Chapter 5 : Sinner.
The staff she had lost earlier suddenly appeared in the crook of Luna's right forearm.
"I think you dropped this," Derpy Hooves said timidly.
Now in her possession, the staff sensed she was in danger and activated. A bright flash of purple light radiated from the tip of the staff, blinding the Malum. It recoiled and dropped Luna, but not before it pulled away what it had managed to take from her. Most of her soul was in that one little sphere, which was still dangling from the claw of the Malum. Luna struggled to stay focused. There was so much grass on the ground. So much tasty, delicious grass. There was also the obligation she had to protect her people. Food could wait until later. Luna spread her wings, the power of her will alone keeping her on track. She grabbed the staff with her magic and broke her fall, gliding right back towards her target.
Derpy Hooves tried pulling the ball off the claw, but her hooves went right through it. She then bit the Malum's leg and latched on tight. While the creature tried to shake Derpy Hooves off, Luna enchanted her staff to inflict a wound that wound begin turning the Malum into a statue. The rate at which the target would transform always varied. Some seemed to be naturally resistant to it. If she could use the Elements, she would have been able to incapacitate her foe instantly. The spell her staff held would transfer from the weapon to the opponent when she managed to land a hit. Striking the Malum with the same spell a few additional times would speed up the process. If the spell required less energy and concentration to cast, she would have used it immediately. Since it did not, wearing down the Malum was a much better strategy.
She struck the limb that held her soul and it slowly began to turn into stone. Derpy Hooves let go of the leg and flew out of the way. The Malum drew back, screeching in rage. Luna saw her spirit drop from the claw that held it as it was rendered useless. Her lifeblood returned to her immediately, restoring her completely. It was like being born again and caused an enormous head rush. Luna faltered and struggled to maintain her balance in the air. Derpy Hooves flew in front of her and acted as a shield. Luna pushed her aside and took point defensively. The Malum worked quickly to cut off its affected tendril as it fled from the battle. Once it managed to pull off its own leg, it abruptly disappeared, leaving a black haze in its wake that lingered for a moment before evaporating.
Luna gritted her teeth together in frustration. It had teleported away. They had been so close to winning. She hadn't counted on it being able to save itself in that manner. While it was obvious that it could levitate, that didn't necessarily mean it could also teleport. Now that it knew what they were capable of, it might be even more difficult to battle when they found where it had run off to. Tracking it would not be so challenging now that they had a piece of it.
That would need to wait, though. There was something more important to do. Still in flight, she turned to address Derpy Hooves, who was flying upside down again.
"Mail Mare. No, excuse me. I am sorry. Derpy Hooves. I do not believe I can find the words to express my gratitude. If I were to even attempt to do so, I know I would deface them. Instead, I will see that you are properly rewarded for your bravery."
Derpy Hooves smiled and giggled quietly to herself.
"It's not a problem," she said.
"By the way, how did you manage to resist that creature?" Luna asked. "I do beg your pardon, but I was certain that it had you."
"I dunno. I just did. Didn't you?"
"No."
It didn't make sense, which made perfect sense. Did her cutie mark have something to do with it? Luna couldn't figure out how bubbles symbolized immunity to the Malum. Maybe each of the seven bubbles were meant to represent one special thing about her. Luna was thinking too hard about this and she was certain it wouldn't do her any good to ask about the other thing which was bothering her, but she couldn't resist.
"May I back off topic here for a moment and respectfully ask you something unrelated? It might be a personal question."
"Okay. What?"
"Are you aware that you should technically be hurtling yourself to the ground by the way you are flying?"
"Yeah, I hear that all the time. That doesn't happen, though."
That was another bubble, no doubt about it. Luna had five more to peg.
"Let's get back to the others," Luna said.
When Luna reached the ground with Derpy Hooves, Wedge and Biggs groveled before her. She ignored them shortly and looked at Berry Punch, who was staring ahead blankly at nothing and looking bored beyond belief. Her cutie mark was still missing. This meant they hadn't defeated the Malum quite yet.
"Ma'am, I'm so sorry. I have never felt more ashamed of myself in all my life. I failed you," Biggs said.
"We failed you. I feel so vile. I didn't mean to hit you," Wedge added.
"It has been a long time since any of us have been in a fight. You did all you could, which is good enough. I still want you both to accompany me."
"It's all her fault!" Wedge stated, pointing at Derpy Hooves, who lowered her head in shame.
"Wedge!" Luna shouted, using her royal voice. "We ran into her; it was our fault! Do not blindly accuse others to alleviate your misplaced feelings of inadequacy!"
He opened his mouth to say something further, but Luna would hear none of it.
"Silence! You will both soon have the chance to redeem yourselves for the beast has not yet been slain!"
Celestia wouldn't approve of that choice of words. Luna cleared her throat and smirked for a brief moment as if Celestia were listening to her at that very moment.
"Or rather, it has not yet been dealt with," Luna added in a normal tone. "Besides, haven't you forgotten the fact that if it wasn't for you two I would still be in a cell? Get a hold of yourselves! We've still got work to do."
"Ma'am!" they said together, their confidence somewhat restored.
"Go see if you can find my tiara."
Luna felt the area around her horn. The Malum had managed to take a nice chunk out of her. She cast a minor healing spell on the weeping wound and it began coagulating. Luna added another piece of magic that would ensure that it would not scar and covered it with her forelock. The spell would patch her coat properly and relieve her of the embarrassment of having a bald spot, but not for a day or two. Finished with that minor repair, Luna walked over to the severed leg lying in the middle of the worn path. She released the stone spell. The leg twitched for a moment now that its nerves could work once again. Upon finding they no longer had to receive impulses from a brain, the severed limb died. Luna closed her eyes and searched for the signature of the creature, which was not hard to find. With this, she could sense its imprint and track it.
She attempted to get a bead on where the Malum had fled and succeeded. It was in the direction of the Shrine of Nicodemus, which did not come as any surprise. Getting there would require a trip through Ponyville and Applejack's orchard. She heard Biggs gasp and turned to see that Berry Punch had found Luna's tiara and was trying to eat it. Biggs took it from her mouth and brushed the spittle off. Berry snorted and went back to grass. Luna took her tiara from Biggs and placed it back on her head.
They heard the sound of another pony approaching their congregation. Zecora arrived on the scene with a pouch held between her teeth and two saddlebags at her side. One of her earrings was missing and her coat was ruffled, but her mohawk had somehow managed to remain unscathed. It looked like she had been through quite an evening. She looked up at Derpy Hooves first and then at Luna and her guards. Zecora placed the pouch back into one of her saddlebags.
"You have no need for me in the fellowship of these three," Zecora said to Derpy Hooves.
Zecora must have come back for Derpy Hooves once she was certain that the others were sent safely on their way. That was very admirable and Luna was a little impressed. Zecora produced a rope from her saddlebag and tied it around Berry Punch's muzzle. The slight twitch suggested this was the most exciting thing to have happened to her since she lost her cutie mark and most of her mind. Berry Punch didn't resist as Zecora gave the rope some slack before tying it to her right hoof.
So long as they were doing some traveling, Luna decided it might be prudent to follow up on what she had found in the archives. There was a small chance that Derpy Hooves might know something about it since she delivered mail. It would also be nice of her to ask about the ponies who had arrived before them and what exactly had happened to Ponyville that evening.
"Derpy, where are you evacuating the citizens to?" Luna asked.
"Sweet Apple Acres. There's three underground shelters on their property. One of them is inside their main barn. That's where we're taking everypony."
"How long have you been at this?"
"An hour. Maybe two. Three? Dunno. A while."
"Did a pony by the name of Athena arrive earlier?"
"That rude one who dresses like a clown? Yeah. She was in the company of two arch mages. Doctor Gesundheit told her everything and then she went into the Everfree Forest to check out the shrine. She didn't come back out, but that thing sure did."
Wedge started laughing darkly at Athena's misfortune. Luna would wait until after they had dealt with the Malum to go looking for her.
"There were a couple of messengers sent, but we are not sure where they went. Eagerly were we awaiting aid as that foul beast conducted its raid," Zecora said.
"That blasphemy must have gotten to their messengers," Biggs said.
"Don't worry. The one sent by Ares most likely got through," Luna said.
Luna took the piece of cloth from her vest and held it in her hoof.
"Do you know who this belongs to?" Luna asked Derpy.
The rest of the team crowded in to see if they could help. Zecora deadpanned, Derpy Hooves derped, Wedge rolled his eyes and wandered off, and Biggs smiled a little.
"That looks like something out of the wardrobe of The Great and Powerful Trixie. It might belong to somepony else, but I'm pretty sure it's hers since she favors that type of pattern," Biggs said.
"Who is she?" Luna asked.
"She's generally regarded as a public nuisance and has been banned from two settlements, including Ponyville. Trixie is rather notorious. I guess you haven't gotten around to hearing about her yet. Where did you find that?"
"In a spot where she definitely should not have been. I have reason to believe that she stole an important book from the Canterlot library. Do any of you know where we could find her?"
"Trixie has been outside of Ponyville in her wagon for the past few days. I went and got her because that was the right thing to do. She's in Applejack's barn right now," Derpy Hooves said.
That worked out fine since they were headed in that direction anyway.
"Take me to her," Luna ordered.
X
The entourage arrived in Ponyville without another incident. It was clear that the town had recently been under attack. Stealth had not been a general concern of the beast. Windows were its primary target and it had smashed through quite a few of them in the section of the town they entered. Some homes had large holes in their structure where the Malum had either entered or exited. Lamps and decorative banners depicting the crest of the town and the royal seal were strewn across the ground. The streets were empty and most of the remaining lampposts were off. If not for the full moon, it would have been completely dark.
Zecora whistled. A few ponies emerged from their hiding places and began running off towards the farm. Some of them were leading victims to safety while others checked houses to see if anypony needed help. It was quite a gamble. They could take their chances in Ponyville or hide in the crowd at Applejack's barn. Luna wasn't sure which one she would pick if she were in their hooves. According to the survivors, nothing else had come wandering out of the forest quite yet. Just as Luna suspected, most of the inhabitants were not aware that the barrier was no longer there.
Her guards were a real hit with everypony as they made their way to safety. Most of them had never seen one of them wearing anything but the ceremonial outfit. They were also very thankful for Luna's presence. For once, it seemed to have a positive effect on all of them. They knew she was there to help. The growing platoon made it to the countryside. Luna chalked it up to stress, but she could swear that the Everfree Forest seemed to be growing towards the town steadily as it once had now that it was free.
She cast her tracking spell again. The Malum hadn't moved since the last time she had checked. It was probably healing the limb it had lost, which would take some time. A major healing spell would be required to regrow a severed arm or leg. If it could do that, it was no slouch when it came to magic. Luna remained in thought until she found herself standing outside of Applejack's barn. Zecora knocked on the door.
"What's the password?" the muffled voice of a filly demanded.
"There is no password, Scootaloo," another said.
"What if it's a trick? There needs to be a password."
"You can't just go making up rules on the spot. Is that you, Zecora?" a third with a distinctive drawl asked.
"That it is," Zecora confirmed.
The door opened just a smidge before it slammed shut.
"Applebloom, you dummy! Zecora always speaks in rhymes. That's obviously an impostor out there!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"Zecora doesn't always speak in rhymes. I've heard her say an actual sentence from time to time. It's always really simple stuff, though. Kind of like what she just said right now."
"Well, we certainly are at quite an impasse, aren't we?"
Luna took a deep breath.
"This is Princess Luna and I command you to open this door at once!" Luna shouted.
"Never!" Scootaloo said.
"Sweetie Belle, hold her down."
A scuffle of such ferocity ensued that the dust cloud it kicked up leaked out from under the front door. The door to the barn opened. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo froze in a humorous position long enough to confirm that they weren't being tricked. Luna recognized the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Fillies were generally eager to find their marks, but these three took it to extreme lengths. She had gotten to know them after they had stopped running away from her during Night Mare Night.
Some of the citizens inside bowed down now that Luna was among them.
"There, you see?" Applebloom asked.
"We still need a password," Scootaloo said, still frozen in combat with Sweetie Belle.
"Fine. We'll think of one the next time somepony has to leave," Applebloom said.
Luna expected the barn to be packed full of citizens, but there was still plenty of room to move around. A couple of ponies who had been drained of their souls were wandering around aimlessly or sleeping in their own little group. She spotted the entrance to the underground shelter, which was open. The door looked very thick. If they had to run down there, the Malum would have to dig them out.
"Strange. Where is everypony? Surely there are more," Luna said.
"Our family owns a lot of land. There are other barns on the property nearby, that way we aren't all crammed in together," Applebloom explained.
"Are you here to help us?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"In any way that I can," Luna assured her.
"We were expecting Princess Celestia. Did she get our letter?" Scootaloo asked without any tact whatsoever.
"It would not appear that she has received it," Luna replied, remaining polite.
"See, this is why we need more than one direct line to the princess. We sent a mail mare to Canterlot a few hours ago. We were hoping that she made it there safely," Scootaloo said.
She must not have. Luna didn't bother telling her that.
"You have nothing to fear. I will protect you. We have wounded the beast and we are currently on our way to finish what we have started. However, we are looking for somepony right now. I believe she could be of help to us."
"Well, who y'all lookin' for?" Applebloom asked.
"A mare by the name of Trixie. Is she here?"
"Regrettably. She's. . ." Scootaloo trailed off as she looked toward the back of the barn.
Luna followed the fillies gaze and noticed that the back door was open just a crack.
"Running away?" Scootaloo finished.
"Biggs! Wedge! Move!" Luna shouted.
Luna flung the door open with her magic. Once they were outside, they couldn't see where Trixie had run off to even with the aid of an illumination spell. Luna looked around quickly and spotted an overturned can of sky blue paint and a discarded brush.
"Hey, I want to keep helping!" Derpy Hooves called after them.
She slammed face first into the wall of the barn before successfully navigating outside and joining the party once more.
"Glad to have you. Biggs, Derpy, go left. Wedge, follow me," Luna instructed.
Luna picked the correct path and spotted a mare in the distance running away from the barn as fast as she could. She spread her wings and jumped into the sky. With three strong beats of her wings, she rocketed straight for the fleeing mare. Rather than tackle her and potentially risk breaking something, Luna landed with a sufficient degree of flourish in front of the fleeing pony. She used her magic to temporarily increase the speed of the wind around them and appear slightly more intimidating to the pony she had just chased down.
"You! State your name, mark, and occupation!" Luna ordered.
The unicorn pony neighed in reply and began wandering around aimlessly. She ate a patch of grass raw, gagged a little, and neighed again. Luna could see paint dripping from the flank the pony was showing her. She tried to get around the pony, but the mare kept ahead of her, possibly hiding the fact her other flank had not been poorly disguised. In the distance, she could see a group of ponies heading towards her. This was such a pointless charade. Luna did not need their help to identify her captive.
"I suspect that you have stolen an important book from the royal library. Unless you would rather not have any sort of trial, you will tell me who you are right now!"
The pony neighed again and pretended to eat some more grass.
"This is your final warning."
No response. Luna cast the spell that would turn her captive into stone. The slightest inch of the unicorn's tail turned to solid rock and she jumped up into the air and began screaming hysterically.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie, wand casting a spell, unemployed!" Trixie shrieked, flailing her limbs wildly.
Luna reversed the process, returning Trixie's tail to normal. Trixie landed improperly and crashed into the dirt. Luna took the cloth out of her vest and threw it on the ground in front of Trixie.
"It has been brought to my attention that this belongs to you," Luna said.
"Trixie has never seen that before," Trixie said haughtily, holding her muzzle high in arrogance.
Luna looked at Trixie impassively for a moment. She cast the spell that would turn her into a rock once more, this time focusing the start of the process on her right hind leg.
"Yes! Yes, that does indeed belong to Trixie!" she said, actually trying to shake the spell off herself.
The rest of Luna's entourage arrived on the scene and encircled Trixie just in case she was foolish enough to try to run away. Zecora was absent this time. She was probably restraining the fillies, which was for the best.
"Why did you take a restricted book from the archives?" Luna asked.
Trixie bit her bottom lip and looked around. She was trying to weigh her odds, of which there were hardly any.
"Trixie apologizes. She did not know it would come to this. All Trixie wanted was more power."
Luna scoffed.
"And how did you go about fulfilling this selfish desire?" Luna asked.
"Why should Trixie get herself in more trouble than she already is?"
"Because nothing you say to incriminate yourself will make any of your charges less severe."
"Fine. Trixie managed to do a very successful show in Appleloosa. At times, her performance requires fireworks. She had used some that evening. The next day Trixie went shopping for chemicals and began constructing fireworks in a controlled area outside of the town. It just so happened that the sheriff was passing by while Trixie was busy. He offered to buy some of the fireworks that Trixie was making because he was so impressed with them the previous evening. The sheriff went even further to show his admiration of the Great and Powerful Trixie by asking if she would stop by the local mining company and assist their demolitions department for a few weeks."
"Why would they need your help?"
"Trixie asked herself the same question. The answer was obvious. Before Trixie arrived, those backward idiots were using nitrogen triiodide to expand their gold mine. Can you believe that? How they didn't blow themselves sky high is beyond Trixie. Anyway, they eventually discovered a hidden cavern and asked Trixie to investigate because it spooked them. What she found was a blood pool with a Lich living inside of it."
"And you summoned it," Luna concluded.
"Yes. Trixie kept the miners away by telling them that the chamber was cursed so that she could work with the pool. They were a bunch of earth ponies and they believed her without any hesitation since she is a unicorn. And great and powerful. She digresses. I intended to dilute the pool, but I summoned the Lich to see if it would give me anything in exchange for letting it continue to vegetate in its own trap. That required the bestiary, which Trixie did steal. She left her hoofkerchief behind by accident. Trixie initially did not plan to retrieve it. After all, she believed that she would be unstoppable by now. Obviously that didn't work out."
"What's a Lick?" Derpy Hooves asked.
"I will explain after her story," Luna replied.
"Ironically enough, conjuring the Lich was no more complicated than speaking with a ghost using Star Swirl's Board. The Lich brought forth a strange beast for Trixie to contend with that did not seem very interested in helping her. Trixie responded by destroying the lair she had found with a couple of powder kegs. Nopony swindles Trixie!"
Luna had to restrain herself from attacking Trixie. Instead, she vented by manipulating the weather. Clouds began gathering around the area. Wind blew and lightning danced across the sky as Luna's anger reached a dangerous peak. Trixie looked around nervously. Wedge silently dared her to try running. Luna took a few steps closer to Trixie, towering over her.
"Thou art irrevocably daft, cretin! That bestiary was the completeedition. Without it, we are only able to identify what we remember off-hoof!"
Trixie trembled in fear, but gathered the courage to continue speaking.
"Trixie sealed the cavern with the explosion and diluted the pool. The bestiary is probably buried underneath the rubble. She thought that was the end of it, but that thing escaped. This happened four days ago. Trixie left Appleloosa and journeyed to Ponyville. She was planning on visiting the archives tomorrow to fetch what she had forgotten."
Trixie was so painfully stupid. Of all the creatures she could have tried consulting she had picked a Lich. It would have been safer to go around looking for ancient relics of power in any of the abandoned ruins scattered across Equestria. Even getting a sword away from the loot of a dragon would have been far less reckless. Luna put that aside for the moment and continued her interrogation.
"How far was that mine from Appleloosa?" Luna asked.
"About fifty kilometers. Why?"
"Because if it has indeed been more than a few days since this thing managed to dig itself out of the collapsed tunnel, it might have attacked Appleloosa or the buffalo herd."
Her companions reacted nervously to that possibility.
"We're still getting mail from Appleloosa," Derpy offered helpfully. "I don't know anything about the buffalos, though. They prefer to live a bit more traditionally than us."
"Where was the mine located in relation to Appleloosa? North? South?" Biggs asked.
"East," Trixie replied.
"In the opposite direction of the herd," Biggs said. "They might be safe. Perhaps the creature just wandered around until it eventually found Ponyville."
"You're right, but it still wouldn't hurt to check when all of this is over," Luna said. "Trixie, to get to the archives you posed as me. Is that correct?"
She nodded in reply.
"Impressive. Putting on such a ruse does take quite a bit of concentration. I hope you feel proud of yourself for tricking an innocent old mare into letting you see the book that contains the spell needed to enter that section of the castle. How did you figure out the cypher?"
"Trixie stole one of Twilight Sparkle's notebooks a while ago. It was in there. Twilight had been working on a way to increase the strength of the encryption. The risk involved in getting to the archives did not seem worth it to Trixie until recently."
The weather cleared up and the wind stopped blowing as Luna took deep breaths to calm herself down. She remembered hearing that Twilight and Spike had inadvertently gained access to the archives during Twilight's quest to read every single book in the library. There must have been more than one reason why Celestia had sent her favorite student away from Canterlot for a little while. Twilight had probably filed a police report about her notebook that had been swept under the desk by those who had received it.
"It sounds like you do more than parlor tricks," Biggs remarked.
"Trixie tries to keep it interesting."
"Care to elaborate?"
"She is skilled in illusion, mimicry, and chemistry. Trixie is proficient with black powder. How else do you think she was able to get away safely? A short fuse can go a long way. If she had her effects with her, you might not have been able to catch her."
"What's mimicry?" Wedge asked.
"A mime masters magic faster than any other pony. Also, if Trixie watches a spell performed carefully, she too can cast that spell without having to be taught how to do so," she replied.
Luna was astounded. Mimicry was an incredibly rare gift. Then again, a selfish pony like Trixie wouldn't think so.
"Were you watching what the Lich did?" Wedge asked.
"No, and that is the honest truth. Trixie knew something was up and quickly became engaged in defending herself. Explosives can sometimes be relatively uncooperative when they are needed the most."
"About that Lick?" Derpy Hooves asked, flying upside down so that Luna would notice her.
"A Lich is the undead spirit of a unicorn pony who deliberately took their own life in exchange for unlimited power. They are not bound by morals or feelings and tend to see the living in a rather negative light. A pony that performs this ritual bleeds out in a small pit, which creates their pool. The area they choose becomes their domain and that is where they return if they are defeated," Luna explained.
"Yeah?" Derpy urged, immensely interested in the subject.
"What do you mean by defeated? They can get out and wander around?" Wedge asked.
"Yes. Before the mage becomes a Lich, they typically bring a collection of remains with them that are kept in the pit. They can inhabit the dead body of a pegasus, an earth pony, another unicorn, or even something else entirely."
Wedge laughed.
"Come on. That's the craziest thing I've ever heard. You're joking, right?"
"Why would I lie to you at a time like this?"
"Because you felt like it?"
"What happens when they run out of bodies?" Biggs asked, ignoring Wedge.
"Typically they work hard against that because if that happens they are stuck where they are at unless somepony is idiotic enough to summon one. This insipid cur is very lucky to be alive. It obviously brought forth the Malum to create a husk that it could possess. Imagine if it had succeeded. You would be a living undead, Trixie."
"Why haven't I ever heard of this thing?" Wedge asked.
"It is considered obscure history that is no longer relevant."
"She said that she diluted it. What does that mean?" Biggs asked.
"To destroy a Lich, you must find its pool. You then take a canister of water that has been properly prepared and pour that into the pool. That destroys their spell."
Trixie stomped her hooves on the ground, getting their attention. Her confidence was slowly being restored and with that came her arrogance.
"You all act like this hasn't been done before. Where do you think I. . .where do you think Trixie got the idea?"
"Do tell!" Derpy Hooves exclaimed, eager for more history.
"The Taming of Osiris. Princess, you should remember that story. Do you?"
Luna tried to remember what Trixie was talking about, but she was drawing a blank.
"Humor me," Luna said evenly.
"In the days of your grandfather's reign, Star Swirl the Bearded summoned a Lich to learn about their powers. It was known as Osiris. From it, Star Swirl learned many of the spells we use now to drive away evil spirits. He also learned how to elongate his own life, a secret he undoubtedly shared with yourfamily. There's more. What is the name of the mage who sacrificed himself to keep the monsters in the Everfree Forest from attacking nearby settlements? It escapes Trixie at the moment."
"Nicodemus," Luna quickly answered.
"That's right. So you do know your history. Trixie is pleased. Have you been to his temple? He is dead, yet he is still alive. A living undead. His soul is bound to that single spell. Does that ring any bells? It should. Nicodemus himself is a Lich."
Though Luna had never heard this story, it made sense. If it were true, it would spoil the memory of Nicodemus.
"Where did you hear this?" Luna asked.
Trixie grinned deviously, happy to know something that the princess did not.
"Trixie was not good enough for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. They didn't want a little mime to make all the other ponies feel awkward about themselves. She was sent to a different academy. The instructor there told her that story. Trixie looked at the book he got it from. It's the truth. Do you know what happened to that book? It was burned. A royal decree ordered it and several others like it to be destroyed. You must have been on the moon at the time."
"That's a really nice story, but it still doesn't change the fact that what you did was stupid. Star Swirl and Nicodemus were far more powerful than you," Biggs said.
"Trixie thinks you're missing the point. That mare you are so dutifully protecting has a sister that has actively sought to censor certain material from her slaves. Does that not make you angry?"
"I trust Luna and Celestia to do the right thing, even if I don't agree with their methods," Biggs replied.
"Yeah, ditto. You're still the reason why all of this has happened. Ma'am, what are we going to do about her?" Wedge asked.
Luna grimaced. She had to be virtuous. Did Trixie deserve compassion? She was a troubled soul, blinded by her narcissism. Luna hadn't even known her for thirty minutes and already she had pegged her with a clear personality disorder. It was probable that she would do something like this again. Ponies typically did not find themselves banished from more than one settlement just for being a public nuisance. Obviously she wasn't learning any lessons, which meant that some form of justice was more appropriate in this case. Trixie should pay for her crimes, which were rather grave. She had stolen and lost a book of restricted knowledge, conjured a malevolent spirit, and unwittingly released a creature that was wreaking havoc on Ponyville.
What would Celestia do? Twilight Sparkle, her precious protégé, had been involved in a fair degree of mischief. She had always been quickly forgiven, even when Spike went on a hoarding rampage and destroyed a few buildings in Ponyville on his quest to acquire as many miscellaneous items as he possibly could. Trixie looked sorry for what she had done, but only because she was being punished. Luna thought about it for another moment before making her decision.
"She's coming with us. Even if she is of no help, she will still have a hoof in correcting her mistake."
"Fine. Trixie will consent to that, but not without her gear. She left her hat, cape, and saddlebags in the barn," Trixie said.
"I wasn't finished. You are now my vassal, Trixie. Once all of this is over, you are being sent back to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. You'll start out in kindergarten as a student since it does not appear that your grasp on ethics and responsibility is developed enough for you to skip a couple of grades."
Trixie recoiled in horror at the mention of magic kindergarten. Luna knew that would do it. Hopefully the humiliation would humble her.
"Trixie won't be caught dead in magic kindergarten!"
"Good, because you're going alive," Luna said.
"Ma'am, with all due respect this sounds like a reward for her bad behavior," Biggs said.
"Yeah, I thought she would look good next to Discord," Wedge joked.
"She will suffer. I can promise you that."
Biggs nodded and took her word for it, as did Wedge.
"You're in big trouble. I kind of feel sorry for you. That would be like me going back to flight school," Derpy Hooves pointed out.
"It looks like you need it," Trixie sneered, noting how she was still flying upside down.
"Not even Rainbow Dash can fly like that. I think she's doing just fine," Luna remarked.
They went back to the barn to get Trixie's belongings. Trixie didn't seem very thrilled to be among them, but she realized she had been let off easy and wasn't stupid enough to do anything which might change that fact. The door to the barn was closed again. Luna knocked on it.
"Password!" Scootaloo demanded.
"Apple," Derpy Hooves said.
The door opened.
"Wow, that was a complete guess."
"Could you have thought of anything more obvious?" Trixie asked as she pushed past Scootaloo.
"It's times like this that I wish I was a unicorn. She'd make a great paperweight, dontcha think?" Wedge whispered to Biggs, who was inclined to agree.
"Contain yourself, Wedge," Luna requested.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were watching the entourage with interest. Trixie retrieved her saddlebag and dressed herself in the costume she always wore. Luna noted the blue gem she wore, but didn't allow herself to ask Trixie any questions about it. She tossed Trixie's hoofkerchief on the ground in front of her. Trixie let it remain where it was.
"My sister will burn that if she finds it in here," Applebloom said.
Trixie placed the hoofkerchief in her saddlebag. Luna gathered the team together in a huddle.
"Okay. We're going to fight the Malum. I do hope for the sake of a certain pony that our victory will automatically bring the citizens back to their senses. Derpy Hooves. Zecora. If you believe that you will be of further use you are welcome to accompany us. Do know that this journey will be particularly dangerous. It is your choice."
"I want to be involved," Derpy Hooves said. "I want to be a part of the awesome. I want to be on a sheet of stained glass. Ponies will say 'who's that' and I'll say 'that's me so stop saying mean things about me behind my back like I know you like to do'."
"As you might expect, these ponies I must protect," Zecora said, gesturing to the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the other ponies in the barn.
"We can't go?" Scootaloo asked.
"But. . .but. . ." Sweetie Belle said, attempting to find something to argue with.
"We ziplined!" Applebloom exclaimed.
"We bowled!"
"We caught a blue marlin!"
"Do not fret; you are just not ready for journeys of this nature quite yet."
"Go play with some sparklers and be quiet, you little trolls," Trixie said, retrieving three of them from her saddlebag and giving them to Scootaloo.
"I suggest you improve how you handle children as you will soon find yourself among many of them," Luna said as she walked out the front door.
"Hey, the new password is Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo called.
"We'll remember," Biggs said.
They headed outside and began their short journey to the nearest entrance to the Everfree Forest.