The Lightningverse

On any other day, Trixie Lulamoon would have been angry. Her rage would have been annoying. What else would you expect from her bumping into a random delivery stallion?

But in this case, her attention was diverted away from the stallion and to a book that had fallen off of his cart due to impact.

Instead of tearing the stallion a new one, Trixie picked up the book and read its title. "Myths and Magic of Equestria: From Windigos to Sparkle Ascension." Ignoring the reminder from the title that Twilight's now a princess, Trixie pondered. Her mind went back to the scam she and Gilda had pulled on the Crystal Ponies, the scam that Twilight had revealed, filling her necklace with luster. That necklace... Trixie needed it.

Trixie then looked at the author's name, which turned to be none other than Sunset Shimmer.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise," Trixie said. She knew Sunset from their days in Canterlot. Sunset had also been inside Celestia's dark magic library. The chances were next to zero that Sunset wouldn't know about the necklace. She turned back to the stallion. "Wait for just a minute." Trixie looked at the illustrator's name, which happened to be Elite Pony.

Trixie dropped the book and looked up to the sky with a WTF expression, wondering what kind of pony name that was. The stallion contemplated leaving the book with Trixie. After all, it's not like he cared about the princess...

Trixie went back to the book's index; the stallion could tell she was trying to keep from giggling madly. "Come on, come on... Aha! Necklace..."

Trixie's first course of action was to make sure the stallion was still there. She secretly hoped he would give up and leave, but he stayed there. Trixie resolved to remember what the book would say once she began reading a page that the index led her to. "Wow, Sunset Shimmer knows her stuff."

The stallion just wanted to go home, but he knew Trixie would get suspicious if he left without the book. Trixie had got to be Equestria's slowest reader.

"It says that Cadance gave it to Twilight, and it was last seen in the Golden Oak Library before it blew up. It can be used to manipulate love." Trixie shut the book, snickering. "Here," she told the stallion, putting the book towards the back of the pile.

The two ponies parted ways, but Trixie had something else on her mind. This was her chance at fulfilling her goal. She hadn't thought this through, however, so she wouldn't know that this would change literally everything. Trixie telekinetically grabbed the book and was about to run off, but something else happened.

Trixie heard a sound behind her. She wasn't entirely sure, but from her time in Canterlot, Trixie remembered that sound as being similar to that of a paper copier. When Trixie turned around, she dropped the book and gasped at the changeling in front of her.

Trixie wasn’t about to let a changeling disrupt her goal. While she knew that she couldn’t win in a fair fight, especially against a changeling, her mana pool has quite the repertoire of spells compared to…

Um…

All right, fine, Trixie wasn’t among the high-tier unicorns. But Trixie like to convince herself otherwise using a speech she gave most times someone tried to heckle her during her performance.

Who cares what the power of illusion is? It does not matter to the Great and Powerful Trixie, so it should not matter to some ingrate like you. While illusion might not be the most powerful magic, because Trixie would put that power into an actual fight against a foe as opposed to the illusion, but it could easily be the greatest depending on what the illusion is. As long as you can conduct your foe’s discernment, they’ll be like putty in your hooves. Who cares if it’s an illusion? The point is that they will react just as you want them, and you will be successful with the sleight of hoof sort of thing.

Why do you think Snips and Snails did not use actual magic in the talent show? Because it would seem less impressive if they used what little power they had as opposed to creating an illusion. It is common sense for any mage such as Trixie. So congratulations, you are less knowledgeable about the technique involved with sleight of hoof than the two idiots who went into the forest to bring an ursa into town. Way to go, loser.

Trixie wondered if she should give the speech to the changeling right now, but she decided it was better to not let the changeling know what skill Trixie had with illusions. Besides, this thing was trying to fire green power blasts every which way hitting everything in sight except Trixie. Trixie figured she had nothing to worry about.

Trixie subsequently picked up the book and began walking away. This changeling is really bad at fighting. Trixie put up a better fight against that ursa minor…

Trixie stopped walking, remaining unaware of the fact that the changeling was getting closer. She needed to plan this out. What was she going to do next? She could easily go back to the Diamond Dogs.

Just then, Trixie felt the fringes of a green blast bristle against her coat. She almost didn't notice something biting her tail to pull her behind a rock.

"Trix!" said a voice. Trixie felt something slap her across the face. She came back to reality as she noticed an eagle-like figure in front of her. She noticed something protruding from it: a lion's tail.

There was only one griffon that knew Trixie personally enough to address her as "Trix". Actually, there was only one griffon that knew Trixie at all.

"Gilda!" Trixie said, as the rock she and the griffon were hiding behind exploded in a blast of green. "I haven't seen you since... uh..."

"The last time I saw you was those games! I was in the crowd, remember?"

"No time for that now," replied Trixie. She fired a blast of her own at the changeling. What are you doing in Ponyville?"

Gilda tossed a chunk of rock at the changeling's horn. "To fight."

"You came all the way to Ponyville to protect me from that changeling? Doesn’t really matter. He’s a terrible combatant.”

"No, not that Alicorn/insect abortion. The rest of Equestria outside of Griffonstone. Griffon attack. Targeting your princess' castle over there."

For whatever reason that Trixie couldn't grasp, those words appeared to make the changeling's mana shut off entirely. Trixie caught a glimpse of the changeling gaping before turning and flying towards the castle. Seeing the only source of answers leaving, Trixie shot him down.

"All right," said the blue unicorn as she straddled the creature. "Trixie and her griffon friend want—actually, no, NEED—some answers! One, why did you turn upon her reveal of the attack? Two, why are you... um..." Trixie pointed at the cart. "Yeah, that? And three, why did you attack Trixie?" The unicorn pony turned to Gilda. "And I also want to know WHY THE TARTARUS ARE GRIFFONS ATTACKING?!"

"Suspicions, conspiracies, stuff that I'll explain later. Probably has to do with this whole 'spreading friendship' thing. Or maybe we just ran out of good scones. My dad’s a baker, you know? He’s leading the first charge. Or whatever you call it. Don’t know. Griffons aren’t wont to this whole war thing.

"But back to something I do know about. First thing’s first. Get this wildlife abortion back to his mommy."

Gilda held up a menacing claw. The changeling would've cringed if Trixie's magic hadn't held him still.

"You know," Trixie said, holding up the book, "with the thing that I just read, we might actual get some help from the changelings." Trixie explained about the necklace of luster.

"We'll see," said Gilda. "I just want get away from the war before it gets too ugly."

"Trixie... wishes to sympathize with you, but she does not know how the griffon feels."

"Thanks for that."

Soon, the changeling's directions led them to his hive. "Well, we're here."

"Wow, this... looks way less drearier than I thought," said Gilda. "I thought that since that thing looked like some wildlife abortion, his home would look like—"

"Trixie doesn't need to hear that."

"Fair enough."

"Well, what have you brought here?" came a rather distorted voice. Trixie swore that the voice would've resembled her own if the distortion wasn't there. "Or rather, what brought you here?"

...Yeah, it's Chrysalis.

Before the changeling could say anything, Trixie blurted out everything, from the necklace, to Gilda's problems, to what little there was that Gilda told her about the war.

"And we wish to help you," concluded Trixie.

"'We'?" questioned Gilda.

"Hush!"

"No, seriously. What do you mean 'we'? I'm not helping you attack my friends."

"Yes, but you are my friend, right?"

Gilda held her claw to her beak. "I'll think about it."

“You’ll ‘think’? That’s not enough, Gilda! Trixie wants revenge!”

“And I want to stay out of this war. No offense, Trix, but you aren’t too bright on this whole friendship thing.”

The queen pondered. "Hm. First we need to get around this war to recover the necklace. You said that it was still in the library when Tirek blew it up?"

"Yes," replied Trixie. "And with the knowledge from this book about creatures called Diamond Dogs, I know how we're going to get it."

"Who wrote this book, and how do they know so much about these things?" asked the queen.

"A former student of Princess Celestia named Sunset Shimmer. Her magical talent rivals Twilight's. She wanted to be a princess but ran away to the human world."

"Next time a changeling goes into the human world," said the queen, "it'll find Sunset Shimmer and bring her to me!" The queen punctuated the statement with an evil laugh that left Trixie and Gilda looking blankly at her.