The Alter Accords

Chapter Nineteen: Amulet and Ambition Vs Talent and Friendship.

The soft hum of magic was in the air as Twilight used a Transcribe Spell on her quill, parchment, and inkwell so that she could fully concentrate on this task. Giving a few test words and sounds voice she checked to see if the spell was operating correctly, seeing that it was she removed the test paper and tossed it away into a nearby trash can.

Holding up her hoof she gave a soft cough to clear her throat before starting. “This is Twilight Sparkle, resident of Ponyville, personal student to Celestia, and holder and wielder of the Element of Magic, interviewing the prisoner currently locked away in high security under Celestia’s word.” Looking to the bug pony she continued. “Prisoner, if you will, please state your name and occupation for the record.”

Chrysalis just rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance but pulled herself into a dignified stance before speaking. “I am Chrysalis, a Changeling of the royal caste and my former occupation was Queen of my hive. However I am currently exiled and cannot return under penalty of death from Pu-ahem Queen Pupa.”

Giving a moment for the spell to catch up Twilight continued. “Tell the record, why were you exiled and why is it there is a new Queen and about the new queen.”

Chrysalis looked a little more downtrodden then before, something that even Twilight felt bad about. “I had failed to secure a source of magical sustenance for my hive, the takeover of Canterlot for those that do not remember. So my troops defeated, we had escaped the clutches of the guard, not that they are very good at what they do.” Chrysalis smirked at Twilight’s agitated face. “It was a long trek, so long in fact that only half of my troops remind with me at the end, the other half either completely abandoned myself and the hive, or died as they ran out of magic to sustain them.” Twilight looked less angry hearing about the death as she knew no pony deserved to starve to death no matter who or what they were. “When my troops and I had come home, somehow word had spread ahead of us of the failure, most likely from our spy lines. As such Pupa, former Princess and my daughter, along with some of my more...ambitious scientist and nobles decided to side with her and consolidate their power in the hive making her the new Queen, though I am not sure if she truly holds the power or if she is just a figure head.”

“Y-your own daughter did this?” Twilight couldn’t believe what she heard. ‘What kind of daughter would do that, it would be like if…I don’t know if I kicked mom out of the kitchen to take over the cooking.’

Nodding sadly the ex-Queen continued. “My troops had to vow loyality to the new regime, if they didn’t, they were exiled on the spot, and those that tried to speak up about the travesty that she was committed were executed in the main court for all to see.” Chrysalis sighed for a moment at the loss of those loyal to her. “I was given the same option more or less, the only difference is my choices were exile or execution, there was no chance for me to swear loyalty, not that I would. I choose to leave, however I still maintain contact with the hive via some of my spies, and what they tell me is disturbing.” Shuddering for a moment she regained herself and continued. “Pupa is…a whorse, plain and simple, she wants power, she wants riches, she wants to be worshiped and taken care of. If she somehow things somepony isn’t doing their best to give her the adoration she deserves she punishes them. I had often come back to her room to find the guards about to, or having just finished, executing a servant in the palace just because they had bumped into her, or failed to apologize ‘sincerely’ enough for her. She is a monster, and I blame myself for being too caught up in the magical food shortage to correct her behavior.”

Twilight didn’t want to ask but she had to, both to satisfy her own curiosity and to state it for the record. “What are some of the things you have heard?”

The bug pony shuddered and had to close her eyes, let ponies say what they wanted about her but she did have a heart about certain things. “They are making do on the magical food front.” Twilight was about to give a snarky comeback about how new leadership worked versus what she did when Chrysalis continued. “The nobles and soldiers are pulling workers and civilians up to the castle, feeding them love poison then draining then harvesting them for food. Already a tenth of the hives population has been scarified this way. It is sickening, barbaric, and cruel beyond belief. I do not think my daughter would have come up with it herself, but I believe I know who did.”

The unicorn was in shock, she couldn’t believe what she heard, but she had to, Celestia herself said all the cells were lined with truth magic to make the prisoners here tell nothing but the truth. “That’s horrific. What sort of pony would do that?”

“It was the professor no doubt.” Chrysalis told her. Twilight wanted to ask her who that was but she volunteered the information without resistance. “He was our leading magical and scientific mind. I would dare say if was born a pony he would be greater than your Star Swirl. Well a cruel and vindictive version of him at least. Professor Adapt is brilliant to a degree that made me worried that he may seek power from me one day, turns out I suppose I was right in my suspicions. He seeks power, knowledge, and recognition more than any pony I have seen in a few hundred years.”

Magic, knowledge and even what Twilight knew didn’t stop her from asking a normally taboo thing of a mare. “How old are you?”

Chrysalis just looked at her for a moment “Really Twilight Sparkle, really? I thought your manners were better than that.” The unicorn momentarily looked ashamed of herself before getting a sort of answer. “I just became Queen of my hive when Celestia and Luna defeated Discord.”

Twilight was shocked and amazed at this revelation, she was about to reach for a quill and parchment when she realized that it was taken care of. “Ahem thank you for answering that and I do apologize for the rude question. So why did you surrender?”

“Simple, there are two reasons.” The exile told her. “The first is the guards came across me as I was traveling somewhere I thought would be safe, the guards came across me as I was traveling, and I knew if I resisted I would be killed for what I have done, so I surrendered. The second reason, defending myself would kill me when that happened, I was magically starving so even if I wanted to I couldn’t have defended myself. I didn’t even have enough strength to assume a disguise; otherwise they never would have found me.”

The magic student was about to ask her about where she was traveling but for some reason the look of hurt and suffering on Chrysalis’ face made her change her question at the last moment. “Who were you going to see?”

There was a look of fear and shock on the bug pony’s face before it became anger. “I refuse to answer any further questions.” With that she went to the back of her cell to lie down.

For a moment Twilight considered trying to ask more questions but knew she wouldn’t get any further. Canceling the Transcription Spell, she gathered up her supplies and the exchange and headed upstairs to give her report to the Princess.

The Princess herself was in the middle of dinner it seemed. “Ahh Twilight, I didn’t expect you to be done so soon. I hope Chrysalis has been forthcoming for her answers to your questions?”

Nodding and being motioned to take a seat and have dinner herself Twilight levitated the papers over to her mentor and teacher as she dug into what was there while the Princess ordered more food. For a good while there was silence as Celestia was reading the transcript and Twilight was eating, the shuffling of paper and the omnomming of food the only sounds that were heard.

Finally after the initial pangs of hunger that Twilight didn’t realize she had were sated she had to ask a question that was bothering her. “How is Chrysalis being fed?”

There was a frown on Celestia’s face that quickly vanished when she realized that she was being watched, it was so quick Twilight even thought she may have been mistaken. “I myself have been feeding her, though it seems that Changelings do not need much food, they only need a magical feeding maybe once to twice a week, though I suspect its closer to two to three if they used their abilities regularly.”

This brought a frown to the students face as she spoke. “How can you do that, stand it I mean?”

“Twilight.” The Princess spoke in that tone that told Twilight she was about to tell her a truth she needed to know. “The feeding process of a Changeling isn’t painful, it is the opposite actually, when a Changeling feeds they cause a feed back of that love the pony holds to be remembered and felt again, making it so during the feeding all that is felt is remembered love for somepony. Plus if she isn’t fed that would be the same as if a pony drained all their magic from their system, it would cause their mana well to shut down and kill them.”

Twilight managed to look properly ashamed for a moment before looking up to her mentor. “Celestia, she mentioned she was trying to head to a safe place. Do you think there is a place in Equestria that would let her do that? Also it seemed she was heading to somepony as well, do you think there are other Changelings hiding out in Equestria?”

This time the look on her teachers face was clear, it was one of contemplation and of uncertainty. “I do, the path we intercepted her on was clear. She was heading to a small town, more of a village or a hamlet really that houses a small number of ponies.”

Twilight felt a sense of relief at that. “Oh good for a moment there I thought we didn’t know where she was heading. Now we can search this small town and find the Changeling in hiding.”

“Twilight…” Celestia called to her student as she started to build up on a rant.

“Then all we have to do is ask why that town would be a safe place, and what the plans are when Chrysalis arrived and-” Twilight wanted to continue but was stopped as she felt a wing drape over her.

“Twilight.” The Princess said a look of sadness on her face. “The place she was heading was Ponyville.”

The unicorn’s eyes went wide with her shock. “That means…”

The Alicorn just nodded slowly. “Yes, there is a Changeling in Ponyville.”

“Princess I have to-” Before she could ask to head back home to find out who it is, there was a distinctive green fired ash floating before Celestia that quickly turned into a scroll. “Is that from Spike?”

Celestia opened up the scroll smiling. “I do so love reading the friendship reports from you and your fr-” Her smile changed to a worried expression. “Twilight it is for you. I will prepare a chariot for you to return to Ponyville.”

Taking the scroll in her magic she began to read it to herself. ‘Twilight, Trixie has come back, she is more powerful than ever and is controlling Star no one can seem to do anything we need you back now Twi.’ Closing up the scroll she looked towards where the chariot pool was. “I am on my way Spike.”

Lego sighed at his friends not cause they couldn’t do anything to help him, but because they were trying despite what they wanted to do not helping, which was getting him to move from in front of the door of which Trixie was sleeping just behind. It didn’t help that he had three times had to get out of their grasp cause of the compulsion that Trixie had put on him.

“I am telling you all, no matter how many times you pull me away I have to come back here, the geas that she has casted on me makes it impossible for me to disobey.” He told them again for the seventh time as he walked back to the spot the stage mare had pointed to. “Trust me, I really don’t want to be here, but the penalties for disobeying a geas are not really all that enjoyable.”

“Dear, it can’t be all that bad, do you really want to obey her Lego?” Rarity had asked of him.

He shuddered for a moment and tasted copper and went to open his mouth, however the instant he opened his mouth his throat constricted, he really did want to tell them, but those under a geas cannot tell them what it he was told to do, nor could he tell them what the penalty was. ‘Plus would you really want to tell them? It would make them feel bad for the few times they got you to move from the spot? Not to mention that other thing.’

‘A slave geas and a hex are nothing new that we haven’t lived through, it’s just this time the hex is more thought out.’ Lego mused to his other self that was currently up and about.

When Trixie had quickly overpowered him in his earth pony form, Lego quickly found him, and by extension his brothers, bound with the slave geas to Trixie not to mention as a nice twisted bonus she put a stronger version of the name hex on him.

‘Each time any creature says a name we recognize it causes us real pain, and the twist is we are unable to communicate that we are hexed in this way, nor can we tell any being that we are being harmed by names we recognize.’ The unicorn had explained again to him. ‘Doesn’t matter the exhaustion from changing three times today as well as battling, the hex damage, and the geas damage from when we are moved, I honestly don’t know if our body can take that much more before it just gives.’

It was true; Lego knew, even with his body with the most stamina of the three, that he was running on fumes and if it wasn’t for the geas constantly making him obey Trixie he would have passed out.

“Lego?” The red earth pony was brought out of his musings by a worried voice of a certain farm mare.

He gave her a curious look and he wouldn’t lie, it took a tad bit for him not to give her a cold look for the hurt she was putting Velox through. “What is it Applejack?”

Her hoof would shuffle around on the ground for a moment, anypony around, which only was he and five of the elements currently, could tell that she was nervous about something. “Can ah talk to Velox?”

Lego felt his mask slip only for a fraction of a second to one of intense cold; luckily it seemed no pony noticed before he sighed. “Sorry Applejack I can’t.”

The orange mare looked surprised as did a few of her friends. “Why, in tarnation, not?”

For a moment he contemplated telling her about his limits again but he couldn’t, he didn’t want to as this was the mare that had hurt his brother and by an extension part of himself and thus he found himself using a rarely used emotion in most of ponykind: spite. “Cause he is leaving Applejack.” It got the reaction he wanted, that wide eyed fear that made a tiny part of him upset with at his self but not enough to matter right now. “Because of what you told him he feels he has nothing left, he has no desire to be an individual anymore and has retreated to his own corridor in our mind to fade away, he won’t even talk to us. When he does, honestly I may not be that far behind, I play the middle pony and voice of reason for these two. However he isn’t merging, he is vanishing, which means that when I merge back he will be gone, there will be no aspect of him left and chances are our merged form will be a different pony then what you all met before, a combination of myself and Novo.”

The spite had ran itself out nearly after the first sentence, both because of the look on the pony’s face before him as well as the fact that he didn’t realize how unhappy he was about how it was going to turn out. “No…”

It was the only word that left the apple mare before her legs went out from under her and she hit the ground belly first with tears in her eyes. Honestly she wasn’t the only one; the others had tears in their eyes as well hearing about the split pony’s future merger.

‘Better start paying attention, I hear a pony’s hooves clopping up in a gallop to our right.’ Novo alerted him just in time for him to see Twilight come swooping in for a hug.

“Thank Celestia you are all right.” Twilight said, Spike right on her metaphorical heels. For a moment Lego thought that Twilight maybe held on for a second too long but mused it must have been a trick of his mind as she let go and looked towards everyone. “Is everypony alright? I already checked to see if Spike was ok but what about you all?”

The sad tears from earlier turned to happy ones as the magic element had joined them, well most of the tears. “Quite alright/I’m okie dokie loki/Of course/I’m alright/…Ah’m ok sugarcube.”

Lego shrugged as it was the best he could do to say no without being stopped. “Alright what is going on, how did you get Lego out of Trixie’s control?”

Twilight’s questions were simple to answer, the first being a recap of how the show mare ran into Lego on the road to Ponyville, lost when they fought and was put under her control, followed by showing up and showing up other ponies. The fight that happened after that forced the five other elements to fight Lego and Novo, though the part that made Twilight frown was the fact that Novo and Lego’s mind is under their control. They didn’t mention the conversation that Lego shared with them about vanishing, though he suspected that they would when Ponyville wasn’t in trouble.

“So your mind is your own, but you are forced to do as she asks.” The unicorn mage asked of him only for him to nod. “Tell me, you can’t disobey, or can you but there is a punishment.” Inwardly he smiled though his face showed pain as when he tried to tell her she hit it on the head the pain closed his voice. “Lego its ok you don’t have to tell me. You are under a geas, which means you have no choice but to obey her or you are punished and if I am guessing the punishment is pain. A Slave Geas.”

Rarity took this moment to chime in. “If I recall my lessons in magic and history, weren’t the use of Geas’ outlawed and the one that pulls up the worst punishment the one you mentioned: The Slave Geas?”

Twilight nodded quickly though her face was one of great sadness at this misuse of both ponies and magic. “Yes cause it forces the its cast on to obey the one who casted it for their life or till they are release, or they will die from the pain when they aren’t doing as they asked. It is a horrible spell.”

A gasp came from the quiet Fluttershy as she seemed to realize something. “That means when we were pulling you away from your spot here it caused you pain?”

He wanted to tell them yes, but was unable to, instead he had to settle for a shrug. “Maybe.”

“He can’t talk about it Fluttershy, a Slave Geas prevents the one who has it from telling others that he has it and that he is punished, it was made sure slaves couldn’t get help from others to free them.” Twilight turned to Lego and quickly cast a diagnostic spell and cringed at what she found. “We need to remove that spell from you soon, as well as get you to a hospital; you have some minor internal bleeding not life threatening right now but it could be if left untreated.”

Ignoring the gasps of his friends he kept his attention on Twilight. “Sadly we can’t worry about that now. Right now we have to worry about Trixie, once she wakes up and knows you’re here she will wreck everything for her rematch with you, and with that amulet she is pretty unstoppable right now.”

“Amulet?” The curiosity was clearly heard but Lego couldn’t afford to get her distracted right now.

“Twilight, for now head to the library, I know you have a lot of research books there.” Lego made sure to look her in the eyes and give her the most serious look he could. “Right now we have no clue how that thing works, as such I can give you no advice, for all we know that thing could destroy the world, or is just a relic from days past. Find out what it is and how to stop it…besides, it is not like I am going anywhere. Now go, quickly!”

He watched as all of his friends ran away to the library and the earth pony could hear a sigh inside his head. ‘Research that will take a few hours at least, what do you make our chances is of actually living to see another day?’

‘Sorry, Velox is the one who is the hopeful one, I am the realist.’ He told his inner unicorn.

Another sigh and a cough could be heard in the back. ‘I would suggest trying to keep the pain from your mind as much as you can so you can focus on figuring something out, it’s what you are good at. I just wish…nothing never mind.’

Fluttershy, quiet and…well shy. However she was one of the more observant of her friends, she just never spoke up about what she observed a lot of the time. Now though she felt she must, she absolutely had to-

“Fluttershy mind moving for a moment I need to look at the bookcase behind you.” Came the boyish voice of the young dragon surprising her out of her thoughts and making her jump with a squeak.

-wait at least five more minutes before talking with her friend with what was on her mind. ‘Come on Fluttershy, you can do this, it is very important and something no other pony seems to see.’

The soft spoken Pegasus noticed it because she was very empathic to others, she could feel when they were happy or sad, she knew that Applejack was hurting beyond belief right now and she really wanted to talk to her about it. Then there was the Star problem, she had noticed it several times since Trixie had come to town with Star in tow. Something wasn’t right, every time his name was called something happened to him and it wasn’t right.

‘Oh I wish Angel-bunny was here, I could tell him what I need to and he could help me make up my mind on who to talk to first, oh what would he say.’ Fluttershy’s imagination went back to her modest cottage, it was filled with animals and there was Angel on the table tapping his foot and squeaking and chittering at her impatiently. ‘Oh Angel-bunny is right, I have to take care of what I can now and worry about the rest later. Right now I can talk to Applejack and help soothe her mind.’

Speaking of orange farm mare, she was nowhere in the main lobby of the tree but then knew the mare, Fluttershy knew where she was. Walking outside and around the tree towards the thicker part away from the lobby she found her, on her belly head resting on her arms and tears running down her face.

“Do you want to talk about it? That is if it is alright with you?” Fluttershy made her voice quieter than normal, a marvel of a feat considering how normally tiny her voice could already become.

She watched as AJ was surprised for a moment and tried to wipe her tears but it was pretty obvious that they kept coming and wouldn’t stop. “Ah…ah…ah killed ‘em Shy.”

Anytime the words kills or death would be muttered the Pegasus would squeak and try to hide normally, and while the first did happen she held her ground as she needed to know what her friend meant. “I, I am sorry. I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Sitting down next to the cowmare she put a wing over her for comfort. “Lego said that Velox was tryin’ to fade away that he had no reason to exist anymore. If he stops existin’ isn’t that the same as dyin’? If so that means the reason he is dyin’ is cause of me. It is the same as me killin’ him.”

Here it was, the moment Fluttershy knew if she said the wrong thing it would mean she would fail her friend, a thought that was nearly as scary as an adult dragon, but then…hadn’t she faced that as well? “I-it just means that you have to save him right? I mean if you think it’s your fault that it’s happening this way; it means you have to save him.”

Gulping after finishing that sentence the Pegasus was shaking on the inside, hoping that she didn’t say the wrong thing so when Applejack suddenly got up she squeaked and hid behind her mane. “You’re right Shy. Like any good cowpony worth her bits she has to buck up and get back in there.” Giving the yellow pony a great big powerful hug she smiled. “Thank you Shy, you are a great friend.”

Squeaking again but this time from her smile widening, Fluttershy hugged her friend back, feeling that warmth whenever she helped out her friends. “It is no trouble at all, um partner.” With that bit of humor it got them both to enjoy a good laugh.

Twilight had found the book...sort of. Really Spike had found it and had identified the item that Trixie was wearing but currently she was reading through it. “Hmm girls get over here, I think this passage sums it up pretty nicely.” Waiting for her friends to gather she waited for Fluttershy and Applejack who seemed to take the longest, she thought they may have been searching down or upstairs but no matter since they were there now. “Alright it says here ‘The Alicorn Amulet is an artifact that bestows upon its wearer untold powers that can rival any unicorns. However the more that one uses it the more they are slowly corrupted by its negative influences.’ It also goes on to say that ‘Because of a magical locking device only the one who is wearing it may remove it and that none other may remove it by force as long as that being is alive’.”

The voices of all her friends faded out quickly, Twilight knew they were talking about possible ways to overcome and remove the amulet but Twilight had to focus, focus was the key here and Lego himself said they needed to think about this and know more. “I don’t think we can do this ourselves.”

With that all ponies turned to her though it was the non-pony that spoke up. “What do you mean Twi, you are the strongest unicorn around. I mean you are Celestia’s student after all.”

She shook her head quickly. “While that is true Spike, she holds out friend’s life in her hooves, we can’t just go in there without a plan at least. We need something to give us an edge; we need to think not like a unicorn but…that’s it!”

Right away she was galloping out of her home and library with the others right behind her and calling out asking where they were heading.

They got there rather quickly, though more than a few times did Twilight have to shake the thoughts of her cursed friend. She had thought about him during the whole time being brought back by the Pegasus drawn chariot, though strangely and something she would have to think about later was the fact it was only about his earth pony form. She kept thinking about how if something were to happen to him how she wouldn’t get to talk to him anymore, pick his brain, have meaningful conversations, stare at his fl-

Thankfully her thoughts didn’t get any further than that, of which she was glad and told herself it was just because she was lonely when two of her friends had already gotten themselves with his other personalities.

Knocking on the door Zecora greeted them cheerfully like she always does when any of her friends or herself drops by to visit. “Ahh my good friends, come inside my hut and the safety it extends.” As they all went inside she started to brew up some tea for all of them. “So what brings you all here today, though judging from the looks on your faces it seems to be dismay.”

Twilight and the others told her what was going on in town and was finishing up when she was pouring tea for all of them. “Hmm this problem certainly vexing, with that mares hexing.” Sipping at her tea slowly she thought and thought and thought some more till she had an idea. “Lego was right, in that you shouldn’t attempt a head on fight. Certainly the amulet has given the show mare the edge, and if you fight you will only find yourself backed onto a ledge. At least in a fair and one on one brawl, however that isn’t the only way to do things if you recall.”

Twilight wouldn’t lie, it was enchanting to hear Zecora talk, she could do it for hours and it seemed she had that result for any pony but however she was lost now. “What do you mean?”

Zecora showed Twilight her near empty cup. “When it comes to a fair fight, the only thing you have to fear is the others bite. However in this exchange what you have to fear isn’t your own strife, but our friend’s precious life.” Rubbing her hoof over the tea she made sure to watch the zebra as she did so, not noticing the light glow her hooves, stripes, and mark gave before pulling her hoof away. “While magic can do wondrous things such as this, if you fight this Trixie this way your opportunity you will surely miss. What needs to happen here is trickery and guile, for that was once the show mare’s style.”

Twilight’s eyes as she thought. “I think I have an idea of what you are talking about, but I am going to need help.” Turning to her friends she smiled. “Girls I need you to go get your family and friends and meet me back here as quickly as you can.”

‘Any luck getting in contact with Velox?’ The earth pony asked of his other part.

He could feel the unicorn give a shake of his head. ‘Sorry I knock and knock and knock and it’s like he isn’t even there, I may as well be knocking on an empty room for all the response I am getting.’

‘Horseapples, was hoping we could all brainstorm together but, honestly I can’t think of anything that would-’ From inside he could hear a yawn and the hum of magic. ‘Time is up it seems, Trixie is awake…we are absolutely doomed to be with this family forever aren’t we?’

His other side gave no answer as the hum of magic increased and the door opened. “Ahh hello my slave Trixie sees that no pony tried to come in that means you did a passing job. Now what to do to pass the time, hmm maybe I should pay those friends of Twilight Sparkles a visit, wouldn’t she be surprised to find them all in various states thanks to her neglect. Although with the sun going down like it is she might not be able to see them in the darkness…Trixie should make it so they glow in the dark that will fix the problem.”

As she started to use her magic Lego was paying close attention to her amulet trying to think of some way to stop her even going so far as to ask Novo if he had any ideas, to which he had none. However with her right in front of him with her back to him, he had to do something.

Making his move however was the wrong one the instant he tried to dive at her he was caught in midair with a rather evil sounding giggle. “Ahh I see you still have the will to try to disobey me.” Something was wrong here, her tone had changed and he didn’t like how slightly sultry her voice was, nor the hoof running along his chest. “I think maybe I am starting to see what my sister might have seen, after I defeat Twilight Sparkle I may just keep you as a nice pet to help me…relax each and every day or maybe even right now before Sparkle gets back.”

The normally silent voice that was his mind itself started to shriek at Lego. ‘Bad touch, bad touch, bad touch!’

“Trixie!” Came the voice of a certain unicorn wearing a gaudy necklace.

“You have some rotten timing Sparkle/Thank Celestia on your timing Twilight!” Said both the show mare and the shifter at the same time.

“I have come to challenge you to a duel, if you are as powerful as you claim then prove it.” The voice of a confident Twi stated loudly. “If you win the one on one I will serve you, However if I win you will release Star and not bother anypony else again.”

Luckily for Lego he was dropped from the telekinesis just as Twilight called his name making a wave of pain flow through him that was hidden by his drop. “The Great and Powerful Trixie accepts these terms.”

Trixie started to turn towards Lego as if she planned to use him until two voices called out. “Trixie Trixie, use us Great and Powerful Trixie.”

Lego remembered them as two of the young colts in the school but didn’t remember their names. “Fine, as you wish.” The red glow intensified as she zapped them, and when the smoke cleared Novo was calling out all kinds of fouls in his head about stupid rule breaking unicorns everywhere. The smoke had cleared and there stood a foal and an old nag of two ponies that were once the young colts.

Looking to Twilight he could see her confidence wane for a moment before it came back. “That is nothing; any of the highest level unicorns can do that, watch.”

What proceeded was best left for Novo to describe as ‘BULLSHIT!’. Twilight kept flashing her magic changing various ponies from old to young, to making them play ten instruments to even changing their gender which had Novo flipping tables in their head that Lego didn’t know was there.

Trixie’s confidence seemed to vanish as she had an astonished look on her face. “How are you doing that, it’s impossible.”

‘No, bucking, KIDDING!’ Shouted Novo from inside his head almost loud enough to make him want to cover his ears.

Twilight just pointed to the gaudy gold and green necklace she was wearing. “It’s all thanks to this charm that Zecora gave me. I heard about your own Alicorn Amulet amplifying your powers, and if it’s ok for you to cheat, why not boost my own chances.”

‘Oh wait something is wrong here, isn’t that the door stop from Zecora’s place?’ Lego told his irate brother who was too upset to listen.

“Hey!” Twilight called out as a red glow snatched the amulet.

Trixie had taken the amulet and was smiling. “If I wear this I will be the most powerful unicorn in the world, even the Princesses won’t be able to-” For a moment it seemed as if she was going to take off the Amulet to replace it with that but the red glow instead intensified. “No…Trixie doesn’t need this junk, she has all the power she needs right here!” with that the amulet that she had taken from Twilight shattered as if it was a hunk of junk.

“Uh oh.” Came a few voices from around Twilight.

The unicorn in question quickly looked to where the voice came from looking shocked as Trixie started to levitate all the ponies out from their hiding spots. “I see, you thought to trick the Great and Powerful Trixie with cheap tricks? Fine, I will accept that as a…certain level of magic but not let’s get on to the real deal!”

Novo warned Lego in his head what was happening as a glow started to build up around the show mare’s horn. “TWILIGHT!”

The lavender mare seemed to recognize the spell as well as she summoned up her strongest shield just in time as the heavy ray of energy hit it. For a brief moment it looked as if the ray would do nothing to the bubble that Twilight had erected around herself, till it started to crack and buckle before finally shatter and tossing a now exhausted Twilight to the ground.

Trixie started to go over to her and smile the red in her eyes started to almost solidify even on her horn the glow was staining her horn its own red coloration. “Can you do anything else Sparkle?” With a groan Twilight just raised her head only for a few sparks to come off her horn before she collapsed again. “That is too bad, looks like I win, unless somepony else wants to challenge me?”

There was no answer, even among her friends who were suspended in the air even if they struggled with the levitation keeping them up; well there was no answer that can be heard at least. ‘Switch with me, it’s my turn.’

Lego’s eyes widen as he heard the voice. ‘Velox where have you been, we have been knocking on your door forever, why didn’t you answer?’

For a moment there was confusion in Velox as he simply answered. ‘I have been doing as you advised and exploring our head, a lot of shit out there and it’s how I found the control override, sorry about that by the way Lego, I will share it with you both later but for now move it’s my turn.’

‘Hold on there, how did you get out, I have been standing at your door forever.’ Novo asked quickly as Lego was just letting him take over.

As his form shifted and he could feel things ripping inside him, not only from being injured before switching, but for the fact it was his fourth shift of the day. ‘I just used the back door to my room. I mean just cause I am really depressed doesn’t mean I am not going to move around, thought you two knew me better than that.’

‘There is a back door?’ Came both Novo and Lego’s voice.

“Hey Great and Powerful showboat!” Velox called right away, ignoring a lot of the more…painful feelings inside and outside of him even having to close his right eye as blood was leaking from it like tears.

Trixie turned to hear the new voice and seen Velox. “Ahh I see you switched again, I have to say this form is quite athletic it seems maybe we should get back to-”

“I have a magic I know you can’t use, its Pegasus only.” Velox called only to get warnings from his brothers that he ignored. ‘Brothers, trust me, I am going to need that trust in a moment but please, just…trust me.’

The blue coated unicorn scoffed and smiled. “Oh please, tell Trixie of this spell and she will perform it.”

Velox then began to describe the current both the first and second forms of it. “If you can do that, right here, right now to its fullest, I will admit you are the strongest and submit to you willing, however if you cannot that means you will let me go as well as my friends.”

Laughing Velox watched as the glow surrounded Trixie as moisture started to gather rapidly. ‘Velox you just gave her a big weapon, what are you-’

‘TRUST ME!’ Velox told them again even as the water changed in a stroke of red lightning. “Well Trixie you did it, problem is now I have won.”

The red glowing form of Trixie looked suspicious at him. “What do you mean?”

“The second version of the Current is a double edged sword. It gives a lot of power speed and reaction time, however it consumes more than a lot of mana from its user, not only that but if you stop using it, the recoil will stop your heart…its over Trixie, you will soon burn up all your power as you have no way to channel the magic out of you now.”

Velox got warnings in his head just as Trixie chuckled. “You must be the dumb form if you think that, did you forget Trixie is a unicorn?” as she said that the lightning began to fade as it all started to ball up at the tip of her horn. “You know, for trying to kill the Great and Powerful Trixie, she thinks you should be destroyed yourself, and Trixie was so looking forward to using you in her bedroom. Good bye you fool.”

With that she let loose a beam of destructive power as Velox smirked. “NOW!” he shouted both inside his head and out loud extending his wings.

The beam struck and there was a plume of smoke from where it had struck, his friends who were watching cried out as he was seemingly struck down…only to gasp as the smoke cleared and he was in the current for his lightning form as well as it tracing back up to strike Trixie’s horn.

“What are you doing? How are you doing it?” Trixie said shaking her head as if somehow to stop him from doing whatever it was he was doing.

Velox could feel his body rejecting itself for what he was doing, but it didn’t matter. “Simple, you used lightning as a conduit there for your magic, level two absorbs lightning and uses it from the air, since you attached it to your magic however we are now connected, however it’s all in your horn while mine is all over. Mine will drain you dry and I suspect it will drain that amulet first. However if you want to life remove the Amulet and I will stop this.”

His brothers in his mind were screaming as well as his own voice inside his head as their body rejected the feel of Trixie’s magic that it was absorbing, he could already feel some of his channels popping and bursting.

Trixie was also screaming as her magic was leaving her, well the artificial power first, the red glow from her magic slowly fading. “I-I…what am I doing, why am I doing it. No…I don’t want this!” Trixie called out loudly as she tore off the Alicorn amulet.

Velox stopped pulling from her and smiled as he looked over his body, the red glow from the Alicorn amulet infused in his own lightning from how much power he had absorbed. He had so much power in him at this moment both from what he absorbed and the combined powers of his brothers his eyes were glowing.

‘Velox release the magic, release it!’ Called out Novo as he was gritting his teeth in their mind which Lego agreed with him.

Problem was they didn’t know the truth. “Sorry, but I already tried, there is just too much magic for me to get a hold of normally. At least as I am now, so something has to give…I am going to miss cloud beds though.”

He couldn’t stop the magic but he could direct it to certain places inside him to release. “Lego…you’re in charge now. I need you both to survive and…take care of AJ for me.”

With that Velox exploded in a flash of red lightning, sending feathers everywhere.

End of the first arc.

Author's Notes:

With this chapter comes the end of the first arc everyone. I hope you all enjoyed it up to this point. I am going to be taking a break from writing to recover my creative juices and slowly work on the start of the next arc. I have ideas and I know what I want to do, however...knowing and doing are two different things. So I hope you will all give me the time to think and create some nice future chapters for you all.

Wow you were strangely nice about this...you ok?

Yep, I am just really satisfied with how this chapter turned out and I hope all my readers are as well. Till next time See you space cowboys.

Wrong show.

FUUUUUUUUUU-