Shattered Stars

by ChaoticHarmony

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Dark, Sad, Trixie, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 14372

The Great and Powerful always fall the hardest

Arrogance is just a mask, a shield against the world outside of our own existence. That's the funny thing about masks; we always cast them aside to put on another.

[Character list is 'hidden' so as to not spoil the story. Contains light shipping and dark elements]

Special thanks to:
Max Aravaras - For making that awesome header.
Flutterkay - For making the awesome coverart.
DA for Flutterkay - http://world8.deviantart.com/

Published 2012-07-03 17:34:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-07-09 15:30:53 UTC

Shattered Stars

Special Thanks to all of my prereaders for helping me keep this story good! A shoutout to BasseyBrony for helping me with plot decisions and giving me some general opinions! And Thank you for reading my story!

Allright, Author's note time: I am going to add an epilogue to this story after a few days, because I feel that it needs one. So make sure to check back on this story for that epilogue.

She trudged down the darkened street, her hooves clopping on the cobblestones and occasionally splashing in the puddles left by the downpour from a few hours ago. She made no attempt to dodge the water, walking forward with no real destination in mind. Her cape lay limp over her body, soaked completely through with rain. Her hat drooped down over her eyes and obscured part of her vision, but she merely tipped it back with a hoof only to have it fall down again. She shivered as the cold night air blew over her body, but she paid no attention to the chill. Tripping on a loose stone, she landed face-first in a muddy hole. Pulling her face out of the mud, she looked deeply into the murky brown water, as if it held the secret solution to her problem. The dirty liquid resembled her thoughts, clouded and unclear. Pushing herself back up onto her hooves, she continued to make her way down the road.

You're nothing but a fake. All you can do is show off with useless tricks of magic. Nothing you do can help the world. You're just the Sad and Powerless Trixie. The nasty voice inside head told her for the hundredth time. Trixie ignored it, and continued to plod along. No friends, no family, no anything, the voice hissed at her, malice dripping from every word. It's sad really, how you had it all... and how you lost it in a blink of an eye. She passed by a store window, the moon's light reflecting off of the glass and grabbing her attention with a flash of silver.

She looked into the glass, or more accurately at the reflection on the glass. The face of a royal-blue unicorn with pain in her eyes looked back at her. The unicorn's hair was in utter disarray, with stray strands sticking out from everywhere. The usually beautiful silver strands were dull and unkept, the metallic quality that made it shine in the light long gone. Her clothing was in a similar state, covered in dirt and small tears. Suddenly, the reflection blinked and changed into how she had used to look. The rips in the clothing mended themselves, the hairs flew back into place and shined in the moonlight, and the pain left its eyes, only to be replaced with anger and malevolence.

Just look at you. The Great and Powerful Trixie... Ha! You're just a washed up reject with no true future, the reflection's mouth moved with the words, but the voice came from inside her head. Why was it that I was paired up with a loser like you? I, the Great and Powerful Trixie working with somepony as pathetic as you. I can't believe such a thing even existed. The voice's words were filled with spite and bitterness. How is it that you can bear to go on? I mean, all of that dirt on your body would suit you if you were six feet under. The face of the reflection lit up with a maniacal grin. I can see it in your mind, why you always fight. It's becau-.

"NO!" Trixie screamed, "You do NOT know me! I am myself and no other!" She lashed out with her magic, shattering the glass into shards of glittering fragments. She stood amid the sparkling wreckage, panting with rage. Her face looked up at her from thousands of different surfaces. Each of the reflections glared and smiled with an evil glee. Oh, you don't wish to hear her name then? I suppose I'll just...go away. My last parting words are those of your own. She'll never love you. Trixie screamed in rage and sent tendrils of magic over the shards of glass. The crunching noise filled the silent night as each reflection was ground into dust. I speak nothing but the truth, you know this. One day you'll have to come to accept it. The voice faded away, retreating to the back corners of her mind.

Shouts sounded from inside the building, and she snapped out of her rage-induced trance. She looked around herself and was faintly shocked to see a layer of glittering dust coating the ground around her. Looking at the building, she saw that the window was gone and the shopkeeper had awoken. His angry face glared at her from behind the counter as he worked to open the gate. "Hey Miss, what's the matter with you?" He shouted at her in rage, still working furiously to open the lock in the darkness. Trixie backed away from him, fear gripping her mind and sending the same signal repeatedly through her mind. Run!

She turned and started into a gallop, running away from the store and its enraged owner. "Hey miss! MISS! You gotta pay for this!" His angry shouts followed her as she shot through the empty city streets. The clicks her hooves made on the cobblestones echoed back at her from the dark storefronts. Soon the clicks of her hooves were joined by those of a stallion. "You gotta pay for my WINDOW!" he shouted as he chased after her.

She darted through the streets, dodging around stray crates and beams of wood. Turning a corner swiftly, she galloped into a side street. A dark shape loomed up in front of her. A wall barred her way, towering above her and throwing the street into shadow. The stallion rounded the corner and stopped. He walked up to her, panting angrily as he got closer. "What *pant* is your *pant* problem? All you gotta do *pant* is pay for *pant* my window! Is that *pant* so hard?"

Panic gripped her mind as he stepped closer to her. "Now, you're comin' with me, and you're gon-" He cut off with a pained cry as she smashed a box into his side with her magic. She dodged around the disoriented stallion and ran back into the city. She dashed through two streets and shot into an alley. The stallions angry shout pierced the night, and she could hear his heavy hoofsteps clop on the street get closer and closer. "Ugh, why is it that I get the crazy ponies at my store? Just last week..." His grumbles faded away like the sound of his hooves on the stones did and Trixie allowed herself a brief sigh of relief.

That blustering foal. He wouldn't be able to catch an old grandmother with strategies such as those. She giggled to herself as she lay down on a sheet of discarded cardboard. "I believe The Great and Powerful Trixie has earned herself a brief rest." She lay her head down between her hooves and felt her eyes slowly slide closed, delivering her to the world of dreams, dreams containing the world of her past.

She was trudging slowly down a dirt road, pounded flat by the generations of ponies who had walked down it before. She pulled her heavy cart behind her, as if she were one of the filthy workhorses that looked upon her. Even with their magically reduced weight, the cart was nearly impossible to drag along behind her. Passing ponies stared at the lone unicorn pulling a load that would have taken ten stallions to pull otherwise, but she ignored the looks and continued past. Ugh, these petty farm peasants have no right to look upon one so great as I. If I could spare any magic, I'd show them! I shouldn't have to work like this. She sighed as she remembered the contents of her saddlebags; devoid of any bits.

She stepped through the pathetic-looking village, looking it over with contempt. This place isn't even worth stopping to go to the bathroom in! She stepped over a small puddle and continued down the road, feeling the small prickles on her neck that she knew to be the stares of the watching ponies. Leaving the town behind her, she walked through the countryside with the hot sun beating down on her body and she was glad of the protection her hat gave her from it's rays. She still wore her cape, even though it was nearly unbearably hot inside of its folds. If only that town had given me some bits. I wasn't able to keep ANYTHING. Stupid mare who wanted to have a magical duel, she should have known better than to engage the Great and Powerful Trixie in combat! I just hope she has fun doing all those repairs by herself. She smiled to herself as she remembered sending the other unicorn sailing into a stone pillar. I just wish that the mayor didn't charge me for all of the damages. She grumbled mentally to herself as she continued down the road, occasionally stepping to the side to dodge a hole or puddle.

She came upon a four-way crossing, with a signpost sticking up from it's middle. "Canterlot, been there. Manehatten, too large and noisy for the Great and Powerful Trixie. Seaddle, I just came from there so of course not." She felt despair grip her as she circled around to read the last sign. "Ponyville? I can't say I've been there before. Very well! Ponyville shall be graced by the presence of the Great and Powerful Trixie! " She shouted to nopony in particular. She turned down the road that led off towards a small speck of buildings in the distance. Ugh, if only the Great and Powerful Trixie had some Great and Powerful stallions to pull her things.

Celestia's sun shone down from its perch amongst the clouds, sending its bright light to shine over the now-bustling city. A stallion on his way to work stepped into a puddle of water and cursed. The water splashed onto Trixie's face, tipping her back into the world of Reality. She clenched her eyes shut tighter as the sun's brilliance shone through the thin skin covering them. Oh Celestia, is it morning already? She pulled her hat down over her eyes as she adjusted to the morning's light.

After a few moments of groaning sleepily, Trixie rubbed her hooves into her eyes and rid herself of the last vestiges of sleep. She pushed herself up onto her hooves and stretched, the cracks of bones echoing back between the close walls of the alley. She yawned loudly, her jaw cracking as it opened impossibly wide. She winced at the new sore ache in her muscles. Oh, so last night wasn't a dream after all... Oh well, it's time to grace this town with the beauty that is THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!

A stallion looked at her from the mouth of the alleyway, a bemused expression on his face. Trixie slapped a hoof over her mouth as she realized that she had spoken that last part aloud, her face flushing with embarrassment. She turned away from the street and walked the other direction down the alley. How embarrassing! The Great and Powerful Trixie must watch herself if she wishes to remain low.

She stopped and looked back over her shoulder at the entrance of the alley. The stallion had left, swallowed once more by the crowds. She shuddered as she watched the ponies in the street push past one another to get to their own destinations faster. It was a sea of chaos, and her alley was a stream of peace. Nothing bothered her here, except the cold feeling of loneliness that clutched at her heart. I really don't have anypony... She turned away from the bright and busy street to walk further down the dark alley.

Even as the day's light was shining from overhead, the path in front of her was cast in the dark shadows cast by the buildings looming on either side of her. Occasionally a smaller building allowed for a small shaft of sunlight to shine into the alley. She passed through another ray of sunlight, squinting her eyes as she did so.

The alley had dirt and filth piled up along the walls and amongst the grime lay an occasional homeless pony. They all looked dejected and desperate, leering at her with hungry looks in their eyes. The smells of excretement and unwashed bodies hovered in the air around their "dens" they had made in the trash. The stench washed over her, making her eyes water and her stomach heave weakly.

The way they moved slightly and smiled when she walked by made her quicken her pace to a trot. Oh please, the Great and Powerful Trixie is hardly afraid of such uncouth, unwashed peasants. Her mind's voice sounded tiny and very much afraid. She tossed her head and pulsed magic into her horn, sending sparks flying from its tip and illuminating the ground in front of her. The ponies grumbled slightly as they took the warning, retreating back to converse with each other over small fires.

Once she had passed through the small "village", she let the magic fade from her horn and continued at the same brisk pace. She felt the hair on her neck rise up, the usual sign of somepony watching her. She whipped around suddenly, sending a magical ball of light into the darkness. The small projectile darted forward and fizzled out, revealing nothing of who was watching her. She turned and resumed her trotting through the dark alley.

Pain flashed briefly in her mind, quickly swallowed by blackness. In her last moments of thought, Trixie saw was a pair of hooves as grey as smoke. Her eyes traced up the sturdy, muscular body and looked into the ash-grey face of a stallion whose eyes were filled with a cruel light. "Hello Missy, you seem a bit lost." She felt bands of ice close around her hooves and heard a metallic clacking noise just before the darkness reached up to drag her into the world of unconsciousness.

She watched the little unicorn walk straight up to the Ursa Major. What is that foal doing? She'll get killed if she fights it! The unicorn's horn ignited, but didn't do anything that she could see. What is she even doing? Any longer and that foalish pony wi- A cool breeze blew over the town, carrying musical sounds on its gusts. Trixie looked up at the Ursa, which was rocking back and forth with a smile on its face. How is she doing that?

Trixie turned to see a water tower container seemingly empty itself. She shook her head as she watched it fly through a barn, coming out of the other side filled to the brim with milk. How in Equestria is that even possible?. She watched as the unicorn's horn glowed with a blinding light. She really IS better than me... What? NO! Nopony can best the Great and Powerful Trixie! And yet... She winced as she watched the unicorn's horn glow even brighter with the effort of sustaining multiple spells at once.

Suddenly a dark shadow loomed over her and she looked up to see the starry blue mass crashing down atop her. She wouldn't even have time to scream before it would have crushed her. A purple glow cut through her closed eyes, and she opened them and saw the Ursa wrapped in a purple glow. She saved me? Why would she save me?

The unicorn of amazing power levitated the Ursa into the air and stuck the water tower of milk into its mouth. What is it? A baby or something? When the monster started to suck on the makeshift bottle, Trixie's jaw dropped. The magical sheet of purple drew the Ursa away from the town and floated it back into the Everfree where it belonged. That shouldn't be equinely POSSIBLE!

When the Ursa disappeared from sight, the entire town burst into cheers. Trixie heard none of the words they said, still entranced by how much power the little unicorn contained. "That was just a baby, an Ursa Minor." The purple unicorn's voice took on a tone similar to a teacher correcting a student.

Trixie snapped out if her trance. "THAT was just a baby?". The ponies of the crowd looked at her, and she slowly backed away. Ignoring the stares, she walked over to where her stage lay in ruins and sighed sadly. The Great and Powerful Trixie must NOT be made a fool of! She turned back to the group of ponies and took a deep breath.

"HA!" She scoffed and walked up to the lavender unicorn. "You may have vanquished an Ursa Minor, but you will never have the amazing, show-stopping ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie!". She reared up and dramatically slammed her hooves into the ground, pushing magic into her horn and releasing it in a great puff of smoke. She immediately whipped her body around and shot down the road that she knew to lead out of the village. The ponies of Ponyville stared at her as she made her way through the streets. She began shoving aside the occasional unwary pony with a wall of magical force in an attempt to clear her path.

The path ahead of her blurred as tears welled up in her eyes. She pulsed another thread of magic into her horn and shot forward with a burst of speed, the colors of the night blurring into streams of color. She climbed up a hill and stopped to rest. That unicorn was amazing. The Great and Powerful Trixie wishes that she could have spoken to her more. She looked back towards the small town with a wistful expression on her face. She truly was somepony amazing. She shook herself and continued down the road at a trot, leaving behind the town of Ponyville and the unicorn of amazing power.

The first sensation to come from reality was pain. Her body began to tremble as the terrible pain ached and throbbed in time with her heartbeat. It felt almost as if somepony was dragging lit matches across every inch of her skin. She tried to scream, to let all of the feeling leave in a single shriek, but her mouth was shut tight with a muzzle. She could only whimper from the white-hot pain wracking her body.

Her groans were muffled by the wad of cloth stuck in her throat. She tried to curl into a ball in an attempt to shield herself from the sensation that sparked along her nerves. After a few moments of trying to move, chains rattled in the silence and cruel metal bands cut into her legs as she struggled against her bonds.

Her throat burned with every ragged breath she drew in, ripped raw by her attempts of screaming. Tears began to leak out of her eyes and she started to sob, all coherent thoughts gone. Her mind darted in thousands of directions and she felt her sanity slipping away under the pain that crushed her every rational thought.

A door slammed open and sent a harsh crashing noise to cut through the silence. She winced as the sounds crashed into her unaccustomed ears. The stallions all laughed raucously, filling the entire space with it. It wasn't the laughter of jokes; it was the laughter of cruelty. She shivered as a muffled shriek issued from amid the voices. The sound of a hoof contacting a body was heard, and the shriek fell into helpless sobs. The stallions laughed harder and jeered at the sobbing creature that they had with them.

"Hey Wind, go check on that pretty little unicorn. Twilight is here? Celestia no! "I bet she'll need a lesson just like the others do." The voice was gruff and stern. It was the voice of a leader that expected to be obeyed. She heard the heavy hoofsteps of a stallion approach her, sending chills down her spine. As he got closer, his heavy breaths and body odor washed over her, making her shudder with both disgust and fright. A hoof jabbed into her side, making her whimper with the stabbing pain the touch had brought.

"Hey boss, I got good news!" The voice held a tinge of amusement and eagerness that made her skin crawl. A hoof poked her side again as the stallion spoke. "It looks like this one's awake now."

"Well that's perfect, take off her little mask so she can see." The blindfold was removed and she was momentarily blinded by the bright light. She could hear the harsh laughter of the stallions directed at her. When she opened her eyes, the stallion was mere inches from her face. Relief washed through her as she looked around the room, noting that Twilight wasn't actually there. The dark-blue stallion smiled at her cruelly and backhooved her casually across the face. Her head jerked to the side at the force of the blow and fresh tears welled up at the fresh sensation of pain. The stallion leaned in close to her.

"We're gonna have fun with you. Just you wait." He hissed into her ear, sending more of her skin crawling. He walked back to the group of stallions and the one who seemed to be in charge walked up to where she could see him.

A thread of shock shot through her as she recognized the stallion that stood before her. His ash-grey coat gleamed in comparison to the other ponies in the group, and he smiled at her with a maniacal grin. His face was a mass of scars that were thrown into sharp relief in the bright light of the room. He dropped into a theatrical bow. “Grey Coat, at your service ma’am. My apologies if we’ve made the wrong impression on you. You’re just staying here as a…a guest. Isn’t that right boys?” A chorus of “yeps” and “of courses” came from the group still hidden in the dark. She could barely make out the faint outline of a shivering mare within the group.

The grey pony stepped into her vision, leering at her with an obviously fake smile. “Oh don’t worry about her. See, you’re gonna be with us for a while now, and since you’re stayin’ here, you gotta follow our rules. There’s really only one big one that you hafta worry about.” He grabbed her hair and pulled it upwards painfully. “Just don’t try to escape.” The stallion released her hair and walked back over to the group of ponies in the shadows. “Bring her out boys, class is in session.”

The group all walked into the circle of light, dragging behind them a mare that was clad in a dark black and purple suit. “You see Miss, this here mare tried to not only escape, but to help others escape as well. Around here, that’s something that is a big no-no.” He slammed a hoof into the mare’s face, laughing as she sobbed on the ground. “We. Do. Not. Do. That.” He kicked a hoof into the poor mare’s side at every syllable, each kick gaining another yelp of pain and his tone getting more and more uncontrolled. He glared down at the crumpled mare, panting in rage. He took a deep breath and looked back at Trixie with a smile on his face, sending a fresh wave of panic through her mind. “You see, we’re going to show you what happens when you don’t follow the rules. We even have a volunteer, the punk who decided to call herself the Mare-Do-Well and try to stop our little...operation.”

The helpless mare's eyes connected with Trixie's own. They pleaded with her silently, beseeching her to assist in some way. Trixie only looked at her as they crowded in. One of the stallions ripped away the gag that was in her mouth. "Help! HELP ME PLEASE!" Her pleading shouts were cut off by a hoof making contact with the side of her face. The stallions reached for her, and the whimpers of pain turned into wordless shrieks of agony. Trixie turned away and closed her eyes tightly, tears flowing down her face as the screams pierced through her ears.

The minutes seemed to stretch into eternity as the screaming continued. Suddenly, an angry shout rang out, a wet slicing noise cutting off the screams and filling the room with a cold silence that was penetrated only by the pants of the stallions. One of the larger ones groaned and punched another in the shoulder. "Damn it Slam, I wasn't done playin' with 'er yet!" She shivered at the childish dissapointment in the harsh voice. "Why'd ya hafta go an' kill 'er?" She felt cold shock gripping her heart as she realized what he had just said. They...killed her!? Oh Celestia no... Fresh tears fell down her face as Trixie silently lamented the mare that she had known for only a few moments before the start of her death.

"I'm sorry Crush, it's just that she did that thing, and it set me off! It won't happen again, honest!" A small tiny voice that was trembling with fear answered. A colt? They have CHILDREN as a part of this!? Oh Celestia these ponies are MONSTERS!

Wet noises came from the center of the room, along with the sound of stomping hooves. "Aww hell. It's all right I s'pose. We got 'er after all. We'll just 'ave 'er tomororow eh? At least we 'ad a bit of fun mates." Hooves clopped further away from her.

"Hey Crush, what are we gonna do about the body?"

"Leave 'er there, let the new gal have a look and see what we'll do. That's what I say." The rest of the group murmured in assent and the mass of ponies walked out of the room. One set of hoofsteps came closer and stopped next to her. A hoof took her under the chin and she looked into the eyes of Grey Coat, which were filled with an eager glee.

"Now, I'll just leave the light on, and I'll letcha down from here. Just remember," he looked over his shoulder, "that you'll end up like her if you try to escape." He patted her on the head, as if she was a pet. "See you later little mare." She watched as he clopped over to the door and flicked a switch. She fell down onto the cold, hard floor in a heap, too stunned to react. She lay there with tears that gleamed in the light streaming down her face. "Have fun with your new friend missy." The door slammed shut, sealing her in the now-silent room.

After a few moments, her initial shock passed and her tears faded away. She reached up and ripped the gag away from her mouth and screamed at the ceiling. It seemed an eternity before her scream of emotion died away and even longer before the echoes disappeared. She pressed her hooves to the cold floor and attempted to stand, falling over with a yelp as pain shot up her legs. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she managed to stand up on her trembling hooves.

She limped over to the wall behind her, pressing a hoof against it for support. The metal bent inward where her hoof was touching it. Flimsy metal? Maybe I can move it and get out of here! She pushed harder at the panel, smiling when it bent even further. Rearing back, she slammed her front hooves into the metal, filling the room with a reverberating clanging noise. She began pounding rapidly at the sheet, it's shape becoming more and more distorted at her blows. After a few minutes of pounding, she found that air blew from around the panel's now crumpled edges. Celestia finally! I can get out of here! Those ruffians think they can contain the Great and Powerful Trixie? I'll show them!

She backed away from the wall until she was a few meters away. She took a deep breath and concentrated her magic. It came to her a little more slowly than usual, given her current state of mind. She picked the simplest spell for the situation. Charging the explosion spell, she stared at the wall as if it had caused her all the pain she had ever felt in her life. She dug her hoof into the ground, wincing slightly at the pain that came from it, and snorted angrily. She began galloping straight for the crumpled panel, forcing the magic to flow further up her horn in preparation for casting. She was moments away from impact, and she pushed the magic harder. It felt as if she was pressing against a wall as solid as the one before her. My magic! It must be sealed by so- The thought cut off as she collided with the still-intact wall and fell to the ground in pain.

Trixie lay on the cold ground, feeling numb with the shock of crashing into the now-unyielding wall and cold at the realization that she couldn't cast her magic. Celestia, what did they do to my magic? She rose unsteadily to her hooves, staggering to the side slightly before she righted herself. Shaking away the numb shock, she reached up and felt at her horn with a hoof. As her hoof ran along the familiar ridges and grooves, she could find nothing that would halt her from casting magic. What did they do to me?

She pushed a small amount of raw magic into her horn, not bothering to cast another spell. As expected, it collided with the same wall of bendable yet unyielding force. She felt her way along the invisible wall, occasionally pressing and pulling away. Nothing worked; it was still as impenetrable as before. It's like what Twilight did to me as I was harassing her friends. I remember now, she had cast something like this that made my magic unusable. Of course, she wasn't quite strong enough to stop all of my magic. She felt at the wall, which was quite stronger than what the lavender unicorn had cast on her during her stay in Ponyville.

She fell back to the ground with a feeling of hopelessness gripping her body. Why is this happening? How could anypony do this? She slammed her hoof against the ground, sending a metallic ring echoing through the room. She turned her head to look at her hoof, noting the band of metal still around it. They left a manacle on me? But, why? She banged it against the ground again, producing yet another sound. That doesn't sound like steel or iron. She pulled her hoof in front of her face to inspect the device. It had a blue tint to it's color, and was slightly cold. On one side, set into the metal, was a midnight-blue gemstone with small marking on it. One of these? They can't simply be so crude as to use one of these. She pushed more magic into her horn and smiled when her suspicions were confirmed by the gem's glowing light.

She pressed her hooves into the ground and stood unsteadily. Trixie walked slowly over to the same wall where she had pounded in the sheet of metal. Still smiling, she slammed the manacle against the wall repeatedly. She felt blood running down her hoof, but she continued working at the device that halted her magic. A feeling of dread lifted from her shoulders as small blue shards fell from their place and landed on the ground. She pulsed magic into her horn and mended the wounds she had dealt herself. The cuts sealed themselves and the pain left from that part of her body, relieved with magic. That finished, she began to prepare her plan to rid Equestria of these monsters.

He turned and walked down another hallway, dragging his burden behind him on the ground. "This day is pretty bad, and it's all your fault you little punk." He punched a hoof into the face of the filly he drug behind him, smiling a little as he heard the bones of her skull crack. She stared at him with glassy eyes, and he spit off to the side. "First I miss out on greeting the new girl, and then you sock me in the face. Why couldn't you have just died normally eh?" He hoisted the body up and threw it into the dumpster ceremoniously.

He continued down the same hallway, thinking aloud to himself. "Well, the boss never said I couldn't visit the new mare, he just said that we couldn't do anything to her 'till tomorrow. I'll just poke in and...introduce myself." He turned down another hall that led to the cells. He counted the numbers along the wall and came to a stop when he reached the correct cell. He unlatched the door and pushed it in with a hoof, slamming it against the wall. "Hello new ga-... Huh, I thought this was the right room."

He stepped in and looked around the room. There was a bloodied corpse shoved hastily against the walls. "Oh it looks like those boys had fun with that little Mare-Do-Well. I almost feel sorry for her." He walked closer and prodded the corpse with a hoof. "Sucks that I couldn't be there. Stupid filly pissing off the boss. She didn’t even give me any fun till she died." He turned partially to look at a crumpled panel on the wall and he stepped on some small shards of glass. With a shout, he jumped away and held his hoof to his face. "Ouch, that hurts a bit." He looked back at the former Mare-Do-Well's corpse. "Wait a minute...where's her suit? What’s goi-” His voice choked to a stop as his hoof flew into his mouth and a sharp object pierced his back and sent pain flaring through his body.

He looked over his shoulder and panic gripped his mind. “What? But, they killed you! This isn’t possible! You should be dead!”

“Well, I've returned from the depths of Pony Hell, and you’ll be taking my place first.” A blossom of fire was created inside his body, and he screamed against his hoof as he felt his body being ripped apart.

Clenching her eyes shut, she felt the warm splash of blood on her face that resulted from her spell. She calmly turned away and used a spell to draw out the droplets of life from her clothing. Tossing the ball of levitating liquid over her shoulder, she walked towards the door. Once she reached the door, she turned and looked at the poor mare that lay unmoving in the corner. I swear I will avenge you. These monsters who call themselves ponies will not live to see the light of another day.

She inhaled deeply before stepping out into the hallway, leaving behind her prison and the memories that resided within it. She stepped lightly down the hallway, avoiding the occasional grate or metal surface as she walked on. Voices came from around the corner, loud and raucous. She jumped into a doorway's niche and concentrated on a spell she had known from foalhood. The cold feeling of water dripping slowly down her body enveloped her and she had to suppress a shudder. When the sensation faded, she was left with a small cold feeling over her skin and she held up a hoof and smiled when she could see nothing but the floor.

Two stallions rounded the corner, their hooves clopping on the floor and their voices chatting animatedly. How could such monsters talk like normal ponies? As they got closer, she could make out the words that they were saying. “So yeah, I got to be one of the ones with that Mare-Do-Well. Let me tell ya man, she was awfully fun to play around with.” The voice rumbled deeply with a tone of happy reminiscence that made Trixie shudder.

“Oh yeah? How so?” The other voice was higher pitched, and held a tint of skepticism. “This I gotta hear.”

“Oh yeah man, she was great. Let me tell ya, she always screamed the loudest whenever you-“ Trixie could bear it no longer, springing out from her hiding space and sending a lance of blue light through the stallion who was speaking. He was dead before he even hit the ground. A swift end, more than he deserved. The other stallion looked around, his horn glowing with magic as he prepared himself for a fight.

The stallion stepped nervously side to side, his eyes searching wildly as he tried to locate where the spell had come from. "Who's there!? Show yourself!" His voice trembled with fear and seemed to be on the edge of panic. Trixie took the opportunity to step lightly around him. She leaned in and grabbed him around the throat with magic.

"I'm nopony important, just your reaper." Her magical hold was broken and she ducked to avoid a hoof that swung towards her. She rolled off to the side and jumped back up as the stallion sent a bolt of red magic through the space she had rolled through moments before. The unicorn leapt at Trixie, but she jumped away and lit her horn for another attack. Finishing the preparations, she sent a magical bolt at the stallion that stabbed into his side. His yelp of pain was cut off as she closed his mouth with a magical clamp. She cast a barrier spell to stop any more of his sounds from escaping and she walked over to him. She cast a blue sheet of magic to hold down the unicorn as he attempted to rise, slamming him back into the ground and producing another shout of pain as he broke the spell holding his mouth closed.

Trixie let the spell dissipate from around her and the stallion's face went slack. "But, they killed you! You should be dead!" She responded by kicking him in the side, ignoring his shouts of disbelief. "Please, no! Don't do this! Why isn't anypony coming?” The stallion struggled to move away from her, but had no success in fighting the spell that held him in place. "HELP ME! SOMEPONY! PLEASE COME AN-" His pleading shouts changed into a scream of pain as she stomped on his horn, shattering it.

"Just like the ponies you've tortured, there's no escape." She leaned in closer to the terrified stallion. "And there's nopony to hear you scream." She stood upright and turned her back on the condemned stallion behind her. With another flash of magic, her holding spell became slowly more compact with each second. The stallions pleading turned into wails of agony which fell onto deaf ears.

She slowly stepped away from the corpse, heading towards the sound-proof wall of energy and ignoring the sound of breaking bones behind her. Trixie walked through the magic, shuddering a little at the cold chill that took hold of her body. Her hearing faded away as the barrier passed over her, isolating her from the world of sounds. After what seemed an eternity, she made it to the other side and stumbled momentarily as the chill left her. Warmth flooded into her, and she felt her hearing slowly return. Her muscles stiffened with fear as her ears were filled by the sounds of gruff laughter from a group of ponies. It sounded as if they were merely around the next corner, and their laughter was getting closer every second. They were too close for her to simply hide, so she backed away from the bend and charged her horn with magic. She collided with the cold barrier again and she jumped away from its icy grip.

The leader of the voices crossed around the corner and stopped dead in his tracks, literally. He looked down in disbelief at Trixie's magical arrow that protruded from his chest. He looked back at Trixie with pained eyes and dropped slowly to the ground gasping for breath. The rest of the stallions in the group circled the corner, shouting wildly as they galloped. They all stopped their advance when they caught sight of her standing in the middle of the hallway.

A sky-blue pegasus walked ahead of the group, practically strutting as he stepped closer to her. She lit her horn in warning and he stopped, glancing slightly worriedly at her. "Come on now Mare-Do-Well, I thought you were dead already." He rolled his eyes and laughed. "Looks like there's another one in the city. What are we gonna do?" His voice held a mocking tone as he glared at her. The rest of the group laughed stupidly at his comment, letting it die away as he waved a hoof at them. "I'll tell you what we're gonna do. We'll take this deluded little mare into her room and have a bit of...fun with her. Does that sound good boys?"

A cheer rose up from the group and their hooves clopped on the floor as they began to advance towards her. She aimed her horn at the ceiling, bringing forth all of her power that she could muster for her spell. Bracing herself, she fired a golden bolt of magic into the building, and for a few seconds the stallions stopped to stare at where it had connected. "L-looks like that didn't do anything." The pegasus's voice was unsteady as he glanced rapidly around. Finding nothing wrong, he looked back at Trixie and leered. "Nice try little mare. Now let's go have some fun." The ponies continued their threatening advance. She dropped to her knees as the exhaustion gripped at her body. She lifted her suddenly-heavy head to look at the oncoming crowd, a wide smile on her face. "Hey, why's she smil-"

The building shuddered with an explosion that shook it to its very foundations. To the ponies inside, it felt as if Equestria itself was shaking itself apart. As the fiery, world-shattering explosions reached the hallway she was in, the ponies that were closest to her were instantly blown apart and incinerated. She cast a small sphere of magic around her to shield her from the blast and held up a hoof to protect her eyes from the light. When the heat faded, she moved her hoof aside just in time to see a large section of grating fall above her. She leapt to the side, rolling out of the way just as it crashed through where she had been.

Shouts of fear and fright came from amid the chaotic destruction, the ponies all calling for help or wordlessly shouting in panic. Trixie turned away from them, slowly walking away from the chaos. Another shout, higher pitched than the rest, made her stop in her tracks and turn her head. The same shout rang out in the din and she galloped back towards the falling debris, charging her horn with another spell as she ran. The prisoners!

She cast her spell, sending a blue sheet of magic to block the debris from falling any further into the hallway. The rocks pounded relentlessly against her shield and she felt as if the wreckage was heavy weight that was pressing down atop her body. She gritted and teeth and struggled forward on wobbling legs, kicking open the door to the first room where the screams were originating from. A mare and a small filly were huddled in the corner with panicked looks in their eyes. Trixie, unable to speak, motioned for them to leave the shaking room. When they did nothing but stare, she felt frustration building in her as she motioned with more force.

More weight fell on Trixie’s back, and she felt her spell beginning to falter. “For…the love of Celestia, get…out of…here!” She managed to say through her gritted teeth, waving a hoof at the door. The mare shook herself from her trance and scooped up the filly in her arms, depositing the shocked pony on her back. The two galloped from the room and down the hallway a little bit away from the wall of magic. Trixie made to go after them, but a stabbing pain shot through the nerves of her left hind leg. Crying out in pain, she barely kept the spell intact as she was dragged to the ground with the sharp object digging into her leg.

She kicked wildly behind her, attempting to dislodge whatever had attacked her. She kicked both of her back legs out, yelping with pain as she kicked with her wounded leg. Whatever had attacked her didn't let go, and she felt panic grip her body as she flailed. The pain from both her leg and the weight of the rocks crushing her sent small spots of black running across her vision. She turned around and blindly fired a blast of magic behind her. She heard a pained shout and felt the pain partially leave her leg.

She crawled frantically away from the rubble, gritting her teeth and fighting against the sensation that threatened to drag her into unconsciousness and likely death. Her body shuddered with the weight that was on her back, crushing her lungs and preventing her from drawing breath. She looked back over her shoulder and saw what had attacked her. The sky-blue pegasus glared at her from where his mangled body lay, partially under the pile of destruction. She felt her spell snap and watched as the rocks came falling down. His look of hatred never left her eyes as the hallway fell further apart, collapsing inwards and forming his tomb.

Trixie roused herself and looked back down the hallway. She gritted her teeth against the pain gripped her body as she worked to stand, wincing as she set her weight on her wounded leg. She looked back at where the pain emanated from and was shocked to see a large bite-mark that glistened with blood. She lit her horn to heal the wound. The full impact of sustaining her spell and fighting to rescue the prisoners crashed into her, and she dropped to the ground like one of the many rocks behind her.

The mare and filly both galloped over to her, concern blossoming on their faces as they bent to help her. She felt their hooves cradle her and push her slowly up. Once on her own hooves, she staggered slightly and bumped into the wall, panting with the effort of remaining upright. She shuddered violently as flares of pain licked up and down her body, throbbing in time with her heart. She nodded to the two ponies and closed her eyes as she rested against the wall. After a few moments, Trixie roused herself. This is no time for anypony to be resting! She snapped her eyes open and walked over to the two ponies who still leaned against each other for support, lighting her horn and preparing another spell as she did so.

Without speaking, she fired her spell into the ground around the two, etching glowing runes into the ground around their feet. The both backed away at first, but then stopped when she cast a warning look their way. They both clutched each other, fearing at what Trixie would do to them. “Don’t worry, this won’t hurt you at all.” She spoke wearily, feeling herself grow even weaker as she channeled her magic. “All I’m doing is making a teleportation circle for you to escape. It will take you to away from here, far away.”

“But, what about you? Aren’t you coming?” The filly stepped a little closer to Trixie with tears in her eyes. “You…you saved us, and you need to come with us and get away from these bad men too! They’ll hurt you like they hurt my sister! I don’t want that to happen to you too!” The filly’s voice degraded into sobs, rendering her voice partially inaudable as she pleaded. Trixie finished casting the required spell and she stepped closer to the filly, gathering her into a warm embrace. The small filly sobbed on her shoulder, nuzzling into Trixie’s silver mane that peeked out from behind the mask. “P-please s-say you’ll c-come with us!”

Trixie parted from the hug, gently pushing the filly back with her mother. She felt small tears forcing their way into her eyes, but she kept her voice steady. “I’ll be all right. I just have something… something that I need to take care of.” She looked into the eyes of the older mare, and a look of understanding passed between the two. The mother nodded slowly, clearly suppressing tears of her own. Trixie tapped a spark of magic into the circle, igniting the blue runes and creating a blinding flash of light. “Stay safe, and live to die old.” Celestia knows I won’t.

She turned and limped away from the now-decimated hallway, leaving behind her memories and looking towards her grim future with a confident, if weary, smile on her face.

She calmly stated "I'm sorry to hear you say that." and grabbed the bright-red pony in front of her. She calmly slammed the crimson stallion's face into the desk, pulling his mane to lift his head for another blow. As his face crashed into the desk again, a sickening crunch came from his nose and she pulled him away. His nose was dripping with blood and was bent at an awkward angle. His eyes held a look of hatred that would have sent the most composed of ponies running away, but Trixie merely levelly returned the look.

She levitated the stallion and pressed him against the wall, pushing forward with her magic slightly. The paneling creaked as the stallion was pushed harder against it, popping occasionally as it bent out of its normal shape. She walked calmly up to the subdued pony and punched her hoof into his chest. She let the gag dissipate as he gasped for his lost breath. "Now, I'm going to ask you again." She stepped up to him and tilted his head so he could look into her mask's eyes. "Where. Is. He?" She accented every syllable with another increment of pressure from her magical hold.

He spat on her mask. “I’ll tell you nothing. Grey Coat took me in, I would never betray him.” Trixie pressed the magic harder against him, and his eyes popped as his bones started to creak louder than the walls. “I…won’t…tell you…anything!” He looked as if he were fighting himself not to speak out for mercy and tell her where the monster leading the others had gone. She followed his eyes and walked over to the desk, sifting through the files that had been jostled around on its surface during her “interrogation”.

She lifted one of the many folders and inspected its cover, which had the words Assassination Assignment printed on its cover in stenciled military print. She opened the folder with trembling hooves. She looked over the contents of the folder, which slid out of her hooves as shock froze her body. The sound of breaking bones was lost on her ears as she worked to make sense of the files on the floor before her.

She didn’t spare a glance at the stallion she had killed as she galloped out of the door, already charging her teleportation spell.

Grey Coat shuddered and drew his long-coat closer around his body as a wind gusted through the alley he was standing in, enveloped in shadow. He looked up at the night sky, now encompassed with stars and set with a silvery full moon. He smiled to himself, thinking of all the things he’ll be able to do after he did this last job. Oh man, I’d be able to retire with style! Just imagine, me in some fancy suit like those Canterlot ponies. Pah! That’ll be a laugh. He smiled at his own mental joke as the moon’s light crested the rooftop and illuminated his face. Time to get this over with. He stepped out of the alley and slowly walked along the silent street.

Not a single creature besides himself walked along the road and he cracked a small cruel smile. No witnesses, just perfect. Nothing can go wrong tonight. He wiped the smile away and subtly checked his equipment as his hoofsteps echoed back from the dark buildings. One last job. The ash-grey stallion tried to look an unimposing as possible as he approached the street corner where it was going to happen. He smiled in anticipation as each step brought him closer to his goal. Just one last job.

The stones clattered as her hooves pounded on them, her hoofsteps sounding impossibly loud compared to the silence of the night. She rounded another corner and continued galloping forward, blasting aside any and every object in her path. Small bits of wood and hay rained down upon her as she fired a magical bolt into a stray hay cart that lay in the road. She felt as if she was moving slower every passing second, a heavy weight pressing on her shoulders that kept getting heavier. She pressed on, putting one hoof in front of the other in a steady rhythm.

Trixie rounded another corner and nearly fell to the ground. She watched as the ash-grey stallion's tail whipped around the building. Shaking herself from the grip of shock, she galloped forward, the distance seeming to become larger every second as each of her hooves touched the ground. She was racing against the very thing that drove the universe: time.

She passed through where the stallion had walked through moments before, the air still holding his scent of musk and fire that clung to his coat. She galloped as fast as she could, flying around the corner and stopping dead cold in her tracks. A small yelp issued from a lavender unicorn on the sidewalk as the stallion walked past her. She looked around confusedly and stumbled forward a few steps before falling to the ground, twitching uncontrollably.

Trixie felt her body shiver as she watched Grey Coat wipe the small knife on his coat, looking over at Trixie and smiling with a sadistic glee. "Looks like you're too late missy. Such a shame, she was a pretty filly." His mocking tone echoed back from the walls of the buildings, filling her ears with his voice. Too late.

The cruel stallion laughed, the high-pitched gleeful sound piercing the night air and making Trixie shudder. A feeling of warmth started in the center of her chest, building to the point where it was nearly painful. Her anger penetrated the cold shell of shock and ran red-hot through her veins. The buildup of energy pushed itself into her horn, constructing itself into a spell that Trixie had never seen before. With a shriek, she aimed her horn at Grey Coat.

The entire world seemed to shatter into a million pieces as her spell made contact with the ground, and she faintly felt her mask being ripped away from her face. Unthinkingly, Trixie cast a spell to shield both her and Twilight from the blast. She ignored the explosion and everything it brought, having eyes only for the unicorn laying on the ground before her. Too late.

Trixie walked over to kneel beside the shaking pony. The mare stared at nothing as she murmured to herself. "It hurts...so much. Why does it hurt? I thought it would be...painless." Trixie looked over the lavender pony's body and located the wound. It was small and circular, a wound inflicted by a practiced assassin, and it pulsed with a sickly green liquid. The unicorn spasmed violently. "Celestia why does it hurt so much?" Trixie bent her horn to point at the hole, but she felt her healing magic come into contact with a barrier. Too late.

Trixie reached out with a hoof and touched the shivering body gently. The muscles under the lavender coat tensed as Twilight looked up at her with a pleading expression on her face. "Oh Celestia! Is that you? Will you take the pain away from me? I just hurt...so much."

Trixie shook her head slowly, running her hoof through the mare's mane. "No, I'm not the princess. I'm Trixie, remember?" Her tears, held back after all this time, finally began to flow down her face as she stroked the mare in her hooves.

The unicorn's eyes focused on her after a few moments. A lavender hoof reached up and wiped away a tear on her cheek. "Trixie. You know, the Great and Powerful Trixie shouldn't cry like that. It simply doesn't suit her." Twilight smiled a sad smile, the kind one sees on a parent's face as they comfort their children after losing a pet.

Trixie shook her head slowly. "I'm no longer Great and Powerful. I'm just Trixie." She shifted her hold on the unicorn in her hooves and tried to drag her a short distance, stopping almost immediately as the lavender pony shrieked in pain. Too late.

"Oh Trixie... I'm already lost. I can feel the poison in my heart. It hurts so much, but having you here takes the pain away." Her lavender hoof took hold of Trixie's face, forcing Trixie to look into her eyes. "I have something...I need to tell you. Something...important." Twilight pulled Trixie closer to her, and pressed their lips together softly. She drew away slowly, another sad smile on her face. "Trixie I...I...I love..." Her smile became slack, and the light faded from behind her eyes.

Her tears fell onto the mare’s coat, staining it a darker color. She raised her head and gazed numbly at the stars, as if they held the answer to her life. She felt as if her life had been taken, but she was left to feel the pain of it. There was a hole in her heart, never to be refilled. How am I not dead? She set the body on the ground gently, brushing a stray lock of midnight-blue hair back into place and arranging the body so that it looked as if it were sleeping. She put her hooves over the unicorn’s eyes, slowly closing the lids and forever hiding their beauty.

“You know, there’ll always be the ones you can’t save. And they'll always die. Always.” Without looking, she swiped backward with a hoof. Grey Coat jumped back out of her hoof’s range, looking warily at her horn and reaching into his jacket. “Oh, are you wondering how I’m still alive? That’s easy.” He opened his coat slightly, exposing glittering objects that hung from the inside pockets. “Magical amulets. I have one for almost every purpose. You’ll have a tough time killing me missy.” Trixie leapt at him but only passed through air as he dodged to the side. “Oh, I don’t have any time to play with you. You see, that little magic of yours drew a bit of a crowd.”

She galloped straight at him, her horn lowered and aimed at his chest. He threw a glittering object at her, and she found herself colliding with a magical wall. Grey Coat turned around and galloped away, occasionally dropping another metallic circle and covering the entire road with smoke. She beat at the wall with her hooves, bent on destroying the stallion that caused all of this pain. The wall fell, shattering into fragments, and she stumbled forward into the road that the monster had taken. She walked forward, looking for any sign of his passing. Not even the amulets were left. Her cry of rage pierced the night as she slammed her hooves into the pavement. Too late.

She turned back to her lost love, who was now surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. Their stares pricked at her skin as she slowly walked through them to stand beside the mare that she had loved. She reached into the suit’s hidden pockets and drew out a cape with her teeth. It was a simple thing, slightly frayed and a few holes penetrated the fabric with a large abundance of stars sewn into the entire thing. Trixie slowly draped the cape over the mare, smiling a little at how peaceful she looked. She leaned her head down to whisper in the unicorn’s ear. “I love…I love you too Twilight Sparkle.”

Standing upright, she wiped a hoof across her eyes and rid her face of tears. Walking over to a pile of rubble, she pulled her mask out from under a few rocks. Without a word, she turned around and made her way down the street. She looked back over her shoulder before she crested the hill that the street took her over. The ponies below were all staring at her, some in awe and others in confusion. On her perch above the city, she levitated her mask onto her head and pulled it over her face. She turned once more to walk away from her memories, leaving them behind in the dust that blew on the cold night air.

A soft breeze rose over the small farms next to the city, blowing softly through the fields. It flitted between the plants as if it were dancing, occasionally sending a small rustling noise into the otherwise silent night. It continued on its path, rising higher above the ground and picking up more force. It blew over the city, sending small pieces of garbage and other debris into the air only to plummet to the ground after a brief flight. The wind passed over a well-used hat made of purple fabric with stars and circles sewn into it, sending the pointed headwear into the sky. It carried the hat over the city and continued on its endless path, unable to stop or change direction by itself, forever blowing wherever fate wanted it to blow.

Epilogue: Dying Winds

Epilogue: Dying Winds

Five years later…

Trixie stood atop the hill that overlooked the village, shivering slightly in the cold wind that gusted over its raised surface and tugged at her cape. She reached back and drew the fabric back around herself, glad of its protection from the elements. The small village below was bustling with late-afternoon activity, the crowd occasionally losing a pony or two as they turned in for the night. The village was simply too small to have street lamps, just a little smaller than Ponyville. She shivered as another burst of air howled through the night, cutting into the silence. It’s time.

Reaching up, she pulled on her mask and slowly began to walk to the village. This reminds me of that time in a different life long ago, when I had gone to see her again.

I can’t believe I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, am motivated to return to this pathetic little village. For the tenth time, Trixie found herself turning around and starting in the other direction, only to circle around and continue approaching Ponyville. She worked her way up a hill, panting and groaning to herself. The Great and Powerful Trixie shouldn’t have to work like this! She gave a frustrated, if tiny, scream and continued to plod forward. When she reached the top of the hill, she sat down hard and tried to catch her breath. She turned to look at the town and her breath caught.

“B-b-beautiful.” She murmured the word, slapping a hoof to her mouth after she realized that she had said it aloud. The setting sun cast the sky into a deep orange color and creating a breath-taking backdrop for the town of Ponyville to rest in front of. She snapped her mouth shut and looked arrogantly down at the tiny shapes of ponies, flourishing her starred cap and smiling. “HA! The Great and Powerful Trixie is much more beautiful than this pathetic sunset.”

She tossed her head angrily and looked behind her, ignoring the flaming orange sky. She found herself staring back at the sunset again, looking occasionally back down at the ponies below. Occasionally a figure stepped into a house and the lights from indoors shut off, throwing another part of the street in darkness. After several minutes, it seemed that the entire town had gone to sleep, the streets all covered in a dim light. She smiled to herself and began to walk silently towards Ponyville. Those foals will regret the day that they dare humiliate the Great and Powerful Trixie!

She clopped into the village unnoticed, walking past the first few dark houses and further into the town. A smile came onto her face again as she giggled with excitement. “Oh, what should the Great and Powerful Trixie do first?” She mused thoughtfully, her voice barely a whisper in an attempt to remain hidden regardless of the fact that she stood in the middle of the street. “Perhaps she should torch the hay-storage silos. Or maybe she should-“ She cut off, her face collided with a metal pole.

Groaning, she staggered back from whatever it was she hit, looking up the metal structure and into a strange kind of box that was atop it. “What in the name of Celestia is thi- AGH!“ A bright light blossomed to life in the box. Trixie threw up a hoof to shield her eyes, but she had already been blinded. Unable to see, she stumbled forward and collided with another object that broke as she fell forward producing a shattering noise that pierced the silent night.

A bright light illuminated Trixie, pulling it out of her memories and making her leap away in shock. She crouched low, her horn glowing with a blue light as she aimed it towards the source of the light. The earth pony stallion was shaking against the wall outside of his house, whimpering slightly in fear as she stepped closer. “It’s dangerous out tonight, I suggest you stay inside.” She whispered it to him, backing away after he had nodded. The brown pony reached down and grabbed his paper with his mouth and practically galloped back inside, closing the door silently behind him with a shaking hoof.

No innocents shall be harmed tonight. Never again. Trixie pulled her cape back around herself and continued walking, wincing at the ring her horseshoes made on the uneven cobblestones. Each ring seemed to reverberate in the darkened road, but she continued to walk at her pace.

A different kind of ringing cut through the others, it was the rasp of steel being pulled from leather. It came from the alleyway next to her and she looked over to see a length of metal flashing in the moonlight. She rolled away as the pony slashed through where she had been merely moments before, grunting with confusion as she evaded him. The pony glared at her and smiled a smile that promised death around the long dagger in his mouth, his body shrouded in a midnight-black cloak. With a growl, the pony lunged at her again with the knife, leaping across the space that separated the two.

The clashing of their weapons produced sparks, further illuminating the street as they danced around each other, the dagger flashing in time with her shoes. This attacker was obviously no amateur, moving with the grace as a trained fighter as he probed her defenses, occasionally slashing or stabbing at her to gauge her reactions. He suddenly leapt into the air, pointing the dagger at her face as he descended. She rolled aside, the dagger stabbing into the ground and remaining there.

The pony tugged at the blade, muttering to himself as she stood on her hooves again. She winced as she stepped forward, her hooves aching with the pain of deflecting the powerful attacks of the stallion. As she stepped closer, his attempts to free the dagger grew more frantic. Finally realizing his attempts were in vain, he let go of the dagger and turned to gallop away only to find his path blocked by a wall of blue magic. Trixie slowly walked closer to him as he slammed his hooves into the barrier. He turned to look at her, his back pressing up against the blue wall as he glared at her with steady eyes. A warrior indeed, such a shame. She slammed a steel-shod hoof into his face, producing a sickening crunch of bone as her hoof made contact.

Without a word, she turned around and continued to her destination. No Mercy. They will all die along with him.

She groaned where she lay, her face stinging with pain. Her vision was still blacked out with the after-image of the box of light. She blinked away the tears that welled up at both the pain in her face and eyes, gritting her teeth and pushing herself to her hooves. She yelped as her hoof was pierced by a shard of glass, jumping backwards and catching her back hooves on a low wall, tumbling back out of wherever she was and onto the hard stones of the street.

Her breath was expelled from her lungs in a sudden rush, leaving her gasping for air as she crawled away from whatever she had collided with. Pain seemed to embrace her body, every place of her hurting with throbbing pain. She felt small shards of something sharp cut into skin at every inch she crawled, her legs receiving the same treatment. Her sense returning, she stopped crawling and tried to stand, gritting her teeth against the pain that flashed along her legs. with an effort, she managed to stay upright, her legs trembling slightly.

Suddenly, a stallion's face shoved into hers so closely that she could only see his eyes, which were burning with rage. His hoof pushed against her chest, making her step back a few steps as he advanced. "What was that all about?! You crash into my store and break my window? What's the matter with you?" He was shouting now, his voice making her ears fold down in pain.

She turned in fright and galloped away from the enraged stallion only to crash into another's hard chest. She lay on the ground, looking up at the four stallions surrounding her as they crowded closer to her, reaching with their hooves for the edges of her cape. She felt their hooves search along her body and pull away, a weight on her back leaving as they did so. She stood up confusedly as they turned over her saddlebags, searching through the miscellaneous objects for something. "Hey, what's the deal here? You ain't got any bits!" He turned to her, advancing menacingly. "I guess you're gonna have to work here and pay off your dept!"

Fear gripped her mind as they stepped closer, each of them glaring with the same emotion in their eyes; anger. She reared back on her hind legs, pushing magic into her horn and releasing it all at once. In the resulting smokescreen, she galloped away from the disoriented stallions and further into the town.

Sparks flew from the colliding iron as she threw her hoof out to intercept another blade that was aimed at her. She twirled and pirouetted in the same tight circle, her hooves flying in every direction as they moved to block the flashing metal that sought to end her life. Occasionally, the blades moved past her hooves and slashed across her body, leaving cuts in the fabric of her suit that dripped red with blood. Every time the cold blades touched her body, she hissed with the pain and clenched her teeth harder.

She spun again, punching outwards with a hoof. Her attack took the pony off-guard, the iron-shod hoof slamming into his head. He fell to the ground clutching at his ruined face and screaming in pain. The others looked towards their fallen comrade, some of them even stepping towards him to offer assistance. She took the opportunity to leap on two others, pushing them to the ground and allowing her to exit the circle that they had formed around her.

She spun around, her horn glowing with blue magic as she concentrated to release the spell she required. A blade flashed by her head, taking off a small lock of hair that stuck out from underneath. She quashed the faint feeling of terror and focused in on herself. She closed her eyes, using her focus to twist and pull the magic to do what she needed.

When she opened her eyes, they were veiled by a blue glow as she swung her horn down to point at the group of would-be assassins. “You are the scum of Equestria, who corrupt and defile our world with your presence.” A web of blue strings that cast off a glow, illuminating the street, wove itself around the stallions. “I am the bringer of purification. You shall have your reckoning.” The barrier of blue light swiftly contracted, cutting off the screams before they could even begin. She walked past her work, ignoring the once-living pieces of pony and continuing her path of retribution. I’m coming for you Grey Coat.

The small spaces between the cobblestones threatened to send her tumbling into the ground as she galloped through the street. She looked over her shoulder, searching fearfully behind her for the source of the galloping sounds that seemed to grow closer every passing minute. Turning her head back around, she lit her horn and began preparing another spell to escape.

She turned into an alleyway and leaned against the wall, but not before catching a glimpse of the first stallion turning the corner. Looking towards the street with worried eyes, she listened intently to the sounds of hooves clopping on the street get closer. “Where’d she go?” The hooves slowed from their gallop and went into a walk. The shadows of four ponies were cast before the alleyway, and she had to shove a hoof into her mouth to keep from making a whimper. “We had her too!” The angry stallion shouted angrily into the night, a wordless shout of rage which was followed by the sound of wood crashing to the ground.

“It’s fine Antique, we’ll catch her tomorrow.” Trixie silently pleaded with the stallion called Antique to go with his companions. She watched the shadow of a stallion put a hoof on another’s shoulder. “Nothing we can do now, not when it’s this dark out.”

“Yeah, you’re right. She won’t get far regardless. “ The stallion huffed a sigh of resignation and a set of hooves rang out on the cobblestones, heading the opposite direction of where Trixie lay in hiding. “Let’s go.” Trixie held in her relieved sigh, backing slowly into the alley as the shadows cast by the stallions departed. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the alleyway and produced a howl of wind that made Trixie jump with fear. “Wait, did you hear that?”

She smacked a hoof into her mouth again as she realized her error. The hooves all moved closer again and the light that covered the street was blotted out by the shadows of the approaching stallions. Soon the view of the street was blocked as the four stallions entered the mouth of the alleyway. The leader stepped forward; casting a slightly worried look at Trixie’s shining horn before speaking. “Now, let’s get you back to the shop you broke eh?” The entire group stepped forward, their hoofsteps echoing against the walls of the alley.

A purple glow surrounded her, picking her up off of the ground and cutting of her concentration. The blue haze around her horn disappeared as she was lifted higher above the alley. Light flashed into existence all around her, consuming her vision and filling her ears with a ringing noise. The white faded away slowly, revealing shelves lined with books with their spines glowing in a purple light. She looked up into the face of a lavender unicorn, who looked back down at her with a disgruntled expression on her face. “Hello again Trixie.”

She touched a hoof to the door's surface, producing a rattle as she felt along its splintery and old wood that creaked with the pressure she exerted on it. She kicked at it hesitantly, producing the sound of rattling chains from behind the door. She backed away, charging her horn with magic and firing a small bolt at the door. The wood glowed with a bright blue before returning to its normal brown hue.

Enchanted wood. Does he really think that this would stop me? She cast another spell, this time over her body. The sheet of blue magic slid down her coat and left a tingling sensation wherever it touched. It was the feeling of power. It came to a stop over her hooves, enveloping them in a concentrated blue glow as she turned around, taking aim at the door. With a grunt, she kicked her back hooves into the door, producing a resounding crack that pierced the silence of the night.

She dusted the fragments of the once-whole door from her body with a hoof. Taking a deep breath, Trixie walked into the building. "Hello again Mare-Do-Well."

“Now, care to explain what you’re doing here Trixie?” Twilight grasped the teapot with her magic as she asked her question, pouring a cup for both her and Trixie. Trixie watched as the unicorn in front of her set the pot down, envious of at how skillful the other mare was at manipulating things with her magic. Trixie can do the same as her, but with never the same precision she uses. Why is it that the Great and Powerful Trixie must be outdone by this small-town mare?! Twilight cleared her throat, sipping at her tea and looking at Trixie with a raised eyebrow.

With a start, Trixie levitated her cup and sipped the slightly bitter liquid. She suppressed a shudder at the taste, contemplating how to answer. “Hmm… Well, the Great and Powerful Trixie has had a great many towns she has visited, and such things do wear on even the most powerful of ponies.” The eyebrow slowly climbed higher as the unicorn sipped her tea again. Trixie mimicked her actions before continuing. “That is, the Great and Powerful Trixie simply decided to come to Ponyville for a…break…yes a break!” Trixie groaned mentally as the unicorn set down the now-empty cup slowly, clearly not believing of her lie.

The lavender unicorn’s horn lit with a purple light and before Trixie could react, she cast a wall of purple magic and slammed Trixie to the wall. “Lying isn’t the best thing to do. It’s one of the fastest ways to lose a friend,” She paused and looked worriedly side to side before leaning in to whisper in Trixie’s ear, “forever!” From outside, a shrill voice shouted the same word, drawing it out in a long shout. Twilight rolled her eyes and stepped closer to Trixie until they were face to face. “Now, why are you really here?”

Trixie searched her minds for an answer, but found none. “Well, the Great and Powerful Trixie wanted to…” She continued telling Twilight about what she would have done, letting it all pour out along with her frustrations and stress. The mare only listened, nodding occasionally and sipping at a new cup of tea. When Trixie had finished, Twilight released her hold on the spell, dropping her to the ground with a thud.

“I’ll teleport you away." The lavender unicorn walked towards the center of the room, expecting Trixie to follow her. "The ponies around here aren’t very happy with you still, and if they learn that it was you who smashed in that shop’s window, they’ll be out for your horn.” When she saw Trixie’s incredulous smile, Twilight’s expression hardened. “You might think I’m joking, but Ponyville was founded by earth ponies, think on that.” She shivered delicately before lighting her horn again. Trixie panicked as she was lifted from the ground again, held in a purple bubble just like the one that had rescued her from the stallions in the alley. “Come back after a few years, I’ll be waiting to see a new and improved Trixie.” Twilight winked at her and she felt heat rise up into her face. It was the last image she saw before the light filled her vision again.

Trixie walked over to the table where he sat, barely containing her rage as she inched closer to her target. “Well, don’t be shy, take a seat!” He gestured to a spare stool, which she looked at apprehensively before returning her gaze to his face. “Oh, I get it. You’d rather stand. Fine by me.” The stallion tilted back the bottle and drained its contents. “So, what’s it been? Five years? Wow, the time sure flies.” She could tell that he was trying very hard to stay seemingly unafraid, but Trixie saw the subtle tightening of his muscles and she knew that he was ready to spring into action the second she moved.

Rage flowed hot through her blood, but she pushed the feeling away and embraced calmness. “Before I kill you Grey Coat, I wish to know one thing.” Her voice was deadly quiet, barely more than a whisper yet it seemed to fill the room.

The ash-grey stallion set the bottle back onto the table slowly, turning to look at her with a questioning light in his eyes. “I knew there must be something bothering you; otherwise you would have tried to kill me without talking a hundred times over.” He leaned back in his chair, folding his front hooves behind his head and smiling roguishly at her. “So what’s botherin’ ya?”

She slammed her hoof on the table, sliding it across the surface and throwing the bottle against the wall. The sound of shattering glass only made the stallion smile wider. “Why?” The anguish in her voice was plain. “Why did you do it?”

The stallion waved his hoof nonchalantly, snorting in irritation before sitting up and looking at her with a sad expression. "Oh, I get it now. You loved her didn’t you? How sweet.” He smiled as she moved closer to him, her horn lighting with a blue glow. “All right, I’ll tell you, but it’s nothing special. It was just business.” A cold chill gripped her body as she stared incomprehensively at him. He sighed exasperatedly, as if he was irritated at having to explain. “I got a job to kill the Princess’ assistant. Of course, a job like that’s gonna pay a lot of bits to be done; enough bits to set me for life.” He reached over and patted her shoulder. “It was nothing personal, I can promise yo-“

His next words were cut off by her iron-shod hoof smashing into his mouth and sending him flying through the wall. He stood up from where he had landed, wiping away a dribble of blood from his lips. Metal flashed as he drew his knife, a sadistic grin plastered on his face as he crouched low. "Cmon then, let's get this over with."

“Gladly.” She leapt through the hole that his body had made, careless of the cloth catching in the wooden splinters as she passed through into the outside air. The metal blade flashed as he attacked, and she brought up her hoof to deflect the blade, wincing at the bone-jarring impact of steel on steel.

Sparks rained down on the grass as they danced the dance of metal and death. They danced to the tempo of their pounding hearts, each second bringing another slash or stab, each second bringing them closer and closer to the end of the dance. Hooves and blades alike created the musical tune to which they danced, the ringing of metal forming the chorus of the song around them. Faster and faster the tune went, increasing in both speed and intensity as time wore on, until it finished with a final sound of metal piercing flesh and the thud of a body hitting the ground.

She stood atop the hill, looking down at the small town and smiling to herself. She looked into the vast expanse of stars, lost in the beauty of Luna’s sky. A small wind picked up and blew over her, sending a chill through her body that shook her out of her trance. Turning back to the village, she whispered something that was lost on the wind. She smiled again as she walked away from Ponyville, her hooves never faltering as she made her way down the other side of the hill.

“I’ll come back for you Twilight.”

She lay on her side in the soft grass, gritting her teeth against the pain that throbbed from the wound in her side. She looked over to the stallion who had caused all of this pain. He lay motionless on the ground, his blood pouring red from the hole in his side. Your amulets may protect you from my magic, but not my steel. Looking around at her surroundings, Trixie put on a bitter smile. A cemetery. How fitting.

She stood, shuddering violently as a tongue of pain licked along the side of her body. She looked up into the sky, losing herself to the vast expanse that the stars themselves resided in. A wind blew over her, chilling her to the bone but moving nothing but her mane and tail. Numbness crawled up her body, removing all of the pain and replacing it with a feeling of nothingness. She moved her mouth, working to force the words from her body as the black night moved in to fill her existence.

"I've come back for you Twilight."

"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves."

- Confucius