Spike charged after Twilight, leaving Lyra and Trixie to follow behind them. Twilight took the lead in their search. "I saw her heading for the next street up, if she doesn't get distracted." There the spotted Moondancer with a crowd of confused ponies in a line.

Moon nodded to each of them as she passed, her quill jotting notes as she went. "The next experiment will reveal even more data for our use. Equestria thanks you all for your time and dedication to this cause."

Twilight charged over. "Moondancer! Stop that at once!"

Moon looked up and smiled gently. "Twilight Sparkle, I'm so happy you came." She gestured for the line to be quiet, getting them to hush. "Are you joining my volunteer pool? They will go down in history for being a part of this." She gestured at the line, which had several dozen ponies waiting patiently.

Trixie whispered to Twilight. "Trixie does not like the looks of that. What is it she means to test?"

Twilight laughed tensely. "Moon! You're being so industrious right now, I'm proud of you."

Moon smiled placidly at that. "I am happy to hear you say that. You were sounding unreasonably agitated before. Did you see my notes?"

"Riveting." Twilight smiled falsely, tail twitching behind her. "You always knew how to put things down in paper. But, about that. I want to have a discussion, with you, about your results. Something only two smart ponies like us will keep up with."

Moon was still a moment, but she nodded as it passed. "This is logical. A discussion with you is worth the time." She turned to the line. "You will remain ready for the experiment." She kept turning to face the library. "Let's go to the notes. It will be easier to discuss with them at hoof."

"Uh, no." Twilight stopped that motion. "We should go somewhere else, like that café over there. You could use something to eat. I'll buy."

Moondancer considered this. "How informal." She leaned in, arching one bushy brow. "You are flirting." She recoiled back. "It is working. Lead the way, Twilight."

Trixie gave Spike a confused glance. "Why would Twilight Sparkle be using this method?" She gestured at Moon's retreating rump.

Spike was blushing at that, but he looked up at Trixie. "It's getting her attention away from her, um, project. That's good, right?"

Lyra whispered to them all as she followed along. "I can see the amulet. It's a nasty piece of magic, no doubt about it. This isn't something I can dispel, it'd take a lot more than one unicorn. I hope Twilight can talk her into taking it off."

Moondancer was in her element again, talking a mile a minute. "—So I had this idea. Some of these ponies will not be missed, and so I could test their bonds by removing them from the picture for several weeks."

Twilight felt a twitch trying to emerge, but she grinned harder than it was to hide it. "How very bold!" They stepped into the cafe and claimed a table for themselves. "You must be tired, conducting this much research in so little time."

Moondancer took her place with a sigh. "I'm fine." She gave a dismissive wave of a hoof. "I can manage this. I have been managing it all day. You're the one acting strange, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight slid in next to Moon, one hoof reaching around her to draw her close. "I'm acting like I miss my time around one of my favorite ponies around."

Moon looked up at Twilight as she leaned in closer. "Flirting? You are flirting." She nodded. "Good. It is working, but not what I wished to focus on." She looked around the café. "What are we ordering?"

"Let's get tea and some sweet biscuits for us both." She nestled in with Moon from the side. "You know, Princess Celestia is very proud of you, Moon."

Moon's eyes lit up, literally and figuratively. "This is excellent to hear. I must redouble my efforts. I am making Equestria a better place through science and magic."

Trixie glanced at Lyra, then back at Twilight. "Trixie is extra happy she did not try that amulet herself."

Twilight leaned in closer. "I was talking to her, and she mentioned she adored how you powered forward on your own. She mentioned so many ponies in your position leaned on magic to get ahead, but not you. You just put your nose to the grindstone."

Moon smiled wistfully, then shook her head. "That was before this, the Alicorn Amulet. I am so much more with it than without. This is my new advantage." She rubbed it with her hoof.

Twilight gasped with feigned horror. "But what will Celestia think? You'll damage her view of you. Besides, you don't really need that. It gave you the idea, and you're trotting along fine on your own. I believe in you, Moon."

Moondancer gave Twilight an even look. "I can feel the compulsion to keep it on." She smiled wanly. "But I can overcome." She used her magic to remove it, dropping it to the table beside her. "I do not require it." Her words slowed progressively, head wobbling as if dizzy.

Spike hopped up and snatched it off the table, dashing away with his ill-gotten gains.

Twilight turned Moon's groggy face towards her. "You deserve a reward." Without further word, she planted a kiss on Moon's lips, driving away all thoughts of her experiments free, as she was too busy calculating how she had ended up in a kiss and what to do about that fact.

Trixie leaned over the table, watching Twilight and Moondancer lock lips. "Did that work?" She stared at them until the kissing pair broke apart. "Trixie hopes that means it did."

"Got it." Spike climbed up onto the table between Trixie and Lyra, holding up the amulet. "What do we do with it?"

Lyra grabbed the amulet in her magic. "Not put it on, to start. Trixie, where did you get it from again? Visiting there is probably a good idea, but if you just bought it, maybe not. They'd just sell it again." She squinted at the amulet. "This thing has to be taken care of."

Spike pointed out the window. "Somepony should tell them they don't need to keep standing there."

Trixie nodded at that. "Trixie will handle that task, for she is generous and helpful." Her tone was more serious than usual.

Lyra smiled. "Thanks. Spike, I could use some help with this." She tucked the amulet away and hopped to her hooves. "Time to seal away dangerous artifacts before somepony gets hurt."

Moon looked dizzily at Trixie. "Wait! When did you arrive?"

Twilight gently pulled Moon's snout back towards herself. "Why are you worrying about another pony?"

Moon gave a lopsided smile. "Fair." She nuzzled into Twilight's touch, settling in for more petting.

Trixie flipped her hair and walked out from behind the café table she'd been hiding behind. Following Lyra, she made herself scarce from Twilight and Moon's little scene.

Lyra led the way back to her house. She got out a heavy metal box and dropped the amulet inside. "I'm no pro at containing cursed things, but at least nopony can put it on while it's in here." She closed it with a heavy clonk and flicked the lock into place.

Spike sat back with a relieved sigh. "Moon was really scary, there. Glad that's over."

Trixie nodded fervently. "Trixie is sorry she gave Moondancer that amulet. That is one trick Trixie will not be repeating."

Lyra looked over at Trixie with a wry smile. "You wanted it to be powerful, and you got your money's worth, if nothing else. If Moon had kept it on, she probably would have gotten all the answers she needed eventually." She pressed a hoof to her face. "And gotten rid of half the population of Ponyville along the way."

"Probably not that bad, but yeah, it was pretty crazy." Spike shrugged. "But we handled it! I kinda wish we could have helped her with her friendship stuff though." He glanced at Lyra.

Lyra quirked up an ear as Spike looked at her. "What? We're already helping! If being friends with her doesn't count as help for friendship stuff, I don't know what you want me to do."

Spike considered a moment. "Remind her?"

Lyra and Trixie leaned in closer together. "Of?" they echoed as one.

Spike threw up his hands. "That you're friends, and you like being friends with her. She gets caught up in her projects, even without any funny amulets. Invite her to just hang out a little. It'd be good for her, and you can have some fun while you're at it."

Lyra smiled softly. "That's a good idea." She pulled out a notebook and scribbled down some ideas. She turned to Trixie. "How about it? Want to see if she needs a reminder?"

Trixie put a hoof at her chest. "Trixie already consults Moon for things on her mind." She laughed awkwardly. "That is how we got in this situation to start." She looked over at Lyra's notes. "But it could be helpful. Trixie sees no reason not to try. Perhaps she can get Moondancer to help with some magic issues Trixie has been having lately."

Spike shook his head with a wry chuckle. "I'll take it to start. Um, thank you both, for helping. Moon was getting really scary there. Now she's just a dizzy pony in Twilight's hooves. She'll stop being dizzy in a bit, right?"

Lyra chuckled. "I'm sure she will. Twilight knows how to look after a dizzy pony." She looked up with a sigh. "It's been a while, but I should probably check in on Moon soon. We haven't hung out much since school. You're right, Spike. I really should reach out more often."

Trixie looked between Lyra and Spike. "Trixie is not sure this is what she had in mind when she first met Moondancer, but it is, she supposes, where the current of life has led her." She turned away. "But, for now, she must away, and perhaps get a refund from a certain salespony." Grumbling, she marched off.

Lyra leaned in and gave Spike a friendly nuzzle. "Come on, let's go check on them. Moon will be fine with us there."

Spike nodded up at Lyra. "Yeah, let's go."

Author's Note

Twilight was the solution still in this branching narrative. Will Trixie get her refund?

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