TWO DAYS BEFORE SHIZUKH’S ARRIVAL

“Is everypony alright?” Twilight asked in the darkness of Town Hall, illuminated by her new accessory. She squinted, searching for her friends amidst the moans of pain with what little light the collar around her neck provided.

“Yeah, Ah’m here,” Applejack said sullenly as she walked up to her.

“Same here,” Rainbow Dash limped into view, Fluttershy helping her nurse a lump on her forehead.

“We’re…okey dokey, lokey,” Pinkie added, trotting closer. Somehow, she didn’t sound like her usual, chipper self.

“It’s going to take a few perms to get my mane back to the way it was, but other than that, I’m quite alright,” Rarity said as she strolled to join her friends.

“Okay, good, we’re all here,” Twilight said, her voice cracking. “That’s good, so…so…”

“Sugarcube?” Applejack put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Just let it out.”

“I-I’M SO SORRY GUYS!” The Element of Magic moaned, tears tinted red by the glow off her collar streaming down her cheeks. “I-I really messed up here, I let you all down!”

“Aw Twi,” Rainbow Dash said, nuzzling her friend. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Trixie’s the one who dropped back in with the Alicorn amulet.”

“Buh-buh-but, I’m the Element of Magic! I should’ve known something like this could happen again! I should’ve been ready in case…”

“It’s okay, none of us saw this coming,” Fluttershy said, looking up from tending to Rainbow’s wound.

“I know it certainly caught me by surprise,” Rarity added sheepishly.

“Yeah, and besides,” Pinkie said hopefully, “Maybe Trixie will go easy on us? She’s already removed our gags and everything.”

“You seriously…” Rainbow started, only to be silenced by a glare from her friends. “I mean…yeah! That stuff with the Amulet last time was, like, forever ago! How mad could she still be?”

The purple mare was still absolutely inconsolable, though she wasn’t outright sobbing anymore and had settled for sniffling into Applejack’s shoulder. How could she just stop feeling this terrible guilt? Even after Trixie’s first attack on Ponyville, she had done nothing to ready herself, nothing at all to prepare for the possibility that she might…

Remember: all will be explained, Luna’s voice whispered.

“Princess?” Twilight mumbled, looking around. “What…”

Suddenly, the blue mare burst through the door, her cape billowing behind her and her eyes sparking with energy. Immediately, the friends took up defensive positions, with Applejack and Rainbow Dash shoring up the front and Fluttershy cowering in the rear. Trixie stood, gazing down at the friends with a haughty look in her eye. Before anypony could react, she tapped her horn against a wall, a strange purplish glow emanating from it. “This building is now completely sealed off from the outside world. Nopony can hear or see anything that we do,” she announced after a few minutes.

“Alright, Trixie,” Dash snorted. “You wanna get to my friends, you’ll have to go through me!”

“No,” Twilight brushed her friend aside and stepped forward, a look of resignation on her face.

“Twilight!?”

“It’s me you want, isn’t it, Trixie?” The lavender unicorn asked as she trotted on. “Well, you have me. You win, okay? My friends don’t have anything to do with this, so just…”

“No, Twilight! That’s not how friendship works!” Dash quickly took the unicorn’s side, soon to be joined by the remaining Elements of Harmony.

Trixie stared, eyebrows raised. “You would all stand by your friend’s side at such a terrible time, with such danger as this?” She asked.

The Elements gazed back defiantly. Except for Fluttershy, who actually answered timidly: “Well, what kind of friends would we be if we just abandoned her?”

“Guys…” Twilight said, knowing that arguing with the five mares would almost certainly be pointless. She sniffled. “You don’t…guys…”

“Impressive,” Trixie interrupted. “Your friendship is even stronger than Trixie had imagined. We will need to use that if this is to work.”

The six ponies stared at her, the defiant looks giving away to curiosity. “I-if what is to work?” Twilight asked shakily.

“The things Trixie…I am about to show you cannot be allowed to leave this room. Thousands of lives may depend on it.”

“Huh?” Applejack asked, thrown off-guard.

Immediately, Trixie seized the distraction to grab Pinkie in a bubbling aura of her magic, levitating her off her hooves. “PINKIE!” Her friends screamed as the Element of Laughter was suddenly and violently thrown against the floor, the boards cracking beneath her body with the force of the blow.

“NO!” Twilight gasped, a sob escaping her throat.

“You jerk!” Rainbow screamed as she charged, “You evil, monstrous…”

“WOOH! That was fun! Can I ride again!?” The Element of Laughter chimed, seemingly unfazed by the brutal hit she just took.

“Buh?” Her friends all asked, staring wide-eyed at the pink mare as she promptly stood up and bounced along towards them.

“Seriously guys, you have to try that! It’s awesome!” She chimed.

“The collars act as shock absorbers: anypony wearing one cannot be harmed by physical means,” Trixie shrugged. “Just a little bonus I added, just to be safe.”

“W-Why?” Twilight stammered. “If you were going to take over Ponyville again, why would you bother with something like that?”

“As I said: the things that I am about to show you cannot be allowed to leave this room,” Trixie repeated as she stepped towards them, reaching into her cloak for a folded up piece of parchment and holding it out for Twilight. The lavender unicorn cautiously reached forward, snatching the parchment away and backing off into a corner with her friends.

“What is it, Twilight?” Fluttershy whispered as the others kept an eye on Trixie.

“It’s a letter from the Princess!” Twilight gasped as her eyes scanned the page in front of her.

“Well, poindexter, what’s it say?” Rainbow Dash hissed, still keeping a glare aimed Trixie’s way.

“Uh…I’m not sure I can read this out loud, but, hold on.” Twilight leaned around her friends’ shoulders to shout Trixie’s way: “Hey! You said this room is soundproof now, right?”

“On Trixie’s honor!”

“Okay,” confident that any secrets shared would be kept, Twilight began to read aloud:

My dearest Twilight,

If you are reading this, then Phase One has been successful and everypony in Ponyville believes themselves to be under Trixie’s power. I wish to apologize for any undue stress this incident may have caused you and your friends. Just know that this is all part of a greater design and that everything Trixie has done has been at my bidding.

I am sorry, but once again, I must ask too much of you and your friends. Equestria faces a crisis on an unprecedented level, and once more requires you six too place yourselves in mortal danger for the sake of others. I can only ask, not order, you to cooperate, but I trust that you will all do the right thing.

About two weeks ago, the Canterlot high courts received word that the leader of a local Diamond Dog den was conspiring to overthrow the government of Equestria. This rebel, known as “Wardog Shizukh” to his den, has managed to acquire an incredibly dangerous artifact, left over from a more war-like time…

“Oh my…” Twilight paused in her reading, her friends all sitting spellbound around her.

“C’mon, keep reading! We don’t have a whole lotta time!” Trixie said, hopping from one hoof to another like a little foal waiting for the bathroom.

“Okay, okay! Uh…right,” Twilight continued:

This weapon, combined with Shizukh’s highly-trained army, pose an obvious threat to the peace and harmony of the land. Fortunately, I have devised a plan utilizing each of you and your friends’ skillsets, along with Miss Lulamoon’s talents as an actress, which should see Shizukh’s army defeated and the location of the artifact discovered without bloodshed on either side. This is important, my faithful student: if we attack Shizukh’s army outright, any life lost in the battle could serve as an excuse for the rest of the dens within Equestria’s borders to rise up, destroying the fragile peace that has kept harmony between our races for centuries. I have entrusted Miss Lulamoon with sharing the details of this plan with you and your friends, but that is all. Shizukh’s spies could be anywhere: we cannot risk bringing more ponies into the know than necessary.

Before you accept this task, you must know the danger you will be in. Once the Dogs’ army arrives, you will be grossly outnumbered and outmatched. We have measures in place to protect the citizens of Ponyville, but to avoid detection, we cannot provide reinforcements should things go wrong or your covers be blown. In addition, you will be unable to utilize the Elements of Harmony, as we believe Shizukh has discovered a way to detect them. Maintaining the illusion that will allow us to trap his army will thus require you, your friends, and Miss Lulamoon to be on your own, almost completely defenseless should the ruse be discovered.

Remember: capture Shizukh, immobilize his army, and above all, discover the location of the artifact. We absolutely cannot risk such a powerful device falling into the wrong hooves.

Good luck, my faithful student. I have the utmost faith in you and your friends. I know you won’t let Equestria down.

With Love and Harmony,

Princess Celestia

“All will be explained,” Twilight mused, hardly able to believe her eyes. The six friends sat in the corner, dumbfounded.

“That…that has to be a fake, right?” Rainbow asked. “I mean, this is insane! Like the plot to a bad movie!”

“Or fanfic,” Pinkie chimed in.

Twilight just shook her head. “See this seal?” She asked, holding her hoof up to the intricate insignia at the top of the parchment. “It’s impossible to fake. It can only be made with a stamp that Princess Celestia has on her at all times. This letter’s real.”

“Ohmygosh!” Rainbow Dash gasped, her eyes shimmering with excitement. “It’s just like we’re in a Daring-Do book!”

“Now before we go gettin’ all excited, we should ask ourselves…” Applejack said, raising a hoof for calm.

“What’s this at the bottom here?” Pinkie interrupted, squinting at the letter.

“Huh?” Twilight asked, studying the letter. “Woah, it’s an extra bit I didn’t notice before!”

She cleared her throat and started to read again: P.S: Hey Twi, it’s your favorite Lord of Chaos! Princess Frumpybottom up there thinks she can keep me out of the loop on her little secrets, but we know better, don’t we? And to think, she was just gonna have Trixie burn this letter when you lot were done with it! Fortunately, I realized how boring that would be and added my own special touch, set to go off the moment you finish reading this...

Suddenly, the letter exploded in a burst of brown goop that covered the ponies. “Eew!” They all shrieked.

“My perm!” Rarity lamented, collapsing to the floor.

“Ugh,” the ponies all turned fearfully as Trixie stepped forward, her face completely covered in the goop. After a few tense moments, Pinkie tentatively licked a bit off her hoof.

“Chocolate sauce,” she chimed.

“Trixie could have sworn she kept the letter out of the chaotic one’s claws,” the blue unicorn sighed. “Twilight, if you could be so kind?”

“Uh, right…” the purple unicorn summoned a bit of her magic and, to her delight, watched her horn spark with power once more, cleaning the ponies of any remaining sauce. “You returned my magic?”

“Of course, and thank you,” Trixie replied with a small smile. “Now, Celestia just wanted Trixie to make sure this was perfectly clear: any one of you can back out right now. She wanted me to emphasize how dangerous this mission would be, and how deadly it could get if Shizukh uncovers our illusions too soon.”

“Plus, we’re gonna have to put our trust in you,” Rainbow Dash added coldly.

“Yes,” Trixie sighed, bowing her head. “It will also mean putting your trust in me, even after all that Trixie has done to you.”

The six all looked at each other, obviously unsure. “Does the Princess have a backup plan?” Twilight asked.

“Yes: attack Shizukh’s army directly, and pray that one of his underlings will give us the location of the artifact, while also praying that the Diamond Dog dens will be open to more diplomatic methods and won’t all immediately rebel upon hearing of the battle.”

“That’s a whole lotta prayer,” Applejack said, sounding unsure.

“Not to mention all the ponies and dogs that could be hurt if the Diamond Dogs DO decide to rebel,” Rarity added.

“Listen,” Trixie said, removing her hat to show the pleading look in her eyes. “Trixie can give you all the reasons in the world to trust her. She can show you the changes she’s made in her life and in the way she deals with other ponies, but she has a feeling that just wouldn’t work. So, Trixie is asking you, from the bottom of my Great and Apologetic heart, please trust me. Please? If not for Trixie, then for the sake of Equestria?”

Surprisingly enough, Fluttershy was the first to step forward and take Trixie’s hoof. “O-okay,” she stammered.

“Fluttershy!?” Her friends gasped.

“Well, I-I couldn’t live with myself if somepony got hurt because I was a little scared,” she replied, still averting her friends’ gaze.

“You know, that is a very good point,” Rarity promptly trotted up to the pair and daintily stuck her hoof next to Fluttershy’s and Trixie’s.

“Well shoot, if Flutters an’ Rares got the guts, what’s it say ‘bout me if Ah don’t go on?” Applejack said, smiling as she placed her hoof next to the other three.

“And hey, when it’s all over, we can have a ‘You’re Not Enslaved’ party for the entire town!” Pinkie chimed, slamming her hoof into the mix.

“Yeah, Ah’m sure they’ll love that,” AJ mumbled and turned to the remaining two ponies.

Twilight swallowed. “The Princess has faith in me,” she muttered, shakily placing her hoof next to her friends’. “I’ve never let her down before.”

“And then there was one,” Rarity sighed, turning to Rainbow Dash. The teal pegasus snorted and glared at Trixie, who promptly tucked her hat low to avoid eye contact.

“Dash?” AJ asked, sensing her friend’s hurt pride. A part of her was still sore from Trixie’s display earlier. “Y’know we ain’t complete withoutcha.”

The pegasus glared at the other six ponies, who flashed her the biggest, saddest, puppy-dog eyes they could muster. Everypony knew there was only one way the night was going to end: with a cyan hoof next to theirs. It just took Rainbow Dash awhile to accept it as well. “Aw shoot, fine,” she grumbled, placing her hoof in the cluster. “I’m in too.”

“Guys,” Trixie said, obviously swallowing a lump in her throat, “this is all…”

She was interrupted by the cyan hoof smashing across her jaw, laying her out over the floor. “RAINBOW!” Her friends gasped.

“Ugh,” Trixie moaned as she scraped herself off the ground, trying to stomach the geyser of blood erupting from her mouth. She turned on the six suddenly, her eyes glowing with power and rage, red lightning bolts crackling from her body. “You DARE strike the Great and Powerful…”

She interrupted herself as the other ponies backed away fearfully. Immediately, the unicorn backed off, her voice dropping to a low murmur. “Um…sorry. I meant the Great and Apologetic Trixie. That was very rude, Rainbow Dash.”

“Huh,” Rainbow cocked an eyebrow before offering her hoof with a smile. “Not bad, Trix. Guess you really have changed.”

“You know Trixie will have to get you back,” Trixie said, smiling cockily as Rainbow helped her back to her hooves.

“Looking forward to it, oh Great and Powerless one.”

The remaining ponies breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, now that that’s settled,” Twilight said, clapping her hooves together. “What’s our Great and Powerful plan to take down this ‘Shizukh’ guy?”

“Quite simple, Miss Sparkle,” Trixie replied, hiding her reddening cheeks at Twilight’s reference to her favorite quote. “We use the Elements of Harmony to scare him into giving us what we want.”

The other ponies rolled their eyes. “Um, Trix? Have y’all forgotten th’ Princess specifically told us we couldn’t use th’ Elements in her letter?” AJ asked.

“Hmph,” Trixie tossed her mane and grinned mischievously. “Apparently, you lot have forgotten who you’re talking to. They won’t be the REAL Elements; they’ll just look like them.”

“Dear Sweet Celestia,” Twilight gasped. “To do that, you’d need one amazing plan, and somepony with the know-how to pull it off. Somepony who had some experience in pulling off illusions and special effects, somepony like…”

“…Like Trixie!” Pinkie beamed, cartwheeling away from the rest of her friends to wrap her forelegs around the blue mare.

“Um…yes, that’s the main reason Celestia came to Trixie with this task,” Trixie replied, trying to wrench herself free of Pinkie’s hug. “Trixie is the best one to…okay, is there any way to get the pink one off!?”

“Not that we’ve found,” Applejack sighed. “Just let ‘er be, she’ll leggo eventually.”

“So,” Rainbow Dash said, grinning as she pulled on an imaginary pair of shades. “What’s the first step in this super-secret plan of yours?”

“Well,” Trixie replied, still trying to wriggle free of Pinkie’s grip. “That would be finding replacements for all of you. Ponies to play the Elements of Harmony while you guys sneak around, pulling off other parts of the plan.”

“Umm…okay,” AJ thought for a while. “Truth be told, Ah always thought Bon-Bon could look like me if she, y’know, let ‘er hair down or somethin’.”

“And if Bon-Bon’s coming along, we’ll have to bring Lyra too,” Twilight said. “She can probably do a decent impression of me.”

“Well, um, if we have to use somepony in town, I think Derpy could copy me,” Fluttershy said quietly.

“Cloudchaser!” Rainbow Dash said almost immediately. “She’s the only pony in town who’s ever come close to keeping up with me!”

“I do suppose Colgate might be able to imitate me,” Rarity said thoughtfully. “The little dahling has always taken care of her smile, if only she would do the same for her mane…”

“Mr. Cake!” Pinkie interrupted, finally releasing Trixie. “Mr. Cake could totally do me!”

Ignoring the double entendre, the ponies all stared at her. “Um, Pinkie? Mr. Cake is a stallion.” Twilight said.

“Well, duh! I know that!”

“Dahling, could you perhaps think of somepony different? Another Earth pony, perhaps a mare?” Rarity asked hopefully.

Pinkie folded her forelegs stubbornly across her chest. “Mr. Cake is the only pony that has my build and my love for candy. It’s him or nopony.”

“Ugh, fine, whatever,” Trixie sighed. “The sooner we can get these ponies in here, the sooner we can start making them look like you all.”

“Then what’re we waiting for?” Rainbow Dash said, preparing to race outside. “We’ve gotta get…”

“Not so fast,” Trixie said, raising a hoof. “Everypony thinks you are all Trixie’s prisoners, remember?”

“Oh yeah,” Rainbow said, slumping to the floor.

“Then how’re we gonna get these ponies in here? We don’t have all night, an’ it’s not like you know where t’go find ‘em all,” Applejack asked Trixie.

“Well, Trixie has an idea for that, but,” the blue mare sighed. “It’s not very pleasant, and she hesitates to try it.”

“Well g’wan! Spit it out!”

Trixie took a deep breath before she continued. “Before she left Canterlot, Trixie was taught a certain spell that the Princess believed would come in handy. It’s a healing spell, usually used to delve into the mind of somepony to help them deal with an emotional trauma.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “I’ve heard of it: the Hypnotico Crucialus. It was banned and labeled as black magic in most medical circles because of what it could be used for.”

“Oh, of course she knows it,” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes.

Ignoring her friend’s rudeness, Twilight continued. “The Hypnotico Crucialus was banned after somepony discovered it could be used to place a pony in a complete hypnotic trance, rendering most of the frontal lobe inoperable and leaving them highly open to outside suggestion.”

“In English, poindexter.”

“She’s trying to say that it could be used to control somepony,” Trixie said. “The Hypnotico Crucialus can be tweaked to leave a pony in a weird trance, rendering them completely under the power of whoever casts it.”

The room fell silent again. “Are you serious!? That’s the plan!?” Rainbow Dash bellowed.

“That s-sounds scary,” Fluttershy added.

“How can ya expect us t’leave ya totally in control of our noggins!?” Applejack yelled.

“Trixie knows, Trixie knows! It sounded like a terrible idea in the first place,” Trixie said defensively. “That’s why she figured it would be better for you all to just ACT like you’re under her power! That way, you can sneak around town without worrying about giving the ruse away!”

The other ponies averted her gaze almost immediately, except for Applejack, who kept looking quizzically at her friends. “Ooh, acting,” Rarity said, biting her lip as she gazed worriedly at her orange friend.

“What?” Applejack asked.

“I dunno how well acting would work for us,” Pinkie said, stealing a glance at Applejack.

“Seriously, what is it? Why’re y’all lookin’ at me?”

“Now Applejack,” Twilight replied, placing a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “You’re a great pony, an incredible friend, and a testament to the integrity of the entire Apple family. Thing is, your acting…it…uh…”

“It’s terrible!” Pinkie shouted.

“Well, I didn’t want to put it that roughly, but yes. You can’t act worth beans.”

“What’re y’all talkin’ about? What’s wrong with m’actin’?”

“It’s true, Applejack,” Rarity said. “Dahling, I’ve seen foals in kindergarten plays that could act better than you.”

“Now hold on!” Applejack said stubbornly, brushing Twilight’s hoof aside. “Don’t y’all think yer exaggeratin’ a bit?”

“Yeah,” Trixie said, oddly coming to the Earth pony’s defense. “She has a point, girls! Nopony can be THAT bad, right?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Why don’t we just let her show you herself. Applejack, could you please give us your best impression of a mare in a hypnotic trance?”

“Gladly,” the Earth pony said, stomping her hoof. A frown came over her face as she plunged deep into thought.

“Well?”

“Hold on, hold on, Ah’m thinkin’ how Ah’m gonna do this, uh…” after a while, AJ shrugged and dipped her head low. “Just gotta get into character...”

She stood up straight. “OOOoooohhhhh,” she groaned, her eyes rolling around in her sockets as she toddled along with her legs stiff. “Trixie has done put a spell on meeee…y’all better run! Oooooohhhhh…”

Giggling, Pinkie promptly hopped up to her friend and jabbed her in the ribs. “Ow!” AJ twisted towards her friend, eyes shooting venom. “Pinkie, what in tarnation…Ah mean, OOOoOohhhhhhhhh…”

“Okay, stop. Just, stop.” Trixie said massaging her temples.

“How’d Ah do?” AJ asked, looking at her hopefully.

Trixie glared back. “Trixie has a migraine now. Do you understand what that means? It means your acting was SO bad, it is now causing Trixie physical pain.”

“Aw, what!? C’mon guys, it wasn’t…”

“And you broke character when Pinkie touched you,” Rarity said. “Dahling, what do you think will happen if you do that when this Shizukh brute appears?”

“Ah’ll…uh…” Applejack sighed dejectedly. “Well, shoot. Ah’m sorreh, everypony.”

“It’s okay, Applejack,” Fluttershy said comfortingly. “We can’t all be great actresses.”

“You know, you don’t have to participate,” Trixie shrugged. “You can just hang back here. We can probably get this done with just five ponies.”

“Naw,” Applejack shook her head fiercely. “There’s no way Ah’m lettin’ m’friends go out an’ risk their lives without me.”

“Are you sure? Because Trixie really can’t do this without your permission. The Hypnotico Crucialus only works if the pony it’s being used on is perfectly willing. They have to want to be hypnotized. Otherwise, their natural mental defenses will cause the spell to fail.”

“Yeah,” Applejack nodded. “Ah’m sure.”

“And if Applejack is going through with it, I am too!” Dash barked, sailing to her friend’s side.

“Pinkie too! Pinkie too!” The pink Earth pony bounded to the others’ sides.

And just like that, the remaining three joined their friends, hugging each other close. “Now hold on everypony, this ain’t…” Applejack started.

“Now, don’t you start,” Twilight said sternly. “This is our choice too.”

“Wha- you all want Trixie to put you in a trance!?” Trixie gasped.

“Applejack shouldn’t have to go through it alone,” Fluttershy said.

“Besides, this’ll leave less room for error,” Twilight shrugged. “If we’re all hypnotized, none of us will break character when it really matters.”

“You guys,” Trixie sniffled. “This is so…that is so…”

“Okay, don’t be gettin’ soft on us now,” Rainbow said, swooping over her friends’ heads to deliver a swift noogie to the blue mare’s head. “We’ve still got a long way to go before we can start with the group hugs.”

“Right,” Trixie smiled as the pegasus rejoined her friends and they all huddled together. “Is everypony ready?”

“Go for it!”

“Eee-yup!”

“I-I guess so…”

“Dahling, I was born ready.”

“Light it up, Trixie! I’ve always been curious as to how a hypnotic trance feels!”

“Ooh! Ooh! Before you fire, couldja slam me around a few more times? That was seriously so much fun!”

“PINKIE!” The Element of Laughter’s friends laughed before a brilliant red light enveloped them all. The laughter stopped almost instantly. Trixie stood back, a bit of smoke drifting off her horn. The Hypnotico Crucialus had taken quite a bit of power, which combined with the effort of maintaining the barrier and the collars all around Ponyville to put a huge drain on her magic, even with the Amulet’s power augmenting her own.

Panting heavily, she asked: “Well? Did it work?”

“Did what work, Mistress?” Fluttershy asked robotically, her eyes wide and glowing red along with the rest of her friends’. The six ponies stood perfectly erect, all ramrod straight.

“Trixie is going to take that as a yes. Alright,” Trixie said, sighing with relief. Time to get down to business. “Pinkie, I wish for you to bring the ponies known as the Cakes back here.”

“Yes, mistress,” the pink mare replied before bowing and trotting out the door. A shiver travelled up Trixie’s spine. The cold tone in the mare’s voice just seemed so unnatural, especially coming from Pinkie.

“Uh…Rarity, I want you to retrieve the pony known as Colgate.”

“Yes, dahling mistress,” the white unicorn bowed elegantly before following her friend. So the spell didn’t completely wipe a pony’s personality. That was nice to know.

“Fluttershy, you’ve got Derpy!”

“Of course, mistress.”

“Miss Applejack, retrieve the ponies known as Lyra and Bon-Bon.”

“Yes, m’mistress.”

“And Rainbow Dash,” Trixie bit her lip in thought for a while. Suddenly, a wicked grin spread across her face. The Amulet began to pulse with an eerie red glow. “Give Miss Sparkle a nice big kiss. On the lips. Don’t stop until I tell you to.”

“Nngh…yes, mistress,” Rainbow said, initially resisting before the spell took total effect. The pegasus walked up to her lavender friend and took her face in her hooves, slowly advancing, Twilight not even resisting as her friend pulled her in, her lips quivering as they delicately touched.

Trixie glowered evilly, the amulet around her neck glowing brighter and brighter as she watched. This was just as it should be. Nopony should dare stand against the Great and Powerful Trixie and…

This isn’t you, little one.

Suddenly, the Amulet’s glow weakened. Trixie blinked and watched in horror at what she had done, the wicked glint instantly abandoning her eyes. “NO! Uh…stop! Stop now, please!”

“Yes, mistress,” Rainbow Dash said, releasing her friend, who smacked her lips unconsciously.

Another shiver raced up Trixie’s spine. “Just…get Cloudchaser and get back here, okay?”

“Of course, mistress,” the pegasus bowed before making her exit, leaving the blue and the lavender unicorn alone in the Town Hall’s lobby. Trixie’s hooves shook, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes as she clutched at the Amulet. ‘It’s getting stronger,’ she realized. No, not yet! She still had so much to do! She couldn’t…

“Mistress?” Twilight asked, regarding the blue mare with her blank, staring, red eyes. “What would you have me do?”

“Uh,” Trixie stammered, trying to regain her senses. She just had to focus. She could do this. The Amulet hadn’t taken her mind just yet. “Well, first off…” The Amulet around her neck flickered once, and the red hue disappeared from Twilight’s eyes.

“Wha…” the violet unicorn mumbled, swaying on her hooves. Trixie was at her side almost immediately.

“The Princess mentioned there could be dizziness for anypony leaving the trance. Just have to be careful about that.”

“Oh-okay,” Twilight yawned, still leaning on Trixie for support as she looked around. “Wait, where is everypony? And-and why do I have the taste of Peppermint-flavored cider in my mouth?”

“Tha-that’s a side-effect of the spell, I’m sure,” Trixie said, laughing nervously. “As for everypony else, they’re still out gathering their replacements.”

“Okay, um,” the lavender unicorn looked at Trixie in confusion. “What’s going on then?”

“Funny you should ask that,” Trixie grinned. “Trixie needs your help making something.”

Author's Notes:

Be honest, how many of y'alls heads just went boom?