"What is that?" Spike asked curiously.
"It's a pendulum." Trixie replied gripping it in her mouth as it seemed to wobble in a certain direction.
"How does it work?" Spike asked continuing to examine it closely.
Trixie rolled her eyes. "It works lots of ways, it can detect water underground, it can locate treasure, it can even answer questions."
"It can detect Starlight?" Spike asked.
"Well, hopefully." Trixie said with uncertainty.
"Why do you even have that?" Spike asked.
"Well you try finding a spring in Saddle Arabia without one, a pony needs water, frankly i'm surprised everyone doesn't look into getting one." Trixie said holding her head up.
"Well I went into a comic book once." Spike said proudly.
"Good thing you didn't stay." Trixie smiled for a moment before continuing on to find Starlight.
"Discord?" Trixie asked as she found herself once again on the border of tbe Everfree forest.
"Ah, Trixie, Spike, how fair ye fellow adventurers?" Discord said with a low bow.
"Discord this is no time for games, Starlight is in trouble." Spike said sternly but keeping his voice kind.
"Oh I know all about what that pink unicorn is up to, frankly I should have known what she was up to from the beginning, it's so obvious practically the whole continuum knows about it." Discord said with annoyed agitation.
"So she is here?" Trixie asked hoping they weren't too late.
Discord sighed and flicked his fingers as the three of them suddenly appesred around a ghostly sight. Amongst the trees sat Starlight over a green bubbling cauldron as a vortex began to form in the sky above.
"I am not letting her destroy chaos without a fight this time." Discord threatened.
"Calm down Discord, Trixie you need to stop her." Spike said holding out an arm to block Discord.
"Me? I don't even know if she will listen." Trixie said with a gulp.
"Oh please, even I know you're her favourite." Discord replied. "Frankly i'm surprised you aren't out here helping her."
Trixie ignored Discord's whining and stepped toward the green shield, she could not help but feel Starlight was going to some great lengths to boost her power to achieve this.
Starlight, it's time to come home!" Sure enough Starlight ignored her.
"Okay, Starlight, I would really like it if you came home, for me." Trixie tried saying more honestly.
"Starlight stop being so selfish!" Trixie screamed.
"Selfish?" Starlight's head twisted around, her eyes glowing a vibrant green as her gaze pierced her soul.
"Yes, you have everyone, including me out looking for you, in the forest of all places, you don't know what's out here." Trixie said worried more about running into Ursa Majors.
Starlight cackled with hysterical laughter. "Nothing out here is as dangerous as I am." Starlight poured some strange green liquid into the cauldron as it began to expand tne vortex in the sky.
"I don't think Twilight's going to like you doing, whatever it is you're doing." Trixie said imagining the worst.
"I am doing what I should have done from the beginning, I am going to end this once and for all." Starlight said beaming ear from ear.
"How?" Trixie asked.
"By stopping my past self before I manipulate time." Starlight replied. "It is the only way to end this pain."
"Pain?" Trixie snorted. "You aren't the only unicorn to take a bunch of ponies prisoner and manipulate them into doing your bidding, you know."
"You think your little amulet mishap compares to me?" Starlight moved up to her own shield and peered into her friend's eyes.
"Twilight had to kick my flank too, you know." Trixie said hoping desperately that Starlight would stop this madness.
Starlight lifted up a hoof and rested it on the shield as it sizzled and sparked. "You're my best friend, Trixie, I'm sorry I'm putting you through this."
"That's okay, I forgive you Starlight." Trixie said smiling at her friend.
"I'm just grateful you won't remember me after I'm finished." Starlight then began to float up towards the vortex in the sky.
"No! Not again!" Spike cried out just as Twilight materialised in the vicinity with her friends.
"I am not losing a friend!" Trixie used all her magic to push through the now failing shield as Starlight vanished through the portal that had been created.
Trixie also was now being sucked upward and she in a last moment of uncertainty took off her pointy hat and did a proud bow to the others. At least now Twilight couldn't claim to have bested her at time magic anymore.
The first thing Trixie felt as she awoke was cold air washing over her as she shivered. She looked around and realized she had not just moved time but location aswell. She quickly decided to use what magic she had to change, instead switching to a white winter fur coat and ear muffs.
"Would it have been too much if you had picked a resort." She said annoyed by Starlight's inconvenient tantrum.
She began wandering what appeared to be a set of dsrk caves built into large mountains. She rarely visited mountains, hard enough to get her wagon through winter wrap up, nevermind an enormous mountain that could also potentially have dragons.
Her horn lit the way forward well enough but she still had no idea where she was going. She however got excited when she
spotted the glow of another horn ahead.
"Whose there?" A familiar voice yelled out more out of fear than malice.
"Relax Starlight, it's just me." Trixie said approaching the Starlight who appeared to be shivering and turning as blue as she was from the cold.
"What are you, doing here?" Starlight asked shivering profusely.
"I'm here to save you, obviously, you and your crazy plans." Trixie summoned a warm blanket with magic.
"Thanks..." Starlight said still shivering undernesth it.
"Starlight, why didn't you just make your own blanket?" Trixie asked.
"I ran out of energy, mountains too high, too many creatures." Starlight shook from the memory of what she had gone through.
"Well don't worry Starlight. We will warm you up and then you can get us back, and we'll even fix up that mane of yours." Trixie just wondered where here even was.
"I can't go back, not now." Starlight said. "They took my friends from me."
"Who did, Starlight?" Trixie asked uncertain what Starlight was talking about.
"Twilight Sparkle and her friends!" Roared Starlight,
The great and powerful Trixie was no fool and she sighed as it had taken her this long to figure out that this was not her Starlight, or rather it was but an earlier version.
"Who are you anyway?" Starlight asked.
"Um." It took all of Trixie's will to just this once not announce her name. "Lula, Lula Moon."
"Lula, I'm Starlight Glimmer." Starlight replied slowly beginning to stop shaking as much.
"Glimmer." Trixie said the name aloud to ensure she did her best to not giveaway anything about the future.
"What are you doing here, you aren't from the village." Starlight said beginning to ask too many questions.
"Would you believe looking for you?" Trixie said with a disheveled sigh.
"Why me?" Starlight asked.
A disturbing cackling suddenly began to echo around them. Trixie straightened up ready on her hooves for anything.
"So the unicorn has come back in time to stop me, I wouldn't bet on it, it took Twilight everything she had to stop me last time." The voice of the future Starlight Glimmer echoed off the iced walls.
"What are you planning!" Trixie shouted demanding to know.
"Starlight must be erased!" The future Starlight Glimmer roared.
"Is... is it a monster?" Starlight asked aware enough that she had to run.
"No, it's a pony." Trixie said determimed not to be intimidated, she was after all well aware of how theatre worked.
"You think I am merely a pony." The future Starlight Glimmer appeared, her form surrounded by a green hue and her eyes burning green flames.
"One that likes to be difficult but yes." Trixie said considering her cadre of tricks.
"Stand aside and give me the pink unicorn." The Future Starlight Glimmer snarled.
"No please, don't let it eat me!" Starlight rushed up behind Trixie and hid behind her.
"Take the blanket and run, Starlight. I got this." Trixie promised as Starlight turned and ran.
What's a showpony got that can stop me?" Future Starlight Glimmer slowly began moving toward her prey.
"Um." Trixie tried to think. "Oh rope."
Trixie summoned a coil of rope as it wrapped itself around Future Starlight Glimmer's legs. She laughed in amusement as the rope deteriorated and collapsed in seconds.
Trixie then summoned a mirror and used it to blind her. Trixie took the opportunity to run for it herself, she had to find Starlight.
Starlight collapsed outside of a cave that ended at a cliff. Lucky her she had just chosen the worst possible escape route. She had escaped retribution from Twilight and her friends, only to now be chased by some monster posing as her, wearing her form. It just did not seem right that the village had abandomed her.
"If only Sunburst was here." She said immediately before the regret set in. Of course he was not here, nopony had been there for her since she was a filly.
"You want me!"" Starlight yelled back into the cave. "Come and get me!"