Fluttershy sat in her cottage and sipped at her cup of tea thoughtfully. It was good to start mornings peacefully. Outside, she heard the calming chirping of birds, the rustle of leaves as a gust of wind passed by, and the roars and screams of fury as her animals began their combat drills.

They were noisy today. Noisier than they had been, at least. Fluttershy glanced out the window and saw the animals clashing with wooden knives and blunted sticks instead of real weapons. They were going at it fiercely, too, striking each other in mock battle with all their strength. That was good.

Before the Pinkies, her animals had trained because she’d asked them to, reluctantly obeying her orders because she told them to. Now they trained differently, with passion for one thing. The look in their eyes was also different. There was something fierce there, hidden behind the cute exterior of the animals. Something that didn’t give way or hide when it came time to fight. If Fluttershy could have summarized it in one word, it would be the difference between warriors and civilians.

Fake Fluttershy say in the cottage, glancing out the window often and without smiling. She wasn’t sipping tea, and nor had Fluttershy offered her any. But she was eating a biscuit, and Fluttershy had at least allowed her to sit down to report. Things were different now, at least a bit.

“So?” Fluttershy turned her attention back to Fake Fluttershy, impatient for her to report so she could get back to her troops. She still didn’t like the other changeling, but she was necessary.

“No new developments,” Fake Fluttershy told her. “Everypony’s getting ready for the parade, but nothing unusual has happened. But there might be a tiny bit of trouble with the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

“The who?”

“Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.”

“Oh, right.” Fluttershy grimaced. “Well, what about them?”

“Apple Bloom’s cousin Babs Seed came from Manehatten to visit, but ah, she’s begun bullying them. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon encouraged her; you remember how I mentioned they pick on the Crusaders? Well, um, now Babs Seed is doing it too.”

“Riveting.” Fluttershy looked out the window just in time to see three beavers go flying courtesy of Matilda. The bear was a powerhouse and, just like Harry, she was one of the few animals Fluttershy placed her entire trust in.

Harry. Fluttershy shifted. Her body was suddenly a mass of pain and tension. The bear. Harry. Another victim. No; a fallen soldier.

The pain. Fluttershy felt her skin burning, her flesh ripping. She forced her mind away from the past. Matilda was Harry’s cousin. She was just as brave as he was, just as strong. Fluttershy would use her well.

Fluttershy breathed out slowly, and the phantom pain subsided. Only then did she realize Fake Fluttershy was staring at her. The changeling looked away hurriedly, and Fluttershy realized she’d missed whatever it had said to her.

“What?” She snarled. “Babs Seed is bullying the Cutie Mark Crusaders. So what?”

“Um. Don’t you want to do something about it?”

“Why?” Fluttershy’s lukewarm mood was rapidly dissolving into annoyed irritation. “There’s an army of animals training for combat against monsters or magical disasters. Not dealing with petty squabbles between fillies. Or do you want me to send a team out to beat Babs Seed black and blue?”

“Of course not. But the Crusaders are having an awful time. I mean, you don’t have to do anything. I could step in and tell Babs to stop, or...”

“Why?”

“What?” Fake Fluttershy looked taken aback.

“Stopping the bullying? That’s stupid.”

“Um. W-why?”

“It would never work. You’d just make the bullies pretend to stop and make things worse.”

“Okay then. I could try something else then. But if I—”

“No. Let them sort things out by themselves. The Crusaders have to learn to deal with problems themselves if they ever want their Cutie Marks.”

“B-but isn’t this something bad that Fluttershy would want to solve? Because she’s – I mean you’re the Element of Kindnes—”

Fake Fluttershy didn’t get any further because the real Fluttershy’s hoof was suddenly pressed against her windpipe.

“Do not presume to lecture me about myself,” Fluttershy whispered. She held the imposter’s wide, terrified eyes for a second and then released her.

“I know kindness,” Fluttershy said. “I do. But a bully’s a bully. Should the Crusaders just let her walk over them because it might be mean to fight back?”

“N-no,” Fake Fluttershy stammered. “But I mean, they’re just fillies. They could ask for help or—”

“Run?” Fluttershy shook her head. “That’s not kindness. That’s cowardice. Get it right, you idiot. If you’re pretending to me, understand the difference. Kindness might be thinking about other ponies, but it’s not just rolling over when something bad happens.”

“But if they’re in trouble—”

“From a city-filly? I doubt it. But if you’re so paranoid, let’s check.”

----

Babs Seed sauntered into Sugarcube corner, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon following close behind. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were sitting at a table, glumly sipping their milkshakes. Their eyes alighted on Babs and widened, but too late.

Babs leapt forwards and smacked the table. She spun it around, sending the Crusaders flying and then she, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon took the Crusader’s milkshakes.

Dispirited, upset, the Crusaders walked towards the door. Babs Seed shared a smirk with the Sugar Lump Rumps. Unbeknownst to all the fillies though was the muttered conversation coming from outside one of the windows.

“So that’s Babs Seed? What an annoying filly. I want to smack her just from looking at her.”

“No, uh, that’s Diamond Tiara. Babs Seed is the blank flank.”

“Oh. That one’s annoying too. More importantly, why are the tables in the Sugar Cube corner revolving? And where’s Pinkie Pie or the Cakes? Shouldn’t they be in the shop if they’ve got customers.”

“I think they’re out. Um. Is that important?”

“It’s more interesting than this. I thought you said she was bullying them.”

“Well, she is.”

“You call that bullying? All she does is push them or scare them. The worst thing she’s done is take their drinks.”

“That is bullying.”

“But those idiots just let her walk over them!” Babs Seed glanced over in curiosity at the noise and the voices lowered back down to a whisper. “They don’t even fight back. They’re even more of a doormat than you are.”

“Well, they’re not fighting back because it would cause more trouble. Babs is Apple Bloom’s guest.”

“So? They could talk to Applejack and ground her for a while. Or gang up on Babs when she’s alone and beat her with sticks. Or say something.”

“Yes, well…what do you want to do?”

“Nothing.”

“But—”

“If Babs does something extreme, stop her. Otherwise the Crusaders will have to fight back sometime or other. Let things play out.”

“Okay…”

“What?”

“I mean um, as you will it.”

“Exactly.”

Both Fluttershys watched the Cutie Mark Crusaders scampering around, trying to hide from Babs Seed.

“Babs Seed, Babs Seed, what we gonna do?

Got a bully on our tail

Gotta hide, we gotta bail…”

“…Why are they singing?”

----

Fluttershy was busy conferring with her changelings when Fake Fluttershy walked up again. Fluttershy saw her approach, but deliberately finished giving her changelings orders before turning to her.

As the changelings turned to go, Fluttershy noticed they avoided Fake Fluttershy and glanced at her with their blank stares. She couldn’t really read them at all, but if she had to guess, Fake Fluttershy was a pariah among them as well. Probably because she talked. Speaking of which…

“If this is about the Crusaders, I’m going to hurt you.”

“Um, I’ll just be going then.” Fake Fluttershy turned to go.

“Just tell me.” Fluttershy sighed. There really was something admirable about Fake Fluttershy’s tenacity. Admirable, but incredibly annoying.

“Well, uh, the Crusaders are fighting back.”

“Just as I said they would.”

“But what they’re doing could be dangerous.”

Fluttershy grinned. “Even better. Show me.”

----

The parade was already in the full swing of things by the time the Cutie Mark Crusaders had brought their float into Ponyville. What the parade was exactly about was unclear; Fluttershy had no interest in it really, just in any interesting plots of revenge that might be occurring in the near future.

She stood in an alleyway between two houses, watching the parade going by and smiling at anypony she knew. She was also murmuring out of the corner of their mouth to a shadow lurking behind a few barrels.

“Where are they?”

“Over there.”

“I can’t see where you’re pointing. What am I looking for?”

“The giant golden apple.”

“Oh. Of course.” Fluttershy eyed the gigantic golden fruit and the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they buzzed around the float. “They made that in one night?”

“Um, yes. But they also…”

“Booby trapped it?” Fluttershy eyed the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they winked at each other and kept glancing at Babs Seed.

“Yes.” Fake Fluttershy hid herself behind the barrel as more ponies walked by. “It’s dangerous. The carriage will lose control and crash after the timer goes off.”

“Heh.” Fluttershy grinned. “That’s sort of funny.”

“But it could hurt somepony—”

“Only if the carriage crashes into them. Scatter the changelings in the crowd and have them ready to move ponies out of the way if need be. Besides, you made the preparations we talked about, right?”

“Yes, but?”

“In that case, shut up. I’m going to the parade. Only alert me if something dangerous happens.”

----

Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle barreled down Ponyville’s central road after the runaway float they’d constructed. Babs Seed, who had been smirking in enjoyment as she piloted the vehicle started in surprise as the apple timer rang and the steering mechanism suddenly went hangwire.

She pulled at the wheel desperately, but the golden apple was now unsteerable and heading for a short drop off of a cliff. At the last moment though, the Cutie Mark Crusaders burst into the float, knocking Babs Seed through the light paper-mache walls. Too late for the Crusaders though, as they found themselves hurtling over the cliff.

The pig brigade watched the giant golden apple float fall towards them with remarkable calm. One of the pigs was too slow to get out of the way. The apple crashed into him and then both carriage and pig were in the muddy river. Miraculously, neither pig nor the three fillies inside were harmed.

After Fluttershy had dashed over to the scene with the other Elements of Harmony and the fillies had been taken away for a lecture and a bath, Fluttershy flew down to the muddy embankment to survey the wreckage of the float. The pigs were already using it to tan themselves in the remaining sunlight.

Another pony stepped out of the shadows at the base of the cliff. Two Fluttershys were now standing together, although the first one was glaring at the other.

“If you’re going to come out in public, change to another form first!”

“Um. It’s sort of hard to change a lot. Sorry.”

“Just keep out of sight then.” Fluttershy turned back to the wreckage. Someone would need to lift that out of the water before it damaged the fish’s habitats. She’d get some beavers and the pigs to deal with it tomorrow.

“Huh. It was a better trap than I thought,” Fluttershy commented. “That might have actually killed the other filly if we hadn’t put those hale bays there to slow runaway floats. Too bad they changed their minds.”

“Well, I thought it was sort of nice.” Fake Fluttershy mumbled and avoided Fluttershy’s glare. “They made friends with Babs Seed even though she was bullying them and helped her feel good about herself…”

“Yes, yes, friendship and kindness.” Fluttershy waved one hoof. “Good job. They’ve clearly learned a lot.” She looked back at the sinking apple again, and ignored the pigs as they frolicked around it. The Crusader’s personal struggle with a minor bullying incident was irrelevant to Fluttershy, but she was impressed by the skill with which they’d constructed the apple float.

“Keep an eye on those fillies,” Fluttershy instructed Fake Fluttershy. “They’ve got a knack for mischief and violence. Causing trouble might be their cutie marks in the end. Let’s not have it be killing ponies.”

“They’re not so bad,” Fake Fluttershy offered cautiously. “Whenever I have to babysit them for Rarity they’re well-behaved.”

“I can’t imagine what that’s like.” Fluttershy grimaced just at the thought. “Just keep them out of the forest.”

“Oh, of course. They learned their lesson about that before.”

“Really?” Fluttershy was disinterested. Fake Fluttershy hurriedly changed the subject.

“Um, there is one thing in the near future I need to bring up. Twilight wants to practice a levitation spell with some of the animals. It’s for visiting dignitaries from Saddle Arabia. I told her it wasn’t a good idea—”

“Levitation spell? What’s the big risk? They’ll probably enjoy it.”

“But uh, it could be dangerous—”

“You play the part of timid Fluttershy well,” Fluttershy glanced at the changeling. “But stop overdoing it, especially around me. Let Twilight practice.”

“But they could fall or—”

“Shut up.”

----

The next day Fluttershy was sitting in her cottage, examining a work of art. She lifted it, balanced it one hoof, felt the craftsmanship of the item, and then very gently, sliced a napkin in two with it.

“This is a good knife,” Fluttershy said approvingly. Longfoot beamed and puffed out his chest. “How did you manage to get this?”

The rabbit waved its arms and chattered.

“Really? I never knew changelings could work metal.” Fluttershy glanced over at the changelings in the cottage. They sat in a huddle in one corner away from the animals, communicating in that silent way of theirs. “If they can replicate this, we’ll have a real arsenal to work with.”

Longfoot nodded happily. Fluttershy spun the knife and flipped it. She was about to test it on another object when her ears perked and she looked towards the door.

“It’s terrible!” Fake Fluttershy burst into the cottage. She stopped dead when she saw the knife balanced in Fluttershy’s hooves.

“What?” Fluttershy snapped, dropping the knife to the table. “Is it an attack?”

“Yes. No. Um, maybe!” Fake Fluttershy did a nervous dance on the spot. “She’s hexing everyone in sight! It’s Trixie! She’s returned!”

Fluttershy looked blank. “…Who?”

“Trixie!”

Fluttershy frowned and tried to recall. No good. The gaps in her memory… “Is she a unicorn?”

“Yes! Trixie the Great and Powerful. She’s…um, not that great or powerful, or she wasn’t, but she is now!”

“I understood none of that,” Fluttershy said. “But if she’s dangerous let’s move. You said hexing; she’s not casting destructive spells, then?”

“No, it’s mainly just mean tricks like turning putting Rarity into an ugly dress. But she also has enough power to lift the entire library and turn it upside down!”

Fluttershy blinked. “That’s…not good.” She thought rapidly. “Okay, we’re not launching an attack just yet. If she hadn’t killed or really hurt any pony, we’ll reconnoiter and see how she’s got that much magic.”

She nodded at Longfoot and the changelings. “Stay here and keep out of sight. I’ll send word if I need backup. For now, let’s move!”

Fluttershy and Fake Fluttershy raced down the dirt road towards Ponyville.

“I’ll see if I can’t ambush her. You get back with the others. What’s this Trixie after?”

“Twilight!” Fake Fluttershy panted as she ran to keep alongside Fluttershy. “She wants to duel with Twilight! Loser leaves Ponyville.”

“Oh. Wonderful.”

----

Trixie laughed manically as Twilight failed to cast the ageing spell on the infant Snips and elderly snail.

“Trixie is the highest level unicorn!” She gloated. “And it’s time for you to leave Ponyville. Forever!”

At this her eyes flashed with red light. From her perch on top of one of the houses Fluttershy eyed Trixie. There was an ominous amulet hanging from the unicorn’s neck, and Fluttershy could see a magical glow emanating from it.

Well, there was a lot of questions answered in one go. Fluttershy had forgotten this Trixie – she must not have been that memorable – but it wasn’t hard to figure out what was happening. Angry return of a vengeful egomaniac, a magical duel which Twilight had lost, and a cursed amulet. Oh, wonderful.

Twilight was picked up by a red nimbus of energy and then hurled far into the distance. Fluttershy watched her friends and Fake Fluttershy charge after Twilight as Trixie laughed manically again.

Good. Everypony had run, and Trixie was alone for the moment. Fluttershy carefully lifted one wing and pulled out the knife she had been testing. Her range wasn’t that good this far away, but she had the element of surprise and another knife. Besides, she didn’t need to kill Trixie, although that would certainly be a bonus. She just needed to get that amulet off her in the moment of surprise. Fluttershy took careful aim…

Trixie’s horn glowed red and Fluttershy froze before diving behind a chimney. Had the unicorn spotted her? But no, she hadn’t’ even been glancing in Fluttershy’s direction. Then what—?

Fluttershy looked up at the sky and gaped. Then she uttered several loud expletives and dove as the giant inverted fishbowl Trixie had conjured slammed down on top of Ponyville, nearly squashing Fluttershy as it landed.

After the crash of noise had died away, Fluttershy shakily picked herself off the ground. Fortunately, she’d landed in an alleyway rather than the center of the street.

A mouse ran up to her, one of the ones posted in Ponyville in several of the houses. It squeaked at Fluttershy and she reassured it by getting up. She didn’t smile though. The instant Fluttershy’s breath came back she turned to the mouse.

“Get any animals not outside of the bubble, and tell Fake Fluttershy to meet me as soon as she can get away. This just got a lot more serious.”

----

“Let’s review the situation.” Fluttershy grimly paced back and forth in the alley next to the Sugarcube corner. The animals assembled there watched her anxiously. Only a few of them had been in the confines of Ponyville when the bubble had landed. A few birds, three beavers, a brigade of mice and two rats plus the pets of various ponies.

“Trixie, the Great and Powerful.” Fluttershy glanced out the street where Trixie was busy ordering around ponies. “A weak unicorn only good at stage magic until she got her hands on something that made her more powerful than even the Element of Magic. By my guess, it’s that amulet on her neck.”

The animals nodded as one. Fluttershy moved further back into the alley as Trixie approached, a reluctant group of ponies following her. She saw Fake Fluttershy flying along with Rainbow Dash and then glimpsed a bird flying after her. Good. She’d know where to go once she got free.

“I’m not sure what her upper limits on her power is, but she can age ponies or make them young, which only the greatest unicorns could ever do. We’re talking Starswirl the Bearded levels of magic here, and I’m not going to engage that without a good plan.”

The animals nodded in relief. Fluttershy knew they weren’t the best warriors – the ones who could fight the best were with Longfoot in her cottage. All the pets had to be with their owners too much to train as hard.

Fluttershy grimaced and looked up at the giant bowl-bubble overhead. “We can’t even get back to the cottage for reinforcements or weapons. So long as Trixie’s got that amulet, the giant bubble-bowl can’t be breached.”

One of the squirrels raised a paw and chattered. Fluttershy nodded at it.

“True, digging’s an option. But if Trixie spots us making a tunnel, we’ll be forced to fight. And she’s too powerful to take on from the front. Any pony capable of that kind of magic will tear us apart in seconds.”

Another nod, this one dispirited. Fluttershy paused in her monologue. “Anyone have any ideas?”

All the animals shook their heads.

“Me neither.” Fluttershy scowled darkly. “At least, one for direct combat. My current plan is to wait until nightfall and launch a surprise attack. If not that, then we’ll try traps. If we get a few bags of flour and some cooking oil, we can try blowing her up. Or else…”

Fluttershy broke off and dove behind a barrel. The animals tried to look innocent and chattered to each other as a pony appeared in the alleyway.

Fake Fluttershy hurried down the alleyway and Fluttershy emerged from her hiding place. “You’re here. Good, now—”

Her voice trailed off and she stared at Fake Fluttershy.

“…What are you wearing?”

“Camouflage gear. I think.” Fake Fluttershy glanced down at the tight black bodysuit and blue rabbit ears. “Rarity made it.”

“That had better mean you have a plan. Trixie’s too powerful to assault with our numbers, and I don’t relish the chances of us grabbing the amulet from her.”

“That wouldn’t work anyways. We found a book in Twilight’s library that identified the amulet she’s wearing. It’s called the Alicorn Amulet and it can’t be removed unless she wills it.”

“Wonderful.” Fluttershy hit the wall of the alley with one hoof, hard enough to bruise. The bricks cracked a bit from the force of the blow though, which made her feel better. “And I don’t suppose the Alicorn Amulet is hyperbole. IF she’s got that much power, we’ll need to kill her in an instant and we’ll only get one chance.”

“Well, it might not come to that. The others made a plan – it’s a silly plan and of course I don’t think it’ll work—”

“What is it?”

“Um. Exfiltration. They have me sneak outside the force field and find Twilight so I can warn her about how Trixie’s gotten so much power.”

“Huh. We might be able to make that happen.” Fluttershy glanced over at the three beavers, who brightened up as they came to the same idea. “Alright, go on. And after you find Twilight?”

“Um.” Fluttershy looked apologetic. “That’s all they came up with.”

“What, they’re just hoping Twilight comes up with a plan?” Fluttershy asked incredulously.

“That’s about it. Yep.”

Fluttershy covered her face with one hoof. “Well, it’s better than nothing. Maybe Twilight can get to Celestia and warn her. Okay, you find Twilight. If you can’t figure out a plan by tonight, I’ll take matters into my hooves. Trixie has to sleep sometime.”

“Okay, but uh,” Fluttershy clearly wasn’t happy about her mission. “How do you plan on getting me out?”

“Beavers.” Fluttershy grinned as the beavers slapped their tails in enthusiasm.

“B-beavers?”

“Beavers.”

----

Trixie’s slow progress around the confined Ponyville was…slow. It had a lot to do with her sitting in a heavy wooden chariot without wheels and the additional fact that she was using two young colts to pull her around.

Still, they were making good progress despite that. Probably because of the magical whip Trixie was cracking above Snips and Snail’s heads.

At last she came to her destination. Right where the magical barrier separated Ponyville from the rest of Equestria three beavers were sitting next to a large tree trunk. Two of the beavers were smacking the force field with their tails while the third watched.

“Stop!” Snips and Snails collapsed to the ground in relief. Trixie turned to the beavers. “You there. What are you doing?”

One of the beavers chattered angrily and pointed at the magical barrier. He gestured to the tree trunk, the barrier, and shook his fist at Trixie.

The unicorn rolled her eyes and glared for a moment. Then without a word she lifted up the bubble just high enough for the beavers to carry the tree trunk outside. Then the barrier crashed back to the ground and Trixie returned to Ponyville in an even more ostentatiously flashy chariot made of gold. It of course had no wheels either.

Fluttershy watched the beavers move further out of sight and sank back behind the bush. The other animals chattered nervously to her and she nodded.

“Yep. Everything went just as planned. It also looks like Trixie’s a bit unwell in the head. Could be advantageous if she makes bad decisions, but we can’t let her harm anyone. We’ll resume shadowing her. Keep an eye out for Fluttershy or Twilight, though.”

One of the birds chirped at Fluttershy. She raised an eyebrow.

“Well yes, Fake Fluttershy is trying to find her. And when she does, Twilight will doubtless come charging back to make things right. Do you think she can take on a unicorn with the powers of an alicorn?”

The bird chirped doubtfully.

“Yeah, me too.”

----

Trixie laughed manically again and sent a ray of magical energy at Rainbow Dash as the pegasus flew away with the Alicorn Amulet in her hoof. Instead of frying Rainbow though, the pegasus stopped in midair and started laughing.

“Hey, stop it! That tickles!”

Trixie’s face twisted in confusion and Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief.

“Huh. She actually pulled it off.”

She watched as Rainbow Dash deposited the amulet in a box Zecora held, and then saw Twilight go over to Trixie and put a hoof around her shoulders.

“All’s well that ends well, I suppose.” She grimaced and slipped the knife back under her wings. “It’s better this way.”

The animals who were hiding with her looked at Fluttershy in confusion.

“Too many witnesses,” she told them. “We can’t just make Trixie disappear without somepony asking questions. No, our role here was just in case of the worst scenario. I’m glad that Twilight was able to stop Trixie so easily.”

The birds and mice nodded, smiling. Fluttershy did not. She glanced back down at Trixie, who was slinking away. She noted the unicorn watch as Twilight and the others hurriedly began getting ready for the Saddle Arabians.

“Looks like Trixie’s sticking around. Maybe to watch Twilight perform her little levitation act – maybe for more mischief. Let her do whatever she wants. But when she leaves Ponyville,” Fluttershy’s eyes flashed. “We’re going to have a little chat.”

----

Trixie trotted through the Everfree Forest. It was night. It was also cold and silent, and she was unhappy. Rather, more like guilty. She was also extremely nervous being by herself in the dark and lonely woods, but Trixie supposed that she might possibly deserve this.

Possibly.

Her mind was awhirl over the events of the day. Trixie remembered the Alicorn Amulet, remembered the rage of loss of control. Then Twilight had tricked her, but it was for the best. And Trixie had learned something, although she wasn’t too clear on what it was.

Humility.

Trixie frowned. The Great and Humble Trixie just didn’t sound as good. Well, she’d work on the name. But she’d learned that, yes, maybe she had been a bit arrogant in the past.

Possibly.

But still, Trixie resented having to run off again. True, it wasn’t as if she was going to be welcome in Ponyville – or anywhere else – after word got around, but this place was making Trixie extremely nervous.

The unicorn glanced around at the tall dark trees nervously and tugged her had lower on her head. She picked up her pace.

Yes, the Everfree Forest was certainly no place for a pony as magnificent as she. Past time to leave it and go somewhere where no one had heard of Trixie for a while. Maybe back to the rock farm, although even the thought gave Trixie a headache.

The wind whispered through the forest and Trixie shivered. The rustling of the leaves almost sounded like words. Tricks of the mind, but Trixie didn’t like it.

“…murder…”

Nervously Trixie trotted a bit faster. She was hearing things. From a guilty conscience? Surely not. Trixie hadn’t done…that much wrong.

“…kill her…”

And she certainly wasn’t planning on killing Twilight. Trixie frowned. Definitely not. She’d just wanted to humiliate her a bit. Maybe laugh at Twilight as she cried.

“…kill her…?”

Trixie scowled. No! She wasn’t thinking about it, except that she was thanks to the words in the wind.

“…I don’t see why we don’t just kill her now.”

Trixie’s heart froze. That hadn’t been the wind. Warily she looked around. Empty forest. Nothing moved, not even the shadows. Well, they did when the wind blew, but only then. Just her imagination.

“But she’s innocent. Or at least, all that trouble hadn’t been her fault.”

Trixie started walking again, much more slowly. She scanned the forest in every direction for the mysterious voices, but still saw nothing. Were they talking about her?

“I still say we should kill her now.”

Trixie’s eye twitched and she turned her neck sharply. She didn’t care for this topic of conversation at all.

“B-but she was controlled by the alicorn amulet! That’s what Twilight said, anyways.”

There were two voices in the darkness. Trixie listened. The first sounded angry, or at least, not happy, while the other was more timid.

“She’s broken countless Equestrian laws. Possession of a cursed magical artifact, assault on other ponies – she would have blasted Rainbow Dash out of the sky if she hadn’t lost the amulet.”

This was true, but Trixie didn’t like how true it was. She had stopped in the forest by now, and was turning in a circle rapidly, trying to pinpoint the sound. But it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere.

“So, we could just tell the Canterlot Royal Guard what she did. They could lock her away.”

Trixie didn’t like that idea. She hadn’t done anything that wrong! It was the amulet’s fault!

“The Royal Guard won’t detain her for more than a day at best. Besides, this pony’s apparently threatened Ponyville once before.”

“N-not technically. It was Snips and Snails that lured the Ursa Minor there.”

“But Trixie was the instigator. She bragged she’d beaten an Ursa Major.”

Trixie wanted to sink into the ground, but the second voice tried to defend her.

“Still, you can’t call that entirely her fault. If it comes down to it, she made one bad mistake because she was angry, and that’s—”

“Inexcusable. Anger is one thing, but she was wearing a dark magical item with the same level of power as Celestia or Luna. If she’d gone rampant countless ponies would have died. Not even Twilight would have been able to stop her.”

Trixie shifted uneasily. She wouldn’t have done that, would she? But the voice seemed to think so. It went on, “Trixie’s – no, shut up. Trixie’s a threat, even if she is an incompetent one. She’s guilty under Equestrian law, but unfortunately her punishment wouldn’t amount to anything.”

That was good. Trixie perked up a bit.

“So we’ll try another tact. What does changeling law say about troublemakers?”

Trixie’s heart sank. Changeling law? What was that?

“Changeling law, is, er, uh, well…”

Trixie heard a buzzing sound, a terrible clicking vocalization that no pony could make. She began to trot through the forest again, very quickly, trying to get away from the sound. Her heart pounded wildly out of her chest. What was that? But the second voice seemed to understand.

“…I don’t think we really have one. Chrysalis just killed anypony…I mean, anyling that disobeyed her. Uh, I was never there to witness that myself, but uh, they tell me it was pretty horrible each time.”

“Efficient.” Trixie was beginning to seriously dislike the first voice. No, dislike was the wrong word. Fear might be a better word. “And why can’t they speak yet? Needing you to translate is tiring, especially since you do it so poorly. Haven’t you been teaching them?”

“I’ve, uh, been trying, but they’re warriors. They never learned Equish when they were young, and so it’s been tough to—”

“Fine. They can’t speak but you can. Wonderful. Well, ask them if they’re hungry.”

Trixie’s nervous trot burst into a full gallop. The voices continued though, echoing around Trixie as though the invisible entities were effortlessly keeping pace.

“They’re sort of hungry. 32443 says he could use a bite to eat. But um, changeling don’t really eat ponies. If you order if he’ll give it a try, though.”

“I’m thinking about it.”

Trixie thought it was impossible to move any faster, but that cold voice mixed with total indifference to her fate somehow gave her legs wings. But no matter how hard she ran, she couldn’t escape.

“It’s just a matter of determining whether anyone would miss her,” the voice continued. “Or whether she can be disposed of without consequence.”

“Twilight would probably want to know where Trixie’s gone,” the second voice said. “Or…I’m sure Celestia would take interest if a pony were to go missing and never be found.”

“This is the Everfree. Ponies can suffer accidents here. Like being ripped apart by timberwolves.”

Trixie was growing eyes in the back of her head in her panic. She looked around wildly and then galloped to the right suddenly, into a cluster of trees. Maybe she could lose the voices—

“Maybe, but um, wouldn’t that bring too many ponies into the Everfree? They might stumble across…things we want hidden.”

“Hrh.” The voices were still right next to Trixie no matter how she dodged and juked through the trees. “True. Well, if we can’t kill her, why not render her…unable to cause more trouble.”

Trixie’s hat flew off in her panicked run. She turned to go back for it.

“Uh, how?”

“Well, ask your friend. How would he render Trixie harmless?”

Her hat was lying on the ground Trixie grabbed it with her teeth and looked around desperately. Where could she go?

“Oh, uh, he doesn’t really have an idea—”

“I saw that motion. Yes, removing the horn would solve a number of problems.”

Trixie’s hat fell from her mouth and she immediately clapped both hooves around her horn. The voice above her sounded thoughtful, not even angry. That scared her most.

“Do unicorn horns grow back if they’re damaged? Hm. Probably. But what if we removed them at the root? Do they grow back then?”

“Changeling horns don’t. I guess pony horns wouldn’t either. Not that I think it’s a good idea. At all.”

Neither did Trixie. She desperately hoped the second voice would talk reason into the first voice, but she sensed that it was the first voice that was in charge somehow. Her hooves were so tight around her horn Trixie was afraid it might crack. But better that then—

“Your opinion isn’t what I want. Removing her horn is becoming more and more attractive to me by the second. Unless you have a valid reason why it wouldn’t be wise?”

“Well…”

“Squeamish? You can leave at any time.”

“It’s just that if you’re going to do it, uh, how would you remove it?”

Trixie wondered if she could burrow into the ground. Maybe there was an empty tree she could hide inside. Her eyes darted around desperately, but there was nothing.

“We have a number of sharp instruments. And we could always find a saw.”

Trixie started hyperventilating.

“Or a hammer.”

“Yes, but she’d see the one who was doing to cutting, or at least she’d hear something.”

“Well then, we take off the horn and her eyes. She can hear all she wants, but we can leave her in a remote village. A hornless, eyeless unicorn.”

Trixie felt sweat rolling down her face and into her eyes. They stung and burned, but at least they were still there. She needed to run. She needed to escape! But there was nowhere to go. The voices would follow her wherever she went.

“She’ll go to Celestia. Or Luna. Or Twilight. Even if she can’t tell them who did this to her, she’ll still be able to talk.”

“Okay, we put out her eyes, saw her horn off, but take out her vocal chords first. Any objections now?”

“Well…”

Trixie could take no more. In desperation turned and shouted into the forest. “Please! Trixie is sorry!”

“See? She says she’s sorry.”

“If sorry was enough, there wouldn’t be any need for knives.”

“Please spare Trixie! She’ll do anything!”

“She’ll do anything.”

“Anything?”

Trixie paused. “Um. Maybe not anything, but—”

“She’ll do anything,” the second voice said. “If it means she won’t die a horrible death or having her horn sawed off. Right?”

Trixie gulped. “Yes! Right!”

“…I’m not convinced.” The first voice was still cold, but Trixie thought it wasn’t as certain as it had been. “She’s heard us so there’s always the possibility of telling someone…”

“Who could she tell? And what would she say? That she heard two mysterious voices in the Everfree? Trixie’s already got a reputation as a liar. No one would believe her. And she surely knows what will happen if she tells anyone.”

“Right!” Trixie desperately tried to convey her honest intentions. “Trixie will never tell! Not that Trixie knows anything!”

“Removing her as a threat still seems like the best choice.”

“I vote against it.”

“So does Trixie!”

“Too bad there’s no vote. No, I don’t want to risk it.”

That was it. Trixie blubbered incoherently on the ground. She held her hooves over her head and waited for the end.

“Please? Just look at her. She’s pathetic.”

“And annoying. Last chance to change my mind.”

“She might be troublesome, but she was still sorry for what she did. She’s not a true threat. Just an idiot.”

“Idiots are trouble.”

“But you can’t kill all of them.”

“I could try.” The voice sounded annoyed now. Trixie dared to look up, eyes still streaming with tears. Silence reigned around her for a long minute.

“…Fine. She can go. But she’ll be watched, and if she ever breathes a word of this to anypony…”

“Trixie won’t! Ever!” Trixie bowed her head low to the ground. “Oh thank you! Thank you!”

“Shut up.”

Trixie shut up. She trembled where she stood and had a terrible need to step behind a tree. Well, she already pretty damp so it didn’t really matter.

“Get out of here. Tell no one anything. Or the next time you hear this voice, you’ll be missing a horn.”

Trixie didn’t wait for the voice to say anything else. She bolted in a random direction, running as fast as her legs could carry her. There was no thought in her head except to run, to change her robe, and to never, ever think about what had just happened. Not that anything had. Certainly not. And Trixie would make sure she never said anything about it.

At some point in her mad run Trixie hit a tree. She fell to the ground unconscious.

But alive.

----

High above the Everfree on a cloud Fluttershy and Fake Fluttershy sat and watched Trixie gallop away.

“You’re dismissed,” Fluttershy told the changeling that was with them. “Report to Longfoot and rest. We’ll join you shortly.”

The changeling nodded and took off, insectile wings buzzing softly through the night.

Silence resumed, but only for a moment.

Fluttershy turned to Other Fluttershy and scowled. “You’re getting awfully uppity. First the Crusaders, now Trixie. Do I need to remind you who’s in charge?”

“Oh, no. Of course not.” Fluttershy flinched backwards. “But uh, I just feel I uh, could help a bit. With, you know actions that might not be as…drastic.”

“And the Pinkies? Did you think my solution there was wrong?”

“No.” Fake Fluttershy’s voice was firm. “I agreed with that. But making things seem normal is my job. Killing Trixie just isn’t necessary.”

“Desirable.”

“…Maybe. But it’s safer this way.”

“You have a point,” Fluttershy said grudgingly. She was surprised to hear herself admit it. But it was true. Fake Fluttershy was pretending to be the Fluttershy everypony knew and loved for her kindness. She might…remember more about how Fluttershy was supposed to act.

“Fine.” Fluttershy waved a hoof. “Just…fine. Go.”

False Fluttershy bowed her head and took wing. Fluttershy was alone above the Everfree, and all she heard was the silence.

And deeper than that, a voice.

You’re the Element of Kindness.

She was, or was she something else? Fluttershy’s thoughts were – fragmented.

Kindness. She was still kind. She could still be kind. Surely.

Yet the silence of the Everfree pressed down, and new words were in Fluttershy’s heart. She murmured to herself.

“But kindness only goes so far.”