Dark Petrificationby bnewtonChaptersProlouge: A Couple's DebateChapter 1: The Patient and Repentant TrixieChapter 2: The SummoningProlouge: A Couple's Debate'So they thought I was gone forever? Well I am not, but I will be soon. My life may finally end here, but my mark on all of this world will stay.' Thought Sombra as he lay scattered over Equestria in millions of little pieces. His defeat at the hooves of that pink Alicorn infuriated him, and so knowing he will die, has decided to dissolve into a fog that shrouds all in touches in stone and taint. Princess Celestia was the first victim of the fog, which, incidentally, is now called Malum. Malum turned Celestia to stone, and proceeded to do so with all things that were completely pure and incorruptible. Celestia's form was cast down to the marble floor of the castle. Discord saw the horrible occurence, but, being chaos incarnate, could not be tainted by the Malum, despite his previous affiliation with disharmony. His shock held his gaze upon Celestia and froze his body in place, and he too, was petrified by Malum. However, unlike Celestia, his powers had such supreme potency that when he was turn to stone, he was still floating in the air. Luna was asleep, and as she herself was an Alicorn, she couldn't be corrupted by none other than herself, and she too, was taken, unknowingly, in her sleep. Ponyville was in a state of panic, but while Rarity shut herself and her sister in the Carousal Boutique, she was petrified, whilst Sweetie Belle was corrupted. Applejack and her siblings dug underground in an attempt to escape to rapidly-approaching Malum. However, their makeshift bunker was drafty, and it too, was filled with Malum. Petrification was the fate that was met by each of the Elements of Harmony, each of them were unable to stop the Malum's spread. With each new victim the Malum took, the faster it spread. Soon even Scootaloo, who took off in the opposite direction of the Malum, was turned over to the dark side. Soon even the skies were not safe from the evils the Malum bred. Soon, only ponies that had great love from another were spared from the Malum's dreadful influence. Dinky Doo's mother loved her so much, that while Derpy Hooves couldn't escape the Malum's power, Dinky could. Dinky Doo ran to the only source of light she could see in Equestria, the Crystal Empire. Other such refugees were residing in the Crystal Ponies' homes, waiting for Princess Mi Amore Cadenza to make a move, waiting for her and Prince Shining Armor to reach a decision. It was common knowledge that they both agreed it was too dangerous to touch the Malum itself, even casting a spell on it would simply be too risky. Cadence and Shining Armor are in the Library, arguing about the wisdom in using a summoning spell to bring a warrior down from the heavens to destroy the Malum. "Come on, Shining! This is for the good of all of Equestria, which, I remind you, includes Twilight." "But Cadence, don't you remember Luna's message? The Malum corrupts all it touches, this warrior from the heavens would simply be corrupted too!" "Actually, according to Twilight's messages relayed to us from Luna, the hopes and dreams of our people would be channeled towards our summoned warrior, and should act as a replacement for the love-shielding effect." "Cadence, you know as well as I do that we cannot trust to chance that Twilight's guesses are right, seeing as she is currently stone without a single way to read any books anywhere!" "Which is why we are going to the library to look up any and all information about love's properties apart from the obvious. We may even learn more about how the changelings desired to use the love they harvested from ponykind on our wedding." Cadence explains enthusiastically to her husband, Shining Armor. Shining Armor sighs as he allows her to lead him to the library, where they and their citizens will read in search of information to verify Twilight's guess. Several hours later, a stack of texts sit on a crystal table while Cadence, Shining Armor, and three Crystal Ponies are huddled nearby. Cadence begins with "I haven't found anything in 'Love and War'." Shining Armor states "Nothing of value was found in 'An Idiot's Guide to Love'." Ruby Cluster says "Nothing in 'What is Love and What You're missing out on'." Pearl Ball simply mumbles "Nothing..." Emerald Hill says "There wasn't much in 'Starswirl the Bearded's Notes on Love', but there was something. I can't remember what it was, but I marked the pages where he goes into detail about its more scientific properties." Cadence beams and exclaims "Wonderful! Be a dear and fetch me those notes and then you can be off to your homes." They comply and the they trot out the door, happy to know that the Malum is closer to being gotten rid of. Cadence waits until the door closes and remarks "You know Shining, there really isn't anything to fuss over." "Read the information first, then you can tell me 'I told you so' all you want." "Okay, it says 'Love in its energy form is pink in color, and protects those it is directed at. It is similar to hopes and dreams in that it protects whoever is entrusted with it. Changelings can use the power of love they steal from another species to grow more powerful, just like they do with dreams. It is important to note that hopes and dreams are both purple in energy form. If one ever had a need for love's energies but couldn't access any nearby ones or make use of one for whatever reason, hopes and/or dreams of a large amount of people can be sealed into small crystals to achieve a similar effect as was desired of love.' ...Sounds quite convienent. Oh, and by the way, I told you so." Shining Armor mumbles "I knew you were going to say it..." as he facehooves. Author's Note Malum is the latin word for evil, just so you know. Bonus points for the prefix "mal" being in the word, which is used in such words as "malnourished" and "malware". Chapter written on 2/21/13 Chapter 1: The Patient and Repentant TrixieTrixie was not loved, she was not popular. Still, she could not deny that she was one lucky mare. She had the luck to be right inside the Crystal Empire's shield when the dark mist reached it. Trixie hears a sound not unlike a pillow hitting a window, she looks around and notices the dark fog behind her. She doesn't trust anything unfamiliar to her of any description, so she decides to just continue towards the center of the city. What she found was a crowd of Crystal Ponies outside the Crystal Palace, looking up at the balcony. She tapped a mare on the shoulder. The mare had a crystalline glow about her coat that was banana-yellow, she had rainbow irises, and a her mane was shining like a sapphire. The mare turned to look at Trixie, and Trixie asked "What's going on?" "We're waiting for Princess Cadence to come out and tell us what the black fog outside the Empire limits is." the Crystal mare said. "Oh, well, do you know what time it is? I haven't been able to figure it out since the black fog is covering the sky. And on that note, how is it still so bright here?" "Well, we are surrounded by crystals infused with the magical energies that's supposed to keep evil things outside the Empire. If I were to guess, I'd say the fog doesn't enter the Crystal Empire because it is made of evil's essence, or perhaps something close to it. And the crystals themselves emit light quite nicely, but I guess the fog reflects the light back towards the ground, giving the illusion that the sun is still visible." "Those are quite some interesting theories you have... are you a scholar, by any chance?" "Why, yes, yes I am a scholar, and, oh dear, we don't even know each other's names, heh. Mine is Rainbow Refraction." "I am known as Trixie, I used to call myself The Great and Powerful Trixie, but the title only managed to bring trouble to me in the end. I am currently training myself to live up to my former title, terribly arrogant though it may be." "Sounds like you've been through some hard times. Does your necklace have anything to do with it?" "This is from... a friend who helped me to see the truth. However, ahem 'Trixie speaking like Trixie does makes a Trixie's act more impressive' or so I thought." Trixie says waving her hooves around, mocking herself performing stage tricks." "You used to speak in third-person? You have quite the colorful history, don't you?" "I guess that's one way of putting it..." "Oh, there's the Princess! I hope she has an answer to what exactly the fog outside is." Rainbow Refractions says, pointing at the balcony, where indeed there was a pink Alicorn with a megaphone levitated in front of her. Cadence speaks into the megaphone, saying "CITIZENS OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE AND OTHERS, WE HAVE NAMED THE BLACK FOG 'MALUM' AND WE BELIEVE, BASED UPON LUNA'S VISITING A PONY WHO FELL ASLEEP DURING THE MEETING, THAT ANYPONY WHO IS PURE OF HEART OR TOO POWERFUL TO CONTROL GETS TURNED TO STONE UPON TOUCHING THE MALUM. THOSE WHO ARE OTHERWISE NOT SO PURE AND/OR WEAKER, SIMPLY BECOME EVIL WHEN THE MALUM TOUCHES THEM. FOR THIS REASON WE ARE ORDERING ANYPONY WITH EXPERIENCE IN BUILDING HOUSES OR OTHER SUCH BIG PROJECTS TO ERECT A WALL ABOUT 3 FEET FROM THE MALUM, DON'T BOTHER MEASURING THE DISTANCE, LEST YOU TOUCH THE MALUM. A FEW REFUGEES HAVE ENTERED THE EMPIRE FROM WITHIN THE FOG, YET ARE NOT CORRUPTED BECAUSE OF SOMEPONY BEING ESPECIALLY AFFECTIONATE TOWARDS THAT PONY. OFTEN THOSE PONIES ARE FILLIES. WE ASK CITIZENS TO INVITE REFUGEES INTO THEIR HOMES, AND TO RATION THE FOOD, AS WE NO LONGER HAVE ANY MEANS OF TRADING." Cadence stops to take a breath and says "MY HUSBAND, PRINCE SHINING ARMOR, WILL EXPLAIN WHAT WE HAVE COME UP WITH FOR THE SOLUTION, AND BEFORE I GO, WE ASK THAT SOMEPONY WHO HAS A GEMSTONE PRECIOUS TO THEM TO COME INSIDE TO MEET WITH ME, ONLY, AND ONLY IF THEY ARE WILLING TO RISK THEIR LIVES. AMONG ALL WHO COME I WILL HAVE TO TURN AWAY ALL BUT ONE, ASSUMING THERE IS MORE THAN ONE." She then sets the megaphone down, and walks inside. Trixie blinks, and says to Rainbow Refraction "Did she just say something to the effect of me having this necklace means I should go to meet her?" She looks at Trixie and says "Why, yes, I do believe she did." Trixie sighs and trots over the the Crystal Palace's entrance, attempting to do so without bumping into everypony. When she makes it do the door, she takes a breath, opens the door, and trots inside. She follows various other ponies going up the steps. It took a few minutes to get there, but she finally got to the top. Dang those stairs be long! Trixie looks around, and sees a long table with ICE COLD LEMONADE GLASSES. She sprints over and drinks up an entire glass, Earth-pony style. When she is done, she breathes in and out, heavily. Suddenly she notices everypony in the room is sniggering at her extremely over-the-top performance of tiredness. With a huff, she magically dries herself off and walks over to the circular table everypony else in the room is. "Alright," Princess Cadence spoke "Now that everypony who could be coming has arrived, let us now start the meeting!" Trixie spoke first "Princess, would you mind elaborating on what you were saying before, about gemstones of sentimental value to the ponies that keep them?" An orange Crystal Pony adds "Can you also tell us what you're trying to do with us?" The rest of the group nods in agreement. Princess Candence explains "Well, I need somepony who's willing to convert their unenchanted gemstone into a nexus for a spell, which should be able to provide a shield against the Malum. The reason it needs to be of sentimental value to a pony is so that similar feelings, such as hope, can be drawn in as a source of energy. The future depends on getting rid of the malum, so hopefully the dreams ponies possess can power the spell as well." Trixie says "So, you need somepony to have their prized possession enchanted in order to have them venture out to find a way to cleanse the land of the Malum? I'm going to just assume I'm the best option, after all, I'm the only one with a cart that's made specifically for travel." A grey Crystal Pony asks "Okay, well, on that note, anypony who isn't brave enough to go out into the unknown can raise their hooves." Everypony except for Cadence and Trixie thrusts their hooves in the air. Cadence looks around the table, and responds "Well, if you aren't capable of this, then I'm not going to make you risk your life, seeing as I'm not going either. However!" She bangs her hoof on the table, and continues "Now that I know there is only one pony willing to do it, she can accompany the warrior I shall personally summon down from the heavens. You," she points at Trixie "will stay here, while the rest shall head back down and go home, everything that Shining Armor is explaining tothe ponies outside is also what I just told you all in a nutshell." The Crystal Ponies walk out of the room, closing the door behind them. Cadence looks back to Trixie and says "Enchanting your necklace would probably take a while, as well as summoning a warrior from above. If you could hand that necklace to me and tell me your name?" "My name is Trixie, Trixie Lulamoon. Twilight Sparkle helped me to regain my sanity, I can only hope to repay her. I'll give you my necklace, but-" Her eyes were giving off a slight glow at this point, making the room itself shine brighter. Her voice raises to an intensity of deadly seriousness "It is still my necklace, don't wear it out with enchantments." Trixie detaches the necklace with her magic and sets it gently upon the table. Cadence's eyes go wide, and she responds "Yes, well, that would be an acceptable condition, but just so you know, the spells will be done in twelve hours from now." Trixie walks out the door, again, leaving it closed. "Okay, I suppose now that she's gone, I can start preparing the spells!" Cadence then levitates the necklace, and takes it into a room with a door made of steel, which nopony noticed during the meeting, and closes it. There is a sign on the door. It reads; WARNING: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY Author's Note Yep, I introduce Trixie in this chapter, and as you can see, she's given up on her career as a magician. Written on 3/5/2013 Chapter 2: The SummoningCadance exits the lab, with a necklace glowing faintly. Soon after that, Trixie came in the door, and seated herself at one end of the table. She asks "Did you finish the enchantment?" Cadance sets the necklace down on the table and replies "Yes, the enchantment is finished, however, we still have one task left to do." Trixie takes the necklace, and clips it back onto her neck. She then says "May I know what that task is, Princess?" "We have to perform the summoning ritual, not something most ponies can do, but we do need to get rid of this Malum or the Crystal Empire's shield will break down, which isn't something anybody wants happening." "How in Equestria could the shield break down!? It's powered by the Crystal Ponies' happiness, right?" "Exactly, and while they can fool themselves into thinking we'll all survive no matter what, that we'll all be rescued soon, they will eventually start to feel scared, and start venturing outside the shield, thinking that they aren't safe here, Crystal heart or no." "Oh. Well, I'd very much like to know how this ritual is supposed to be carried out." "Please wait here for a minute, I'm going to go get Shining." Trixie, Cadance, and Shining Armor are soon walking to the balcony upon which a wooden effigy of a pony is propped up against the railing. Noticing the effigy, Trixie stops, but Shining Armor pushes her along with them. Now all of them are on the balcony, and Cadance turns to Trixie. "Trixie Lulamoon, are you ready for the perils that lie ahead of you?" "Yes." "It isn't too late to walk away, you know." "I've made my decision, I know full well what I could be getting myself into, but someone needs to do this, right?" "Very well then. The ritual shall now begin." Cadance says grimly as she and Shining Armor focus their magic into Trixie's emerald necklace. The aura of the couple's powers are then amplified by the newly enchanted gem, and then it flashes with a light as bright as the sun- if only for a brief instant. The skies are cleared of the Malum that clouds everything outside the barrier of the Crystal Empire. A bright light flashes, and spirals down towards the effigy. When it touches the wooden pony, the Malum floods the pillar of clear air that was left behind by the ritual, but the effigy is covered in a ball of light. An echoey-sounding voice calls out "Okay Cel- wait, who the heck're you?" A pony steps out from the rapidly-fading light and squints. The pony has a light brown coat, teal eyes, and a purple ruffled mane. The pony looks feminine in appearance but... "Why don't you have wings, or a horn?" Trixie asked. The pony just looks at Trixie. She walks over to Trixie, and punches her across the face. The crowd below gasps. "Because all you crystal-brained idiots didn't have enough power to get me any of those things, you nimrod." "Oh, and I suppose Harmony has horrible manners too?" Trixie retorted. The pony raises her eyebrows and turns around saying "Well, since I'm clearly not needed, I'll just be heading back now, since I was summoned by incompetents." Her fritzy purple tail swishes around, whipping Trixie's snout. Cadance panics, and pleads "Don't go, please, we need you..." "Hmph, you, need me? Then get Celestia to summon me, I've no power like this, I mean, seriously, the colors aren't even right!" Fed up, Trixie yells "Celestia can't summon you because she is PETRIFIED you idiot!" The pony turns to Trixie once again, frowning, and asks "Petrified? What blasphemy is this? Celestia can't simply be turned to stone." "Have you seen the sky lately?" Trixie snaps. The pony looks up and stares. "So it's a little cloudy, what's the deal?" "The deal is, that's not cloud, that's fog, a very magical, corrupt fog, at that." "Oh, sure, and that warrants my improper summoning? Why haven't you simply asked the Elements to help you?" This time, Trixie is the one to punch faces, as she topples the pony to the ground. The pony's snout drips blood. "You think you're sooo smart just because you've been spending time in the Etherplane, huh? Newsflash, bedhead, you're the last pony to turn to for the job, because every other capable pony is petrified, the rest of Equestria is corrupted by the fog itself, and we're in the only country that hasn't succumbed to the Malum! And to top it all off, we don't even know your stupid NAME!" The pony gets up, and wipes her nose of the blood. "I see how it is now." She walks over to the balcony, and looks to the crowd below. "Well, congrats, little ponies, you've got Final Resort, now what are you going to do with her?" Author's Note First time I've written for a fanfic in, like, a year or two? Whatever, making timely updates is not for me, I suppose. Just expect me to update this story from time to time, after all, I can't just let it die.
Prolouge: A Couple's Debate'So they thought I was gone forever? Well I am not, but I will be soon. My life may finally end here, but my mark on all of this world will stay.' Thought Sombra as he lay scattered over Equestria in millions of little pieces. His defeat at the hooves of that pink Alicorn infuriated him, and so knowing he will die, has decided to dissolve into a fog that shrouds all in touches in stone and taint. Princess Celestia was the first victim of the fog, which, incidentally, is now called Malum. Malum turned Celestia to stone, and proceeded to do so with all things that were completely pure and incorruptible. Celestia's form was cast down to the marble floor of the castle. Discord saw the horrible occurence, but, being chaos incarnate, could not be tainted by the Malum, despite his previous affiliation with disharmony. His shock held his gaze upon Celestia and froze his body in place, and he too, was petrified by Malum. However, unlike Celestia, his powers had such supreme potency that when he was turn to stone, he was still floating in the air. Luna was asleep, and as she herself was an Alicorn, she couldn't be corrupted by none other than herself, and she too, was taken, unknowingly, in her sleep. Ponyville was in a state of panic, but while Rarity shut herself and her sister in the Carousal Boutique, she was petrified, whilst Sweetie Belle was corrupted. Applejack and her siblings dug underground in an attempt to escape to rapidly-approaching Malum. However, their makeshift bunker was drafty, and it too, was filled with Malum. Petrification was the fate that was met by each of the Elements of Harmony, each of them were unable to stop the Malum's spread. With each new victim the Malum took, the faster it spread. Soon even Scootaloo, who took off in the opposite direction of the Malum, was turned over to the dark side. Soon even the skies were not safe from the evils the Malum bred. Soon, only ponies that had great love from another were spared from the Malum's dreadful influence. Dinky Doo's mother loved her so much, that while Derpy Hooves couldn't escape the Malum's power, Dinky could. Dinky Doo ran to the only source of light she could see in Equestria, the Crystal Empire. Other such refugees were residing in the Crystal Ponies' homes, waiting for Princess Mi Amore Cadenza to make a move, waiting for her and Prince Shining Armor to reach a decision. It was common knowledge that they both agreed it was too dangerous to touch the Malum itself, even casting a spell on it would simply be too risky. Cadence and Shining Armor are in the Library, arguing about the wisdom in using a summoning spell to bring a warrior down from the heavens to destroy the Malum. "Come on, Shining! This is for the good of all of Equestria, which, I remind you, includes Twilight." "But Cadence, don't you remember Luna's message? The Malum corrupts all it touches, this warrior from the heavens would simply be corrupted too!" "Actually, according to Twilight's messages relayed to us from Luna, the hopes and dreams of our people would be channeled towards our summoned warrior, and should act as a replacement for the love-shielding effect." "Cadence, you know as well as I do that we cannot trust to chance that Twilight's guesses are right, seeing as she is currently stone without a single way to read any books anywhere!" "Which is why we are going to the library to look up any and all information about love's properties apart from the obvious. We may even learn more about how the changelings desired to use the love they harvested from ponykind on our wedding." Cadence explains enthusiastically to her husband, Shining Armor. Shining Armor sighs as he allows her to lead him to the library, where they and their citizens will read in search of information to verify Twilight's guess. Several hours later, a stack of texts sit on a crystal table while Cadence, Shining Armor, and three Crystal Ponies are huddled nearby. Cadence begins with "I haven't found anything in 'Love and War'." Shining Armor states "Nothing of value was found in 'An Idiot's Guide to Love'." Ruby Cluster says "Nothing in 'What is Love and What You're missing out on'." Pearl Ball simply mumbles "Nothing..." Emerald Hill says "There wasn't much in 'Starswirl the Bearded's Notes on Love', but there was something. I can't remember what it was, but I marked the pages where he goes into detail about its more scientific properties." Cadence beams and exclaims "Wonderful! Be a dear and fetch me those notes and then you can be off to your homes." They comply and the they trot out the door, happy to know that the Malum is closer to being gotten rid of. Cadence waits until the door closes and remarks "You know Shining, there really isn't anything to fuss over." "Read the information first, then you can tell me 'I told you so' all you want." "Okay, it says 'Love in its energy form is pink in color, and protects those it is directed at. It is similar to hopes and dreams in that it protects whoever is entrusted with it. Changelings can use the power of love they steal from another species to grow more powerful, just like they do with dreams. It is important to note that hopes and dreams are both purple in energy form. If one ever had a need for love's energies but couldn't access any nearby ones or make use of one for whatever reason, hopes and/or dreams of a large amount of people can be sealed into small crystals to achieve a similar effect as was desired of love.' ...Sounds quite convienent. Oh, and by the way, I told you so." Shining Armor mumbles "I knew you were going to say it..." as he facehooves. Author's Note Malum is the latin word for evil, just so you know. Bonus points for the prefix "mal" being in the word, which is used in such words as "malnourished" and "malware". Chapter written on 2/21/13
Chapter 1: The Patient and Repentant TrixieTrixie was not loved, she was not popular. Still, she could not deny that she was one lucky mare. She had the luck to be right inside the Crystal Empire's shield when the dark mist reached it. Trixie hears a sound not unlike a pillow hitting a window, she looks around and notices the dark fog behind her. She doesn't trust anything unfamiliar to her of any description, so she decides to just continue towards the center of the city. What she found was a crowd of Crystal Ponies outside the Crystal Palace, looking up at the balcony. She tapped a mare on the shoulder. The mare had a crystalline glow about her coat that was banana-yellow, she had rainbow irises, and a her mane was shining like a sapphire. The mare turned to look at Trixie, and Trixie asked "What's going on?" "We're waiting for Princess Cadence to come out and tell us what the black fog outside the Empire limits is." the Crystal mare said. "Oh, well, do you know what time it is? I haven't been able to figure it out since the black fog is covering the sky. And on that note, how is it still so bright here?" "Well, we are surrounded by crystals infused with the magical energies that's supposed to keep evil things outside the Empire. If I were to guess, I'd say the fog doesn't enter the Crystal Empire because it is made of evil's essence, or perhaps something close to it. And the crystals themselves emit light quite nicely, but I guess the fog reflects the light back towards the ground, giving the illusion that the sun is still visible." "Those are quite some interesting theories you have... are you a scholar, by any chance?" "Why, yes, yes I am a scholar, and, oh dear, we don't even know each other's names, heh. Mine is Rainbow Refraction." "I am known as Trixie, I used to call myself The Great and Powerful Trixie, but the title only managed to bring trouble to me in the end. I am currently training myself to live up to my former title, terribly arrogant though it may be." "Sounds like you've been through some hard times. Does your necklace have anything to do with it?" "This is from... a friend who helped me to see the truth. However, ahem 'Trixie speaking like Trixie does makes a Trixie's act more impressive' or so I thought." Trixie says waving her hooves around, mocking herself performing stage tricks." "You used to speak in third-person? You have quite the colorful history, don't you?" "I guess that's one way of putting it..." "Oh, there's the Princess! I hope she has an answer to what exactly the fog outside is." Rainbow Refractions says, pointing at the balcony, where indeed there was a pink Alicorn with a megaphone levitated in front of her. Cadence speaks into the megaphone, saying "CITIZENS OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE AND OTHERS, WE HAVE NAMED THE BLACK FOG 'MALUM' AND WE BELIEVE, BASED UPON LUNA'S VISITING A PONY WHO FELL ASLEEP DURING THE MEETING, THAT ANYPONY WHO IS PURE OF HEART OR TOO POWERFUL TO CONTROL GETS TURNED TO STONE UPON TOUCHING THE MALUM. THOSE WHO ARE OTHERWISE NOT SO PURE AND/OR WEAKER, SIMPLY BECOME EVIL WHEN THE MALUM TOUCHES THEM. FOR THIS REASON WE ARE ORDERING ANYPONY WITH EXPERIENCE IN BUILDING HOUSES OR OTHER SUCH BIG PROJECTS TO ERECT A WALL ABOUT 3 FEET FROM THE MALUM, DON'T BOTHER MEASURING THE DISTANCE, LEST YOU TOUCH THE MALUM. A FEW REFUGEES HAVE ENTERED THE EMPIRE FROM WITHIN THE FOG, YET ARE NOT CORRUPTED BECAUSE OF SOMEPONY BEING ESPECIALLY AFFECTIONATE TOWARDS THAT PONY. OFTEN THOSE PONIES ARE FILLIES. WE ASK CITIZENS TO INVITE REFUGEES INTO THEIR HOMES, AND TO RATION THE FOOD, AS WE NO LONGER HAVE ANY MEANS OF TRADING." Cadence stops to take a breath and says "MY HUSBAND, PRINCE SHINING ARMOR, WILL EXPLAIN WHAT WE HAVE COME UP WITH FOR THE SOLUTION, AND BEFORE I GO, WE ASK THAT SOMEPONY WHO HAS A GEMSTONE PRECIOUS TO THEM TO COME INSIDE TO MEET WITH ME, ONLY, AND ONLY IF THEY ARE WILLING TO RISK THEIR LIVES. AMONG ALL WHO COME I WILL HAVE TO TURN AWAY ALL BUT ONE, ASSUMING THERE IS MORE THAN ONE." She then sets the megaphone down, and walks inside. Trixie blinks, and says to Rainbow Refraction "Did she just say something to the effect of me having this necklace means I should go to meet her?" She looks at Trixie and says "Why, yes, I do believe she did." Trixie sighs and trots over the the Crystal Palace's entrance, attempting to do so without bumping into everypony. When she makes it do the door, she takes a breath, opens the door, and trots inside. She follows various other ponies going up the steps. It took a few minutes to get there, but she finally got to the top. Dang those stairs be long! Trixie looks around, and sees a long table with ICE COLD LEMONADE GLASSES. She sprints over and drinks up an entire glass, Earth-pony style. When she is done, she breathes in and out, heavily. Suddenly she notices everypony in the room is sniggering at her extremely over-the-top performance of tiredness. With a huff, she magically dries herself off and walks over to the circular table everypony else in the room is. "Alright," Princess Cadence spoke "Now that everypony who could be coming has arrived, let us now start the meeting!" Trixie spoke first "Princess, would you mind elaborating on what you were saying before, about gemstones of sentimental value to the ponies that keep them?" An orange Crystal Pony adds "Can you also tell us what you're trying to do with us?" The rest of the group nods in agreement. Princess Candence explains "Well, I need somepony who's willing to convert their unenchanted gemstone into a nexus for a spell, which should be able to provide a shield against the Malum. The reason it needs to be of sentimental value to a pony is so that similar feelings, such as hope, can be drawn in as a source of energy. The future depends on getting rid of the malum, so hopefully the dreams ponies possess can power the spell as well." Trixie says "So, you need somepony to have their prized possession enchanted in order to have them venture out to find a way to cleanse the land of the Malum? I'm going to just assume I'm the best option, after all, I'm the only one with a cart that's made specifically for travel." A grey Crystal Pony asks "Okay, well, on that note, anypony who isn't brave enough to go out into the unknown can raise their hooves." Everypony except for Cadence and Trixie thrusts their hooves in the air. Cadence looks around the table, and responds "Well, if you aren't capable of this, then I'm not going to make you risk your life, seeing as I'm not going either. However!" She bangs her hoof on the table, and continues "Now that I know there is only one pony willing to do it, she can accompany the warrior I shall personally summon down from the heavens. You," she points at Trixie "will stay here, while the rest shall head back down and go home, everything that Shining Armor is explaining tothe ponies outside is also what I just told you all in a nutshell." The Crystal Ponies walk out of the room, closing the door behind them. Cadence looks back to Trixie and says "Enchanting your necklace would probably take a while, as well as summoning a warrior from above. If you could hand that necklace to me and tell me your name?" "My name is Trixie, Trixie Lulamoon. Twilight Sparkle helped me to regain my sanity, I can only hope to repay her. I'll give you my necklace, but-" Her eyes were giving off a slight glow at this point, making the room itself shine brighter. Her voice raises to an intensity of deadly seriousness "It is still my necklace, don't wear it out with enchantments." Trixie detaches the necklace with her magic and sets it gently upon the table. Cadence's eyes go wide, and she responds "Yes, well, that would be an acceptable condition, but just so you know, the spells will be done in twelve hours from now." Trixie walks out the door, again, leaving it closed. "Okay, I suppose now that she's gone, I can start preparing the spells!" Cadence then levitates the necklace, and takes it into a room with a door made of steel, which nopony noticed during the meeting, and closes it. There is a sign on the door. It reads; WARNING: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY Author's Note Yep, I introduce Trixie in this chapter, and as you can see, she's given up on her career as a magician. Written on 3/5/2013
Chapter 2: The SummoningCadance exits the lab, with a necklace glowing faintly. Soon after that, Trixie came in the door, and seated herself at one end of the table. She asks "Did you finish the enchantment?" Cadance sets the necklace down on the table and replies "Yes, the enchantment is finished, however, we still have one task left to do." Trixie takes the necklace, and clips it back onto her neck. She then says "May I know what that task is, Princess?" "We have to perform the summoning ritual, not something most ponies can do, but we do need to get rid of this Malum or the Crystal Empire's shield will break down, which isn't something anybody wants happening." "How in Equestria could the shield break down!? It's powered by the Crystal Ponies' happiness, right?" "Exactly, and while they can fool themselves into thinking we'll all survive no matter what, that we'll all be rescued soon, they will eventually start to feel scared, and start venturing outside the shield, thinking that they aren't safe here, Crystal heart or no." "Oh. Well, I'd very much like to know how this ritual is supposed to be carried out." "Please wait here for a minute, I'm going to go get Shining." Trixie, Cadance, and Shining Armor are soon walking to the balcony upon which a wooden effigy of a pony is propped up against the railing. Noticing the effigy, Trixie stops, but Shining Armor pushes her along with them. Now all of them are on the balcony, and Cadance turns to Trixie. "Trixie Lulamoon, are you ready for the perils that lie ahead of you?" "Yes." "It isn't too late to walk away, you know." "I've made my decision, I know full well what I could be getting myself into, but someone needs to do this, right?" "Very well then. The ritual shall now begin." Cadance says grimly as she and Shining Armor focus their magic into Trixie's emerald necklace. The aura of the couple's powers are then amplified by the newly enchanted gem, and then it flashes with a light as bright as the sun- if only for a brief instant. The skies are cleared of the Malum that clouds everything outside the barrier of the Crystal Empire. A bright light flashes, and spirals down towards the effigy. When it touches the wooden pony, the Malum floods the pillar of clear air that was left behind by the ritual, but the effigy is covered in a ball of light. An echoey-sounding voice calls out "Okay Cel- wait, who the heck're you?" A pony steps out from the rapidly-fading light and squints. The pony has a light brown coat, teal eyes, and a purple ruffled mane. The pony looks feminine in appearance but... "Why don't you have wings, or a horn?" Trixie asked. The pony just looks at Trixie. She walks over to Trixie, and punches her across the face. The crowd below gasps. "Because all you crystal-brained idiots didn't have enough power to get me any of those things, you nimrod." "Oh, and I suppose Harmony has horrible manners too?" Trixie retorted. The pony raises her eyebrows and turns around saying "Well, since I'm clearly not needed, I'll just be heading back now, since I was summoned by incompetents." Her fritzy purple tail swishes around, whipping Trixie's snout. Cadance panics, and pleads "Don't go, please, we need you..." "Hmph, you, need me? Then get Celestia to summon me, I've no power like this, I mean, seriously, the colors aren't even right!" Fed up, Trixie yells "Celestia can't summon you because she is PETRIFIED you idiot!" The pony turns to Trixie once again, frowning, and asks "Petrified? What blasphemy is this? Celestia can't simply be turned to stone." "Have you seen the sky lately?" Trixie snaps. The pony looks up and stares. "So it's a little cloudy, what's the deal?" "The deal is, that's not cloud, that's fog, a very magical, corrupt fog, at that." "Oh, sure, and that warrants my improper summoning? Why haven't you simply asked the Elements to help you?" This time, Trixie is the one to punch faces, as she topples the pony to the ground. The pony's snout drips blood. "You think you're sooo smart just because you've been spending time in the Etherplane, huh? Newsflash, bedhead, you're the last pony to turn to for the job, because every other capable pony is petrified, the rest of Equestria is corrupted by the fog itself, and we're in the only country that hasn't succumbed to the Malum! And to top it all off, we don't even know your stupid NAME!" The pony gets up, and wipes her nose of the blood. "I see how it is now." She walks over to the balcony, and looks to the crowd below. "Well, congrats, little ponies, you've got Final Resort, now what are you going to do with her?" Author's Note First time I've written for a fanfic in, like, a year or two? Whatever, making timely updates is not for me, I suppose. Just expect me to update this story from time to time, after all, I can't just let it die.
