Princess Trixie of Transylmaneia

Chapters

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

Chapter 1

“From one princess to another, Twilight, I can’t really see why this is necessary.” Trixie preened her bat wings and fluttered her eyelashes at Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight rolled her eyes and gave Trixie an unimpressed glare. “Really? You don’t have any idea why you’re here under interrogation?”

“I didn’t say that,” Trixie replied loftily. “I just don’t think that we royals should need to resort to… whatever that is.” She waved a hoof towards the only object on the table, a glowing green gemstone as large as her head, set into a wrought copper framework.

“I already explained this, Trixie,” Twilight sighed. “It’s a verity crystal, and it’s only used in matters of great national importance where the courts think that certain individuals might be untrustworthy. That alone should give you a sense of what a sensitive situation you’re in!”

Trixie smiled cheerfully. “But you know I’m innocent, don’t you, Twilight?”

“No! I don’t!” Twilight exclaimed. “And the crystal should have turned red when you made a claim so obviously false as that!” She glared at the obstinately green artifact.

For the first time, Trixie showed some interest in the item. “Oh, so it doesn’t actually work on what’s really true?”

“Of course not,” scoffed Twilight. “No magic item could do that. We could instantly solve all the world’s mysteries if anything worked that way! No, verity crystals just listen to the words spoken around them, and indicate what the speaker believes.”

Trixie nodded thoughtfully. “And you know I’m innocent?” This time the crystal had shifted to glow an angry scarlet. She smiled broadly. “Aha. Yes, it looks like the difference is that you’ve told me, so I don’t believe it’s true any mo— Wait! You really don’t believe I’m innocent?!”

“It had to get through sooner or later,” Twilight muttered. “That’s right, Trixie. You could be in serious trouble here. You need to start taking this seriously.” The magician was silent for a few seconds, so Twilight continued, “Now why don’t you start at the beginning and tell me why you have those bat wings, why you think you’re a princess, and how come Equestria is in imminent danger!”

“It’s not my fault,” protested Trixie. She glanced at the crystal, which had reverted to the cool green it had before. “There, your magic rock agrees with me!”

Twilight tried to keep her voice patient as she replied, “It agrees that you don’t think it’s your fault. It’s my job to work out what really happened. So once more, Trixie, please: tell me how all of this happened?”

“Fine.” Trixie sniffed. “It started with my last tour of Transylmaneia...

I’ve been visiting Transylmaneia since I was a filly. My father used to take me there on his tours, so there’s a ready-made audience waiting for me. The villages near the border even put up “Welcome to Trotsylvania” banners when the Great and Powerful Trixie is coming.

“Hang on,” Twilight interrupted. “The banners say ‘Welcome to Trotsylvania’?” I thought the province was called Transylmaneia?”

Trixie raised a mocking eyebrow. “For a teacher you don’t know much about the nation you live in, do you? They’re two names for the same place. The rural ponies call it Trotsylvania, the ponies of the cities call it Transylmaneia. But it’s the same province. They all share allegiance to the throne in Nightcrag.”

Twilight bristled. “But their allegiance is to Princess Celestia and Canterlot first, of course?”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. The rest of Equestria likes to pretend the batponies don’t exist, so they have a strong identity as Transylmaneians.”

Twilight frowned, pacing around the interrogation room. “Hmm.”

“Now, as I was saying. The villages near the border put up welcome banners whenever the Great and Powerful Trixie is coming to town…”

“They put up these banners just for you?”

“Of course,” Trixie replied smugly. “It’s a great demonstration of how highly Trixie was regarded even before she became their princess, don’t you think?”

“These banners aren’t just up all the time?”

Trixie shrugged. “I assume they just put them up whenever I’m in town.”

“Riiight.” Twilight sighed.

“May I continue?

So I was visiting Transylmaneia on my latest tour. Right from my first performance, I could tell something wasn’t right. The batponies aren’t exactly demonstrative, but they normally at least applaud ironically. This time they just rolled their eyes. Which from a batpony is still high praise, but I could tell something was bothering them, so I asked them in the inn afterwards.

Have you ever been in a Transylmaneian inn, Twilight? They’re wonderfully atmospheric. The ceilings creak, the candles gutter, and I’m sure the cobwebs are spun by specially trained spiders.

But the mood in the inn was no better. So I asked the innkeeper what was going on, and she said that it was nothing for a visitor like me to worry about. Well, that was obviously an evasive answer if ever I heard one, but what could I do? I decided to keep an eye open.

The same pattern continued as I journeyed on. In Whickerton they were so subdued they barely brought me any flowers. That was when I tracked down my friends to ask them what’s going on.

Don’t give me that expression! Yes, I have friends in Transylmaneia. My two best friends in Whickerton are called Tatterdrop and Drifting Melody. They’re a baker and a musician: useful ponies to know when you’re a visiting performer.

I was keen to track them down as soon as possible. But Tatterdrop wasn’t in the kitchen of the Dark Pastry, and nor was she in the café. It took me over an hour to find her in the plundervine garden. Calm down, Twilight, the Transylmaneians know how to keep plundervines contained.

I was planning to give her a good-natured chewing out for being so hard to find, but as I cantered up to her I saw that she was comforting somepony else. “What’s going on?” I asked.

Tatterdrop looked surprised to see me, almost as if she hadn’t seen the notice on the town hall that I was going to be performing that evening. “Trixie? ...I’m glad you’re in town again. Do you remember Drifting Melody?” I realised that the pony under her wing looked seriously ill. “Actually, Trixie, could you get some more hot water? Melody’s still feeling faint.”

Never let it be said that the Great and Powerful Trixie does not help her friends. When I brought back the bucket, I said, “Tatters, it looks like your friend needs better care than just some herbs and hot water. Why isn’t she in the clinic?”

Tatterdrop has a sarcastic streak. It’s one of the reasons I get on with her. Usually she’s good-natured with it, but this time her red eyes were blazing when she replied. “The clinic would be a great place if there was a medic there, wouldn’t it? But because the Queen is sick, all the best doctors of the land have been summoned to Nightcrag, to take care of her. Because she’s the important one. And anypony like me and Melody clearly don’t matter when there’s important nobles to tend to.”

This was the point where I frowned, because I remembered something she’d told me before. “Didn’t you have troubles last year with shortages of ingredients for your baking? Something about the nobility keeping all the spices for themselves for some festival?”

She said, “That’s just what life is like as a peasant baker, Trix. Some weeks you don’t get any spices. Some weeks you have spices but the capital’s double-taxing the milk. When it just means I don’t earn anything for a week and have to eat dry haycakes, eh, I can cope.” Then she literally growled and showed her fangs. “When it means Melody’s too sick to work, though, that’s when it gets me really mad.”

Well. What she said fit with what I’d seen on my previous visits to Transylmaneia. But I couldn’t help but notice that Ponyville never seems to have that kind of problem. Even the quills-and-sofas salespony never seems hungry, and how much business can he really be doing?

So you’ll be delighted to hear, Princess, that I decided to do my best Twilight Sparkle impression and hit the library. Then I did my Twilight Sparkle before-she-had-wings impression and walked into the library… okay, okay, sorry!

I really did go and read some books though. Transylmaneian libraries are spectacular to look at: all vaulted archways and stained-glass windows. More to the point, they have lots of dusty old tomes in there. Probably all sorts of eldritch forbidden arts, but that wasn’t what I was interested in. I was able to confirm what I suspected: the poor laws in Transylmaneia are just the same as for the rest of Equestria, and ponies are entitled to help from the local mayor if they find themselves without sufficient food or basic medical care.

I marched right up to the local town hall, which looked pretty ominous — foreboding, even — with the gargoyles perched on its roof, turning their heads to watch you as you approach. But I didn’t care. I was going to get my friend the remedy she needed.

...Except... it turned out the mayor is a heartless, insensitive oaf who doesn’t care one whit about ponies suffering in his town, or the poor laws. He said, and I quote, “When Queen Heartslash is sick, the whole nation suffers. You can go and petition the next queen if you want.” Just because the Queen is sick, he doesn’t care about the ponies in his town!

What kind of public official can look at Drifting Melody, languishing in the park sipping herbs and hot water, and not want to help her? I thought to myself, Drifting Melody deserves better than this. Tatterdrop deserves better than this. The batponies of Transylmaneia deserve a leader who cares about their plight.

I was moved. So moved that I decided the time had come at last to face up to my past.

You see... the Great and Powerful Trixie was always destined to become the Princess of Transylmaneia.

Twilight stared at the verity crystal, then back at Trixie. It was steadfastly green. “Seriously?”

“Of course.” Trixie tossed her mane smugly. “But I suppose you’ll need my origin story to understand why. Don’t worry, I can tell you that story too…”

Chapter 2

Cast your mind back long ago, Twilight, before you or I were born. My father, Jack Pot, used to bring his travelling show to Transylmaneia regularly as well. He performed for the common ponies and for the nobility, even royalty. He was invited to perform for Queen Heartslash, and over time his magic show became a regular feature at the palace. As a commoner, an outsider and a non-batpony, the nobles all mocked him. But the Queen became fond of him, became friends with him… even became rather more than friends with him, if you know what I mean? Wink, wink.

The Queen always enjoyed his visits. But then one time when he came by again, there was a newborn royal foal… but the Queen wasn’t married. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, I didn’t have bat wings, did I? And the Queen wouldn’t want to face questions about how this foal came to be a unicorn rather than a batpony. Trixie would not be a convenient royal foal for the Queen to have to explain to her subjects.

So with heaviness in her heart, the Queen resigned herself to never seeing her child again. Jack Pot found himself with a filly to take care of while running a travelling magic show, but he was up to the task, and he taught me everything he knew. But when our tours brought us back to Transylmaneia, he thought it would be best if he avoided the palace and stuck to touring the outlying areas.

The Great and Powerful Trixie was an adept student, and learned all she could from her father. When Jack wanted to settle down, Trixie loved the travelling magician’s life too much, and so set off with his blessing running her own magic show. I toured Equestria and made a name for myself in my own right.

The life on the road is a rewarding but hard one; it’s tough to make friends. It was in Ponyville that your student Starlight Glimmer trusted me enough to become my friend, and having a soulmate here in Ponyville made my travels sweeter. So I started making friends with other ponies in the places I travelled to.

And I always enjoyed visiting the bat country. I love it when you’re just travelling up the mountain trail towards Transylmaneia and the sky turns dark with the Penumbra… you know about the Penumbra, Twilight?

“Why yes, Trixie, I do know about the Penumbra, Trixie.” Twilight’s tone was biting. “Do you know why I might know about the Penumbra, Trixie? Do you think, Trixie, that it might be that the Penumbra has been expanding beyond the bounds of Transylmaneia, Trixie, and threatens to cover all of Equestria in a blanket of endless night? Do you think that might have something to do with it, Trixie?”

Trixie sulked. “I was just telling the story…”

“Well, your story is exactly why you’re here now stuck in this room with me, and for that matter why I’m here now stuck in this room with you. So why don’t you carry on telling your story and we might get to the bottom of this before the Transylmaneian night takes over the whole world!”

Trixie gave Twilight an insincere smile. “Do you want to take a couple of deep breaths first?”

Twilight’s eye twitched. She didn’t quite trust herself to speak, so she settled for glaring at Trixie, who shrugged.

“Suit yourself. Now, as I was saying…

That brings us back to this latest tour. I have made friends in one or two Transylmaneian towns, which is why I headed to Whickerton to see Tatterdrop. I wouldn’t say she’s as close a friend as Starlight, but she’s still somepony I look forward to seeing whenever I’m in the province; and I figured if anyone would let me in on what was going on, it’d be her.

And when she did explain... It was shocking to hear that Queen Heartslash was sick, and the province was having to make plans for her to not be around much longer. And the question naturally arose, was it time to give the Transylmaneians the princess and heir that they needed? Could Trixie rule this land and lead it to greatness? And once I put it like that, the answer was obvious.

“The answer’s obvious to me too, but I’m not sure it’s the same answer,” Twilight muttered under her breath.

“What was that?” asked Trixie sweetly.

“Nothing!” said Twilight hastily. “But there’s something I’ve been wondering. I know you didn’t have bat wings last time I met you. You said yourself you didn’t have bat wings as a foal. Why — and for that matter, how — did you get them now?”

“Why, Twilight. Is it too much for you to believe that I ascended to alicornhood? Are you that jealous of your uniqueness?”

Twilight looked at the green crystal, then looked pointedly back at Trixie. “Could you rephrase that in the form of a statement, please?”

“I’d hope that the Princess of Friendship could believe that the Great and Powerful Trixie might be the next alicorn to join her august ranks…”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed to slits. “A statement with no dependent or subordinate clauses, please.”

Trixie gave a theatrical sigh. “Ah, trust is always the first casualty… Fine. Although I might hope that you might believe I earned my wings in the natural way… the truth is that I’m an illusionist by trade, and I don’t make all my own props; I know a couple of artisans and costumiers.” She smiled at her interrogator, and splayed her bat wings high, in a manner that would be intimidating if she hadn’t just admitted they were fake. “I needed the wings to have some motive ability, so that’s controlled by a little button under my knee here, you see? All a matter of knowing the right costumier with a flair for the dramatic.”

“I imagine the two of you must get on famously.”

Trixie ignored the barb and continued, “The ‘why’ is pretty easy as well. I was preparing to make my grand debut as the long-lost princess of Transylmaneia and win the hearts of the commoners and nobles alike. Obviously that’d be easier the more they thought I was one of them. The less often I had to explain my time outside Transylmaneia, the better.”

“So you admit you deceived the citizens of Transylmaneia?” exclaimed Twilight, watching the verity crystal carefully.

“It was only a little deception. I knew it was for the good of the people,” Trixie replied breezily.

The crystal was still a cheerful green. Telling me the truth about having lied in the past… okay, I guess it makes sense that’s green, Twilight thought. But I need to watch her words carefully.

Out loud she asked, “So was it as simple as marching up to the palace and revealing yourself to be… the queen’s long-lost filly?”

“Not exactly…

I decided it was worth starting small. I went to Batlanta, a town I hadn’t toured much with my magic show. That’s a city with a great divide between the rich and the poor, let me tell you. One of the skills you pick up as a travelling magician is identifying the character of different districts of a town. So I found a watering hole in a poor neighborhood, and asked them how they were feeling about the Queen’s illness. Sure enough, they were worried. I asked how they’d feel if the Queen’s lost filly were found, and although they didn’t believe it’d ever happen, they said they’d love it.

With a dramatic twirl I removed my cloak and flexed my wings, flaring my horn at the same time for emphasis. The reaction was everything I’d hoped for. “She’s... here?!” “It’s the princess!” “Can it be?!” Not everypony believed, even in the face of the horn and wings, but enough that I started to believe I could really do this thing.

Obviously I stood up and gave a magnificently inspiring speech. Dawning of a new era, justice for the downtrodden, yada yada, you can imagine the rest.

But even with some fine artificial wings, one does not simply walk into Nightcrag and claim the throne. For one thing, it’d be good to track down my other friends so I had more of a party to travel with.

And for another… I didn’t want to just depose Queen Heartslash, I wanted to meet her. All my life, I’d… never had anypony to call mother. Could I go up to this mare who rules Transylmaneia with an iron hoof, and just become family with her, for whatever time she had left? I wasn’t sure whether I even wanted that. But I wanted to at least meet her and find out what she was like for myself.

So no, I didn’t just march up to the palace and reveal myself. I took my wagon from Batlanta to Hackabout and on to Whickerton, gathering friends each time. I brought my little group of followers up to Tatterdrop’s bakery and told them to wait for me outside. When I went in, I saw Drifting Melody was hanging out there as well… I think it’s where she sits to relax when she’s not playing music. That was helpful — it meant I didn’t need to talk to both of them separately.

I caught both of their attention and proclaimed, “Tatters. Melody. It’s time you know the truth. I am the princess of Trotsylvania.”

Tatterdrop was… less impressed than the bar patrons had been. But that’s one of the things I like about her too. Drifting Melody… it’s hard to tell quite what’s going through her mind, if anything. She can come across as spacey, but I think she understands more than she lets on.

It was Drifting Melody who spoke up first. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”

“I liked being a travelling magician. The Great and Powerful Trixie did not want to be chained to a throne. But… having seen the way you get treated by the nobles, and with what you were saying about the Queen being sick… I realised it was time to face up to my responsibilities and defend you. The situation is the same across all Trotsylvania, and somepony needs to champion the cause of the oppressed.”

Tatterdrop wasn’t impressed. “So you’re here to protect all the poor ponies of this land now?”

“Basically, yeah.”

“And you think you can just march up to the palace and they’ll welcome you with open hooves?” Sometimes Tatterdrop reminds me of you, Twilight. That’s a compliment!

Drifting Melody saved me from any more withering comments from Tatters, by saying, “I like your wings. They’re pretty.”

I said, “Thanks!”

“Does that mean the gargoyles will obey you now?” she said, and added, “I like gargoyles.”

That I had no idea about. “We’ll have to see!” I declared. “So will you join me?”

“What do you want us to do?” asked Tatterdrop sceptically.

“Come up to Nightcrag with me. Help me claim my rightful place as the ruler of Transylmaneia. I don’t know what will happen in the capital, but I know I could use some friends there.”

Well, it took a little arranging and persuasion, but they agreed. And so it was finally time to go to Nightcrag.

...There’s lots to explain about what happened in Nightcrag too, but… is there any chance I could get some food? We’ve been in here a while...

“All right. I guess that’ll be all for now.” Twilight put away the scroll on which she’d been taking copious notes. “There’s more to hear, so we’ll need to get you back in here tomorrow. But for now you’re free to go.”

She glanced at the verity crystal, which had maintained its green radiance the whole time through. “Thank you for telling the truth to me.”

Trixie gave Twilight a comradely grin as they walked towards the door. “Well of course I did! You can trust me!” She closed the door behind her, leaving the red glowing crystal in the empty room.

Rarity cleared her throat. “Thank you for coming, Baroness Ethereal Requiem.”

The batpony in question gave Rarity a glare full of disdain and replied icily, “That’s Princess Ethereal Requiem!” This chamber in the Castle of Friendship had plenty of furniture, but the occupants were both standing. And despite Rarity’s best disarming manners, the air in the reception room was distinctly frosty.

“Ah… My apologies, Princess.” Rarity gave a conciliatory bow. She had, of course, noticed the visitor’s tiara as soon as she arrived: it managed to be both subtle and ostentatious, in a way Rarity couldn’t help but admire. “But I was given to understand you aren’t exactly currently occupying the throne?”

“I should be,” growled Ethereal Requiem. “And I will be. The blame for the delay lies squarely at the hooves of the upstart Trixie Lulamoon. How much has she told you about her meddling in Transylmaneian affairs?”

“I’ve read her first statement, which has been validated by this verity crystal.” Rarity gestured towards the device, which had been relocated after Twilight’s conversation with Trixie. “But there are some details I’d like to clarify with you…”

“Good,” Ethereal Requiem said, and since Rarity was watching her closely, she noticed an understated but savage grin. “Verity crystal or no, I would wager there are many key facts which that charlatan omitted. Did she even tell you that there were two of us in line to the throne, and we both had to garner support from the court to prove our worth?”

Ethereal Requiem had in turn been watching Rarity’s face closely, and gave a grim smile as she continued, “It appears she did not. As I suspected. I believe the time has arrived to tell my side of the story...”

Chapter 3

I am the Princess Ethereal Requiem, of the House of Ravens, and next in line to the Iron Throne of Nightcrag. It is a matter of public record that my sire is the Queen’s younger brother. My claim to the royal succession is clear. I have been raised in the Court all my life, instructed in diplomacy, etiquette, law and politics, and prepared from a young age for my accession to the throne.

The contrast between myself and the upstart Trixie Lulamoon is, I trust, apparent. Not only is she uncouth, indiscreet, and untrained; but worst of all, she is not familiar with Transylmaneian traditions. She does not know our ways, and she would bring division and disrepute to the noble line of Carmine.

She even seeks to boost her popularity by deceiving the common ponies of Transylmaneia. I do not believe her wings are real.

“And why is that?” Rarity asked, cocking her head at the batpony.

“I have seen Trixie Lulamoon on previous occasions. Even before the Queen’s sickness was announced publicly, when Trixie Lulamoon was a mere travelling magician.” Ethereal Requiem sneered over the last phrase as if it were “outhouse cleaner”.

“In particular, I have observed that she was a mere unicorn when she visited on her prior sojourns. Her claim that she kept her wings beneath her cloak is laughable. Accordingly, I conclude they are fake, and I expect my investigators to find evidence of this within days.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow at that, but all she said was, “When did you first met Trixie face to face?”

“As I said, I have seen her show several times in previous years,” replied Ethereal Requiem drily. “But after her ill-advised decision to insert herself into Transylmaneian politics… My agents reported her activities to me within a day, but I only met her myself when she arrived at Nightcrag.”

“Could you tell me what happened there, in your own words?”

“Of course…

Trixie arrived at the city of Nightcrag with her ridiculous wagon, accompanied by several Transylmaneian commoners, one of whom had his own wagon as well. She had acquired her bat wings by this point; from whence I still do not know. She came straight to the palace and demanded an audience with the Queen.

I was the first noble to meet her upon her arrival. I conveyed to her the inadvisability of her course of action, but she would not be dissuaded, so I had a servant relay her request to the Queen’s staff. I must say I was surprised that her Majesty acceded within the hour, and bade us both join her in her throne room. I led Trixie into the throne room, and observed with satisfaction as the gargoyles bowed to me when I walked between them.

You must understand, her Majesty’s throne room is designed to be opulent. Obsidian pillars, golden and crimson velvet drapes, onyx and rubies inlaid in the lampstands. Yes, I see from your expression you can imagine it, Rarity. The intent is to show visiting dignitaries that Transylmaneia is a prosperous and powerful province and convey a proper respect for the throne.

Trixie Lulamoon did not appear to comprehend this. “Flashy,” was her word as she entered. Ugh.

Unlike Trixie Lulamoon, I know her Majesty. I am familiar with my aunt’s emotions and expressions. So I could see the Queen’s eyes widen when she saw Trixie enter, wings held high. I will admit I was dismayed that her Majesty seemed to believe Trixie was the alicorn she pretends to be. Trixie bowed before the throne, but rudely, at the angle one might use to greet a party host, not the monarch of a province.

Trixie said, “Your Majesty, I thank you for welcoming me here. It has been many years since I left as a foal. I am… sorry that it should be such unfortunate circumstances that prompt my return.”

“Do I know you?” Her Majesty always speaks with a soft tone, even when she is ordering somepony’s death. Which was not what she was doing yet, but she was leaving the option open...

I observed Trixie Lulamoon gulp, but her voice was still strong. “I am your filly, your Majesty. You are my mother.”

Her Majesty’s mahogany aura seized Trixie and lifted her into the air before her. I shall not claim it was not satisfying to see the upstart’s hooves flail while suspended by the royal magic.

“You have ascended since I saw you last,” she noted. Dispassionately. As a true ruler should. “And I take it it is no coincidence you reappear before me only now my health is failing?”

Trixie bowed once again — a challenging act to perform when held in the air by magic — and said, “The Great and Powerful Trixie has been pursuing her own path for too long. It was only hearing your news that made me realise my place was here. I am truly sorry.”

“Are you indeed.” Her Majesty set Trixie down before the throne. “You seek to rule Transylmaneia upon my retirement.”

“If that is your will… Mother.”

“You are aware I have designated Ethereal Requiem as my successor, the crown princess?” I bowed in acknowledgement. My bow was to the correct degree.

Trixie Lulamoon chose this moment to become forceful. “Your Majesty, your people are suffering. The nobles here in Nightcrag take the good produce of your land and leave the commoners with dregs and scraps! And this Ethereal Requiem, wonderful pony though I’m sure she is, will just do more of the same. Your Majesty… the batponies of Transylmaneia deserve better than her. They deserve a Great and Compassionate ruler.”

“Monarchy does not pass to the most deserving citizen. Ethereal Requiem is my successor.” Her Majesty was testing Trixie’s determination.

Regrettably, determination is one thing of which the upstart has an overabundance. “The Great and Compassionate Trixie is no mere citizen. I am your heir. All that’s needed is for you to declare me legitimate, and I become your successor.”

Even more regrettably, determination is a quality of which her Majesty is fond. I doubt Trixie observed it, but I could see her Majesty smile. “And you believe the Transylmaneian citizens would prefer you rule rather than Ethereal Requiem?”

“Yes, your Majesty, I do.”

The Queen stood, and flared her own wings, infinitely more regal with their charcoal membrane and scarlet propatagium than those of the upstart. “Then I shall give you a chance to prove your claim, Trixie the ‘Great and Compassionate’. In two weeks’ time, my court will meet for their last session of my reign. I shall invite each of the nine senior courtponies to give their recommendation as to which of the two of you princesses should be my successor. Whichever of the two of you earns the favour of the majority of the court shall be the next Queen of Transylmaneia.”

Then the Queen turned to me and said, “What say you, Ethereal Requiem?”

I… was displeased to hear her Majesty’s proclamation. I have spent many moons preparing to rule Transylmaneia: learning all I needed to know, training, negotiating, and ruling a barony. My time of accession to the throne had been drawing near, and my first reaction was to view this as an unwelcome complication.

But as I contemplated further, I realised it would be an opportunity. To solidify support for myself: not against Trixie — the upstart had no chance of winning over the court who had known me all my life — but amongst the general citizenry. My reign would have more legitimacy if I had fought off a contender, even be it an outsider who knows nothing of our traditions.

So I bowed to my Queen and said, with the correct amount of deference in my voice, “Your scheme is excellent, your Majesty. Let it be as you say.”

And when Trixie and I left the throne room, it was still me to whom the gargoyles bowed.

Chapter 4

Twilight Sparkle followed Spike into the interrogation room, closed the door, turned to the other pony there, and said grimly, “Trixie!”

“What is it?”

“I know about Ethereal Requiem,” Twilight declared.

“...Oh.”

“Is that all you have to say?!”

Trixie tossed her mane and said nonchalantly, “What else is there to say? What do you know about her?”

“For one thing, we know that she was meant to be next in line to the throne of Transylmaneia. A fact you conveniently omitted to tell us!”

Trixie shrugged. “It didn’t seem very relevant. I was still determined to protect the batponies, and my claim to the throne wasn’t complicated that much by the existence of another princess.”

“Not complicated that much?! Didn’t you have to get courtiers to vote for you?”

“That’s really no big deal. I knew I could do it,” Trixie said offhand. Twilight was frustrated to see the verity crystal was still green, as it had been all the way through: Trixie really believed what she was saying.

Twilight sighed again and said seriously, “Trixie. The Penumbra is continuing to spread. Orchards across eastern Equestria are withering because the trees aren’t getting any sunlight. Ponies are panicking because gargoyles keep flying over their villages. If you know anything about how to stop it, we really need you to tell us. Sooner rather than later.”

Trixie made a sad face. “I’m really sorry to hear that, Twilight. And I wish I knew how to stop it, I really do! All I know is that it’s this big atmospheric cloud, and it lets the gargoyles fly. So wherever the borders of the Penumbra grow, that’s how far the Transylmaneian gargoyles can reach. But I have no idea how to make it shrink.”

Twilight Sparkle sighed. “Okay. Well, maybe you’d better carry on telling us everything you can, and we can look for clues. Spike?”

The baby dragon pulled out a fresh scroll and quill. “Ready!”

Trixie nodded. “Okay, so I guess I can skip over my meeting with the Queen and Ethereal Requiem...

So basically, they challenged a stage magician to a popularity contest, which has to be one of the most ill-advised moves in Transylmaneian history. Although I like to think it was more that Queen Heartslash could tell I’d be much better for her country than Ethereal Requiem would and wanted to find a way to let Ethereal Requiem down gently.

Either way, the Great and Powerful Trixie couldn’t just rest on her laurels. I had a lot of courtiers to befriend or impress. And that meant a lot of parties!

We’re not talking Pinkie Pie-style parties here, either. I was in the capital of Transylmaneia now, the city where all the elite are embroiled in a constant struggle to try to one-up one another. So that means parties fancy enough to make Rarity swoon. Ball gowns, canapés, faint ominous organ music in the background.

There’s a slight complication which may have occurred to you: the Great and Powerful Trixie had just arrived in the capital with her friends from the outlying villages. None of those friends are financially well-supplied, and I didn’t have many bits with me either… and of course I didn’t have any fancy ball gowns in my wagon. Especially not ones adapted for wings!

I asked Tatterdrop if she had any ideas what I should wear to the parties. She scowled and rubbed her forehead with a hoof. “Ugh. From trying to help us get food and medicine, to tracking down the season’s must-have evening dresses? You really have taken to the noble lifestyle like a parasprite to a banquet, haven’t you?”

I couldn’t take that lying down. “Hey,” I reminded her. “I found Drifting Melody a doctor now we’re here in the capital, didn’t I? I thought she’d already had her first tonic.”

“Yeah…” To her credit, Tatters saw my point. “And we agreed to help you. And if what you need right now is to get on these nobles’ good side, then I’ll help you if I can. I just don’t have to like it,” she growled.

I winked and told her, “Hey, you might find you like it!”

So anyway, it turned out one of Drifting Melody’s friends who’d come with us knows a noble, a stallion called Glory Hunter. He’s a bit of a buffoon, but he’s friendly enough. He’s not particularly important — certainly nowhere near being one of the nine senior courtiers I need to vote for me — but he does have a very well-appointed house in Nightcrag, including more dresses than I’ve seen anywhere that doesn’t have “Carousel” in the name. And the prospect of doing a favour for the alicorn who might shortly become crown princess… Let’s just say I didn’t need to pay him anything to let us borrow all the glamouralia we could want. And he offered to have his maids do our manes as well.

Meanwhile, back in Ponyville… You know how the newspapers have that hilarious column where they report random news from the quirky corners of Equestria? Rumours from the Crystal Empire, pony interest stories from the kirin village, that kind of thing. It’s one of my favourite bits of the paper. Well, apparently Pinkie Pie saw something about the Transylmaneian royal contest, and mentioned it to Starlight Glimmer.

I found this out because just as I was getting ready to go to the ball, there was a flash and Starlight appeared out of nowhere right next to me with a —pop— and exclaimed, “Trixie-Pinkie-saw-in-the-paper-you’re-in-some-kind-of-contest-to-become-ruler-of-Transylmaneia-and-you-need-to-tell-me-everything-right-now!”

You know how she gets sometimes.

So I explained the whole situation to Starlight, albeit somewhat abbreviated because I really did have to go to this party. Starlight was… suitably impressed. “How the Tartarus did you manage that?” I think were her words. “Also, nice wings. But do you really think it’s a good idea to start off your relationship with these ponies you want to rule by deceiving them? In a way that’ll require you to keep wearing this prop for all of your public appearances from now on?”

Eh. I hate it when Starlight has a point. But what was I going to do? Just admit to the queen that I wore fake wings to see her?

Anyway, I persuaded Starlight to get dressed up and come to the party with us. Starlight’s not normally one for formal attire, but wow, you should have seen her in that gown and necklace with her mane up. She cleans up very nicely. Mmm-mmm.

So it was quite a crowd of us that entered the Ball of the Harvest Moon, all dolled up to the nines. This party was high-class enough that they had a page standing at the door announcing us: “The Royal Princess Trixie Lulamoon, with her guests Starlight Glimmer, Glory Hunter and Tatterdrop!” That got the crowd’s attention, I can tell you.

The first thing I noticed when we entered this mansion was the cats. They have cats at all their parties, Twilight! Loads of them! Prowling around. Climbing over the refreshment tables. Brushing against the candles and nearly setting themselves on fire. Seriously, I’m sure the Transylmaneian vets must treat a dozen feline burn cases each year.

Anyway, I spent a very pleasant couple of hours schmoozing with the great and the powerful… the other great and powerful ponies, that is. They appreciated my straight-talking style. I even had somepony tell me it was “refreshing” compared to the “old way of doing things”. My natural charm did the rest.

While I was hobnobbing and building support, Starlight was feeling a bit out of place. For all her glamour, she said she didn’t feel like she fit in to a gathering of aristocratic batponies. But other guests were asking her about me, with her having been introduced in my party. So she turned the conversation round to me; naturally enough, as I’m sure most of the rest of the conversations in the hall were about me as well. Starlight was particularly wanting to find out what chance I had to win… commendable concern, even if I considered it unnecessary.

What was interesting was she found some supporters of my rival, Ethereal Requiem. Some of them were just rude to Starlight, but one of them said something intriguing. This Baron told her, “No matter how appealing your friend is, there’s no way anypony can defeat the gargoyles.”

Starlight obviously asked what he meant. The Baron wouldn’t go into any more details, but another pony nearby explained the gargoyles protect the royal family and are unwaveringly loyal to them. That was… unnerving to hear. And then… well, the way Starlight told me about it later, somepony else, who’d already had a bit too much of the punch, started to say something like “They guard the inner sanctum of Nightcrag Castle where the royals—” before being forcibly shushed by the other batponies.

Naturally, when Starlight told me this I was very keen to find out more. My first plan was asking Glory Hunter. He was happy to explain the general knowledge about gargoyles to us, like how they’re stone statues brought to life, they always serve the queen, and they’re usually seen in dark places. But when I asked about an “inner sanctum” in Nightcrag Castle, he had no idea.

Starlight and I put our heads together and started to plan. I told her, “Okay, I can’t leave the party. I need to keep on making friends and finding out what the nobles care about. But you can leave if you want… in fact, it’d be really helpful if you could go and search the local library to find out more about this royal inner sanctum.”

Starlight made a face. Apparently searching a library is “more of a Twilight thing to do”. No offence, Princess. But I persuaded her it would be doing me a big favour, and she had been wanting to leave anyway, and it was better than mind-controlling everypony at the party.

If Starlight was feeling somewhat out of place, Tatterdrop was even more so. When I tracked her down and told her the plan, she said, “Ugh, great. I can’t wait to get out of here. I’m sick of pretending to care about the opera or fashion. These nobles just have no clue what life is like in the villages.” Then she gave a fanged smile as she added, “I’m happy to eat their party food though. That was good, at least.” She turned to Starlight. “Shall we make one last raid on the snack table before we go off to do our research?”

The next day, after taking some medicine for my headache, I asked Tatterdrop what she and Starlight had found out.

“Your unicorn friend is quite a character,” she replied with a smirk. “She definitely gets results, but the way she does it…”

Starlight popped back in that afternoon — and yes, I mean that literally. I assume she teleported back to Ponyville for the morning.

As soon as I saw her I gave her a glare and said, “What did you do?!” I wasn’t actually angry. Tatters had told me she got what we needed, which is what I cared about. I just like seeing Starlight squirm.

I wasn’t disappointed. “Okay, so, hear me out,” she began. “You wanted to find out about the secret room, right? And looking in a library seemed such a dull way to do that. If it’s a secret who knows if there’ll even be any mention of it in books, right? So… I decided to do a more… practical investigation.”

“So you, what, searched the castle for secret passages yourself?” I said.

“Sort of, yes. More or less.” She was still talking really fast, the way she does when she’s nervous. “I decided this was a fine time to try out the spell to pass through solid objects. You know, the one a few unicorn babies do instinctively. So I teleported us on top of the castle, made the stone permeable to us, and let us gently fall through the rooms looking for the one you wanted!” She gave me a bright, cheerful smile.

Tatterdrop added acidly, “And when she says ‘us’, yes, that does mean she dragged me along with her. Have you ever wanted to spend an evening falling through solid rock and intruding into strange ponies’ bedrooms? No, me neither!” She winced. “Over and over again… fall from sky to cellar, get teleported back to the sky ten yards over, fall through the castle again… My mind doesn’t know how ground works any more.”

“But,” Starlight continued hastily, “we found out, didn’t we?” Tatters just rolled her eyes at her, so Starlight explained, “The spell to make walls and floors passable only works on completely mundane rooms. If somewhere has any magical protection, we can’t enter it. But we can tell where that is. So we found two parts of the castle that are magically shielded. One is the Queen’s quarters and throne room. Makes sense. But the other… is an area the size of a few small rooms, accessed via a seemingly nondescript corridor.”

Tatterdrop added, “And we did find the way in to that area. The door has a raven on it, which ties in with the royal family rumour you heard.”

Drifting Melody perked up at the mention of that. She had been resting on a pile of blankets in the living room, but when she heard us she looked up and said, “That’s right! The castle is called the House of Ravens, isn’t it?” She gave a slow blink and smiled. “I’ve always liked ravens. They make such a peaceful sound...”

I think that was about the point where I started wondering just what was in that tonic the doctor had given her.

I collected myself and said, “Right. Great work, Starlight. So we need an excuse to have a proper sneak around the castle to find the way into that room. Fortunately, one of the banquets to which the Great and Powerful Trixie has been invited is in the castle in just a couple of days’ time.”

Tatterdrop raised an eyebrow at me. “You can remember all the details of all your party invitations?”

“A magician needs to be able to keep track of her tour itinerary,” I replied. “So we have a plan for the day after tomorrow. Between now and then, let’s see if we can find you somewhere better to sleep than Glory Hunter’s drawing rooms. And maybe we can even find you a bakery to work at while we’re here in the capital, and hook Drifting Melody up with a music gig or two.”

“That would be nice,” Melody said. “I’d like to be able to give some of Tatterdrop’s cakes to say thank you to the doctor for looking after me. And to the nice stallion whose house this is, for letting us stay here.”

Thank you for listening to my account, Rarity. I told you I have further information about Trixie Lulamoon to convey, and I shall now do so.

The Raven’s Eve is one of the most significant events in the Transylmaneian year. The royal family hold a formal dinner followed by a dance, to which all the highest society ponies are invited. Naturally this was an occasion from which it would not do to be absent. And so, naturally… the upstart Trixie Lulamoon made a nuisance of herself there as well.

Being held within Castle Nightcrag itself, this event was more risky. Trixie is not of our traditions and does not know what is done and what is not done. I determined she should be watched closely, and instructed my agents accordingly, as well as increasing the guard around… sensitive areas.

Sure enough, within an hour of arriving, the interloper was attempting to sneak away. She excused herself in a ridiculous manner: I am unable to imagine any member of the royal family declaring they were “off to the little fillies’ room”... Really, did she think anypony would believe her subterfuge?

It matters not. Before long a subtle butler brought a murmur to my ears that Trixie had been caught in a forbidden corridor. I excused myself politely and made my way to the guard chamber where they were holding her. No unpleasantness: the guards were merely keeping her in one place until I arrived.

I stood before her. “Trixie Lulamoon. Do you know what is the nature of the place you were attempting to access?”

“Something secret,” she retorted. “An inner sanctum where you royals do something dishonest, or control something. Speaking of which, how come the gargoyles grabbed me?”

“So you know nothing,” I observed. “And is it not revealing that you say ‘you royals’. Royalty is not a group with which you associate yourself, is it, Trixie Lulamoon? And nor are those wings real.”

“What does it matter to you?”

“It matters, interloper, because I am the crown princess of Transylmaneia, and I do not appreciate your interference in my affairs. You cannot claim royalty. You are no true princess.”

She shrugged. “Again — what does it matter? I can defeat you, and I will.”

“You know nothing,” I repeated. “You know nothing of the traditions of royalty, its responsibilities, or its powers. You are not one of us…” And her face betrayed her. I observed her reaction and continued, “...You really are not one of us. You lied to the Queen, did you not? You are not even of royal blood.”

The upstart is irritatingly nonchalant even when her deception is exposed. “Eh. I still don’t see that it matters. You can hardly keep me trapped in here for two weeks. Yeah, you’re right, I’m not a princess. But you still treat poor ponies like dirt, so I’m still going to beat you.”

So there you have it. An admission from her own lips. Which I testify that I heard, and your verity crystal confirms: Trixie Lulamoon is no princess.

Chapter 5

Trixie took a deep breath. “Owch. Ethereal Requiem said that?”

“Yes, she did,” replied Twilight tightly. “Would you care to explain?”

“Do I have to?”

Twilight glared daggers until Trixie relented.

“Ugh. Fine. Yes, I’m not actually a princess. But I really do think Transylmaneia would be better off with me in charge.”

Twilight exhaled slowly, pacing around the bare room. “How? How did you fool the verity crystal? You explained to me all about your birth and how the queen let Jack Pot take you away. Did you get Starlight to sabotage the crystal?”

“Oh come on,” Trixie complained. “You’re really going to force a magician to explain how she did her tricks?” Seeing no softening in Twilight’s eyes, Trixie grumbled, but spoke.

“The answer is misdirection, the same as it always is. Everything I told you was true, I just… left out some details. My dad really was lovers with Queen Heartslash, but he wasn’t the only one. And she did have a foal. It just wasn’t me. She still didn’t have time to look after a foal, and it would still have raised questions of legitimacy — she’s never married — so she wanted the foal to be taken away. But that was nothing to do with Jack Pot. When I was born a couple of years later — nowhere near Transylmaneia — he did take me travelling with him. He eventually fell out of favour with the Queen, and stopped touring the capital, only going to the outlying areas.

“And it’s true that I’ve never known a mother, and I… I would like to have someone I could call that.” Trixie looked pensive for a moment, before brightly adding, “And if she were a queen, so much the better!”

“But… you said you were always destined to become a princess of Transylmaneia!”

“Oh, definitely!” Trixie smiled. “Destiny is what we make of it, of course. But inasmuch as destiny is a thing? Yes, absolutely: as soon as the idea occurred to me I felt I was destined to persuade the Queen I was her long-lost filly, and become Princess.”

Twilight grimaced. “...I see. Well… thank you for explaining to me now, though… I really would have preferred it if you hadn’t tried to mislead me.” She paused, and then added, “Are there any more ‘details’ you ‘left out’?”

Looking away, Trixie didn’t answer immediately.

“Trixie…”

“Okay, you win,” said Trixie in resignation. “There’s one more event that you should know about. I…” She glanced at the verity crystal. “I really don’t know how to stop the Penumbra. I promise. But I do know why it started spreading. Partly, at least. It all came from that party last week in Nightcrag Castle...

So yes, as the oh-so-helpful Ethereal Requiem told you, I did go exploring the secret corridor that Starlight had found. And I did get caught. By gargoyles. Did she tell you that bit?

Yeah. Her ‘agents’ are gargoyles.

Oh, I’m sure she has plenty of flesh and blood ponies working for her too. But she can order the gargoyles and make them do what she asks. She’s the one who had them search for us. And she’s the one who set the gargoyles watching the secret corridors and told them to catch me. Incidentally, have you ever tried fighting something made out of stone? It’s really hard.

After Ethereal Requiem had her little chat with me, she was planning to keep me locked up for I don’t know how long. So you can imagine my relief when less than an hour after she left, Starlight —popped— in right next to me. She took one look at the hoofcuffs and gargoyles and exclaimed, “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Just stuck. And if you try to do anything about it I imagine these ugly rocks will have an opinion on that.”

I love it when Starlight does her determined expression. “And do you really think Starlight Glimmer will let some ugly rocks keep her friend trapped?”

I couldn’t help but grin at that.

Starlight made short work of the stone guards and even shorter of the cuffs. “Come on, we should get you out of here. Whoever controls the gargoyles will most likely know that these three are… no longer in service,” she said, stepping over a fragmented arm and claws.

“I’m pretty sure it’s Ethereal Requiem,” I said. “And I’m not sure, but I think it might be from inside the secret room.”

“You wanna go see if we can get in?”

I frowned. “That’s what I was trying when I got caught. I couldn’t get through the door. It didn’t have a handle, just some Transylmaneian symbols on.”

Starlight pondered, then said, “Sounds like we should get your friends to take a look.”

So we gathered up Tatterdrop and Drifting Melody and headed back to the secret corridor. I explained how I couldn’t work out how to open it, and Melody said, “Ooh! I like puzzles. Let me have a look.”

Starlight and me put our heads together to start to make plans. Starlight had just started asking me what I know about the nobility and their various quirks, when Drifting Melody called out, “I’ve got it!”

“That was quick,” Starlight said in surprise.

I just told her, “Good job! Now let’s see what’s in there.”

Care to make a guess what we saw when we opened the door?

Yeah, no prizes for guessing that. A dark, creepy room, with Ethereal Requiem and a bunch of gargoyles. Our favourite bat princess was standing by some kind of altar with what looked like toys on it, though I was pretty sure she wasn’t playing. The rest of the room was the usual Transylmaneian aesthetic: flickering candles, cobwebs, red drapes with ravens on.

It was satisfying to see how shocked she was to see us. “Trixie Lulamoon! You were under guard… and you should not be able to open the blood door!”

“Too bad for you I have friends with the right set of skills to get me here,” I told her. The four of us converged on her altar at the back of the room.

She reached a hoof to slide some of the toys around. “Protectors, defend me,” she commanded. The four gargoyles fanned out to block our way.

We… didn’t have any clever strategy planned for this part. We just charged at Ethereal Requiem, ignoring the ugly statues blocking us. “Out of the way!” somepony shouted, and the gargoyles just moved aside.

She yelled, “Cowardly rubble!” She pressed at the table again as we surrounded her, and suddenly a load more gargoyles started to come in through the door.

Tatterdrop figured it out first. “That altar! It’s how she’s controlling the gargoyles!” Ethereal Requiem hissed at her when she said that.

So what were we going to do? Our enemy in front of us, pushing buttons to summon endless minions? We had to stop the pony herself, obviously. Starlight started firing off blasts of magic. Tatterdrop and Drifting Melody were warily inching around the altar. I just jumped on top of it.

This, I concede, may have been a mistake.

So what I realise now is that the altar top was not, in fact, stone. It was a table containing a couple of magical maps, one of Nightcrag, and one of all of Equestria, centred on Transylmaneia. The Nightcrag map had little tokens on it for where the gargoyles are, and you could move them around to give the gargoyles orders when they’re too far away to hear.

The map of Transylmaneia I think is how the original makers of the Penumbra set its boundaries. As the province borders changed over the decades, the queen would use the map to keep the Penumbra matching. Ethereal Requiem wasn’t doing much mucking around with that.

But this is all somewhat academic now. Because I, ah… managed to smash the table by leaping onto it. And I think that when I did that, that’s what started the Penumbra expanding across the land.

Twilight Sparkle was staring open-jawed at Trixie. “You… smashed an ancient magical artifact. That was keeping the Penumbra in check. By jumping onto it in a fight.”

“That’s… pretty much the size of it, yeah,” said Trixie. She had the decency to look embarrassed.

Twilight was getting tired of rubbing her forehead with a hoof from listening to Trixie. She did it again anyway. She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and asked, “Does Ethereal Requiem know any way to stop the expansion of the Penumbra?”

“How should I know? She was pretty apoplectic... started raging at us about demolishing Transylmaneian heritage, then flew out of the corridor. We realised that more and more of the gargoyles were piling into the room so we should probably get out of there. It was getting so dark it was hard to see. Fortunately it seems they’re really obedient to anypony who gives them a direct instruction: Drifting Melody just told them to let us out and they got out of the way.”

“Focus, Trixie!” Twilight exclaimed. “We need to stop the Penumbra! Out of all the Transylmaneians you know, who’s most likely to know how to do that?”

“…Ethereal Requiem, definitely.”

Twilight set her jaw. “Then we’ll get her into a room with us and ask her.”

In retrospect, Twilight decided, it had been a mistake to get Ethereal Requiem in the same room as Trixie. She was glad she was sitting between Rarity and Starlight, the far side of the Castle of Friendship’s throne room from the two candidate princesses, otherwise she’d have been tempted to slap one of them.

“Upstart! Not content with destroying our ancestors’ heirlooms, you are the one who caused me to be summoned away from the nation at this vital time?”

“Don’t act all high-and-mighty to me! You stuck-up nobles don’t care about anypony except your own cronies!”

“You are without a doubt the most intolerably thoughtless lowlander I have ever had the displeasure of —”

“Enough!”

The argument ceased, if only because Twilight Sparkle had seized both royal aspirants and was holding their jaws in her magic.

“Ethereal Requiem. While you argue, the Penumbra is spreading constantly wider, not only endangering ponies and businesses across Equestria, but also terrifying them. Making them fear and hate batponies. Making them worry you’re no longer content to be part of Equestria, but wanting to expand beyond your borders in conquest. Getting ponies agitated and afraid. Rumours are stirring. Transylmaneia’s very existence is threatened. So it behooves you to cooperate with us to find a way to reverse the Penumbra’s course as quickly as possible.” She released the two of them and set them down in their seats at opposite ends of the chamber.

The batpony protested haughtily, “It is not my fault your unicorn friend ruined the only means at my disposal to control the Penumbra. The blame does not fall on me.”

Twilight glared at her and stated, “I do not care about blame. I need solutions. Is that true, that the altar was the only way you know to affect the Penumbra?” She kept one eye on the verity crystal.

“It is.”

“…Blast it. Okay. And Trixie, you already told me you don’t know any way to control it now?”

“That’s right. I promise I would tell you if I did.”

Rarity interjected diplomatically, “Perhaps we can try to establish everything we do know about the Penumbra? Ethereal Requiem — can you tell us what it’s for?”

Ethereal Requiem frowned. “I was always taught its purpose was twofold. Primarily, to keep the sky dark as batponies prefer. Secondarily, to provide the magical cover required by gargoyles in order to fly.”

“And how did you control it previously?”

“Its geography did not need frequent adjustment. It was controlled from the Distribution Dais before Trixie Lulamoon so carelessly destroyed it.”

Starlight was looking thoughtful. “Could anypony control it with the Dais?”

“No. Only those of royal descent.”

Twilight interjected, “If it didn’t need frequent adjustment, what were you doing in the secret room?”

Ethereal Requiem narrowed her eyes. “What you are asking verges on state secrets, Princess. I am a trusted member of the royal family. I decline to answer.”

“Ugh, we know,” said Trixie in exasperation. “You keep going on about your royal blood like it’s the only thing that matters.”

“It is obvious that royal blood is the most important qualification for monarchy! I am the designated heir of Queen Heartslash. You should never have come to Transylmaneia!”

“So you keep saying. I say it’s the results that matter,” Trixie said smugly. “What does it matter who you are or aren’t related to?”

Twilight shot her a warning glance. “Trixie…”

“The Queen is my aunt!” exclaimed Ethereal Requiem. “And I insist that you —”

Suddenly there was a hush across the throne room. Once again Twilight had seized Ethereal Requiem in her magic, but this time her eyes were fixed on the verity crystal. Its angry red glow shone across the five ponies’ shocked faces.

“…Say that again, Princess?” Twilight asked casually.

The batpony composed herself and declared, “It is a matter of public record that the Queen is my aunt. Now I —”

“No. Say the exact phrase ‘The Queen is my aunt’,” Twilight insisted.

“This is irrelevant to your concern about the Penumbra —”

“Say it.”

“Internal Transylmaneian affairs are none of your —”

“Say it!”

Ethereal Requiem took a deep breath and steeled herself. Staring intently at the verity crystal as if to will it to remain green, she stated, “The Queen is my aunt.”

Once again the red light shone out.

She scowled in fury. “Whether or not the Queen is my aunt is irrelevant. I am of royal blood and I am the designated heir of Queen Heartslash. Our exact relation matters not.”

The green glow from the verity crystal failed to reassure anypony. A hush fell across the table.

Trixie was the first to speak up. “…Fascinated as I am by this revelation, she was actually right about one thing. What we need to sort out right now is the Penumbra. Matters of royal succession can be… returned to later.”

“That’s… actually a good point, Trixie,” said Twilight in surprise. She shook her head, trying to focus. “Um. Right. So what were we…?”

Starlight Glimmer said, “We were trying to find out how the Distribution Dais works. Ethereal Requiem, if you would be so kind?”

The batpony glared at the ponies around her, but her composure was broken. She hissed in defeat. “The Distribution Dais is the place from whence we royals can issue commands to the gargoyles. We can also hold a hoof to the Dais and concentrate in order to see through the eyes of any gargoyle in the realm.”

Starlight whistled. Trixie nodded and said softly, “That’s how you were the first pony to greet me at the gates of Nightcrag. And that’s why you went to the secret room when you saw me leave the party, and had the gargoyles catch me. And the gargoyles wouldn’t stop when I told them to because…”

“Because you are neither of royal blood, nor were you within the inner sanctum,” sneered Ethereal Requiem.

Trixie was still pondering. “...And what about the door? That locked door to the secret corridor?”

“The same enchantment is meant to be in force upon that door — a blood lock. But I suspect you or your friends have weakened it somehow.” Ethereal Requiem glared daggers at Trixie.

But Twilight noticed that Trixie seemed not only completely unbothered by Ethereal Requiem’s ire, but practically unaware of it. The magician was staring hard into the middle distance instead. Suddenly Trixie turned to Twilight and asked her abruptly, “Have the gargoyles been attacking anypony?”

“Uh… not to my knowledge, no. Just circling an ever-expanding area.”

Trixie nodded, then stood up straight. “I have an idea. Starlight, can you teleport me to Glory Hunter’s place?”

“Wait!” Twilight cried. “You can’t just disappear in the middle of —”

“Twilight, if I’m right, this will solve the Penumbra problem in a stroke. In fact, I suggest you head to some village affected by the Penumbra and watch for changes. Starlight, can we go?”

Starlight exchanged glances with the others.

Rarity coughed and said, “I shall remain here with Ethereal Requiem while you go and do… whatever Trixie’s thought of.”

“Okay…” said Starlight Glimmer. “Trixie, whatever this is, I hope you’re right.” She grabbed Trixie and the two disappeared with a —pop—.

Chapter 6

“Aagh!” Tatterdrop yelped when Starlight and Trixie —popped— into existence next to her. “Do all you unicorns make a habit of doing that?”

Trixie smiled. “No, it’s just her. And maybe her friend Princess Twilight. But anyway, Tatters, this is important. Where’s Drifting Melody?”

“Um… having a nap in the drawing room, I think. Why?”

“We need to get her to the castle.”

Tatterdrop nodded. “I’m coming too, okay? Want me to go wake Melody?”

“I’m awake…” came a placid voice from the next room over.

“Great.” Starlight caught Trixie’s eye. “To the inner sanctum?”

“If you’d be so kind,” replied Trixie with a smile.

—pop—

The foursome arrived in the colonnade in front of the locked door. Trixie stared briefly at the raven motif, then tried to push it open, with no avail. She nodded.

“Drifting Melody, can you do what you did to open this last time?”

“Sure.” Trixie watched her nudge the door open with seemingly no effort. “Do we really want to go back in here though? It’s all dark and gloomy…”

Trixie peered into the secret room, full of unmoving gargoyles. “If I’m right, that shouldn't be the case for much longer.” She trotted to the ruins of the dais and beckoned the others to follow.

“Melody, I need you to imagine all the gargoyles in the world.”

Drifting Melody’s eyes went wide. “All of them? Whoa.”

“Yep. Every last one. Treat it like a creativity game for me. Can you picture them all in your mind?”

Her friend’s face filled with concentration. “Okay.”

“Now I need you to tell them all: come home. Fly in the sky over Nightcrag.”

“Huh. I can do that…” Drifting Melody’s voice took on a gentle tone, like talking to a puppy. “Time for you all to come home, my friends. Come back to Nightcrag. Come and see me in the sky over the castle.”

Immediately the gargoyles in the room sprang to life. They moved towards the exit, but calmly, not frenetically like last time Trixie was here.

Trixie exhaled a deep breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding.

Starlight and Drifting Melody were watching the gargoyles file out. Tatterdrop, though, was looking speculatively between Trixie and Drifting Melody. She nodded and said softly, “…Oh. I see.”

Trixie walked up to her and murmured, “We probably shouldn’t tell her.”

“Tell Melody?” Trixie nodded. Tatterdrop contemplated briefly. “Okay. She might figure it out herself at some point, though.”

“You’re probably right. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” replied Trixie brightly.

Starlight Glimmer walked up. “Wow, this room feels brighter already now there’s more room to move around in here.”

Trixie smirked and said, “Yeah, that’s not a coincidence. You should probably go and check with Twilight, but I’m pretty sure she’ll find the Penumbra is receding now.”

“Ohh,” said Starlight. “So… it’s not that it lets the gargoyles fly, but rather that the gargoyles spread it wherever they fly?”

“Got it in one.”

Starlight nodded. “I’ll see what Twilight’s found. What are you going to do?”

Trixie took a deep breath. “I think… I need to arrange an appointment with Queen Heartslash.”

Twilight Sparkle had been shocked to see how worn-out Queen Heartslash looked. It had been over a year since she’d met her last, Twilight mused. The opportunities to catch up with other Equestrian royalty always seemed to be scarcer than they should be.

She looked around the ostentatious throne room. The gothic style would communicate ‘evil’ in most other places, but here in Transylmaneia it was just… the way they did things. The batpony named Tatterdrop stood at the back of the hall, looking uncomfortable. Ethereal Requiem was maintaining an aloof silence while Trixie addressed the Queen... whose iron throne, Twilight thought irreverently, looked unpleasantly hard to sit on for several hours each day.

Trixie had wanted to be the one to explain the situation to the Queen. Twilight had wondered whether Trixie had just been wanting to put herself in the most positive light, but to her credit, Trixie had been forthright and apologetic about her deception, and taken the blame for the destruction of the Distribution Dais.

She had, of course, dropped in the revelation that Ethereal Requiem was not actually the Queen’s niece. Ethereal Requiem had looked heartbroken when Trixie spelled that out, but Queen Heartslash remained impassive. The only detail Trixie hadn’t quite explained to Twilight’s satisfaction was quite how Trixie had managed to use the broken Dais to summon the gargoyles back to Transylmaneia, bringing the Penumbra with them. But Twilight didn't mind that much; the important thing was that the Penumbra was gone, not how it happened.

“...So ultimately I guess I just need to beg your forgiveness. Your Majesty.” Trixie bowed to the Queen, although Twilight couldn’t help noticing it wasn’t at quite the correct angle according to the etiquette lessons she’d had with Celestia.

The Queen continued gazing straight at Trixie.

Twilight was just beginning to wonder whether the monarch had actually expired while Trixie was talking, when Queen Heartslash suddenly burst into rasping laughter. Trixie looked as shocked as everypony else around.

“You two princesses have been practicing a fine amount of intrigue, haven’t you?” murmured the Queen. She smiled once more, revealing her fangs. “And intrigue and plots are one of the oldest and most well-established Transylmaneian traditions of all.”

The Queen’s horn lit up mahogany and she effortlessly lifted Trixie and Ethereal Requiem before her. She looked between one and the other, and then said conversationally, “So neither of you is eligible to rule Transylmaneia. And yet I find that both of you are eminently qualified.”

“...Your Majesty?” Trixie asked quizzically as the Queen placed her back on the lush carpet.

“I decreed this vote, this test of popularity, to see how you reacted. Both of you,” added the Queen with a nod to Ethereal Requiem. “And neither of you disappointed me. I approve both of your actions.”

“Surely not when she—?!” “You can’t approve her—!” The two in question exclaimed, before glaring at each other.

“I still find myself without my true heir,” Queen Heartslash mused. Trixie raised an eyebrow but said nothing. “But I have two more than capable candidates before me. So my decree is this: Trixie Lulamoon, Ethereal Requiem. Will you two work together as co-reigning monarchs and equals, to rule Transylmaneia and ensure its prosperity?”

A moment of stunned silence filled the throne room.

Trixie spoke first. “…If that is your desire, my Queen, then the Great and Compassionate Trixie is willing.” She turned to Ethereal Requiem. “Whaddaya say, my fellow fake princess? Shall we do this thing together?”

Ethereal Requiem stared at Trixie’s proffered hoof for several seconds. Twilight found herself holding her breath.

Then the batpony scowled and swatted Trixie’s hoof away. “With you? Never. I can not imagine the damage you would do to this nation. Your Majesty, I beg you to reconsider. Perhaps return to your prior decree, the votes of the council…?”

Twilight was briefly terrified at the look in Heartslash’s eyes. She suddenly found herself able to believe the rumours about what happened to the Transylmaneian Queen’s enemies, and what parts were found afterwards.

But all the Queen said was, “This is my decree, Ethereal Requiem. You can rule alongside Trixie, or you can disobey me and be disowned.”

Ethereal Requiem’s eyes went wide, briefly. But then they narrowed in defiance once more. “You are making a mistake, your Majesty. And all of Transylmaneia will pay for it. But I will have no part of this.”

The batpony flared her wings and flew out of the throne room, leaving Trixie, Tatterdrop and Twilight with the Queen.

Heartslash sighed. “A pity. She is a capable politician. It is my hope that she will reconsider, in time.” Then she turned her eyes to Trixie.

“But we do not always get our wishes. Given the situation in which we find ourselves, then: Trixie Lulamoon. Will you rule Transylmaneia as my successor, and ensure its security and prosperity?”

Trixie bowed once more. “I will, my Queen.”

“The security and prosperity of… all its citizens,” the Queen added, almost as an afterthought. “It is possible you were correct at our first meeting, that my reign has been too focused upon the nobles and the rich. I entrust you with the well-being of our proud province.”

“The Great and Compassionate Trixie will not let you down, your Majesty!” Trixie proudly proclaimed. Then she turned her attention behind her. “On which topic… Tatterdrop.”

“Me?” The batpony slouching by the door jumped. “Um, yeah?”

Walking towards her, Trixie admitted, “I’ve realised that… there’s a lot I don’t know about ruling a province. I’m going to need some good advisors.” She looked at Tatterdrop earnestly. “Including some who understand the concerns of the ponies who live outside the capital. That is… unless you’re too attached to the baker’s life…?”

Tatterdrop blinked, then smiled. “Hmm, yeah, you are going to need somepony to keep you in line, aren’t you? I’d be happy to help, Trix.”

“A wise choice,” rumbled Queen Heartslash. She coughed, a long, drawn-out rasp. “We should begin arrangements for you to move into the palace.”

“Yeah. I think my friend Drifting Melody should have a room here too,” Trixie mused. And then a wicked grin filled her face as she added, “And then we have to arrange the most great and powerful coronation ceremony Transylmaneia has ever seen!”

Author's Note

Thanks to FanOfMostEverything for running the contest, and to you for reading all the way through the fic!