Trixie's Redemption

Trixie looked sadly at the group, looking at Dash and Twilight."P...please...would I lead you wrongly? I don't trust it...she's too strong for the Elements to destroy her. You have to trust me." The group looked around uneasily. Dash took a step forward, her eyes gleaming brightly towards her love as she whined under her breath. Twilight also stepped forward, looking back at AJ and shaking her head.

"Twi...Dash..." Applejack said desperately,"we need you..." She galloped up and stopped Dash, turning the Pegasus to meet her. Dash looked away, turning to Trixie with a worried look. Applejack whimpered softly, stopping Dash and kissing her deep.

Dash gasped softly, completely still as the earth pony pressed her lips to her own. She shook lightly, a million emotions rushing through her as she just let it happen. After another second, she pushed AJ back, panting softly as she backed up towards Trixie, her voice stuck in her throat as Applejack extended a hood to her, begging her to stay. Trixie slowly embraced Dash, patting her softly as they both trotted out the door. Twilight followed them as she looked back, Rarity and Fluttershy patting the orange pony on the back.

Trixie slowly throttled down the dirt path leading towards Stalliongrad. She felt like crap, but...what could she do? She had been given direct order by the princess, she couldn't just disobey them. As she slowly spoke to herself, she trotted slower and slower, a frown breaking through her sturdy poker face."W...what could we do? I...I did the right thing...right? I...followed the princess' orders...I did what I could."

She kept trotting as she looked behind her, Dash and Twilight following in step. Twilight was the first to respond."You did the right thing...we...we need to get stronger before we can fight her. When Chrysalis arrives we can use the elements...the changelings should be able to weaken her enough for us to use it."

Trixie smiled lightly,"I'm glad you two chose me...I'm sorry we couldn't help reason with the others." She looked back to the two, who whimpered softly.

After walking for a few more minutes, Dash galloped forward and stopped Trixie."H...hey...can we stop for a minute?"

The unicorn looked away slightly."I...I don't think we have the time...we should get to Stalliongrad as soon as possible."

Dash sighed,"P...please, talk to me."

Trixie looked down, then to Twilight."Twi...why did AJ..."

Twilight cut her off, proclaiming "Applejack has had feelings for Dash for a bit...even before I came to Ponyville. I...I don't think Dash feels the same way."

"That's a lie." Dash looked back, whimpering as she sat, looking between the two."I...I care alot about Applejack...she's always been a good friend...and I guess that was...like...a goodbye." Her gut spun as she thought about it."I know Applejack, and if we just keep going to Stalliongrad...we'll lose everypony we know."

Trixie grabbed Dash by her shoulders and looked at her."Dashie...what...what are you saying? We HAVE to go!"

"No! If we leave...if we KEEP leaving...everypony in Ponyville will die...I...I know it."

Twilight shuttered lightly."Y...you can't be serious. They...they won't die...right Trixie?"

"Celestia said..."

"BUCK CELESTIA!" Dash blurted, kicking her hoof to the ground,"if we don't help them...they will defend Ponyville to their graves...we...WERE GOING BACK!"

The group was silent, Dash's face wet with newly emerging tears flowing down her face. She was realizing the words she was speaking as she said them. Her other friends in Ponyville would fight Nightmare to defend their home. She would look there first...and without the elements to help them...and without all six of them being present, they would be no match. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity...Applejack...all dead because of them.

The others began realizing the same thing, Twilight taking it roughly as well. She sat down and looked back, amazed that she would just leave the ponies she once called her friends."This...isn't what friends do...abandon others in their time of need..."

Dash slammed her hooves against the ground again, a bolt of magic blinding the others as she materialized her armor, the wings popping out proudly as she looked at Trixie."I...I love you Trixie...but I'm not abandoning Ponyville. Build your resistance...wait for Chrysalis...but...if your just going to do this at the expense of your home...the ponies that let you into their community...then you're doing it alone." Twilight trotted next to Dash and nodded before being let onto the Pegasus' back. Dash reeled back before shooting into the sky and flying off towards her home.

The pony whimpered softly, looking around at the empty expanse of grassland all around her."I...Celestia told me to...I..." the unicorn bit her lip as she whimpered. Trixie kicked at the ground. Harder and harder she pounded her hooves into the gravel and dirt until her hooves were chipped and dirty.

She cried hard as she slammed them down once more, regretting every action she took as her hooves were immediately encased in armor. As she looked down once more, her tears hitting the pummeled dirt, she saw herself. She saw the "thing" that she was suppose to be: a powerful wizard that was as strong as she was solitary. Her life had no friends...no love...no passion other than the mastery of her art. She donned her steampunk armor, looking at Ponyville in the distance as the wings effortlessly extended outward."No..."

The situation was growing dark...literally. While the power to move the sun was still Celestia's gift, it was obvious that she was slowly being overpowered. The moon slowly rose into the sky, the sun becoming the smallest glimmer in the distance. As ponies of all different kinds boarded up their homes, many gazed at the moon. A few gasps caused the others to look as well. The lunar object in the sky had a symbol on it, the black symbol of a horned equine, looking to the left as if watching the sun go down for the last time.

"Oh sweet Celestia, what do we do?" blurted out one the ponies. She was shivering lightly as she looked out her window, her horn casting a shadow onto her face as she looked up. Others did the same, either looking up at the image in the moon or galloping into their homes in a desperate search for concealment. Few screamed, few cried, but most were silent.

As Dash flew into town, she looked at the scene around her. It was just as they had left it, only nighttime. Nightmare Moon had not arrived yet, though many acted as if she had. They borded up their windows, leaving the door clear incase they needed to escape. Dash spotted Lyra and Bonbon huddled under an awning that stretched over the cafe.

Twilight hopped down from Dash's back, looking aroud for any signs of their friends."Dash...check Sweet Apple Acres, I'll check Rarities Botique and my library."

"Why bother?" Dash smerked lightly as she pointed down the road. A blockade was being prepared, a pink haired Pegasus watching over it. They galloped to her at full speed, calling Fluttershy's name loudly over and over as they aprotched. The other three of them poked their heads out from the other side of the blockade, Applejack burst forward and tackled the two, hopping happily.

"Thank Celestia you came back...we need you two, now more than ever. We couldn't use the elements without them...right guys?" Applejack looked around at the others. Their faces were slightly worried, and none of them were proclaiming their happiness.

Twilight and Dash just shrugged it off, just thinking that it was from stress. They asked what the plan was, and were answered by a very familiar voice.

"My Little Ponies...it shames me that you have disobeyed me." Celestia's voice was cold and emotionless, staring at them sternly."I gave Trixie an order...an order that you all should be heeding. We are not ready everypony...even the Elements might not stop her."

Dash stepped forward, gulping as she stood before the princess."Is there a chance that it will stop her?" Dash looked into Celestia's eyes, her own shining brightly at the alicorn.

Celestia sighed lightly, looking up at the moon, then down at her hooves."Yes...but only if I weaken her for you."

Twilight galloped over, worried."P...princess Celestia...what are you saying?"

"I am saying" the princess said commandingly,"That she is indeed too powerful to be defeated by The Elements alone. The Elements of Harmony are suppose to be the most powerful magical objects in Equestria, but they have never been used against a force so powerful."

"Now just wait one second there Princess...we've fought Nightmare before...used the Elements on her...why can't we do it again?"Applejack raised an eyebrow as she questioned the alicorn, the others taking a step away from her as the royal equine looked at the earth pony with a solid poker face.

"Do you know what my parents did when they realized that Luna had become the demon she is now? They attacked her with all of their strength. It gave me the power...the opening I needed to send her to the moon." The princess looked around lightly before glancing back at the orange pony."Once the battle was over, it was obvious that she was bound to the moon for a long time...a thousand years. She had no magical energy to tap into to regain her strength. The demon was stagnant, devoid of any movement or activity, for the entire time she was up there. It was then that the Elements of Harmony were a viable solution. I fear of anything that can mimick her power...but I do not think it is possible."

Everypony was silent as Celestia finished, looking around. Twilight looked around as well, noticing something missing."Princess...where is my brother?"

Celestia raised an eyebrow at the question, looking around even more intently as she wondered the same thing."I assumed he had gone with you..." The princess' belly tingled uneasily as she heard an explosion off in the distance."Alright, this is it My Little Ponies...I will do my best to weaken her...but it is up to you to finish her off. I trust you with all of my heart...and I love you all."

She dropped to her knees, all six of them galloping over and hugging her. Twilight cried heavily as she hugged Celestia's neck tightly, begging with her weakly."Please Princess...don't get hurt...I...I couldn't live without you."

Celestia smiled lightly, tears dripping freely from her eyes."Twilight...my dear, sweet Twilight. You have exceeded every expectation...and I could not be more proud." She licked Twilight's ear gently as she cooed to her, the other ponies backing up as the teacher and student bonded and said their goodbyes."Twilight, I feel that if I left Equestria now...you would be more than prepared to live and carry on my memory. I...I know that I may not survive...but I have outlived countless students...and if I perish here, I couldn't not be more proud to know that you have outlived me."

The two hugged tightly before the Princess materialized the box that contained the Elements of Harmony, levitating it to the unicorn's hooves. She spoke no further, flapping her wings and standing tall atop the barricade that the ponies had set up in the middle of the street.

Trixie was soaring as fast as she could, the wind in her mane sounding like a jet intake. She saw Ponyville int he distance, sighing happily that it was still unharmed, but concerned as she saw a large cloud of smoke less than a mile from the town.

She landed hard, spraining one of her hind legs as she crash landed, scrambling as rushed forward, looking for Dash and Twilight. It was a few moments before she heard the muffled sniffles of Twilight. Trixie tilted her head as she turned the corner, seeing Twilight and Dash a few feet next to the others. She galloped at full speed, Dash turning to meet her grin with a worried look. Trixie screeched to a halt in front of Dash, looking at her.

"Dash...Twilight...what's wrong?" Trixie looked around before they both pointed towards the smoke cloud advancing towards the town."B...but...Princess Celestia...she can still..." her words were cut off by the crashing of something breaking through wood. Suddenly, the group scattered as the white alicorn slammed into the gravel path. She skidded down the road, her body making a drag mark in the dirt as she came to a stop just a few feet from the ponies, her left shoulder taking most of the damage. She shook lightly as she rose, looking into the darkness as Nightmare Moon clicked and clacked lightly. It was unusual that her hooves made that noise as she continued along the dirt path, nothing for her hooves to come in contact with that wouldn't have muffled her steps.

She stood tall, looking at the ponies with a wide smile on her face."My dear...sweet ponies, how have you been?" Her vision fixated on the cyan unicorn, smiling wider as she looked amongst the ponies again."I am so glad you are here..." She effortlessly lifted Celestia into the air with her magic, bringing her muzzle meet the other's.

Celestia struggled weakly, feeling her magic drain slowly as the demon grinned wildly. She looked to the seven others, whimpering softly."L...look away girls..." she blurted out as she shed a tear, trying to look courageous as she looked, face-to-face with the demon she hated more than any object, tangible or otherwise.

"Oh don't worry, I think they can handle seeing you pass away...maybe even a show before it happened." Nightmare spat out, her voice filled with poisonous speech as she glared at the royal mare. In one motion, the princess dropped to the ground, Nightmare's front hoof to Celestia's neck, the magic still binding her."How about begging a little...just for me?"

"...Go to hell" Celestia retorted back at the demon, making the armored equine snort in disgust.

"Gaze upon this sight, little foals, for it is a message. The sun princess dies just in time to fill Equestria with darkness. Your world...IS OVER."

"Sorry Nightmare, but that's not gonna happen" a stallion's voice echoed.

"Wha?" Nightmare began, but was hit hard with a shield spell, launching her back and slamming her through one of Sugar Cube Corner's walls. The user of the spell stepped forward, Twilight rushing forward and embracing him.

"BIG BROTHER!" Twilight cried out, hugging Shining Armor tightly.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Twily, but it's hard to command every royal guard...and while I'm here..." he advanced forward, using his magic to levitate the demon towards him."I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Nightmare shivered lightly, very weak."Your magic...it's so..."

"Powerful? I am captain of the royal guards..." Shining half-boasted.

"Pathetic." Her eyes narrowed as she smiled wide again, feigning injury to get close, only to knock the stallion back with a mimic of the spell he had used on her. He yelped as he crashed through somepony's home, yelling lightly as he felt a few ribs had cracked. Shining used his magic to block the pain, shrugging it off as he galloped at full speed towards Nightmare. His vigor was lost as he felt his legs give out on him, crashing into the ground. He looked around for the cause, but was levitated an inch off the ground before he could think further.

"I'll ask you the same thing I asked Celestia...any last words?" Nightmare croaked, her voice impatient. He looked to Twilight, his mouth open lightly as he spoke.

"Twilight...I..." CRACK!!! Twilight's ears dropped, screaming as she heard her brother's neck snap, his head twisted up and to the left, his hind hoof twitching momentarily before Nightmare dropped his lifeless body to the ground.

Twilight's eyes were out of tears as she looked at Nightmare, pure malice replacing it as she growled loudly. She levitated the Elements out of the box Celestia had brought, placing them onto their respective owner's heads as her gaze did not shift from the demon.

Dash was right next to the unicorn, Applejack next to her as the six formed a line, covering the street like a road block as they stared at Nightmare, who stood her ground and waited. Trixie watched from the side, caring for Celestia. The alicorn was weak, most of her magic drained, but still physically healthy.

"Alright everypony...let's do this" Twilight began,"...for me...for you...for Equestria!" she yelled out, the magic forming in their crowns. They fired off in synch, a bright, magical light firing upward. The magic burned, blasting a few feet into the air before fizzing out. An audible gasp left all of them."WHA?!" Twilight shrieked.

Nightmare laughed loudly, her laughter growing into a wild cackle."Did you really think I would fall for that again? Haha, you really thought that I would do the same thing twice?" She slowly paced as she let the ponies fill in the missing pieces."You see...when I was defeated by you six, I learned something great. I learned that the magic of friendship was a powerful thing. Turns out I only needed to make a few, small tweaks, and everything would come crashing down. Think for a minute, my little ponies...what are the six elements? Loyalty... Honesty... Kindness... Generosity... Laughter... and the magic of Friendship, right?"

Twilight hissed angrily."Of course...we have all of those!"

Nightmare silenced the mare by raising a hoof."Oh really? How many months has it been since you've seen Fluttershy? Pinkie Pie? How about Rarity?"

Twilight went to answer, but nothing came out. Nightmare continued."You see...you ponies aren't friends any more. Quite miraculous, isn't it? It only takes one moment, a stone, if you will, to change history forever. Now...Trixie, why do you think I would cause you to become injured while fleeing from Ponyville all those months ago? It requires an immense amount magic to move an object while trapped in another's mind...so why would I use all of that power to inflict harm unto you?

Trixie's eyes went wide as she solved the puzzle."You...you knew...you knew it would happen. My recovery, Celestia's disapproval, Ponyville. But...how could you know about Dash?"

"Oh, I didn't, but I guess I got lucky." She grinned, happy with her work."Yes, everything that as happened should not have. I needed to break you ponies up...and Rainbow Dash's involvement in this just made my job easier."

Nightmare slowly explained how she would not have been powerful enough to stop the ponies without breaking their friendship up. Celestia knew it was her only chance to stop her. She leaned in towards Trixie, whispering to her about the box. She said how the box doubled as a teleportation device in a time of need.

Trixie thought of how that could help her, looking over at the box. She gulped softly after a few seconds, looking to the alicorn."Please...don't tell me it's the only way..."

"I wish I could...but we both know what must be done to save everything. I'm sorry." Celestia laid her head down, weak from the lack of magic as she whimpered softly, begging Trixie. The unicorn nodded softly, trotting to the box and pulling out a scroll. Celestia whispered a final word, an addition to the incantation that the scroll contained. Trixie slights lightly, reading the spell over and committing it to memory.

It was more difficult than anything she had ever done. Not the spell, but what came next. She turned Dash to her, whispering what she would have to do. The Pegasus shook her head desperately, fearing that speaking would alert the alicorn of Trixie's plan. The pony couldn't waste any more time, leaning in and kissing Dash as deeply as she could, their tongues intermingling like lovers going to war. Dash cried lightly as Trixie made her way forward to Nightmare, growling.

"HAHAHA, you think you scare me little foal?"

"No" Trixie responded,"but once you see what I'm doing...you'll be terrified." Trixie's face was blank as her mane whipped lightly, as if a large gust of wind was blowing past her. Magic erupted powerfully from her horn, spinning into a twist of energy that slowly enveloped the cyan mare.

Nightmare gasped as she identified the spell, firing a shot out at the unicorn in an attempt to stop her. The shot went through air as Trixie vanished. She was suddenly in the forest she had been to many times before, looking around as she spotted herself galloping past. It took less than a second as Trixie used her magic to flip the rock out of the way, her past self continuing to gallop away and to safely.

She sighed lightly as the world she was in slowly began shaking, as if a television screen had slowly began losing connection. She was brought to the Canterlot library, the memory crisp and clear. Luna had just trotted back inside with Trixie, her mane wet from the rain that Dash had performed as her test. The sound of Twilight smashing into something in the library.

As the two met eyes, the memory slowly faded, then came back into sharpness, but this time, Trixie was absent. The real Trixie, who was watching the scene pan out, became aware very quickly that she had just seen her experience, but was now about to see how things were suppose to be, and, now that she had changed things back to the way they were meant, what really happened. Twilight looked ahead, blushing lightly as she pushed past Luna, nodding in respect as she hurried to Celestia. Luna sighed lightly, her heart heavy as she frowned, sitting alone in the library and reading by herself.

Even though she knew that it was what was best for Equestria, Trixie felt bad. She was brought further forward, to when she was first shown around Twilight library. She giggled as she watched her past self respond to Spike making sexual references, then brush off Twilight's overdramatic reaction. The memory went scratchy again, and as it repeated, it showed Twilight escorting in Rarity and Applejack inside, offering them to stay the night after a storm had made it impossible for the others to get home. Rarity and Applejack hugged Twilight, bickering playfully amongst themselves...as friends.

It continued on like that for a while, but what happened next, practically killed Trixie. After showing a few moments until the most recent, it went back to when Dash and Trixie first met, and went through every point in their relationship. She watched their first meeting, slowly crackling into AJ and Dash bumping hooves and galloping off to hang out with Fluttershy. Their first time together, resting against the tree in the open field melted away, replaced by an image of Rarity dragging Dash along to pick wild berries with Pinkie Pie. They giggled and played, having fun as they bonded, growing closer and fortifying their friendship.

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Please play this song in the background...pressing play as you read from this point on. youtube.com/watch?v=OkvVr6n1cGk
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Trixie shuttered as her and Dash played around, kissing each other softly, the image crackling and warping into the Pegasus dreamily admiring the Wonderbolts as she laid on a cloud. Trixie looked down and noticed that she was slowly fading away. Her hooves had begun disappearing into dust-like magic, sparkling beautifully as she simple hovered. She wept openly as she watched her beautiful marefriend, and the life she now had...the real life that she was meant to have.

Trixie watched Dash cry hard into her shoulder, her wings removed less than a day prior, told she would never fly again. Trixie smiled softly, the tears in her eyes flowing as she watched the memory crackle. Dash was jumping for joy, having performed a sonic rainboom at the Junior Flyers Competition. She was so happy, flying thought the sky without a care in the world.

Trixie was met with a blank world, nothing but white as she looked around. A familiar Pegasus trotted forward smiling softly."I'm glad you let me go..."

"But I love you so much, Dashie" Trixie wept hard, looking at her marefriend. She was almost fully dissolved, only her upper chest and a hoof were still there.

Dash smiled bright, kissing Trixie deeply. Trixie cried harder, kissing back as she felt her hoof evaporate into dust. She looked at Dash one more time before smiling lightly."I guess...this is it. Good night...my beautiful Dashie."

Trixie finished dissolving, cyan dust flowing away as the universe no longer needed her.

I hope you all enjoyed this series. Other than a few added treats for long-time fans, this will be the last part. I will probably not bring this story back to life for retrieval. I really put my heart into this series...that you all for your support. I am confirming at least one alternate ending, and an Epilogue for the REALLY devoted fans. Again, I love you all. Comment at how I did...tell me what I should do next. I'm thinking that Fluttershy needs more shipping...recommend ponies for her to ship with.

You guys rock my socks...my sexy, orange and black striped socks ;)