After the Night

by GrassAndClouds2

Rating: everyone
Tags: Prince Blueblood, Pinkie Pie, Alternate Universe, Sad, Princess Luna, Trixie, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 7069

Trixie realizes that she has done something bad, and seeks out Luna to apologize.

Trixie has successfully accomplished her mission, and the crimes of the corrupt nobles in Equestrian's government have been laid bare for all to see. Princess Luna has castigated the nobles and put an end to their depravities, and Trixie wants nothing more than to return home and begin the victory celebrations. No sooner has she returned, though, than one of her friends reminds her that one of Luna's ponies has broken her rules and gotten away with it -- Trixie herself. Forced to confront her actions, Trixie realizes that she has little choice but to confess to her teacher, mentor, and friend. Can Trixie go through with it? And, if so, will this revelation destroy their relationship... or will the magic of friendship allow for them to bond even more strongly than before? Lunaverse story, taking place immediately after RainbowDoubleDash's At the Grand Galloping Gala.

Thanks to Blackbelt, who co-authored this story.

Published 2013-06-30 22:40:03 UTC
Last updated 2013-06-30 22:40:03 UTC

Trixie and Luna

The sun began to set by the time Trixie made it to the gilded halls of Canterlot Castle. In complete opposition of what happened the previous time she had visited Canterlot alone, nopony dared get in her way. A few guards checked her identity, but that was it. The castle seemed almost deserted.

I'll bet that Luna wasn't too happy when she found out how many of the staff had been bribed by the nobles to help them, thought Trixie. Maybe they're hiding.

Soon enough, Trixie found herself standing in front of the familiar doors that led to Luna’s personal chambers. The guards at the sides of the door crossed their spears in front of Trixie. “Who are you?”

“I am Dame Trixie, Representative of Ponyville, Knight of the Realm, and Bearer of the Element of Magic. I hereby invoke my Right of Approach to speak to Princess Luna,” Trixie declared with far more confidence than she was feeling.

The two guards traded a glance, then sheathed their spears. “Enter,” one said.

Trixie nodded to the two guards as she entered. A moment later, though, the doors closed again and blocked them from sight. There was only Luna's office.

And sitting at a small desk was Princess Luna herself.

“Hello Trixie. What brings you to Canterlot this evening?” she said.

Here we go. “Luna, I......we....” Trixie paused, shifting her hooves slowly and nervously.

“Trixie? Is something wrong?” Luna walked over to her student and gently draped a wing over her. “Has something happened?”

“Luna, I......” Trixie breathed in deeply, and steeled herself. “I....have a confession to make.....”

***

“And-and then I took the next train to Canterlot so I could tell you.”

Trixie shook with every breath she took, her forehead, along with the brim of her hat, was drenched in sweat. Her eyes were stuck firmly on the ground, too afraid to see her teacher’s reaction. The wing that had been comfortingly draped over Trixie having was now conspicuously absent.

“And I wanted to say I’m... I’m so sorry, Princess, and I...”

There was no response.

“Princess Luna?” whispered Trixie, looking up -- and seeing, she was certain, what the nobles had seen just after the Gala few days ago.

Luna looked upon her, not as her teacher anymore, nor her protector, but as her judge. Her wings extended, she reared back slightly, and she bared her teeth. Trixie had to actively fight not to take a step back.

“I see,” said Luna Equestris.

Trixie opened her mouth to say something, but Luna continued. “It was not just the nobles, then. Not simply the ponies among whom I lived and worked. But my own student, whom I reared and raised... she, too, accepted their methods.” Her eyes darkened.

“Princess--” began Trixie.

“SILENCE!” roared Luna, and Trixie couldn’t stop herself from scurrying away several steps.

“I had hoped you were different. How many years did I teach you, devote my energies towards your education? I taught you all I knew of politics, science, art, magic... and ethics. I had thought that, even if none of the nobles understood, even if they were blinded by greed or ambition, that the one pony who told me so often how much she valued my teachings would be different.” She was silent for a moment longer, and she began to approach Trixie. The showmare found that she had backed up against the wall and could go no further; she only cringed as the princess approached her.

“I had hoped,” Luna continued, “That a pony who knew first-hoof the evils of the nobles’ actions, who suffered so much from their depredations and knew full well the true costs of their abuses, would know better than to engage in the same petty, vengeful, destructive crimes! You saw the anguish of your fellow citizens, Trixie! You heard their wails and their cries! Caused by nobles who thought they knew better. Who sought their own enrichment, or advancement, or revenge, or some high-minded political goals deemed more important than shattered buildings and flooded fields!”

Luna was standing directly in front of Trixie, and she leaned down to glare into her student’s face.

“And who, mere hours after I castigated them, set out to hurt another pony just as they hurt others. Because you knew better. Because you were more important.”

Trixie feebly shook her head. “That wasn’t it, Princess. I--”

“STOP,” ordered Luna, and Trixie shut up. “You went to such effort, Trixie, to show me their crimes. Why, if you had no problem with their methods? Was it just that you were their targets? Would you have eagerly joined their ranks had Ponyville never been afflicted? Did you simply want me to shut down their schemes, leaving the field open for your own? Perhaps you thought yourself immune to my judgement?”

Her voice was not as angry now. It sounded hurt. Anguished, even.

“Princess, no,” whispered Trixie.

“Where did I go wrong, Trixie?” Luna’s voice was soft and low. “Not one honest noble among the two hundred and forty-three Courtiers. None among the ancient families, or the highly honored, or the newly booned. And now even you join them. Why does everypony near me slide into corruption? From my sister forward, has even one escaped?”

“It’s not your fault!” protested Trixie, throwing herself down before Luna. “Princess, I made a big mistake. I -- I was scared, and stupid, and I took a shortcut and I’m so sorry, and I feel terrible, and--”

“Yes,” said Luna. “Those who commit wrongs often evince regret. Common criminals proclaim every day in our courts how sorry they are, how sincerely they have repented. Yet this is not considered an excuse for their crimes.” Her eyes flashed; her anger, it seemed, had returned. “Should the nobles and gentry be held to a lesser standard?”

Trixie stopped talking, knowing that any attempt to protest, to plead her case or proclaim how sorry she was, would only go the worse for her. “Is... is there any way to make this right?” she whispered.

After a few moments, she heard Luna stepping away. She looked up to see Luna moving back towards her desk. “You committed the same actions as the nobles, and you will be dealt with in the same way. I forgave them their crimes, placing them instead on probation... I do the same to you. You will not be charged with blackmail, Trixie, or extortion, or any of the other crimes you committed.”

“Thank you--” began Trixie.

“But you are on the same probation as them. If I hear of any hint of corruption from you, Trixie, I will revoke your Knighthood. And should I be forced to take that step, I will also ensure that there is no House of Lulamoon. Not now, and not for your lifetime. Their Houses are forfeit if they fall once more... yours is no different”

Trixie looked back down at the floor.

“Now. You need to tell me something.”

“What?” asked Trixie.

“My anger with the nobles was not just at the ones who broke the law. There were those who scrupulously obeyed every tenant of the Equestrian legal code... but they knew that their colleagues were not so high-minded, and they said nothing. They decided that it was not their problem that laws were being broken, so they stayed silent, and allowed the crimes of my Court to fester and spread. They too are on probation, because I expect more of my nobles and gentry." Luna shut her eyes for a moment. "The other Elements, Trixie. Did they see what you did? Did they witness you blackmailing another, and, instead of reporting it -- as was their obligation, as gentry, as Knights of the Realm -- choose to conceal it?”

Trixie froze for a moment, torn between answering her teacher and betraying her friends. She had never expected this particular line of questioning; when she’d thought of the confession at all, she had mostly hoped that Luna would listen to her, forgive her, and help her find a way to make it right. I can’t believe I got them involved too... what’s wrong with me?

“Trixie?” Luna’s voice was stern and implacable.

Trixie knew there was no point in concealing it... and that Luna had a point. How many Courtiers had been blasted for failing to report corruption? How could she ask Luna to forgive her friends alone? Being friends with a noble or gentry, even being a noble or gentry yourself, didn’t give you the right to evade your responsibilities.

“They saw,” she whispered.

“Then they are on the same probation. You will inform them of this at your earliest opportunity.” Luna was silent for another moment. “Is there anything else, Trixie?”

“.....no.”

“In that case, return to Ponyville. You still have work to do.”

“But....what about Blueblood?”

“Viscount Blueblood is currently unavailable. Should this change, if I feel your presence is necessary, I will call for you. Until that time, I expect you to do your job.”

Trixie gulped. “Yes, Princess.”

“You are dismissed.”

Trixie bowed as deeply as she could. “Yes, Princess.” And she shakily exited Luna’s chambers, barely aware of the tears that ran down her face.

“.....where did I go wrong.....?” Luna asked herself again. The only answer she received was the the pool of her own tears that began to form on the floor.

Author's Note

A lot of the inspiration for this story came from an episode of 'Fillmore!' For those who haven't had the pleasure of seeing it, Fillmore! was a parody of 70s-era cop shows, set in a middle school. Every episode followed two members of the Safety Patrol as they battled everything from mascot thefts and counterfeit baseball cards to stolen library books and a Girl Scouts club that aggressively destroyed other clubs so they could monopolize the cookie sales.

One episode featured the protagonists, Cornelius Fillmore and Ingrid Third, infiltrating a scooter theft ring. They already knew all the people who were actually stealing the scooters, but they wanted to catch the guy who had hired the group. To win the group's trust, Fillmore and Third had to help them steal about 100 scooters around campus. Along the way, they learned that the scooter thief crew was doing it because they were going to use the money they would get for the scooters to pay for an operation for a dog. They made their case and busted the guy (named Derrick Minna) they were after, though Fillmore also destroyed his boss's bike in the process. Minna protests at the end that he planned to sell the scooters to Russian kids who don't have access to quality American scooters, and argues that this justifies his actions, but is arrested anyway.

Minna: "I've done more good than you and that band of merry-men you call the safety patrol! I'm a hero!"
Fillmore: "No. You're a thief."

Last scenes show Fillmore and Third stuck on desk duty by his boss, who is miffed about his bike getting wrecked. Fillmore protests that it was for the greater good, and the boss (Vallejo) says:

"Hey, the greater good's all well and good, but you've still got to pay the price."

The scooter thief crew got put on permanent 'fixing up the campus duty', since, while they also had good motives, they also did bad things. And Minna got sent to military school.

This was one of the first media works I'd seen that really started to deconstruct a lot of protagonist-centered morality tropes. Normally, when the cop commandeers a vehicle and then crashes it, nobody cares. When the good guys do bad things for good reasons, nobody cares, because they had good reasons (or just because they're good guys, so they MUST be doing good!) But this one showed, first, how even the bad guys can make themselves think they have good motives, and second, that the bad things the good guys do to accomplish good things still hurt people, and the good guys should make it right when they do them.

(Love the series, and highly recommend Fillmore! by the way. The episode in question is called 'Two Wheels, Full Throttle, No Brakes.')

Trixie and her friends

Trixie was alone.

Granted, that wasn’t entirely true. She was sharing this particular chariot with three night guards, muscular ponies who spoke little and hadn't once smiled. Their presence, and the way they stared, did nothing to calm Trixie down.

Trixie sighed, thinking back to how she had gotten into this situation. She had returned home from Canterlot immediately. Her friends, the other Elements of Harmony, could tell immediately something was wrong when they saw her stumbling off the train. They had approached her, hugged her, and asked what was wrong.

When Trixie had told them what Luna had done... no, what Trixie had forced Luna to do... and when she had informed of the punishment they were now justly under, thanks to her own misconduct...

Raindrops had said nothing. But Trixie could see the rage on her face.

Lyra tried to hide her disappointment. Bonbon, though, had attacked Trixie enough for the both of them.

Carrot Top, bless her heart, was kind enough to not let Trixie have it, even though she was obviously livid. She had just said that things like that happened, and then excused herself to return to her farm. Trixie was grateful that the mare hadn't said anything.

Cheerilee, surprisingly, had taken the whole thing in stride. Unfortunately, some of the students in her class were not as forgiving. Trixie’s face still stung from the blistering diatribe Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had unleashed at her the next day. Trixie wasn’t even sure how Cheerilee’s class had heard about it.

But however they did, it meant Dinky had found out about it.....And the look on Dinky’s face when she found out that Trixie had gotten her mom in trouble.....Trixie would never forget that look. That sad, disappointed look.

And then there were the days after. Just going through the motions, hoping and praying that Luna would forgive her. That she would actually want to see her again. That her mentor would tell her that she wasn't a terrible pony who deserved to be banished from Canterlot forevermore. Please, she had thought. I'll do anything.

Trixie was excited when she received the letter regarding the chariot she now rode. She was less excited when she read it, noting its terse language and its brusque orders to return to Canterlot immediately. She was even less thrilled when she noted the Night Guards also came to escort her. ‘For safety reasons,’ they had said.

Trixie wondered whose safety they spoke of.

***

The chariot eventually came to a landing right outside of the castle, in the gardens.

And standing on the ground, with an unreadable look on her face, was the Princess of Equestria.

The few Night Guards that had accompanied Trixie dispersed immediately, leaving student and teacher alone.

“P...Princess.” Trixie bowed, doing the best she could to keep the worry out of her voice and failing miserably.

“Representative.” Luna said, coldly. “Prince Blueblood returned to Canterlot last night. We are going to discuss things with him. He will soon be coming to my office. We will be there before he arrives.” And without warning, Luna began to walk towards the castle at a quick pace. Trixie had to struggle to keep pace with the Princess.

***

Luna’s chambers, which had only a few days ago felt like a haven, now felt like a prison, and one home to the most fearsome warden in history nonetheless. Trixie wisely chose to stay out of Luna’s way and sit quietly in the corner. Any attempts at conversation were met with a stern gaze.

Luckily, or maybe unluckily, the silence did not last for long. Blueblood walked into the room. He looked tired and weary, as if he'd also been wrestling with his conscience. Trixie wondered if Pinkie had been working on him as well. I wouldn't put it past her...

Blueblood noted Trixie, and an expression of rage crossed his face. “What is she doing here!?” he shouted, a hoof pointing at the showmare.

“Calm yourself Blueblood.” Luna said. “We are here to make right that which is wrong.”

Luna’s words appeared to do little to calm the stallion. “What did Trixie tell you!?” he demanded, pointing an accusing hoof at the show mare, who was currently too afraid to do anything. "I have done nothing wrong since your castigation! I--"

“Viscount Prince Blueblood, you will be silent.” Luna ordered. Her words immediately had the desired effect. “I do not know what trials you have gone through this week, but I have brought Trixie here to make amends.” The Princess turned to her student. “Explain.” She ordered.

Trixie gulped, and tried to talk, but found herself unable to form the words.

Luna’s face, if possible, seemed to grow even more stern. “Explain,” she repeated.

“......I...have to apologize......I lied. There.....was nothing in your drink. There isn’t any poison in you. I....I lied.....”

There was silence for a moment.

Blueblood turned to Luna. "Princess, is this true?"

"Yes."

Blueblood looked back at Trixie. "And?"

Trixie took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. What I did was wrong."

Luna nodded. "Blueblood, you are hardly blameless in this."

Blueblood nodded. "Yes." He took a breath, as if steeling himself for something. "I have also taken... unorthodox actions against you."

"Blueblood," warned Luna.

"Illegal actions," corrected Blueblood. "I apologize... for sending Zizanie against you, and Audit, and all the rest." He paused. "I cannot blame Miss Lulamoon for doing what she did, considering my past discretions against her. I would have acted similarly in her position.”

Luna looked at the two of them. “Do both of you accept each others' apologies?"

The two both said, "Yes."

"Do you both swear, from this point onward, to be better than you have been? To act in a manner that would be an inspiration to ponies all across Equestria?”

"We swear," the two answered.

The hardened look that Luna had worn for the entire meeting softened. “Very well. Viscount Blueblood... go, and earn your forgiveness. Representative, a moment.”

Blueblood left, his bearing noticeably more steady than when he had entered, and then Trixie and Luna were alone.

“Princess-”

“Trixie,” Luna interrupted. “I understand you have been through alot. That you, your friends, and your home have been targeted by the corrupt. That Blueblood himself was responsible for a good deal of this...I wish I could ignore your transgressions, but even though your intent was sound, your actions were not.”

Trixie shivered, eyes drawn down the floor as they were several days ago. And then Trixie felt a pair of hooves draw her into a hug.

“Please... never forget that I love you. I want you to be happy, Trixie. I want the best for you. And I believe there is so much good in you.” Her voice was soft. “But I am not just your friend. I am the Princess of Equestria, and I must apply the law impartially. If I do not... then I am no better than the nobles.” Her voice caught for a moment. “Your monarch... and your friend... implores you, Trixie. Please do not force me to apply the law against you.”

Trixie returned the hug. “I promise.”

Author's Note

Aww. I'm glad that worked out well.

Originally, Blueblood also confessed his sins in more detail, but people objected this was too sudden. So I made his confesion more obviously insisted upon by Luna, and also had him go into less detail. He just says he broke the law and won't do it anymore, the first of which Luna already knew, and the second of which Bluey knew she'd insist on. Trixie and Bluey'll probably still dislike each other, but at least it will be more above-board now.

Dame Trixie

Trixie walked down the flight of stairs that lead to Luna’s chamber, her body feeling lighter than it had in days. The showmare felt that she could take down the Tyrant Sun herself.

And then, the moment she reached the final step of the stairs, she was ambushed.

“Heya Trixie, I heard what happened, your auntie Pinkie is SO proud of you right now!” the pink party pony of Ponyville yelled as she grabbed Trixie in a bone-crushing hug.

“Can’t... breathe...”

Pinkie Pie continued on, unaware of her friends plight. “I mean, it was SO hard to get you two to finally bury the hatchet, I mean, you were both making each other sad, and that made me sad, and I thought to myself ‘Me, all you have to do is the them to make up to each other, and then everything will be hunkie dorie’ and I said ‘you’re right me. We should go do that.’ So here we are. Now don’t you feel better?” Pinkie finished her ramble, finally releasing Trixie to allow sweet sweet air into Trixie’s lungs.

Trixie coughed. “What are you talking about?”

“I got you and Bluey to make up and say ‘sorry.’” Pinkie looked almost serious for a few moments. “I told him how sad all the ponies in Ponyville were after that meanie Corona made us all drunken goofs. I told him about how all our flour was ruined and how the Cakes thought they might have to close the bakery for good. I got him to understand that withholding that money was really really mean... and all that stuff with Audit and Zizanie was mean too. And I got him to Pinkie-promise not to anything corrupt anymore! But he was hurt by you too, so I went to talk to you next. And it worked! Now everypony apologized and promised to be the very best ponies they can be, and we can all be friends and be happy!” Pinkie grinned widely.

“Wait....you planned all of this?”

Pinkie shook her head. “No! I just talked to you and Bluey about making up. Ponies shouldn’t be mad at each other, and ponies shouldn’t be doing meanie things. And since you’re my friend, and Bluey is a very special friend, I figured you two would listen to me.”

Trixie felt a flash of anger. “So you’re basically to blame for me and my friends currently being under probation...” She paused, then shook her head. “No. I take that back. That’s my fault. But you got me to confess, and Blueblood to agree to stop doing bad things.

“And that’s a good thing!...right?”

Trixie really wanted to be angry with Pinkie. She really wanted to take out all of the guilt, the anger, and all of the sorrow that the last few days has comprised of. But she knew better.

“Thank you. Thank you for stopping me before I did something worse.”

The two looked at each other, and then embraced.

After a few moments, Trixie pulled away. She blushed -- she didn’t normally hug others in public. “So... what are you doing here, anyway?”

“I was visiting Blueblood, silly. I got the WHOLE day off just so I could spend the day with him. OH! Me and Blueblood were actually gonna go make some blueberry pancakes. You wanna join us?”

A few little bits of memory from the morning after the Gala, the morning that was responsible for everything, flashed through Trixie’s mind.

“Ooh, but I’ll come by this weekend! And I’ll bring syrup!”

“And blueberries!”

Trixie squeaked as her brain created a horrible horrible mental image. And Trixie ran away, hoping to put as much distance as possible between herself and the pink pony.

Pinkie blinked a few times as Trixie galloped frantically down the hall and out the door.

“What?” she called. “He’s not that bad a cook!”

Author's Note

Aww. Trixie feels better now. That's a good thing.

A couple weeks ago, I had wanted to set this in a larger fic starring Paperweight, who took on the job of, basically, cheering everyone in the castle up. Noting that the staff (who presumably got yelled at by Luna) was upset, scared, and quickly shrinking, she resolved to help cheer Luna up to fix this problem, and also to help Luna because she likes Luna. Octavia was also trying, but she wasn't able to do it. Fortunately, Paperweight was able to marshal all the pages and other minor staff ponies still in the castle, and along with Octavia, they brought a smile to Luna's face and caused her to realize that things weren't as bad as they seemed, that Luna was still a good pony and ruler, etc. Along the way, of course, Paperweight also helped cheer up a few others -- Lithograph, a page who became terrified of LUna after the staff got yelled at; Bellemane, who was suffering from some family issues, and Captain Armor (whom Paperweight knows well, since she works for Night Light), who was feeling crappy over the duel revelations of 'the entire Court is corrupt and I am absolutely terrible at enforcing the law in the castle' and 'the sting went wrong, the ponies got poisoned with truth scourge anyway, and I'm really bad at this in general.'

I decided not to write it. The L6 are the protagonists of the series, and while the Octavia and Paperweight stuff is fun, I think having Paperweight be the one to help make Luna happy after the Gala would seem a little like having her steal the spotlight. But this story was still good, so I included it alone and without the Paperweight one.

Trixie and Pinkie

Trixie stared at the pile of paperwork that sat in front of her. Over the last two days, ever since that fateful night at the Gala, the forms had been piling up. Ponyville had to be rebuilt, after all, and to do that the government funds had to be disbursed, but with the chaos of the Gala, there hadn't been an opportunity to do it before. But things had calmed down, the reconstruction work was beginning, and it was finally time to process the files that would allow Trixie's friends and neighbors to rebuild their houses and shops.

The showmare cast an envious glance at the desk of her secretary, Pokey Pierce. She debated dumping more of the paperwork on him; helping her with this kind of thing was part of his job, after all. After a moment, though, she shook her head. She'd knew that she'd given him enough to do, and overloading him would just result in the whole process taking longer. With a sigh, she shook her head, and then returned to working her way through the job.

"Trixie?" Pokey called from the kitchen. "You've got another appointment in five minutes. I'm going to grab lunch; you want anything?"

Trixie blinked. "Lunch? But I brought cookies earlier!"

"Yeah, but they were... dis-a-point-ing." She could almost hear Pokey's grin. "I don't really like peanut-butter-and-pretzel flavor anyway. Catch you in thirty, Dame Trixie?"

Trixie groaned at the pun. "Alright. I'll see you soon."

In addition to the forms, Trixie's current task also included speaking with citizens of the town. Some of them needed help with the forms, some wanted more information concerning the reconstruction effort, and several still gave thanks to Trixie for getting the bits for the effort in the first place. Trixie really wished that last kind would stop coming, since it was because of Trixie (in addition to a horrible set of circumstances) that the bits had not come sooner. But that was over, and done with, and Trixie wanted to move on. So she thanked that last group of ponies, helped the first two, and tried her best to get her work done with a minimum of fuss.

The showmare rubbed her forehead with a hoof as she tried to calculate the amount of money that Carousel Boutique was eligible for. Why did she have imported fabrics from Cavallia? Now I have to figure out the exchange rate so she can get new fabrics, and import taxes and fees, and...

Somepony knocked at the door.

"It's open!" Trixie yelled, grateful for the distraction. Maybe I'll give that one to Pokey. In revenge for the pun.

The pony who entered had a bright pink coat and a mane that looked like strawberry cotton candy. She hopped into the office with a joyous bounce. "Heya Trixie. How's it going?"

"Well, thanks." Trixie leaned back in her seat. "Mr. and Mrs. Cake were here yesterday to ask about Sugarcube Corner. What brings you here?"

"First, I wanted to congratulate you for being knighted!" Pinkie blew a streamer. "Yay! I'll throw you a big party just as soon as Sugarcube Corner gets fixed up."

"Thanks," said Trixie. For their services in fighting Corona, the Element Bearers had all been knighted shortly after the Gala. "I'll be sure to attend. Was there anything else?"

Pinkie paused. "Um... we can speak privately, right?" Pinkie suddenly looked a little more serious than usual, which gave Trixie pause. She's not usually like this... well, the past week's been hard on everypony. The town was destroyed, the Gala was reduced to chaos... she's probably just stressed.

Nonetheless, the showmare cast a spell, and the office glowed blue for a moment. "My anti-eavesdropping spell's in place. Nopony can hear us. What's wrong?"

Pinkie took a breath. "...I heard what you and my Bluey were talking about. You know, the morning after the Gala."

Trixie frowned. "I didn't know you were interested in politics."

"I'm not," said Pinkie. "But it made Bluey really sad and upset."

Trixie, wanting to prove to Luna that her Court was completely corrupt and needed reforming, had talked to Blueblood to find the location of a blackmailer that he had used in the past. She'd subsequently tricked the blackmailer, Zizanie, into trying to poison the nobles at the Grand Galloping Gala with a truth serum. Trixie had known that, once Zizanie was arrested and informed that she could be charged with treason, she would confess all that she knew in exchange for her life. Luna would learn the true depth of the Court's depravities, and that would be that.

The scheme had mostly worked, excepting that Zizanie had actually managed to poison the nobles with truth serum despite the efforts of Trixie and her friends. But the spell had been reversed, Zizanie had been arrested, and Luna -- horrified at the depths to which her Court had sunk -- had reamed them for their crimes. Trixie hadn't been present at the castigation but she'd heard that Luna had been completely enraged, and had threatened to dissolve the entire Court if anypony in it went against the letter or spirit of the laws of Equestria. Now the nobles wouldn't be able to hurt other ponies in their power-plays, and all was well.

The only loose end had been Blueblood, who had known that Trixie was involved with Zizanie's actions. If he had told the other nobles, then they might come after Trixie for upsetting their cushy lifestyle. So she had pretended to poison Blueblood with an inactive version of the truth serum, then threatened to activate it if he told anypony she was involved. She'd known that Pinkie Pie, who had been dancing with Blueblood at the Gala, had stayed the night in his room, although she had hoped that the flighty mare had ignored the 'boring' conversation between Trixie and the Viscount. "What about it?" Trixie asked.

"Bluey's my friend! And you made him really upset when you threatened to poison him with that icky Trust Scourge stuff. And he said that Princess Luna said that her nobles aren't supposed to do things like that anymore, so you'd make her sad too if she found out! You really hurt both of them," said Pinkie.

Trixie frowned. "I--"

"But," and now Pinkie's face was bright again, "apologizing is the best way to save a friendship! Bluey should still be in Canterlot, so if you just pop down there and--"

Trixie cut her off. "Pinkie, I'm not apologizing."

There was silence for a moment. Pinkie looked hurt. "Why not?" she asked, after several seconds had passed.

"Uh, remember how the town was destroyed? And how the government refused to send us money to fix it at first? He was one of the ponies trying to stop us from getting the money." Trixie turned back to her forms. "He helped put up all kinds of obstacles to stop me from talking to the pony in charge of the emergency funds, and he wouldn't give our town a bit unless we -- the Elements -- supported his political ambitions. And he's done more; he sent a spy to sniff out my secrets, he sent an auditor to try to catch me in some kind of fraud, and I'm pretty sure he sent mercenaries to mess with one of Lyra's musician friends." Trixie shook her head. "He treats everypony in Ponyville -- in Equestria -- like a political chip, and as far as I'm concerned, he can go spin. I don't care what happens to that jerk, and he doesn't deserve an apology."

Pinkied gasped, a comically loud sound. "But--"

"I'm not changing my mind, Pinkie. Now... if you don't have something relevant to talk about, I need to ask you to leave. I have a lot of paperwork to get through." Trixie sighed as she looked back at her forms. "Sorry."

Pinkie said nothing for a moment, and Trixie wondered if she had just slipped out without saying goodbye. When she looked up, though, she saw that Pinkie was still there -- scowl on her face and all.

Uh oh.

"YOU BIG MEANIE!" Pinkie Pie bellowed. Trixie was momentarily thankful she had put up the barrier to stop sound from leaking out into the outside world; otherwise, she knew, ponies would be able to hear the baker from miles around. "YOU THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE A KNIGHT NOW THAT YOU CAN BE ALL BOSSY AND MAKE OTHER PONIES SAD?"

Trixie glared. "I'm not being mean! I had to keep Blueblood quiet so he wouldn't ruin everything! He's done worse to plenty of ponies."

Pinkie turned up her muzzle. "That's just what the other naughty ponies said, the ones that Princess Luna yelled at!"

Trixie scowled. "Excuse me?!"

"Blueblood said that a lot of them claimed that they weren't really bad, that they only did a few bad things and that others were worse. She didn't care." Pinkie glowered. "You're a knight now! You're supposed to be a good pony!"

"I am a good pony!" Trixie gritted her teeth. "I worked my tail off in Canterlot to secure the funding our town needed, and I stopped the nobles from ever doing anything like this ever again. The nobles in the Court only cared about lining their own pockets. When have any of them ever acted out of anything other than naked self interest?"

"All kinds of times!" said Pinkie, throwing her forehooves into the air. "Loads of times! Loads and loads--"

"Stop stalling!"

Pinkie frowned, but dropped back to all fours. "Duchess Posey passed a bribe to get a really important bill for Cloudsdale passed."

Trixie stared. "How would you even know that?"

"She told Princess Luna. Bluey told me about it." Pinkie steadied herself. "Baron Stud Poker gambled with government money to refurbish a school. Baron Mounty Max got tricked by that mean Greengrass pony into helping another noble even though it wasn't the best thing for the country. Countess Lacey Sequins helps art institutes and music halls cheat on their taxes and get breaks they shouldn't get so that they can stay open and keep showing off art. And Vicereine Wallflower saved an animal sanctuary by lying her flank off to everypony, and when other nobles objected she used silly procedural gimmicks to stop them from blocking her bill."

"Pinkie! Blueblood and his cronies tried to destroy Ponyville. There was no altruistic motive there. I really don't think Blueblood had some greater good in mind for leaving the town to die. Or his crony Greengrass, for that matter."

"No, but his other friend Fisher did," said Pinkie. "Bluey says that Fisher wanted to force you and the other Elements to get military training in exchange for money to fix the town, so that you could stop Corona." She paused. "He says that Fisher does a lot of bad things, and hurt a whole lot of ponies, but he always says it's worth it for a greater good. A lot of the nobles in the Court justify all the things they've done by saying they're--"

"For the best? Uh, Pinkie, Fisher -- and Greengrass, and your stupid coltfriend Blueblood, and all the others -- have been corrupt and venal for their whole careers. I did one thing, for a good reason, to a really bad pony. It's not comparable."

"Yeah," said Pinkie. "Blueblood says that's how most of them start."

Before Trixie could ask what she meant, Pinkie was turning around. "Bye," said Pinkie, looking totally dispirited. "See you around."

"Pinkie--" But the mare was gone.

***

Trixie finished the day in a very bad mood.

How dare Pinkie compare me to all the other nobles? They're all corrupt crooks. They only care about themselves, however they dress it up. Like there was no legal way to do all those 'good things' Pinkie says they did when they defrauded the nation or broke the law. They're slime, and if Luna fired them all I wouldn't shed a tear.

One thing that Pinkie said still bugged her, though. 'That's how most of them start.' What did that even mean? The nobles had by and large been born into it; there weren't many newly ennobled ponies in the Court. It was probably just Pinkie being her usual scatterbrained self. The nobles were evil, and that was all there was to it.

Well, she thought, in the back of her mind, It's unlikely that Luna would just happen to wind up with two hundred and forty-three ponies that were already bad.

She scowled and shook her head. Maybe some of them had been corrupted later. Who cared?

But why were all of them corrupted, then? Why every single one?

Maybe the Court itself had a reinforcing effect; any good ponies got subsumed by the bad ones already there. Greengrass and his cronies could be persuasive, and could easily tempt ponies down the wrong path -- Trixie already knew of one, Octavia, who had sold herself to him and almost been destroyed later on. But if ponies fell for their honeyed words, they had only themselves to blame.

They probably wouldn't be tricked into doing something really bad right away, though. Maybe something small at first, like passing one bribe, or telling a few lies...

Trixie, knowing where her thoughts were going, sped up her pace. She wanted to get to the market and back so she could get a nice, big bottle of bourbon to help her forget Pinkie's whole stupid speech. But she couldn't outrace her conscience.

Most of them probably started by doing something a little bad, for a good reason...

"It was just one thing!" she hissed to herself. "I am NOT like them!"

One thing at first. What happens the next time I can't see a legal way to do what I want? What happens if I see another pony suffering and the only thing I can think of is to bribe somepony, or blackmail them, or extort them, to solve the problem?

"I won't!" muttered Trixie. "I'll find another way!"

I didn't this time. What if I can't do it next time? What if, like the nobles in the Court, I stop trying?

"I am not going to become like Greengrass! Or Fisher, or Blueblood, or Puissance, or any of the others!" she growled.

How many bad deeds is okay?

"Shut up!"

Princess Luna thinks that even one bad deed is too many. If I disagree, shouldn't I have protested her decision to put the nobles that tried to do good on probation? Isn't that what a real Knight would do? Am I a coward if I didn't, or am I just saying that other nobles should be held to a stricter standard than me?

"Shut up!" Trixie was galloping blindly through the market now, dodging around other ponies.

How is what I did different from what Posey and Pokey and Wallflower and the other 'good' nobles did? It's still subverting Equestria's laws, it still goes against what Luna wants, and I always wanted to make Luna happy and serve her and the country and do what's good and right and--

"SHUT UP!"

And then she ran headlong into another pony, and the two tumbled into a heep.

"Um..."

Trixie blinked. She'd just run over Pinkie Pie.

"I wasn't talking," said a completely confused baker.

Trixie stared at her for a few moments. "Sorry," she said at last.

She wanted to get up, but she couldn't seem to break from Pinkie's gaze. The baker looked sad. "What?" Trixie asked at last.

Pinkie didn't say anything.

Trixie shut her eyes and clenched her teeth, but that didn't help. I know what the right thing to do is. Stupid Pinkie. I...

She sighed. "I'm going to go to Canterlot, confess to Luna, and apologize to Blueblood."

"YAY!" Pinkie jumped up into the air, wrapping Trixie in a massive hug. "Oh, this is wonderful!"

"Ack! Personal space!"

"I'm so excited I could pop!"

"You're going to pop me, if you don't stop hugging me!"

Pinkie finally released Trixie, then proceeded to grin brightly at the mare. "Thank you," she said. "This will mean a lot to Bluey."

Trixie nodded tiredly and began to trot towards the train station. "Could you tell the others I won't be able to meet them tonight?"

"Sure! Oh, Trixie?"

Trixie looked over her shoulder. "Yes?"

"Whatever happens, everypony in town will still be your friend." Pinkie smiled brightly. "They know how you worked super-hard to save the town."

Trixie smiled a little, then continued on.

Author's Note

Aw, Greenie is a crony now. He's really coming down in the world.