Shadows of Canterlot

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Epilogue

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was a peaceful night.

In the capital city of Equestria, Canterlot, most nights were nice and quiet. But it doesn’t mean Canterlot was a safe place. It was quite dangerous, but in a very specific way. Rather than rampaging dragons there were annoying ambassadors and dignitaries of all kind. Instead of fiery breath there were harsh words capable of hurting deeper than the strongest claw. And while there were no complicated labyrinths to cross, keeping up to the high society’s standards was quite a comparable challenge.

All in all, these were problems created and solved by those who cared enough for their renown and fame. But the gray-coated unicorn didn’t.

He was one of the Royal Guards – the formation of peacekeepers in the city. He wasn’t into politics and didn’t know much about court manners, but he was performing his duty with pleasure. The guard had that strong sense of responsibility since his father, also a Royal Guard, died in an avalanche in a village so small it didn’t have its own name. He saved half a dozen of ponies that day.

“I will make you proud, father”, he said to himself every time he put on his helmet.

Canterlot was a pretty secure place, yes, but it will never be safe enough for the guards like him to leave the post, even if nothing could happen during his shift. The need of intervention was rare, so it was mostly Royal Guard’s armored presence that inspired the citizens to obey the law. And thanks to that there was a relatively small crime rate compared to other cities of Equestria.

Gray unicorn was pleased to be part of this. Tonight he was guarding the ivory arch leading to the Archives. It was a district of Canterlot with libraries, art galleries and museums as well as some other spires and towers. His superior’s orders were quite clear: keep thieves off the area, let no burglar come through. Just a regular night shift.
And he was there, carefully watching the surroundings, with alleys in front of him and a passage inside the district behind him.

There was less than a hour before Princess Celestia rises the Sun, when noises came out of a nearby hedge.

“Who is it? Show yourself!”, he ordered, brightening the area with a magical light from his horn. “I’m warning you… not on my watch!”

He slowly walked towards the bushes.

“Gotcha!”, the unicorn said as he suddenly removed some branches.

It was a raccoon.

“Oh, just what the hay are you doing here?”, he asked as if the furry pet could understand him. “Shouldn’t you be in the Royal Gardens?”

The gray animal crawled outside and started sniffing around the guard.

“Now now, there is no need to call for support, right, little one? You will just…”

Suddenly, the small creature jumped on the unicorn, trying to bite his armor’s star emblem off.

“What the hay… ouch!”, guard screamed as the raccoon climbed on his back, pinching with its little claws. He tried to shake it off, but it already went further on and pulled his helmet’s blue crest.

“Get off me, you crazy squirrel!”

The guard rolled on his back, trying to get rid of the raccoon. He succeeded, then stood up, observing the pet disappearing down the alley.

“Yeah, you’d better run!”, the unicorn straighten up and checked around for any more raccoons, finding none.

“And that’s what I call security! Royal Guards are ever vigilant – we hear everything, we see everything”, he said proudly and went back to guarding the arch.

No, he didn’t see the raccoon taking away a loose golden ornament of his armor.

And no, he didn’t see the mare dashing behind him into the passage.

Indeed, it was a peaceful night…

* * *

Trixie moved quickly and left the ivory arch behind. Not knowing other guards’ patrol routes, she must rely on instinct. Varying between galloping and hiding she outmaneuvered two stallions and headed through the well-trimmed grass. Her hooves would make too much noise if she went the paved path. Also her bag was not making it easier – straps were loose and they made the bag sway from one side to another.

She looked around – no guards, only scenery full of sky-reaching towers. Although many buildings in Canterlot were rather flat and wide, the Archives was mostly vertical. There were spiral stairs wrapped around some spires, others were connected via elegant bridges at different heights. The mare was getting closer to her target, one of the towers…

“Only one more guard between me and the entrance”, she though and hid behind the statue of Clover the Clever, waiting for the unicorn to pass by. After the area was clear, she got to the small doors with few jumps and pushed them silently.

Trixie entered the tower. The dark room was almost completely empty and there were no stairs leading up. Even if they were, they would serve a little use, as the ceiling was only few meters above and there was no way to go through it. The only interesting object here was the old statue of Star Swirl the Bearded. Well, not so bearded - the artist depicted him as a young unicorn. Since it was way too unimaginable for the majority of ponies to think of one of the greatest wizards in that manner, the statue was left here. And the other one, properly bearded, was set on display near the Royal Castle.

“Well, well… look who’s trying to sneak in…”

Trixie recognized the voice.

“You know it is because of you, Moonwarden”, she replied calmly.

The dark-grey unicorn came out of shadows. He had a pointy horn, silver eyes and a black tail with some white stripes. Although his flank was covered with a short black cape, Trixie knew him long enough to have an idea about his cutie mark. It was a full moon on the diamond-shaped shield.

“So… The Great and Powerful Trixie still remembers about us, small and humble ponies…”, he said.

“Actually I’m trying not to think about you. But a bet is a bet.”

Moonwarden joined the Conclave at the same time as Trixie did. He quickly became a promising agent who specialized in magic affecting ponies’ behavior, as well as creating illusions. He tended to plan and calmly analyze the situation. Trixie, on the other hoof, was trying to make things as spectacular as possible, making a show of every mission with unnecessary actions.

One day, after Trixie returned from an assignment involving skydiving on a gryphon and completely disabling part of the railroad for a couple of weeks, Moonwarden said she was “unable to act with subtlety”. It was probably more of a joke than a taunt, but brash azure unicorn couldn’t stand that kind of humiliation. So she accepted the challenge – every time she entered the Archives she must remain unseen up to the Conclave’s tower.

“Indeed, a bet is a bet”, Moonwarden repeated. “Too bad for you we agreed on not using magic while fooling those guards. You could just teleported here.”

“Of course I could. But I want to do it the hard way”, Trixie replied. The truth was she never learned the teleport spell.

“Shall we go? The Council will await your report about the Everfree fire.”

Trixie nodded. Moonwarden stepped forward and pointed his horn at the statue, illuminating the room with a silvery light. The stone figure began sparkling and building up a pulsating, magical wall around itself. When it was finished, Moonwarden confidently stepped into the golden curtain. Trixie followed him. Within the second two ponies were transported to second to the top floor of the tower, the Conclave headquarters. Magical curtain disappeared, revealing the stone statue of no longer Star Swirl the Bearded but another unicorn, said to be Star Swirl’s best friend.

“It’s a shame these only work on short distances”, Moonwarden said.

“It’s a shame we only have two of them”, Trixie replied.

Unlike the bare cellar, this room has soft rugs all over the floor. There were pictures and decorations on the walls, mostly old Unicornian paintings. There were sofas and workstations around the place, making it a perfect shelter for any agent of the Conclave. In fact, there were already a few unicorns here. Trixie asked around and found out that the Council will gather soon, in their quarters above.

“I’m here to report of my findings. And you?”, Trixie asked Moonwarden.

“I want to double check on one of these documents not available in regular library. I think I found a secret passage in the Royal Castle…”, he replied and headed towards a bookstand with tomes and scrolls. “I wonder if it’s in the original plans…”

Trixie sat on a sofa and took off her bag. She looked through the window. It was getting brighter – another beautiful day starts and the Council will gather soon.

“What is it with you and staying up night, anyway?”, she asked Moonwarden.

The stallion smiled.

“I like it. It is much more enjoyable than any day. The Moon, the stars, the quiet.”

“That’s the point! It is so quiet, nothing ever happens! It’s boring and…”

She was just about to criticize the very idea of the night when something crossed her mind.

“And what?”, Moonwarden asked.

“Nothing. I think I simply don’t get it, that’s all.”

“Now that’s new. I thought you’ll start your general speech of how spectacular it is when everypony can see your actions in a bright sun.”

“Maybe some other time, Moonwarden”, Trixie said, cutting the conversation.

As she was sitting she read few reports about other agents’ assignments.

“Crisis at the border of Germaney averted… boring… agent of Stalliongrad intercepting the parcel from the Griffin Kingdoms… so very boring…”

She sat there for a while, then took her bag and climbed the stairs to the top floor of the tower.

Ivory wall halved this floor, connecting its halves with massive, ornament doors.

Trixie entered the room. It was in a shape of a semicircle, with an entrance at the straight wall and the large, colorful windows all around. There were three comfortable chairs put in an equal distance from the center of the room.

On the middle chair was Councilor Stormcoat – the only stallion in the Council. He was also the oldest one and thus he was the mind of the organization. On the right side of the room was Councilor Firehoof. She was promoted to her present position only recently, but had already some fine achievements in solving magical problems in Equestria. Councilor Icemane was seated to the left. Even before joining the Conclave she had an impressive network of contacts. She was in charge in coordinating non-Canterlot cells of the group.

Trixie greeted them and began her story of what has happened in the Everfree Forest.

“…and I found this”, Trixie ended her report, showing the shard of emerald that was the actual cause of the Everfree fire. It was glowing faintly in a regular intervals.

“What is this?”, Councilor Firehoof asked.

“I don’t know. It looks like a gem, but I found out it has a regenerative structure. It was smaller when I found it and has grown since”, Trixie replied.

“And the fire issue ended when you and Twilight Sparkle destroyed this gem?”, Councilor Icemane inquired.

“Correct. After it exploded there was nothing left. This shard is probably the biggest, others have vaporized”.
Councilors were pondering upon the mysterious gem fragment. It was clear that they have never seen such thing.

“Since we don’t know much about it, it’ll be wise to hide it. You will transport it to the Royal Vault. Now go, Agent Trixie.”, Councilor Stormcoat instructed.

Trixie put the shard back in her bag.

“I have nothing more to add, Councilors”, she said. Then she left the room and went out of the Conclave headquarters, wondering if Moonwarden has found whatever he was looking for.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Royal Vault’s doors closed back with the emerald placed safely inside.

Trixie sighted with relief. She had nothing against Conclave assignments but delivering parcels was boring – not to mention it was way below her potential and interest. Now she will wait for another mission, hopefully an opportunity to amaze the world with her skills.

‘Thank you, Princess.’, Trixie said as Celestia has finished sealing the Vault.

‘Thank you for taking care of the fire in the Everfree Forest. If it weren’t for you, the whole region might have been put in jeopardy.’, replied the regal mare.

Trixie and Celestia went back through the long corridor decorated with stained glass.

‘Well of course I…’, azure mare hesitated as she spotted the picture of six ponies creating a bubble around a black, armored mare. One of them was strangely familiar. ‘I mean, Twilight Sparkle helped as well.’

‘She is a resourceful student. I heard you are quite talented, too.’

‘Yes, they say that.’, Trixie agreed, wondering if one can be banished for not being humble enough.

Celestia just smiled.

‘I think both of you could learn a lot from each other. You should visit Ponyville soon.’

Trixie didn’t know what to say. The village itself was a nice place to live, but how would the Ponyvillians react? They were probably still laughing at her failure with the Ursa. So showing up there would most likely lead to an embarrassment. And if they accepted her, rather than taunting, the embarrassment would be even greater.

‘Well, maybe… someday.’, Trixie answered.

‘I see.’, Celestia nodded then stopped. They were in the entry hall. ‘Please excuse me but I have other affairs to attend to. Rest assured that the gemstone is well guarded.’

‘Of course.’, Trixie bowed. ‘Princess.’

‘Have a pleasant day!’

Trixie went out of the Castle and headed towards the Promenade – Canterlot’s main street. It was a troubling matter that even Princess Celestia didn’t know anything about the emerald, but hay. It was a thing for the Council now.

It was around midday, so the Promenade was very lively and crowded. Some ponies were sitting in the expensive restaurants, discussing everything from the weather to philosophy, others were buying luxurious goods just for the sake of showing them off to their neighbors. There were also tourists visiting this jewel of Equestria and small fillies and colts playing around. They were all busy and had the most important, in their opinion, things to do. As did Trixie.

First, she visited Hoity Toity’s boutique. Well, it was actually Madame Marekin, Hoity Toity’s assistant who worked here as he was constantly away in a search of new designers. Trixie needed a new cape – her previous one was too torn after her last fight.

Madame Marekin was a pink, chubby pony with short white hair. Always greeting her customers with a smile, she offered a large variety of clothes for any occasion. Trixie wasn’t into fashion. Of course she understood that proper clothing make a good impression but she hated those very formal, extremely elegant garments. In fact, there were no formal attires around, only those casual.

‘Can you sew on some pale blue and yellow stars?’, Trixie asked as she chose a dark blue material.

‘Of course dear, but it will take a while’, answered Madame Marekin. ‘We have an awful lot of orders because of the upcoming gala at the Castle.’

So that’s why there is a shortage of elegant attires. They’re all sold out.

‘It will be ready in a few hours, come back in the late afternoon.’
Trixie was back in the streets, bought a few donuts – extra sprinkled – at Pony Joe’s, then went back to her suite in the Residential district. It was a quite comfortable and well furnished apartment. Conclave surely takes care of their agents’ needs.

‘What’s up furball?’, Trixie greeted the raccoon.

He didn’t seem amused.

‘Okay, I’m sorry.’, Trixie laughed. ‘Here, have a donut!’, she said sharing one of the baked rings.

While he was devouring the snack, Trixie approached the wardrobe. Some time has passed since she cleaned up and sorted her magic scrolls. Luckily, she had a simple system of cataloguing the spells. Some unicorns did it by the difficulty: easy, medium, hard. Others did by type: conjures, alterations, curses and so on and so forth.
Trixie had: “I already know that” type and “I don’t need it” type. Simple.

This time she knew exactly which spell she wants to practice. She took out the scroll from the second pile. It was a spell allowing instant travel over a short distance.

‘Now, for that teleportation spell…’, Trixie headed back to the table. Only raccoon’s tail was visible, the pet itself got into her bag again.

‘Hey! That’s my lunch!’, she shouted, saving the last donut just in time.

The raccoon was puzzled.

‘Of course I’m angry, you’re just… you’re just so...’, Trixie said but saw the raccoon lowered his head. ‘You’re just so adorably annoying.’

Little pet was apparently content as it grabbed the scroll and passed it over to Trixie. She immediately unrolled the parchment and began studying arcane symbols and inscriptions.

Unicorns were one of the few beings in Equestria capable of using magic. The process was quite simple. While casting spells, there were no incantations, no hoof waving and no external components, though they all helped, sometimes. It all began in a pony’s mind – imagining the effect of a spell, understanding how it will alter the reality and believing that the outcome is possible. When the image of a spell was clear, a certain amount of energy was needed to cast it. The energy itself was drawn from the users body – everyday tasks were simple and did not use much of a typical unicorn’s energy while complex spells were quite exhausting. The last thing involved in the magic was the unicorn’s most important attribute – the horn. It acted like a catalyst, helped in gathering enough magical energy to unleash it in the form of a spell.

‘Come on, Trixie… you want to be there. Not here, there!’, Trixie tried to concentrate.

While she was reading the scroll, some thoughts invaded her mind.

She was acting strangely over the last few days. It was definitely not Trixie’s usual behavior. First of all, why she accepted Moonwarden’s point of view about the night? He was right, a month ago she’d just criticize him.

‘Okay… it’s simple… appearing in another place…’, she tried to regain her focus.

Or today? Princess Celestia complimented her and her alone, yet Trixie felt that she should mention Twilight Sparkle. It was, after all, sharing her accomplishment with others – why do so?

‘Get out of my head, Sparkle…’, she murmured, then closed her eyes thinking about the other side of the room.

What has got into her? She never thought she’d think about friendship and accepting other ponies instead of mocking them, but look – she adopted a pet! That is definitely not the Trixie she knew. And it seems that this other Trixie couldn’t concentrate on her spell!

Light blue aura appeared around her horn, ready to reveal its outcome. Trixie thought of the place a few meters away and…

Nothing happened.

Well, that’s all. Trixie was still in the same spot. Teleportation spell didn’t work even though she gather enough willpower. It failed because she couldn’t fully concentrate.

‘I wonder if Twilight can-’

Why is she thinking about Twilight again? Why is she even thinking about somepony else? That all friendship babble has serious side effects.

‘That Sparkle… stop messing with my mind!’, Trixie said shaking her head.

She decided that she needs a place to rest. Not to rest physically – neither her muscles nor her hooves were overworked. Trixie needed a place to withdraw from her problems and let them drift away for a while.

There was one place.

* * *

Trio of fillies entered the cave-like formation literally carved in the mountain Canterlot was built on. It was the rim of the city, slightly below the streets level. It was difficult to get there, most of the paths around Canterlot were blocked by waterfalls and of course there was no reason to have a convenient road here. What is more, there was absolutely no reason for anypony to venture here as it was quite possible to get into trouble.

‘That’s ah long way down.’, observed the yellow filly, stepping back from the ledge.

‘But the view is spectacular!’, yelled the orange Pegasus with excitement. ‘I can see Cloudsdale from here!’

‘You know we’re not supposed to be here, right?’, asked the unicorn filly.

‘We’re supposed to be back within the hour, just as Miss Cheerliee told us to. Look! There’s Ponyville!’, said the pegasus.‘ And what if our special talent is being in places we’re not supposed to be in?’

‘How does it fit for a cutie mark? It doesn’t make sense.’, marveled the earth pony.

‘Does so!’, opposed the pegasus.

‘Does not!’

‘Quiet you two! Somepony is coming!’

‘Quick, let’s hide behind those stalactites!’

‘These are called...’, started the unicorn but was immediately pulled by her friends.

The trio jumped and hid in the back.

They saw an azure mare entering the cave. She kept her head low, just as if there were matters troubling her greatly. She sat on the pile of rocks and just stared at something far away.

‘She seems sad.’, whispered the yellow filly.

‘Maybe she doesn’t have her cutie mark either.’

‘She has, look – it’s a… uhm… star-shaped wand surrounded by a sparkling mist?’

‘Why would anyone with a cutie mark be sad?’

‘I still think we should try tiger taming…’

Suddenly, a new voice interrupted the trio’s discussion.

‘You have something I want.’

The azure mare turned around.

‘Excuse me? Who do you think you are?’, she answered, annoyed that somepony intrudes her even here. Well, not just anypony.

He was a well-build stallion, an earth pony wearing a suit which covered his whole body including the face. There were some silver markings on his clothes, looking like vines or thorns.

‘I will not ask again.’, slowly said the stallion. ‘Give me the gem you recovered from the Everfree Forest. Or don’t. It will be more fun.’

‘You surely have the wrong address. I am…’, Trixie didn’t finished as the brown stallion charged at her.

The azure mare jumped back and used the magic to fire a set of blazing sparkles towards her opponent. He screamed but quickly recovered. Trying to hit Trixie, he came closer and punched with his hooves. Trixie barely avoided the attack, then used her magic again to rise some rocks from the ground and strike the mysterious assailant. He covered himself and tried to dodge the upcoming missiles. She ran towards him, he dashed back. Trixie was in advantage. Stallion galloped towards the wall, jumped and bounced back from the rocky surface, landing behind the mare. She immediately turned around but her adversary was faster. He stroke with his back hooves, dazing the mare for a while. The attacker grabbed her. As Trixie was struggling to free herself, both ponies rolled towards the ledge. In her last resort before the inevitable fall, she conjured a blinding flash, which confused her enemy. She hit him if the face to weaken the grab, then kicked him and let him disappear beyond the ledge. There was no way anypony could survive the fall.

‘Trixie is once again… triumphant!’, the azure mare said breathing heavily. She looked around but didn’t see any more hostiles, so she took the path back to the streets level.

After a while the hidden fillies went out of their hideout with their eyes and mouths widely open.

‘What was that… I don’t even…’, the little unicorn said.

‘She is super awesome!’, yelled the winged filly.

‘More awesome than Rainbow Dash?’, asked the yellow pony with a grin.

‘Well, no, but Dash is a pegasus and she is an unicorn. And she surely is the best unicorn around!’, shouted the orange pegasus. ’Come on Crusaders, we’ve got the name. Let’s find out more about this Trixie!’

And the trio went back to their teacher, taking one final look at the amazing view. There were more and more dark clouds coming from Cloudsdale’s weather factories, heralding the change of weather. Fillies wondered who can know something more about the azure mare. They also noticed that there is no cutie mark for watching pony combat from a concealed spot.

Chapter 3

Shadows of Canterlot
By Prane
Chapter 3

Trixie became fed up with the prolonging silence.

'You know, this isn't the first time I was attacked...', she said impatiently.

Councilor Stormcoat spoke.

'It is not the fact of the assault itself worrying us. It is by who you were attacked.'

'Well, stallion in strange clothes', Trixie said, rolling her eyes. 'Not even a challenge, nothing worth pondering upon... unless there's something you're not telling me...'

Councilor Firehoof stood up and walked towards the wooden shelves on the side of the chamber. She grabbed them in a reddish mist and passed across the room to Trixie. Those were various agents' reports, all mentioning black robes with silvery markings. Some reports even had pictures. There was no doubt - striking resemblance to what Trixie saw confirmed the connection to the case.

'We have been receiving messages from our agents for some time now.', Firehoof began. 'But they were nothing by odd pieces of information, with no direct threat.'

'Until now?'

'I am afraid so, Trixie. This incident proves that we are dealing with something bigger than a costume party.'

They surely were. The masked stallion knew exactly what he was up for. That Everfree gem. The good thing was, he didn't have the right location of it. The bad thing was that he actually had any location. Sure, it was no secret that Trixie brought something with her from her last mission... she might even have told some ponies about it... a dozen, perhaps. Not a big deal, was it?

'The best intel we've got came from Sunseeker, our agent in Hoofington.', Councilor Icemane said. 'You will fly there onboard an airship, find our agent and investigate the case. We need to stop this group before they'll become a threat to Equestria.'

'Get some rest, agent. The Leviathan takes off tomorrow morning.', said Councilor Firehoof. 'Please, try not to blow it up on the way.'

‘And remember! This group might attack again.’, warned Councilor Stormcoat.

‘The worse for them.’, Trixie replied, turning around.

One thing was sure. If Conclave was in danger, the whole Canterlot was.

On her way home, Trixie dropped by Hoity Toity’s boutique to get her new outfit, then returned to her apartment in the Residential district.

* * *

The next day Trixie was in a terrible mood. She was distracted not only by bruises after yesterday’s skirmish but was also getting nostalgic about herself. And the pouring rain wasn’t helping. She finished packing her bag with some most important things, she threw on a dark blue cloak and put her raccoon into a pet travel box. She cast a violet force field repelling the rain, then went outside and headed towards the Pet Haven, an animal hotel in Canterlot. As much as she’d want to take the raccoon with her, it was far too dangerous… was she getting protective about others?

Trixie went to the harbor. It was located beyond the city, with a rocky path leading to it. After a while she arrived and faced a breathtaking view.

The airsphip was magnificent. Golden letters on its hull displayed its name: HMS Leviathan. It was a Wind Fish-class luxury yacht, perfect for the high society needs, but rather unachievable for common ponies. About twenty ponies could be taken onboard comfortably, as for others… let them travel by train.

Trixie approached the accommodation ladder.

‘May I see your ticket, madame?’, a mustached pony asked.

Oh no! Trixie didn’t have the ticket. How could the Coucil forget to give her the ticket!?

‘Well, I guess we’re doing this the hard way.’, she thought and took a deep breath.

‘Do I look like I don’t have the ticket?’, she said, raising her voice.

‘No, madame, I just…’

‘Do you realize how outrageous it is to accuse me of such thing? Don’t you know who I am?’, she continued, trying to talk her way out.

‘What I meant was I need to see your ticket…’

Trixie decided to go even further.

‘See my ticket? And what next, you’ll spy on me in my very home!? And I believed that as a loyal Canterlot citizen I have rights to…’

Walking back and forth, she continued her speech of how are civil rights limited by constant bureaucracy, emphasizing several times that she feels offended by the conductor for not treating her properly. Suddenly…

‘Here’s your ticket, madame. Have a nice trip.’, the mustached pony said blankly, giving her the ticket. With an empty stare he turned around.

‘…and you must understand that your incompetence leads to a change of the oceanic tides that are affecting the taste of bananas in… what?’

He was already away, murmuring that he’s getting too old for this.

‘Got everything?’, Trixie heard a voice from behind. She turned around.

‘Moonwarden! Did you bring this ticket?’

Dark-grey unicorn was smiling.

‘Old Stormcoat realized they didn’t give it to you.’, he said. ‘And I… happened to be nearby.’

‘You always are, somehow.’, Trixie rolled her eyes. ‘Hey, did you find what you’re looking for? That passage in the Royal Castle?’

‘Maybe.’, he answered with his face unmoved.

‘What kind of answer is this? You’re impossible.’, Trixie judged.

The bell on the airship started to rang. The ship was about to take off.

‘I’ve got to go.’, she said. ‘Thanks for the help.’

‘What was that? Can you repeat?’, Moonwarden grinned.

‘I am not playing your games!’, she shouted as she got on deck.

The hawser was released and the airship began to ascend.

‘You’re full of surprises, oh Great and Powerful Trixie!’, Moonwarden shouted as he was getting smaller in the distance.

She knew exactly what he meant. By yelling at this clerk pony Trixie was so close to being her boastful self again – maybe not her most attractive side, but at least a stable identity. But then Moonwarden shown up and blew it all.

***

It was late afternoon when the airship arrived in the city. Trixie got off and looked around. Hoofington was an interesting place to visit. Not as crowded as Manehattan but not as secluded as Appleloosa. Trixie has never been here, but she read some old hoofingtonian tales about Ursa Major rampaging through the city, which she later used during her performance in Ponyville. Quite a memorable performance, she noted to herself.

Trixie approached a local pony, bracing for a long and a troublesome quest of finding her informant.

'Excuse me, do you now Sunseeker?', she asked.

'Of course I do, everypony knows him!', the pony replied.

Oh. That was quick.

'What do you mean, everypony?'

'You must be new here, madam. He is quite popular here, he helps a lot.'

Not bad for a secret agent…

‘Do you know where to find him?’

‘Try at the Lost Horseshoe. It’s a local club, headed this way.’, he said, pointing the direction.

Going as her guide advised, after a few minutes, Trixie saw big red neon letters and a blinking arrow pointing at the club’s horseshoe-shaped doors.

Right after walking through, Trixie was instantly overwhelmed by the loud music coming from the set of ridiculously big speakers. It was Everfree Showdown, one of Vinyl Scratch’s latest records.

‘Hey mister, one of your finest pinecone cocktails please. With extra hay!’, she ordered the bartender pony and sat on the couch overlooking the dance floor. It was a decent club. Not even close to the sophisticated Canterlot places Trixie’s been to, but well-decorated and lively. There was more than a dozen ponies dancing under the disco ball in the middle of the club and even more laughing and drinking seated around the colorful floor.

Trixie spotted a white unicorn in the crowd. He had a red-yellow short mane and a similar tail, as well as a golden bracelet on each hoof. It seemed that the unicorn was dancing with three different mares… at the same time? How was that even physically possible!? Trixie blinked. Anyway, he fitted the description.

‘And ponies think I’m the showoff…’, she thought, then she put away her empty glass.

Trixie walked towards the dance floor but instead of walking in, she bend over the rail separating the jumping ponies from the rest of the club.

‘Sunseeker!?’, she shouted, trying to overcome the heavy beat of the song.

‘Would you dance with me?’, the unicorn replied with a question, smiling widely.

‘Are you out of your mind!?’, Trixie answered angrily. ‘I have an important task to perform. My name is…’

‘I know who you are, Trixie!’, he answered. ‘So, would you dance with me?’

This was getting beyond bizarre, even more as the white stallion was still waving his hooves around and smiling.

‘Can we go outside? It’s a little loud in here!’, Trixie shouted.

‘What!?’

‘I said, it’s a little loud!’

‘I can’t hear you, it’s a little loud in here! Anyway, would you dance with me?’

Trixie facehoofed.

‘I don’t dance! Now get your flank right here!’

‘Yes, ma’am!’

The stallion jumped over the rail and landed at the exact moment the last beat of the music was heard.

They both went outside, gladly welcoming the evening breeze. Trixie’s head was still banging, but the stallion looked fine, and even managed to keep his voice down at the appropriate level.

‘Before we go, let me introduce myself properly.’, the unicorn said. ‘My name is Sunseeker, Conclave field agent in Hoofington. Come, I arranged a place for you to stay.’

‘Trixie, Canterlot division.’

‘How’s Canterlot this time of year?’, he asked, then start walking.

‘Rainy. Cloudy.’

‘Too bad. I always liked the streets of the city illuminated with a nice, warm sunshine.’

‘Total opposite of somepony I know…’, Trixie said quietly to herself. Sunseeker looked confused. ‘Moonwarden, that is. He’d disagree with you.’

‘Oh, right. Is he a friend of yours?’

‘Not really… it’s complicated.’

Sunseeker surely saw Trixie’s hesitation, but to her relief he didn’t pursuit the topic.

‘So, is it true what they say about you and the Ursa Minor Incident?’, he asked.

‘Please, I’ve heard all the jokes already…’

‘On the contrary, I admire it!’

Trixie was surprised.

‘What?’

‘Yes, listen!’, Sunseeker said excitingly. ‘You came to the city, pulled off the remarkable show and ended with an amazing bang, Ursa Minor style!’

‘No, that phantom bear rampaging through Ponyville was not my fault!’, Trixie defended herself.

‘Who says anything about fault?’, Sunseeker said. ‘I’m saying that you gave them one hay of a night! That was inspiring. For me, at least.’

‘Well… thanks, I guess.’

Trixie began to wonder. How did it work, anyway? Not having ponies to admire her was devastating for her well-being. And having someone to admire her for what she thought was a failure - that was unsettling, at best. Was there some kind of magic in between that, which would allow ponies to joyfully share both victories and defeats?

Welcome to my place., Sunseeker said, as they arrived at the small residence. 'It's not much but it's only temporary.'

Contrary to what he said, the house was definitely something.

‘How can you bring it together?’, Trixie asked.

The stallion was puzzled.

‘For an agent of a secret organization you’ve achieved quite a recognition. Everyone knows you and where to find you, you party in a crowded club, live in this!’, Trixie said, noticing the house was slightly bigger than others in the street.

‘It’s so overt it’s covert. Besides, I think I can name a mare who used a trailer full of fireworks to cover her intentions…’, Sunseeker bowed and let Trixie walk through before him. She didn’t say a word.

Sunseeker gave her a quick tour, showing around the absurdly spacious living room, kitchen, guest room, bathroom and a bedroom on the second floor.

'Please, make yourself at home. It's getting late to discuss our mission, we'll do it tomorrow.', Sunseeker said and went upstairs.

As Trixie was tired after the flight from Canterlot she gladly crashed herself in the guest room, hanging her bag and cloak on the chair. Lying on the bed, Trixie thought that Sunseeker’s lifestyle is much like her own. He was showing off, obviously, up to obnoxiousness. But still managed to attract local ponies’ positive attitude. So, there could have been a possibility to be popular and respected at the same time. There is a factor that balances the equation – Trixie was so close to finding it, she knew it has to do something with Twilight’s traits...

Then she fell asleep.

Chapter 4

Shadows of Canterlot
By Prane
Chapter 4

'Ah, nothing like a great and refreshing shower in the morning.', Trixie said to her blurred reflection in the mirror. She took a towel and wiped the steamy surface. 'Much better.', she smiled.

She was a pretty mare, even more with her pale blue mane forming a wet curtain falling down. Or at least she thought she was, as she never heard it from anypony. Oh, of course she was. Such a spectacular talent couldn't be packed into an ugly mule, not offending the mules, of course.

Knock, knock.

Someone's at the front door. Trixie decided to let the host take care of his visitors and went back to combing her mane. At first she was amazed when she found an actual comb in a stallion's house. Then she was startled when she saw a large variety of shampoos, conditioners and nutrients on the bathroom shelves. But when she was blown off by a sudden realization that they were all mare-oriented products and Sunseeker was living alone, she decided not to carry on with her train of thoughts.

Knock, knock!

Trixie sighed. Sunseeker was probably too lazy to come down or still asleep after yesterday's party. Either way, her mane had to wait. She went out of the bathroom wrapped in a silk orange bathrobe.

'I'm coming, I'm coming...', the azure mare said, leaving a path of numerous water droplets behind her tail. 'Sunseeker, wake up already!'

Trixie opened the upper part of the door.

'Why are you disturbing...?', she asked, but didn't see anypony at first.

'Daily subscription for Mister Sunseeker!', said a joyful voice from below.

Trixie looked down and saw a hairy colt taking a rolled newspaper out of his bag. He seemed as if he could use some haircut, as it was impossible to even see his eyes due to his messy mane.

'Can you please tell Mister Sunseeker...'

'No.'

The mare magically lifted the magazine and shut the door. She turned around and saw the white stallion coming downstairs. Trixie thrown the newspaper at him.

'Good moo-', he yawned, dodging the projectile, '-orning. Who was that?'

'House cleaning, judging by the mop I encountered...'

'Oh, that must have been Brush. I helped his father with roof repairs couple of weeks ago and since then I always get the newspaper first and...', he stopped after he saw Trixie frowning. 'I told you, they know me here. Anyway, you hungry?', he asked.

'Oh, starving!'

'Take your time and I'll prepare a breakfast. I hope you like pancakes!', he said, picking up the newspaper.

After a while Trixie went into the kitchen, with her mane properly arranged. While Sunseeker was searching the cupboard for plates, she sat at the wooden table. She realized that it has been a long time since somepony prepared a meal for her. Her mother never did - she wasn't exactly a caring mare, but that's a different story. Occasional fans, like those skinny yellow and round grey colts from Ponyville didn't count - they always wanted something in return. To hear a story, to take a picture or have an autograph. And more recently? Well, that Sparkle's assistant did when Trixie was lying unconscious in the Ponyville library, but he was a servant anyway. Of course restaurants were out of the question either. By Celestia, it seemed that nopony ever did! Was it because of them or Trixie? Probably them.

Yet Sunseeker was here, preparing the breakfast just like this? It didn't make sense.

'So, how was the night?', he asked, serving the dishes.

'Thank you, the accommodation was surprisingly comfortable. Every mare's dream.'

'They often say that, yes...'

'I don't think I want to hear about it. What is this?', Trixie leaned across the table, inspecting the newspaper. 'Equestria Daily? Are you serious?', she laughed scornfully.

'What's so funny?'

'Nothing, it's just they tried to interview me one day.'

'How did it go?'

As they were eating, Trixie told him the whole story.

'...in the end I had to turn them down, because they didn't like the headline I proposed!', she said and burst into laughter.

'Which was...?'

'Spectacular Entertainer Takes Her Incredible Swag To Overstatement.'

'I could have foreseen that.'

'What? It was catchy, wasn't it?'

When there were no pancakes left, Sunseeker sent the dishes to the kitchen sink.

'Brief me in. What do we know about these clowns?', Trixie asked.

'Not much.', the stallion replied. 'And frankly, it scares the hay out of me.'

'Facts, please...'

'Okay. We have a group of ponies dressed in the same manner, expressing dissatisfaction with Equestria's current... political situation.'

'They're against the Princesses?'

'Not in public. Nopony wants to risk a one-way trip to the Moon, right?'

Trixie looked up at the ceiling. She wasn't superstitious but thinking about banishment to the Moon gave her the creeps. Oh, it was just a stupid rumor, after all... wasn't it?

'Unifying dress code, secrecy... sounds like a cult to me. And every cult has a leader...'

'Who we don't know.', Sunseeker pointed out.

'...and an agenda.'

'Which we don't know.'

'Let's find out.', Trixie stood up and went to the guests' room. 'Any chances of meeting them?'

Sunseeker followed her but stopped in the anteroom.

'They will gather in a nearby coliseum today. I've heard there will be some kind of a ceremony.'

Trixie's head popped out through the door.

'There is a coliseum here?', she asked, then disappeared.

'Hoofington was once famous for its annual derby. Now Canterlot is.'

Trixie, now dressed in her dark blue cape joined Sunseeker in the anteroom.

'There isn't any time to waste, then. Let's go!'

* * *

Trixie and Sunseeker were sneaking between the rows in the round arena's audience. Trixie looked above the low wall. She saw a group of ponies standing in a line. They were all wearing black robes with silvery markings all over it. There was another pony, a dark red stallion with a long, brown mane. He walked up a stone platform and gazed upon ponies below. Trixie noticed he had a scar along his face. It started little over his eye and came down to his cheek, giving him quite an intimidating look.

'Okay. What can you see?', the white stallion asked.

'More than half a dozen of stallions and mares.', Trixie whispered. ''Most of them earth ponies, few pegasi. That's odd.', she blinked. 'I can't see a single unicorn.'

'What do you think about that big-timer up there?', Sunseeker asked, pointing at the scarred stallion.

'I don't know. We need to get closer.'

As they were closer, the red stallion started his speech.

'Brothers and sisters! We are living in the world of injustice and inequality!', he said.

The ponies gathered below all nodded and agreed.

'The time is nigh. You are those that will help bring the balance once and for all!', the stallion walked from one side of the platform to the other. 'Fear not! The Nightmare Night is coming and with it, a chance to forge a better future, for all of us!'

Ponies cheered and stomped with their hooves. The scarred stallion seemed content.

'I think we've heard enough.', Trixie whispered.

'So, what's your plan?'

She jumped over into the sandy arena.

'I am going in.'

Sunseeker wanted to object but Trixie was already below, approaching the cultists. He followed in her hoofsteps.

'Canterlot will bow...', the red stallion continued.

'That's a very nice speech and I'mma let you finish, but whatever you're planning, it's not going to work out.', Trixie said.

The other ponies seemed confused by her and Sunseeker suddenly showing up, but the scarred stallion just smiled crookedly.

'The Great and Powerful Trixie herself... what an honor...', he said. 'And Sunseeker... we've heard a lot about you...'

'That's nothing unusual, giving the circumstances that everyone...', the white stallion answered, but was interrupted by the red one.

'Acolytes! You wanted to prove yourselves!', he shouted. 'Deal with them!'

Eight ponies encircled the unicorns, baring their teeth and hitting the ground angrily. Trixie and Sunseeker formed up back to each other.

'That's you plan!?', Sunseeker shouted.

'Relax, I got this...', Trixie replied. 'They have no artillery, so we're good.'

'My magic won't take them all at once.', the stallion reluctantly admitted. 'I hope you're trained in hoof-to-hoof combat...'

'Waste them!', the scarred stallion ordered and cultists jumped towards the two unicorns.

Maybe Sunseeker's spells weren't enough to take them down, but Trixie was confident of her abilities. She conjured a telekinetic shield, which made her attackers bounce off, while Sunseeker rolled to the side. She released a set of blinding flashes amongst the enemies, then she dashed away to evaluate the situation.

'Red stallion not engaging', she thought. 'No direct threat.'

Trixie looked up and saw a pair of pegasi swooping at her. She hurled a vacuum bubble at them and took one down, but the second one was getting closer. He was just about to hit her but something held him in place. It was Sunseeker, who conjured a fiery whip and wrapped it around the pegasus' leg, then smashed the adversary into the ground.

'Sunseeker doing good. Pyromancy, that's why his cutie mark is a torch.'

The azure mare enchanted the ground below one of the cultists. It constricted around him, creating a binding web of sand. At the same time Sunseeker was exchanging kicks and punches with another earth pony mare. Trixie created a telekinetic shockwave, which knocked down her adversaries, then she jumped over one of them and trampled him, rendering him unconscious. Sunseeker was chasing one of the cultists with a fiery ring, trying to set him on fire. He dodged another stallion's kick and teased him.

'Come on, stop trying to hit me and hit me!'

Trixie created a miniature sandstorm which pulled the running cultist off the ground and made him fly over the red stallion's head. He clearly knew that despite Trixie and Sunseeker being outnumbered, they were outgunning his team.

'The outcome as predicted.', Trixie thought. 'Cultists are no match for the Conclave agents.'

Sunseeker created a fiery whip once again and joyfully smacked another pegasus mare.

The two last earth ponies were charging from opposite directions, ready to trample Trixie.

'Possibility of capture...'

She conjured a smoke bomb at her hooves and let her attackers run into blackened zone. An unpleasant crash was heard ant then the smoke went away.

'...unlikely.'

She was standing atop of two defeated ponies, with a visible glimpse of triumph in her violet eyes. Some cultists were still standing... but barely.

'He's running!', Sunseeker shouted.

Trixie turned around and saw the scarred stallion galloping.

'I'm going after him!', she replied. 'Think you can handle them?'

'Just go!'

She followed the red stallion through Hoofington. He wasn't faster than Trixie but very efficient in smashing nearby vegetable stands to slow her down. With the protests of vendors and buyers behind, they were closing in to the airship harbor. The stallion turned left and took the stairs leading to the rooftops. Trixie followed him, jumping from one roof to another. She saw an airship rising nearby. It seemed that they will be at the end of the roof path exactly when the airship is the closest to the buildings. Which means...

Suddenly Trixie slipped over a loose tile. She desperately tried to regain her balance, but was only able to prevent falling down. The scarred stallion jumped and landed on the airship's deck.

'No, no!', Trixie shouted 'Stop that airship immediately!'

By the time she was at the end of the roof path, the airship was disappearing in the clouds. She was angry that she failed. She shouldn't. She hated losing.

'I need to return to Canterlot as soon as possible!', Trixie demanded when Sunseeker joined her in the streets.

'You mean, we need.', he replied. 'The train leaves in fifteen minutes.'

They bought two tickets to Ponyville. It was as close to the capital city as they could travel from here.

'Why are you still helping me?', she asked as they were getting on the train. 'You're from Hoofington division, you don't have to go.'

'Conclave Code would describe it as a priority call. They're on a high value target.'

'What do you mean?', she stopped in the car's corridor, but Sunseeker gave her a nod to get inside their compartment.

Sunseeker locked the door.

'Remember when you chased that bad guy? After he left the other ponies panicked.', he said. 'Most of them escaped, but I managed to pin one down and get some answers.'

'So, what's their plan?', Trixie asked.

Sunseeker grimaced.

'They want to assassinate Princess Celestia.'

Chapter 5

Shadows of Canterlot
by Prane
Chapter 5

The two unicorns got off the train, stretching after a long journey.

'I've never been to Ponyville, you know.', Sunseeker said, looking around the platform. 'Heard a lot about it, but never visited.'

'Oh, good.', Trixie sighed with relief. 'I'll be mercifully free from your they know me here stuff.'

They inquired at the ticket office when does the train to Canterlot leave. It turned out their only option was to take the tomorrow's afternoon one - and tomorrow was Nightmare Night, after which Equestria might never be the same. The perspective of a coup scared Trixie, but the thought of being trapped in Ponyville for the time being was at least terrifying for her.

They left the railway station and headed towards the Town Square, hoping to find some shelter for the upcoming night. It was getting late and most Ponyvillians were already back in their timber-framed houses, some of which were already decorated with pumpkins, fake bats and web-like nets.

'Tell me if I'm wrong', Sunseeker started. 'But isn't the Nightmare Night Celebration in Canterlot an event of a great caliber?'

They stopped near the pool with a stone statue of a rearing pony. Trixie nodded.

'Everything in Canterlot is.', she replied. 'What is your point?'

'As far I know, formal attires are commonly required to participate.', the stallion explained. 'I'm sure you have plenty of dresses in your apartment, but I don't have my tuxedo with me and...'

'Actually, I don't have any.'

'You don't?', Sunseeker looked shocked. 'How can you live in the cultural centre of the world and not have at least a dozen of different garments!?'

Trixie didn't answer. He was right - the proper clothing was an absolute must during any festival. It served as a status symbol among ponies, a kind of an entry pass to receptions, banquets and all other cultural activities. In Canterlot, a pony was defined by what she wore.

'Then it's settled! We need to get some fancy clothes!', he said, smiling widely. 'I heard about the unicorn living here, she might be able to help us out. Hold on a second...'

He then approached a random pony walking through the Town Square. Not walking, Trixie corrected herself. The pinkish mare was moving in bounces. She seemed overjoyed when Sunseeker talked to her and began to jump around him. Trixie didn't want to be a part of this, so she just stared at the stone statue and wished she wouldn't have to interact with anypony in this village.

After a while, Sunseeker returned to her.

'This is crazy!', he laughed. 'I just met her, asked about our fashion designer and she told me not only where to go, but also invited us to a welcoming party in a place known as the Sugarcube Corner, tomorrow at noon!'

Trixie rolled her eyes.

'Focus, you party animal. Where to?'

'The unicorn we're looking for lives in the Carousel Boutique, not far from here. Come on!'

On their way to the boutique, Trixie was pondering. She was certain there was something about Ponyville and fashion designers, but what? Was this city famous for its exceptional clothing? No, clothes were not popular here. Any important fashion shows here? No, there was Canterlot for that. Or maybe she met a designer last time she was...

'By the way, her name is Rarity.', Sunseeker added.

Oh no.

'Do we really have to do our shopping... here?', Trixie asked hesitantly. 'Can't we go someplace else?'

Sunseeker looked back.

'Someplace else? No way.', he answered. 'It's the only clothing store nearby.'

‘What about Canterlot? There are clothing stores in Canterlot, aren’t there?’

‘Don’t be ridiculous. All the dresses will be sold out just before the main event.’

Trixie recalled what she was told at Hoity Toity's shop, but she was not giving up.

‘How about fashion designers?’

‘Yes, we’re about to meet one.’, he said and nodded at the boutique. ‘Very talented, from what I heard.’

The white stallion walked around Trixie.

‘Come on. I though you mares like shopping...’, Sunseeker said and went inside. Trixie followed him reluctantly, bracing for the worst.

The bell at the door rang.

‘Welcome to Carousel Boutique!’, a voice greeted them. ‘Where every garment is chic, unique and magnifique!’

The voice belonged to the mare with a gleaming white coat and the purple mane and tail, stylishly curled at its tips. Her steps were gentle and she kept her head high, smiling softly like the movie stars. Saying that she looked more royal than the Princesses would be an exaggeration, but not too far-reaching.

'Good afternoon, Miss Rarity. My name is Sunseeker and we would like to...'

Rarity caught an eye on the azure unicorn.

'It is you!', she shouted, pointing at Trixie. 'How dare you trespass on my property!'

Trixie didn't even try to reason with her.

'You know each other?', Sunseeker asked, slightly confused.

'Well of course we do! GET OUT!'

Slam. After a second the two unicorns were outside the Carousel Boutique.

'It's a shame, she was pretty...', Sunseeker murmured, straightening up. 'So, what happened between you and the lovely lady?'

They headed back to the town.

'I... happened to call her mane's a rat's nest.', Trixie said. 'And turned it green.'

'Ouch, that's mean, even for you.'

'I'm not proud of it. I was... a different mare back then.', she admitted and lowered her head.

They were going to search for the place to sleep, but luckily, the place found them.

'Good to see you again, Trixie.', said the purple unicorn as they were passing by the big tree.

'Sparkle! What are you doing here?'

Trixie realized that only a week has passed since the last time she was here. It seemed Princess Celestia got what she wanted when she told the azure mare to visit Ponyville soon. Luckily Trixie didn't have to say anything, as Sunseeker introduced himself and explained their situation - careful not to reveal what they knew about conspiracy against the royalty of Equestria.

'You are welcome to stay here.' Twilight said. 'Come on in!'

After the common meal Sunseeker went with Spike to get himself some extra blankets while Trixie was accommodated in Twilight's room upstairs.

'I see you made a friend.', Twilight observed when they were already in beds. 'Good for you. How did you two meet?'

'There is no us two, Sparkle.', Trixie denied. 'We just travel together.'

'Okay then, how do you like Ponyville so far?'

Trixie told her about what happened at the Carousel Boutique.

'It seems you need to apologize for what you did to solve this.', Twilight said.

'Are you deaf, Sparkle? She literally thrown us out!', Trixie rebelled and almost thrown a pillow at the purple unicorn.

'Rarity tends to be overdramatic sometimes, but she'll get over.'

'But she won't accept my apology!'

'Or maybe you are not accepting the fact that ponies can forgive?'

'They do?', Trixie replied. 'I mean, they do.'

'Forgiveness is one of the things that strengthen ponies' friendship.'

Friendship. This concept remained elusive for Trixie for a long time... perhaps a bit too long. But she finally found it - the factor that balanced the equation between Sunseeker's popularity and esteem. The factor responsible for creating the unbreakable bonds between ponies. The factor that opens a whole new world of possibilities through kindness, laughter, generosity, honesty and loyalty.

It was high time for Trixie to learn the new magic.

'Will you come with me, Twilight?', she whispered.

'I will.', the purple mare assured. 'But tomorrow. Now sleep.'

* * *

Apple Bloom joined Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle just outside the Carousel Boutique.

'Ah came as fast as ah could!', she said, breathing heavily. 'What's going on?'

'Sweetie Belle says that Trixie is in Ponyville! And she just went in with Twilight!', the orange pegasus explained.

'What!? Now we can find out more about her!'

'When we got back from our school trip, I asked Rarity if she knows anything about Trixie.', the unicorn filly said. 'But she only screamed and ran to the nearest mirror to check her mane!'

Three fillies listened carefully. There were no shouts coming from the boutique.

Apple Bloom added that her sister responded weird too, when inquired about the azure mare. She became less talkative than Big Macintosh. And Scootaloo mentioned that Rainbow Dash told her to never speak of Trixie again.

The trio was wondering what was going on and why nopony tells them anything, when the door began to open.

'Quick! Hide!'

Trixie and Twilight went out of the boutique.

'You were right, Twilight.', the azure mare admitted. 'It felt good to reconcile with Rarity. But I can't believe she agreed to make attires for me and Sunseeker.'

'That's generosity. One of the traits of friendship. It means...'

Two mares went away, but three fillies were still lurking inside the bush.

'Why were we even hiding? This is stupid!', Scootaloo jumped out, then two other ponies followed. 'I'm going to talk to Trixie right now.'

'You can't! Ponies don't fight and throw other ponies into the Canterlot waterfall for no reason! I think she might be evil!'

'Recon-what?', Apple Bloom snapped out of confusion.

'Reconcile. It means that they now get along with no fights!'

'Not bad for a dictionary...', the orange filly frowned. 'Fine, let's do it you way, Sweetie Belle.'

They followed Trixie and Twilight into town.

Every pony was busy, preparing the Town Square for the Nightmare Night this evening. Earth ponies were making various ornaments, unicorns were helping with heavier objects and pegasi were hanging banners or moving decorations from one place to another.

Suddenly a pumpkin fell just in front of Trixie, nearly hitting her. She seemed angry at first, just as she was ready to set the world on fire, but after Twilight poked her and winked she cheered up.

'Please be careful next time... my grey... pegasus friend!', she shouted towards the sky. She then turned at Twilight and received a confirming nod.

Over the next couple of hours the two mares were helping ponies around Ponyville with the preparations and repaid them with a friendly chat. Some of them recognized Trixie, but instead laughing at her, they were excited to meet her. It turned out they actually enjoyed the show Trixie gave last time and asked if she can show some more stage magic. Encouraged by Twilight, she later gave a performance during the Sugarcube Corner welcoming party thrown off by Pinkie Pie. This time, however, she only chose tricks from her repertoire that in no way could hurt other ponies' feelings.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders observed Trixie apologizing Applejack and Rainbow Dash for something. It was a clue for Sweetie Belle's evil-Trixie theory, but was quickly countered with a parcel from Rarity. You don't give presents to bad ponies, right? They also learned that the white stallion is called Sunseeker and he spends most of his time at the buffet or getting to know all the ponies he meets.

After the party Twilight walked Trixie and Sunseeker to the train station, and the trio of fillies followed their every hoofstep.

'Thank you.', the azure mare said as they were standing on the platform. 'For... everything.'

'You're quite welcome.', the purple one replied. 'Just remember what you have learned here. It applies to most ponies.'

'Will do.'

Trixie and the white stallion got on the train.

'I don't know.', Sweetie Belle said, as they observed the train guard pony closing the cars’ doors. 'I can't shake off the feeling that Trixie is hiding something.'

'We will find it out.', Apple Bloom assured. 'We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders, right?'

'And then we'll write an article about it!', Scootaloo said.

'Which newspaper would print that?'

'I don't know... just thinking out loud. C'mon, let's go and work on our costumes for tonight.'

The train guard pony whistled.

* * *

'What a place, this Ponyville!', Sunseeker said as the train began to move. 'I think I'll spend may next holiday here. So many ponies to meet!'

'You mean, so many mares to meet?', Trixie mocked him.

'Your point?', he replied with a grin, putting the parcel with their new attires on a compartment's shelf.

Trixie didn't answer. Despite of what she expected, she actually enjoyed the stay in Ponyville. And even made some friends! Friends, funny word... sounded weirdly silly, yet surprisingly warm at the same time. Like the word of a foreign language that she just started to learn.

Unfortunately, she had to leave studying it for now. As the agent of the Conclave she must remain focused and vigilant, so she closed her eyes to get some rest before the evening. She felt that something really big was about to happen.

The Nightmare Night was coming.

Chapter 6

Shadows of Canterlot
by Prane
Chapter 6

The last of twenty-five bats merged with the rest of the cloak, covering Princess Luna's dark blue coat. Her flying carriage was prepared as well, ready to be drawn by a pair of dark grey ponies. Unlike the regular guards, the two pegasi had purple armors and a webbed crests over their helms. These were the symbols of the Nightguard, a semi-detached force within the ranks of the Royal Guard. Wherever the gold-framed hoof of justice could not reach, the Nightguard ventured. Their duty, however, remained the same - to ensure loyalty of the citizens of Equestria. But rather then inspiring the exemplary behavior they induced fear in the hearts of wicked criminals.

They were also the most suitable companionship for the Lady of the Night on her trips.

'Enjoy your visit in Ponyville, little sister!', Princess Celestia said. 'And please behave as it befits the royalty.'

Princess Luna jumped into the carriage.

'Hath no worries, sister!', she replied and lowered her head to put the hood on. 'We will remember thy wish when we will address our subjects with the traditional Canterlot voice! Onwards, thou bravest warriors!'

'Come back soon, Luna!'

The two pegasi took off and pulled the carriage into the evening sky, leaving Celestia and Moonwarden on the large balcony of the Royal Castle below.

'Forgive me, Princess,', Moonwarden said. 'But why didn't you tell your sister that the traditional Canterlot voice is an archaic form of speech?'

'I didn't?', Celestia replied, then giggled. 'I guess she has to learn it on her own. Now, what does the Conclave wish tonight?'

Moonwarden took a rolled piece of parchment out of his cape.

'We have just received this message from our agent, Sunseeker.', the stallion started and passed the parchment to the princess. 'He teamed up with agent Trixie, and they are on their way to Canterlot.'

Celestia skimmed through the text.

'I see.', she said with a serious look. 'They were in Ponyville, why didn't they asked Twilight's assistant to send it yesterday?'

'With all due respect,', Moonwarden said. 'These kind of information cannot go through the official channels.'

There were several ways to communicate over long distances in Equestria. With the help of the relatively reliable mail ponies, a letter will get to its destination, yet it usually takes a lot of time. Using magic was notably faster. However, the sending spell was a variation on the teleportation magic, and because of that it was nearly impossible to hit the spot from afar. Not to mention it was available only for the unicorn ponies, and not all of them know the teleportation spell. Having a trained dragon was probably the best solution, but how many dragons does the average pony know?

'I guess this was the soonest they could safely send it.', the royal alicorn said and went back inside. Moonwarden followed.

'Perhaps it would be wiser to cancel the reception tonight?', he suggested as they were walking down the spiral stairs.

'And show this cult your agents mentioned that they can manipulate us with blackmail?', Celestia answered. 'I will not be threatened and neither should you.'

'In that case, the Conclave will do whatever it takes to protect you during the celebration.', Moonwarden bowed.

'Luna always speaks very highly of your organization.', Princess Celestia said. 'I have every confidence in you.'

She walked away, leaving Moonwarden in the castle ballroom. There were several ponies here preparing tables and hanging the last pieces of decoration on the ceiling. The ballroom was almost ready for the celebration and the guests.

As much as Moonwarden was harsh with Trixie, he hoped she will get here on time.

* * *

'How do I look like?', Sunseeker asked, realigning his tie.

'How can you look like?', Trixie frowned. 'You are a pony in a tuxedo.'

'I'll treat it as a compliment. And might I add, you look charming as well.'

'Oh, shut up.'

The door to the Royal Castle ballroom opened, and the pair of unicorns went in.

Trixie was wearing an elegant, violet dress. There was a significant amount of gold and azure sequins on it, about a dozen of them shaped as stars. Some of the dress' threads were darker than the main fabric, making the whole attire glitter with her every step. The pearl belly chain, a pair of large, star-shaped earrings and a set of crystal hoofshoes made the ensemble truly amazing.

While some guests, most of them stallions, were staring at the azure unicorn, the others, most of them mares were gazing at Sunseeker, who looked pretty good as well. Wearing a black tuxedo with an indentation emphasizing his torch cutie mark and a tasteful scarlet tie, he could easily be taken by one of the Canterlot elite. Not to mention his golden bracelets that he, by no mean, took off.

Trixie spotted the dark grey unicorn in the middle of the room. While most ponies were chatting, dancing and laughing, he was probably the only one keeping a straight face, only his eyes were sliding from one party guest to another. The two unicorns approached him.

'Welcome back, oh Great and Powerful Trixie. How was your journey?', Moonwarden asked.

'Save it, Moonwarden. What's the situation?', the mare replied.

'Aren't you going to introduce me first?'

'Right. Moonwarden, this is Sunseeker. Sunseeker, Moonwarden.', she waved from one stallion to another.

'Hey, it's a pleasure to meet you!', the white stallion said with a smile and reached out his hoof.

'Likewise.', the grey one answered with a note of irony, but engaged in a hoofshake.

Moonwarden told them about Princess Celestia's decision not to hide from a possible mortal danger. He indicated that nothing unusual happened for now, but to his knowledge the assassin might be around somewhere waiting for the royal alicorn to enter the crowd of ponies.

'Do you mind if I... check the buffet for hidden traps or something?', Sunseeker asked, then turned around and walked away.

'And where is Princess Luna, anyway? The Nightmare Night is her celebration, after all.', Trixie asked.

'And she is celebrating. She went to Ponyville for the first time since...'

Suddenly, the sound of broken glass was heard. The two alarmed agents looked up, but saw only a fat pony who clumsily pushed a waiter carrying a tray with now smashed glasses.

'False alarm.', Trixie said.

After a while Moonwarden pointed at the white stallion talking to some random mare.

'Are we recruiting rock stars now? The Conclave is falling apart, I tell you.'

'Relax, he can do his job, I saw him under pressure.'

'I see… I don't like him anyway.', Moonwarden said. 'Excuse me, I must check something.'

Shortly after he went away, Sunseeker returned with a glass of wine, which he gave to Trixie.

'Hey, where's that grey fellow?', he said with disappointment. 'I wanted to speak with him, he sounded like a nice guy!'

Trixie rolled her eyes and thought how blissful the ignorance can be.

'Could you please focus? We are here to prevent a terrible disaster and you're just...'

'Oh! There's that cellist, Octavia! Sorry, got to go!'

'No, wait!', Trixie tried to stop him, but he was already gone. She growled angrily. 'And that's a violin!'

The azure mare spotted Princess Celestia greeting the last pair of guests. That means she will now step into the crowd and join the party. The assassin won't have a better chance to strike and Trixie was on her own. She drank her wine in one sip and slowly walked towards the princess.

She couldn't get too close without vastly reducing her view, but being too far would make casting spells more difficult. If only those stallions were here to back her up! Strange as it was, she never considered herself a team player, but had to admit that there were some advantages of having allies or 'friends'.

Trixie was halfway to the princess.

Only recently she dared to trust others. Meeting Sunseeker and getting to know Twilight better, not to mention a bunch of Ponyville ponies showed her that caring for more than herself can be a good thing.

Trixie walked around the long table, carefully watching the princess' surroundings.

Over the past few days she learned more about the value of friendship than she did through her entire life. She began to believe that she is not only not limited by others, but can develop and expand beyond imagination. This was it, she can finally do something with her life, end with grief and sorrow and replace it with happiness and joy.

Trixie was now as close as she could safely get. Her heart was pounding and she stopped hearing individual ponies. Instead she heard a general noise, which was successfully dampened by her heartbeat. She had an impression that time was slowing down and everypony around was getting sluggish.

And that's when she saw it.

Thump-thump.

There was a stallion coming from the side. At first glance he looked perfectly common in a formal attire, but Trixie saw he had his eyes fixed on Princess Celestia.

Thump-thump.

He was trying to appear indifferent, but had difficulties with keeping corners of his mouth from an angry expression. He was getting closer to the princess, increasing the pace he crowded through. Trixie struggled to keep a line of sight on him. He drew a long, thin item of his pocket and grabbed it with his mouth. It was a dagger!

Thump-

He jumped in midair, ready to strike the white coat of the ruler of Equestria.

But the blade never reached his target.

A powerful telekinetic wave cruelly tossed the assassin away and smashed him at the buffet.

-thump.

The spell had also created the aftershock-like push which knocked down ponies nearby, leaving only Princess Celestia and Trixie standing. The azure mare noticed that the time around went back to normal speed and she began to hear shouts of the surprised ponies.

'Seize him!', she shouted pointing at the assassin.

Sunseeker was already there, trapping the cultist in a fiery cage.

'Please remain calm,', he said with a smile. 'The situation is under control...'

KABOOM!

The sudden blast was heard. It was suppressed, so it must came from the other part of the Royal Castle. Trixie acted quickly. She was familiar with the structure enough to know where to go. She galloped to the nearest door and run through the corridor. With a slight possibility of arriving on time she ran upstairs and entered a long hallway leading to the Royal Vault. She noticed that two guards were lying unconscious on the floor and the vault's door were literally melted down. She also saw two ponies - an earth one and a unicorn. One of them was putting a small green object inside his cape.

Something inside her broke, because she recognized both of them.

Trixie ran to them, but they... disappeared inside the wall? Of course! The secret passage, it all made sense! The mare had no idea how to open the now locked solid surface, so she ran to the nearest window and looked through. She saw the labyrinth, stone statues and two stallions running along the walls. They were probably heading towards the castle courtyard. Trixie galloped back the hallway, taking the stairs down, breathing heavily and having a thousand thoughts crossing her mind...

By the time Trixie reached the ground floor, they were already gone. When Sunseeker caught up with her, she was just staring at the empty courtyard.

‘So…’, Sunseeker started to break the uncomfortable silence. ‘Would you dance with me?’

‘What!? Are you out of your pony mind!?’, Trixie exploded. ‘The cult nearly killed the Princess, they broke into the Royal Vault and took that cursed emerald I found! And that… and that…’, she lost her breath, sat helplessly on the stairs and cried. ‘That turncoat whom I trusted…’

Sunseeker sat on the step beside her.
‘Hey, it’s all true, but we’ll deal with it tomorrow!’

‘Oh, you and your…’

‘No, listen! The most important thing is that we are safe. You are safe.’, the white stallion said softly, then reflected. ‘I mean, the Princess is safe.’
Trixie sniveled.

‘I guess I don’t cope well with failures…’, she whispered after a while.

Sunseeker took the tip of his scarlet tie and wiped tears from her face.

‘I just feel you deserve a happy ending for a change.’, he said, then bowed. ‘Shall I have the honor of dancing with you?’

She couldn’t help it not to smile, to which Sunseeker responded alike. She nodded without saying a word.

The two unicorn ponies went inside the Castle and headed back to the ballroom.

And they danced.

Danced as if tomorrow would never come.

Epilogue

Shadows of Canterlot
by Prane
Epilogue

The night was getting deeper and the sky was blackening when the scarred stallion joined a green pegasus mare on the balcony overlooking Canterlot. She was standing there alone and just gazed upon the city, smiling every time she saw a light fading away from the windows below. The stallion slowed down halfway, uncertain whether he chose the right time to interrupt. He took a deep breath, approached the mare and kneeled beside her.

‘We retrieved the gem, but Celestia is still alive.’, he said, then lifted his head. ‘Your plan has failed, mistress.’

‘Au contraire, my dear.’, the mare replied in a calm voice, showing the stallion to stand up. ‘Everything went just as I have expected.’

‘But, the princess…’

‘Killing an alicorn never solves the problem.’, she interrupted. ‘Besides, we are not barbaric, are we?’

The stallion went away a few steps and pondered. He watched the mare spreading and folding her wings to exercise them, then looking beyond the ivory balustrade. He turned around as he realized the truth.

‘You expected my acolyte to fail?’, the scarred stallion walked back towards the mare. ‘You were only interested in the gem, weren’t you!?’, he said, raising his voice. ‘You should have told me…’

‘I told you everything you had to know, Zaeer!’, she shouted angrily, immediately silencing the stallion.

He grimaced with confusion and disbelief.

‘Cheer up.’, the mare added after a while, pointing her hoof at the place beside her, to which the stallion trotted. ‘We have achieved a major victory tonight. Merci a vous…’, she said turning her head back.

A dark grey unicorn emerged from the shadows of Canterlot and stood by her side.

‘…my loyal Moonwarden.’

The mare burst into a terrible laughter, shattering the serenity of the night.

Which was no longer peaceful.

Author's Note

THE STORY CONTINUES
IN PART TWO OF THE CONCLAVE TRILOGY
ARCANE EQUILIBRIUM

Thanks for reading!