The Calamity of Doctor Whirligig Velocity

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Chapter 1

The Calamity of Doctor Whirligig Velocity
By: Starquake One - 10/24/2011 v.4

Chapter 1

High atop Crystal Forest Peak, Snowline Castle loomed over the small mining village of Coltsgold. The cavernous halls were alive with machinations, kinetic art and humming Tesla coils. Soft lights combined with copper- and brass-riveted plates decorated the interior. The castle-like laboratory was as cold as the snow on the mountain.

“For the love of Luna, don’t eat that—!” Doctor Whirligig Velocity shouted. Eyes hidden behind round, reflective blue glasses, the tall and slender unicorn, with bushy eyebrows and a handlebar mustache pushed Number Seven back.

Subject is speaking to Seven and a physical collision is detected. The command is not recognized because “eat” is not defined. Seven is referencing similar command: don’t touch that. Action is recommended and Seven is moving away from the stationary object. Seven complied and then blankly stared past the scientist.

“Number Seven, you are quite the curious automopony. You’re always mimicking me. I bet that you would have had more personality, if only you could comprehend things the way ponies do.”

Subject identified as Doctor Whirligig Velocity and he is speaking to Seven. No commands are given and Free Will mode is available. The preferred action is to look at the subject speaking to Seven. Whirligig Velocity’s face softened as he looked into Seven’s unblinking, garnet eyes.

“Do you know that you’re my favorite Number of them all? You don’t get so confused like some of the other Numbers.”

“Daddy, it’s time to stop. I didn’t want to do this, but I’ve already sent another letter to the Princess,” said a mare’s voice.

An undefined subject is speaking beyond field of vision. The undefined subject is familiar, but not labeled. Both Seven and undefined subject prefer Whirligig Velocity. The recommended action is to ignore the undefined subject and focus on Whirligig Velocity.

“You did what?” Whirligig thundered with the ferocity of the storm outside. “I have been doing science since long before you were born.” Whirligig Velocity snarled; his grey mane becoming wild and untamed.

“Yes Daddy, I’m well aware of that,” said the mare.

An increase in volume in primary subject is detected, but the secondary subject remains unchanged. Behavioral patterns in the secondary subject are not recognized, because subject is not fully defined. No action is required and Seven is idle.

“You have some nerve to demand my retirement. I am a pony of science! It is my special talent in life and you would want me to give that up. Tell me my dear,” he paused for a moment and his voice lowered to a whisper, “what kind of pony would I be without science?”

“I know it hurts to hear this and it hurts me to have to suggest it. But you’re getting old and your mind is not as sharp as it used to be.”

“Old!” he scoffed. “Knowledge and wisdom come with age. Ingenuity and creativity are honed and sharpened over the decades like the claws of a...” He hesitated, struggling to find a word. “Oh, blazes. What are those female lions with stripes called?” Whirligig waved his hoof in the air, dropping his dramatic tone.

“Um, do you mean ‘tiger’?” He glared at his daughter with growing vexation.

“No, blast it! The female lions with stripes!” Whirligig repeated. “Steve, help me with this,” he shouted towards a granite table with a thick book on it. Magically, the book opened, and pages turned in a flurry. Doctor Whirligig Velocity scanned the page and scowled. “Dang it Steve, you’re not helping,” he sighed.

“Daddy, this is what I’m talking about. It’s too dangerous for you to keep doing this. You’re going to get hurt.”

“Science can always be dangerous, my dear. It takes a brave pony to challenge the risks involved and nopony from town is capable of doing what I can do. They cannot see the possibilities that science could create. Science gives them the technology and ability to do things and they wield it blindly; but do they respect me? No. Those simple ponies shun and fear me for the scientist that I am. Now you’re here to put an end to my life-long passion.”

Subjects are not speaking to Seven, and Free Will mode is still active. Undefined light and sound are detected outside. Seven will roam and observe multiple falling objects. Seven studied the hail from a window, intrigued by the way it hammered against the stone exterior of the laboratory. Shouting morphed into thunder and screaming wind.

“Get out! Take Number Five with you,” Doctor Whirligig Velocity said, his tone abruptly shifted from menacing to casual. “I need Five to deliver my message to the Princess.” The mare grumbled and slammed the door on her way out.

Whirligig sighed and then the magical book flipped its pages. He leaned over and shook his head.

“Thank you Steve. You fail to italicize the situation.”

The pages turned again.

“Now that was uncalled for.” Whirligig frowned.

Weary, he sat on the ice-cold floor, and like the brass and aluminum hide of Number Seven, Whirligig was immune to the cold. Seven’s metal hooves clanged with each step, as he sidled up to him. It mirrored his gargoyle-like pose and then Whirligig smiled.

“Oh, Seven, my old friend, just look at me,” he started.

Primary subject’s command is recognized, and Seven is looking at subject. It watched Whirligig with its gemstone eyes.

“What is an old horse like me doing, raising a young filly at my age?”

Subject requests an unknown query. No solution is available. Seven is communicating an estimated response. Seven shrugged and then Whirligig sighed.

“No, I suppose she’s not a young filly anymore. Time keeps passing by, faster and faster. She’s growing up, and I’m just…” He stopped and squared his jaw. “What would her mother say? She… I… w—” His words were lost in his throat and his face contorted with confusion. Whirligig fought desperately to reclaim his vocabulary.

A behavioral aberration is detected in subject. This increases the average of recorded events by one percent. Caution is recommended and Seven is moving away from subject.

Whirligig rose to his full intimidating height and roared. Magically, beakers and retorts were sent smashing into the walls. Panting, he turned and glared into Seven’s artificial eyes. The anger and frustration ebbed away and then a vague tune of a song reached Whirligig’s lips.

“Curious,” he noted quietly. “That song keeps coming back to me. Why?” Whirligig stood, engrossed in some internal dialogue.

Static flashed in Seven’s mind. It shook its head and scanned the room.

“They don’t?” Whirligig asked, seemingly to no one.
Another flash of static startled Seven. It looked up, down and then in a circle. Seven nudged Whirligig with its muzzle.

“My automoponies? You think?”

There was another bust of static. Seven reared up on its hind legs and mimicked the act of sniffing the air. It crouched low, searching under a desk. Seven hopped and danced in front of Whirligig, whinnying, but he didn’t listen to him.

“That’s it,” he said after a long silence, and smile crossed his face. “That is what I’ll do. The townsfolk don’t understand or respect the power of science. I will show them what science can really do.”

“Look at all those books! Ah, I’m in heaven.” Twilight Sparkle beamed at the sight of the immensely vast library. The warmth of her blanket hugged her softly. “So many topics and tangents, I can be here forever. If I’m dreaming, don’t wake me up.”

The room became chilled, even through her blankets. Frost formed on the stained glass window of Princess Luna.

“Brr! Why is it suddenly so cold in here?” Twilight could now see her breath. “What in Equestria is—” She stopped as a snowflake landed on the tip of her nose. She looked down the never-ending isles of books. All of the shelves were now covered in snow.

Twilight focused her magic into her horn to project a circle of warmth, but nothing happened. Annoyed, she licked the snowflake off her nose.

“This is so strange. Why isn’t my magic—” She cut herself off again, this time she spotted something move farther down the aisle. Cautiously she followed it.

“Hello?” The movement rushed into a side aisle, the sound of hooves echoed. Twilight turned the corner, and it was gone. A light breeze passed her and she caught a flash of white in the corner of her eye. Twilight looked back and saw a blurry white silhouette of a pony, walking away. She rubbed her eyes and squinted. The pony wasn’t far away, but she couldn’t seem to focus her eyes.

She slowly walked closer, and then the other pony stopped. Twilight could now see the unicorn mare a bit clearer, but she still seemed… undefined. Her coat and mane were pure white, almost like light.

“Excuse me,” Twilight reached out a hoof to tap her on the shoulder, but hesitated. The unicorn turned to look at her with red eyes.

“—didn’t see you there,” she said. Twilight rubbed her ears, she could hardly hear her.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you?”

“Nopony,” she replied. “It is so hard to find my way around this labyrinth.”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “You mean this library?”

“Oh? Is that what it is? It is so very hard to see.”

“You’re the only one who looks fuzzy.” Twilight struggled to make out the details of her face, but only her eyes stood out.

“You enjoy studying, do you not?” Twilight blinked, surprised by the random question.

“Uh, sure. I’m up late studying nearly every night.”

“Do you like science, perhaps?”

“Well, yes. I love science.” Twilight grinned. “Do you like science too?”

“I admit it is not my forte. I didn’t exactly go to school when I was a filly.”

“Oh. Well, you sound well read,” she laughed sheepishly.

“You are too kind. My teacher had thrown me out.”

“Why would they throw you out?” she asked, concerned.

“For being a failure,” she pointed out bluntly. “My mentor had very high standards. Nothing I could do would please him.” The mysterious mare slowly walked circles around Twilight. “All that stress, for nothing.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that.” She didn’t know what else to say.

“At least it wasn’t royal business.”

“What?” Twilight’s ears perked up.

“I may have been a disappointment, but at least I’ve never let down the princess.”

“Oh, gosh,” Twilight said nervously.

“One mistake and who knows what they would have done with me. By the way, what was it you said you were studying?”
Twilight’s mind was a blank. What was she studying here? She stood frozen while disastrous scenarios swirled through her mind.

“Who knows what my teacher would say if he caught me in the library, dragging around musty old blankets.” She pointed at Twilight’s nest of blankets wrapped around her. She didn’t even remember why she brought them. It did seem awfully silly. Would Princess Celestia disapprove? What if Princess Celestia thought she was sleeping through her studies?

Moonlight suddenly brightened the library. Twilight asked herself what was illuminating the room before. The snow was gone and so was the mare.

“Where’d she go?” she muttered, peeking down the aisles.

“Good evening, Twilight Sparkle,” the Princess of the Night greeted Twilight. She turned as Luna gracefully floated down from atop the bookshelves.

“Princess Luna? What are you doing here?”

“My duty,” she stated.

“Oh,” Twilight looked away, feeling a little embarrassed for asking.

“I came here because I heard something strange.”

“Strange? I was just here talking with another unicorn, but she disappeared a moment ago.”

“How unusual. All I heard was white noise.”

The crisp and cool morning air was filled with the earthy smell of fresh rain. Sunlight barely filtered through the cloudy sky and into Twilight Sparkle’s bedroom loft. She woke up tangled in her blankets. The night’s dream stuck with her, but only vaguely. She groaned and nuzzled her pillows. It was too gloomy outside to get out of bed.

“Bwaauugh!” Spike belched a thunderous eruption.

Twilight’s heart jumped. She flailed, trying to untangle herself from her bedding. Twilight Sparkle emerged with her purple and indigo mane a mess.

“Spike, where are you?” she called out.

“Over here,” replied Spike, from under the pile of blankets Twilight flung over the foot end of her bed. “You have mail.” He waved a rolled up scroll in his claws.

“Oh, no. I hope Princess Celestia doesn’t think I was intentionally sleeping in,” she said, feeling paranoid.

“Twilight, I’m sure the Princess wouldn’t know, and I think nopony would even care, if you slept in once in a while. I love sleeping in on the days you don’t wake me up. There’s nothing wrong with that.” He handed over the scroll. Twilight’s horn shimmered with a ruby red glow, lifting it with her magic.

“Wrong?” she said, with her voice an octave higher. “As the Princess’ top student, she has given me the honor of conducting royal business. She expects me to set a good example. I can’t let her think I’m… unreliable?” Twilight furrowed her brow in an unexpected moment of déjà vu. “Huh, that’s funny,” she mumbled to herself.

“That’s ridiculous; don’t you think you’re overreacting again? Besides, it’s still early enough in the morning.”

“Spike, you just don’t understand,” grumbled Twilight.

“Clearly…” Spike sighed with a cocked eyebrow.

“My dearest, most faithful student Twilight,” she read aloud, “I have an important task for you to undertake. It would seem there is something troubling happening in the mining town of Coltsgold, high in the mountains to the north. I have received several complaints about a mysterious scientist who lives in that area. Not long ago I was sent an anonymous letter from somepony close to this scientist, asking advice on what to do with him before anything bad happened. I was expecting a reply with further details of the situation, but the courier never arrived.”

“What does she mean ‘it never arrived’? I’ve never even heard of this place,” gulped Spike, nervously. Twilight paused from reading the scroll.

“I don’t know what happened, Spike. Like Princess Celestia said, Coltsgold is high in the mountains to the north. I’ve read that it is a beautiful place, but I’ve never been there.”

“The Princess doesn’t expect you to go all the way out there to find out what happened? Can’t she just teleport there and find out herself?” Spike rested his claws on his hips.

“Spike, the Princess has her hooves full with royal duties. She can’t just go and fix every problem in Equestria by herself. My friends and I are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. That is why she entrusts us with important tasks.” Spike groaned and threw his arms in the air. Twilight turned her attention back to the scroll. “Unfortunately, I am unable to look into this matter personally. I ask for you and your friends to travel to Coltsgold and investigate and assist in any way you can. Report to me your findings.”

“That sounds like it might be a long trip. Ponyville is sure going to be quiet with you guys gone. Be sure to send me a postcard while you’re there. I’ll be here, uh, keeping the library clean.” He started to head down the stairs, but Twilight’s magic held him in place.

“No, Spike. I need you to come with us. How else will I be able to keep in touch with Princess Celestia and receive further instructions once I get there without you?”

Spike frowned and relented to Twilight’s power. She set him down in her room.

“Now Spike, I need you to start packing for our journey while I go inform the girls of what we’ll be doing.” Spike grew wide-eyed, but Twilight didn’t notice. “I imagine that it’ll be much colder in the higher elevation, so don’t forget to pack that cute scarf Rarity made for me.”

“How about you stay and pack while I—” Twilight didn’t hear him as she closed the door, on the way out.

“I hope they get here soon,” Twilight Sparkle said, eagerly waiting at the edge of town, with a pack full of supplies. “I want to be well down the road before the next storm hits.” She looked up at the gloomy sky, pacing with both impatience and excitement.

“Would you mind holding still for a while? You’re making me dizzy,” complained Spike, who lounged lazily on her back.

“I can’t help it. I have to get there and resolve this issue as quickly and efficiently as I can,” Twilight replied, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

“What do you mean, you ‘have to’?” asked Spike.

“I said: ‘I want to’.” Her face reddened.

“Uh, no, you didn’t,” Spike said suspiciously, looking over her shoulder.

“Never mind, I just don’t want to get caught in the storm.” It was only half true.

“Oh, come on, don’t give me that baloney. I bet you’re still trying to prove yourself to the Princess.” Spikes eyes narrowed.

“No, I’m not!” she argued.

“Just try to relax and do the best you can, like me. Everypony already knows you’re punctual, efficient and super talented. Remember what Applejack told you? You need to stop worrying about the little things, and focus on the real problems.”

“Ugh, fine,” Twilight grumbled. He does have a point. she thought to herself.

Twilight stopped and took a long breath. When she opened her eyes, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were trotting their way, with Pinkie Pie and Rarity, trailing behind them. Twilight Sparkle sighed with relief, then went over her checklist one final time and marked their route on her map.

“I think we have everything. Is everypony ready?”

“Where’s Fluttershy?” Spike asked, and then everypony looked around.

“What the—ugh, consarnit!” cursed Applejack. “She was right behind us, makin’ noises.”

“Ugh, will somepony please go get her?” Twilight groaned.

“On it!” Rainbow Dash zipped away in a flash and returned moment later, pushing a petrified pegasus. A shallow trench was gouged into the ground from Fluttershy’s locked hooves. Her terrified grimace turned to a sheepish grin.

“Sorry,” said Fluttershy, growing red in the face.

“Now, is everypony ready?” Twilight asked again, this time with more annoyance in her tone.

“Ready,” her friends rang in unison, with one unheard exception: a meek “no...” from the back of the group.

“Alright, let’s go.”

With a final cheer, the group set off along the northern road to Coltsgold. The trek down the long winding path was pleasant enough, though the darkening clouds were foreboding. Gravel on the dirt road was compacted tightly and well-worn from decades of travel. With Ponyville slowly drifting to the horizon, the road became scarred with ruts and patches of grass and weeds.

The countryside was beautiful: small rolling hills and wide grassy fields dotted with trees and a few wild flowers stretched out across the landscape. The trees were changing color for the fall season; strong winds had stripped some of the leaves from the branches. A cool breeze brushed by; the susurration of leaves would have made the day seem chillier if it weren’t for the warm laughter of Twilight and her friends drowning out the sound.

“So what exactly is going on in this place that we’re going to?” Rainbow Dash asked, hovering in the air above the group.

“I hope it’s not dragons…” whimpered Fluttershy.

“It’s not dragons,” Twilight sighed. She really hoped dragons weren’t involved, for Fluttershy’s sake.

“Oh! I bet it’s overrun by zombie-ponies,” chimed Pinkie Pie. “Wouldn’t that be scary?” The pink earth pony shuffled on two legs, with her front hooves stretched out in front of her and mocked a zombie’s groan. Pinkie’s performance brought out giggles from Twilight’s friends.

“No way am I going if there are muffin-eating zombie-ponies!” Spike shouted nervously.

Twilight suddenly felt claws around her throat, strangling her in a paranoid grip. She opened her mouth to yell, but nothing came out. Twilight stopped in her tracks and stomped her hoof, but Spike didn’t get the hint.

“Spike, would you be a dear and allow Twilight to have some air? She’s looking a bit cross-eyed.” Rarity said smoothly. Spikes claws melted away from the sound of her voice, and then Twilight gasped and coughed.

“Spike! Are you trying to choke me to death?” she wheezed.

“Oops, sorry,” he said, blushing.

“Now, Pinkie, we’ve been over this before. There are no such things as ‘zombie-ponies’,” said Twilight after she caught her breath. “The whole idea is nothing but nonsense.”

“Aw, but I’ve been writing a song about them. Do you want to hear it?”

“No.”

“Gaze into their lifeless eyes

Let their music hypnotize

Like the way you use your horn

It fills the meanies full of scorn

The zombies come from underground

Your muffins are their tummy bound

They are the zombies of the year

They will hunt you down without fear

And just in case if you get bored

There’s zombie-ponies for the horde!

Watch me do my Pinkie-Spin

Cotton candy makes me grin

Join me in a fun-time party

Don’t delay or you’ll be tardy!”

“Pinkie!”

“Oops, sorry. I couldn’t help myself. I’ve been working on that song forever. I was starting to think I’d never get around to sharing it,” Pinkie explained cheerfully.

“That tune sounds familiar,” Spike noted.

“It’s a 100% original Pinkie Pie parody!” She grinned widely.

“If you say so,” drawled Applejack.

“Ugh, Pinkie, your theory is ridiculous. Princess Celestia said the locals were having trouble with a scientist. You have to think more realistically.”

“But don’t scientists do some pretty unrealistic stuff? Like, uh…” she paused for a long moment, wrinkling her face. “I got nothin’,” she said at last. Twilight shook her head.

“Now, I don’t know about all y’all, but I don’t quite trust them ‘science-y folks’. They’re always trying to change the way traditional, honest, hard-workin’ ponies do things,” said Applejack.

“There’s nothing wrong with doing things the traditional way, but science isn’t bad. What about astronomy or medicine?” Twilight countered.

“Well, I…” stammered AJ. “Ugh, consarnit. Okay, you do have a point, Twilight, but that doesn’t mean I gotta like science things. Sometimes ponies can do without them gadgets and doodads. Besides, who’s to say that this scientist didn’t go and make something dangerous?”

“We’ll find out once we get there. It’s possible that this is all just one big misunderstanding.”

An apprehensive murmuring caught Twilight’s attention. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and then nodded her head to the rear of the group.

“Fluttershy, is everything alright?” Twilight inquired. Fluttershy mumbled something she couldn’t make out.

“Hey, Fluttershy, what you need to do is loosen up and chillax.” Rainbow Dash gave her a friendly nudge.

“Oh, um yes, ‘chill-ax’. I’ll be fine.” The tremor in Fluttershy’s voice betrayed her words, but it was enough to convince Rainbow. Smiling, she patted her on the back and then shot into the air. Fluttershy lowered her head and scanned the landscape in search of some imaginary threat.

I wish I knew more about what we’re getting into on this quest, Twilight thought to herself. If we knew what to expect, then I might be able to ease Fluttershy’s fears… or inadvertently make them worse. She frowned as she surveyed the weathered trail ahead.

“This route is simply dreadful, and my hooves are getting positively dirty. Hasn’t anypony heard of road maintenance?” Rarity complained.

“Well, both Coltsgold and Ponyville are pretty small villages. There ain’t a whole lotta trade going between the two,” explained AJ. “Small towns tend to trade with bigger cities. That’s why traffic is so rare on the northern road. There’s not much sense in spending money to maintain a road, that nopony hardly ever uses.”

“We should have taken a carriage, so we wouldn’t have to walk,” Rarity said, avoiding a patch of mud. “Although, I imagine it would be such a bumpy ride, we’d all be green in the face, and I don’t suppose we’ll find one on this road anyways. Twilight, how much longer do we have to suffer like this?”

Twilight made a quick estimation in her head. “At this pace, we should make it to Coltsgold by nightfall. We’ll find an inn and start investigating in the morning.”

After hours of walking, Twilight took a short break near the warped remains of a short retaining wall that lined one side the road. A few of the last railroad ties were toppled over with mud washed over them. Grass grew thick and tall across the uneven plains; the wind picked up and tiny drops of rain sprinkled on her face.

It was still early, but the black thunderclouds had darkened the sky across the land. Twilight wrapped the pink and white scarf around her neck, and gazed at Canterlot’s sparkling, city lights that lit up the distant mountain on the horizon.

Nostalgic memories of her old home caressed her mind and butterflies tickled her stomach lightly. Twilight remembered watching the orange glow of the streetlights, illuminating her bedroom through the curtains, at night. Feeling slightly homesick, she thought of her parents and then of the day she moved into the castle with Spike. Her somewhat solitary life in Canterlot was a striking contrast to her time in Ponyville, surrounded by friends.

Rested, Twilight got up and resumed the rough trek north. After a while, she checked her map and traced their route with her hoof.

“I hear the sound of rushing water. I think the Great Sprite Bridge is up ahead,” Twilight announced.

Everypony quickened their pace and soon the bridge was in sight, with a wagon parked in front of it.

“It appears we might have some more company on our long trip,” said Twilight Sparkle.

“Whoa, nelly; I think we got more than just company,” Applejack cautioned, pointing beyond the wagon. “Last night’s storm completely washed out the bridge. That water is looking pretty wild; I don’t think we can swim across.”

“Aw, but I like swimming,” said Pinkie Pie, who was already wearing fins, snorkeling gear and an inflated balloon alligator.

“This could be why the Princess’ courier didn’t make it back,” Twilight mused. “But didn’t the Princess use either magic or air mail? How could a broken bridge stop an air courier?” Everypony shrugged.

“This is just great,” Rarity fumed. “We just spent all day, walking to the middle of nowhere. It’s going to rain, and we’re stuck out here, with no hotel in sight. What are we going to do?”

“Oh well, guess we can go back home now,” whimpered Fluttershy.

“No.”

“Eek!” She shrank from Twilight’s adamant objection.

“I’ll race over there and do a quick flyby and—ah!” Rainbow Dash started to fly when Applejack grabbed her tail with her teeth. Rainbow plopped onto the ground. “Ow! Hey, why does everypony always yank on my tail like that? I’m going to end up having no tail left when I get older,” Rainbow Dash complained, rubbing her sore rump.

“Will you hold your horses? You’re always rushing into things without thinking first. We all need to stick together and find a way across.” Rainbow frowned at Applejack.

“AJ’s right, we need to work together and come up with a plan,” Twilight said, studying the splintered remains of the long wooden bridge.

“There is another way across the river,” offered a vaguely familiar voice. The wagon turned around, pulled by a cerulean mare with a light- and pale-blue highlighted mane, dressed in a pointed wizard hat and a flashy, star patterned cape fastened with a sapphire brooch. A cutie mark of a magic wand and a swirl of pixie dust emblazoned on the unicorn’s flank. Pulling the wagon was none other the self-proclaimed Great and Powerful Trixie.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2
v.3.0

“Trixie?” Twilight said, surprised.

“Ms. Sparkle.” Trixie’s countenance soured. “Ponyvillians,” she greeted the rest with a hint of lingering bitterness. “I could never forget your name after what happened last year.”

“What are you doing here?” Spike huffed from his seat on Twilight’s back; his claws dug uncomfortably at her sides. Twilight glared at him and mouthed a silent protest. Spike blushed and released his grip once again.

“I bet you had something to do with the bridge being out, didn’t you?” said Rainbow Dash.

“Now, hold your horses there, Rain—” AJ started, but Rainbow Dash interrupted her before she could finish.

“You’re probably the reason why the mail hasn’t been coming through either!” she growled, hovering aggressively, nose-to-nose with the showmare. Applejack reined her in by grabbing her tail again, but she resisted, flapping her wings harder. “Let me at her!”

“Rainbow, calm down,” insisted Twilight, using her magic to help AJ, separate the two mares.

Trixie glowered at the accusations. “You-you…” she sputtered, fumbling her words. “Next, you’ll blame me for the bad weather as well!” Frustrated, Trixie stomped her hoof, but then in a brief, unguarded moment, she slumped wearily and sighed.

“I’m sorry Trixie, we don’t mean to be rude,” Twilight apologized. “Right, Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow plopped to the ground and gave Trixie a defiant glare. Trixie recovered her usual supercilious mien, but did not sneer at Rainbow’s defeat.

“She still hasn’t explained why she’s here,” grumbled Spike.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie should ask all of you the same thing. Humph. I’m missing my next scheduled performance in Coltsgold, that’s what Trixie is doing here. Not that I expected it to go any better than my last show,” Trixie muttered the last part to herself. “I presume that is where you are heading too.” She frowned, but her eyes seemed softer than Twilight remembered.

“Yes, ma’am,” confirmed Applejack.

“Yay, just my luck,” Trixie whispered under her breath. “Trixie is responsible for neither the bridge being out, nor the unreliability of the postal service. I spent all my bits, trying to replace everything I lost, when those two imbeciles lured that rampaging Ursa Minor to my old wagon. Trixie can’t afford to miss another show. Not that anypony is willing to pay me anymore. I’ve been laughed out of nearly every city and town I’ve been to.”

“I’m sorry to hear things are rough. You said you knew another way to get across the river?” Applejack took off her cowboy hat and continued sincerely, “We’d be plum-grateful if you’d be kind enough to help us.”

“And why should Trixie help any of you? I lost everything because of you Ponyvillians.” Trixie crossed her hooves.

“Um, actually, Pinkie and I were never there that day,” Fluttershy suddenly spoke up. Everypony glanced at Fluttershy and the weight of their eyes crushed her. “Um, never mind…” she retreated to the back of the group and hid behind Pinkie Pie’s tail.

“Please, it’s important that we get to Coltsgold. If you show us the way, we’ll be out of your mane,” Twilight bargained. Trixie closed her eyes and considered her offer for a long moment. Eventually, she took a long breath and sighed.

“Fine. The Great and Powerful Trixie will show you the way,” Trixie spoke in the third-person with her usual superior tone she used on and off stage.

“You can cut the lame-o act Ms. Magic-Hat.”

“Rainbow!” Twilight scolded her.

“Do you want Trixie to show you the way or not?” her words lashed out rapidly. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

“Sorry!” Twilight apologized again and again. Trixie looked at Twilight’s map and pointed the alternate route, eastward, upstream.

“Once we find the next bridge we will need to make our way—”

“What’s this ‘we’ business?” Rainbow cut in. “You think we’re just gonna follow you all the way there?”

“I didn’t think a bone-headed pegasus like you knew how to read a map. Last time I saw you, all you did was fly in circles.”

“Oh yeah? Well, you’re nothing but a talentless hack!”

“Rainbow, cool it!” both Twilight and Applejack shouted. Twilight was appalled and embarrassed by Rainbow’s behavior.

“Fine, I’ll shut up.” Rainbow Dash sat with her back turned and her hooves folded across her chest.

A crack appeared on Trixie’s façade from Dash’s attack, but she recovered quickly.

“Please, continue,” she said. Please stop butting heads, you two.

“As I was saying: we will need to make our way through the Withered Wood Forest. It is… not my preferred route, but given the circumstances it is the only other way, unless we walk for many miles west and take the train north, but it doesn’t go directly to Coltsgold. But the east road will take us around the mountain the back way—”

“Ugh. Why is it always ‘around the mountain’? Why can’t everypony just have wings, it would be so much easier.” muttered Rainbow Dash in an annoyed tone.

“Oh! Would it be easier to go under the mountain? I brought a shovel.” Hyperactive Pinkie yanked a shovel from her pack with her teeth and bounced excitedly, flailing her hooves in the air. Trixie cocked her eyebrow.

“Your friends may want you to stick around, but Trixie would not lose any sleep if you flew on ahead, or perhaps you would prefer to wait here while the pink one digs her way there?” Pinkie Pie was oblivious to Trixie’s remark and simply danced in a circle, humming a tune. Rainbow grumbled something Twilight couldn’t make out and then allowed her to finish.

Trixie marked on the map the road that went through the Withered Wood Forest that led to a mountain pass and would bring them to Oakhoof. It was a larger town closest to Coltsgold, but farther north. Twilight wondered if they brought enough food and supplies to compensate for the longer detour.

“Say, does anypony see that, over there on the other side of the bridge?” Rarity pointed her hoof towards a moving figure on the opposite side. Rainbow Dash flew up in the air briefly and squinted.

“Yeah, it looks like a pony got stuck on the other side,” Twilight said, leaning over the splintered edge of the bridge.

“Yes. I saw that pony pacing back and forth since I got here. Clearly that pony is as lost as all of you would be without the help of The Great and Powerful Trixie.”

“Spike, where’s my small telescope?”

“Right here, in your pack.”

“Ah, thank you, Spike,” Twilight replied.

“For being such an organized pony, you can never find anything when you need it.” Twilight shot Spike a look. “Eheheh, never mind!”

Twilight Sparkle peered across the river, using her magic to hold the telescope. Sure enough, somepony was over there, but something was strange. The pony swayed and staggered unnaturally, its body made from different shiny metals. The mechanical marionette in the form of a pony had a rapidly spinning intricate vane atop its head and a phonograph secured to its back.

“What in Equestria is that?” Everypony looked at Twilight as she described the unusual mechanical construct as best she could.

“Golly, what do you suppose something like that is doing all the way out there? Ain’t nopony around for miles; who y’all think is pulling the strings on that there puppet?” Applejack asked.

“Well, it could be enchanted with a Come-to-Life spell, but the effects are only temporary and the unicorn who cast the spell would have to be in close proximity.”

“Oh! I can—uh,” said Rainbow Dash who was about to launch into the air, but hesitated when she saw AJ standing on her tail with a sly grin. “Um, hang out here with you guys, because that’s cool too,” she finished slowly after a beat, shifty-eyed.

“AJ let her go,” ordered Twilight.

“What?” both Applejack and Rainbow said, surprised.

“I don’t know what that is or what it’s doing here, but it might help us understand what’s going on. Rainbow, do you think you can check it out?”

“Yes! Leave it to me; I’m on it.” In an instant, Rainbow Dash was a blur of color sailing over the river.

“Be careful,” Twilight called out after her, “and take Fluttershy with you.”

Fluttershy whimpered. Twilight smiled at her and nodded her head towards the river. She anxiously glanced back and forth until AJ gave her a friendly nudge. Reluctantly Fluttershy took to the air, but Rainbow Dash was already at the opposite side before she could make it to the water’s edge.

“Oh my, oh my, w-wait for me,” Fluttershy whispered so softly that Rainbow couldn’t hear her.

Twilight watched grimly through her telescope, hoping Rainbow would wait for Fluttershy to catch up before she did anything. Her lower eyelid twitched when Rainbow Dash started to fly over the water with the squirming puppet in her hooves.

“Oh no… no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no, this is bad. Rainbow, what are you doing!” Twilight panicked. “Oh, dear. I think I can use my magic to help her, but she’s too far away. I don’t think I can reach that far.”

Twilight calculated the odds succeeding, versus the odds of dropping it, but she still wasn’t confident enough. She danced nervously from hoof to hoof, while Trixie watched from the background, unimpressed.

“What do we do? Rainbow is going to drop that puppet if we don’t help her.” She looked to her friends who all shrugged. Twilight leaned as far forward she could and reached out with her magic. Her magical energies faintly kissed the flailing metal pony.

“I don’t know if this will make much of a difference, but allow me to help,” Rarity stepped forward with her own magic. Together, they encompassed the marionette in a magical glow.

“Whoa, I got it. I got it,” Rainbow Dash muttered to herself, and then her grip suddenly slipped. “I don’t got it!” The metal pony escaped her front hooves, but with her lightning reflexes, Rainbow caught the puppet’s face with her rear hooves and tightened her vice-grip on it. The squirrely construct protested silently, metal hooves galloping uselessly in the air in a vain attempt to flee. Fatigued, Rainbow clenched her teeth and flapped her feathered wings as hard as she could. Unfortunately, the wiggling puppet was too heavy and the pair lost altitude.

The flailing machination nearly plummeted into the river, but much to Rainbow’s relief, her friends’ magic held it aloft. Rainbow held on by just the tips of her horseshoes. Suddenly the magical glow faltered, Twilight strained but Dash was still at the very edge of her reach. Even with Rarity’s boost, they were just too far away and Fluttershy couldn’t fly fast enough to help.

“Twilight, it’s not working. Try harder,” Pinkie suggested.

“Ugh, I am trying.” Twilight gritted her teeth. Rarity’s face contorted, supporting Twilight as best she could.

The burden lightened unexpectedly. Twilight glanced to the corner of her eye and saw Trixie, volunteering her own magical boost. Together the three of them held it steady long enough for Fluttershy to catch up and assist. With great relief, the ponies set the polished brass and aluminum construct safely on dry land. Its garnet carbuncle eyes flickered dimly.

“Thank you everypony for your help,” said Twilight Sparkle after catching her breath, “and thank you, Trixie, for your help too. I don’t think we could have done it without you.” Trixie crossed her front hooves and turned her head away. “After all that’s happened, you still helped when you didn’t have to. I would have understood if you decided to walk away.”

“Whatever; don’t thank me. You clearly needed Trixie’s help.” Trixie opened her mouth to make an additional comment, but stopped herself. Twilight expected her to take a jab at Rainbow or even herself, if she wanted.

“You could tell the tale about how you helped us in one of your shows.”

“Are you serious?” she huffed in her real voice, dropping her superior stage persona. She looked at the metal pony and wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know why I helped. It’s just a stupid piece of junk, hardly worth my time.”

“I’ll be honest: if it wasn’t for your help, we might not have saved this here, uh, thingy.” Applejack furrowed her brow, not sure what to make of the bizarre pony-shaped puppet.

“What is it?” asked Pinkie Pie. “Think if we bust it open that a bunch of candy will fall out?” Pinkie smiled at the thought, but the others gave her a funny look. “What? You don’t know that it’s not filled with candy.”

“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Twilight said, studying the strange metal contraption. The marionette wobbled from side to side slightly as if it had no true sense of balance.

“I don’t detect any traces of magic, and I can’t tell if somepony is controlling this thing remotely, but I think it’s mechanical. I can hear tiny gears moving inside of it. The craftsmanship of the metal is remarkable.

“I have to agree,” Rarity chimed in. “I’m not an expert in metalwork, but these fine details, the gemstones and the color scheme are indeed nicely done. It is bizarre, yet beautiful. I think I could find a use for something like this.”

“I don’t have a clue what this thing is for. How it even functions is beyond my ken.” Twilight poked and prodded it. “If only there was a way I could take it back to my library and study it better. You don’t think we can get it to follow us all the way to Coltsgold?”

“I’m not sure, maybe. What do you suppose this thing is doing all the way out here, by itself?” Applejack wondered.

“What if it’s dangerous?” Fluttershy kept a wary distance away from the metal pony.

“Too many questions, not enough answers. However, one this is for certain: this marionette is technological, therefore, it would take a really smart pony—a scientist—to design and create it. If the puppet came from Coltsgold, there is a chance it could lead us to the pony we’re looking for.”

Twilight inspected the phonograph on the marionette’s back.

“Hm. You don’t think this is the Princess’ lost courier, do you?”

“Uh, I don’t think the princess uses these kind of couriers,” Rarity said. “If she did, one would think that we’d see more of them around.”

“True, but what if this scientist was sending his own message to Canterlot?” Twilight looked closer and found a tiny switch on the phonograph. She flipped it and a metal cylinder started to turn.

“Now, is this thing on?” a booming stallion’s voice echoed, startling everypony. The recorded voice cleared his throat and continued, “Er, yes. Greetings my little ponies, I am Doctor Whirligig Velocity, a pony of science!” the scientist introduced himself overdramatically. It reminded Twilight of Princess Luna who had a habit of speaking with great volume.

“Surely you must be wondering who I am, where I am, if my glasses are on straight, how my marvelous automoponies work, or if it is even grammatically possible to fly to the moon and back with one set of muffin-tin wings, and an uncooperative magical dictionary who refuses to make me a sandwich after a simple debate on which is better, rye or the—oh wait, I already introduced myself didn’t I?” he said in one long breath.

Everypony cast worried glances at each other.

“What in Equestria is he rambling about? Has he gone completely bonkers?” Applejack asked what they were all thinking.

“Now, uh, where was I? Oh, yes. Please send my former colleagues to my lab at once. It is vital that—oh, hay, where was Number Five going again? Wait! No-no-no! For the love of Luna, don’t eat that—!” The message ended abruptly. They sat in confused silence, trying to make sense of what they just heard.

“A friend of yours, Ms. Sparkle?” Trixie asked. Twilight shrugged, unsure what to say exactly.

“Uh, I think we may have found the name of our mysterious scientist, but did anypony understand any of that?”

“Well, duh,” Pinkie Pie said. “It’s like so obvious that Professor Giggle-Snort was baking science and it went poof and now he needs some help to clean up the mess.” Pinkie Pie grinned until she realized everypony was staring at her. “What? Isn’t that what you guys heard?” Everypony shook their heads. Twilight wasn’t sure which mind was more unraveled: Pinkie’s or Whirligig’s.

“Pinkie, I don’t know how you can make any sense of this nonsense.” Twilight was exasperated. Pinkie sat down and pouted, unhappy that nopony ever took her seriously.

Twilight paced back and forth, mentally replaying the message and analyzing every word for clues, but this befuddled Doctor Whirligig Velocity didn’t make any sense in his message. Twilight’s imagination ran down a list of potential experiments a crazed scientist might conduct that would put a whole town in jeopardy.

“Excuse me Ponyvillians,” Trixie spoke up, yanking Twilight away from her thoughts, “your… thing you insisted on saving is walking away.”

The showmare pointed towards the bridge. Everypony turned just in time to see the marionette stagger blindly to the ruined bridge. As if it had forgotten that the bridge was gone, the metal pony attempted to cross, took a clumsy nosedive and was whisked away by the swift current below. Everypony’s jaw dropped. Twilight’s first and only clue just up and walked away after they worked so hard to get it. It didn’t make any sense at all, but it was still the only thing she had to go on.

“If that thing was valuable to you, then maybe you should have kept an eye on it before you lost it. Trixie is a busy showmare and I am not going out of my way to chase down a piece of junk.” Trixie started down the road, but looked back when the stunned silence continued. “That junk was actually important to you, wasn’t it?” Trixie sounded concerned.

How could this have happened? What is the Princess going to do once she finds out about it? Worries swarmed the lavender unicorn’s mind and dizziness engulfed her. Twilight stumbled, her vision grew dark and she fainted. After a few moments, her vision cleared and the world to stop spinning. Twilight’s friends were gathered around her and Trixie spectated from outside of the circle.

“Are you alright sugar cube?” Cross-eyed, Twilight Sparkle looked up at Applejack. She blinked away the last of the colorful dancing pixels from her sight and nodded. “Thank Celestia you’re okay.”

“For now,” groaned Twilight dully while Fluttershy and Applejack helped Twilight to her hooves. “But how do I explain this in my report? I can’t just say I failed to keep something vital to the investigation safe because I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Then don’t explain it.” Everypony looked at Trixie. “If it’s not going to help you, then simply don’t write it down.” She waited patiently with her hooves crossed, looking bored.

“But I can’t just omit something like this from my report. It is my royal duty. Do you have any idea what the Princess might do if she finds out I willingly left out important details like this?” Twilight argued.

“It will be okay Twilight, don’t worry,” Pinkie Pie reassured her, but it did nothing to relieve Twilight’s panic. “It’s not like the Princess is going to banish you to the sun or anything. I mean, come on! There isn’t any place to sit down and it is way too hot.” Twilight shot the earth pony an annoyed look.

“Thank you, Pinkie,” said Twilight flatly.

“None of us knew that it would walk straight into the river like that,” Fluttershy said. “I’m sure Princess Celestia would understand. We’ve gotten ourselves into trouble before and the Princess has always forgiven us.”

Fluttershy had a point, the Princess had always been quite reasonable. Twilight recalled several instances where she had overreacted, worrying about a variety of harsh punishments that never came. However, she had once banished her own little sister, Princess Luna, to the moon for a thousand years for attempting to usurp complete control over Equestria. How many failures would it take before the Princess banished her? What if Princess Celestia rejected her as her top student?

“You speak as though Twilight Sparkle was Princess Celestia’s personal protégé or something,” Trixie snorted, yet Twilight stared, full of dread and on the verge of tears. “Wait… seriously?” Everypony nodded.

“You’re darn right she is,” Spike jumped to Twilight’s defense. “The Princess picked her to be her prized student because she’s totally smart and super talented.” Trixie turned away. Her tail twitched as she stood silently.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, her back still facing them. “I should have said something sooner. Everypony makes mistakes and just because you failed once, doesn’t mean you’re a complete failure.” Twilight was touched. This was something else she hadn’t expected from Trixie.

“You’re right. Thank you Trixie.”

Twilight took out her quill and ink and wrote a brief status update for the Princess. When finished, she gave it to Spike, who inhaled and gently blew the scroll into the wind. Surrounded by wisps of green flame, the scroll vanished, magically transported directly to the Princess.

“Alright, everypony, let’s keep moving.”

Chapter 3

Chapter 3
v.2.0

The Ponyvillians reintroduced themselves to Trixie as they traveled together along their detour; a few of them were hecklers at her Ponyville show. Trixie had issued a challenge and upstaged them easily. She hadn’t bothered to remember their names, save for Twilight Sparkle; her name was difficult to forget. Trixie challenged her abilities as well, but Twilight was the only one who balked.

Trixie struggled with mixed feelings and felt guilty for wanting to see the lavender unicorn fail at something. She didn’t know Twilight Sparkle had such magical talent and that she was so close to Princess Celestia. It was clear now how Trixie was outclassed so easily. It was foolish of the showmare to think she could stand a chance against the lavender unicorn’s magic. But it seemed even the Princess’ protégé had her challenges and limits.

What was a pony like her doing in a backwater village like Ponyville in the first place? Trixie amused herself with the thought that Twilight might be a royal spy, conducting top-secret… stuff—spy stuff—whatever stuff a royal spy would be doing in Podunk.

Unable to complete her theory, Trixie gave up on the spy idea. Suddenly, she felt a little awkward traveling with other ponies; the cerulean unicorn was accustomed to traveling solo. Once upon a time the talented showmare occasionally had a few hardcore groupies tagging along with her while she toured Equestria. They were often terribly annoying and she couldn’t wait to be rid of them, but unfortunately those days were gone. She missed her loyal adoring fans, even the lame ones who constantly sought her approval and always tried to impress her. Trixie wondered: if she had been nicer to her fans, would any of them still be friends with her?

Trixie sighed and longed for the old days and her old wagon. Only one thing was spared after the Ursa Minor attack: a small music box; it didn’t survive unscathed though. She secretly rescued it from the garbage and it was her last connection to better days.

She daydreamed of how things used to be and pretended that the Ponyville incident never happened. It was a regular fantasy of hers while spending a lot of time on the road. Trixie mentally rehearsed her act, imagining her audience in awe and wonder. Nowadays, if she wasn’t outright chased out of town, her audiences gave her no reaction whatsoever, almost worse than hecklers. She could alter her act, but if nopony cheered or booed, she couldn’t tell if it was just her show failing or if it was just Trixie they despised. Either way, the show must go on, she silently reminded herself. The advice she gave Twilight about making mistakes was something Trixie herself had spent a long time trying to believe and she wasn’t always convinced, but she wasn’t willing to admit it openly.

The afternoon passed into evening and Trixie used her magic to light the small lanterns mounted on her wagon. Soon the Princess of the Night would raise the moon over Equestria, not that anypony could see it with the menacing thunderclouds stretched across the sky.

Bats zipped through the air, snatching insects; soon it would be too dark to see them at all. A few moths gathered by her lanterns and crickets began to sing one-by-one. The showmare disliked traveling by night. She didn’t mind touring a city’s night life, but the showmare felt uncomfortable being out on the road, alone in the dark. It reminded her too much of the night she fled Ponyville after the Ursa Minor incident. Sleeping in her wagon last night with the storm was scary, Trixie was afraid that she would be blown away the moment she fell asleep.

Having the Ponyvillians around for company was somewhat comforting in a strange way. Trixie had felt bitter resentment towards them for a long time, she even had revenge fantasies. However, after spending some time with the Ponyvillians, her everlasting grudge was apparently not as enduring as she expected. At first, when Trixie saw it was Twilight and the hecklers from her show, she was ready to storm off in an angry huff, but the anger never came. Her career was still in ruins, but maybe the showmare forgave them a long time ago and was living in denial. Once Trixie got to know the Ponyvillians a little, they didn’t seem to be as bad as she imagined.

The cerulean unicorn listened to her newfound traveling companions; the pink mare with the cutie mark of party balloons was insufferably annoying. The aptly named Pinkie Pie would not stop jabbering and making her own sound effects. Trixie didn’t know how Twilight put up with her, but she found it to be oddly nostalgic. Pinkie regaled the showmare with stories about the turquoise tomboy pegasus with the rainbow colored mane; she was definitely Rainbow’s groupie. Trixie concealed her smile.

Twilight announced that the group should take a short break; Trixie welcomed a chance to rest and rehydrate. She removed her harness and sat down on the grass next to her wagon. The blond cowgirl shared a bottle of apple juice with everypony and Trixie was surprised to be offered one too. Taking the bottle with her magic, the blue unicorn thanked her and then sipped the refreshing juice through a straw.

“Um, Ms. Trixie?” the yellow pegasus said breathily as she sidled up to the showmare.

“Fluttershy, is it? Please, call me Trixie.” The unicorn took another sip of her juice.

“Oh, okay Trixie. Um, when you talked about the Withered Wood Forest, you hesitated a little.”

“I did?” Trixie looked away to the side.

Her first crossing through the forest was an intimidating experience. She had refused the guide’s offer to lead the way through in exchange for a few bits, and as a result, Trixie had gotten lost for seven hours until she found her way back to where she started.

“I was just wondering, um, what is it like in there?”

Trixie hummed, trying to think of a mild way to describe it to the cowardly pony. “Have you ever been to the wild lands like the Everfree Forest?”

“Yeah,” Fluttershy’s voice quivered.

“It is… similar.” Trixie chose her words carefully. “It’s a darker route because the trees are denser, but there is a guide there who will help us through.”

Unable to cope with scary things, Fluttershy’s body quaked with anxiety and she shriveled away behind the protection of her pink mane. Eyeing Fluttershy, Trixie saw a small fragment of her past, long buried under illusions and bragging. The showmare found that she did not dislike Fluttershy. The unicorn was not keen on revisiting Withered Wood Forest either, but it was the fastest route to Coltsgold. Besides, she couldn’t afford a train ticket if she went west, Trixie would be lucky if she could afford the guide to lead them through the wild lands.

“You know, I have a Tranquility spell that can ease your fear. I used to cast it on myself in my early days, before going on stage. It’s hard to believe that I was once afflicted with stage fright when I was a filly.”

“Are you sure it could help me build confidence? I keep trying, b-but I’m just so nervous. I can’t help being a scaredy pony.” Fluttershy gave a sheepish grin.

“Of course it can, just look at The Great and Powerful Trixie.” The cerulean unicorn put on her show façade. “Once you get used to being out there, it’s easy. Trixie would also appreciate it if you kept what I told you to yourself. Trixie has enough rumors going around as it is,” She requested with a hushed tone.

“Okay then. Just tell me what to do.”

“Just relax and clear your mind.”

Fluttershy clamped her eyes shut while Trixie tried to recall the spell. For a pony this scared, she might need to double the spell’s power. Trixie focused her magic through her alicorn and projected a blanket of calmness around Fluttershy. The glow of her horn faded and the spell was complete. The showmare watched as the yellow pegasus stopped quivering. Her eyes glazed over, eyelids drooped and her face slacked. Something wasn’t right. Cautiously Trixie reached out a hoof, and then Fluttershy suddenly collapsed face-first onto the dirt road.

“Oh… hayseed,” she cursed.

“Alright, girls, the weather looks like it’s going to get worse soon. So let’s pack it up and get moving,” Twilight announced.

A loud thud brought everypony’s attention towards the horrified Trixie, staring wide-eyed at Fluttershy, who was face-down and spread-eagled on the ground. Twilight caught the blushing showmare’s eyes before they darted about nervously.

“Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash said, racing to her friend’s side.

“What in Equestria happened?” said Applejack.

“Is Fluttershy taking a nap?” Pinkie Pie poked her gently with a hoof. Rainbow Dash called Fluttershy’s name in her ear, but she didn’t move.

“Trixie, what happened?” Twilight inquired, narrowing her eyes.

“I didn’t feel anything,” slurred Fluttershy groggily.

“I-I don’t know what happened—well, not quite what happened. She was so nervous, I cast one of my old Tranquility spells on her, but I thought I needed to power it up a little and then she just…” Trixie blurted out in one long breath. Twilight glared at her.

Rainbow Dash and Rarity helped Fluttershy up, but she was so relaxed she could hardly stand under her own power.

“You are…” Fluttershy inhaled deeply; they waited for her to continue but she trailed off.

“Trixie, you need to change her back right—”

“Awesome,” Fluttershy finished, interrupting Twilight.

“I can’t. I mean, I never had to undo it before. The effects are normally so subtle I never noticed when they wore off. I didn’t know that doubling the power would be this strong.” Trixie backed into the side of her wagon.

“We can’t have Fluttershy comatose for the whole trip!” Twilight exclaimed, seething.

“Well, at least she’s not paralyzed with fear anymore, but I recon this ain’t any better,” stated Applejack.

Twilight Sparkle was a boiling teakettle. How could Trixie do this to her? Didn’t she understand how seriously important royal business was? Twilight felt a mix of frustration, panic and anger.

She reminded herself that she couldn’t lose her cool, not again—at least not so soon after her first panicked outburst. She took a few calming breaths. Twilight was Princess Celestia’s top student, she could handle this. The lavender unicorn could handle anything the universe threw at her, she hoped. Twilight needed to stay calm and take command of the situation. Easy as pie, right?

“Hey, cutie mark.” Fluttershy leaned forward, squinting at Applejack’s flank, apparently mistaking it for her own. “Wait, you’re supposed to be butterflies, not apples.” Applejack backed up and let her focus on her face instead. A light bulb of recognition flashed across Fluttershy’s face.

“This is hilarious!” Spike chuckled. He laughed so hard he fell off of Twilight’s back.

“Uh, I think maybe we should let Fluttershy ride in your wagon so she doesn’t hurt herself,” Twilight said to Trixie, anger no longer in her voice.

“Oh, I’m not hurt Twilight. I’m fine.” Fluttershy staggered towards the wagon. She leaned too far forward, smacked her face on the side and slowly slid down to the ground.

“I’ll stay with her,” Rainbow Dash volunteered. “Come on Fluttershy.” She helped Fluttershy into Trixie’s wagon. By the look on the showmare’s face, Trixie didn’t like having other ponies in her wagon.

“Hey, have you ever considered doing a comedy act, Trixie? You and Fluttershy can make comedy gold!” said Spike with a toothy grin. Trixie cringed and didn’t answer him.

“Whoa! Trixie, there is like no room in your wagon. Are these fireworks?” Rainbow Dash commented. Trixie cringed again.

“Trixie, how long will she be like this?” Twilight demanded.

“I don’t know. It should only last maybe an hour or so at regular strength. But my guess is it might last for several hours, and at most it should clear up by morning.”

Fluttershy suddenly popped her head out of the window in the front of the wagon’s door.

“I am a strong and confident bear,” she proclaimed loudly. The unicorns shared an uneasy glance.

“Trixie is feeling concerned about the number of ponies not making sense today.” Even if this time it was her fault.

“Uh, Fluttershy, do you mean ‘mare’?” corrected Spike.

“Why, what I say?”

“Bear,” Pinkie Pie said, and then Fluttershy giggled hysterically. It sounded so unnatural coming from Fluttershy. Twilight’s stomach tightened, but Spike and Pinkie Pie were utterly amused.

“I’m not a bear… Bears are misunderstood creatures. Ponies think they’re scary, but they’re not once you get to know them.”

“Perhaps if you got to know the woods better, you wouldn’t be so afraid,” Trixie shared another piece of unexpected wisdom.

“That is good advice. I helped a bear last week who was this big,” Fluttershy described animatedly with her hooves. “He had a hangnail,” she ended with a whisper. Rainbow Dash tugged gently on her mane to prevent her from falling through the window.

“Ugh, can we please just keep going without any further problems!” Twilight grumbled.

Trixie felt insecure about having Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in her wagon. It was both her stage and her personal sanctuary. It was not as good as her original wagon that the Ursa Minor destroyed, but it was home. Normally Trixie would never allow anypony to enter; however, it was her fault that her spell went awry. The showmare’s conscience nagged at her and she knew this was the least she could do for messing things up.

Suddenly the weight of Trixie’s wagon became heavier. The cerulean unicorn looked back to find Pinkie Pie hanging from the side with her head poking into the window.

“What the hay! The Great and Powerful Trixie is not a taxi service!” Trixie shouted.

“Aw, but Fluttershy is being so silly, I don’t want to miss any of it,” explained Pinkie.

“Pinkie Pie, you’re being dreadfully impolite,” Rarity informed her. Twilight ordered Pinkie Pie to get off the wagon and behave. Pinkie sighed and hopped off; however, she kept an ear trained on the wagon, waiting for a good, quotable line from Fluttershy.

The road was long and exhausting, especially for Trixie, who was not used to hauling the weight of two extra ponies riding in her wagon. The low rolling hills and trees gave way to flat grassy plains, with rocky outcroppings and plateaus in the near distance. The wind picked up in strong gusts. The temperature dropped and slight sprinkles of rain fell. Lightning streaked through the storm clouds and thunder roared furiously. Spike leaned close and clutched Twilight’s mane tighter. Trixie quickened her pace and the other ponies kept up with her.

Finally, the narrow stone bridge came into view. Trixie took the lead, but while crossing, Fluttershy swung open the door to the wagon. The pegasus leaned out over the edge and tried look at the water in the dark. Rainbow Dash caught her by the tail before she could fall, and then Fluttershy gasped slowly.

“Dashie, you grabbed my tail,” she said, calling Rainbow Dash by the nickname Pinkie had given her. “Now I know how you feel, everypony grabbing you by your tail all the time. You girls should be ashamed of—”

“It’s okay Fluttershy, just get back here inside the wagon. Don’t make me get AJ over here to tie you up,” said Rainbow Dash, keeping a firm grip on Fluttershy’s tail with her teeth.

An expanse of dense and gnarled trees loomed ahead like an ominous silhouette in the night. It was already more frightening than the Everfree Forest. A wide log cabin on the left side of the road marked the entrance to the forest. The architecture was of a different style compared to Ponyville: it had a very rustic design. A pair of lamp posts welcomed visitors like beacons in the dark.

“Onward to the Wilted Weed Forest, hiiya!” Rainbow Dash struggled to contain the new fearless Fluttershy. Trixie couldn’t believe that her magic had turned her into… whatever Fluttershy was now.

As they approached the cabin, the blustery wind tossed about the showmare’s cape and threatened to steal her hat. She used her magic to cram the star-patterned hat down tight on her head, but it wasn’t enough. The showmare gripped the tip of her hat, firmly in her teeth instead. Trixie advised Twilight that they should take shelter for the night and resume in the morning. The cerulean unicorn’s nerves itched at the thought of the wind knocking the wagon over and take her with it.

Trixie secured her wagon under a long awning to shelter it from the storm. Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and carried Fluttershy out to the cabin. Relieved, Trixie opened the thick oak door of the inn. The smell of baked apples and cinnamon made her mouth water. Inside was warm and cozy with a small fire in the fireplace. The cabin was illuminated by various lanterns and candles of all shapes and sizes. Across from the main room to the left was a hallway with a handful of sparsely furnished rooms, complete with one bed and one window each.

“Is there anypony here? I thought you said the guide lives in this cabin,” Twilight asked Trixie. The showmare returned her wizard’s hat to its rightful place atop her head.

“Wait-wait! I’m here, I’m here,” called out a voice from a back room. A young unicorn mare, a few years Twilight’s junior, came trotting into the main room of the cabin. She had a cutie mark of a burning candle marked her flank; her coat was midnight blue and her mane and tail were a shock of platinum-white. “Welcome to Guiding Light Inn. My name is Nightlight. Are you folks looking for a room or a guide? Personally, I’d recommend a room for the night and cross the woods once the storm has passed,” Nightlight said cheerfully with a smile.

“Yes, Miss Nightlight. My entourage and I shall take you up on your recommendation,” Trixie’s words dripped with royal superiority.

“We’re your what?” asked Twilight incredulously, but her reaction went unheard. Nightlight whinnied with delight and grinned starry-eyed.

“Oh my gosh! You are The Great and Powerful Trinket!” Nightlight exclaimed excitedly.

“Trixie,” she corrected flatly with a disgruntled countenance.

“I remember you from your last visit, a long time ago. We rarely ever get any celebrities around here. Gosh, I’ve always wanted to see one of your amazing shows. Can you tell me more of your amazing stories? Can I see some really cool magic?” the young mare babbled rapidly. Thankfully, the latest news and gossip hadn’t reached here. Trixie could use this to her advantage, as long as she could keep her loudmouthed companions from destroying what little positive reputation she had left. Trixie spoke before Twilight Sparkle could ruin her plan.

“Trixie truly appreciates all of her adoring little fans; however, The Great and Powerful Trixie has traveled great distances from fantastic lands beyond description. Trixie requires rest and warm food,” the cerulean unicorn said, charming Nightlight with her charisma.

“Oh gosh, of course, I’m so sorry. Normally it’s thirty bits for the night and guide, but for you and your friends, I’ll make it ten bits.”

“Thank you for your kind generosity, my faithful admirer. My assistant Ms. Sparkle will pay for us.”

“Excuse me?” fumed Twilight.

“Unless you’d rather freeze sleeping in Trixie’s wagon because you don’t have enough bits left to pay, ” Trixie not so subtly implied. Twilight grumbled and ordered Spike to fetch ten bits from her pack.

“Thank you very much. I, uh, hope you don’t mind sharing rooms though. I’m sorry to say that we only have three available.”

“What?” Trixie and Rarity both exclaimed.

“Slumber party, whoo!” chimed Fluttershy, singsong.

“Woohoo! I’m with you Fluttershy,” Pinkie Pie announced, bouncing with excitement.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4
v.1.51

“Party cannon!” The dining room exploded with confetti from Pinkie Pie’s Peculiarly Portable Petite Party Preparation Cannon, one of the many random things the perpetually hyperactive pony packed. Inspired by Fluttershy’s new uncharacteristically energetic and silly personality, Pinkie Pie threw one of her famous parties to celebrate. No time was considered inappropriate for a party in the pink earth pony’s mind. Pinkie and Fluttershy danced to music from a gramophone, staged atop an aging end table; Nightlight, who admittedly never been to a party before, beamed with joy.

Unenthusiastically Trixie brushed confetti from her cape. The showmare’s tour to Coltsgold was turning out to be more trouble than it was worth. However, the warm and delicious food Applejack and Nightlight prepared for dinner and the free—albeit shared bedroom for the night made her thankful she let Twilight Sparkle and her friends tag along. Unfortunately Trixie was willing to change her mind again a moment later when she found herself sandwiched between Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy singing a jaunty duet. They tried to get her to join in, but the showmare adamantly refused.

“Pinkie Pie, I know you enjoy throwing parties, but I simply cannot see how you could celebrate at a time like this,” said Rarity. Her words were spoken like a proper mare, worthy of the high class society of Canterlot. “Thanks to somepony’s carelessness, Fluttershy is behaving downright . . . unladylike.” The blue unicorn’s eye twitched at the reminder.

The Great and Powerful Trixie sat down on one of the pillows provided next to the long, water stained dinner table. A few spots were more worn out than others. Trixie was surprised that all of the furniture was still the same way she remembered it, only aged with a couple new scars. Trixie wondered how Lamplight was able to collect so many differently styled and ornate stained glass lanterns that obsessively decorated the inn. They hung from the ceiling and were mounted on the walls; some flickered from carved alcoves. It would have taken the guide a lifetime to travel all over Equestria to amass an extensive collection like this.

The smell of mouthwatering food lured the other ponies to the table. A scrumptious apple pie was calling the showmare; she could almost taste it. She magically picked up a knife and plate, but before she could get a slice the crazy pink pony planted her face in it. Twilight cringed, embarrassed by her friend’s behavior. The very prim and proper unicorn also disapproved and gave Pinkie Pie a lengthy lecture on etiquette that went unheard.

Eventually Trixie secured a plate of food for herself. The food was divine, however stress threatened to disrupt her digestion. She closed her eyes and focused on releasing the tension in her body. Trixie practiced a meditation technique she used to prevent knots from building up in her muscles. Unfortunately it wasn’t as effective tonight as she had hoped.

“Trixie, why didn’t you tell us this place only had a couple rooms?” Twilight asked after she finished a mouthful of pie. Trixie started to speak but was interrupted by another one of Fluttershy’s outbursts, followed by Rainbow Dash chasing after her.

“The last time The Great and Powerful Trixie was here, she was sans entourage. I didn’t know,” said Trixie finally. She silently swore never to help the Ponyvillians ever again. Nothing good ever came from them . . . well, almost nothing. Trixie grumbled at her own mixed thoughts.

“If I had spoken to Miss Nightlight, I could have used my charm to get a room for myself. I don’t know how I’ll get my beauty sleep sharing a bed with Applejack,” Rarity pouted.

“Oh please.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t exactly easy for me to get any shuteye when we spent the night at Twilight’s, during that big storm last year. Besides, would you rather stay with Fluttershy tonight?” As if on cue, the wild pegasus zipped across the lobby with her rainbow shadow trailing her.

Rarity was as beautiful as the rare gemstones she had a talent for finding. She frequently used them on her dresses she designed and sold in her boutique. That ability earned her a cutie mark of three diamonds on her flank. Unfortunately she was prone to vanity that sometimes got the better of her. Rarity’s high standards and perfectionist nature made it difficult to accommodate her at times.

Applejack and Rarity were an odd combination. The strong, southern work horse was the opposite of the elegant mare. While attractive, Applejack didn’t care about fancy dresses or worry about getting dirty. Hard work on the farm meant getting sweaty and sometimes required getting her hooves muddy. The two often quarreled, but that didn’t stop them from being good friends.

“Humph.” Rarity turned her nose up in the air. “I don’t know how anyone could call this dusty old place an ‘inn.’ What kind of hotel is this that only has three rooms to rent? I’m not so sure about the décor either. While it does give me some inspiration for a potential future design project, they could at least do something about this antiquated furniture. This table alone is all scuffed up, and it looks as if nopony has ever used a coaster in years. I am appalled that we’re expected to eat off such a thing,” the ivory unicorn complained.

“Uh, Rarity? If’n ya haven’t noticed, this place doesn’t exactly have a whole lot of traffic running through here. Ain’t no sense in spending a whole lot of money to go build a fancy five-star hotel all the way out here in the middle of nowhere,” explained Applejack.

“Of course there is, they’re called ‘exotic vacation resorts.’ Heavens knows I could use a good spa and massage after all that walking. All this weather has done a number on my mane. I don’t expect you to know how much time and effort it takes to look as fabulous as I do.”

“Rarity, one of these days you’ll need to get over yourself.”

“I beg your pardon! There is nothing wrong with a lady trying to look her best. Celestia forbid we should all have to spend the day with dirt on our faces.”

Trixie listened while she ate with mild amusement. She wondered how Twilight could amass such an odd assortment of colleagues. The showmare almost envied the studious unicorn and her close circle of friends. At the same time, Trixie disliked them for making her reflect on her own lack of friendship.

“I’m awfully sorry for the inconvenience,” Nightlight interrupted the argument. “My big brother Lamplight and I would have built an expansion and fixed this place up some, but it’s really hard to make money out here. Like she said, nopony ever wants to travel through these woods to get up to Oakhoof. It’s so much easier just to take the Great Sprite Bridge and go through Coltsgold. I wish we had an inn over there, but my big brother says that somepony has to guide folks through the woods,” Nightlight sighed. It was clear that she wasn’t entirely happy living in such an isolated place.

Nightlight leaned forward and engaged Trixie with a barrage of questions. The performer told a charismatic tale of her travels, embellishing her achievements more than just a little bit. She told the innkeeper how she rescued a drowning pony when she discovered the bridge had been destroyed. Nightlight hung on every word. Trixie could feel the few stares of the other ponies assaulting her. The showmare had plenty of experience blocking them out. It felt great to have a rapt audience again, even if it was just one pony. The unicorn gracefully avoided her foul-up with Fluttershy, who was still darting from lantern to lantern like a hummingbird.

The performing unicorn finished her amazing tales and let the hostess return to the kitchen to prepare more food. The modest feast was not fancy but appetizing. Trixie almost didn’t recognize Nightlight from her previous trip. She thought back to her past misadventure through the Withered Wood Forest.

The guide back then was a brown-furred and blond stallion named Lamplight. As she recalled, the guide had an annoying little sister. Lamplight said that she was a “navigationally challenged” filly who couldn’t find her way out of a barrel. It would make sense that Nightlight only ran the inn. Celestia forbid she ever followed in her brother’s horseshoes. Curious, she hadn’t seen Lamplight since they arrived. Maybe he was in bed already or on his way back from the other side of the woods. It would have been dreadful to be lost in the woods at night with a storm.

A wave of anxiety washed over the showmare. Trixie kept a deadpan expression. It had been years since she got lost in the wild lands. Trixie banished the memory from her mind; in the morning Lamplight would guide them through the woods and she would be free to focus on her magic show.

How was she going to salvage her career anyways? She was going to miss her scheduled performance in Coltsgold. How could anypony take her seriously when not only labeled a fraud but also unreliable? The news would spread to Oakhoof in no time. What if her reputation never recovered? What if it was time to hang up her cape and wizard’s hat and just give up her act? The warm food in her stomach turned to cold, heavy iron in her chest. This was not how her career was supposed to end. What if it was already over and she was just fooling herself?

“Pinkie!” Twilight shouted. Stopping in mid-cartwheel, the earth pony looked at Twilight while upside down from the dinner table. “Don’t you think it’s time to tone things down a bit? We’ve all had a long day.”

“Aw, you’re no fun.” Pinkie walked away on her front hooves, knocking plates off the table. Bits of food caught in her curly mane.

Twilight sighed. It had been a long and rough day and she was eager for some peace and quiet. Spike had already dozed off. Trixie must have been really tired too; she stared off into space blankly. Neither the noise from the rambunctious ponies nor the new bombardment of questions from Nightlight could shake her from her thoughts. Trixie’s brow creased; Twilight couldn’t tell if she was mad or about to cry.

Fluttershy had been bouncing off the walls since they arrived at the inn. Rainbow Dash finally stopped to rest for a minute. She wiped the sweat from her brow; obviously fatigued.

“Are you alright Rainbow? Do you need any help?” Twilight asked.

“Are you kidding? Ha! I can do this all night long. No problemo,” boasted the pegasus with the colorful lightning bolt cutie mark. “I never thought I’d be trying to keep Fluttershy out of mischief. All that mega-nervous energy of hers has turned into, like, ultra-hyper energy. If we were back in Ponyville, I’d totally challenge her to a race. There’s no way she could compete with my spectacular speed, but it would be a sure way to burn off a ton of that energy she’s got right now.” In no time, Rainbow was back to corralling the out of control Flutershy.

Trixie quietly left the dinner table and sat in front of the fire; lost in whatever thoughts a fallen showmare might have. Twilight didn’t mind too much having her around as long as she didn’t mess things up again. The lavender unicorn wondered if Trixie was upset over what she did to Fluttershy. The careless accident was her fault, though Trixie was just trying to help. Feeling a little guilty, Twilight worried that maybe she reacted too harshly.

“Wow, this is so cool. I never thought I’d get to see The Great and Powerful Trixie again. You girls sure know how to have fun; I bet there’s never a dull moment around you,” Nightlight giggled. She was unfazed by lavender unicorn’s crazy friends.

“You have no idea,” replied Twilight.

“So what brings you girls out to the wild lands?”

“Oh, we’re on royal business.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is on royal business, like from Princess Celestia? Oh my gosh, this is amazing!” the young mare squealed. Nightlight’s outburst caught Trixie’s attention. She raised her brow. Twilight’s eyes darted back and forth from the showmare and the innkeeper.

“Uh . . . yes. Yes, she is assisting us on an important task.” Now who was exaggerating the truth? Twilight hoped that the gesture would help Trixie feel better and get some useful information in the process. “Do you happen to know anything about a Doctor Whirligig Velocity?” asked Twilight. The junior innkeeper thought for a long moment.

“Um, I’ve heard about a Mr. Velocity. Never met him, but I think he’s some mad scientist living in that old Snowline Castle on top of Crystal Forest Mountain. You could probably see it from the north or west side of the mountain.”

“Do you know what he is doing up there? What about his mechanical automoponies?”

“Auto-what? Sorry, I don’t know what that is. All I know is that he’s some sort of reclusive quack. He used to have a bunch of other scientists there at one time, but that was a really long time ago before I was born. They’re all gone now.”

“Have you had any word from Coltsgold?” Twilight Sparkle continued with her own list of questions.

“I can’t say that I have; though like I said before, pony-folk generally don’t come this way because of the wild lands.”

Twilight thanked her for the information. She looked at the clock and realized it was getting late. She gathered her friends and suggested they all get some sleep so they could be well rested for the trek through the woods and up the mountain. There was protest from Fluttershy and Pinkie, but Rainbow Dash was adamant on getting some sleep tonight.

The lavender unicorn carefully carried Spike to the room at the end of the hall and laid him down in a wide basket; covering him with his blanket. Trixie’s cape and wizard’s hat hung from the coat rack. The showmare had brought in her own pack from her wagon.

The room had the distinct smell of wood shavings and mild scented candles. It was bare and cold; the chill cut through the window effortlessly. The heat of the fire didn’t reach the corner room. Acorns rained down on the roof while the storm raged outside.

Rainbow Dash was sharing a room with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Two of them were still bouncing off the walls, making a racket. Wearing a mud mask and curlers, Rarity pounded on their door.

“Will you be quiet! I am trying to get my beauty sleep!” the robed unicorn demanded.

“Hey, will you give me a break? I’m trying my best to keep Fluttershy under control and Pinkie isn’t helping,” replied the pegasus.

“Maybe Pinkie should stay in our room?” the freckled earth pony suggested; her blond mane free from her usual low ponytail.

“Please Applejack; it is bad enough that I have to share a bed with a messy pony like you. Besides, there’s hardly enough room. How am I going to sleep comfortably?”

“What about RD?” the blond earth pony referred the pegasus by her initials, as her friends sometimes called Applejack ‘AJ’. “She’s sharing a room with those two hyperactive ponies.”

“Well, she might actually have a bed to herself then. Those two would probably stay up all night at the rate they’re going,” said Rarity.

“Hey! Why don’t we all stop bickering and just go to sleep?” Twilight insisted.

Reluctantly everypony retired to their rooms, however loud whispers continued. Twilight sighed and closed the door with her magic. Surprisingly, out of everypony Trixie was the only one who didn’t argue about the sleeping arrangements. She was sure that the almighty showmare would have fought hoof and alicorn to get a private room. Rarity certainly tried. Trixie’s attitude changed abruptly shortly after they arrived and she had been quiet ever since. Was she brooding over something or was this what she was like in private?

This was the first time Twilight spent time with her. She only talked to the showmare briefly when they first met during her show in Ponyville. The taciturn pony stared into the darkness through the old window with a dour expression. Twilight couldn’t imagine what it would be like to spend the night in Trixie’s wagon in this weather.

“Wow, the storm is really coming down now, isn’t it?” Twilight asked.

Awkward silence lurked in the room.

“This place sure is rustic, even more than the hotel in Ponyville, don’t you think?” Twilight forced a laugh, but Trixie still ignored her. “I bet you’ve seen some fancy places on your magic act tour.” Twilight cringed, realizing too late that the showmare’s career might be a sensitive subject.

“Twilight, I’m sorry. I honestly didn’t know this place had only a few rooms,” Trixie said without her usual bravado. It sounded weird coming out of her, yet it was soft and natural.

A loud commotion came from the next room.

“You two totally need to chillax and go to bed right now!” Rainbow Dash said, her voice muffled by the wall. “I’m mega-serious here. I will sit in front of this door all night if I have to.”

Another voice said something but it was too quiet to make out, and then high pitched squealing and giggling broke out.

“I’m sorry for that too.” Trixie nodded her head towards the noise next door.

“It’s okay. How about we get some sleep,” suggested Twilight.

Trixie took the right side of the bed and Twilight took the left. They lay back to back. Trixie shifted uncomfortably. A double lightning flash shocked the bare room; the thunderclap rattled all of the lanterns in the inn. Pinkie let out a startled shriek and then laughed about it.

The blue unicorn shifted again. Twilight looked over her shoulder.

“Did you want me to stay in the other room with Rarity and AJ?” Twilight knew the bed in the other room was just as small as theirs. She would most likely end up sleeping on the floor. Trixie didn’t reply right away.

“No, its fine,” she said after a long pause.

Twilight laid her head back down on her pillow. A moment later Trixie sat up. With her alicorn aglow, she magically reached out to her pack. Twilight peeked over her shoulder again. Surrounded by a soft blue light, a small rectangular block of wood floated out of her pack and to the nightstand. It was a tiny music box. The wood was worn and nicked; it was probably a few decades old. A carving of an elegant unicorn in a forest was meticulously etched into the top.

The magic faded and the music box started to play a gentle, bittersweet melody. Trixie put her head back to the pillow and pulled the blanket up close to her face. She took a soft deep breath and stopped fidgeting. Twilight listened to the lovely harmonies.

“That is a beautiful tune. What is it called?” Trixie didn’t answer. “Oh, sorry . . . Are you asleep?” Twilight whispered; again there was no response from Trixie.

She couldn’t tell in the dark if she saw Trixie blink her eyes or not. Twilight’s eyes were not adjusted to the dark yet. It was clear she wasn’t going to talk. Twilight closed her eyes. Eventually she drifted off to sleep with the sounds of the delicate music box mixed with the raging wind and rain.

Between the howling wind and the pony snoring in the next room kept Nightlight half awake. The three rowdy ponies from the room across the hall finally went quiet. The dark azure unicorn nuzzled her warm fuzzy blankets. She had quite an exciting evening; not only did she have guests, but a celebrity on royal business. Nightlight couldn’t wait to tell her big brother all about it. The pink earth pony and the yellow pegasus were so fun to watch. It was unfortunate that The Great and Powerful Trixie was too exhausted from her trip to talk to her much.

Other ponies were so lucky to live in the big cities. There were tons of ponies to talk to and so much to do. It was so boring staying here at the inn. The unicorn would give her left hind hoof to live in a place like Canterlot or Manehattan. Even a small town or village like Oakhoof or Ponyville would be more fun. But she did have a responsibility to the travelers going through the wild lands. Lamplight couldn’t do it all by himself.

Nightlight pushed all her thoughts and excitement out of her mind. Her eyes were heavy and her body was very tired. Try as she might, she couldn’t fall asleep. There was a funny feeling that nagged at the back of her mind more than anything else. Nightlight was too tired to act on her gut feeling. She told herself that it was just the storm, but the uneasy feeling grew stronger.

Bleary-eyed, the unicorn squinted at the darkness. Faint light reflected off the metal and glass surfaces that hung in her bedroom. Nightlight sat up with a start. She rubbed the blurriness out of her eyes and looked though the window. The plants and trees were wildly animated by the wind. Something darkled outside that the unicorn couldn’t make out.

“What in the wild lands is that?” she mouthed to herself silently.

Using her magic, she donned a maroon cape and then picked up one of her favorite lanterns with her teeth. She hurried to the large oak door of the inn. Wind whipped her platinum cape and mane. The lanterns of the inn creaked and clattered ominously. The night was dark as pitch; sporadic lightning flashes highlighted the terrain. Nightlight’s lantern did little against the storm. Her alicorn sparkled with a silver glow and her lantern focused into a tighter beam.

“Who is out there?” she shouted carefully. With the handle in her mouth it was difficult to speak clearly, especially against the feral winds. Pegasi usually avoided making storms this bad unless there was a foul-up with the weather schedule. However this was the wild lands affecting the weather. Rain pelted the young mare’s face as she made her way around the corner to the back of the inn.

“Big brother?” she called out to the night. “Lamplight, is that you? Trixie? Trixie’s friends?” Nopony answered. Nightlight shivered from the cold, or was it from the onset of sudden anxiety? Wither Wood Forest did have its share of strange creatures that dwelled deeper into the wild lands. One of them could have easily gotten lost in the storm and wandered out to the inn. But Nightlight was more worried that one of her guests had snuck out somehow without her hearing them.

Nightlight clutched her trusty lantern tight and ventured into the tangle of trees and bushes. She stopped to listen for any signs of what might be out there. Something was watching her, she could feel it. Her cone of light scanned the woods. The mare saw something moving in the corner of her eye, but all she could see were swaying trees and vegetation. The wild lands could play tricks on ponies eyes, but she of all ponies should be used to the sights and sounds of the Withered Wood Forest.

There was a sudden strange metallic noise and a spark. Nightlight shined her light and caught a glimpse of what could have been golden antlers. With a flash of lightning, who or whatever it was, galloped away with incredible speed. It sounded like it had metal hooves.

Nightlight wasn’t feeling safe being alone outside. Slowly she started to retreat. She wanted to run, but it would have been dangerous with the bad weather. The unicorn heard another metallic sound, different than before. She surveyed the landscape; her eyes met with a pair of dimly glowing red orbs. They stared back at her, unblinking. Nightlight didn’t dare shine the light on it, hoping it would not jump out at her. It lumbered towards her slowly,

The mare panicked and by reflex she shut her eyes; with her alicorn aglow, her lantern exploded with a glaring magical light. The creature let out a pained and unnatural neigh. When the blaze of light died down, Nightlight fled. She slipped and stumbled in the fresh mud. The unicorn forced herself to slow down until she was free of the woods. Once free she galloped back to the inn.

Wet and muddy, Nightlight slammed the door and locked it. Despite her relief, she was quaking in her horseshoes. The unicorn put down her lantern and stretched her jaw; she had been gripping the handle too tight. This was the scariest encounter she has had in a long time. Thankfully the inn was a safe place; the wild creatures never threatened to come close to it—until something thudded against the door.

Nightlight stared wide-eyed. Something banged against the door again. The pair of dim crimson eyes peered into the window. The unicorn dug into the corner by the door and held her breath. An eternity of seconds passed until the mysterious creature gave up and vanished back into the night.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5
v.4.1

The night was chilled as always, not that Whirligig ever noticed. He sipped cider from a crystalline glass, ignoring the pages of handwritten notes and calculations that littered the floor. Masked behind blue reflective glasses, Whirligig stared with steely eyes. Coltsgold was still dark and invisible in the moonless night. Metallic hooves clanking broke the silence.

“Seven, you’ve returned with…” he trailed off, struggling to find his mental vocabulary. Number Seven waited patiently. “Steve! Help me out here.”

The magical dictionary on the desk flipped open on its own and stopped on a random page. Whirligig scanned the page and nodded in agreement.

“‘Report’. Thank you Steve.” He turned his attention back to Seven. “Number Seven, what is your report on the situation?”

Seven responded with a series of body movements and whinnies. Whirligig easily interpreted the strange dance.

“The pony folk are escaping? This is troubling news, indeed. I must contain the experiment at all costs,” he mumbled to himself. “What became of Number Five? Did it deliver my message to the Princess? Luna knows I could use the input of my former colleagues right now.”

Seven whipped its head to the left and trotted in a circle.

“Five did what?” Whirligig held his face in his hooves and sighed. “All Five had to do was cross the Great Sprite Bridge and…” He turned away and cringed. “You’re telling me the nincompoop is now miles away in the wrong direction, following the river, west?” said Whirligig through gritted teeth.

Seven nodded.

“Luna help us,” he sighed, looking towards the heavens. “Okay. What of Number Twelve? It was supposed to follow Number Five, and make sure it doesn’t fall into a ditch somewhere.”

Seven nodded its head to the right, danced on his hind hooves and neighed. Whirligig’s mouth quivered. He glanced around his private chamber to direct his barely contained frustration on something.

“Pony-feathers!” he cursed. “I send one Number to Canterlot and it tries to walk to the ocean; I send another Number to retrieve it and it wanders off to the wild lands in the opposite direction! There is something fundamentally wrong with their capitalization and geology programming.” Whirligig was aware that something felt incorrect about his last statement. It didn’t matter; he understood what he was saying.

Whirligig Velocity waved his hoof dismissively. Number Seven returned to its duties.

“I wish all of my automoponies were as reliable as you, Seven. None of you may be perfect, but if I can complete this experiment, maybe I could remedy your flaws—or at least to some degree. However, I must first take care of these bothersome ponies from town.”

Doctor Whirligig Velocity closed his eyes and furrowed his brow; his thoughts jumbled about his mind. From schematics, formulas and equations to random nouns, and finally to song, all chaotically ricocheting violently off one another, like photons trying to escape the core of the sun. Out of all the thoughts, the memory of the song persisted. It reminded him of something; it often did, but to what always escaped his grasp.

Sidetracked, Whirligig focused on the painting above his desk: a unicorn mare gazing at a windmill by the outskirts of a beautiful forest. Somehow, with the song and the painting together, felt bittersweet.

“How curious… It’s like somepony has been singing quietly in my ear, trying to remind me of something. How many years has it been since I last heard this song? I’m amazed I remember it at all. Why now? Why this? Why are you trying to remind me?” Whirligig waited, as if the painting would answer him.

“I know that I’m starting to lose my mind. Mental degeneration: one of the worst afflictions a brilliant mind could suffer.” Whirligig started to pace. “I’ve spent my entire life exercising my brain, only to have it fall apart despite my efforts. I am aware that my thoughts misfire, and my daughter tells me that I’m not always lucid.”

Whirligig leaned close to the painting and whispered, “She wants me to give it up. My dreams. Everything. It is all I have. You would never have demanded my retirement, would you? No, I remember. I remember, you said ‘never give up.’” He slowly leaned back, still staring at the artwork. “My colleagues, they all gave up. They left me here alone. Oh, the things we accomplished together. Where are they now? Hm? At least Even Steven is still by my side, though he has been less than helpful as of late. You never should have given up, Steve!” he shouted to the room behind him.

“Never should have given up. Never, never…” he mumbled, looking down at his hooves. “What could a feeble-minded old horse do without his passion in life that kept him going?”

Whirligig’s lips quivered. He steeled himself after a few steadying breaths.

“I’m running out of time.” Whirligig Velocity magically reached for a contraption on the wall, and spoke with great volume, into the cone attached to a series of tubes and hoses, “Attention all Numbers; assemble in the great hall. There is much work to be done.”

It was the early morning when Citrus poked her tan-furred, freckled face out of the doorway of her home and business: the Sweet and Sour Citrus candy shop. Her dark purple-pink eyes darted back and forth, as the mob of frightened and angry ponies marched to the town hall, armed with pickaxes and lanterns. The earth pony ducked back inside to run a quick brush through her straight, two-toned mane that matched the colors of her lemon and lime cutie mark, before leaving.

Everypony was tense, and everything seemed so unreal to Citrus.

“Been sightings of those robo-ponies coming down from the mountain again,” said an angry earth stallion, in the crowd.

“I heard Whirligig Velocity is abducting mares and turning them into those things!” said a panicked mare.

“—my husband! Has anypony seen my husband? His name is Gale Force, he’s been missing for two days. Please! Somebody!” pleaded a hysterical unicorn. She wasn’t the only one searching for somepony.

Citrus listened in to the ponies around her talk. She hasn’t seen her friends: Summer Rain or November Star, for days. Nova was away at astronomy camp, but said she might come home early due to bad weather, but she hasn’t received a letter from her since.

“Has anypony seen the pegasi?”

“Haven’t you heard? They all ran away.”

“No they didn’t! They flew up the mountain to confront that mad stallion and he now has them enslaved in his dungeon!”

“This isn’t supposed to happen… Bad things aren’t supposed to happen here! Why are these things happening?”

“They’re zombies… I told you, Whirligig is up to no good again. He’s been plotting this for years, and now he’s brought the dead back to life. I’ve seen ‘em with my own eyes.”

“You’re crazy. Nopony has seen any zombie ponies.”

“I have!”

“Can you prove it?”

The crowd quieted once Mayor Winter Night took to the stage and approached the megaphone.

“Everypony remain calm,” she said. Out of everypony, the mayor appeared to be the only one who was calm. “I know we are all frightened and confused, but panicking will only make things worse.” The earth pony paused for a beat. We are still investigating the situation and we will keep you updated as new information comes in.”

“Whirligig is obviously behind it! Why don’t you do something about him!” shouted somepony in the crowd.

“We don’t have any evidence that points to Doctor Whirligig Velocity’s involvement. We’re still not entirely sure of what is going on.”

“We’ve all heard the sounds coming from his lab. That’s not normal.”

“Yeah! What about all the screaming that came from Coltsgold?”

“What about the missing miners?”

“Somepony please think of the chill’un’s!”

“Calm down, my little ponies,” Winter Night said in a confident tone. “I will tell you what we know so far.”

The mayor waited for the crowd’s full attention before continuing.

“The pegasus ponies and most of the folks from Coltsgold are missing. Since the pegasi handle our mail, this also means we have been unable to get word to anypony about what’s happening here.”

Murmuring spread through the crowd.

“There have been an increasing number of reports of mechanical pony sightings. We know they are coming down from the Crystal Forest Mountain. If you sight one of these things, do not approach or engage it. I urge all of you to stay away from them. It is likely that they are from the doctor, but we do not know much else about them or their intentions.”

Citrus looked out the window at the eerie castle perched on the summit of the mountain. Even from here, she could see the giant metal windmill, spinning perpetually, along with the equally large unicorn, rearing on its hind legs, moving its front hooves along with the spinning blades. There has never been a day that she knew of, that it stopped moving. Her grandparents had once said that the giant whirligig has never stopped moving, even on days with no wind.

“Now, until the situation resolves itself, it is not safe to be outside. Everypony should gather as much food and water as they can and barricade yourselves inside your homes, until somepony gives the all clear.” Everypony nods in approval, except for Citrus.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Citrus spoke up. Everypony stepped away, giving her the spotlight. “I think somepony should go out and get the word to Canterlot, or even Ponyville. We can’t just hide in our homes and hope that the Princess sends somepony to check on us. It could be weeks or even months before they realize we’re not even here anymore.”

Winter Night rubbed her chin and hummed in thought.

“I can see your point,” she said after a short moment. “I appoint you to head this task. Make your way safely through Coltsgold and make your way towards the Great Sprite Bridge. From there it should be about a day’s walk to the nearest town.”

“What?!” Citrus turned crosseyed. “W-why are you making me do it? Why not send a few stallions instead?”

“Should something happen, we need all the stallions and unicorns we have left to defend Oakhoof. If I sent a whole unit of guards through town, they might bring too much attention to themselves. We need a pony to go quickly and quietly. The longer you waste time arguing, the greater chance that nopony might be left in town upon your return. Gather some supplies and go, now.”

The mayor left the stage and the crowd hurried back to their homes, leaving Citrus dumbstruck and slackjawed. Her eye twitched.

“I was not aware I was volunteering…”

Citrus’ face soured as she stomped her way back home.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid. I shouldn’t have opened my dumb mouth,” she huffed and then puffed up her cheeks. She opened the door to her candy store and plopped her tail down onto the floor.

“It was your idea, why don’t you do it,” she said in a high pitched, mocking tone. “Bleh!”

Citrus glanced around her home. The morning’s sunlight was shining through the colorful stained glass windows, highlighting the glass counter, filled with her homemade fruit flavored candies. For a moment, it felt like a normal day. She could open up shop and the fillies would be lining up for sweets in no time.

A chill suddenly went through her spine, and Sweet and Sour Citrus felt frighteningly empty and silent.

“Then again, maybe I’m the lucky one to get the heck out of here,” she sighed.

Citrus packed supplies into her yellow and pink backpack, and wrapped a pink and purple scarf around her neck. After locking up her home, Citrus braved the empty cobblestone streets. The sky was partly cloudy and fresh snow blanketed the ground in patches. Equestria seemed eerily serene, but dreadfully unsettling.

Citrus hiked up the mountain pass for about an hour until she reached the outskirts of Coltsgold. The town was smaller, but more spread out than Oakhoof. An undisturbed layer of snow covered the paths and the earth tone buildings.

Coltsgold seemed deserted, other than that, one wouldn’t think that anything had happened. Citrus hasn’t seen a soul since she left home. She crept low along the ground, hiding behind anything she could use as cover: trees, wagons, mining carts, and stacks of wood.

Birds chirped and flew from tree to tree, oblivious to the danger lurking around town. Citrus felt paranoid that something would jump on her from behind.

“Where did everypony go? What did those awful robo-ponies do to them?” she whispered, making her way through the center of the village. Citrus felt a little more confident, but remained uneasy. The village was totally empty. She could trot through town, singing, and nopony would know she was there.

Her mind began to wander. Citrus looked over her shoulder once more, however, upon returning her attention to the road ahead of her, she found herself nose-to-nose with an elderly white-haired stallion.

“Ah! Mr. Apfelstrudel, you startled me!”

Citrus backed away from the familiar face. The tired looking earth pony owned one of the local apple orchards. He slouched and appeared pale and weary, with a hollow stare.

“Are you feeling okay?” she asked in a gentle tone. “Do you know where everypony went? What happened here?”

Apfelstrudel didn’t acknowledge her and simply stared, unblinking, at a tree trunk.

“We have to hurry, Mr. Apfelstrudel, it’s not safe out here. Come with me, I’ll take you to Oakhoof.”

Citrus started to head back, but Apfelstrudel wasn’t following her. Citrus circled back and tugged on his mane, but the stubborn stallion wouldn’t move.

“Come on Mr. Apfelstrudel, don’t make me do this,” she sighed. Citrus went behind him and butted the top of her head against his rump and pushed him sluggishly forward.

She coaxed him along for longest, grueling ten minutes, and the shortest six feet of her life. Becoming impatient, she braced her shoulder and gave him her strongest shove. Apfelstrudel’s front hooves crumpled beneath him and he planted his face into the snow, with his hindquarters up in the air. His rear hooves were still slowly moving, unable to reach the ground.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Citrus fumed, stomping her hooves. She held on to his hind hooves and pushed backwards with all her weight. “I’m really sorry about this. I wish there was an easier way, but—”

A friendly rasping voice, vocalizing beats of a song, made her stop in her tracks. A short and petite pegasus with a spiked reddish-pink mane and a paintbrush cutie mark, danced out of her home, wearing her trademark platform horseshoes.

“Summer Rain!” She beamed, thankful that her friend was safe.

“Yo, Citrus! What’s—” Summer Rain paused. She wrinkled her brow, taking in the awkward scene. “What the hay are you doing?” her voice squeaked, due to her troubled voice box.

“Oh, thank Celestia you’re okay!” Citrus trotted over to her, leaving Apfelstrudel face down in the snow. “Summer Rain, you need to help me get Apfelstrudel to safety.”

“What? Why?” She eyed him suspiciously.

“Don’t you know what’s going on?”

“Uh, no.” Summer looked around, clueless. “I’ve been down in my basement with my headphones on, grooving to tuneskies. I was diggin’ the latest album from The Wingless Karate Cutie Mark Colts, and then I had this wickedly awesome idea that I just had to paint. I was so engrossed in the mood, that this is the first time I’ve gotten out of the house in days. Why, what’s going on?”

“Only you can miss a disaster with your darn headphones on.” Citrus gave her a half smile. “Whirligig Velocity happened. I’ll explain on the way, but we have to hurry. Mr. Apfelstrudel seems to be sick and we need to get him away from Coltsgold before that mad scientist’s minions come back to get us.”

“Wait-what?

“Hello Summer!” hollered a fellow freckled mare, with pearl rimmed glasses and carrying a full pack on her back. The pastel purple unicorn had blond and peach colored braids in her mane and tail, sapphire blue eyes and a cutie mark of a blue tailed comet circling around a crescent harvest moon.

“Nova?” both Citrus and Summer said together. November Star’s slightly taller height contrasted with Summer Rain’s short stature.

“I got back early. Astronomy camp was cut short due to bad weather.”

“Quick, Nova I could use your help too.”

“Mr. Apfelstrudel? By Celestia, what happened to him?”

“I don’t know. Citrus said he was sick and that we need to get him out of town for some reason,” Summer rasped and shrugged. November trotted over to the trio.

“Oh my, I don’t think he’s going anywhere in this condition. Let’s get him warmed up and inside.”

November Star used her magic to lift Apfelstrudel off the ground and into Summer’s cottage. He looked even more sickly than before; his eyes were barely open. November looked him over and took his temperature.

“We need to get him to a hospital, he is not looking good. Has he been outside in the cold all night?”

Citrus shrugged and shook her head.

“He could be suffering from hypothermia.” Nova wrapped a blanket over him; she lifted up his head and looked into his hollow, spiritless eyes. “Mr. Apfelstrudel? Sir, can you hear me?”

Apfelstrudel took a wheezing breath. He whispered something Citrus couldn’t make out.

“Sir, can you tell us what happened to you?” Apfelstrudel’s haunting eyes grew wide and an unnaturally ravenous look crossed his face.

“Mehr Äpfel…” a guttural growl rumbled from his throat. The three of them were taken aback. “Mehr… Äpfel,” he moaned in his native tongue. Apfelstrudel rose on all four hooves shuffled towards November Star at a slow, but determined pace.

“Sir, you want apples?” November asked warily, but didn’t neglect her obsessive politeness. She backed away cautiously.

“Oh horse apples!” Something one of the ponies had said back in Oakhoof, dawned on her. “Get away from him! Doctor Whirligig Velocity has gotten to him.” Apfelstrudel blocked the way between November and herself.

“What do you mean?” Summer rasped in her perpetually hoarse voice, edging towards the door with wings unfurled, ready to take flight.

“Now this has to have some kind of medical explanation. Sir, the hospital needs to be notified of these unusual symptoms right away,” November stammered nervously.

“Nova, go out through the back! Summer and I will meet you outside—Go!” Summer bolted through the door. Citrus yanked on Apfelstrudel’s tail with her teeth. He turned and glared at her with razor sharp eyes. “Run!”

Citrus fled the cottage. Summer anxiously hovered in the air.

“Um, Citrus? Please tell me that Apfelstrudel wasn’t all zombified in there.”

“I think he was. Everypony in town is missing, I was afraid you and Nova were gone too.”

“Uh, I don’t think everypony is missing.” Summer pointed towards a group of work horses from the mines. They shambled about with their heads limply hanging low. The stallions looked up and saw them.

“Gold.”

“Gems.”

“Stone.”

“Dirt.”

“Dig.”

“Boom.”

Citrus shrieked and ran in between two log cabins. She and Summer hid behind a stack of firewood.

Citrus experienced a sudden and brief blinding flash. There was no sound that came with it, but her vision went completely white for an instant; it was over before she could blink her eyes. However, a moment later, there was a distant screeching sound, like feedback from a microphone. Summer shared a confused look.

Nova walked past their hiding spot. Summer hissed and whispered her name with her gravelly voice. Nova looked around slowly, disoriented. Citrus crept over to her and led her back to their hiding spot.

“Okay girls, we need to high tail it out of here and make our way to Canterlot and warn the Princess about what’s going on.” Summer Rain nodded in agreement, but Nova still looked dazed.

“This is really creepy guys. They’re like zombie-ponies or something.” Summer danced from hoof to hoof, full of nervous energy.

“Nova, there isn’t anything we can do for these ponies except to warn Princess Celestia.”

November Star stood there quietly. Citrus looked at her. Nova’s jaw was slack and her eyes vacant and half closed.

“Nova? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Citrus gently shook her shoulder. Nova slowly lifted her head and looked directly at Citrus. Her sapphire eyes gradually grew wide. It was the same hungry glare as Apfelstrudel’s.

“Stars...”