Reincarnation: A Glimmer of Hope.

Tome I. Grief.

Starlight Glimmer stared up at the crystalline ceiling. A set of poorly cut-out paper stars still decorated it. Trixie had assured her this totally counted as ‘sleeping under the stars’. Starlight didn’t buy it, but at least the gesture had been romantic. She’d have to visit Rainbow Dash later and yell at her for scheduling rain on date night. On the other hoof, that sounded like more effort than she wanted to put in, and she quickly forgot about it when she felt a slight nudge at her right.

She smiled and turned her head, taking in the sight of the gorgeous mare that stirred on the other side of the bed. With a hoof, she pushed a tuft away from the mare’s face and took the opportunity to gently stroke her cheek.

A pair of shining amethysts gazed at her with a sleepy expression. Starlight held back a snicker.

“Wakey, wakey,” she cooed.

A grunt was her first answer, then a huff. “Ugh, must you always say that? How long was I out?”

This time, Starlight couldn’t stop the slight chuckle from escaping her mouth. “Only a couple of hours. I’m sorry, Trixie. You just look so cute when you wake up.”

Trixie closed her eyes for a moment and did her best to frown. “This is all your fault for tiring Trixie out… Insatiable freak.”

“Aw, don’t be like that,” Starlight said, sliding her hoof along Trixie’s body, finally placing it upon her shoulder. “I love how hard you try. And I love your half-awake gaze. It gives you that, uh, je ne sais quoi, that makes me want to kiss you.”

Trixie smiled at that. She couldn’t be mad at Starlight for more than a minute. “Well, then, kiss Trixie.”

Starlight obliged, giving Trixie a nice, smooth kiss that lasted for what felt like far too short. “I love you.”

“Trixie is aware.”

Playfully rolling her eyes, Starlight sat up and stretched her forelegs. “I’m going to take a shower.”

“Wait,” Trixie placed a hoof on Starlight’s side and waited for her to turn around. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Starlight blinked. “Oh, right, you were trying to say something when I arrived.” She snickered apologetically. “Sorry for interrupting you… What is it?”

Trixie harrumphed, straightening up and looking at Starlight at eye-level. “Sunny Days’ headmaster visited Trixie yesterday…” She grinned at the spark of mild curiosity in Starlight’s eyes, and was unable to hide the excitement in her voice. “Long story short, Mrs. Daisy says we can visit next week!”

“T-That’s awesome!” Starlight said trapping Trixie in a tight hug. “I can’t believe they finally approved us as competent ponies!”

“Wha-” Trixie pushed Starlight away. “What do you mean by that?! Are you saying The Great and Powerful Trixie is not a competent pony?!”

Starlight’s smile disappeared as her eyes widened. “No! Trixie, I’m talking about me!

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Oh, yes what a ‘shock’ they approved the hero of the second changeling invasion and personal pupil of the princess. Why, they’ll let just anypony adopt these days.” With an exasperated sigh, Trixie placed a hoof on Starlight’s muzzle, and smiled. “Honey, you seriously need to stop beating yourself up over everything you’ve done in the past. I know you brainwashed ponies and almost destroyed the reality over a petty revenge, but that’s not you anymore. Now you’re that mare who’s famous for saving Equestria from the changelings!”

“Shapeshifters,” Starlight clarified. “They changed their demonym last year because-”

“Shut up, Starlight,” Trixie interrupted her with an exasperated voice. “Listen, I seriously don’t want to argue about this. There are more important matters at hoof, like freaking Mrs. Daisy saying we can adopt!”

For a moment, Starlight only gaped. Her heart hammered inside her chest, and she could feel tears of joy forming in her eyes. “You’re right, I… I’m really happy, I just…” She leaned closer to Trixie and rested her head on her shoulder. “I can’t believe we’re finally going to be mothers…”

“It’s ok,” Trixie hugged Starlight closer. “Good thing Twilight allowed Trixie to live in the castle, right? I don’t think they’d have approved us if we were back in the wagon.”

“The wagon’s cozy,” Starlight said between hiccups.

“Yes, but the hinges can only stand so much punishment.”

Starlight snickered and sniffed. She took a deep breath and leaned back. “Thanks for telling me, now I have something to look forward to. Twilight wants me to go with her to the Shapeshifter’s republic.”

“They change form of government quite often, don’t they? Last month they were a monarchy.”

“They’re just trying to find themselves. Well, more like Thorax wants to stop being seen as a kind of prophet or deity.”

Trixie snorted. “What kind of fool doesn’t want that kind of adoration? If Trixie was in his place, she’d rejoice in their eagerness to share love! Just look at Princess Celestia! She’s been adored as a goddess for millennia, and she doesn’t look like she wants us to stop.”

“Everypony’s different,” Starlight said as she climbed out of bed. “Anyway, I really gotta get ready. If I don’t make sure I buy enough quills, Twilight will make me write another five-thousand words report on why foreshadowing is important or something.”

“Trixie wouldn’t believe that if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes,” Trixie said with an emphatic face. “Say, how long are you going to be there?"

“A few days at most.” She turned around and gave Trixie a kiss. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be here by Sunday, so we can go to Sunny Days together.”

“Good,” Trixie smiled and lied back down. “Good luck. I’ll just stay here and make sure the castle doesn’t go anywhere while you’re gone..”

Starlight gave a hearty laugh.

~~~~~~~~

The train’s whistle rang loudly just above the rattle of the wheels. Starlight stretched her forelegs, feeling some of her joins popping.

“Finally, we’re here,” she sighed.

Twilight gave a playful roll of her eyes. “You’re not saying these political visits are too much for you, are you?”

“Of course not!” Starlight answered immediately. “Besides, I don’t think spending a long weekend playing with a newborn drone counts as a ‘political visit’. But it’s been three days, Twilight. I miss Trixie!”

“I don’t know how you do it. Anypony else would have enough of her after a week.”

Starlight huffed dramatically. “One can never have enough Trixie, Twilight.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Spike retorted from the opposite seat. “You two are so loud I had to ask for a room change.”

“Spike!” Twilight reprimanded.

“What? It’s true!”

Starlight chuckled. “Come on, Twilight. He’s not a baby anymore, he knows about these things.”

“I do now,” Spike deadpanned.

Twilight mumbled something, but didn’t argue any further. She had educated Spike as much as she could, but the slight blush in her cheeks spoke so much about her more family-oriented feelings towards Spike. He was much like a little brother, and as such, talking about intimate subjects with him proved a challenge for her.

“Anyway, let’s get ready. We’re almost at the station,” Starlight said, standing up and walking to one of the wagon’s doors.

With a screech, the train stopped, and after a few seconds, the doors opened wide.

Starlight jumped excitedly onto the platform. The mission to the Shapeshifters Republic had been pretty interesting, she had to admit. Thorax had talked to Twilight about a revolutionary idea where all the shapeshifters could actually decide who their ruler should be. Twilight had taken a lot of notes, even more so than usual, and Starlight, of course, had listened with rapt attention.

It had been interesting, indeed, but it was over, and she couldn’t wait to return home and embrace Trixie once more.

“Just let me make sure they load our luggage on the carriage and we can go,” Twilight said, giving Starlight an apologetic smile.

Starlight opened her mouth to answer, but she was interrupted by an unusual sight in the distance. She looked towards the direction of the town only to see a thick, pitch black column of smoke rising through the skylines. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that the some came from, or very near, the castle.

Instinctively, she conjured a teleportation spell that would take her at the front door. The world bent in on itself, only to reconstruct moments after. Some sparks and dark spots hindered her vision, but it lasted just a second. She had succeeded, and she was now at the front door of the Friendship Castle.

The main entrance was perfectly alright, but there was a gigantic hole in the upper stories, where the guest rooms were located.

Starlight stormed inside the castle and was horrified at the sight that welcomed her. Ponies and what certainly looked like changelings were scattered all throughout the main hall. Blood and chitin decorated the floor and walls. Starlight felt the need to throw up, but she managed to contain herself.

She heard an echoing thud, and she gasped. Trixie had probably been in the castle when the changelings attacked! She needed to find her, and so she ran upstairs and through the halls. Everywhere she passed by, she found more knocked out changelings and guard ponies. It was extremely strange, Starlight thought, that she had yet to find anypony she could talk to. At least nopony was dead, fortunately,

As she got closer to her room, some other questions appeared in her mind. Who had won this battle? There was nopony she could ask just yet. It was a possibility that the changelings had lost since the train station was alright. But then, where was everypony? And more importantly, where was Trixie?

The moment she arrived to the upper floors, the sight changed a little bit, with rubble and broken walls replacing the bodies. Not even in her worst nightmares had Starlight thought that the castle would look so depressing.

By the time she got to the hall where her room was located, she was out of breath. This part was at the farthest end of the part where the hole had been made, so at least she knew that whatever had caused it couldn’t have directly affected Trixie. Or at least, that’s what she wanted to think.

Taking a few deep breathes, Starlight approached her room’s door with care. She wanted to call her name, but knowing that she could deal with changelings stopped her. As her hoof reached the knob of her door, she prepared herself to cast a detector spell to any Trixie she’d find.

Her heart jumped to her throat as she opened the door. The room was perfectly well lit, letting Starlight see the chaotic arrange of all the furniture inside. The bed had been thrown to a wall and broke in half, the mirror had been smashed, the windows were broken, and overall there was dust and pebbles everywhere. An obvious battlefield.

“Trixie?” Starlight called with a shivering voice. She stepped inside and finished opening the door, and her magic gave up the moment her eyes lay upon the figure at the far end of the room.

Queen Chrysalis was there, not having changed at all from the last time they met. She was holding a motionless Trixie in her magic, grinning wickedly at the blue unicorn. She giggled crazily as she looked at Starlight.

“Ah, Starlight Glimmer. It’s a pleasure to see you again,” she balanced Trixie in her magic, taunting Starlight with her.

Starlight didn’t hear Chrysalis, her eyes were fixed on Trixie. She noticed that Trixie wasn’t struggling, she wasn’t even moving. Not at all. Her body burned, and she thought of attacking Chrysalis, but the rational part of her brain told her that Chrysalis could use Trixie as a shield, so Starlight decided against it. She needed a plan, quick.

But Chrysalis didn’t let Starlight think. With a swift motion of her horn, she tossed Trixie towards Starlight, giggling in the process.

“I see you want this, so take it,” she said, chuckling more and more as Starlight lunged at Trixie. “Honestly, she was a disappointment. Though, surprisingly resistant, really. For somepony who cowered below her bed while everypony else was trying to fight off the invasion. I wanted you so badly to beg me not to kill her, but she struggled so much…” She howled with laughter. “Alas! She made me break her neck before you came!”

Starlight couldn’t hear the laughter anymore. She reached Trixie with a shaky hoof as tears streamed down her face.

“Trixie…” She said barely above a whisper. Trixie didn’t react. Starlight’s head felt like it was about to explode. She clenched her teeth, and her whole body trembled violently.

“Now,” Chrysalis said, recovering from her fit of laughter. “I’d say my revenge is complete, but I’d be lying. Your feelings of despair are not nearly enough. No, I will kill every single pony you love, and then-”

Starlight screamed, interrupting the queen’s speech. She accumulated every last drop of magic power she had at the tip of her horn, and without thinking too much, she released it towards Chrysalis.

The beam howled with so much force that the whole castle trembled. It was so strong that it obliterated the wall when it hit it, and traveled outside the castle all the way to the horizon.

Once her magic reserves were completely depleted, Starlight’s beam disappeared, and she fell to the floor, panting and gasping for air. She looked up with a blurry vision and her heart stopped at the sight of the queen still standing there. However, the blurry shadow fell to the floor, and when Starlight managed to focus her sight, her breath caught up in her throat.

Only half of the queen changeling remained. A single, dulled eye stared up at her, devoid of life’s sparkle. Starlight’s stomach turned, she couldn’t keep looking at the corpse. She turned away and crawled upon Trixie, turning her in a face-up position.

“Trixie, please wake up,” she begged, and with her magic exhausted, the only thing she could do was to apply CPR. “Please, please, please.”

The magic in the room changed, and Twilight appeared in a flash of light.

“I’m here! What hap-” She looked around frantically, and then noticed the queen lying on one side of the room, and Starlight and Trixie near the entrance. “What-”

“Twilight, please help her!” Starlight cried, still pushing Trixie’s chest. “She’s not breathing! Please!”

Twilight stepped closer and cast a quick scan spell. She wanted to know exactly what she had to do to help Trixie. Her eyes widened when she finished, and she stared at Starlight, gaping.

“Now, Twilight!” Starlight screamed. She couldn’t open her eyes because of the tears.

Twilight walked behind Starlight and wrapped her in a tight hug. “I’m sorry, Starlight.”

“No!” Starlight shook her head, and kept trying to resuscitate Trixie, even with Twilight hindering her movements. “She’s still alive! I know it! Trixie, please wake up! Please!”

Twilight only tightened the hug, and Starlight could feel that she was shivering and sobbing. Realization hit Starlight, and she suddenly felt the weight of having depleted her magic reserves, of having ran like she hadn’t before, and of being emotionally broken. She didn’t want to give up on helping Trixie, but her body couldn’t keep up with her, and the world blacked out.

~~~~~~~~

Ever since moving to Ponyville, Starlight found some of their traditions and customs a bit weird, but nothing that she couldn’t get used to.

That is, until today.

The sky had been completely cleared. Not a single cloud could be seen in the whole town, allowing the sun to shine brightly, especially upon the town hall, where the whole townsfolk had gathered, all wearing something white.

Twilight, who was wearing a white dress with golden details, stepped up to the lectern and faced the ponies.

“Ponies of Ponyville, we are gathered here today to mourn one of the most known residents of the town, and a personal and dear friend of mine, Trixie Lulamoon.” True to her words, a banner had been placed on the hall with a picture of Trixie. “During the seven years she lived in Ponyville, she became an important part of the community. She danced, she sang, she ate, she cheered, and she made friends…” She stopped for a moment.

“It is unfortunate, unfair even, that she was the only casualty during yesterday’s invasion…” She looked at Starlight, who only stared back with a heavy and tired gaze. Twilight frowned slightly and turned to the crowd again. “But, she didn’t die for nothing. She fought bravely against the changeling queen and defeated her before drawing her final breath. She was a hero.” She pronounced the word stoically, doing her best not to cry. “And from this day on, she shall always be remembered as one of Equestria’s biggest heroes. On this day, and for generations, we shall celebrate the day when she fought the changeling army and their queen, and won. ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie’ will always be in history books, and we shall celebrate and remember her as the hero she is!”

All the ponies in the crowd stood up and saluted. None of them cheered the name, because they still mourned, but they recognized Trixie’s heroic deed, and they would always remember her, and tell their children about her.

Just as she would have wanted.

One by one, some ponies walked to the lectern to say some words about Trixie. The whole crowd was waiting for Starlight to speak up, but she refused. She had nothing to tell these ponies that they already didn’t know. She didn’t want to say anything else, she didn’t have the energy. So she just patiently waited until the crowd began to disperse, and only a few ponies remained.

“Starlight…” Twilight said as she approached her.

“It’s my fault,” Starlight said. “I let her go six years ago… I should’ve killed her back then…”

Twilight didn’t immediately reply and just sat down next to her. “Murder is a foreign concept for ponykind. You tried to give her an opportunity and she didn’t take it… And she paid the price…”

“After killing Trixie.” Starlight’s words were so rough and direct that Twilight visibly flinched. “So what? Am I going to go to prison?”

“No,” Twilight answered. “Because you didn’t kill anyone. It was Trixie.”

Starlight looked up to the sky. Not a single cloud to be seen. “Yes…” she muttered. “She’s a hero…”

~~~~~~~~

Amidst the darkness, Starlight walked through the castle’s halls. She had cast a muffling spell on herself to avoid her hoofsteps to reverberate like they usually did with the crystalline surface.

As she got closer to her destination, her heart began to beat faster. It had been two months since the last time she had visited this specific part of the castle, and memories of that fateful day swarmed in her mind. But she had been preparing herself, and after taking a few, deep breathes, she continued.

It wasn’t long before she reached the door of the room she used to share with Trixie.

The door had been changed.

Starlight knew she shouldn’t be surprised, but she still stopped for a moment to contemplate it. She breathed sharply and opened the door with her magic. The room had been completely cleaned and sterilized. Everything, from the bed to the closet, had been neatly organized to show the most welcoming sight as was possible.

But to Starlight, it was just an empty space. Right there, she knew that her decision of moving to the opposite wing of the castle had been a good idea, after all.

She supposed that Twilight had personally cleaned the room, and if that was the case, then she knew exactly where to find what she was looking for. She sighed and walked up to the closet, using her magic to open it ever so slightly.

There were a lot of dresses, most of them made by Rarity, for different formal occasions, like the Grand Galloping Gala, or the few times she got to celebrate her anniversaries with Trixie. Starlight sighed and made an effort to put those memories aside. She moved the dresses one by one until she found the one that stood out the most.

Trixie’s professional attire; A cape and a hat, both violet and with a pattern of stars and moons.

Starlight grabbed it and stared at it. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, but she breathed slowly and managed to keep them back. She sniffed once and then put a hoof upon the cape, or more specifically, upon the single expensive-looking gemstone that served as a clasp. Not many ponies noticed, partially because of a very crafty work of varnish and partially because of the shape, but it actually was only a quartz.

She rubbed it with her hoof for a few seconds, using her magic to scan the gemstone. She smiled when she got the information she needed, and with a single thought, her magic pulled the stone out from the grip of the seams. She immediately, but carefully, put the attire back in the closet, and after closing its door, she turned around and left.

~~~~~~~~

“Starlight!” Twilight’s voice startled Starlight. Good thing she had only been reading and not working with fragile equipment, because unlike the book, they would have broken when hitting the floor. “Starlight, open up!”

“Coming!” Starlight called. She didn’t want Twilight to keep yelling, or to start panicking. She opened the door and offered Twilight a concerned gaze. “What’s going on?”

Twilight walked inside and quickly turned to look at Starlight. “Starlight, I want you to be honest with me. What are you planning to do?”

Starlight raised an eyebrow. “Well, I was reading a book.” Twilight looked at the book on the floor and levitated it with her magic. She read the title and then looked back at Starlight. “And after that, I was going to help Spike reshelf the library.”

“Really now?” Twilight asked with no intention of letting Starlight answer. “It looks like you’ve been negligent in that particular activity. There are some books missing, and not exactly light novels.” With a flick of her horn, she conjured a piece of parchment and started to read out loud. “‘Advanced Transfiguration’, ‘Theory of Bio-transfiguration’, ‘Starswirl’s Hypotheses on the Magic of Everything’, ‘The Arcane Arts of Lifeblood’, and ‘Life Enchantment’.”

Starlight stared at Twilight with a stoic expression, but inside, she was a turmoil of emotions and chaotic thoughts.

Twilight put the parchment aside and glared at Starlight. “Each book is more interesting than the last, and normally, I’d be thrilled that you want to learn so much. But if you co-relate them, it’s easy to realize the intentions behind reading them all at the same time.” She stepped closer to Starlight and spread her wings, using her height to gaze down at her and frown. “I thought you’d be sensitive enough to not try something like this, Starlight. I know Trixie’s passing is still painful to you, but you can’t even think on trying to resuscitate her! Do you have any idea of the catastrophic outcomes that can develop from that?!”

There was a moment of silence, and Starlight took the time to regain her composure. “I’m not trying to resuscitate her, Twilight.”

“Then what? I did the weekly clean of your room yesterday and found that the gemstone of Trixie’s attire was gone, then I learned that those books were missing.” Her glare hardened. “If you’re not trying to revive her, then what’s your goal?”

Starlight looked up and shifted in her place. “I would lie if I said that the thought didn’t cross my mind. I even thought of going back in time. But after last time, I know better than to try to affect the universe’s entropy…” She sighed heavily. “I want you to understand, Twilight… I love Trixie like I’ve never loved before… We were planning to adopt a filly!” Tears formed in her eyes, but she kept her stance. “But now she’s gone, and my life is just a miserable blur of gray… I tried… I really tried to move on, but I just can’t…”

“It’s only been two months,” Twilight said with a lot softer voice. “You have to give it more time…”

“But I don’t want to!” Starlight yelled, making Twilight flinch a little. “I don’t want to move on anymore! I wanted to grow old with her! I wanted to raise our foals together! I wanted to achieve our goals together!” She hiccupped and sobbed, but refused to break down. “And… I found I way to do it…”

Twilight’s eyes widened in horror. “What did you do?”

Starlight sniffed and produced a tiny, pathetic smile as she spoke. “Reincarnation, Twilight. At some point in time, Trixie’s soul will reincarnate... She’ll live once more.” She said the last sentence with clear hope in her voice.

For a moment, Twilight only stared back at her, clearly thinking about what Starlight had just told her. She folded her wings and tilted her head, concern clear in her eyes and voice. “Starlight, reincarnation is just a theory. Even Celestia said she has never met a pony that had reincarnated before. And even if it was true, only an alicorn could live long enough to witness such a thing.”

“Whilst many ponies think that our soul becomes magic when we die, Starswirl the Bearded said that, actually, a soul roams free along with the magic, gathering it, strengthening itself until it can habitate a body again.” Starlight paused and stepped back. “And I believe it’s true.”

“My point still stands,” Twilight insisted. “You can’t just make yourself immortal. You’d have to become an alicorn, and in written history, only Cadence and I have done it.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Twilight.” Starlight walked to her desk and opened a drawer, levitated the books and showing them to Twilight. “Analyzing the contents of these books, the proven theories, that is, I managed to put together a spell that will help me live long enough to find Trixie again.”

Twilight didn’t answer, letting her confused and concerned expression ask the tacit question for her.

Starlight’s smile grew as she conjured Trixie’s gemstone. It was pretty much the same as Twilight remembered it, but it had a strange shine to it. “By transferring my soul to this and linking it to my body, I can make sure that I won’t die. The fact that it’s Trixie’s just makes it poetic.”

For a moment, Twilight only gaped. She shook her head and stepped closer. “Starlight, this is madness. Let’s just talk it over, ok? We can talk to Celestia or Luna if you want, but please, don’t do anything that you may regret later.”

Starlight kept smiling as she levitated the gemstone close to her.

“Too late. I already did it.”

Author's Note

No Sunset in a story of mine? Preposterous!

I hope you like!