Great and Powerful Trixie in the Exordium under the Pyramids | MLP FIM

In the security room of Twilight's castle, the system control panel began to reboot. In the total darkness, one by one the monitors lit up, illuminating the place with an unfamiliar emerald green glow.

In front of the larger monitor, the dark silhouette of a unicorn watched attentively what was happening.

[---]

All voices fell silent. All noise ceased. From the tiniest crevices to the deepest cavities.

They all heard it and shuddered. Then, a voice came to them from afar....

"AAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORHHHH"

A roar, perhaps a scream. Trixie and the Young-Six looked around, surprised, confused and, above all, anguished. Their eyes scanned every corner, every shadow, searching for the source of that wail that seemed to emanate from everywhere and that instilled a deep despair in whoever heard it. For several seconds, that piercing cry resounded, weakening until it faded away.

Silence slowly returned, but with it came an unusual and disturbing darkness in the kitchen. No one dared to speak. Everyone remained motionless, hearts oppressed, fearing that any word might unleash a greater evil. Seconds, long as minutes, passed in complete silence. The dark memories of that day, briefly forgotten that afternoon, came back to them, crushing their wills into a sepulchral enclosure.

But despite their fears, there were no more immediate signs, and time ran its course. Seconds, then minutes, but nothing more happened.

Finally, with calm slowly returning, someone broke the silence.

"What was that!" exclaimed Trixie, the most frightened of all. None of the Young-Six answered her; still bewildered, they looked at each other, as if awakening from a bad dream, feeling in the air a restlessness that paralyzed their movements and thoughts.

Ocellus, sensing the danger in his companions, understood that they had to act.

"We must leave," she said aloud. No one contradicted her; led by her, her friends followed her without hesitation.

But they had already lost precious time.

Before Ocellus reached the door, a fleeting shadow cut him off. They froze in place. Ocellus and the rest of the Young-Six had just witnessed a chair move on its own toward the door, blocking the exit. Slowly, the group of friends turned.

Behind them, Trixie was standing next to the dining room table, just as before, but without the chair she had been sitting in all afternoon. The same chair that now blocked the only escape route.

Trixie, looking as perplexed as the Young-Six, immediately read the stares falling on her.

"I didn't do it!" she replied nervously and in denial before receiving any accusations.

But no one had time to say anything.

"Trumbb... Trummmbbbbbb... Trummmmmmmmmmmbbbbbbbb"

Sudden tremors began to shake the room. The Young-Six, without a word, huddled together, covering their flanks and in fear, looked around. The light was beginning to fail. The walls of the dining room were shaking more and more. The furniture began to wobble. The table and other chairs were stamping out of control. Trixie, aghast, let out a scream as she watched the cups on the table begin to spin on themselves, possessed by an inexplicable force.

"Folks, what's going on!" cried Yona, terrified, watching as various plates and silverware shot off their shelves and joined other junk in the room to form a supernatural whirlwind of objects above their heads.

In the midst of all this, the light in the room began to darken even more, fueling dread among the students.

Suddenly, all the objects spinning above them changed their trajectory, shooting out at the Young-Six.

"Down!" shouted Silverstream, as his companions closed their eyes and covered each other to protect themselves from the sudden attack.

But the attack did not come.

When Ocellus and the others opened their eyes again, they were surprised to see that all the objects had stopped in their tracks against them. The hostile force that had attacked them had been stopped at the last moment.

"That's enough!" shouted Trixie, furious, horn blazing and using her magic to contain the movement of objects in the air. "Who's attacking Trixie's friends!

Show yourself!"

But to the unicorn's bellowing there were no words in response. Only more bewilderment.

"TROWWWWWWWWWWWHHHH!" A deep, intense sound erupted from the ground. Suddenly, a sense of vertigo swept over everyone, causing them to stagger and fall. Startled by the sudden change in balance, Trixie also slipped and fell sprawling on the ground. The same happened to all the other objects she had contained with her magic.

The sound of broken dishes and bouncing silverware mingled with the continuous subway rustling that plagued the room.

In the midst of all this, something else was going on.

"We're... climbing?" exclaimed Smolder incredulously, patting the ground. Not only her, her companions on the ground felt it too and could confirm her words.

Indeed, the room was rising with them in it.

"What is all this!" exclaimed Ocellus, struggling to his feet along with the others.

"Keep calm! Ouuuuuuuuuuuuu!" commanded Trixie, taking wobbly steps and trying not to slip again.

The feeling of vertigo was still present, but most were already adjusting. While Trixie and the Young-Six were recovering, creaking and strange noises were heard everywhere. Gallus, who was closest to the door, began to pay attention to the sounds coming from the other side.

"Wait... what?" muttered the griffin, startled. Without waiting for the rest of his companions to recover, he rose into the air, pushed aside the chair blocking the door and stepped outside.

"Hey, where are you going!" exclaimed Smolder as she saw her friend leave the room. Annoyed, she took flight and went after Gallus.

"Smolder, wait! We mustn't split up!" claimed Ocellus in vain, when Smolder was already gone.

Trixie, now recovered, joined the chaos and ran after the students.

"Wait! Stop!" shouted Trixie in desperation as she headed for the door. "It's dangerous to go out without an adult!"

But Trixie didn't make it out. The door burst open, hitting her in the face and knocking her backwards. No one paid any attention, for, to the surprise of Ocellus and the others, Gallus and Smolder had returned. Without explanation, they immediately began barricading the door with chairs and other furniture around it.

The expressions on their faces were somber.

"Gallus, what are you doing? Why...?"

"Enchanted armor coming!" replied Gallus, agitated, as he placed a heavy rack to block the door.

"What!" exclaimed Ocellus, puzzled.

Still on the ground and in pain, Trixie raised her head. "What!"

Alerted to the danger, the intense noise of running metal footsteps began to be heard by all. Growing with alarming speed, the sound of metal crashing to the floor was perfectly discernible. Like an avalanche of pots falling from a shelf, the noise became so tumultuous that it overshadowed all other sounds, drawing everyone's attention to the barricaded door.

The Young-Six, frightened, turned away from the door with their eyes fixed on it. Trixie, rising magically from the floor, joined them in the vanguard. Still dumbfounded by what was happening, she needed an explanation, but there was no time to give or receive one.

The avalanche of noises reached the door.

"PUMPPPPPP!" A bang echoed through the room. The solid pine wood of the door had miraculously withstood the onslaught, but a large crack had formed.

Trixie adjusted her hat and cloak with her trembling hooves, an automatic gesture that betrayed her nervousness. Without turning to the Young-Six, she began to speak.

"Boys, as your teacher, I must protect you..."

"PUMPPPPPP!" Another bang resounded on the door, sending splinters flying through the air. The hinges squeaked under the pressure.

"...but I think this would be a good time for them to show what they've learned about the magic of friendship," Trixie added with a nervous laugh that failed to disguise her anxiety.

"PUMPPPP!" The next impact on the door opened more cracks, and black metal spikes began to poke out of them. The sharp edge of an axe appeared, slicing through the wood.

"Guys?" At the silence, Trixie turned around.

The Young-Six stood in a circle, shoulder to shoulder, eyes closed, sweat beading on their foreheads, concentrating intensely.

But what they were trying wasn't working.

"Ahhh! Why isn't it working? Gallus, focus!" demanded Smolder, frustrated.

"It's not me, dammit!" retorted Gallus, irritated.

"If not you, then who is failing?"

"Smolder, calm down! It won't work that way!" intervened Ocellus, trying to calm the chaos.

As the discussion continued, Trixie watched from the side, increasingly dismayed. It took her a moment to understand what was happening, but when she did, it was as if an uncomfortable truth hit her: the young people were trying to invoke the magic of friendship, just as they had done before, but this time something was wrong. And the reason for that failure, so dire at that instant, was painfully obvious. She was the cause. All the previous arguments, in which she had been the axis of the problems, had broken the harmony between the young people.

In other words... everything was a disaster caused by her.

"PUMPPPPPP!" Another blow shook the door, ripping off the hinges. The crack widened, and a sword pierced the wood, followed by a pony-like metal limb.

"Arggggggghh," Trixie let out a growl of rage, feeling the guilt pierce her like a dagger. Self- hatred welled up strongly, making her tremble. But the feeling was quickly quelled by her pride... and her anger. Her body tensed, her jaw clenched, and her eyes widened with a determined look. If Trixie was the culprit, then Trixie would figure it out.

Just Trixie! Somehow...

"Everyone! Put that down and face the front! Now!" commanded Trixie, spitting out the fury that consumed her. Her anger was so palpable that the Young-Six, seeing the fire in her eyes, immediately fell into formation, ready to obey.

Trixie focused her attention on the crumbling door. Her breathing was rapid and ragged, adrenaline coursing through her body like a torrent. Her senses were sharpened, her mind focused on what was to come. It didn't matter what unknown threat was about to walk through that door. All he wanted was to release the rage burning inside him.

"PUMPPPPPP!" The last blow finally shattered the door, fulfilling Trixie's wish.

Furniture blocking the entrance and fragments of the door flew in all directions, propelled by the powerful onslaught. Trixie reacted instantly, raising a force field with her magic to protect the Young-Six from the projectiles flying through the room.

A light cloud of dust rose into the air, and shadowy figures passed quickly through it.

Trixie and the Young-Six saw them appear.

Two..., four..., six in all. Metal armor in the shape of ponies, dark and shiny, rushed towards them. They were similar to those that adorned the dungeons of the two sisters' castle, but these were alive. Each wielded a different weapon with a sinister ability: sword, mace, spear, axe, chain and crossbow.

They emitted no sound, no scream, no clamor. They were only cold entities of steel, launched into attack.

Trixie did not let herself be surprised. With her magic, she threw the dining room table towards the attackers, trying to block their line of sight.

But one of the armor split the table in two with a swift slash.

Without pausing, the armors continued their advance, not noticing that Trixie and the Young-Six had already moved quickly to one side of the room.

The armors stopped in their tracks and turned to rush at them again, but at that instant something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, all the armor began to slide across the floor, spinning out of control like clumsy skaters on an ice rink.

The result was surprising: all the armor crashed into each other, crashing against the wall opposite the dining room door.

"Wowwww!" exclaimed Gallus, as he and the others watched in amazement at the chaos the armor had fallen into. No one had foreseen it.

Amidst confused metallic noises, the armor was piled up in a tangle of bodies. Some of them tried to break free and rise from the pile, but to no avail; they immediately fell back to the slippery ground.

Trixie smiled in satisfaction, contemplating the success of her trick.

Moments earlier, along with the table, Trixie had dumped a drum full of oil on the floor. She knew that the polished glass floor of the castle, kept spotlessly clean by Starlight's order, would become dangerously slippery with oil. Her plan had worked perfectly, but even so, Trixie was not completely satisfied.

With her horn ablaze with magic, Trixie launched herself towards the fallen armor.

"YA! LEAVE ME!...EN!...PAZZZZZZZ!" bellowed Trixie furiously. Her magic exploded in a bolt of energy that ripped the head off one of the armors. Instantly, the resisting metal body crumbled, revealing it to be completely empty.

The Young-Six looked at her in silence, not knowing how to react.

"Ahh...wow...so.... they don't work without a head!... ahh... it feels stupid when you say it out loud," Trixie gasped, more exhausted from the emotional release than the physical exertion. Stunned, she turned to the Young-Six, who were still watching her with wide eyes. "What are you looking at, help me finish off the others!"

As if awakening from a trance, the Young-Six reacted. Gallus, Smolder, Silverstream and Ocellus instantly launched themselves into the air, grabbing whatever they could find: brooms, frying pans and pieces of wood. From the heights, they attacked the armor that was still moving awkwardly on the ground. As the young men held them immobilized, Trixie was quick to decapitate them with her magic.

Within minutes, the task was complete, much to the relief of Yona and Sandbar, who had been watching from the rear.

"Whew, that's all of them, isn't it? Tell me we're done!" exclaimed Trixie, gasping as she finished the last one.

"Ehmm..." The Young-Six looked at each other, surrounded by dismantled armor parts.

"Counselor Trixie!" shouted Gallus from across the room.

Trixie and the others ran toward it, where the griffin was staring at something on the ground.

"What's wrong, Gallus...?" Trixie started to ask, but her voice faded when she saw what Gallus was observing.

There, on the floor, was the breastplate of one of the dismantled armors. No one had noticed it before, but now, on the chest of the breastplate, shone an unmistakable symbol.

A magic wand and a crescent moon.

Everyone recognized that mark, but for Trixie it was undeniable. It was her cutie mark.

"What...?" Trixie looked around, completely disoriented.

Immediately, the Young-Six began to check the other armors, discovering that they were also marked with the same symbol.

Soon, all eyes turned to Trixie, who still had a dazed expression on her face. The pressure on her suddenly grew.

What should she say? What should she do now? What did it all mean? Why was this happening to her?

Trixie's thoughts swirled, mingling with growing despair. If only Starlight or Sunburst were here...but she was alone. She wasn't ready for this.

I wanted to cry.

"TROWWHH!" A deep rumble emerged from the floor, vibrating the room and shaking everyone, but it only lasted a brief moment.

The interruption was enough to bring Trixie back to her senses.

Leaving behind the moment of weakness that had overpowered her, she rose with determination and headed toward the Young-Six. She had already made up her mind.

"I don't know what all this means. I don't understand what's going on, but I do know one thing: we have to get out of here, and I can't do it alone. I don't know what's waiting for us out there, but I need you to put my past mistakes behind me and trust me like before. Please!" implored Trixie, her voice full of sincerity.

It was all I could offer.

The Young-Six did not need much time to decide. Despite all the doubts and what had happened, in that moment of desperation, they could only follow the voice of their hearts.

And that voice gave them a clear answer.

"We are with you, Councilor Trixie," Ocellus stated firmly. The others nodded immediately, confirming their support.

Trixie smiled a relieved smile. The determined looks from the Young-Six gave her back the confidence she so desperately needed. If the answer had been no, she probably would have collapsed right there, without the strength to go on.

"Counselor Trixie..." spoke Gallus suddenly, still holding the armor breastplate. He tossed it to the ground before continuing. "Outside everything has changed. The castle is transforming."

The others' eyes widened at that revelation, but Trixie was no longer surprised by anything.

"What did you see?" he asked, frowning.

Gallus and Smolder offered a quick explanation of what was happening outside. Trixie, this time, was not panicked or confused. She listened attentively, although she was having a hard time taking in all the information.

When they finished, Trixie decided there was no point in making complicated plans; she would improvise as she went along. Decisively, she gave quick orders.

"Take everything you can use to defend yourselves..." he ordered amidst another tremor that shook the ground. "...We're leaving right now!"

Without protest, everyone complied with the orders.

Armed with pots, pans and brooms, the Young-Six stood ready. Trixie, wielding a club, guarded the door.

The castle was still shaking, and cracks were already visible on the kitchen floor.

"We're ready," Ocellus announced, with her companions lined up behind her.

"Let's go ?" Trixie started to give the order, but stopped when she saw the breastplate

lying on the ground again. A forgotten memory popped up in her mind, related to those armors but now was not the time to dwell on that, so she continued.

Hurriedly, amidst the growing chaos, Trixie led the Young-Six out of the dining room and into the main hallway of Twilight's castle.

[---]

In the shattered dining room of Twilight's castle, abandoned by Trixie and the Young-Six minutes earlier, a strange object moved slowly in one of the dark corners of the ceiling.

Oblivious to the chaos, hovering over the ruins of the kitchen, the paper pyramid, the one Trixie had created shortly before 'midnight' caught up with her, floated freely above the broken junk of cups, plates, silverware and furniture. Its supernatural presence had gone unnoticed and it was impossible to understand the dark reason why it had remained unscathed by the destruction that had swept through the room.

From the white inverted pyramid, which overlooked everything, a view of desolation unfolded, a domestic present plagued by violence and shadows.

Inside him, a dark satisfaction was born, originating from the attentive welcome he had received upon arriving in this world.

"It's wonderful," whispered the voice of the dark ruler.

Black dots began to devour the pyramid. I had seen enough, I accepted the invitation.

Consumed by an abysmal blackness, the pyramid disappeared, taking with it the light of the room, which immediately sank into darkness.

[---]

With a hurried walk, Trixie and the Young-Six crossed the side hallway of the dining room, entering what should have been the main hallway of Twilight's castle. However, that area, so familiar to them, had disappeared.

At the end of the side corridor, a vast, precipice-like void was revealed.

"Wait!" shouted Trixie, stopping dead in her tracks and leaning against the glass railing that guarded the edge of the cliff. With an effort, all the Young-Six slowed behind her, dumbfounded at the challenging obstacle.

Still illuminated by the afternoon light filtering in from the distant roof, the precipice was actually part of an immense atrium that had sprung up inside the castle. Levels and levels covered with doors stretched around it, both above and below, each level surrounded by railings and oversized glass pillars.

Joining the levels, in each corner of the wide rectangular void of the atrium, was a staircase. Floors above them, diffused by the light coming in from outside, other staircases crossed the levels diagonally.

Trixie swallowed hard. Although Smolder and Gallus had explained it to her before, she only now understood the magnitude of the castle's extraordinary transformation.

How had this happened in such a short time? Trixie couldn't imagine; she had other priorities at the moment. Quickly assessing the terrain, she looked toward the bottom of the cliff.

"That's it...!" she exclaimed excitedly, and the others followed her gaze.

There, at the bottom, sunken to a distance of ten stories below ground level, was still intact the main corridor of the castle, leading to the long-sought exit. Even at that distance, the main doors were visible.

If they got there, they could escape....

"TROWWHH!" An intense crack exploded beneath them, shaking them and causing them to feel dizzy.

Trixie stumbled but got herself together quickly and didn't fall. She insulted herself for her stupidity.

Hadn't they told him earlier in the dining room? It wasn't the main hallway that was sinking - it was the castle that was rising with them!

Moreover, the castle continued to rise.

"Look!" exclaimed Silverstream, pointing to the other end of the wide atrium.

Before Trixie and the Young-Six's surprised eyes, a new level was beginning to emerge below where they stood. Like a stretching cast iron, the castle was creating out of thin air a whole new collection of rooms, staircases and railings. Wrapped in an intense purple glow, the newborn crystal was cooling and joining the rest of the castle at breathtaking speed.

However, due to this intense process, the castle also suffered great wear and stress on its structure.

"Look out!" shouted Smolder as he saw a portion of the roof above them begin to collapse.

Alarmed, their companions quickly retreated. Large pieces of glass fell, crashing to the ground, shattering the glass railings where they had been and then tumbling toward the bottom of the cliff.

"Does the castle want to kill us!" shouted Trixie, annoyed, dusting off her hat and cloak.

But loose rocks were the least of the dangers at the time.

Responding to Trixie's voice, powerful, metallic footsteps began to echo from the back of the atrium, alerting the entire group.

Trixie and the Young-Six recognized that sound immediately and approached the railing. There at the bottom, the main corridor, which a moment before was clear, was now flooded with a multitude of dark, glowing figures.

It was a full army of dark, gleaming armor, identical to the ones that had attacked them in the dining hall. They emerged in platoons of six from each door on the first level, like a flood of metal. The soldiers, with swift and precise movements, began to advance up the stairs, determined to capture their prey on the upper floors.

Trixie and the Young-Six knew it: they were the prey.

"We can't go down! We're trapped!" exclaimed Sandbar, terrified, in his wheelchair as he watched the suits of armor come frighteningly fast up the stairs.

"No! There must be another way out!" replied Ocellus, desperately searching through the doors visible from where they stood.

Ocellus was not alone in that hurried search. Trixie was already on it, knowing what other way out Ocellus was referring to. After a search in which every second seemed like a day of desperation, the unicorn finally found what she was so anxiously searching for.

"The balcony!" shouted Trixie in unison with Gallus, who had taken flight and was also searching from the air.

Fully recognizable, marked by an eye-catching golden emblem in the shape of a telescope, the green door, still half-open, leading to the balcony was located in one of the opposite corners, four levels above them.

Hope filled the hearts of Trixie and the Young-Six. That was the only way out they still had within reach. To get there they would just have to go to the nearest staircase, climb the four levels and run to the opposite corner where the balcony was.

With the new route mapped out in her mind, Trixie whinnied, "To the stairs!"

Setting off at a gallop, Trixie was followed by the Young-Six. Under the intense glow of the beams of light filtering in from the waning evening outside the castle. They ran uninterrupted, without hindrance or further tremors, which had fortunately ceased to occur.

But their fortune was quickly running out. To the group's surprise, as they attempted to continue up the stairs, they found that they were blocked by large glass boulders.

"Are you serious!" shouted Trixie angrily, turning her gaze to the other stairs.

Gallus, Smolder and Silverstream, who were in the air, flew to the other sides of the level to get a better look at the other three stairs.

"Here it's blocked! Here too! And here!" they shouted in unison.

Ocellus, accompanying them in their review from the air, gave a more detailed assessment.

"Only the staircase here is free after this level and then the one on the right leading to the balcony."

Trixie gritted her teeth at this news and began to think, making an effort to ignore the rumbling below them. Floors below the black armor marched frenetically up the stairs like an army of legionary ants.

"No matter which way we choose, we have to break this first," Trixie suddenly exploded. "Fine! It'll only take me a moment! Don't go too far! Trixie will take care of this!"

Pushing aside Yona and Sandbar, who were pushing the rocks, Trixie, in a rage, launched into pounding the rocks with her hooves and kicking. Still, despite her violent efforts, the rocks remained undisturbed.

Watching the counselor try to open the way without results and amidst the growing din of the approaching armor's footsteps, Gallus suddenly exclaimed:

"Give me a feather! It's only one level, isn't it? We could fly straight up!" suggested the griffin, flapping its wings and leaping into the air over the precipice.

"That could work!" replied Smolder, excitedly, taking flight.

"Wait! That's a good idea, but... Aren't you forgetting Yona and Sandbar?" corrected Silverstream, stopping short.

Reality quickly set in: of the Young-Six, only four could fly. Yona, with her size and weight, was impossible for a single flyer to carry, and Sandbar, bound to his wheelchair, was also out of the equation.

Both nervously exchanged glances.

"I'll carry me!" replied Ocellus without hesitation. A sudden glow covered her body and, from one moment to the next, the changeling transformed into a huge, burly bee-bear.

Ocellus, transformed into a bee-bear, immediately grabbed Yona and flew up into the air with her to the upper level.

Trixie, concentrating on summoning tools to clear the rocks, was abruptly interrupted by the excited shouts of the Young-Six, celebrating their companion Ocellus.

"What are you doing!" she screamed in fright as she turned around.

"Counselor Trixie, look! Ocellus is airlifting Yona to the level above," replied Silverstream cheerfully, watching from below as Ocellus rapidly ascended to the next level.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no! IT'S AN EASY TARGET!" shrieked Trixie, running to the railing and looking down with her heart in her throat.

Smolder and Gallus, who were concentrating on delicately transporting Yona with Ocellus' help, heard Trixie's cry and turned their attention to the space below them.

Trixie was not wrong. Several levels down, platoons of crossbow-equipped armor had posted themselves on the railings and columns of the atrium, aimed directly at the group of friends flying above them.

The attack was imminent.

"Stand aside!" shouted Gallus, pushing Ocellus, still in his bee-bear form, and Smolder into the interior of the second level.

He did so just in time, as a sudden shower of arrows whistled over their heads, whizzing past them and striking the railings and glass walls of the castle.

Behind the railings, Ocellus and Yona rolled across the floor of the level. Ocellus was the first to stop and regain her original form, while Yona continued rolling until she hit the opposite wall. Wasting no time, Gallus and Smolder quickly dragged them to shelter behind two thick pillars. Down below, more arrows flew in their direction, bouncing off and landing dangerously close to Trixie and the rest of the Young-Six.

"Behind me!" shouted Trixie, interposing herself between the surprised Silverstream and Sandbar, while trying to block the arrows with her magic. But her effort was not enough; one arrow went through her hat and others embedded dangerously in Sandbar's wheelchair, who was doing his best to protect himself with a pan over his head.

Determined to help, Silverstream began deflecting stray arrows using a frying pan she had brought from the dining hall. Although her defense was improvised, she demonstrated impressive skill, deflecting a dozen arrows in mere seconds.

However, the attack was relentless, and they soon realized that they would be overrun. They were too far from the other pillars to seek shelter, and the arrows continued to fall mercilessly.

Seeing the critical situation, Trixie decided to make her move: she threw several smoke bombs around her.

With a series of explosions, thick white smoke filled the entire level, making visibility difficult. Gradually, the armor attack finally ceased.

No sooner had the arrows stopped falling than an alarmed cry from Ocellus was heard above their heads. "Counselor Trixie!"

"Cof! Cof! Stay away from the railings!" immediately replied Trixie amidst the smoke. Beside her were the other young men. "Don't worry about us, we're fine."

They were not well; a thick glass ceiling divided the group of friends and with it their hopes of escaping together.

"Ah, thank heavens..." exclaimed Ocellus' voice from above in relief.

"How are you guys doing?" asked Trixie anxiously, looking up at the ceiling.

"We are safe. Yona is fine and..." Ocellus' voice replied, restoring a brief calm to Trixie. But suddenly she cried out again in alarm. "You must get out of there, quickly! The armor is coming your way!"

"What?" Trixie, alarmed, came out of the smoke and quickly scanned the surroundings.

It was true. One of the obstructed stairs at the other end of the level was being forced. Banging echoed throughout the place, and stones began to roll, pushed by the approaching armor.

Trixie's face filled with terror - they had arrived much faster than she had anticipated!

Without wasting a second, he ran back toward the cloud of smoke that was beginning to dissipate. The crunching of the rocks being pushed was intensifying every moment.

"Counselor Trixie, what do we do!" asked Sandbar along with Silverstream, who had also noticed the impending armor range.

"Stick around me! Now!" shouted Trixie with her horn flaring into an intense glow.

I hadn't tried it before because I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it. But I no longer had the time or the tools to break the rocks on the stairs.

It was time to fully rely on his incredible and extraordinary abilities.

("Teleportation, don't fail me now!") she begged inwardly. Trixie knew better than anyone the extent of her own magical talent and the risks involved in using it. If it were just a matter of

she, I wouldn't hesitate so much, but now lives were at stake. She would have to have faith. Trixie released her magic, closing her eyes.

"Splatt." Trixie's horn burst into a powerful light. In the blink of an eye, Silverstream and Sandbar's field of vision changed. Trixie opened her eyes again. They were no longer on the lower level where Ocellus and the others were.

"This is..." exclaimed a frightened Silverstream. Surrounded by black armor, terrified, they stood at the back of the large atrium inside the castle.

"Haha, it's just a test..." laughed Trixie nervously.

It took a moment for the armors to understand what was happening. In that time, Trixie readied her magic again.

"Grruooooooooooooooo!" roared an unprecedented golden manticore-shaped armor before launching itself at them. But it missed Trixie and the others. In a blaze, they had disappeared, leaving the armors only inches away from catching them.

"Splatt." Trixie and the others appeared again, this time they were back where they had been before. However, they were no longer the only ones on that level, the armors had already broken the blockade of the stairs on the opposite side and were rushing in their direction.

"Ok... a third try!" snorted Trixie, sweaty.

"Counselor Trixie!" exclaimed Silverstream in alarm, pointing to the nearest corner. A full platoon of armor had already reached the spot and was rapidly approaching.

"Ahhh!" shouted Sandbar from his wheelchair, watching the armor approaching them at full speed.

Again, Trixie tried to channel her magic, but this time her horn flickered and she failed to cast the spell. Her magical potency had been exhausted. Desperate and out of options, Trixie put aside her escape attempt and rushed to the front of the group, ready to fight with a club against the armor wielding swords and axes.

"Ugghhhh! Get ready! And ahhh?" cried the unicorn, startled and stepping aside as she suddenly saw the rocks obstructing the stairway's passage begin to fall one after another in front of her.

"KROWW." Rocks rolled, blocking the armor's path. Then, a familiar voice echoed amidst the din, restoring their hope. "Rocks be easier to push from above than from below," Yona exclaimed cheerfully, appearing out of the rock dust and finishing pushing them away.

"Yona!" shouted Sandbar excitedly along with Trixie and Silverstream.

"Yes, yes, it's great to have her as a friend! Quick!" shouted Gallus, rushing down the stairs and grabbing Sandbar's wheelchair, lifting it forcefully to the floor above. Behind them, Trixie and Silverstream hurried after them, dodging loose rocks and outrunning armor frantically chopping at rocks to break them.

Once at the top, Trixie saw what was happening. At the entrance to the staircase, Ocellus, transformed into a yak, was holding with great effort the rocks blocking the way, preventing them from collapsing any further.

"Hurry up!" cried a sweaty and exhausted Ocellus, struggling against the intense weight of a large boulder.

"Yona's already going up, drop it!" ordered Smolder, watching from the air.

"Ouhhh," with a cry of release, Ocellus dropped the large rock he was holding.

"KROWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" A thunderous landslide resounded, burying the stairs and, with them, the armor that had made its way through the rocks.

While Trixie was still catching her breath after the unexpected rescue, the Young-Six took the opportunity to take a brief breather, dropping exhausted to the ground. Rocks continued to tumble down the stairs, taking with them part of the pillar that supported them and the adjacent walls of the castle.

They had been saved by a very narrow margin....

"How is everyone?" asked Ocellus urgently, looking around at his companions.

"Yona is happy that friend Sandbar is okay!" exclaimed Yona, lifting Sandbar's wheelchair (with Sandbar included) with glee. The chair had several arrows stuck in the tires, but that didn't seem to matter to anyone at the time.

"Me too, Yona! Huuu!" replied Sandbar, feeling her friend's infectious euphoria, though somewhat shaken by the enthusiasm.

Off to the side, Trixie, still panting, watched the scene with a smile slowly forming on her face. Seeing the Young-Six safe and united was all she needed to feel momentarily at peace. It was a balm to her exhausted heart.

But then, in the midst of the young people's rapid responses, a voice stood out and caught everyone's attention.

"I'm a little confused. I've been thinking, wouldn't it have been better to get out of the castle using Councilor Trixie's teleportation from the start?" asked Silverstream breaking the mood. The gazes of the fatigued team turned to Trixie, who, with a strained smile, shook her head. No one dared to question that expression.

"Anything else you can think of right now?" asked Smolder, uncomfortably with a raised eyebrow, shaking the dust off her wings.

"Uhmm... I also thought we should have taken the black armor weapons before we left the mess hall..."

"That's enough, Silvi!" exclaimed Gallus, exasperated, covering his friend's mouth before she could continue.

Pure, vibrant laughter echoed through that level of the castle, a sound completely oblivious to the chaos around them.

However, despite the momentary relief, they knew they could not stay there much longer. The intense pounding that began to be heard from below broke the fragile tranquility, reminding them that their pursuers had not given up.

"Stand up! Ahh... We can't stay, we must go on!" exclaimed Trixie, now more recovered but still exhaling loudly. Immediately, the group's joy faded. Ocellus, Gallus, Smolder, Silverstream, Sandbar and Yona quickly stood up, ready to move on, their gazes full of determination.

"KROWWWWWWWWWWWWW," another landslide occurred below them. The rocks were beginning to break again. On one side of the ruined staircase, much of the steps leading to the upper level were intact.

Observing the situation, Ocellus exclaimed: 'Only two levels to go. We can do it!

Trixie smiled even wider. She already knew this, but she was still surprised: Ocellus was a good leader and they were a good team.

Without waiting any longer, Trixie continued. "Go upstairs! Follow Trixie!" commanded the unicorn, being the first to advance up the stairs heading for the third level.

Luck seemed to be smiling on them again.

When they reached the third level, as the young people had mentioned, the way to the fourth level, where the balcony was, was blocked. This time, the rocks were even bigger than the previous ones, so it was clear that they would not be able to knock them down. But they didn't have to. A reasonable distance away, in the nearest corner, was another staircase, which was completely clear for their passage.

After climbing that staircase, a few meters away, there was the long-awaited exit: the door to the balcony.

This road was their best chance to get out of that place.

So, the group ran hurriedly towards the stairs, hoping to finally get out of the castle. However, halfway up, one of the doors next to the stairs suddenly opened.

"Oh ... no," Smolder muttered in a halting voice, slowing his advance suddenly along with the rest.

Trixie gritted her teeth. She had been naive once again.

Dark figures emerged from the open doorway in front of them.

Wasn't it obvious, Trixie inwardly reproached herself. The armor had been coming up earlier to catch up with them. That was true. But the paths they used had been blocked from the start. So how did they get to the level of the dining hall where they had been in the beginning?

Rocks rolled and dark figures began to emerge from the stairs behind them.

"They come out from everywhere..." exclaimed Ocellus with anguish that was hard to hide.

More dark figures emerged from more doors on the same level, and still more from the free stairway to which they were headed. These last armors had not ascended from below, but had descended from above.

In a fully audible march, platoons of armor were descending from the upper levels.

At the sight of all this, and with hope fading from the hearts of the Young-Six, Trixie shook her head in frustration. Who was behind these guys? Why were they putting them through this?

He had no answer to these questions. What he did have was the gleam of the swords and other weapons of the black armor within reach of his skin. Surrounding them, approaching... now... slowly to them.

The Young-Six prepared themselves, taking out all the utensils from the dining room that they had brought to defend themselves. A ridiculous act compared to the weapons of their opponents.

Trixie smirked without turning around, imagining the Young-Six. That defense was useless. She had known this all along.

But it was necessary; in times of need like these, you always had to rely on something to keep you going. Even if it was just a piece of wood.

Trixie adjusted her hat, pulling out an arrow embedded in it. Her cloak billowed high. Her eyes glowed with her fiery determination.

Wasn't he fooling himself too? he thought for a moment. No... this was the path he had chosen.

The armor moved closer, only a few feet away from either side with their weapons pointed at them. The grinding of steel was fully audible.

They were cornered, but there was no need to shout it. Trixie had something better to say.

"So they think they've already cornered us? How naive! Their numbers don't scare us!

It takes more than a tin army to catch the great and powerful Trixie and her friends!" cried Trixie, defiantly, raising her hooves in the air and lighting the arrow she held on fire.

The armor then suddenly stopped. And fate answered Trixie's challenge.

[---]

"UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOO..."

An intense and gloomy wail echoed from the depths, seeping through the recesses of the castle. The sound was so overwhelming that it drowned out all other noise, thinning the air and pushing back the faint light filtering in from outside.

Such was the power of the evil presence that had invaded the place, that absolutely everyone inside the castle was disturbed by it.

Everyone... and in particular a pony.

Trixie closed her eyes, dizzy, trying to block out the oppressive atmosphere around her. The dark armor, which until that moment had advanced determined to capture them, began to shake and creak, like cans being crushed. They were barely standing, as was she.

Another wail resounded, and the armor, unable to resist any longer, collapsed to the ground, struck down as if a lightning bolt had pierced them.

Trixie couldn't resist any longer either. Her ears stopped picking up any sound, and her vision distorted, spinning out of control. The ground was rapidly approaching her face, like a badly made movie.

The world around her darkened into a crushing silence. Trixie felt it: the darkness claimed her, and she had no strength to resist. She was about to lose herself again, and this time it would be forever.

But it didn't happen.

At the last moment, like a miraculous beam of light, a friendly arm held her up. Trixie's eyes snapped open as she felt the ground almost touch her nose. The same strength that had saved her propelled her upright again.

A familiar voice, heard as a distant echo, accompanied that force.

"Counselor Trixie!" cried Ocellus, holding the fainting counselor's body tightly. His grip, though rough, radiated a warmth that dispelled any immediate discomfort in the pony. Warmth quickly returned to Trixie's body, as did her senses. The unicorn listened again, and everything around her made sense.

"Ha... what's going on?" muttered Trixie, looking around. The clatter of falling armor echoed in her ears, as the Young-Six hugged each other, feeling the pressure of the environment as well. Though less affected than she was, the anguish on their faces was palpable.

Ocellus, with an expression that mixed fury, bewilderment and fear, looked in all directions, watching the collapse of the metal army. The dark armor, so dangerous only seconds before, was no longer the greatest threat.

"UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOO.... GOR GOR GOR GOR..."

The wail echoed from

again, now accompanied by a gurgling sound, further filling the atmosphere with darkness. The blackness became so deep that Trixie turned on her horn, but the light it radiated was barely a lantern at the bottom of a sea of darkness.

Darkness that seemed to emerge from the depths of the castle.

Soon, a gloomy emerald glow began to seep from the dark abyss of the atrium. A sinister light that grew with every moment, bathing every surface of the place with its unhealthy glow.

Unable to ignore that ominous sign, Trixie and Ocellus approached the railing. Fearful, they looked down.

"Counselor Trixie... what is that?" asked Ocellus dumbfounded under his breath, as the emerald light and shadows split his face in two.

Trixie, next to him, felt a knot in her stomach. She couldn't respond, couldn't process what she saw. Silently contemplating the new horror that threatened them was all she could do at that moment....