The Lost Alicorn City

“I’M FREE!” the dragon bellowed in a booming, deep voice that echoed throughout the cavern.

The seven mares stood frozen where they were, too scared to move.

The dragon looked down at the seven ponies by his feet. Then he spotted the brown book lying open on the ground by the blue pony wearing a cape.

Before Trixie could do anything about it, the dragon snatched the book up with the tip of his tail, and then flapped his great wings.

“NO!” Trixie gasped at the sight of the object she had worked so hard for being snatched away from her in an instant.

The dragon roared as it pushed off from the ground and took to the air, flying up towards the top of the cavern high above the city. He struck the rock sealing, and burst through it, letting a large ray of sunlight pour into the cavern as the dragon flew away.

Several large chunks of cave fell down from the roof of the cave, landing on and crushing several other buildings below.

The seven ponies felt the ground begin to shake and could hear a rumbling all around them.

“What’s happening!” squeaked Fluttershy.

Just then, more chunks of rock started coming loose from the top of the cave and falling down on the city all around the mares.

“THE CAVE IS COLAPSING!” shouted Twilight.

“WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE, Y’ALL,” SHOUTED APPLEJACK. “EVERYPONY HURRY!”

They all ran out of the coliseum, onto the street. Pieces of rock falling all around them as they ran towards the golden staircase that led out of the cavern.

Trixie screamed as she narrowly avoided a large bolder sized rock falling on her, but instead it landed on one of the corners of her cape, trapping her there. She grunted as she tried to pull it free, but it wouldn’t budge.

The others had heard Trixie’s scream and were about to, reluctantly, turn back to help her, but before they could, Trixie undid her cape and hurried to catch up to them, reluctantly leaving her cape behind.

They made it to the stairs and trotted up, or in Rainbow Dash’s and Flutttershy’s case, flew up to the passage at the top, narrowly avoiding falling rocks as they went.

They speedily made to the top and rushed into the tunnel. Running out of the cave proved to be a lot easier than coming in had been, fortunately. They didn’t face any of the challenges as they ran that they had faced before. Obviously, those traps were only intended to keep ponies out, not keep them in.

Within a few minutes, they saw daylight up ahead, and burst out of the cave, just as the entire cavern completely collapsed in on its self, causing a defining rumble behind them that sounded like thunder.

They all caught their breath.

“Wow!” said Pinkie Pie. “I think my life just flashed before my eyes. At least… I think it was my life. I don’t even remember doing half the stuff I saw.”

“What in tarnation happened back there?” exclaimed Applejack.

“I’m not sure,” said Twilight. “Trixie opened up a book, and then that black dragon came out of it.”

Just then Trixie screamed in frustration and anger. They all looked at her.

“I HAD IT!” growled Trixie furiously. “I HAD THE BOOK IN MY HOOVES… AND THEN IT WAS SNATCHED AWAY FROM ME! IT’S NOT FARE!”

Applejack had had enough. “ALRIGHT, THAT’S IT, YOU NO GOOD LYIN’ SHOWPONY!” she shouted in anger, getting right up in Trixie’s face, causing the blue unicorn to lean back away from her. “It’s time you came clean!”

“What was that book you opened back there?” demanded Twilight. She was also ticked off. She had come all this way to find the lost city for its long lost knowledge, and to impress her mentor, and now it had all been buried under literally a mountain of dirt and rock, and at the moment, there didn’t appear to be anypony else to blame besides Trixie. So Twilight sure as heck at least wanted an explanation.

Trixie glanced around her, seeing the six other mares all standing around her glaring at her. “Alright,” she finally said. “That book was the real reason why I came here. On the missing page of the journal in your saddlebags was information about an ancient spell book, supposedly hidden in the lost city, that held the secrets to ultimate magical powers. I wanted the book so that I could become the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria… so I could get my life back!”

“So you lied to us when we asked you about the missing page!” growled Applejack.

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Yeah. I lied. I lied because I knew if you all found out about that book, you would try to take it for yourselves.”

Rainbow Dash was about ready to thrash Trixie. “Why you little…” Rainbow Dash raised her hoof in the air, but right at that moment there was a blinding flash of light up above them, causing all of them to squint their eyes shut.

Then they heard a booming voice that Twilight recognized all too well. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” The seven mares looked up, still squinting from the light, but able to see the form of none other than Princess Celestia herself hovering above them. She did not look happy.

The sun princess landed on the ground in front of the group.

“Princess Celestia!” gaped Twilight, she and the six other mares instantly falling to the ground before the monarch.

The Princess! Trixie thought to herself in amazement as she gazed up at the infamous Princess of the sun. She could hardly believe she was actually in the presence of Princess Celestia herself.

The white glow around Celestia faded. “Twilight Sparkle, what in Equestria are you and your friends doing out here?” the Princess asked.

The seven ponies on the ground looked up, confused.

“P-Princess… w-what do you mean?” said Twilight nervously. “We’re here because you told us to come here.”

“What?!” exclaimed Celestia. “I never told you to come here!”

“B-but… the letter you sent me… It said you wanted us to find the lost Allicorn City!”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Twilight, I haven’t sent you a letter in weeks!”

“B-but…” stuttered Twilight. “But I got a letter through Spike with you’re seal on it, and a book with a map inside. If you didn’t send them to me… then who did?”

“I DID!” they heard a deep, booming, yet feminine voice shout from above them, followed by evil laughter. A second later, an enormous red female dragon landed beside them in the forest, grinning down at the eight, surprised equine.

“I sent you the letter and the journal, as well as the bits you used to pay for your trip.”

“Who are you?” demanded Celestia.

“Oh, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Skyla,” said the dragoness.

“Why did you do all this?” asked Twilight.

“So that you could free my master, of course. I would have done it myself, but I wouldn’t have been able to get passed all those little challenges. That’s where you all came in. The book said only the pure of heart could reach the city. So who better then the wielders of the Elements of Harmony themselves.”

“Wielders of WHAT?” exclaimed Trixie, mouth gaping open as she looked around at Twilight and the others.

Skyla continued. “Of course, I couldn’t just send you six. I also needed someone who was greedy and desperate enough to go in search of the spell book my master was trapped in. That’s where Trixie came in. I let her keep the journal long enough so that she could study it and figure out how to get to the ancient city, and then in the dark of night I took it away from her and sent it to you, Twilight.

“So you stole the book from me?” shouted Trixie, pointing an accusing hoof at the dragoness.

“Correct,” the dragoness sneered.

“So you set us all up!” said Twilight.

The dragoness laughed. “Of course I did! And you all played your parts perfectly. My master is free, and I have all of you to thank. So cherish the last few days you have left, little ponies, because now my kind will rise again, and we will have our revenge!” With that, she laughed manically, and flapped her wings and flew up into the sky.

The eight ponies stood standing there in the forest as the dragon disappeared over the tree line.

“This is worse than I feared,” said Celestia, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “He is loose!”

Twilight took a cautious step towards her mentor. “Princess… I’m so sorry.” She hung her head in shame.

Celestia looked at her. “It’s not your fault, Twilight. You were all cleverly deceived, and none of you could have known what evil was sealed away in that cave. All that’s important now is that we stop it… before its too late.”

“What is this evil that we’re talkin’ ‘bout exactly?” asked Applejack.

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash. “Who was that black dragon that came out of that book down in the city?”

“It’s a very long story,” said Celestia. “Lets get back to Canterlot. I will explain everything when we get there.” Then she looked over at Trixie. “By the way, who is your friend here, Twilight? I don’t believe I’ve met her before.”

“Um… yeah. Princess, this is Trix-“

“Your Majesty,” said Trixie, stepping forward, interrupting Twilight. “Please allow me to introduce myself. I am the Great and Powerful Trixie! It is an honor to finally meet you.” She gave a quick bow.

“Oh! Likewise,” said Celestia in her normal cheery voice. “Trixie… I believe Twilight told me about you in one of her letters to me.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow and looked confused. She looked over at Twilight, and then back to the Princess. “She… sends you letters?”

“Twilight’s the Princess’s personal student,” Rainbow Dash said to Trixie with a grin.

Trixie’s mouth gaped open as she looked over at Rainbow Dash with wide eyes, then at Twilight, then Celestia, and then back and forth between Twilight and Celestia a few more times.

“She’s… You’re… Her… Personal Student?”

“That’s right,” said Celestia. “Twilight is quite a gifted Unicorn. I heard you also have a gift with magic, Trixie.” Then Celestia became serious again. “But enough about that. We have more important maters at hoof to deal with. There is no time to loose. Everypony gather close.”

A bit confused, they all gathered around the white Allicorn. Then Celestia’s horn glowed with white light, and then in a bright flash, they all teleported.

Meanwhile, on top of a mountain, the black dragon sat perched gazing out over the land.

Suddenly, he heard the flapping of wings nearby and he turned his head to see a red, female dragon fly up and land on a ledge of the mountain a little ways below him.

She bowed her head. “Master Blade, I am here to serve you.”

“What year is it?” he asked.

She looked up at him. “It has been over three thousand years since you were imprisoned, my master.”

He nodded. “And who might you be?”

“I am Skyla. And I am the one who freed you.”

“And why is that?”

“Because in the time that you’ve been imprisoned, our once proud race has fallen to those…” she spat the next word, “…ponies. Only you can restore our race to its former glory and might, and put those ponies back at the bottom of the food chain, where they belong! I know you want revenge on them, and I only wish to serve by your side.”

“Very well,” said the Blade. “You will have the chance.” Then he slid down the mountain side to the ledge she was on and grabbed her neck in his talons, taking her by surprise. “But if you ever even think of betraying me, I will make you wish you never released me from that book. Understand?”

Skyla nodded, and he let go of her neck.

“Alright then. We have work to do. Come.” Blade flapped his wings and took off into the Equestrian sky. Skyla flapped her wings and flew off right behind him.