Chapters Author's Note
Disclaimer: I do not own "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic," or its characters. They are property of Hasbro Studios and DHX Media.
*Special thanks to Yodajax10 for his contributions.
A Hooded Figure
"Of Dragons and Magicians"
By TwilightSparkle3562
Chapter 1
"A Hooded Figure"
It had been over several months since Trixie, an ego-filled magician had attempted to take over Ponyville after being empowered by a device known as the Alicorn Amulet. Trixie had acquired the magical device as part of a plan to get back at Twilight for showing her up with a creature called an Ursa Minor. Although Trixie had initially succeeded in disposing of her rival, Twilight returned and using the help of some of her friends in Ponyville, Trixie was defeated by their efforts to get her to remove the amulet from her neck by using one of Zecora's doorstops disguised as an Amulet.
Ever since that time, the light blue unicorn had not returned to Ponyville and many believed that Trixie could have either retired from performing magic or moved to another town where she could go back to her old boastful ways. However, on one rain filled night, the question of whether or not Trixie had disappeared would be answered when a figure covered by a black cloak came into Ponyville, feeling disoriented and lost.
"Hello!" called the figure, whose voice sounded hoarse and feeble like an old mare. "Can somepony help me?"
The streets were deserted as it was late at night, but the figure didn't care and tried desperately to find somepony to help her. Finally, she realized that there was one pony who could help her.
"I must find Twilight Sparkle," cried the figure. "If she can forgive the Great and Apologetic Trixie, then she can help me out of the situation I found myself in."
So, the figure found herself looking for the Golden Oak Library, which unbeknownst to her, had been destroyed by the demonic centaur, Lord Tirek, a few weeks earlier. Soon, the figure came up to the foundation of where the tree once was and let out a sharp gasp, upon seeing that the tree was gone.
"Is that how you prepare for my arrival, Twilight Sparkle?" cried the figure as a burst of thunder boomed overhead. "By hiding your precious library from me? I thought you forgave me for what I did!"
Now, the figure was becoming more and more despondent for shelter and the night was growing more and more by the minute. Wandering several more times around Ponyville, she finally came up to see a giant tree-like castle just up ahead of her. The figure thought that this would be an opportunity to find shelter and thought that whoever lived here wouldn't mind if she stayed for a little while.
Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle slept in her bedroom still trying to get adjusted to her new castle. In a period of a few days, her life was changed forever thanks to her recent ascension to being an alicorn, her princess coronation in Canterlot and all the way to dealing with Tirek. Thanks to her friends, however, Twilight was made right at home when they took the remains of the Golden Oak Library and fashioned them into a chandelier with ornaments containing pictures of memories from her time in the library.
However, Twilight's time of serenity was interrupted when the sounds of loud bangs on her door were heard. This caused her to wake up with a start and cease her peaceful night's sleep. The noise also caught the attention of her dragon assistant, Spike, who was just down the hall.
"What's that noise, Twilight?" cried the baby dragon, darting down the hall with his blanket in one claw and a stuffed toy of Rarity in the other claw. "It sounds like banging noises."
"I don't know, Spike," replied Twilight, stretching out her wings. "But, we are going to find out. Come on."
So, the two friends ran down the stairs as they heard several more bangs at the door. Using her magic, Twilight forced the doors open and let out a sharp gasp upon seeing the collapsed figure on the other side.
"Spike, help me out here!" cried Twilight, pulling the figure inside with her hooves while Spike lifted the figure's behind. "Let's get her inside and out of the rain!"
Shutting the doors, Twilight and Spike carried the figure into the study and laid her down by the fireplace. As she laid the figure at the fireplace, Twilight couldn't help but feel slightly suspicious at who the figure underneath was and became hesitant to remove the cloak.
"Who do you think it could be?" asked Spike. "Could it be Sunset Shimmer?"
"Not very likely," said Twilight. "The portal to Equestria from the other world isn't going to be open for another 30 moons. So, it would seem impossible. Besides, if Sunset Shimmer were to come from the other world, how could she end up wandering the streets of Ponyville at night when she could have just come through the mirror and into the castle to begin with?"
Spike considered the matter and realized that Twilight was right. They had been in the other world recently and it would have been impossible for Sunset to be anywhere else besides the castle. He then realized that there would be another figure underneath who also wore a black cloak.
"Is it…Tirek?" gulped Spike, nervously. "He also wore a black cloak according to Discord."
Twilight examined the figure even more closely and how the cloak was being worn convinced her that it wasn't Tirek underneath it. If it was Tirek, then her magic would have been safe, given the fact that Tirek's ability to drain magic was taken away from him when he was returned to Tartarus.
"I doubt it," said Twilight, who was trying to show her compassionate side despite being suspicious. "Perhaps it would be best if I just removed it. Whoever it is going to be, he or she is going to be will get sick if we don't get this off."
Closing her eyes, Twilight lifted off the cloak and once her eyes were opened once again, both she and Spike let out a sharp gasp at the collapsed figure who was underneath the cloak.
"Trixie!" cried Twilight, who looked to see that Trixie was wet all over her body and her mane was soaked on both her head and her tail. Her hooves were pruned and there were scratches all over her body.
"She doesn't look so good," remarked Spike, only to be met with a hard stare from Twilight. "What? I'm just saying she doesn't look good."
"Spike, get some first aid from the kitchen," ordered Twilight. "I want to see if I can clean some of those scrapes off of her."
So, Spike did as he was told and went to find the first aid from the kitchen. But as he did, he couldn't help but feel a sense of hostility towards Trixie. After all, she was the pony who kicked Twilight out of town all because she was shown up as a fraud.
Nevertheless, he held his feelings in for Twilight's sake, but it wouldn't be long before they would all come out…
Chapter 2
"Reputation Tarnished"
It wasn't until late after Celestia raised the sun did Trixie open her eyes, coming around after feeling what appeared to be the best sleep of her life. Waking up, Trixie discovered that the cuts and scrapes on her body were either gone or bandaged up with bandages. But the unicorn magician was more concerned of where she was and who lived in this magnificent place that she had never seen before.
"Ah, Trixie," said Twilight as she walked into the lounge with a breakfast of pancakes. "I see you've come around."
"Come around?" wondered Trixie as she took the plate of pancakes. "What are you talking about, Twilight Sparkle? More than that, what is this place we are in?"
Twilight then sat down next to Trixie and let out a heavy sigh, knowing of the huge chain of events that had happened recently had weighed herself down.
"A lot has happened since you were last in Ponyville," sighed Twilight, as Trixie listened in while she ate the pancakes. "I grew these wings and became an alicorn princess, then I got this castle after the library was destroyed."
Hearing this caused Trixie to stop what she was doing and let out a sharp gasp. She couldn't believe up until that moment that the Golden Oak Library had been destroyed. In her mind, Twilight had caused it to disappear because Trixie thought that Twilight sensed she was coming and decided to hide from Ponyville.
"Why would somepony want to destroy the library?" asked Trixie. "It was your home, it was what I used to get you to duel against me."
"You see, Trixie," explained Twilight. "A short time ago, an escaped creature from Tartarus came to Ponyville with the intent on stealing all of the Alicorn magic that my fellow princesses had transferred into me."
Trixie could remember hearing about an escapee when she was performing in another town. Many of the newspapers in the town had a picture of Lord Tirek on the cover with the words "WANTED" on the top.
"Trixie remembers hearing something about this," she said, taking another bite of her breakfast. "The paper did say that he was a creature who stole magic."
"And would get stronger every time he consumed it," continued Twilight, solemnly. "I teleported back to the library in order to escape from him, but it was too late. He fired a blast from his horns and destroyed the library along with everything I ever owned. My books, pictures, clothes, everything."
All of a sudden, Trixie could not help but feel sorry for her former rival. She could sense that Twilight had been through so much pain and agony, almost as much as herself.
"I feel so sorry for you, Twilight Sparkle," she said, placing a hoof on Twilight's neck. "I know how it feels to lose everything you ever owned. My career is ruined and my recent tour was a sign of it. Everypony knew of what I did a few months ago and tried to kill me for it."
This statement caused Twilight to break out of her solemn trance and gasp loudly in a state of shock. She had no idea of the horrors that Trixie had been put through and almost immediately, getting used to her new castle wasn't that important after all.
"What happened, Trixie?" gasped Twilight. "Who would want to kill you?"
"I guess that somehow, someponies were aware of what I did to all of you in Ponyville," explained Trixie. "At my recent show, I was performing some of the spells I had casted while I was wearing the alicorn amulet and the crowd suddenly turned on me, throwing fruits, vegetables, everything."
Trixie felt a tear trickle down her face as she heard the sounds of angry voices in her head crying out for her to be burned at the stake like a witch pony. She could visually remember the ponies catching up to her and beating her down by punching and kicking her. The sounds of her cape being ripped off her body was also heard in her mind.
"It was terrible, Twilight," she cried. "Have you ever wondered what it felt like to know your life was in danger and you have no pony to blame but yourself?"
Trixie couldn't hold in her emotions and broke down sobbing with her face buried in her hooves.
"Well, it's all right, Trixie," whispered Twilight, pulling her close and embracing her. "You're safe now and I promise you that you can stay here until you are back on your hooves."
"You will let me stay?" cried Trixie, her tear-filled eyes glaring up at Twilight. "You will let me, the Great and Apologetic Trixie, stay with you until I am well?"
"Of course," replied Twilight. "I have plenty of rooms for you to stay in and they are all the best in the house."
Unfortunately, Spike had been listening in on the conversation and the baby dragon wondered if this was all an act by Trixie to finally get her revenge against Twilight. He was Twilight's number one assistant after all and he made absolutely sure that no pony would dupe Twilight for who she was.
"It's fairly obvious," Spike said to himself as he did the dishes in the large kitchen. "Trixie has some up her sleeves and I'm going to get her out of here if it's the last thing I do. After the events with Tirek and Discord, I'm not letting Twilight be put through more pain and agony."
Just then, he suddenly felt the presence of another creature standing next to him and Spike looked up to see Discord helping him with the dishes. This caused Spike to jump and let out a girly scream.
"I wouldn't exactly say that Trixie is trying to trick Twilight," said Discord. "Think of it this way, Spike. Trixie needs help getting back on her feet, so just give her a chance the same way Twilight gave me a second chance."
"Easy for you to say, Discord," remarked Spike. "I still think she is up to something and I am going to do everything I can to get her out of here."
Discord then began to think back to how accepting Twilight and her friends were to him after the events of Tirek. Yes, Discord did betray them, but they were just as easily forgiven of him.
"Come, come now, dear Spike," said Discord, donning a Granny costume and pinching Spike's cheeks. "Wouldn't you play nice to Trixie for dear old Discord?"
"Play nice? No way!" huffed Spike, pushing Discord away and folding his arms. "While you were frozen in stone, that unicorn just came into Ponyville and took over the town like it was nothing! Her brief rule over Ponyville was something that I would much rather forget, just like you and the events with Tirek."
Discord didn't take this comment very well and Spike's sour attitude had already started to get to the creature of chaos. Like Trixie, Discord had been emotionally scarred by his own doing and felt that maybe befriending Trixie was something that he wanted to do.
However, in order to do so, he needed to repair the rift that was between Spike and Trixie, but he didn't know how to do it. Fortunately, a series of events between Spike and Trixie would give both Discord and Twilight an idea of how to bring these two different creatures together…
Chapter 3
"Trixie's new home"
With Trixie likely to be staying with her and Spike for a while, Twilight had Trixie stay in a room not far from her bedroom. It seemed that this was a blessing in disguise for Trixie as Twilight was not completely offended at all by her return to Ponyville. As they had said to each other earlier, Trixie had endure just as many hardships as Twilight and they seemed to have a connection on it.
"I hope you don't mind letting me stay for a while," suggested Trixie as she settled into her new surroundings and sitting on her bed. "The great and apologetic Trixie has nowhere else to go."
"Of course you can," said Twilight, happily as she placed a vat of flowers next to Trixie's bed. "Sure we may have had our differences in the past, but that's over and done with now. I'm a princess now and I have much more to worry about than petty differences."
Trixie couldn't help but marvel at Twilight's new status. Sure, she was just a magician, but Trixie couldn't imagine herself as a princess, not after what had happened the last time she came to Ponyville.
"By the way, Trixie," wondered Twilight. "Whatever happened to that cart you used to travel around in?"
"It was destroyed by the mob when they attacked me," sighed Trixie, remembering that the cart was also her home. "While the mob was attacking me, they set the cart on fire and burned it up.
Twilight was shocked to hear such a thing. Even though Trixie used to be a jerk, nopony deserved to lose their home, not even her. And considering what had happened with Tirek, Twilight thought that now she was going to have help Trixie the same way her friends did.
"Oh, Trixie, I'm so sorry," remarked Twilight. "Perhaps maybe after you are back on your feet, we can help you find a new home or something."
"That's very nice of you, Twilight Sparkle," said Trixie, her face producing a small smile. "But, I travel all over Equestria and I can't stay in one place. Not with everypony distrusting me after what I have done."
Twilight then grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to Trixie's bed. Twilight wanted to let Trixie know that she was going to do whatever she could to help her. But, at the same time, Twilight felt that she needed to help Trixie repair the damages that she had caused by the events of recent.
"Trixie, not everypony will forgive you for what you did," confessed Twilight. "But, the one pony who you must forgive is yourself. There is more to atoning for our actions than just saying 'sorry.'"
"How can I do that?" asked Trixie.
"You can do small but important contributions to our town," suggested Twilight, pulling Trixie to her bedroom window. "Take a look out among Ponyville. Do you see what ponies do to one another?"
Trixie was confused by this as all she could see was ponies going about their daily lives.
"They stand by each other in times of trouble," continued Twilight. "The events with Tirek are still fresh in the minds of everypony and we are doing everything we can to help each other recover."
At that moment, the alicorn princess and magician unicorn walked out of the bedroom and made their way down to the map room, where Twilight and her friends had their thrones. It was the first time that Trixie had seen the map in person and she was just absolutely amazed by it.
"Trixie finds this amazing," she gasped, admiring the map of Equestria. "I know some of these places, Twilight Sparkle. I see Canterlot, Manehattan, everywhere that Trixie has done her shows."
Trixie continued to be spellbound by the map as Twilight continued to explain her message to her.
"The map tells us where to go by activating our cutie marks," said Twilight. "My mission as the princess of friendship is to spread friendship throughout Equestria. You have a mission as well, Trixie and that is to captivate ponies with your magic and build relationships with them."
Trixie then diverted her attention back to Twilight upon hearing those words. Up until that moment, she thought that her career was all about being the greatest and the most powerful and that friendship didn't seem to matter.
"Trixie has to build relationships with ponies?" she remarked as they walked out of the throne room.
"I became the princess of friendship because I opened myself to others," replied Twilight as Trixie walked over to her. "You hide the real you underneath your acts, Trixie and you have to prove to everypony that you are more than just a magician. You have to open up to them and offer your friendship to them."
With each word that Twilight spoke was more proof that Trixie needed to change for the better. In her mind, she was no longer the boastful and attention seeking unicorn that she had made herself out to be. She was humbled by the events of recent and if there was indeed any hope of redeeming herself in the eyes of Equestria, Trixie had to learn to trust her former rival and enemy.
Meanwhile, Spike had been listening in on the other side and he just seemed to not be able to grasp what Twilight was offering to Trixie. He had been jealous in similar situations before such as when Owlisicious first appeared, but this was a new low for him. Later that day, he decided to express his feelings to Twilight over letting Trixie stay in the castle.
"Look, Twilight," he said as Twilight sat in her library reading one of her new books. "About having Trixie here…"
"What about her Spike?" she asked, her nose stuck in the book.
"I know that you are being open to having Trixie stay with us," he confessed, clutching his tail and fearing how Twilight would react. "But, I just can't seem to get over the fact that she is going to do something evil."
Twilight also had to understand that Spike had a say in this matter as well. After all, this was his home too and he was entitled to his own opinion.
"You're not jealous, are you?" asked Twilight, turning her attention from her new book to the baby dragon. "If you are, then tell me."
Spike took in a heavy sigh and shut his eyes, preparing himself for whatever Twilight was going to say.
"Well, um, yes," replied Spike, feeling uncomfortable. "I know I should be sympathetic, Twilight, but I can't help but think that Trixie is trying to befriend us as part of a plan to take over Equestria."
Normally, Twilight would get cross with Spike for this, but she could see that Spike wasn't behaving like he was when Owlisicious was taken in. This was something of a different nature in her eyes.
"Spike, I don't think that Trixie wants to take over Ponyville again," remarked Twilight, getting up from her desk and walking over to Spike. "I don't ask for much, but if you could, please try to be nice to Trixie. She's been though an awful lot."
Spike had his opinions and his feelings on having Trixie as a houseguest, but he had to remember that both he and Twilight had been through a lot as well and Twilight didn't want any more drama to unfold in their lives. It wouldn't be easy to honor this request to be nice to Trixie, but Spike was going to give it a chance…or would he?
Chapter 4
"Start of Redemption"
In the days that followed, Trixie was settling nicely into her temporary home at the Friendship Rainbow castle. It was going to be a long road to getting back to her life before the attack that changed her life forever, but she was more than willing to take up the challenge. Since a majority of Ponyville was still in shock from not her return, but from Tirek's rampage, Twilight thought that maybe Trixie would start going around and offering ponies her help in anything that they needed.
"Does the Great and Apologetic Trixie need help from somepony?" Trixie sang as she and Twilight walked into Sugarcube Corner one afternoon. Of course, as usual, Pinkie Pie was up to her antics as she set about baking orders for a customer.
"Is that the voice of a certain magic pony that I hear?" asked Pinkie Pie, sticking her head out while stretching her neck. "I've been meaning to get some help because you know there's only one of me and many of these cakes."
The rest of Pinkie's body followed as she continued to stare down at Trixie.
"I was wondering if maybe Trixie could help out with your orders, Pinkie," suggested Twilight. "If you don't mind, of course."
Pinkie Pie considered the matter for a moment as this was the pony who had insulted her family's rock farm and took away her mouth the last time she was here. Of course, being the friendly and happy pony she was, Pinkie allowed Trixie to help her.
"Okay, she can help," said Pinkie. "But, let's be honest, you did take my mouth."
Twilight stared at Pinkie upon hearing those words and Pinkie responded with a nervous chuckle. To this end, Twilight pulled Pinkie into the kitchen and shut the door behind her with her magic, leaving Trixie alone in front of the counter.
"What?" remarked Pinkie, as Twilight placed a hoof on Pinkie's mouth and her angry expression turned to a look of despair and worry. "I'm telling the truth."
"Look, Pinkie," sighed Twilight, pulling her hoof away from Pinkie's mouth. "Something really bad happened to Trixie a few nights ago and she wants to make up for what she did during my exile."
"The one where…" Pinkie started to say, but Twilight glared at Pinkie to silence her.
"Yes, that," said Twilight. "I'd tell you about it, but you wouldn't keep it a secret for very long, not even if you Pinkie promised me."
Upon hearing this, Pinkie did her Pinkie promise motions in an attempt to keep Twilight on her good side.
"Twilight," said Pinkie, her smile turning to a small frown in support of Twilight's situation. "Of course I'd Pinkie promise you. If Trixie wants to help me, she can."
"You will let her help?" asked Twilight, excitedly. "You mean it?"
"Sure, even though she is a bit of a bully," replied Pinkie, causing Twilight to roll her eyes in frustration. "Which is sort of the truth."
A little while later, Trixie was now working in the kitchen of Sugarcube corner, promising to do her best to help Pinkie bake the huge order of pastries that had to be completed.
"Trixie isn't that great of a baker," said Trixie, now wearing a pink apron. "But, I promise to do my best."
"Goodie," giggled Pinkie. "Can you get me some chocolate chips?"
Trixie used her magic to find the chocolate chips and almost immediately, she started to have trouble as the memories of her ordeal continued to come back and haunt her. But, Trixie had a job to do and grabbed the chocolate chips.
"What exactly are we baking?" wondered Trixie.
"Oh, about 50 chocolate chip cookies and about 100 chocolate cakes," said Pinkie, reading from a piece of paper. "It's for the Ponyville Orphanage Benefit in Canterlot."
It was then that Trixie stopped what she was doing upon hearing the words "Ponyville Orphanage." Little did Pinkie or anypony else know for that matter was that Trixie had a connection with the Orphanage in question.
"Did you say 'Ponyville Orphanage'?" she asked, turning back to Pinkie.
"Uh, yes?" remarked the pink pony, shrugging her forelegs in confusion. "You've been there?"
"Let's just say that Trixie has had a painful history there," said Trixie, sadly and almost on the verge of tears. "I grew up in that orphanage and many of my fellow orphans were not really appreciative about what Trixie wanted to be when she grew up.
This of course, caused Pinkie to feel sympathetic for the pony who had taken her mouth away. She had done orders for the Ponyville orphanage before, but it was not up until that moment did she understand about Trixie coming from there.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Trixie," sighed Pinkie, sadly, gently patting a hoof on Trixie's shoulder. "Maybe you can start redeeming yourself by helping out the orphans."
"If only that were true, Pinkie Pie," said Trixie, who gathered some flour and eggs. "Stepping in that place again would only bring back bad memories, but if it means that I can find redemption, then so be it."
The sound of Trixie's determination in her voice inspired Pinkie to refocus on the task at hand. By the end of the day, thanks to Trixie's ability to use magic, the order was completed and soon, they were on their way to the orphanage, where Trixie would soon face her past.
Meanwhile, back at the castle, Spike was struggling to keep his promise to Twilight about Trixie to the point he began to develop migraines caused by the stress. He wanted to let Trixie know about how he felt, but at the same time, Twilight wanted no drama to fall on either her or Trixie.
"What should I do?" Spike said to himself as he paced around the throne room. "Should I tell Trixie what I think of her staying here or not? Maybe she isn't bad after all or is it all an act?"
Finally, after a few moments, Twilight's pet owl, Owliscious, let out a hoot as he flew in from flying around Ponyville.
"Who?" hooted Owliscious, once again annoying Spike.
"Who?" remarked Spike, turning around sharply to face the owl. "Trixie, you know? Blue unicorn, ego, show off, dictator, you name it."
"Who?" hooted Owliscious again.
"Seriously?" remarked Spike, face palming with his claw. "Are you ever going to learn other words besides that?"
Just then, the sounds of hoof beats were heard and Spike turned to see Twilight walk back in, with a curious look on her face.
"Hey, Twilight," said Spike. "What's up? You got a strange look on your face or something. Was having Trixie help Pinkie Pie a bad idea?"
"No, it was a good idea with some convincing on Pinkie Pie," replied Twilight, walking past Spike and sitting on her throne looking down at the map. "I ran into somepony suspicious on my way back from Sugarcube corner. The pony said she was from Manehattan and was looking for Trixie. She told me to tell her if Trixie was spotted, so I lied and said that I didn't see her."
"Well, what are you going to do?" asked Spike.
"I'm going to see if I can find out what's going on," replied Twilight. "I'll send a message for Celestia and Luna to send some guards over to protect Trixie."
Spike was beginning to get the sense that this was nothing more than another one of Trixie's antics. He knew that Trixie always had tricks up her sleeve and it only added to the growing tension that was growing inside of him.
However, Twilight saw otherwise and felt that there was more to Trixie returning to Ponyville than met the eye. Twilight came to the conclusion that Trixie's attackers had followed her to Ponyville with the intent of harming Trixie or worse.
Chapter 5
"Ponyville Orphanage"
While Twilight wrote to Celestia asking for guards to protect her, Trixie accompanied Pinkie Pie to the Ponyville Orphanage with their huge order of pastries. Stepping up to the gates of the orphanage, Trixie took an enormous gulp as she could well remember the time that she spent here as a foal and later as a filly. Trixie was so enthralled by her former home that she had lost sight of why they were there to begin with.
"Uh, Trixie," said Pinkie Pie, turning around to find Trixie still staring at the sign. "Aren't you coming? Those cakes aren't going to walk by themselves, you know."
"Oh, uh, sorry about that, Pinkie Pie," flounced Trixie, paying attention once again to the task at hand. "The great and apologetic Trixie does not mean to delay you."
Walking up to the door, Pinkie Pie knocked on the door and a pink unicorn with bluish green hair opened the door on the other side. She had her mane in a bun and wore moon shaped glasses. Upon seeing who it is, Trixie smiled warmly at the pony who raised her since the day she was born.
"Well, well, if it isn't Trixie," remarked the unicorn, who was smiling at her. "Look how much you have grown. I've always known you would amount to something."
"Mistress Hackney," said Trixie, happily, running over to hug her. "It's so nice to see you again after all these years."
To Pinkie Pie, this was a sort of confusing matter as a few moments ago, Trixie was very nervous about coming to this place. Now, she was happy as a clam and all of her fears had been banished.
"Indeed," replied Mistress Hackney as they broke apart. "I've read all about you in the paper, showcasing your magic for all to see. Helping out Pinkie Pie, I suppose?"
"It's a long story, Mistress Hackney," sighed Trixie. "Perhaps maybe we should come in and catch up on what the Great and Apologetic Trixie has been through."
Hackney left eye raised upon hearing this as they came in and placed the cakes and pies in the orphanage's kitchen. To Trixie, there was one bright spot to this place and that was Mistress Hackney who had treated Trixie almost like a daughter.
"Care to stay with us, Pinkie Pie?" she asked as they opened the door to her office.
"Uh, no thanks," replied Pinkie Pie. "I'll just leave you two alone and try to spread laughter around this place. It sure needs it."
"Remember," cautioned Mistress Hackney. "The little ones are having their afternoon nap, so don't disturb them."
Although that she was the most energetic pony in Ponyville, Pinkie promised not to cause a lot of noise.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," promised Pinkie, doing her signature Pinkie promise before bouncing away to find ponies that she could spread her laughter to.
Once Pinkie was gone, Trixie and Mistress Hackney were left alone in Hackney's office and living quarters. Trixie could well remember this place as her sanctuary from the bullies who had tried to bring her down. After what she had been through, Trixie needed to be here and reveal her feelings to the one pony who had single handedly raised her.
"It's been so long since you have left here Trixie," she said as they sat down for tea. "A lot of your fellow orphans have gone to great successes. But, to me, you are always going to be my greatest success."
"I greatly appreciate that," replied Trixie, taking a sip of her tea, a hint of melancholy in her voice. "Although after what I did to Ponyville, it seemed that the great and apologetic Trixie has done was all for nothing."
"Not quite," said Mistress Hackney. "From what I believe, you just need to unwind and release your feelings in a manner that doesn't give you more problems. What happened in Ponyville was to me, a cry for help."
Trixie considered the matter for a moment and up until that moment, thought that her recent behavior was a way of getting back at Twilight for showing her off. Now it seemed like it was much more than that. As a filly, Trixie remembered that she would never speak up to her tormenters and only turned to Hackney for support.
"To me, there is one thing that I never taught you," continued Hackney, taking a sip of tea. "And that is we speak our minds through our actions, not just our words. I've been concerned to the point where you need to teach yourself that lesson, my dear Trixie."
"But, aren't I doing that already?" asked Trixie. "Twilight Sparkle has taken me in until I get myself back together and she also recommended that the Great and Apologetic Trixie go around Ponyville and help others."
"That is true, Trixie," said Hackney, who then walked over to a picture that she had kept on her desk of herself and Trixie, when she was a filly at her cute-cenera. "But we tend to let our fame and goals get the best of us. I believe that maybe if you change your personality to that of a pony who just enjoys doing what she loves for the sake of the hobby, then perhaps you can regain some of the trust that you have lost."
Trixie listened intently on this remark by her former caretaker. Her actions did in fact paint a different picture of her and she had begun to wonder if maybe going after the Alicorn Amulet and taking over Ponyville was really worth it at all.
"What can I do, Mistress Hackney?" cried Trixie.
"You can start by maybe doing a charitable magic show for this orphanage," suggested Hackney. "As I said, we can apologize through our actions instead of our words. If you do that, then the ponies you hurt or angered will realize that you are not the same pony that they make you out to be. I can support you along with Princess Twilight, but the rest will be up to you. Will you take this challenge?"
It wasn't easy, but Trixie was up for the challenge to regain her reputation and paint herself in a positive light at the same time.
Unfortunately, while they were conversing, the pony that Twilight had bumped into was aboard a train and returning to Canterlot to concoct a plan with the ponies who had attacked Trixie to finish what they had started at Trixie's last magic show…
Chapter 6
"A Sinister Plot"
In a rundown tavern on the edge of Canterlot, the pony who had bumped into Twilight back in Ponyville arrived at a table where about five other ponies were seated in a secluded part of the tavern. The only lights available were coming from a single lantern that hung high over the table, almost like the lamps that the guards used to interrogate criminals.
"Meeting will come to order," said a male blue pony with a jet black mane who sat at the head of the table. "It appears that Sorcerer Stone has news for us in regards to the search for our old friend, Trixie."
"I have, Black Magic," replied Sorcerer Stone, who was a light female purple pony with a blue mane and who spoke in a Manehattan accent. "It appeared that while I picked up the search for Trixie, I came across the Princess of Friendship and I think that Trixie is hiding in her castle."
"Indeed," agreed a Pegasus pony with a red mane and a green coating. "We all know that Princess Twilight is known for being lenient on Equestria's criminals. In any way, it seemed unlikely that she will turn Trixie over to the authorities. But, we don't want her to be arrested now do we?"
The group of ponies nodded in agreement upon this statement, for they all had a much bigger goal in mind.
"That is correct, Lucky Star," said Black Magic, sitting back in his chair. "We all have grown up with Trixie in the orphanage and time after time, we've warned her to remember that she will never amount to anything. We are just like piglets and Trixie is the runt who must be done away with."
To prove his point, Black Magic took out a piece of paper with his magic and unrolled it to reveal a picture of Trixie on the cover with the words "WANTED" at the top. All the ponies at the table looked at the picture and studied it carefully.
"Now, you must all be wondering why I created this poster," said Black Magic, taking the paper away. "I have friends in the Canterlot Royal Guard who have agreed with me that Trixie must be eliminated. This wanted poster is only a cloak of our true intentions."
"And what is that, Black Magic?" asked Sorcerer Stone, taking a drink of cider.
"That whoever turns in Trixie will in reality turn her over to us where we will finish her off once and for all," explained Black Magic. "She was lucky to escape our wrath in Manehattan, but next time she won't be so lucky."
Just then, a server came out and posted what appeared to be another picture of Trixie, showing her charitable magic show that would take place in Ponyville. This gave Black Magic an idea to maybe not delay or prolong their plan any longer.
"Or maybe we'll just finish her off for all to see," he said, evilly, looking at the poster before turning back to face the others. "Who here is an expert on bomb making?"
An orange pony with green hair raised a hoof at the far end of the table and called out to the leader of the group in a light female voice.
"I am Black Magic," she said. "I was a former bomb maker in a plot to assassinate Celestia so many years ago. My comrades were captured while I was able to escape. They still have me wanted for an arrest after all these years."
The pony then stood to reveal a unicorn with a blood red aura coming from her horn. Seeing the pony stand to her feet made some of the other ponies shudder. But, Black Magic was not afraid for he knew that this pony would do wonders in his plans.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I am Big Bang," replied the unicorn. "Master bomb maker of Equestria and member of the Independent Equestrian Army, at your service."
"Well, it seems to me that you are just the pony for this mission," laughed Black Magic. "I order you to build a bomb powerful enough to send Trixie to her doom along with anypony else who stands in our way. You will create us a bomb that will go off at her upcoming performance in Ponyville."
Unfortunately, this didn't bode well with several of the other ponies, for they all thought that this was going to go too far.
"May I speak, Black Magic?" asked Sorcerer Stone. "This plan of yours is very risky. Think of the ponies that you are planning to target as well who have nothing to do with Trixie at all."
Black Magic used his aura to grab Sorcerer Stone and pull her across the table to the other side. He placed his eyes against hers and spoke in a sinister and evil voice.
"Do you think I would care, Sorcerer Stone?" he asked. "To think that you used to be friends with Trixie and almost followed her. But I threatened to hurt you if you didn't side with us and I can still do it. So, keep your mouth shut and do as I tell you, understand?"
Sorcerer Stone was then thrown back into her seat as Black Magic turned his attention back to the others.
"Does anyone else wish to say anything?" he asked, but the table didn't say anything else. "That's better. Have a bomb made by the night of her performance, Big Bang and you will be rewarded greatly and Trixie will finally learn what it means to suffer my wrath."
Black Magic then took out a piece of Trixie's cape and crumpled it up before placing a quill through it. He then took a glass with his wine and raised it up among those gathered.
"Death to Trixie!" he called and the rest of the group except for Sorcerer Stone responded, for she was beginning to think that this plan was going too far. "Death to Trixie! Celestia hunt us all if we do not hunt our enemy, Trixie, to her death!"
Chapter 7
"On the Radar"
In the hours following her encounter with the strange pony with the Manehattan accent, Twilight had written a note to Celestia for her to send guards to her castle to protect Trixie. Almost immediately, a response was sent to Twilight, summoning her to Canterlot at once. Once she arrived, Twilight was led to a large room where Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Shining Armor, her brother and sister-in-law were waiting.
"I got your message, Princess Celestia," replied Twilight as the guards shut the door behind them. "Somehow, that pony was up to no good."
"I'm not surprised that pony raised your suspicions," said Celestia, who stood at the head of the table with a stack of papers in front of her. "The pony you encountered is part of a group that we have been tracking for some time."
"What group?" asked Twilight as Celestia levitated a piece of paper from the huge stack that was in front of her and placed it on the table for the five ponies to look at.
Looking at the picture, Twilight studied the pony that was featured in a wanted poster and she saw the name of the pony in question, which was Black Magic, the pony who was holding a meeting in a tavern not far from where the main castle was.
"There is something about these ponies you need to understand," said Luna. "Our lives have been threatened many times by these ponies, who we believe were trying to overthrow us by killing us."
Hearing this made Twilight's stomach turn slightly, for this was just another conflict she had to confront that put the lives of those she held dear to her once again in danger. Again, it didn't really matter if Trixie had been her enemy, Twilight did not want to see anypony suffer, including Discord who she demanded to Tirek he released before turning over the alicorn magic that she had been carrying.
"Why would they do such a thing?" wondered Twilight, her voice filled with disgust. "Isn't there a better way?"
"Twily, there is no better way to them," said Shining Armor. "This is how they deal with their problems in Equestria. Before I married Cadence, I had been tasked with keeping an eye on them. In fact, a plot to attack the wedding was discovered after the Changelings were defeated."
It was then that Shining Armor used his magic to grab a stack of papers from the enormous pile that had words that Twilight could not believe that she would ever hear.
"Had we not dealt with the changelings," he continued. "This would have been the greater threat. These ponies planned to inflict mass casualties for their own selfish gains, which would have been much worse than what we went through."
Shining Armor then grabbed Cadence's hoof and clutched it tightly, thinking of what could have been. There was already enough damage that was done thanks to what happened at the rehearsal.
"But, I thought that these ponies had planned to attack just Trixie," said Twilight, looking at the papers presented on the table. "What can we do?"
It was then that Celestia motioned to a guard in the room to leave open the door and bring in several guardsponies who had more armor on them than the others. In their magic auras, they held what appeared to be spears and swords in holsters. Twilight was amazed that Celestia and Luna could manage ponies of such magnitude.
"These ponies are trained for critical situations," explained Celestia as the guards showed off their weaponry. "After the events with Tirek, we couldn't take any chances."
Twilight was delighted over the fact that she was getting protection for Trixie, but as far she was concerned, she was planning on getting some of Celestia's guards for the daytime and some of Luna's guards for the nighttime. She wasn't planning on getting guards that looked like they were ready for intense situations.
"This is not just for Trixie's protection," said Cadence, still clutching Shining Armor's hoof. "This is also for yours, Twilight. These ponies attempted to attack us in the Crystal Empire, you know."
Twilight's eyes widened upon hearing this. In her mind, she couldn't believe that her brother and sister-in-law had been targeted for assassination by these assassins.
"How? Why?" asked Twilight, her wings opening with shock. "Why didn't you tell me this?"
"Fortunately, they didn't succeed at what they had set out to do," continued Shining Armor. "Some of our guards had managed to infiltrate what they were planning to do, but the ponies escaped before they could capture them."
It was then that Celestia levitated another piece of paper and placed it in the middle of the table with all the other pieces of paper. This was a list that had names on it, but it wasn't just any names, they were on the list along with Trixie and several high ranking ponies, including Fancy Pants and even Twilight's friends. Twilight took a good long look and after looking at it, she took an enormous gulp and pushed the paper away.
"We're being targeted, Twilight," said Celestia, worriedly. "They won't rest until we are all exterminated. We may have survived Tirek, but we won't survive the wrath of these ponies until they are stopped."
Suddenly, Twilight realized with all the information she had been absorbing, that she was about to not protect Equestria, but become protected with her fellow princesses. It was then that Twilight had gotten an idea that could be done, however she knew that she would be facing opposition, particularly from Shining Armor.
"Can't we have Discord track them down?" she suggested, remembering how Discord was initially tasked with tracking down Tirek. "I'm sure he's learned from last time."
"Out of the question, Twilight," snapped Shining Armor, pounding his hooves on the table. "I refuse to let that traitor betray us again."
It was then that Cadence decided that she had to agree with Twilight. Yes, Discord betrayed them, but he was sorry for what he did.
"I have to agree with Twilight," she said. "Perhaps it would be best to at least have Discord track down these ponies. He won't betray us, I promise you."
Shining Armor wanted to protest, but he didn't want to fight with his wife, especially in front of his own sister and his superiors.
"All right, Cadence," sighed Shining Armor, feeling defeated. "I'll let you agree with Twilight, but I have my reasons."
Cadence carefully listened to her husband, but knew that like Celestia and Luna, Cadence had an entire empire to protect from harm and would do anything to protect them, even if meant putting her trust in an unpredictable creature like Discord.
Later that night, Pinkie Pie and Trixie returned to Ponyville from the orphanage only to meet up with several guards waiting outside sugarcube corner.
"Hello," Pinkie said playfully to the stern guards. "What can I do for you?"
Instead of a friendly greeting, the guards crossed their spears, preventing them from entering Sugarcube corner.
"Halt!" one cried.
"Who goes there?" asked the other guard.
"Uh, this is my home and I wish to enter," said Pinkie, innocently. "So, maybe if you would…"
But, the guards were not going to listen and instead forcefully dragged Pinkie and Trixie away, with the two mares struggling against the forceful aura of the two guards. Soon, they found themselves back at Twilight's castle, fully unaware of what was going on.
"The Great and Apologetic Trixie demands to know what this was all about," demanded Trixie as Twilight stood outside the door.
"It's a long story," replied the Princess of Friendship as they walked into the throne room. Yes, it was late at night, but both Pinkie and Trixie wanted to know what was going on and soon, they would get their answer…
Chapter 8
"Revealing the Truth"
Almost as quickly as they realized it, Pinkie Pie and Trixie found themselves in Twilight's throne room having just been roughly taken back by the royal guardsponies. Trixie didn't take this very well and having been through a rough experience that was a threat on her life was not helping at all.
"What is the meaning of this, Twilight Sparkle?" she demanded, stamping her foot on the ground. "Are you trying in any way to cause the Great and Apologetic Trixie more harm?"
Of course, Twilight knew she wasn't, but the manner in which they were just forced back to the castle caused a great deal of concern. Taking a heavy sigh, Twilight trotted over to the two ponies and began to tell them what was happening.
"Of course not, Trixie," said Twilight, placing a hoof around Trixie's neck, but she roughly turned away. "I mean, really, I'm not! It's just that I was summoned to Canterlot while you and Pinkie were gone and I learned more about the ponies who tried to kill you."
Being her typical self, Pinkie got into Twilight's face and was wanting to learn more. But, Twilight knew that this was no time for another of Pinkie's shenanigans and levitated her away, giving her space.
"This is serious, Pinkie!" snapped Twilight, glaring at the pink pony. Taking another deep breath using her calming technique, Twilight continued her revelations.
"What did you learn about them, Twilight Sparkle?" asked Trixie, her voice now filled with concern. "The Great and Apologetic Trixie demands to know!"
"It turns out they are actually a group of ponies who are trying to create their own Equestria," continued Twilight. "They grew up in the Ponyville Orphanage and claim to want to create their own Equestrian government as revenge for the loss of their parents."
The shock of the reveal caused Pinkie's hair to become straight to coincide with her sadness on the matter. In fact, Pinkie couldn't figure out who to feel sorry for: for either Trixie or the ponies who had tried to kill Trixie.
"But what do they want with me?" wondered Trixie, pacing back and forth around the throne room. "I was never accomplished with the tasks that you accomplished, Twilight Sparkle."
"It turns out that they also want me too, Trixie," replied Twilight, walking back to her map. "I found out that there is a list of ponies that they want to eliminate, including us."
"What do you mean 'us'?" asked Spike, looking over to Twilight while sitting on his throne. "Am I on the list as well?"
"I don't think so, Spike," replied Twilight. "But knowing that you are my number one assistant, there is no question that you would be."
It was then that Twilight turned her attention back to the matter at hand. Trixie's benefit was only a few days away and all was going to be in attendance, including the Princesses. Unless these precautions were taken, many ponies were going to get hurt.
"But, what about the benefit?" asked Trixie, worriedly. "Should I cancel my performance?"
"Absolutely not, Trixie," replied Twilight, firmly. "That will only send a message to the ponies that we will bow down to their level and that they have won. No, we need to send a message to them that we are not going to let their goals get in the way of yours. If you want to redeem yourself in the eyes of Equestria, then you are going to get that chance."
Just then, Spike belched up another letter from Celestia and Twilight read it almost immediately. After reading it, she turned her attention back over to Trixie.
"That was from Princess Celestia," said Twilight, getting off of her throne. "She says that Discord has been tasked with stopping the group. We all want you to have this benefit, Trixie, so you have nothing to worry about."
But while this was a welcome sigh of relief to Trixie, Spike wasn't completely convinced on the matter. He knew very well that Discord was able to betray them once and he was certain that he would betray them again.
"Huh," grunted Spike. "I certain won't think he will succeed. He messed up last time and he will mess up this time."
Twilight only turned back to give Spike another one of her hard stares. This wasn't a popular choice to her either, given her continued distrust of the ex-master of chaos, but it was something that they all had to go with.
"What?" remarked Spike, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm only saying that he will mess up, Twilight. I think we should have gone after them."
Twilight had no words to respond and instead turned her attention back to Trixie, who clearly had something to say about how rough the guards were to her.
"Look Trixie," said Twilight. "I know you are sorry for what you did the last time you were here and I know that you want to redeem yourself in the eyes of Equestria. But, we need protect ourselves from these ponies who want to harm us. Your benefit is important to us and the last thing I want is for ponies to get hurt. As for the guards, let me talk to them about what happened."
Trixie then realized that Twilight was truly caring about her well-being and felt a sense of security upon hearing those words. As Trixie headed off to bed, Pinkie realized that she needed to get back to Sugarcube Corner and was just about to leave when the guards stopped her from leaving the throne room.
"You aren't going anywhere!" snapped one of the guards, pointing his spear at Pinkie's throat and causing her to tremble in fear.
"Of course, she is," replied Twilight, sternly. "She's Pinkie Pie, you know, the element of laughter and the pony who shares my role with several other ponies?"
Embarrassed at hearing this, the guards lowered their weapons and stood at ease while Twilight trotted over to them.
"I want you to protect my friends, not rough them up," ordered Twilight. "Trixie has already been through enough as it is. Your comrades are in several different parts of Ponyville and I have already ordered them to stand their ground when my friends are around. You know what they are and what they look like, so there was absolutely no reason for your actions tonight."
Both guards gave each other a worried glance and felt like complete idiots for what they did. Nevertheless, they continued to listen to their youngest superior.
"Furthermore," continued Twilight, lowering her head for a moment before raising it back up. "If you see any suspicious ponies around Ponyville that are intending to set off bombs, you are to engage them and subdue them without hesitation. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, your highness," replied the guards, saluting them.
"Good," said Twilight, feeling satisfied that the guards were listening. "Now, you are to take Pinkie back to Sugarcube Corner and stand guard. Your replacements will come at dawn and you are to not fall asleep, is that clear?"
After another salute, the guards led Pinkie out of the throne room and back towards Sugarcube corner, her mane and tail returning to their normal curly state upon hearing Twilight scold them for their actions towards her and Trixie.
"I hope that you know what you are doing, Twilight," said Spike. "If these ponies you say plan on attacking the benefit just to finish off Trixie…"
"They aren't just targeting Trixie," interrupted Twilight. "They want to eliminate us all and they will stop at nothing to do it, even if it means hurting other ponies. Until these ponies are stopped, we are all in great danger."
So, both Twilight and Spike went to bed that night, still trying absorb all that was happening around them. Meanwhile, the Orphanage ponies were planning their next move…
Discord, the Spy Creature
Chapter 9
"Discord, the Spy Creature"
While Twilight had been revealing to Trixie the reason why she had been dragged so forcefully back to the castle, two members of the pony group was at the stage where Trixie's benefit was to take place setting about the task of assembling the bomb that they hope would go off and finish Trixie and the rest of their targets for good. Once the bomb was fully assembled, the pony responsible, Big Bang, came forward to her supposed assistant.
"Is it complete?" she asked as her assistant came out from underneath the stage. "Have you assembled the bomb?"
"I have," replied the assistant, lifting up his glasses. "Everything's all set to go for the benefit tomorrow."
"Excellent," chuckled Big Bang. "Now, let's get back before these royal guards spot us. Who knows what happens if we're discovered?"
"I agree," remarked the assistant. "If we're discovered, then everything will be ruined and we would have to face Celestia, which is something that I don't want to do."
This caused Big Bang to become slightly suspicious at her assistant who was talking in a relatively strange manner. She began to realize that maybe that this pony is not who she seems to be. However, the mistress of bomb making remained committed to the task at hand.
"You learn fast for an assistant," she thought to herself. "There must be more to you than I thought."
So, the two ponies snuck away from the stage and met up at a rendezvous point near the entrance to the Everfree Forest. There, they made their way to a shack not far from Zecora's where Black Magic and several other ponies were waiting.
"Is the bomb set?" he asked, standing in front of a fireplace and warming himself by the fire. "Please tell me if it is."
"The bomb is set," replied Big Bang, laughing maniacally as he turned to face his comrades. "That Trixie won't know what hit her when it goes kaboom!"
"As well as the rest of our targets," laughed another pony. "Trust me, it would be nice if our goal was completed in one big blast."
Black Magic considered this matter very carefully. In his mind, if the bomb was powerful enough, then all his targets would be one area to meet their untimely fate. He just had to hope that there would be no interruptions or last minute changes to his plan.
"Yes, that is something we would all hope to be," said Black Magic. "But, we have to make sure that the plan goes off without a hitch. I don't want anypony to grow suspicious of us, is that understood? We have all suffered enough, haven't we?"
The rest of the ponies stayed silent, but all understood what their leader was trying to get across to them.
Meanwhile, the pony that was assisting Big Bang had snuck away from the shack and headed to a secluded part of the forest. Once the pony was in the clear, she produced an eagle claw on her left hoof and snapped it, reverting into a creature with mismatched animal parts.
"No wonder Celestia was worried," whispered Discord, peeking out from behind a bush and towards the small light of the shack. "Those ponies are clearly up to no good and I have to stop them before any damaged is caused. Let's just hope I'm not too late."
Snapping his eagle claw again, Discord disappeared in a flash back to Canterlot where Celestia had been waiting for him along with Princess Luna in the throne room. They both had looks on their faces that showed that they were clearly waiting for a way to stop this plot.
"Well?" asked Celestia, tapping her left front hoof on the throne. "What did you see and what did you learn, Discord?"
"It appears that they have a bomb set underneath the stage," explained Discord, producing a screen that played the events while he was disguised. "The timer is set to go off during the point of Trixie's grand finale."
"Yes, go on, Discord," said Luna, listening in intently. "We are listening."
"Well, because I was disguised as Big Bang's assistant," continued Discord, as the screen continued to play. "I was tasked with setting the bomb."
Both Celestia and Luna's eyes popped wide open upon hearing what Discord had just said to them. They couldn't believe that the creature they had entrusted with their lives would be the one to place the bomb that the group hoped would go off.
"Discord, do you realize what thou had just done?" cried Luna, her horn glowing with anger.
"Please, Princess Luna," said Discord, backing away slightly. "I had no choice. What was I supposed to do, tell them that I was a creature of chaos sent by you to stop their plan?"
"He does have a point, little sister," remarked Celestia, sharply draping a wing over Luna's neck. "We have to trust him."
Of course, Luna didn't take this very well, whether Discord was disguised as a pony or not. As far as she was concerned, Discord had been tasked to keep an eye on the group, not take part in their activities.
"Very well," Luna said reluctantly as Celestia removed her wing. "But, I implore you to be the one that disarms that bomb or else if anything were to happen, I will hold you personally responsible the same manner as when you betrayed us for that monster, Tirek."
When Discord stayed silent at Luna's demands, the Princess of the Night grew quickly impatient and used her royal Canterlot voice to ensure that Discord would listen.
"IS THAT NOT CLEAR?!"
The force of her voice blew Discord across the throne room and threw him against the newly repaired doors. After a few moments, Discord got to his feet and shook his head, trying to get the blast out of her voice out of him.
"I'm not deaf you know, missy," replied Discord, transforming into Granny Smith for a moment and using her voice, before turning back into his normal self. "You don't need to shout. There are ponies who are asleep, you know."
Luna didn't take this well and rather shouting some more, she merely disappeared and left Celestia and Discord alone in the throne room.
"Please forgive me for my sister's behavior," said Celestia, stepping off of the throne and trotting over to Discord. "Even I have my doubts about you, but I still think you are sorry for what you did."
"Thank you, Celestia," said Discord, slightly smiling as Celestia got close to him. "That means so much."
The two of them were just about to get close to one another, only for Discord to realize that he had to get back to his mission.
"Wait, Celestia!" he cried, backing away wildly. "They will be looking for me, so I must get back to my mission."
With a snap of his fingers, he disappeared and left Celestia alone in the room with her thoughts on whether Discord would be able to succeed at stopping this plot from being carried out.
However, little did Celestia realize that the group had started to realize that Big Bang's assistant was a spy for the princesses. It was only a matter of time until Discord was exposed for who he was to them…
Chapter 10
"Exposing Chaos"
Discord quickly teleported back to the shack at the edge of the Everfree Forest and returned to his disguise of being Big Bang's assistant. In his mind, Discord was probably wondering whether the ponies were already starting to become suspicious of him and his true motivations. Nevertheless, he returned to the shack where Black Magic and all the other ponies were waiting for him. It was at this point that Black Magic was starting to realize that there was much more to Big Bang's assistant and began to question his master bomb maker on the matter.
"I cannot help but wonder," said Black Magic, playing around with a piece of Trixie's torn cape. "Do you suppose that your assistant, Big Bang, has other goals in mind?"
The master bomb maker was surprised to hear this and wondered exactly what Black Magic was talking about.
"What are you saying, Black Magic?" she asked, trotting over to him. "Are you telling me that I hired the wrong pony?"
"I'm not saying that, my friend," he replied. "I'm only saying that maybe perhaps you can tell me where you met this pony or if she is even a pony to begin with."
After a brief silence, Big Bang stood before Black Magic and began to remark that she met her assistant at the meeting in Canterlot who claimed to be a part of the same group.
"Well, I think you made both a good and bad decision," remarked Black Magic as the disguised came back into the shack and attracted the terrorist leader's attention. "No pony joins our group unless if I say otherwise."
He then motioned for two other ponies to come forward and grab the disguised Discord roughly by the front legs. The disguised Discord struggled mightily as the ponies brought him before Black Magic.
"What are you doing?" demanded Big Bang. "Leave my assistant alone!"
"If she really is an assistant," sneered Black Magic, coming out from behind the desk and punched the disguised Discord in the stomach, causing him to scream in his normal voice. The sound of a male coming from a female pony caused some in the group to gasp loudly, even Big Bang. "Or a spy of Celestia's!"
The force of the punch to his stomach caused Discord at that moment to revert to his normal self, exposing him to the dangerous group. Black Magic chuckled as he watched Discord struggle to get to his feet.
"Ah, Discord," he laughed, as Discord got to his feet. "I should have known it was you, trying to redeem yourself for what you did with Tirek. Well, you made a grave mistake to spy on us."
"Well, you made a grave mistake," coughed Discord, spitting up some blood. "Choosing to harm others for your own benefit."
Black Magic responded with another punch to Discord's stomach, breaking a few ribs in the process.
"Oh, come on, Discord," chuckled Black Magic, evilly. "You're the master of chaos. I thought creating chaos was something you were born to do, something that you are supposed to do and not prevent."
"That's what you think," snapped Discord, trying to muster up enough energy to conjure up some chaos magic to fight these ponies. "When Celestia gets through with you…"
"If she learns of what I am going to do to you," interrupted Black Magic, as a pony handed him a baseball bat. "You see, a wise pony once said that if somepony does something to you, you don't get mad, you get even. That is what Trixie did recently and now, that is what we are going to do to you. Lift him up."
Two ponies then grabbed Discord in their auras and Discord closed his eyes, his life flashing before his eyes from the time he was a baby to the present. He could only think of Fluttershy, Celestia and all the ponies that he had befriended since he was reformed.
"It's time for Celestia to receive a message of what happens when we discover spies in our mist," cried Black Magic, his eyes darting at Discord. "Besides, I could use a backup plan for when we face Trixie if our plans fail."
For the next few minutes, Black Magic swung the baseball bat at Discord and the blows were loud enough to be heard for miles, even as far away as Twilight's castle. The princess of friendship was suddenly awakened by the loud noises coming from the Everfree Forest.
"What was that?" gasped Twilight, climbing out of her bed and racing over to the window. "It sounds like its coming from the Everfree Forest."
Looking out, Twilight could suddenly see flashes of light coming from the distance and feeling a sense of fright, she took flight and went to find the source of the disturbance. After a few moments, Twilight looked down to see a bloodied body lying at the entrance. Upon further inspection, Twilight gasped loudly in shock at what she saw.
"Discord!" cried Twilight, landing at the unconscious creature of chaos who had a piece of paper attached to his body. Ripping the paper off of Discord's body, Twilight pulled the letter to her face and read it out loud to herself.
"Dear Princess Celestia,
You were very foolish to send a spy into our midst, especially one as dumb and as stupid as
Discord. If you think that we are going to stop at achieving our goal, then you are sadly
mistaken. I know that the Princess of Friendship is hiding our old friend from us and we will
find and eliminate her along with you and your fellow princesses. Then, we will hang your
bodies as trophies for all to see as we create our own government. This was just a sample of
what is to come if you don't stop us in our goal. So, back off!
Your friends,
Black Magic and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Equestria."
Twilight's face turned white upon reading this letter. It seemed that the list that Celestia and the others had presented confirmed her worst fears. This wasn't just a case of angry ponies, this was a plot to create a new Equestria as well as to eliminate all that stood in their way including Trixie and Twilight knew it.
