Arc 1- 9 (End of the Old)

“Hey there guys, DJ-Pon3 is back from her break with some news! It seems that the Ponyville Weather Patrol has finally let out the big storm that everypony’s been waiting for, for what? Two months? Yeah that sounds about right. What do you care though? Well, you should care since the Canterlot Weather Patrol is going to be assisting our friends down there, and that means nature will have to do it! The horror!” The disc jockey fakes a horrified scream before laughing her tail off and resuming her business. “Okay, kidding aside, I know you guys are a little shaky about what happened in Ponyville. Frankly, I’d question your sanity if you weren’t since my buddies down there told me that Ponyville turned into a warzone! Which brings me to my little preachy bit before I play you the music you guys all love so very much. In this time of unrest you do not want to get rid of your friends or distance yourself from your family. Us ponies need to stick together. United we stand, divided we fall kinda thing. Sorta like what Celestia was talking about. And I’m saying this because that party pony we all love had a falling out with that dorky bookworm. We all know the news, Twilight is accusing Pinkie Pie of being responsible for Spike’s death -rest in peace you lovable lizard- and it does make one wonder why, but c’mon, Twilight, this is Pinkie Pie! One of your oldest friends and I know you’re hurt, believe me I know what it’s like to lose a friend in a horrible way, but everypony knows that Pinkie Pie would never do anything to harm anyone. So, my suggestion, talk to your friend, figure out the truth before you lose her. If you haven’t already. Remember, children, its hard to build up trust and make friends, but its easy to break it. Now, who’s ready for some TwoRepublics?”

+++++++++

Pinkie Pie silently watches the fires of the bakers oven in the basement of the Sugar Cube Corner; she keeps her attention dedicated towards the oven, ignoring the howling wind and rumbling thunder. The lights from the fire dances along the wall, stretching and contracting Pinkie Pie’s shadow and the shadows of other objects. Her mind races through all the things she had, all her friends, her family, her parties. All of which she won’t be seeing for a while, probably ever again. The more she thinks about it the more she realizes that she’s been betrayed. And not only her, but Spike as well.

They would rather remember Spike as a child than a hero, and her being the reason why he died than finding the truth. They only wanted to see half the truth. No, not even half the truth. They didn’t want it, it wasn’t good enough for them. To them, Spike would always be “Spikey-Wikey” and Pinkie Pie would be the reason why he died. She tried to defend herself, but Rarity became an emotional train wreck and nearly killed herself with alcohol poisoning . When Rarity recovered with the worst hangover of her life she blackballed Pinkie Pie from her shop because she was told by Twilight that Pinkie Pie was responsible for Spike’s death. When Pinkie Pie came by the Boutique to explain what had happened, Rarity nearly cracked her skull open with a sewing machine. And After Big Mac and Fluttershy were put in the hospital because of the attack used to get to her, she and Applejack’s friendship took a nosedive and landed on a solid rock. The attack against Big Mac and Fluttershy made Applejack believe Twilight’s story and the only ones who continue to stand by her are Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie have a strong bond and Fluttershy is too kind to abandon anyone. She’s also the only one who actually listened to Pinkie Pie and held her when she cried, but the most damning of all is not being allowed to Spike’s funeral.

Not being allowed to her friend’s funeral. Not being allowed to her brother’s funeral. She had to break into the cemetery to leave a rose at his grave after Twilight left and spent nearly the whole night there, apologizing and wishing him the best of fun in Paradise. When she returned to her room in the Sugar Cube Corner that same day she had been expecting Twilight to send her a letter of some kind. Any letter would’ve done, but all she got were bills and a message from Octavia saying that she got the package. They were able to actually talk for a good four hours that day too.

But it was after the funeral that Pinkie Pie had realized that day that her friendship with Twilight and the others was never real, it was conditional. Just like everything else. Everything is conditional; friends, love, parties, loyalty. She’s sure Rainbow Dash is only sticking by her because she feels bad, and Fluttershy is Fluttershy. Seeing anyone hurt is painful for her. But the others, they didn’t listen to her. They refused, and most ponies would say “Screw them!” to anyone that would betray them like how she had been and leave them to their fates, but Pinkie Pie can’t do that. Despite all they did to her in the past week she refuses to let Ponyville or the others suffer any more losses for her actions.

Pinkie Pie sighs heavily and then leaves the Sugar Cube Corner and disappears into the storm, knowing what fate awaits her.

oooOOOooo

Twilight arrives at the Sugar Cube Corner fifteen minutes later and sees that the glowing neon sign says “CLOSED”. She curses under her breath but continues nonetheless. When she’s at the door she frantically knocks on it. She can barely hear the Cakes talking, it sounds like they’re having an argument of some kind, though, and not a casual “You open it” talk. Twilight shakes the thick layer of rainwater off her coat, not that it did much since the rain droplets returned with twice their numbers anyway.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cake! It’s me, Twilight! Can you open up?” yells Twilight over the wind.

The argument intensifies and her ears droop when she gets the feeling it’s about her and not just about turning a potential customer or weary pony away. A few seconds later the door is yanked open and Mr. Cake pokes his head out, he looks like he’s not in the mood for visitors but he still steps aside and opens the door further so Twilight can enter.

“Get inside, it’s wet out there,” says Mr. Cake in a low, saddened tone.

Twilight walks inside and thanks him without hesitation, but she quickly notices Mrs. Cake’s harsh glare and her leaving the room in a huff.

“I’m going to check on the kids, you talk to her,” says Mrs. Cake moodily.

“Please don’t give them any more milk or cookies, I already gave them some before they went to bed,” says Mr. Cake.

Mrs. Cake nods and disappears up the stairs, and Mr. Cake turns to Twilight and forces a smile while motioning her to have a seat at one of the tables. Twilight silently sits down and Mr. Cake sits across from her.

“Would you like some hot chocolate or anything?” asks Mr. Cake.

“No, no I’m fine, I just came to talk to Pinkie Pie. It’s really important that I talk to her,” says Twilight with haste.

Mr. Cake shakes his head and Twilight gets a new wave of sadness. She had been wanting to apologize to Pinkie Pie when she saw the note and umbrella hat; those two struck a massive sore spot in her that made her cry herself to sleep almost every day of the week. But she can’t apologize to Pinkie Pie because the Cakes won’t let her. She guesses that it’s a reasonable response since they don’t know that she wants to apologize, and the Cakes are like Pinkie Pie’s parents, so of course they wouldn’t want to let Twilight near her.

“But it’s important I talk to her...I want to apologize for the way I’ve been treating her,” says Twilight desperately. “Can you at least say I was here to apologize?”

“Nope, I’m afraid not,” says Mr. Cake sadly.

Twilight’s eyes narrow and her nostrils flare. This is getting ridiculous. They now know why she wants to talk to her and they still won’t! What’s their deal? Do they have a grudge against her now?

“What do you mean you can’t!” demands Twilight.

“Twilight...Pinkie’s gone,” says Mr. Cake.

Twilight’s annoyance is instantly replaced with panic and regret for jumping to conclusions. Just like what happened between her and Pinkie Pie.

“Wha-What do you mean gone?” stammers Twilight, her eyes are now getting a little misty.

“She left about fifteen minutes ago. I’m sorry, Twilight,” Mr. Cake says apologetically.

=**********=

A vehicle that looks like a delivery van and wings with large propellers makes an awkward landing on the slick grass just outside the Ponyville construction site. It’s headlights illuminate only a dozen feet in front of it before the hard rain envelops everything in a wet darkness. After the vehicles and propellers come to a stop, the propellers fold down and the wings fold against the side of the flying van. Once all that is done the truck cautiously proceeds forward.

Inside the vehicle, Trixie, Gray Muffin, Roar Shock, and the zebra twins are patiently waiting for what’s to come. Wazza is driving the vehicle while Adanz is being his guide; he has a map in his possession and is quietly giving instructions on where to go. It’s mostly quiet, save for the zebras chatter and the hypnotic sounds of the wipers rubbing against the windows.

All of them are wearing plain hooded ponchos and Gray Muffin is wearing a saddle with a cannon attached to it that is covered by his poncho, making him look more bulky than he actually is, and his trademark suit and fedora. Trixie glances nervously at Gray Muffin and he gives her a quick, reassuring smile before staring off into space.

“How do you cope with it?” asks Trixie.

“Cope with what?” asks Gray Muffin while looking at Trixie out of the the corner of his eye.

“You know... taking lives?”

“Call it what it is, ‘killing’. And I don’t cope, I forget about it.”

“So you forget all of it?”

“No, we always remember our first kill. It is monumental to us and depending on who you kill, it could be a powerful message”

Trixie nods and looks out the front window. She can barely see anything, the buildings are silhouetted in the storm and there isn’t a soul in sight or a store open. She doesn’t even know what the time is, but she guesses that she has nothing to worry about since the ponies she’s with are calm as can be. Besides, she also trusts Gray Muffin, Wazza, and Adanz with her life. She doesn’t really hold that connection with Roar Shock, though, but only because she hardly sees him and when she does he looks like he wants to kill her. Granted, Gray Muffin has that same murderous look most of the time, but it’s never directed towards her. Plus Gray Muffin always takes the time to explain his actions to her with a Blitz Training Session whereas Roar Shock only does a blitz strike and then leaves before she can do anything about it.

“How nervous are you?” asks Gray Muffin, completely derailing Trixie’s train of thought.

Trixie gulps. “Very.”

“That’s good. When you’re nervous you plan everything, just don’t let your emotions get the best of you. It’ll only draw things out and make it more painful than it has to be.”

Wazza stops the van behind the construction site and turns it off.

“We’re here,” he says casually.

Everyone throws up their hoods and hops out of the van and starts walking towards the construction site, all except for Gray Muffin. He goes in the opposite direction. Trixie watches him walk away and he looks over his shoulder and nods at Trixie and she returns the nod. Then she, the zebra twins, and Roar Shock continue their walk, leaving Gray Muffin to his assignment. She gets an uneasy feeling looking at the construction site. The building towers above them like a skeletal monolith and Trixie can only make an inaccurate guess as to what it’s supposed to be; all she really knows is that tonight it’ll be someone’s grave.

“Celestia forgive me,” whispers Trixie.

=**********=

Twilight stammers and taps her hooves on the floor in a nervous dance while trying to think where Pinkie Pie went.

“You sure she didn’t say where she was going?” asks Twilight frantically.

“Not a single word, she just said her farewells and left,” says Mr. Cake worryingly.

“Did she take anything?”

“Nope, she mailed or sold her stuff and whatever she didn’t mail or sell she tossed.”

Twilight groans and smacks herself on the head, demanding herself that she thinks harder about where Pinkie Pie went.

“C’mon, Twilight, think! Think! Think! Think!” says Twilight irritably.

“Oh, Pinkie did say one thing before she left,” says Mr. Cake sheepishly.

Twilight gets a burst of hope and gets uncomfortably close to Mr. Cake, making him take a step back, and she smiles broadly and hopefully with a glint in her eyes.

“Yes! What did she say?” ask Twilight eagerly.

“She um... she said to tell you not to follow her,” replies Mr. Cake while looking down.

Twilight’s smile and glint fades and her ears droop. “Oh.”

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” says Mr. Cake sympathetically while placing his hoof on her shoulder “but Pinkie Pie just doesn’t want to be found... Especially by you.”

Twilight nods and turns to leave, but then a light bulb turns on in her head. A bright light bulb. Pinkie Pie doesn’t want to be found. Found as in locate. She doesn’t want Twilight to find her. Twilight as in unicorn. Unicorn as in magic. Magic as in spell.

“I got it!” blurts Twilight suddenly.

Her sudden outburst makes Mr. Cake jump.

“Got what?” asks Mr. Cake curiously.

“I’ll find her and I’ll bring her back using the Locating Spell! Spell number sixty two!”

“Um... Ms. Sparkle-”

“Shush, I need to concentrate.”

Twilight closes her eyes, sits on the floor, takes a deep breath and blocks out everything. A light purple mist oozes out of her horn as she focuses solely on the memories of her and Pinkie Pie like a movie stuck on fast forward; from the very beginning from when they first met, to defeating Nightmare Moon, to the parties, their adventures, defeating Discord, more adventures, and goofy fun. Then it goes into the roller coaster of emotions as the ups and downs of life becomes more defined, especially in the past ten years. When it goes to Spike’s death, his funeral, and the arguments between Applejack and Pinkie Pie and her just standing by, watching it all happen while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are the ones trying to resolve the argument, it becomes almost too painful to watch. But then it all stops when she sees what Pinkie Pie sees, a dark skeletal building building soaked in rainwater.

Twilight’s eyes snap open. “I know where she is.”

Before Mr. Cake can formulate a response or a question Twilight’s horn lights up again and she disappears in a ball of bright light, leaving a small burn mark on the floor.

Twilight appears in the construction site in the same ball of bright light that violently pushes water and loose materials away, she doesn’t know where she is in the place, but she knows she’s close to Pinkie Pie. When the chill from the rain sets in Twilight shivers and shakes the dew off her coat and proceeds with search for Pinkie Pie.  She doesn’t have to look far, however, for Pinkie Pie is in the other room staring out the window, waiting for something or someone.

“Hey there, Twilight,” says Pinkie Pie sadly without looking at her.

Twilight stops in her tracks and Pinkie Pie turns around; as soon as she turns around lightning flashes behind her, lighting up the place like a camera flash, followed by the rolling thunder. Both mares look at the storm in all its terrifying beauty for a couple of seconds before looking back at each other.

“You shouldn’t be here,” says Pinkie Pie sternly.

“What are you doing here, Pinkie?” asks Twilight as she carefully approaches Pinkie Pie.

“I’m doing what I said I would do in the letter. I’m going to make things right.”

“Look, Pinkie, I don’t know what you’re up to, but let me help-”

“What do you care!” Twilight takes a step back, she also thinks she deserves that for how she had been treating her friend for the past week, but no one is ever prepared for it. Pinkie Pie exhales and looks down. “Twilight, Spike’s death was horrible, but he wouldn’t listen to me, just like you.”

Twilight looks down and Pinkie Pie glances up, they both ignore the roaring wind and heavy rain that is soaking them and the construction site.

“Pinkie, I’m sorry...” says Twilight softly.

“I tried to explain how he died a hero, but you wouldn’t listen,” continues Pinkie Pie angrily “Just like how Rarity and AJ wouldn’t. None of you guys listened to me!”

Twilight steps forward and extends her hoof pleadingly. “Pinkie, please stop! Stop whatever it is you’re going to do and come back with me to the library. We-We can talk it over. All of us. You, me, Applejack, Rarity-”

Twilight’s desperate attempt at persuasion is interrupted when Pinkie Pie shouts “No!” and stomps her hoof on the floor. Twilight stops talking and Pinkie Pie marches over to Twilight with a furious glare and each step being just as angry. “You guys had your chance to talk, to hear my side, and I told you. Oh how I told you so many many many times what has happened and yet none of you can look at me or cared to hear me out! I thought you guys would know that I would never purposefully put any one of you in danger! But I! WAS! WRONG!”

Another bolt of lightning flashes by and Twilight cringes while sniffling and blinking tears out of her eyes. Pinkie Pie, on the other hand, lets her tears flow freely and paces around Twilight; the unicorn refuses to move and accepts every form of verbal abuse Pinkie Pie throws at her.

“Friends listen to friends! No matter what! Didn’t you learn anything about friendship after all these years or were you just pretending so that Celestia wouldn’t blast you to the moon!”  accuses Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie, please stop,” whimpers Twilight.

“Well it doesn’t matter anyway, because it’s all over for us and all the fun we had, all those memories, I put them in the bakery’s oven and burned them.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped and Pinkie Pie nods her head quickly and jumps in front of Twilight and looks her in the eyes. Twilight’s ears droop and her legs buckle, and Pinkie Pie looks down at her with anger and sorrow. The mare takes a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing with her rant.

“Yep, I burned our memories away. The only token of our friendship left is that umbrella hat, but you still don’t believe in ‘simpleton superstition’, do you? So what remains of friendship means absolutely nothing, doesn’t it?” sneers Pinkie Pie.

“I-I-Pinkie, please just come home,” begs Twilight.

“The photos of us and the gang, all burned into little itty bitty ashy crumbs. I burned my Gala dress, the Mare-Do-Well costumes, and all the little nick-nacks that I was given over the years. Our friendship is dead-”

“Pinkie Pie, please-”

“So there is no reason to keep reminding myself of you fakes!”

Another bolt of lightning and rumbling thunder passes; those final words stabbed Twilight’s heart like a rusted barbed dagger. Twilight closes her eyes and quietly apologizes for what she did, and when she opens her eyes she can’t tell if Pinkie Pie had accepted her apology or not. The pink mare simply stares at her, lips quivering and hyperventilating.

“You were my sister, Twilight. I loved you,” says Pinkie Pie, her voice quivering and choking on tears. “I-I-I loved you and-and Spike with all my heart and-and he’s dead and you turned everypony against me.”

Twilight cries and looks down, shaking her head; her apology is barely heard over the storm. Pinkie Pie takes a minute to get her breathing under control, and when she does, she flicks her wet mane out of her face and puts her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight can barely look at her, knowing that she drove Pinkie Pie, one of her oldest friends, into doing something that will more than likely lead to her getting hurt... or worse. She just can’t stand the idea of seeing another one of her friends hurt, especially if she’s the cause of it.

“Twilight, if our friendship has ever meant anything to you... then... then I need you to Pinkie Promise me that you’ll stay out of what’s going to happen. No interference at all,” says Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie, what are you going to do?” asks Twilight again.

“Pinkie Promise me and I’ll tell you.”

Twilight takes a deep breath and does the Pinkie Promise, word for word, motion for motion, and when she finishes Pinkie Pie chuckles softly and nods approvingly. Then her gaze turns serious and she scans the area intently.

“When I said I was going to make things better I meant it,” says Pinkie Pie. “The ponies I’ll be fighting are the ones who killed Spike and all those soldiers, and hurt Big Mac and Fluttershy and Shining.”

Twilight pales and shakes her head in disbelief.

“I refuse to let anypony else get hurt because of me. It all ends tonight for me.”

“You can’t be serious! Those ponies are dangerous!” says Twilight in a mix of anger and sadness.

Pinkie Pie forces herself to smile at Twilight. “Twilight, relax, it’ll all be sunshine and rainbows in the end, you’ll see. They will be stopped because I have a plan.”

Before Twilight can respond, Pinkie Pie suddenly tenses and shoves Twilight into cover behind a stack of building materials. Twilight digs her hooves into the floor, but the water makes it impossible to get a good grip and Pinkie Pie is a lot stronger than she lets on.

“Stops squirming, they’re here,” hisses Pinkie Pie quietly. Twilight stops resisting and shrinks behind her cover. Pinkie Pie looks at Twilight sternly while pointing at her. “Remember, you Pinkie Promised to stay out of this.”

Twilight nods reluctantly and watches Pinkie Pie go into the middle of the floor. In spite of the heavy downpour outside, the only thing Twilight can hear is her heavy breathing and heartbeats. She sees four ponies in ponchos walk up and they have a conversation with Pinkie Pie that Twilight can’t make out, but when one of the ponies steps forward and pulls down her hood Twilight gasps at who she sees. Trixie. Twilight can’t believe that Trixie, a showmare, a high maintenance pony with a knack for blowing things out of proportion, has turned into a killer. However, Twilight does notice that while the others look tall and proud, Trixie is sulking and has her head down.

oooOOOooo

Pinkie Pie flicks her wet mane out of her face again and studies each of the ponies in front of her. They all look like they are ready to pounce, save for Trixie, she reminds Pinkie Pie of the student being egged on by the cool kids to hit the new kid on the block. Only this time “hitting the new kid” is replaced with murder.

Pinkie Pie smiles at Trixie. “It’s been awhile hasn’t it, Trixie?”

“I’m sorry, but I have never met you. I only heard of your deeds... and great parties,” says Trixie, obviously disturbed about what she has to do.

“Yeah, I do make awesome parties, but it’s been awhile since you’ve been to Ponyville. Too bad you had to come here under these circumstance.”

Trixie nods in agreement and Roar Shock steps forward, wings flapping slightly to shake the rainwater off.

“I’m glad you arrived, I would’ve hated to have to track you over Equestria,” says Roar Shock.

“No point in running from your fate, is there?” remarks Pinkie Pie.

“True, true. Now the rules are this: everything goes and we will not interfere. Only one of you will live, and if you, Pinkie Pie, are the one to live we’ll just kill you anyway. Nopony is to interfere and if you brought help then they will be killed with extreme prejudice. Sound fair?”

“Fair enough, let’s do this.”

“Good.”

Roar Shock flies to a higher level and the zebras take the stairs and meet up with him so that they are looking down at the mares. Pinkie Pie shakes herself like a dog to get rid of the ever growing layer of rainwater while Trixie levitates her poncho off. She releases it and  it is blown away by the wind and gets stuck on a random piece of equipment. Then they start circling each other.

oooOOOooo

Twilight peeks at the tense scene from the safety of her cover, she wants to stop this madness, but she made a Pinkie Promise and she can’t run lest she wants to be caught by the others, and there is no telling what they will do to her. For the first time in a very long time, Twilight finds herself frozen in fear.

=**********=

Gray Muffin marches towards the towering structure of the Town Hall, it has been boarded up from the damages it sustained during Terra’s failed attack. Not a soul is in sight and that is just the way he likes it. The lights from the building are far and few in between, but when he sees light shining through the curtains of the Mayor’s Office, his marching turns into an eager trot. When he is close enough he sees two Royal Guards standing under the balcony roof in a pitiful attempt to stay dry, but with the crazy wind they are still getting wet.

Gray Muffin slows down his trot and his eyes narrow at his targets. The two Royal Guards stare at him suspiciously and inch forward when he doesn’t show any signs of changing course. He sees them talk to each other and then one of them shouts: “This area is off limits! Turn back now!”

He keeps walking and the control bit slides out from under his poncho and his cannon charges up.

=**********=

Pinkie Pie and Trixie continue to circle each other, both of them on a hair trigger. Pinkie Pie looking content with her fate while Trixie is still nervous. She doesn’t want to take a life, especially the life of an Element, but she has no choice. She has to do this to finally become a part of Roar Shock’s family. She has to do it because it’s for the Greater Good. And most importantly, she doesn’t want to fail Gray Muffin. She can’t fail. She won’t accept failure ever again. In this moment, and probably for the rest of her life, “Thou shall not kill” will mean nothing.

=**********=

The Royal Guards become increasingly nervous by Gray Muffin’s approach. They ready their weapons and move closer to him.

“Hey, are you deaf!? I said this area is off limits!” yells the same Royal Guard.

Gray Muffin keeps walking towards them, each step becoming heavier and more determined. The Guard that told him the area is off limits calls in Gray Muffin’s approach while the other one hesitantly marches towards him and stands directly in front of him, blocking his path.

“Turn back now! This area is off limits!” repeats the second Guard.

Gray Muffin stops walking and glowers at the second Guard, saying: “I know.”

Then in the blink of an eye Gray Muffin’s hoof smashes the Royal Guard’s voice box. The Guard crumbles to the ground, gaging in pain, and Gray Muffin snaps his neck with a single stomp and then shoots the other Royal Guard in the chest with his cannon. After that, he strolls inside the Town Hall.

=**********=

Pinkie Pie and Trixie stop pacing around each other in perfect harmony, and Pinkie Pie smiles at Trixie. There’s some sadness in her eyes, but Trixie also notices that Pinkie Pie is content with what’s about to happen. Gray Muffin told her one time that sometimes when “scum” knows their end is near they’ll just accept it and not put up a fight, but on other occasions, they are content because they have a plan that they think will save their hide from death. Pinkie Pie’s content look reminds Trixie of the latter.

Trixie’s eyes narrow and she runs her hoof against the concrete in preparation for a charge while Pinkie Pie remains still.

“Let’s give them a show they won’t forget,” says Pinkie Pie shrewdly.

Trixie momentarily loses focus as the memories of her being a showmare return to her in an emotionally painful flood. Trixie, after snapping back to reality from her two second escape, nods her head and-

Trixie’s mind goes blank as she sees her world spinning, feeling no ground beneath her hooves. She lands on her back with a loud thud and groans. Then she rolls to her feet, only to be tackled again! Trixie shakes herself off and tries to buck Pinkie Pie, but she dodges the attack and kicks Trixie into a drywall. Trixie quickly recovers and runs towards Pinkie Pie while charging her horn.

‘How fast is this mare?’ wonders Trixie irritably.

It’s like Pinkie Pie is teleporting around her! Everytime Trixie tries to zap her or buck or or touch in anyway, shape or form, the pink mare dodges it and counters her with a well placed hoof. A dozen jabs later, Trixie feels the effects of the constant tiny attacks building up, making her slightly sluggish, and then Pinkie Pie jumps on her back and pushes her to the ground. Panic starts overtaking Trixie as she fears that Pinkie Pie will be the one to end her, and not the other way around. While Trixie tries to squirm her way out from Pinkie Pie she swears she sees Sunshine’s shadow slide along the wall with a cackle, and she also thought that she saw Twilight watching them in the safety of the shadows. But before she can think about it, Pinkie Pie wraps her hoof around her neck in a strangling maneuver.

“You’ll have to kill me eventually,” says Pinkie Pie eerily into Trixie’s ear.

“Get off of me!” growls Trixie.

Trixie pushes herself up and falls backwards, squishing Pinkie Pie between her and the concrete floor in a desperate attempt to get her off. When that doesn’t work, Trixie channels some energy through her horn and burns Pinkie Pie’s hoof to the point where it looks like a smoking, burnt hot dog. Pinkie Pie cries out in pain, releases Trixie and waves her hoof around madly. Trixie goes for another attack, knowing that Pinkie Pie will be easier to hit now, but Pinkie Pie somehow manages to jump out of the way. And she does the same for the next attack. And the next one. And the next. And the next five ones.

“Stay still you damn hamster!” yells Trixie.

Trixie’s face turns red from anger and she grits her teeth as her lightning attacks get more severe. Pinkie Pie does a series of jumps and hops to dodge the attacks that get her to the high ground, and once having the advantage she knocks over a stack of lumber. The lumber falls directly towards Trixie, and as she jumps out of the way, she’s body slammed by Pinkie Pie. Trixie is disoriented by the sudden impact, and while her vision is screwy she feels Pinkie Pie bite down on her tail. Trixie’s eyes widen and the image of Gray Muffin throwing Sunshine through a wall by his tail plays back in Trixie’s mind. Sunshine’s shadow becomes more defined and Trixie shudders at the sight of the approaching specter.

“Oh that’s not ah good sign, darlin’,” chuckles Sunshine.

Then there’s a sharp, painful tug at her tail end and Trixie is once again in the air. While falling she takes a deep breath, aims, and fires a lightning bolt from her horn at Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie jumps out of the way, as usual, but the bolt does hit a fuel tank. The tank explodes and lights up the area with oily fire. Not exactly what she was hoping for, but she’s okay with that. When Trixie lands she slides across the floor and barely stops herself from falling off by grabbing on to a cable, stopping when she’s halfway over the edge. Trixie chooses not to look to see how far she would’ve fallen as she keeps her focus on pulling herself up. Once back on the floor she cautiously looks around for Pinkie Pie with her horn ready to fire.

When her opponent is nowhere to be found she stops, takes a deep breath, and closes her eyes and listens. Everything is amplified; the crackling of the small fire, the howling wind, the pattering rain droplets, fluttering plastic sheets, and quiet and swift steps coming towards her. Trixie’s eyes snap open and she bucks Pinkie Pie in the gut as she jumps in for a tackle. Pinkie Pie gasps and falls on her back, coughing for air. Trixie then levitates Pinkie Pie with her magic and slams her into the ceiling and back down to the floor.

Ceiling. Floor.

Ceiling. Floor

Ceiling. Floor.

Ceiling. Floor.

After the fifth time of slamming Pinkie Pie into the ceiling and floor she stops and stares. Pinkie Pie is bloodied and not moving, the ceiling and floors are cracked with blotches of blood on them. Trixie glances over her shoulder expecting to see Roar Shock and the zebras. She was correct in her expectations, they are watching her and they look pleased, but then Roar Shock’s approving smirk twists into that of concern. Trixie’s ears twitch when she hears a groan and she turns around and sees Pinkie Pie standing back up.

Trixie’s jaw drops and she stammers incomprehensibly, and Pinkie Pie makes a cocky smile and wipes some blood from her face.

“The party’s not over just yet, Trixie. Are you ready for some surprises?” says Pinkie Pie ominously, putting a creepy amount of emphasis on “surprises”.

Then some metal tubes roll out of place and clatter to the floor not too far from where the two mares are. Trixie’s eyes shift slightly to see what that was and Pinkie Pie uses that to her advantage. In half a blink of an eye Pinkie Pie and Trixie are rolling over each other on the floor and the brutal fight resumes.

=**********=

The Mayor shrinks behind her desk, shivering with fear while the exchange of gunshots and dying screams of the Guards echo down the hallway. Then it all suddenly stops. The two Royal Guards in her office look at each other nervously and back at the door. They don’t hear anything outside,there is only dead silence. One of the Royal Guards shifts his position slightly and the other creeps forwards with his weapon at the ready. Then he steps on a loose floorboard.

He doesn’t have time to cringe as a thin beam of electricity burns through the door and strikes the Royal Guard in the throat. He gags and falls to the ground, pushing his hoof against his injury and falls on his back while firing. The bullets from his weapon travel up the door, along the wall, and into the ceiling. The other Royal Guard orders the Mayor to get down and he sprays the door and walls with bullets. He breathes heavily while waiting for a response, but the response never comes. Not even a thud from a body falling. Then he hears a whirring sound, his eyes widen and before he can finish reloading the door is reduced to burning splinters, and the Mayor watches in horror as a bright light strikes the Royal Guard and sends him flying backwards on fire. The Mayor yelps when the corpse crashes against her desk with pieces of the door; then Gray Muffin stomps in the room, cannon smoking and powering down.

The Mayor backs up, crying and stammers incoherently as Gray Muffin walks towards her with murder in his eyes. She’s soon backed against the corner and slides to the floor crying and silently praying to Celestia that someone will save her.

“You-you-what happened to you!” stammers the Mayor.

Gray Muffin is silent as his weapon retracts and his muscles tense.

"Please, this isn't you!" cries the Mayor.

“There is only black and white. Never gray. For justice is absolute,” recites Gray Muffin.

Then he lunges at the Mayor and she screams in terror and puts her hooves up defensively.

=**********=

Trixie jumps away from another one of Pinkie Pie’s insanely fast attacks and shoots a lightning bolt at her. She sidesteps the attack and kicks a small tool cart at Trixie. It slides across the floor and hits Trixie’s legs, causing her to roll over the top and land on her face on the floor, leaving a nasty feeling in her legs and head. She blinks the stars out of her eyes and is flipped on her back by Pinkie Pie, and the pink mare puts her hooves on the ground on either side of Trixie’s head, trapping her. Pinkie Pie and Trixie are both breathing heavily and are covered in cuts and bruises, and while Pinkie Pie looks down at Trixie, her blood drips from her face and splatters on Trixie, but in spite all the damage she’s taken, the pink mare is still going strong while Trixie can feel herself getting worn out.

“Playtime’s over. You have to stop them,” says Pinkie Pie hastily. “Push me off.”

“What?”

“Zap me!”

Trixie shoots a bolt of lightning into Pinkie Pie’s chest, sending her crashing into a scaffold. The scaffold splinters on impact and covers Pinkie Pie in debris. Trixie runs over to Pinkie Pie and brings her hoof down on her, but she blocks it surprisingly well.

“Trixie, you are close to them. You can stop them,” whispers Pinkie Pie urgently. “I’m pushing you off now.”

Before Trixie’s mind can comprehend what Pinkie Pie told her, the Element of Laughter pushes her off, jumps to her feet, and while Trixie tries to regain her footing Pinkie Pie tackles her and they both fall over the edge of the floor and land on a series of scaffolds multiple stories high. The scaffold they landed on snaps loose and and falls on another one, and both mares frantically try to escape the cascade of falling materials. Pinkie Pie’s maneuvering is surprisingly graceful as she hops from one piece to another, but Trixie’s, on the other hand, is average at best. She’s sliding down and using the collapsing scaffolding to her advantage, but she’s also being slowed down by the pieces of junk hitting her while Pinkie Pie is virtually untouched. When they both land on the floor, four stories below where they originally were, Trixie lands awkwardly and trips over herself while Pinkie Pie lands with the grace of a pegasus and disappears somewhere. Trixie shakes the disorientation away and her ears droop and her muscles lock as she sees an avalanche of debris falling towards her. Her senses return just in time right before she’s about to be crushed by building materials and tools. She closes her eyes and shoots out a spell that pushes all the materials away from her in a blue shockwave. She opens her eyes and watches with a mix of pride and wonder as the tons of construction materials are pushed completely back and crumble to the ground or tumble over the edge dozens of feet where she’s standing. The noise is so loud that surely the town would be woken up by the ruckus.

Pinkie Pie cheers. “Wow! That was cool! But we’re not done yet!”

“Oh yes we are,” sneers Trixie.

Trixie whirls around shoots Pinkie Pie in the chest with her lightning without hesitation, sending her skidding across the floor with a trail of smoke and coming to an abrupt stop by the edge. Trixie marches towards Pinkie Pie with every intention of ending the fight on the spot, but when Trixie is a couple of paces away she stops and feels remorse for her victim. Pinkie Pie’s legs shift weakly on the floor and she manages to smile at Trixie as she stands over her, with her hoof above her neck. Trixie glances at the zebra twins and Roar Shock when she hears them arrive, and sees that they are watching her intently.

“Promise me you’ll stop them,” whispers Pinkie Pie.

Trixie looks back at Pinkie Pie, and she repeats her request.

“But I’m the one who has to kill you,” says Trixie quietly, confused as to why Pinkie Pie is trying to get her to stop her new family.

“Funny, isn’t it?” chuckles Pinkie Pie painfully. “But if you don’t stop them, then more ponies will die.”

“Evil ponies.”

“No, no, innocent ponies. Your boss is paranoid-”

“He’s doing what is best for Equestria!”

“He may want what’s best for Equestria but this is not how to save a nation. He... He’s paranoid, vengeful, and he... he has become the very thing he vowed to fight. More ponies, innocent ponies, will be hurt if you don’t stop him.”

Trixie looks over her shoulder again, they are starting to get impatient, especially Roar Shock.

“I will never betray him!” says Trixie in an angry whisper.

“But you have your doubts. Otherwise I would’ve been dead by now,” says Pinkie Pie slyly.

Trixie reels back and brings her hoof up to Pinkie Pie’s neck, but she hesitates to bring it down, which gives Pinkie Pie enough time to trip her and pin her to the ground. Trixie struggles and charges her horn, but Pinkie Pie flicks the nerve spot on the base of her horn that makes her magic die out. The mind numbing pain that Trixie felt last time that happened to her returns, making her swear loudly and painfully.

‘Oh you have got to be kidding me!’ screams Trixie’s thoughts.

“You pray every night for a chance to redeem yourself, don’t you?” says Pinkie Pie in a hasty whisper, she takes breath, eyes shifting up to the three observers before continuing, “I won’t be able to continue, so it’s up to you to stop them. Stop them before it’s too late!”

Trixie uses all of her strength to push Pinkie Pie off and then she bucks her in the side. Pinkie Pie stumbles towards the edge, and she looks over her shoulder to see the pile of garbage a good three stories down. She looks back and Trixie and gives her pleadingly.

“Please, don’t let them hurt the innocent,” begs Pinkie Pie softly.

Trixie hesitates before she kicks Pinkie Pie off the edge. Pinkie Pie doesn’t make a sound as she falls over, and Trixie barely hears anything over the storm. Trixie takes a deep breath and cautiously looks over the edge and sees Pinkie Pie lying on top of a pile of garbage, eyes closed, still as a corpse.

“What were you two talking about,” demands Roar Shock.

Trixie squeaks and turns around to see Roar Shock, Wazza, and Adanz approaching her. Roar Shock looks suspicious while the other two look content.

“She was begging for her life,” says Trixie hesitantly.

“You never let them beg for their life. Waiting to kill them will only give them the opportunity to strike, as you have witnessed first hand,” lectures Roar Shock with some suspicion in his tone.

=**********=

Gray Muffin walks out of the Mayor’s office, his hooves and poncho drenched in blood with splatters of it on his face and hat. He turns around to marvel at the gruesome scene where the Mayor’s barely recognizable body lies in the middle of the floor. Her blood had seeped out and soaked itself into the carpet and is spreading further along the floor. Also, all the bottles of alcohol have been smashed and the room is not only covered in the Mayor’s blood, but her collection of alcohol as well. Gray Muffin aims his cannon at a puddle of alcohol and shoots it with his cannon and a large wave of hellish fire instantly spreads throughout the office, engulfing the corpses and the furniture in a matter of seconds. Gray Muffin walks away from the office calm as can be, shooting a surviving Guard along the way out.

=**********=

At the construction site, Roar Shock sees the light from the fire at the Town Hall shine like a beacon in the storm, and the others easily see it when they realize what he’s looking at.

“Time to go,” says Roar Shock sternly.

He turns around and is suddenly shot in the chest by a beam of fire. He screams and flies into a wooden pillar, nearly snapping it in half on impact. He falls to the ground, coughing painfully with thick, black smoke rising off of his chest, and Trixie, Wazza, and Adanz dive for cover as more beams of fire shoot over them, blowing off chunks of the construction site in rapid succession.

“YOU KILLED SPIKE!” screams their attacker.

Trixie instantly recognizes that voice to be Twilight’s and she gets a mix of emotions that run through her like a demonic plague. Mostly anger, but when she sees Twilight marching towards them, fur hot white and her mane and tail replaced with fire, she feels more fear than the time she was locked in with Sunshine.

“YOU KILLED PINKIE PIE!”

Trixie ducks as Twilight shoots another beam of fire in her general direction. A blistering sensation washes over her and she feels some of her fur and hair burn away from the heat. The beam that Twilight shot impacts the wall not too far from where Trixie is, and covers her and the zebras in a cloud of burning smoke and debris. The construction site groans and a piece of it collapses on itself, sending more choking dust to cover them. Trixie coughs and blinks the dust out of her eyes, and over Twilight’s enraged screaming she hears Sunshine’s chuckle.

“So this is tha pony that ruined yer life, eh? Feisty one,” chuckles Sunshine.

Trixie looks around for a couple of seconds before spotting Sunshine’s shadow standing not too far from her in front of Twilight. The furious glow from Twilight fiery form gives him an ominous glow. Trixie stands up and marches towards Sunshine and Twilight with a newfound vigor and determination to avenge herself. She hates them both! She needs both of them to die! Both of them made her miserable and she wants to give them a dose of Roar Shock’s Justice!

“Trixie, we need to go!” yells Adanz frantically over the earsplitting sounds of debris falling.

Trixie ignores Adanz. She continues her approach with her nostrils flaring and she feels her magic returning in small sparks. Sunshine chuckles and walks towards Trixie.

“Are ya seriously goin’ t’ try t’ attack me?” mocks Sunshine.

“Your already dead,” growls Trixie, now her eyes are glowing and sparks are shooting out of her horn, “but there is no reason why I shouldn’t kill you again!”

Sunshine laughs and Trixie levitates a chunk of wood that looks like a stake and launches it at Sunshine. It goes right through his chest and out the back. It has no affect on him, but she does hear Twilight scream in pain.

“I’ll always be with ya, darlin’,” says Sunshine.

Then he disappears into a mist, putting Twilight in Trixie’s line of sight. Twilight has the piece of wood in her shoulder and she yanks it out with her magic, then burns it to cinder while glaring at Trixie. Trixie smiles smugly, the glowing in her eyes become so intense that her pupils are hidden behind the glow. A dark cloud forms above her head and bolts of lightning strike around her to create a barrier between her and Twilight. The memories of how Twilight ruined her replay in Trixie’s mind and the closer she gets to Twilight the stronger the urge to kill her gets.

===

Trixie, as a little filly, was sitting on her bed in her plain bedroom, staring at nothing in particular. She’s sniffling and her eyes are red from all the crying she’s been doing lately. She had recently tried to get enrolled at the Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, she had practiced nearly everyday for hours on end with a tutor and when the time came... she failed. Apparently her best was bettered by another foal; a foal that arrive late nonetheless.

“Eclipse, you’re not listening to me! She’s just a filly!” cried her mother.

“A filly that I invested in! A filly that failed you! Me! And herself!” screamed her father.

===

“Hello, Twilight, remember me,” sneers Trixie.

Twilight and Trixie start circling each other, not caring that the construction site is falling apart around them. Both of them are glowing with raw, furious power, are too angry to cry and would love nothing more than to burn each other to charred skeletal remains.

“It’s been awhile hasn’t it,” chuckles Trixie madly while the bolts of electricity scorch everything they touch around her.

“Not long enough for a nopony like you!” growls Twilight as a small flare shoots out of her mane.

===

“Now that brat, Twilight Sparkle, will become somepony great!” said Trixie’s father angrily.

===

Trixie furrows her brow and charges her horn with so much energy that it creates a blinding ball of light that tears apart whatever it touches. Twilight takes a step back, but also charges a fireball through her horn.

===

“And Trixie, my own daughter...”

===

Trixie shakes with anger and clenches her teeth to the point where they might crack under pressure.

===

“Will be a nopony.”

===

“I AM NOT A NOPONY!” screams Trixie.

Trixie fires a beam of lightning and Twilight and she shoots a thick column of fire back at her. Both attacks collide in the middle, creating a mixed explosion of fire and unstable energy. The resulting shockwave sends both mares flying backwards with burning chunks of cement, wood, and other building materials as well as building tools. Trixie flies out of the construction site, feeling nothing but rage. Pain does not exist for her, and she barely feels the impact of the ground. When she stands up she laughs madly while burning debris rains down around her and watches with glee as the construction site collapses into a hellish inferno. There is no way Twilight could survive that!

She had beat her rival at last!

“I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!” cheers Trixie

===

“Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!” Trixie said boastfully while standing on her hind hooves, signaling a barrage of colorful fireworks

The crowd cheered, oohed, and awed at the spectacle and a smug smile spread across Trixie’s face from all the attention she’s getting from these Ponyville simpletons. There was no way she was a “nopony” now. She had proven her father wrong at long last. She was special. She was great!

===

“WHO IS SO IGNORANT AS TO CHALLENGE THE MAGICAL ABILITY OF THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!” yells Trixie.

Trixie paces in circles, laughing maniacally. She shoots a bolt inside a random restaurant and its gutted by the resulting explosion. No one can challenge her now! She beat the Element of Magic without having any special training, and Twilight deserved it.

“Trixie, that’s enough!” barks Gray Muffin.

Trixie turns to Gray Muffin, he’s boldly marching towards her with his cannon sparking and charging for an attack.

“If you do not stop I will be forced to shoot you!” yells Gray Muffin over the chaotic noises.

“YOU DARE CHALLENGE THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!” cackles Trixie, then her voice turns to a low, terrifying rumble. “How cute.”

Gray Muffin is suddenly wrapped in magic and he’s lifted in the air and then smashed to the ground. He clumsily shoots at Trixie, but she deflects the attack with a small shield, sending the shot off in a completely direction. After doing that, she uses her telekinesis to fling Gray Muffin in the air. She wants to see her challenger splatter on the ground for his defiance. Anyone who has hurt her, or tries to hurt her, should die a horrible death. That is justice!

oooOOOooo

Gray Muffin watches Trixie staring at him with pure, uncontrollable rage, knowing full well that he must get her under control immediately. And when he notices that he’s dropping he prepares himself for a world of hurt, but luckily Roar Shock swoops under him and he lands on the pegasus’s back. Roar Shock buckles under the sudden weight change and skids to a rough stop on a roof that ends with both ponies rolling end over end of each other and coming to an abrupt stop when they hit a giant air conditioning unit.

Gray Muffin quickly scrambles to his feet, shakes the pain away, and runs to the edge of the roof with his cannon ready once again. He aims it at Trixie, but with all blinding light she’s generating and the debris being flung around she makes for a hard target.

“What are you doing?” groans Roar Shock while getting to his feet.

“I have to knock out Trixie before she causes too much damage,” says Gray Muffin urgently.

“No, we have to go!”

“We aren’t going anywhere!”

Roar Shock turns Gray Muffin around so that they are face to face and he puts his hooves on the earth pony’s shoulders.

“No! She’s lost in that state! Shooting her will only cause more aggravation and do more harm to the town!” says Roar Shock.

There is an explosion and both look over the edge and sees Twilight and Trixie are now battling each other in the street with unrelenting fury.

“The amount of energy to knock her out is more than what the cannon can provide!” says Roar Shock over the ever growing chaotic sounds of the battle below.

“I stopped her with brick last time! A brick!” growls Gray Muffin.

“You’re not thinking! That was when she was in the early stage! You know better than most how this kind of magic works!”

Gray Muffin aims his cannon at Trixie again, but Roar Shock pushes it down as soon as he fires, causing the beam to break through the roof’s edge and leave a small crater in the ground. Roar Shock swears and waves his hoof around as smoke rises is off of it. Gray Muffin gets a twinge of regret that is quickly overshadowed by annoyance.

“Why did you do that!” demands Gray Muffin.

“We need to go! Wazza and Adanz are waiting for us!” says Roar Shock urgently.

“And leave her here? NO! I will not leave her here on her own in this state!” says Gray Muffin as he charges the cannon again, except this time it whines in protest and the alarm goes off while a little red light beeps frantically. But Gray Muffin completely ignores the warning signs. “I won’t let Trixie destroy Ponyville or herself!” yells Gray Muffin desperately, then in a quiet whisper he says “I can’t.”

“Then you leave me no choice,” says Roar Shock quietly.

Gray Muffin is too distracted to hear Roar Shock, he’s focused on putting a stop to Trixie’s rampage. But when he feels a hoof bash the back of his head he loses all focus and a second later another hoof goes down on his face and he loses all consciousness.

oooOOOooo

Roar Shock picks up Gray Muffin’s limp body and flies towards Wazza and Adanz with great haste. When he gets there he carefully straps Gray Muffin to his seat and orders the zebras to take off.

“What about Trixie?” asks Wazza worryingly.

“She’s lost. We can only hope that whoever she’s fighting can knock her out without killing her. Now get us out of here!” orders Roar Shock.

“What will happen if Trixie lives, sir?” asks Adanz while preparing the ship to take off.

“More than likely she’ll be taken into EIB custody and interrogated. But if we stay here, we’re dead and our cause will be lost!”

Adanz and Wazza nod and put the ship at full speed without another word. They watch the fires of Ponyville shrink away rapidly, and soon the fires are nothing more than tiny dots.

=**********=

Trixie is pushed against the wall of another building by another one of Twilight’s fire beams. Upon impact, the wall cracks and the energy being released from Trixie’s horn scorches the wall and the surrounding area further. She stands up and glares at Twilight as she marches towards her with two orbs of fire next to her. Trixie grits her teeth and runs towards Twilight while charging her horn for another attack.

===

Trixie watched in amazement as Twilight picked up the sleepy Ursa Minor sucking on the enormous, metallic baby bottle. Just doing that required a lot of hard work and concentration. And on top of that, she had soothing music playing using just wind!

Questions, angry questions, run through Trixie’s mind as she watches her life flush into an abyss. Why didn’t Twilight challenge her on the stage and use this? Why did she wait until there was an Ursa Minor stampeding through Ponyville?

Why?

Why!

WHY!

Then it hit her. Dominance. Twilight upstaged her when she tried to enroll at the Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. She became the student of a goddess. A GODDESS! A spot that she and her parents fought tooth and hoof to get and they chose her! Leaving her with inept teachers. Now Twilight is showing off all that Trixie was supposed to learn in the most humiliating way possible! Not only was she banishing an enormous predator, but she’s saving a town in the process.

===

“YOU RUINED ME!” cries Trixie furiously.

“YOU KILLED MY FRIENDS!” screams Twilight.

The two launch their attacks at each other, creating a brilliant, deadly show of lights from the orb created by both attacks colliding. The orb grows and rips apart the ground, sending pieces of burning pavement in every direction possible. Then it explodes, covering both of them in dust and debris, but that doesn’t stop them. They go at it again, launching every attack they muster with unrelenting fury.

Trixie screams in rage as she shoots a massive beam of electricity at Twilight. Her rival surrounds herself with a magical shield and Trixie’s attack swirls around it, somehow mixing with the fire. Trixie keeps firing at Twilight, though.

“FIGHT BACK!” screams Trixie.

===

Trixie hadn’t expected to run into Twilight at Ponyville, but she pretended not to recognize her! She thought that all the times she purposely bumped into her when they were fillies at the libraries and parks, she would at least pretend to be content with seeing her. But no! She pretended to be scared of her and then used the town-is-in-danger reason to show off in front of the whole town in ways that she cannot compete!

===

“FIGHT BACK, YOU COWARD!” screams Trixie again, this time angry tears pour out of her eyes and roll down her cheek, only to be ripped off and mixed with the energy.

Trixie wails and sends another attack at Twilight. Twilight’s protective shield sucks up Trixie’s attack and gets bigger and bigger with each strike against her. Soon, the jumbled mass of fire and electricity towers dozens of feet in the air, burning and shredding everything in its path into tiny bits. Then it explodes.

The sphere around Twilight shoots out with a deafening BOOM and the energy flies out in a large circle that slices through every building it touches like a chainsaw against a stack of papers. Trixie is blasted off of her feet and carried away by the explosion as well as everything ranging from burning splinters of wood to automobiles. Trixie bounces and skids across the ground, leaving a trail of bloody dots and lines in her wake. When she comes to a stop she’s back in her normal state, broken physically and mentally.Trixie coughs out blood and tries to stand, but finds that she can barely move and that her bones feel broken and cracked. All she can do is look around.

As Trixie looks around she sees a burning mushroom cloud rising into the sky and sees what’s left of the burning building around her collapse into burning heaps. Her body trembles and she bites back the pain as she pulls herself on the ground in a pitiful attempt to move. Her head snaps towards the sound of a building crumbling and watches in horror as a flower shop crumbles into an inferno. Then she looks up at the sky and sees that it’s dark red with fire, creating a sickly pseudo-daylight. She hears ponies shouting, some are shouting orders while others are screaming for their loved ones.

‘Did I do this?’ wonders Trixie.

Her vision is starting to fade away now and her heartbeats get weaker.

“Trixie,” says Twilight bitterly.

Trixie rests her head on the ground and helplessly watches Twilight, her fire fading away, limp towards her with an angry stride, despite the horrible stab wound in her shoulder and the amount of energy she used during their fight. Trixie whimpers and looks down in shame. Her rival is like a goddess and took leveling a town to figure it out. She doesn’t know what Roar Shock would think for her causing the death and misery of untold number of innocent ponies. Same with Wazza and Adanz. But worst of all, she knows she has disappointed Gray Muffin. He had always been strict and repetitive when he taught her that the League of Justice was built to protect the innocent. Now she razed a town. She knows she’s a monster in their eyes now.

The noise is starting to fade and Trixie’s vision is becoming more blurred, but she does notice a red pool sliding out from underneath her. Blood.

“No... No, no, nonono. Oh please Celestia no,” cries Trixie weakly. “I-I don’t want to die... Don’t let me die. Please.”

“I guess I was wrong about you,” says Twilight in a mix of anger and sadness.

Trixie whimpers, then closes her eyes and lets everything slip into the cold darkness. She had been beaten by Twilight once again, this time there is no telling how many lives she ruined because of it.

===

“Twilight Sparkle will become somepony great! While Trixie, my own daughter, will be a nopony.”