocky outcrops in the process.

“You won’t get away!” Sombra shouted as he chased after the white mare, using his magic to shake the ground beneath her hooves. He smiled in satisfaction as he witnessed the mare falling onto her stomach, and the bead flying forward out of her hold. He passed over the mare and raced towards the bead, only to see it be snatched away by Apple Fritter’s hoof. “Mine!”

Apple Fritter tried to run, but she was immediately caught by a cloud of black smoke coming up from the ground, surrounding her hooves and paralyzing them. “Trixie!”

Trixie turned around and took note of what was happening, and used her magic to snatch the bead before Sombra could take it. Sombra roared and chased after her, causing the showmare to turn around and run as fast as her three good legs would allow her to, despite the intense burning in her chest that it caused.

She could see the Fuente de la Corrupción just inches away from her. She was almost there, she just needed to run a little farther, and then she’d be-

“STOP!”

Trixie did indeed stop, as the tall, horrifying figure of King Sombra suddenly shot up out of the ground in front of her, and instinctively fired a blast of magic towards him. The blast hit him, but it had little effect, and he recovered quickly enough. “Uh-oh…”

“It’ssss over…”

Dark tendrils shot out at Trixie, grabbing each of her limbs and hoisting her up into the air. The pain of her injured leg being grabbed by the dark magic caused her to scream and lose her focus, dropping the bead that she was holding in her magic.

“Unhoof her!” Sombra lowered his head to look in front of himself, and saw a pink beam of magic heading his way. He quickly moved his head to the side to avoid it, but was then knocked back by a pink barrier shooting towards him. His magic shut off, and Trixie began falling quickly to the floor, before being caught in a pink aura and gently lowered onto the ground. “Cadance, now!”

Behind Shining Armor, a blue light shone brightly, bringing Trixie’s attention to the pink Alicorn Princess responsible for it. Floating above her head in a magical aura was the Crystal Heart, pulsating as it emitted an almost-blinding light that dispelled Sombra’s thick darkness throughout the chamber.

“Everypony, lend your power to the Crystal Heart!” Cadance cried as she closed her eyes. “Think of those dear to you, and the Crystal Heart shall grant your desire to protect them!”

Shining Armor was the first to close his eyes, his entire body becoming enveloped in a pink aura as thought of his family, his Princesses, his comrades, and finally his wife, entered his mind.

Apple Fritter closed her eyes too, and her body was enveloped in a bright green aura. “Braeburn, Applejack, Aunt and Uncle Orange…” The Crystal Heart began to suck in the aura. “Everypony back home… even you, Red Delicious. I wanna protect you all.”

Despite being injured, Inkie was still able to hear everything that was going on around her, and closed her eyes to contribute as much of her power as she could to the Crystal Heart. Her body was enveloped in a grey aura as she pictured her family in her mind, with Trixie standing alongside them, soon joined by all of her friends.

Lightning Dust’s body glowed yellow as she thought of all her friends and family up in Cloudsdale, Feathermay’s body glowed pink as she thought of all the ponies living in Canterlot, and Vinyl Scratch’s body glowed blue as she thought about Octavia, waiting for her on the surface in some small holding cell, her mind being controlled by the mist that King Sombra had released.

Finally, Trixie joined in by closing her own eyes, and trying to picture those that she loved and cared about, and wanted to protect. ‘… Inkie, who was there for me when I thought nopony would ever care for me again. Feathermay and Vinyl Scratch, who stuck with me despite us losing contact for so long. Apple Fritter, who gave me a chance despite my reputation, and Lightning Dust, who could care less about my reputation, and sought out the truth from my own heart. All of you have done so much for me…’ Trixie’s body was washed in a purple light. ‘Now, it’s time to pay you all back. I’ll protect you all, no matter what.’

The light from the Crystal Heart intensified greatly, and exploded outwards as everypony in the room concentrated to feed their powers into it. Sombra hissed at the approaching light and tried to run away, but he only managed to turn around before the purifying light of the Crystal Heart colliding with him, pushing him away with such force that he could only let out a tortured scream as he felt his body burning all over.

When the light died down, everypony in the room opened their eyes, and found that they could see clearly. The darkness inside of the room had been lifted, and all of the black crystals around them were no more. All save for one, which was standing just a few inches away from Shining Armor and Trixie.

“D-Did we beat him?” Feathermay asked after a long, drawn out silence.

“Is he dead?” Lightning Dust added. Cadance shook her head in response.

“He got away,” Cadance said. “From the beginning, he made sure he had enough energy left to flee. Well, I imagined that to be the case anyway…”

“We’ll search for him after we all get out of here,” Shining Armor said. “For now, he should be too weak to even consider making a move against us. All that’s left to do down here is to destroy the Fuente de la Corrupción, and then we can all go home.”

Apple Fritter smiled as she looked over at Trixie. “That means that Trixie won’t have ta die!” she said excitedly, and her friends cheered alongside her. All apart from Inkie, who noticed the look on Trixie’s face.

Trixie frowned as she stared at the floor, deep in thought. She hadn’t even registered the conversation going on around her, as she was too busy focussing on the sinking feeling in her gut. ‘This isn’t right. We won, but… I have a bad feeling…’

“Trixie?” Cadance’s voice snapped the blue mare out of her stupor. “Do you still have it? The Remedio para la Corrupción?”

“Oh!” Trixie looked around, and found the bead lying at her hooves on the floor. “With this, we’ll end it.” Trixie levitated the bead into the air, and brought it into contact with the crystal. As soon as the two touched, the bead was enveloped in a purple glow that did not come from Trixie’s magic, and a bright light shot out of it. The crystal began to crack and fracture, and in just a few short seconds, started to shatter.

As it did so, however, the chamber began to shake around them, causing the eight ponies to look around themselves in concern. “A cave-in?!” Shining Armor shouted as he saw a rock falling from the ceiling in the distance. “Why now of all times?!”

“This must be Sombra’s final revenge!” Cadance hypothesized. “Everypony run!”

Trixie turned around and began to follow after the rest of the group, but as she did so, she felt a cold feeling pass through her entire body. Her stomach started to rumble, her fur stood up, and her breath caught in her throat as she continued running. ‘W-What is this feeling? What’s-’

A rock fell down in front of Trixie, forcing her to stop in her tracks. She attempted to call out to her friends, but her voice wouldn’t leave her throat. She instead felt something big approaching, and turned her head to look directly above her. She saw something approaching her fast, but before she could deduce what it was, her vision faded to black.

When Trixie opened her eyes, the first thing she could see was Shining Armor standing before her, his legs stretched out and his stance low as magic shot out of his horn at something above him. He was grunting, and it looked as if he was trying to lift something heavy on his back, but there was nothing there as far as the showmare could see.

Turning her head to look upwards, she noticed that the magic was being used to power a barrier surrounding the eight ponies, who Trixie now realised were huddled close together.

As her awareness started to come back to her, she tasted something odd in her mouth, and licked her lips as she tried to stand up. She saw something red drip down onto the floor below her, and the taste suddenly became much more familiar.

“Trixie, don’t move!” Trixie looked up to see Inkie sitting right beside her, holding her forelegs over her wound and she gave the showmare a stern look. “You were hit pretty hard! You need medical treatment!”

“Where are we?” Trixie asked, and was surprised at how weak she sounded when she spoke.

“We’re still underground,” Cadance told her, laying on the ground not too far from her, panting heavily. “The tunnel collapsed, and we’re stuck here. I used up too much power repelling King Sombra with the Crystal Heart, and Shining is using whatever power he has left to prevent the cave from completely collapsing in on us.”

“So in other words, we’re stuck here until somepony can find us,” Lightning Dust summarised, sighing as she leaned back and rested her head against a rock behind her. “Well, at least that stupid crystal is gone. So it’s not a total loss.”

“Help will be here,” Cadance assured them. “Just… please hang on. And try to conserve your strength.”

Trixie grunted as a pain passed through her body, and she shifted her position to get a little more comfortable. Something fell out of her cape, and she looked down at it. It was the scroll that she took from the Royal Archives. She never did find out what the spell was for… ‘Well, got nothing better to do. My entire body is aching all over. I can’t do anything right now…’

Trixie decided that reading might take her mind off of the situation. But also, there was something else there. She felt the scroll calling out to her. A voice in the back of her mind, telling her to read.

Using her good hoof to open the scroll up, Trixie’s eyes focussed on the words and took them all in… She gasped when she realised what the spell was. ‘This is… a time travel spell!’ Trixie grit her teeth together as images of the future Trixie entered her mind. ‘Why? Why did she use this spell? If she wanted me to avoid my death, why the hell did she bring me here in the first place?! She could have told me to avoid Canterlot, or to flee the Country! Why did she…’

“But still, it’s not like this place is well-known,” Feathermay pointed out. “Even you didn’t know how to get past that door, remember? And the gem mine leading here is kept a secret from most ponies.”

“We told Twilight where we were going,” Cadance said. “I’m sure she’ll come after us if we don’t return by the end of the day.”

“But what if even more tunnels are collapsed?” Lightning Dust asked. “And just ‘cause she knows of this place, doesn’t mean she’ll know where in it we are. This place is freakin’ huge!”

Trixie gasped, and thought back to her first visit here. ‘The staircase leading down here… it was hidden. We found Sombra purely by chance, because the future me sent me on this wild goose chase here…’

“Trixie?” Inkie asked. “I know that face. You just realised something, didn’t you?”

“… If we had never come here the first time, we never would have known that Sombra was down here,” Trixie said, receiving nods from the other mares. “Sombra had planned to attack on that day, but we interrupted him. Thanks to that, he was weakened, and his plans were delayed. We were able to create a counter method against the Fuente de la Corrupción before it was too late, and we knew exactly where to find King Sombra.”

“Yeah yeah, we get it,” Lightning said. “We got lucky, and were able to kick Sombra’s butt before the situation could get too out of hoof.”

Trixie shook her head, and grunted as she began to push herself to her hooves. “Trixie, what are you doing?” Apple Fritter asked, watching Trixie with a worried look on her face.

“We didn’t get ‘lucky’, Lightning Dust. It was thanks to a tip given to Trixie, that we stumbled upon Sombra down here.” Trixie rose to her hooves, but almost fell back down again as she began to cough. “All thanks to Trixie… going back… and telling herself… where to go…”

Inkie felt her heart stopping as she watched Trixie’s horn light up, and she tried to reach over to stop her. Unfortunately, the pain in her stomach was stopping her. “Trixie, don’t,” was all that she could manage in a whispered voice.

“Don’t be a fool,” Shining Armor grunted, slowly turning his head to face Trixie. “You’re in no state to use such spells…”

“Neither is Mi Amore Cadenza,” Trixie pointed out. “And you have to keep that barrier up… The spell has a limit… of seven days… and can only be used by… a pony once…”

“What are you talking about?” Vinyl asked, standing up and walking closer to Trixie, only to be pushed back by a blast of magic from the showmare’s horn. “Hey!”

“The Princesses,” Trixie continued, “Celestia and Luna… have already used the spell before… according to these notes… Even assuming, that there is somepony out there able to use this spell to its maximum effectiveness, we only have three days… before sending a warning back in time becomes pointless… After that, it will be too late…”

“Trixie, you don’t mean-”

A strong gust of wind swirling around Trixie cut Inkie off, and startled everypony into silence as they simply watched her horn growing brighter and brighter.

“This is… the only time… that Trixie can use this spell… If we wait, and lose this chance, then it will be all over…” Bracing herself, Trixie took in a deep breath, pushed up to stand on her hind legs, and showed everyone a big, show stopping smile. “Everypony, watch in awe! This is… the Great and P-Powerful Trixie’s… final trick!” A bright flash of light exploded from Trixie’s horn, and in the next moment, when it had died down, she was gone.

Author's Note

Thanks to SlashopentheSky for pre-reading ^_^

7 - Epilogue

One week after the events set in motion by King Sombra’s plan to defeat Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Canterlot was finally able to return its peaceful day-to-day life. Much of it was still damaged from the attacks by the corrupted ponies, and workers had to be called in from every corner of Equestria in order to fix it. Not to mention the number of ponies that were in the hospital from the attack. Thankfully, there were no casualties, thanks to the efforts of the Royal Guard, but there were still a good number of ponies that had sustained injuries.

Feathermay skipped through the streets, humming a tune as she carried a couple of bags of debris on her back. She was currently helping the reconstruction efforts of the business district, mostly because that was where her store was, but also because a friend of hers also worked there.

After reaching the dumping area outside of Canterlot, she unloaded the two bags and emptied them out into the pile. As she wiped the sweat off her brow, a pony next to her offered her a bottle of water. “Ah, thanks,” she said as she took the bottle and drank it quickly. “Aah, refreshing!”

“You sure have helped us out an awful lot,” the buff stallion said, moving closer to Feathermay and giving her a toothy grin. “You’re a lot stronger than ya look, Ms. …”

“Feathermay. And sorry, but I have plans today,” she said, seeing where the conversation was going. The stallion looked disappointed for a moment, before Feathermay giggled and turned away. “But, I’m free tomorrow, if you wanna do lunch then. I’ll warn you, though: I don’t come cheap.”

The stallion guffawed at her response. “I think I can handle it! So, tomorrow at noon?”

“Sounds good,” Feathermay said. “I’ll be waiting by the city’s gates. Don’t be late.” As she walked away, Feathermay turned her attention to the clock tower in the distance. “Another date tomorrow… But first, I’ve got an important date today. One I absolutely can’t miss.”

“Hey Fritter, seconds over here!”

Apple Fritter turned and scowled at Red Delicious, who simply gave a drunken laugh at her annoyed expression. “No seconds! We all get the same amount, y’hear?!”

“Ya ask me, y’all should get more,” Breaburn said, standing beside Apple Fritter as he helped her to distribute the food to the citizens of Appleoosa. “You’ve been slavin’ away in that kitchen all on yer own, ever since our previous cooks had that lil’… incident, with the microwave.”

“I can’t do that,” she said, giving her cousin a warm smile. “And besides, I’m happy ta cook for all of ya. Ye’re all family ta me, an’ I wanna help however I-” Apple Fritter gasped as she noticed the clock tower standing behind Braeburn. “Oh no! I didn’t realise how late it was!”

Braeburn gave her a confused look for a second, before he remembered that she had plans today. “… Well, y’all best get movin’ then.”

“But I-”

“No buts,” he said in a stern tone. “Ah can handle this on mah own. You need ta get over to Canterlot an’ meet yer friends. Now go on, before y’all miss the train.”

Apple Fritter stared in awe for a second, before smiling and removing her apron. “Well then, I’ll try ta come home as early as possible tomorrow mornin’!”

“No rush!” Braeburn shouted after Apple Fritter began to take off. “Ah know mah way ‘round a kitchen, trust me!”

Apple Fritter managed to get to the train station just in time, and boarded the train mere moments before it closed its doors. “It’s been one week since I saw everypony… I hope they’re doin’ alright…”

Spitfire raised an eyebrow as Lightning Dust landed in front of her, foreleg raised as she saluted the Captain. “Ma’am, all clouds cleared as ordered, ma’am!”

“… And in record time, too,” Spitfire said, looking at her stopwatch. “But you were a little sloppy with your movements up there. It’s been like that for the past week now. What gives, cadet?”

“… Forgive me, Captain. I can’t give an answer for that.”

“Well, if you ask me, I think you’re focussing too much on time, and paying less attention to the quality of your work.” Spitfire sighed and lowered her shades. “Listen, I’m probably the last pony you’d expect to hear this from, but speed isn’t everything. It means nothing if you pass the finish line first, if you hit all the hurdles on the way.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, ma’am.”

“Well then, wanna give it another go? You’re technically free to go, but we still have plenty of time left to kill.”

Lightning Dust looked up at the clock tower in the distance. “Actually, if it’s alright with you, ma’am, there is somewhere that I need to be right now. I’d also like to request the rest of the day off.”

Spitfire raised an eyebrow at that. “We have team drills later this evening. Dash can’t compete without her partner, y’know?”

“… I understand, ma’am, and I will be more than willing to accept whatever punishment you give me for cutting class.”

Spitfire had to hold back her laughter at the way Lightning Dust described it. Comparing military drills to a High School Gym class… That was just one of the things Spitfire loved about this pony. “Alright, permission granted. I’ll sub for ya today, and when you get back, you’ll have to take some make-up classes.”

Lightning Dust nodded. “Sir, yes, sir!” she shouted.

“Dismissed.” Not even a single second passed after she said that before a cloud of smoke replaced the Pegasus once standing before her, and a lightning trail shot up into the sky. “… Well, a true Wonderbolt puts her friends before herself. Even so, ‘cutting class’ is gonna result in a hefty detention for her when she gets back.” Chuckling to herself, Spitfire turned around and walked back towards he academy building behind her.

In her small house in Ponyville, Vinyl Scratch looked unsure as she sat in front of Octavia, who had her forelegs draped around the DJ mare. Vinyl wasn’t used to playing anything quieter than herself from her ‘boombox’, as she called it, so to hear the soothing sounds of classical music filling her room was a weird experience for her.

“Well?” Octavia asked as soon as the last track finished playing.

“… Fine. I guess it’s not so bad,” Vinyl said, though she had actually stopped paying attention partway through. The feel of Octavia’s fur against her back, and Octavia’s heartbeat against the side of her head both distracted her from the music.

“There, see? So, you’ll go with me to the concert next week, right?”

Vinyl sighed. She knew that, despite it sounding like a question, it was really not her choice in the mater. If she didn’t want to receive the ‘couch treatment’ for the next month, she would have to say ‘yes’. “Yeah yeah, I’ll go with you,” she said, receiving a nuzzle from the other mare, which made her smile. ‘I’ve dealt with drunken hooligans at my performances before, I can handle this.’

The silent moment was interrupted by a sudden explosion of sound that almost gave Octavia a heart attack. Vinyl looked over to her alarm clock, which was hooked up to two speakers that were now pumping out loud music at full blast.

“Oh, it’s time,” Vinyl said as she reached over to shut off her alarm clock. “We’d better get goin’, before we miss the train.”

“‘We’?” Octavia asked. “You mean, you want to me come along, too?”

“Of course. I’m sure the others won’t mind,” Vinyl said with a smile as she rose to her hooves. “Besides, even if you don’t come, they’re gonna be askin’ me all sorts of questions about ya. And if you’re not there, I’ll just have to answer all questions for the both of us.”

Octavia grimaced at the thoughts of Vinyl Scratch discussing their relationship without her supervision. Knowing Vinyl, she was unlikely to hold back any information at all. Not even the most sensitive stuff, such as…

“Well then, shall we?” Octavia asked, suddenly rising to her hooves and motioning for Vinyl Scratch to lead.

Vinyl laughed as she passed Octavia, using her magic to turn off the many electrical appliances she had on her room. “Trust me, you guys are gonna get along great together,” she said as she left the room with her marefriend.

Inkie Pie struck a matchstick against the side of the box, creating a spark and lighting it up. “You guys ready?” she asked her friends, who all nodded from a safe distance. Inkie turned back to the fuse at her hooves, and slowly brought the match down to light it.

She then ran back to where her friends were waiting for her and sat down beside them. A few moments later, the fireworks the mares had prepared started to launch, and they watched the display together with awe.

‘Well Trixie, you were right,’ Inkie thought to herself as she watched the bright flashes of light before her. ‘Help came to us three days later, but even after an extensive search, there was nopony in Canterlot who could cast that spell and travel back more than five days. If you hadn’t gone back to give yourself that warning, things may have turned out very badly for us.’

A particularly loud firework caught her off guard and startled her. She smiled again as she turned to her left, looking at her friends: Apple Fritter, Feathermay, Lightning Dust, Vinyl Scratch, and Octavia.

‘You did that, knowing it would cause your death…’ Inkie then moved her head to look to her right. ‘Well, there was one thing you didn’t account for… I wasn’t about to let you die.’

“What? Is there something on my face?”

Inkie shook her head. “You’re looking a lot better. I told you that medicine would help.”

“… It still tastes appalling.”

Inkie giggled and leaned over, resting her head on her friend’s shoulder. “Princess Cadance is going to visit her tomorrow. Make sure you thank her.”

“Yes, mum.”

Inkie playfully kicked the mare’s good leg, and the two of them shared a quick laugh together. “I’m serious, though. You really were dead, but the Princess ignited the faint spark of life still left within you.”

“And you supplied your blood, knowing full well that the Princess was no doctor, and that the risks were huge.” Trixie sighed and shook her head. “Once again, you saved Trixie’s life. And you still don’t ask for anything in return?”

Inkie turned back to the fireworks display before her eyes and sighed contentedly. “Just smile,” she said softly. “That’s all you need to do. It’s all I ask of you.”

“… Honestly,” Trixie said, turning her head to look over her friends. “With friends like you, I’d have to be dead not to smile. I’ve already tried that before, and I have no intention of doing it again anytime soon.”

Another particularly loud firework went off, and Trixie turned back to the display. She was happy. She had the greatest friends in the world, who she knew would be there for her whenever she needed them, and she now knew she could trust with her life. Part of her wanted this night to last forever, but another part of her told her that was stupid… because if this night never ended, she would be unable to enjoy more night like this with the ponies that she cared for.

‘Well, I’d better get ready,’ Trixie thought to herself as she watched the last wave of fireworks launching up into the air. ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie is on after this display, after all.’

Author's Note

Thanks to SlashopentheSky for pre-reading ^_^