Mare in the Mirror

by adcoon

Rating: teen
Tags: Trixie, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Adventure, Dark, Alternate Universe, Sad, Main 6, Princess Luna, Gore
Length: 88901

Trixie is haunted by nightmares and begins to question if she let Twilight down in Dappleshore. When her dreams filter through to the waking world, Trixie scrambles for answers. How far will it take her, and can she face the mare in the mirror?

Trixie is haunted by nightmares and begins to question if she let Twilight down in Dappleshore. When her dreams filter through to the waking world, Trixie scrambles for answers. How far will it take her, and can she face the mare in the mirror?

This story was revised on July 15 2013 to bring it up to date with Fillystata and Stitch. The changes are mostly minor.

Also available on deviantArt. Featured on Equestria Daily

Published 2012-07-23 02:14:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-07-15 21:50:20 UTC

1. Lost in Reflection

The bleak, clinging darkness of the moist earth wrapped around her body like a tomb. Her unblinking eyes saw only the deep blackness of the void, but down here she had no need to see. Down here she was in control. Down here nothing escaped her notice or the reach of her strings. Motionless she lay, as she had lain in wait for ages too long to count. It was only a matter of time. She had no need for action. Everything would come to her, and when that time came …

The slightest tremor and her mind snapped to attention. A desperate twitching and pulling of strings signaled the moment she had been waiting for. Her long, sensitive legs moved, feeling ahead of her as she crept forth; the glacial advance of a true predator on the hunt. The smell of fear excited her, set fires of lust alight within her black heart. But she was in no hurry to get to the conclusion. No, there would be no escape now. She would enjoy every moment of this.

Her legs touched something soft and warm in the dark. The twitching froze immediately, and the soft bundle turned hard, every muscle and fiber in its body tensing at the touch of something unknown, something unseen and sinister. She pulled back her legs and crawled in an arc around her victim. She could sense the frantic beatings of its heart, pounding in abject terror as it listened with bated breath for its invisible hunter. How it exhilarated her! Coming to a halt she lay down, waiting in silence. Soon … soon it would dare to look. Dare to hope for an escape.

A hesitant glow sprung up in the dark, shining from the tip of a horn, fearful of what it would reveal. A pair of violet eyes peeked out into the tunnel, wide with terror. The lavender unicorn breathed heavily as it twitched and fought against the sticky strings wrapping around its adrenalin-pumped body, strings holding it with no hope of escape. Cold sweat ran down its body in streams.

“I've never been good with ropes.” A familiar voice, a broken memory, random and unimportant. She shed the thought from her mind as she crept closer, an inch at a time, moving up from behind on the unsuspecting pony. Her shadow fell upon the mare, and it stiffened like a board as its eyes turned upwards. The pony shrieked and fought as she grabbed it swiftly between her legs, but no one would ever hear its cries for help, no one would ever know its final fate.

The pony struggled and fought, tears soaking its cheeks. She held it and felt its soft, warm body and the pounding of blood just beneath the skin. It was almost sensual. So fragile, so helpless in her grip. Her fangs pierced the skin and sank deep into its tender flesh. She felt it twitching one last time before it went limp in her deadly embrace. She held it close and gingerly stroked its mane as she spun her web tightly around its body. It was already growing colder. Soon it would feed her, soon she would feast upon its delicate flesh.

* * *

The life's blood flowed freely as she tore the softened flesh and crushed the bones in a euphoric frenzy of savage lust. She felt how it filled her up, felt her body swell, bloated and black. A void had been filled, and the pony had served its fateful purpose. Soon only splintered bones and sinews would remain, but she … she was not done yet.

* * *

Trixie woke with a shriek and sat up in the bed. Her heart was pounding and her breath was frantic as she looked around the dark room in a panic. It took her mind a few seconds to realize what was happening and where she was.

A pale light filtered through the circular window in the star-covered ceiling, giving the appearance of looking up at the full moon in the night sky. It was the only source of light, and while it was day outside only a faint light came through the painted glass.

Antique furniture and endless curiosities and memorabilia filled the room; bookcases stuffed full with old tomes, an old desk overflowing with scrolls, and the large semi-circular bed all featured prominently.

Waking up in these luxurious but admittedly completely disorganized settings still left Trixie feeling like she had awoken in a different age, an age of chaos and entirely too many impressions. But this was Luna's private quarters, a little look into the princess' life that very few ponies ever witnessed.

“—dear?”

Trixie's mind only now registered the teal eyes looking at her with concern. Luna sat up next to her and gently rubbed her back.

“It's okay, you're safe. It was only a dream.”

Trixie glanced down at herself. She was a total mess, wrapped in sheets and drenched in cold sweat, but thankfully she had only four legs and no fangs. She closed her eyes and sighed. She felt little comfort despite Luna's presence but slowly regained her breath a little.

The ghastly visions of the nightmare still burned clearly in her mind. What did they mean? It had been almost two months since the tragedy in Dappleshore, more than two weeks since her grand performance and the official funeral for the victims. She and Luna had spent almost all the time since then together, trying to comfort and help each other move on, but she couldn't put Twilight out of her mind. The memory still plagued her.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Luna's voice was steeped in genuine concern, and the princess moved a little closer to her, placing a wing around her back.

Trixie shook her head a little and buried it in Luna's thick mane as she let the tears flow freely. She just wanted to cry, to let go of everything for now. Luna's flowing hair and silken coat smelled faintly of Echinopsis flowers, the sweet and exotic fragrance that Luna favored and which Trixie had come to long for whenever she felt sad.

She hated feeling like this, so Small and Weak. She did her best to appear strong and confident in public—she was a princess now, for the first time in her life truly Great and Powerful—but whenever she was alone with Luna she just let it all go. It was all she could do to stay sane.

“It seemed so real,” she muttered, the voice muffled and weak.

“The important thing is that it wasn't,” Luna whispered and gave her a loving squeeze.

Trixie sighed and turned a little, opening her eyes to glance at some point in the distance past the collection of favorite socks and an old plush Celestia with more patch than pony, in fact barely recognizable as equine. She had found both rather funny a few weeks ago when Luna came out of the hospital and they moved back here, but she couldn't even manage a weak smile now.

Luna rubbed her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “Go get a little water in your face while I get some fresh blankets. You'll feel better in the evening.”

Trixie untangled herself from the bedsheets and crawled out of bed, staggering across the room and into the adjacent bathroom while Luna remade the bed. Walking as if halfway in a trance she turned on the faucet and dipped a hoof in the cool, refreshing water as it began to fill the glass basin.

She stood for a while with eyes closed, breathing slowly while the water lapped softly, singing its song to her. When it was full she leaned over and let her face dip below the surface for a brief instant. Pulling back up she let out a long sigh as she buried her face in a thick hoof towel. The water was refreshing, and she felt a little better, but it didn't put her mind at ease.

With another sigh, Trixie looked up into the old, silver-framed mirror hanging above the water. As her eyes fell upon the reflection before her she froze in an instant and dropped the towel with a choked shriek.

Looking out at her with large sorrowful eyes was a young lavender-coated unicorn, still without her cutie mark. Trixie stumbled back in a panic, slipping on the floor and falling on her haunches as she held up her hooves over her eyes.

“Trixie …” the young filly called out, her voice quivering.

“Trixie!”

* * *

Trixie shuffled the alfalfa around her plate. The light purple flowers suddenly reminded her a little too well of Twilight, the thought making her feel sick deep inside. She sighed and pushed the plate away. She would have to tell the kitchen to find something else for her in the future, though she doubted it would make much of a difference. The image of her poison-dripping fangs piercing purple skin and sinking into Twilight's soft flesh had burned itself into her mind and left her with no appetite.

“You should eat something,” Luna said as she looked at the untouched alfalfa.

They were sitting together in the private dining hall. The massive table was much too large for two ponies, but it was one of the most quiet places in the castle. Only on rare occasions did anypony other than the three alicorns and their personal servants come here, and the drapery and other decor seemed to have a muffling effect on the room.

“You'll feel better, trust me,” Luna continued. “I could have Silver Plate prepare something else for you, if you like. He's always happy to help and to get a chance at being creative.”

Trixie's eyes lingered on the plate. She felt a lump form in her throat as she uttered the words going through her mind. “Maybe … I already ate.”

Luna looked confused. “What do you mean?”

She shook her head and closed her eyes, trying to force the image from her mind. “I feel like, perhaps I betrayed Twilight. I let her down and maybe, in a way, I … ate her.”

Luna was staring at her, or so she imagined. It must have sounded crazy. She opened her eyes but instead found Luna looking at the alfalfa with an expression on her face suggesting she was trying to figure out a connection.

Trixie sighed and continued. “I failed Twilight. Maybe I could have done something. Instead I waited. And then, when she died, I … took her magic, her … soul. I ate her, like … some kind of vampire? Maybe I lost my own soul, that's what vampires are, isn't it? Soulless monsters.”

The deep concern on Luna's face was evident. She pushed her own plate away and reached out to take Trixie's hooves in hers. “Trixie, you are not a monster! And you didn't let Twilight down, or … eat her. She loved you dearly, and she gave you her very soul when she died. It was a gift, it was given not taken. I know if she had felt you let her down she would never have given you such a gift. Her soul lives on through you, and I'm sure she would want nothing else than for you to be happy.”

Trixie lay her head in Luna's hooves and closed her eyes. “I could have done something, though. I should have done something, but I came too late to save her. Far too late.”

Luna nuzzled her cheek a little. “If anypony failed her, Trixie, it was me and me alone. I should have listened to my sister when she warned me not to delve into Twilight's family. Instead I continued behind her back. I should have talked to her the instant I noticed something was up, but I didn't want her to know I had been lying to her.”

“If anything—” Luna sighed. “If anything, you should be blaming and hating me.”

Trixie gave Luna's hooves a little comforting rub. It wasn't much, but her heart felt too heavy.

Luna responded with a gentle sigh. “I know I certainly blame myself all the time, but I also know there's nothing I can do to change the past. And even the wisest cannot tell what may have been. Maybe it wouldn't have made a difference.”

Trixie looked up at her. It was almost too much effort just to lift her head. “Celestia knew about Twilight's family?”

Luna shrugged. “She warned me when I was digging through the archives here in Canterlot. Said some things were best left in the past. I think it may just have been because of my own history. I think she just wants me to not get too tangled up in things of the past, whether it's my own or somepony else's. And I now see why … it's not healthy to dwell too much on the past.”

A dull, heavy silence settled over the room. Trixie thought about how Twilight had become obsessed with the past. Perhaps Luna was right, but it didn't ease her pain. “Do you think Celestia could have done something? If … If she had known, I mean.”

“I don't know,” Luna said after a while. She didn't seem sure of what to say, and Trixie felt a little sorry for asking such a painful question. “Maybe, but the thing you have to understand about Celestia is that everypony likes to think she's perfect and that she's all-powerful. In their eyes she's a goddess. But really, I think many would be disappointed with the truth.”

Trixie tilted her head, “What do you mean? I always thought—”

Luna smiled softly. “Celestia raises the sun, that's her special talent after all, and she has a knack for the magics of warmth and light. She's also a passionate teacher and a skilled politician, as well as a wonderful pony in general. But beyond that, she's not all that special.”

“I don't think Twilight quite grasped how much she impressed Celestia with her magic, because outside her own special niche, which is the sun and the lands of Equestria, Celestia is not too different from any other unicorn. She's older and wiser than most, certainly, but she's very much not a fighting mare, and not just because that's something she's had little need to practice.”

Trixie blinked, letting her mind grasp what Luna was saying. It actually made sense, but she—like everypony else, no doubt—had never thought of Celestia that way.

Luna nodded, as if reading her mind. “Remember, I defeated her not once but twice as Nightmare Moon. The first time she had to get the aid of five other ponies and an ancient relic because she couldn't stand against the Nightmare on her own. The second time it was Celestia's student and her friends, not Celestia herself, who defeated Nightmare Moon.”

“Maybe she could have convinced Twilight to give up her obsession with Midnight, but beyond that, once it started to go really wrong, I don't know if she would have been able to do anything more than what we did. Who knows,” Luna paused with a sigh, “maybe by not involving her I saved her from becoming yet another casualty in that tragic mess. That tiny possibility is how I try to cope with my past choices.”

“That, and you,” she smiled at Trixie, “in whom at least a little part of Twilight lives on.”

There was a gentle knock on one of the doors to the dining hall. They both looked up as Celestia peeked in and smiled at them. “I'm not disturbing anything, am I?”

Luna smiled brightly. “Oh no, not much, we were just having a bout of Alfalfa Wrestling in the nude. I thought you were busy with the Zebrica dignitaries this evening. That was today, was it not?”

Celestia chuckled. “Yes, I came to let you know that they requested your presence during these deliberations. I told them you would attend. I don't think they mind it being … in the nude, but you may want to leave out the alfalfa.”

“Way to ruin my evening, sis.” Luna leaned over to give Trixie a kiss. “Duty calls, my dear. Maybe you should go see Silver Plate about the food? I'll be back later … for a dress-up, maybe?” She winked and grinned at Celestia who merely rolled her eyes.

Trixie smiled a little as Luna got up and followed Celestia out. As the door closed behind them she slumped back down over the table, closing her eyes.

Luna's words seemed to have calmed her. Perhaps she was right, perhaps it was best to put the past behind her. Maybe things could have been worse after all. She hoped that thought would make her feel better and let her rest easy.

After a while she got up and trotted out of the door towards the kitchen. Maybe something sweet wouldn't be too bad.

* * *

“So how is Trixie doing?”

Celestia was walking slowly as they made their way through the corridors of the castle towards the meeting with the zebras. The dignitaries were enjoying a break from discussions, and it was clear that Celestia wished to take the time to talk with her sister.

Luna walked next to her, trying to put on her most professional face for the meeting ahead. She still preferred to leave such things to Celestia who was by far the more experienced diplomat than her. “I think everything that's happened has affected her deeply. Twilight's death really haunts her, but I think she just needs more time.”

“It has been a terrible experience for us all.” Celestia's eyes betrayed the deep wounds Twilight's death had left, and the grief she obviously felt from the mention of it. “No doubt her transformation, and being thrown into the life of royalty so suddenly, has also affected her. It can't be easy, but I'm glad to hear you think she'll manage.”

“Still,” Celestia looked at Luna, “I would like you to keep an eye on her.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Keep an eye on her? Why, if I didn't know you better, sister, I would say that sounded quite underhoofed. Shall I brief the secret service about her?”

Celestia smiled and paused in the hallway, turning to Luna. There were no others around. Most of the staff were busy with their duties elsewhere. “I didn't mean it like that. But with everything that's happened—and we still don't know the full effects your blood magic may have had on her, or yourself for that matter—I'll just rest a little easier knowing that you're both well.”

Celestia placed a hoof on Luna's shoulder. “And I hope you both know that you can always come to me if there is anything. Anything at all.”

Luna gave her sister a knowing smile. “You didn't really want to talk about Trixie, did you?”

Celestia chuckled gently, though it was tinged by a serious undertone. “I'm not that transparent, am I? No, I really hoped to talk about you.” Her features turned grave, the lightheartedness vanishing like dew before the sun, but the hint of kindness remained in her eyes. “I'm worried for you, Luna, and I'll be quite blunt. The things that happened in Dappleshore, and the things you did, it hurts me that you went behind my back, and that you dabbled in those kinds of magic after everything we've been through.”

Luna was about to respond, but Celestia stopped her. They had been over that already. “I want you to know that you can trust me, sister. I don't want you to fear me. You know I'm not going to punish you for what you do. I just want to help you. I know these things draw you. I know the shadows you fight with in your heart. They are things that no pony should have to deal with alone. And I know you have Trixie now, but she has her own things she's dealing with.”

Luna's eyes were a little harder than usual as they met Celestia's. “You still have doubts about our relationship?”

“I am not opposed to you and Trixie, I really hope you don't think I am. I admit I still find it odd to see my little sister with another mare, and many may not find is so easy to accept, but it does not concern me. It truly warms my heart to see you have found love, and I'd be joyed to see it bloom. But I have concerns. It just seems rather sudden.”

“Tragic events tend to bring ponies together,” Luna said, defensively.

Celestia nodded. “Yes, and you have shared much in the short time you've been together, I can not deny that. But—” She paused as a servant came trotting down the hall carrying a large flower decoration. When the pony saw the two princesses and the look on Celestia's face, she quickly turned around and hurried back the way she came.

Celestia waited a moment before speaking again. “I can not help but fear that when you look upon Trixie, who you're really seeing is Twilight.”

Luna took a little step back. “That's not true!” Celestia watched her reaction with concern. A few tears gathered in the corners of Luna's eyes. “I love Trixie! D-Don't say I don't!”

“Luna …” Celestia stepped up to her and drew her close, wrapping her wings around her. “You owe it to Trixie to be honest with yourself. I'm not saying you don't love each other, but I am saying that you need to give yourself, and her, enough time, and that you both need others in your lives, too. You hide from the world, from those around you, and from yourself. You need to start opening up to yourself and others.”

Luna remained silent in Celestia's embrace, holding back tears.

“Please, Luna. At the very least you can always come to me. No matter what. But I really hope you will consider what I have said.”

* * *

The royal kitchen was buzzing with activity as everypony was busy preparing the special dinner in honor of the Zebrica visitors. Despite this, the ponies milling about all stopped to bow as Trixie pushed the door open and looked inside. The gesture was only brief, however, as they all went back to work just as quickly. The foreign visit left little time to waste.

Trixie couldn't deny that she enjoyed being shown such respect. During her days on the road she had always dreamed of ponies bowing in respect or cheering loudly whenever she showed herself. But they never had, especially not after the Ursa incident. She straightened up and smiled as she stood tall.

An elderly gray-coated, silver-maned earth pony came out from one of the side rooms and bowed upon seeing her. “My Lady, what do we owe this visit to the kitchen?”

Trixie had met Silver Plate, the royal master chef, many times since she came to the castle, but never really spoken with him. She kept her appearance of royal dignity as she gave a simple nod. “I came by to hear if you had something sweet and … not purple, definitely not purple.”

Silver Plate merely confirmed with a nod, displaying no surprise at the request. His job, aside from overseeing the normal duties of the kitchen, was to accommodate the royal whims as best he could, and he had no doubt had plenty of unusual and unexplained requests from the royal sisters in his long career.

“Of course, My Lady. May I ask if something was wrong with this day's alfalfa?”

Trixie shook her head. “Oh no, I simply find myself with no appetite for alfalfa of late. In fact, while I am here, I would like to request a change of the evening menu in the future. Nothing purple.”

The chef nodded again. “As the Lady wishes. So then, what may we treat you to today? If you desire something sweet, we are having a wonderfully exotic desert of bananas in a sweet and sour orange liquor with coconut topping, on the occasion of the Zebrica visit. Nothing purple, I assure the Lady.”

Trixie resisted the temptation to lick her lips. It sounded unusual and delicious, and Trixie didn't think she had ever had anything as exotic as bananas and coconut. On the other hoof, it sounded awfully unwieldy for what she had in mind. “That sounds delicious. Perhaps I shall sample it later, but do you perhaps have something suited for a snack in the gardens?”

The chef considered the request patiently. “We have the usual selection of cupcakes and other treats available, of course, and on this occasion we also have an assortment of cupcakes with orange and lime frosting, if that could tempt the royal tongue. And if the Lady desires something more fancy, we can certainly make or acquire it.”

“Cupcakes will be fine, sir. Orange and lime sounds perfect.” She paused. ”And I would like a hay smoothie on the side, thank you.”

“As you wish, My Lady.” The chef bowed deeply and walked back into one of the side rooms. He came back a little later with a collection of cupcakes and a hay smoothie on a plate. It was all a lot fancier than what Trixie had been used to in her travels, and way too fancy for a picnic, but Trixie fully enjoyed the service. “Is there anything else we can get, Your Highness?”

“These will do nicely, thank you, and be sure to give my compliments to the kitchen.” The old stallion smiled and bowed again as Trixie walked out of the kitchen with her cupcakes floating beside her.

* * *

Trixie wandered through the grand royal gardens with her cupcakes, looking for a quiet place to sit and relax. She had spent a lot of time in the garden with Luna, who had shown her all the flowers that bloomed during the night. It was usually a quiet place at night, but during the day there were ponies tending the many flowers and all the animals. They all bowed their heads to her as she passed, and Trixie couldn't help but bask in the attention.

Finally, after several minutes of wandering around, Trixie found a quiet section of the garden surrounding a small decorative pond. She walked down towards and around the water, trying to settle on a good spot to sit down.

As she was trotting along her eyes settled upon the calm water. She could see the surrounding trees reflected in its dark surface quite clearly, but something caused her to pause. She stopped and blinked. Carefully she edged closer to the pond, leaning her head over the water. As she stared into the watery mirror, she felt the fear of earlier grip her heart. Staring into the calm blue surface of the water, Trixie saw no reflection of herself.

Trixie closed her eyes and tried to breathe calmly. Maybe it was just a trick of the light. It had to be, what other explanation could there be? She opened her eyes again and nervously peeked into the water.

She nearly screamed as a young filly with large violet eyes now stared back at her where before had been emptiness. She stumbled back and sat down with her heart pounding in her throat, eyes fixated upon the spot where she had been standing. She couldn't see anything from where she was now sitting.

“Calm down, Trixie … maybe there's a perfectly good explanation. M-maybe she just wants to talk.”

She stood up on shaking legs and hesitated for a long time, then she stepped over to the water and peered down into the mirror. The purple filly looked back up at her with sadness in her eyes.

Trixie tried to be calm as she spoke with the most confident voice she could muster. “W-who are you?” It wasn't very confident at all. Her voice sounded hollow and nearly drowned out in the quiet of the garden, or swallowed up in the abyss of those deep purple eyes.

The filly sat there in the water, looking at Trixie. Even before she spoke, Trixie knew the answer. The voice was as familiar as the face, despite her youth. “I'm Twilight … Twilight Sparkle.”

Trixie leaned closer. “H-Hello Twilight. My name is T-Trixie.”

2. Fear of Insanity

“Are you afraid?”

Trixie leaned over the edge of the water, staring into the purple eyes reflected in the surface. Her mind struggled to find an explanation, an answer, anything to hold on to, but in that instant she found herself without any. She didn't know what to say or even do with herself.

Was she afraid? Of what? The filly in the pond waited silently as Trixie opened her mouth, hesitatingly asking in return, “S-should I … be afraid?”

The purple unicorn lowered her head until her chin almost touched her chest, her eyes searching some dark corners Trixie could not see. “Sometimes I'm afraid. It's so dark and cold … all the time.”

Trixie looked around herself. The skies were reddening as the sun began its descent below the horizon, but it was still bright enough. She gnawed her lip a bit as she turned back to address the young Twilight. “What are you afraid of?”

“There are things out there. Sometimes they make noises in the dark. Don't you hear them too? Mother used to tell me that you have to face your fears. Sometimes … sometimes I try to find them, to talk to them, because maybe they aren't so bad, and maybe they know where mother is. But they hide where it is darkest, and I get lost. It's so cold and dark here.”

Trixie was silent. She didn't know what to say to the young pony. She didn't know what to say to herself. She sat down heavily and closed her eyes. What was happening to her? Why couldn't she see her own reflection, and was she really speaking to Twilight's lost soul, or was it something else? What had really happened in Dappleshore, and what was it doing to her?

She felt the fear grip her again, this time stronger. She tried to focus her attention on the feeling, tried to understand it.

Her thoughts were broken by Twilight's shivering voice. “What are you afraid of?”

Trixie opened her eyes and looked at the reflection. For a long time she simply sat there. Finally she said with a low voice, “I'm afraid of myself, of what is happening to me.”

“What is happening to you?”

“I … don't know, and that's what scares me.”

“Can't you find out? Maybe somepony knows, and you could ask them.”

“I don't know how, or who. The only one who—” Trixie broke off, suddenly struck by a mix of hope and despair. Midnight's work. If there were answers to be found anywhere, it was with that infernal mare and her cursed work. But it was too dangerous, too risky. Was it not Midnight's notes that had driven Twilight to do the things she did? Would she really risk making the same mistake?

The young filly in the water looked up at her. “Sometimes you need to face your fears. Maybe you need to go into the dark places where they hide.”

Trixie sat there, staring into the water. She needed to know. If something was happening with her, then she needed to understand it before it became too late. And there was only one place she could find answers.

Trixie shivered. “I'm afraid to lose sight of myself in the dark.”

* * *

“Sometimes I frighten myself too …”

The new voice was tiny and shy, yet it still made Trixie jump, almost causing her to lose balance and fall into the pond with a yelp. She balanced briefly on the edge before regaining herself.

The yellow pegasus who had spoken shied away from her with a low squeak. “I-I'm so, so sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, Your Highness,” the pegasus whispered as she peeked out at Trixie from behind a pink mane. “Y-you just looked like you could use somepony to talk to. And—” she held up the sad remains of a lemon-frosted cupcake which, from the looks of it, had been gnawed upon by some animal “—raccoons ran off with your lunch. I tried to stop them but the animals here are …” she trailed off, staring at her hooves timidly.

Trixie felt herself smiling a little at the shy pony and the shredded cupcake, but it quickly faded as she glanced back down into the water. The dark surface was now blank, showing only the looming trees around the pond. She sighed. “It's alright, I wasn't very hungry anyway.”

Fluttershy pushed the hair out of her eyes and followed Trixie's gaze into the dark waters of the pond. Trixie felt a sudden rush of panic and moved to block the pegasus' view of the water. What would the other pony think if she saw Trixie had no reflection?

But the yellow mare simply looked depressed and shuffled her hooves. “Oh, I'm so sorry that I scared your fish away. I'm such a loudmouth sometimes!”

Loudmouth. Trixie had been called that more than once, and maybe she had deserved it then, but it was certainly not the first word that she would have associated with the pegasus in front of her. “Fish?” She asked, confused.

“Oh yes. I talk to the animals all the time too … um, not the animals here, though. I think I spooked them once, and now they flee from me.” The pegasus held her hooves up to her mouth as if a sudden realization of impending doom had struck her. She looked even more depressed, if such a thing was even possible, as she glanced up at Trixie with wide, pleading eyes. “Oh no … oh, please don't fire me, Your Highness! I promise I'll do better, I really need this job! I promise I can handle it!”

Trixie felt completely at a loss. “Calm down. Just … calm down, alright? You say you work here, in the gardens? What is your name?”

The pegasus looked away. “I-I'm Fluttershy, Your Highness. Princess Celestia hired me a week ago to tend her beautiful gardens, but I'm making a real mess of it already.”

Trixie paused. The name sounded familiar. It took her a few seconds to remember the connection. “Fluttershy? Weren't you by any chance a friend of Twilight Sparkle? I think I remember you from some of the letters she got.”

Fluttershy glanced back up. “Y-yes, Your Highness. She was one of my best friends.” She looked back down, tears filling the corners of her large cyan eyes. “I wish she was still here. Everything has been just awful without her!”

“I miss her too,” Trixie said and sighed. “And please, just call me Trixie.”

Fluttershy sniffed. “Oh … alright.” She looked between the cupcake and the water. “I'm really sorry about the fish. And your cupcakes.”

Trixie watched the pegasus. Did she think she had been talking with the fish in the pond? Had she not seen Twilight, or heard her? And didn't she see the lack of a reflection in the water, or had she simply not noticed? “Don't worry about it, Fluttershy. Maybe the fish would like the rest of the cupcake.”

Fluttershy looked at Trixie, then nodded and sat down to carefully and slowly break the soft cake into tiny pieces which she then scattered into the water. A few large, silvery carps tentatively nibbled at the crumbs. This seemed to bring a sad smile back on the pegasus' face, and for a while the task of feeding the fish appeared to make her forget about Trixie.

Trixie watched her feed the fish for a time. What was happening to her? Was she going crazy? If she was the only one who saw those things in the mirror, if only she could see Twilight, what did that mean? She had to know. She had to find out.

* * *

Trixie sat at Luna's overflowing desk, glancing between a heavy tome of old yellowing pages and a small hoofheld mirror, both of which she had managed to dig out of Luna's mess after returning from the gardens. The mirror was empty aside from the room around her reflected in its polished surface. The book might as well have been empty too, for all the good it did her.

She looked up as she heard the door open and saw Luna step in. The princess paused in the door and tilted her head with a smile. “Since when did you become the resident bookworm, dear?” Getting only a sigh from Trixie, Luna walked over and nuzzled her gently. “Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you.”

“It's alright, and you're right. I've never been one to read much.” She flipped a few pages idly, not really knowing where to start or what to look for. “How was your meeting with the zebras?”

“Utterly boring, and entirely pointless if you ask me.” She sat down behind Trixie and rubbed her neck with soft strokes. “They just requested the remains of Twilight's friend, Zecora, returned to her homeland for burial. Turns out the zebra was the daughter of some chief of theirs. Purely a formality. They could have just sent a letter and saved themselves a trip across the ocean. I'll never understand these things.”

Trixie closed her eyes, trying to enjoy the massage and leave her worries behind for a while.

“So, if you never were one to read much, why begin now?” Luna peered at the book “And why that old thing? I have much better books if you want something to read.”

Trixie sighed deeply as she opened her eyes and levitated the small mirror up in front of her. “Tell me, what do you see in the mirror?”

Luna leaned her head over Trixie's shoulder to peer into the mirror. She smiled and gave Trixie a peck on the cheek. “I see a pony who would benefit more from a massage than from dusty old books. Really, the wizened old scholar look doesn't suit you, dearest.”

“You don't …” Trixie slumped over a little. It didn't come as a great surprise. Deep down she had probably known from the start that this was how it was, but it was still a blow to actually have it confirmed. “You don't see anything odd at all?”

Luna peered back into the mirror once more, remaining silent for a while as she tried to see something. Trixie didn't need to hear the answer, the mere fact that it wasn't blatantly obvious to Luna was answer enough. “I'm sorry,” she said. “I don't see anything. Why? What do you see?”

Trixie threw the mirror down, a little too hard, and stared at the desk. Luna had stopped her gentle rubbing and looked at her with concern. Trixie rubbed her eyes tiredly with a hoof. “I see nothing.”

Luna seemed confused. “Nothing? So what is the problem?”

“The problem is, I can't see myself in the mirror!” Trixie half shouted, more in frustration at that fact than at Luna. She picked the mirror back up and felt a stab of regret at seeing the long crack now running across the surface. She wondered how much the old mirror meant to Luna. “I see you, I see the room, and that's it. No Trixie.”

Luna was silent. Trixie could see her in the mirror. The princess' face seemed frozen in some expression between deep worry and shock. Trixie looked down. “And then … sometimes I see Twilight where my own image should have been. But she's young, still just a filly without her cutie mark. And I spoke with her.”

Trixie lowered the mirror a little and glanced into it, past Luna's frozen stare to some point in the back of the reflection. “I fear I'm going crazy. I fear something is happening to me, and I have no clue what it is.”

Trixie turned to look at Luna. The princess was staring into the mirror with a serious expression. Trixie suddenly felt nervous. Had she said too much? What was Luna thinking? Maybe Trixie was going crazy … already insane.

Finally Luna seemed to notice that Trixie had stopped speaking and was looking at her. She glanced at the book and took a few seconds as if to consider her words. “I-I'm sure you just need to get over the loss of Twilight and the many changes in your life. It's a lot of change for one pony. Maybe you don't thrive here in the castle, maybe you feel lonely? We could go out more, would you like that? Maybe meet some other ponies.”

Trixie watched Luna with growing dismay. “So it's true, is it? I'm crazy. You think I'm crazy.”

“No!” Luna looked a little desperate. “No, I don't think you're crazy.” She wrapped her hooves and wings around Trixie in a tight hug. “I love you, Trixie, and nothing is ever going to change that, do you hear?”

Trixie sighed and closed her eyes. A low growl from her stomach broke the silence of the moment.

Luna kissed her softly. “You haven't been eating all day? Didn't you go see the chef?”

“I did, and then raccoons stole my cupcakes,” Trixie muttered, barely audible.

“Well, no wonder you're not feeling well. Just try to relax, and I'll go get something for us both. It was a long and boring meeting for me, I could use something to eat too.”

Trixie nodded. She was admittedly rather hungry. “Just, please, nothing purple.”

Luna smiled and kissed her again. “Don't worry, I've got it. I'll be back soon.”

* * *

Celestia sat up in her bed as a loud and insistent knocking woke her from her sleep. She blinked a few times and got up. “Yes?”

“Sister, it is me. We must talk.”

Luna's voice sounded nervous through the thick wooden doors of Celestia's bedroom. Celestia opened the doors and looked at her sister as she pushed her way inside. The look on her face made it clear that it could not wait until the morning. “Luna? What's wrong?”

Luna closed the doors behind them and turned to Celestia. “It's Trixie. I think I gave her more than just my blood when I saved her out there in the forest. I think …” Luna looked down, a mix of despair and shame in her voice. “I think I gave Nightmare Moon another soul to torment.”

Celestia looked at Luna seriously. The topic of Nightmare Moon always put her on edge. Losing her only sister to that monster once had left a deep wound in her heart which would never heal. The prospect of losing her again haunted her every night. “What are you saying, Luna?”

Luna sighed, sitting down heavily on Celestia's large bed. “She just told me that she cannot see herself in the mirror, and that she sometimes sees Twilight—a young Twilight—and that they have talked,” Luna explained. “Before I first became Nightmare Moon I felt lonely, unloved and invisible. I would look myself in the mirror and see nothing, and then she would come to me. I fear I've given Nightmare Moon a hoofhold in Trixie's mind, and now she's playing on Trixie's sense of loss.”

Celestia gnawed on her lip as she gazed out the window, a rare sight and a sign that what Luna was saying worried her greatly. “Are you certain of this?”

Luna stood up restlessly. “I can't think of any other explanation, sister. It would be too unbelievable that she just happens to have exactly the same experiences as I did.”

“And you've never told her about your experiences?”

“We've talked about it, but I've never mentioned those … details. It's never really come up. Unless I gave her bits of my memories too when I gave her my blood, but I've had no other indication that this is the case.”

Celestia walked around the bedroom a little, trotting back and forth as she thought. She stopped and looked at Luna. “I'm glad you came to me. I need to think this over, and maybe we need more time and information. Stay with her, Luna, and try to cheer her up, maybe take her out somewhere. And perhaps you should speak with her about these things. I think it is better for her to know what she's dealing with, and for her to know that you stand by her.”

Luna nodded and opened the door. She paused in the doorway and turned to Celestia. “Thank you, sister.”

Celestia smiled. “You know I'll always be there for you.”

* * *

Trixie listened as Luna walked out the door. She sat for a time, staring at the mirror and the book, then she closed it and got up. She walked out the door into the large hall.

Luna's private quarters were quite expansive, as befitting a princess, but most of it was barely used. Luna spent most of her time in the smaller study and bedroom when she wasn't out and about. Trixie found it a little odd when she had all this space to roam in, but Luna said she liked it cozy.

She walked up to one of the doors leading out onto the balcony overlooking the gardens and pushed it open. Stepping out into the cool night air, she let her eyes drift out over Equestria below her. Somewhere out there were the answers to her questions.

Trixie stepped up to the edge of the balcony and spread her wings. For a moment she hesitated, and with a sigh she sat down gazing into the distance. She couldn't do this alone. But could she convince Luna to go along with it, and how far?

The sound of the door opening broke her out of her thoughts. She listened as hooves walked towards the bedroom, then paused and turned around, coming her way. Luna poked her head outside. “Oh, there you are. I found some scraps from the zebras' dinner.” She walked out and sat next to Trixie, offering a plate of various treats.

Trixie took the food. She was admittedly happy to get something to eat after going a day without anything. Luna smiled and sat down next to her, eating a little herself while watching the stars. Trixie could sense that something was on her mind, but the princess remained silent. After a while, Trixie decided to break the silence. “I need to go back to Dappleshore. Tonight.”

Luna almost choked on a piece of dessert. She coughed a little and looked at Trixie with concern. “Why? There's nothing to go back to, and I thought we agreed it was best to put it behind us.”

Trixie considered the plate before her. “Something is wrong, Luna. Something is happening to me, and I don't know what it is. I need answers. I need to know what exactly we're dealing with.” She idly turned the plate a few times. “There are so many questions about what happened, with Twilight and with me, not to mention you and Midnight. We still don’t know what exactly your blood did to me either, and how much of it was Twilight’s magic.”

She paused, and sighed as she looked back across the skies. “I know you have no more answers than I do. I’m sure you would have told me if you did, and that's why I … why we must find out more.” She looked at Luna, pleadingly. “But I don't want to do it alone. I need you, Luna. I need you to support me in this, because I don't want to lose myself like … like Twilight did.”

Luna stared down into the floor. “You know I'll always be there for you, but there's something I need to tell you about the things you see in the mirror. I think it's Nightmare Moon.” Trixie looked at Luna who quickly continued, trying to explain. “The things you described to me, that you can't see your own reflection, that's exactly like I felt before becoming Nightmare Moon all those ages ago. I felt invisible, empty and alone, and she filled that emptiness and gave me false comfort. And I fear that I may have given you a part of her, or a link maybe, when I gave you my blood.”

Trixie was silent for a long time, digesting the news. After a time she nodded a little. “Isn't that just more proof that we are woefully ignorant of what exactly your blood, and all the other magic, did to me?” She looked up at Luna “Please Luna, I must return to Dappleshore. We must learn all that we can before it's too late, and I don't want to be alone.”

Luna sank a bit. “Maybe we should speak with my sister.”

“She's asleep at this hour. There's no immediate threat right now, we're just going for a brief visit to the place where it happened. We'll talk to her tomorrow, I promise. I'm not trying to go behind her back or anything.”

Luna sighed deeply. She didn't want to tell Trixie that Celestia was almost certainly awake, because Luna had just been there. She looked Trixie deep in the eyes. “We'll go to Dappleshore, then talk to Celestia in the morning. But I need you to promise me something. I want you to promise that you won't speak with Twilight in the mirror. I don't think you can trust her.”

Trixie frowned a little. “It's going to be a little difficult to avoid all reflective surfaces.”

“Please, just try to ignore her. Don't speak with her if she appears. That's all I ask,” Luna pleaded.

Trixie looked down. Something inside her felt bad about having to ignore the little purple filly, ignore Twilight. What if she wasn't bad? What if she was lost too and needed help?

Luna reached out to her. “Please, for me.”

“I … I promise.”

* * *

The mountains rushed past below them as they made their way south-east from Canterlot towards the marshes and forests south of the horseshoe bay.

Trixie had never flown before Luna's blood transformed her, and the thrill of gliding effortlessly through the air was enough to bring the first significant smile to her face since waking up that day. The cool night wind under her wings and in her mane was amazing. She could see why all the pegasi always seemed so spirited.

However, it was not without some relief that she spotted the marshy fields of Dappleshore. She wasn't exactly in good shape yet, and it was a long flight from Canterlot to Dappleshore. They touched down upon the hard stones of Pedigree Lane. Trixie stood for a time, staring at the barren lot of land in front of them.

Only two months ago an old mansion had stood here, now it was gone, torn down piece by piece and everything burned at Celestia's decree. Trixie had been happy to see it all gone, cleansed by the fires and forever removed from the face of Equestria. But now she worried how much had been lost in the fires. How many important answers.

Luna placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder, and together they walked across the scorched fields. Trixie felt a deep sadness as she walked in silence upon the ground where, a few months ago, she had spent her days with Twilight. Where everything had finally started to go right for her, for once in her life, only for it all to plummet to the earth like a young bird thrown out of the nest too early.

The edge of the woods came closer, and Trixie felt the sadness joined by a sense of dread. She stopped a few yards from the line of trees. “I nearly died in there, and you saved me. You gave me your blood.”

Luna didn't say anything.

“Do you think she intended to finish the job when she brought me to that hilltop?”

Luna shook her head a little. “I don't know. But if she had intended that, I don't see why she would have waited or hesitated. Whatever it is, I'm just glad you survived.”

Trixie nodded faintly. “I just wish Twilight hadn't died.”

“We all do,” Luna said and squeezed Trixie gently.

Trixie sighed deeply and looked into the darkness of the forest. With a moment to gather her nerves she walked into the woods, walking slowly among the trees. Luna followed quietly next to her. Somewhere an owl cried its eerie cry. Trixie paused and looked around as if listening to the forest around her. “Luna, do zebras have magic?”

Luna stopped and brushed her mane away from her eyes with a slight shake. “Not as such. They are much like earth ponies. Quite knowledgeable about the natural world and its herbs, including the many magical ones, of course, but no inherent magic like the unicorns. The rhinos have magic.”

“Rhinos?” Trixie quirked an eyebrow. She had admittedly never worried much about the wider world and its cultures. Maybe it was different for pegasi who could more easily travel about, but to her Equestria had always seemed very large, and the idea that there were other lands beyond its borders never really occupied her mind before.

Luna nodded, smiling. “Yes. They are very large creatures with horns on their noses. They are not as many as the zebras, and they stay mostly to themselves, but the two races do have an old relationship of sorts. Mutual respect, I suppose you could best call it.”

“I'm afraid I'm not quite up to date on this, however. Last time I spent any significant time with the zebras was thousands of years ago when I was young and Celestia sent me off on a 'diplomatic' visit. I was so bored.” Luna chuckled at the memory. “Hearing the locals talk endlessly about agriculture and herbs just didn't thrill a young princess, I suppose. I think the zebras still tell tales about that visit.”

Trixie tried to imagine all the disastrous scenarios she could involving Luna in the lands of the zebras. The silly ideas made her smile briefly as she continued her walk, dodging a few low branches.

Luna followed calmly. “Why did you ask?”

“It just occurred to me that Zecora seemed remarkably prescient about Twilight. She appeared to have concerns before anypony else noticed anything amiss. I wonder what she might have known. And why did Midnight kill her? She must have come too close to something.”

Luna nodded a little. “I doubt we'll ever know. But the lands of the zebras are steeped in old magic and dark mysteries. Perhaps she simply noticed some warning sign that we missed.”

Trixie walked on silently until Luna stopped her and pointed at the glade in front of them. “This is here. This is where I found you.”

Trixie felt an icy chill and a sudden desire to turn and run. Even now something about this forest, and this place in particular, made her feel weak.

Luna nuzzled her gently. “Don't worry, it's in the past now, and I'm here with you.”

Trixie breathed slowly and deeply, then glanced around. The rain had no doubt washed away the blood long ago, and for that she was thankful. Her eyes wandered over the large, pointy rocks strewn about the glade … like teeth.

A glimpse of white teeth in the darkness flashed in her mind, a sudden memory previously locked away in the dark depths of her mind. Trixie stumbled, but Luna caught her. Her legs trembled, and she spread her wings. “I don't want to stay here! Let's go. I've seen enough. There's nothing but bad memories here.”

Luna followed as Trixie set off in flight, rising swiftly over the canopy of the woods. They flew back towards the village, leaving the glade behind them.

* * *

The land upon which the farm had been was a dreary, depressing wasteland as Trixie and Luna touched down on the muddy, trampled ground. This was where most of Celestia's efforts had been focused. For weeks, large teams of ponies had scoured every inch of the place, dug the whole field up and carefully searched every ounce of dirt. Bones and ashes—such as could be recovered—had been gathered for burial elsewhere, while everything else had been collected, under the strict and watchful eyes of the royal guard, to be burned. For weeks the pyres had burned away, leaving only ashes and coal.

The sight of the ruined and charred fields was utterly depressing, and the thought that this was where Twilight had met her final fate made Trixie lose her breath and almost fall over in tears. Had she been alone she might have given in to the grief, but Luna's presence gave her some strength.

Trixie walked slowly between the pyres which the rain had only managed to condense into black hills dotting the landscape. Why had she come here? She had known that she would find nothing but ashes. Frustrated she sat down on the cold, wet ground and stared at the pile in front of her. Luna stood beside her, staring sadly into the ground.

Idly, Trixie began to dig in the pile of ash and coal with a large flat stone, her horn glowing stronger as a hope and a faint prayer formed somewhere in her mind.

Luna looked up with a slight start. “What are you planning?”

Trixie didn't pause. “I have to find answers!”

Luna whinnied nervously, but Trixie continued digging deeper and deeper into the pile, searching, letting her magic feel through the ashes for something … anything to restore. With a sudden rush of energy and determination she sifted through the pile, then the next one, and the next.

And there, amidst the black sludge, something emerged, a tiny fleck of burnt paper. Trixie's eyes narrowed, and beads of sweat gathered on her brow as her horn burned brightly in the night.

Luna shifted uncomfortably as paper began to grow from the tiny flake. “Celestia is going to kill us! She will kill us, and then send us both to the moon!”

But Trixie didn't listen. She smiled as she gazed upon the intact piece of paper. She turned it and tilted her head. “An envelope …” she muttered, a hint of disappointment that it wasn't more, and held it closer. It was addressed to one Gray Ashes, Buckskin Road 5, Dappleshore, and a seal had been stamped on the front. Trixie narrowed her eyes and read it out aloud.

“Hoofswell Insane Asylum.”

3. Red in Hoof and Muzzle

Luna arrived on the balcony outside her quarters back at Canterlot. It had been a long flight to Dappleshore and back, and the sun had just begun its rise above the horizon. She looked back as Trixie landed behind her. “Let me talk to her first,” Luna said as she opened the doors and stepped inside. “Also, I think it would be best if we don't mention this little trip to her, or anything about the envelope.”

Trixie nodded silently as she walked in behind Luna.

“You know what I think would be best?”

Both Luna and Trixie let out a squeak at Celestia's voice. Luna seemed to grow smaller as she turned to where the voice had come from. “S-sister! You scared us.” She tried to smile, but it didn't quite work and ended up being a rather nervous quiver instead.

Celestia stood up slowly from where she had been sitting. All her usual warmth had drained from her face, a look of disappointment rather than anger. “Every day I hope that you will talk to me. That you will come to me when there is something. I try to be your friend, I try to help you, but you continue to repay me with secrets and lies. I am truly disappointed in you, Luna.”

Luna looked down in shame.

After a long moment of silence Celestia sighed and continued. “Moving on to business, however. I received several missives not long ago from reliable sources, about a certain two ponies walking around Dappleshore digging in things best left buried. Perhaps you wish to tell me what you were doing there, and how in Equestria you could possibly believe I wouldn't know of it?”

Luna opened her mouth, but Trixie interrupted her before she could speak. “It wasn't Luna's fault. She wanted to see you first, but I didn't want to disturb your sleep. But I can explain.”

Celestia sat back down on the couch where she had been sitting before. “Then explain.”

Trixie began telling of her experiences which, unknown to her, Celestia had already heard from Luna. Celestia remained silent throughout, however, listening with a steely gaze which made Trixie uncomfortable. She tried not to show it, however, and moved on to tell of their visit to Dappleshore and the envelope she had restored from the ashes only hours ago. She held the envelope out for Celestia, but the princess didn't take it.

“I thought you knew I had everything there burned for a reason. I thought you both understood and agreed with that decision, even welcomed it,” Celestia said after a while. “Was I mistaken?”

“No. We did,” Trixie muttered. “But what's happening to me …” She paused, taking a deep breath to face Celestia, looking up to meet the princess' unflinching gaze. “I—no, we need answers. We need to know what we're dealing with. We need to understand what happened in Dappleshore, and what it means for us all. We need to understand it. And—” She broke off but quickly straightened back up and continued. “And burning those things may have been a mistake. It may have been the only place to find these answers.”

Luna nodded. “I agree. We can't afford to stay ignorant of a potential danger like this. What's done is done, but we must move to remedy our mistake before it is too late.”

Trixie gave Luna a small, thankful smile. She was glad to not stand alone in trying to convince Celestia, who remained silent. The silence made Trixie nervous, and she decided to continue, arguing with herself that she might as well plunge headlong in rather than prolong the torture. “Midnight's work is gone, even if I tried I don't think I could restore much more from those ashes this long after. But that envelope … maybe she had correspondence with somepony in that asylum. At the very least somepony there must have known about her. I need to go there. It's the only hope we have right now.”

“And I'll not let her go alone,” Luna added quickly. “Please, sister. This is important. I'm sorry we didn't come to you right away, but I swear we didn't intend to leave you out of this. I just didn't want to mention the letter and our little trip because I feared it would complicate the issue.”

Celestia sighed. “I am still disappointed that you didn't come to me immediately. You both know you can come to me any time. And—“ She paused and looked away. ”I don't think it is a good idea for you two to visit that asylum or dig in any more ashes. The knowledge you seek is too dangerous, you know this Luna. It is what led to all this in the first place, both with Nightmare Moon and now Midnight.”

Luna stood up and walked closer, narrowing her eyes at Celestia. She knew her sister well, and she knew when something was on her mind. “Sister, there's more to this than what you're telling us is there not? Who's the one hiding things now? I know this is dangerous, but ignorance is even more dangerous. And if you know something that we ought to know, then I would hope you would share it like you keep telling me to do.”

Celestia looked up, keeping her regal posture. “There are ponies there who are best left alone, in the care of their designated guardians. Not just for your sake, but for theirs as well. The ponies there are not kept like that only to keep the outside world safe from them, but also to keep them safe from the world. Visits are strongly regulated in such places, for very good reasons.”

Luna kept her eyes on Celestia, not entirely satisfied. After a while Celestia sighed in defeat. “If you must know, a pony was admitted to the Hoofswell Asylum many, many years ago. She was … much like Twilight, and has suffered immensely. She is very unstable, and I would not want to see her hurt any further. For her sake, as well as for yours, I can not allow you to go.”

Luna frowned, as she and Trixie asked almost in one voice. “Who is this pony?”

Celestia stood up and shook her head firmly. “I will say no more. I am sorry. This is too dangerous, and I will not allow you to go. And I don't want to find out again that you have been digging in things you shouldn't. And that's final. Am I making myself clear?”

Luna scowled but didn't say anything as Celestia turned and left the room.

* * *

Trixie sat down heavily on the bed. She felt exhausted like never before from the journey to Dappleshore and back, and deeply worried about the events of the past day and what awaited ahead. She wanted nothing more right now than to sleep, but the thoughts churning in her mind left her no rest.

Trixie could hear Luna hum quietly in the bathroom, her voice mixed with the gentle sounds of running water. Trixie still felt conflicted about not talking with the young Twilight in the mirror. She understood Luna's concerns, but part of her felt terrible about betraying the filly like that. How could she leave the pony she once loved all alone in the dark?

Luna poked her head back into the bedroom, a warm smile on her face as she trotted over next to Trixie. “I covered the mirror for you, dear,” she said and sat down on the bed next to Trixie, running a hoof down Trixie's back.

Trixie sighed a little at the touch. “I feel terrible. I can't stop thinking about everything, even though I think I could fall asleep standing. What are we going to do when Celestia won't let us? It won't be easy to go against her will if she's determined to keep us from digging.”

Luna leaned in close to her and kissed her neck softly. “We'll work something out, trust me. But let's worry about such things later. There will be plenty of time for that in the evening. I readied the bath for us.” Luna gave Trixie a gentle nudge and whispered in her ear, “I bet I could still show the Great and Powerful Trixie a trick or two of my own.” Trixie's old hat lifted itself off a hook nearby and settled on Luna's head.

Trixie couldn't help but give a little smirk. “Oh?”

* * *

Trixie lay on the large bed next to Luna, watching her calm breathing. She wasn't as much thinking as simply lying there, watching the mare she loved as she slept peacefully next to her. She felt exhausted, and the worry still lurked in the back of her mind. Yet simply being here with Luna, in the silence and darkness of her room, made Trixie feel better. Trixie realized just how much comfort she drew from Luna. She kissed the princess and closed her eyes with a little yawn, gently stroking Luna's soft mane as she drifted off to sleep.

Trixie wasn't sure if she had awoken or never quite fell asleep. It seemed like she had only just closed her eyes. She was sitting in the bed, her heart beating in her chest and a bitter taste of blood in her mouth. Had she bitten her tongue in her sleep? She sank and tried to calm her breathing.

The room was dark, and she could only just make out Luna's face in front of her. The princess looked—no, stared back up at her, her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide. Something wasn't right.

“Luna, dear?” Trixie whispered and rubbed Luna's shoulder with a sudden sense of panic growing in her chest. Trixie glanced down as she felt something warm and wet on her hoof. With a breathless gasp she pulled her hoof out of Luna's mane and stared at the deep crimson stain.

“No!” she cried and nearly choked as the taste of blood in her mouth and throat returned to her attention. Drops of blood fell from her lips upon the dark sheets and ran down her neck in slow streams.

“No! Luna!” she cried desperately as she shook the blood-soaked body next to her. “Somepony help me! Please help! Please … Luna, please wake up!”

* * *

“What in Equestria happened?” Celestia shut the door behind her as she stepped into the small room.

Trixie sat, rigid as a stone, staring blankly at the floor in front of her. “I-I don't know …” she whispered, her voice hoarse from screaming and crying. The taste of Luna's blood refused to leave her lips even now. “I don't know,” she repeated to herself, barely audible under her breath.

“You don't know?” Celestia stopped in front of her. The white alicorn looked like she didn't know what to make of herself, much less Trixie. “You were found screaming over my sister's body, covered in her blood! It looked like you had been trying to eat her after stabbing her repeatedly in the neck with a piece of a broken mirror! And you tell me you don't know what happened!” Celestia yelled, seemingly on the verge of exploding. It was a rare, and terrifying sight.

“Will she be alright?” Trixie couldn't think of much else. The whole castle had been in a state of panic after they had found her and Luna in the bed. Luna had been rushed to the hospital while Celestia had thrown Trixie in here to wait. She had waited alone for hours before Celestia returned, and she hadn't heard any news in that time. The only thing she wanted to know was whether Luna would make it. Nothing else mattered to her.

Celestia took a deep breath and turned around. “She will recover. Apparently your aim with that shard was terrible, and you better thank your stars for that!” Celestia stood for a few seconds as if she considered sending Trixie to some distant star, or whether she should just roast her right here, then she simply walked back out of the room and shut the door behind her without another word.

Trixie didn't move or say anything. A guard had brought her a bowl of water and some towels that she had used to clean herself up with, although it did little to get rid of the taste. The bloodied water and towels now lay in a corner behind her where she couldn't see them.

In her mind, Trixie kept hoping she'd wake up, any moment now, but she knew it wasn't going to happen. She was already awake, it hadn't been a nightmare. It had been all too real, and she had nearly killed the one she loved in her sleep.

The day passed in solitude. Trixie didn't move from where she sat. At some point a guard brought her some soup and a piece of bread, but she wasn't feeling the least bit hungry, and the soup had long since grown cold. She wondered what would happen to her. Maybe Celestia would banish her, or have her hanged, or at least lock her up somewhere. She sighed.

* * *

Celestia stopped her pacing and turned to Luna. “She nearly killed you, how can you—”

“How can you just abandon her?” Luna winced as a jab of pain shot through her neck at the agitated movement. She was half sitting in the bed at the private hospital, her neck wrapped in tight bandages which made breathing a bit of an effort and angry outburst quite painful.

Luna grit her teeth and took a few deep breaths. She wasn't feeling too good thanks to the blood loss, and getting herself riled up didn't do her any good. “Trixie needs our help and support, the last thing we want to do is abandon her to Nightmare Moon and whatever else torments her.”

Celestia stalked back and forth in front of the hospital bed. “I am simply trying to protect you, Luna. Because I couldn't bear to lose you. What if you are wrong? Can we afford the risk?” She stopped and looked down, as if what she was going to say hurt immensely. “I know you care about her, and it hurts me as well, but we may have no other options.”

Luna shot Celestia a dark gaze. “Sometimes I truly wonder how you can think the way you do, sister. She may not be your sister, but she is the mare that I love, and she deserves all the same chances that I, or anypony does. Would you not do the same for me? Or did you give up on me as quickly too?”

Celestia took a step back, a hurt look on her face.

Luna didn't look away. “Was banishment truly the last option, or did you just give up on me too like you're giving up on Trixie now? On the mare of my heart?”

“Luna, I …” Celestia whispered.

Luna lowered her eyes, unable to lower her head. “I'm sorry, sister. I know you mean well, but sometimes I worry that you judge too soon and too harshly. I know deep in my heart that Trixie would never hurt me. What she did was not of her own will, and I think we can both clearly see whose will it was.”

“Nightmare Moon has given up on me. She has found a new promising host, and I am now dead weight to her. The last thing she wants is having me around to spoil her chances with Trixie. So she tried to get rid of me. Do we want to give Nightmare Moon everything she could wish for by giving up on Trixie? Without even trying?”

Celestia merely shook her head. Luna smiled sadly and gestured for Celestia to come over. Celestia walked over and lowered her head, letting Luna wrap her hooves around her neck in a gentle hug.

“What would you have me do, Luna? It seems whatever I do, I risk everything I hold dear, and my duties as princess would never allow me to go with you. One of us has to remain behind.”

“We all do what we must, sister, and we accept the price for our actions. I brought Nightmare Moon into this world. She and every pony she torments because of me are my responsibility. If my life is the price I have to pay in the end to ensure she never threatens another pony, then I pay it gladly. Let me go with Trixie to Hoofswell, and as far beyond that as we may need to find the answers. At least give me this chance to put everything right that I have done wrong.”

Celestia closed her eyes. “I could send somepony else. There are many good ponies there who are knowledgeable in the studies of magic, and who knew Twilight too.”

Luna gently wiped a tear from Celestia's eye. “You know this is something Trixie and I have to deal with, sister. But if it helps you feel better, then I promise that we will not go alone. Twilight had good friends, perhaps they would also like to find out what really happened, and maybe get a sense of closure.”

Celestia opened her eyes, looking at something in the distance. After a moment she nodded a little. “Take Spike with you, at least. You remember Twilight's old assistant, the young dragon she raised? I want regular letters from you, twice a day at least, or I'll make sure all your flanks are properly roasted. Am I clear?”

Luna smiled and nuzzled her sister. “Of course, sister. I promise.”

* * *

Trixie moved a little, stretching her aching limbs. She had been sitting there for hours, just waiting. She glanced towards the bowl of cold soup and bread. Slowly, tiredly she reached out, lifted it up in her magic and watched it drift towards her. The soup looked simple but good, a basic vegetable soup. She stirred it a little with the spoon, then took a sip. The taste was refreshing and made her feel better, if only a little.

Trixie licked the spoon and was about to dip it back into the cold soup when she stopped mid-motion. Her eyes fixed upon the blank silver as she lifted the spoon up in front of her. A tiny lavender face peered out at her, eyes filled with sadness.

“Don't leave me here. I don't want to be alone!”

Trixie's lips trembled. “I-I'm sorry … I'm so sorry, Twilight!”

A knock on the door broke her out of her thoughts, and as she blinked the vision in the spoon vanished. The door opened, and a guard stepped in and bowed to her. “Princess Luna awaits you in the hospital, Your Highness. She wishes to see you.”

* * *

Trixie spent the rest of the evening and night with Luna, who told her of the agreement with Celestia. She slept in the hospital where she felt a little safer knowing others were around.

Despite tossing and turning, the day passed without nightmares. The following evening the doctors reluctantly allowed Luna to leave, although insisting that she take it easy for a couple of days. Luna herself assured them that she was feeling fine.

Celestia came by as much as her duties would allow, but remained silent throughout. It seemed as if a heavy weight hung upon her shoulders, making her appear smaller and older than Trixie had ever seen the princess of the sun before.

As they prepared to leave that evening, Celestia came down to say farewell. It felt to Trixie as if they would never see her again, and she felt a tightness in her throat as the carriage set off towards Ponyville, the figure of Celestia growing smaller and smaller behind them.

4. Old Friends and Old Wounds

The flight to Ponyville was much shorter than the one to Dappleshore, but Trixie was nonetheless happy to make the journey aboard the royal carriage. Luna even more so with her injuries. They didn't speak much during the ride. Instead, Trixie found her gaze drifting off and her mind wandering while staring blankly at the fields passing by below her.

She was so deep in thought that she barely noticed when they landed, and jumped a little when Luna gently nudged her. “I think it's best if we arrive on hoof. We get less attention that way,” Luna said as they got out and thanked the two pegasi pulling the carriage.

Trixie watched them fly away, leaving the two alone on the small path winding towards Ponyville. Luna adjusted Trixie's cloak a little for her. They had decided it was best to wear a simple set of traveling cloaks to draw less attention. The clothes didn't exactly hide their identity from any ponies who decided to look closely, but it would hopefully prevent too many from doing so.

“Luna, can I ask you something?” Trixie asked quietly as they began walking slowly down the path.

Luna nodded, turning her head to smile at Trixie. “Of course. Anything.”

Trixie paused. For a while now the image of the purple filly all alone and lost in the darkness had been one of the primary thoughts occupying her mind. “I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but I have been wondering what it was like to be alone on the moon. A thousand years, that's not something I can really imagine. It must have been horrible.”

Luna smiled sadly and glanced up at the sky. “It wasn't easy, but it wasn't as terrible as it may sound either. There's a reason the legends speak of Celestia imprisoning me in the moon, not on the moon. I didn't sit there all alone for a thousand years among barren rocks and dust. It was more like,” she paused to think, “like a long, mostly dreamless sleep.”

“And when I woke up, at least to a mind unclouded by Nightmare Moon's influence, I was back here in Equestria, and my sister was there. I don't even remember anything of what I did as Nightmare Moon after our return. The hardest part came after her hold on me was broken. There was a lot I had to get used to, a lot of loss and changes.” Luna looked down a little sadly at the dusty road.

Trixie nodded a little to herself, eyes on her hooves. “So you don't remember anything?”

“I remember when I became Nightmare Moon the first time, what led me there, and what followed. I remember what I did before my banishment, and I remember some early dreams during the first decades of imprisonment. They were all filled with so much anger.“

She sighed deeply. ”But after awhile I suppose my mind just fell dormant, and Nightmare Moon's hold on me strengthened until, even when we were released, I remained sleeping until the Elements broke the spell.”

“You say Nightmare Moon was in control, and you said earlier that you suspect she may have been passed to me with your blood. Who or what exactly is Nightmare Moon?” Trixie asked, finding herself wondering about so many things lately.

Luna's ears drooped, a look of shame. “I was always the more magically adept of me and my sister, and perhaps I could have defeated her back then. In a one on one match certainly. Maybe not now since she's had a thousand years while I slumbered, but before that. Contrary to popular belief I did not need Nightmare Moon in order to oppose my sister.”

“But I had no desire to fight anypony, much less Celestia. My only wish was to have a friend. I may have had the magic, but she always had the friends.” Luna smiled a little sadly. “And as Twilight would have told me, magic isn't much without the friends.”

The sun still cast a lazy glow over the road in the early evening. Luna was silent for a while before continuing. “So I found a friend. Or she found me. Perhaps it was a little of both. There are … things out there beyond the stars. Things even older than my sister and I.”

Trixie looked up at her. “I thought you and your sister created the sun and moon and all the stars.”

Luna stopped and shook her head. “Heavens no! I don't even control the stars, they're just a sort of backdrop. We are as much part of the world as you and everypony else. I don't know who or what created it all, and it is not wise to dwell on such things.”

“We are as old as the sun and the moon respectively; we are their children in a way. As far as we know, we have no other parents. But there are much older things that came before, and we have no special power over these things. Still, there are certainly ancient and forbidden magics born from the secret studies of these alien things.”

“When I felt lonely and unappreciated as a young mare, I studied these things to fill the void. I do not claim to understand all of it; I don't know if anypony could really claim such a thing, but I know it has a way of … taking over. It is dangerous to study because it is so easy to lose control, and then—” She sighed.

“I don't know exactly what went wrong back then, but I lost control, and what I thought would be a friend turned out to be a Nightmare who wanted a lot more than just a friend. I can not say what she truly is, other than the product of a lonely mind seeking a friend in all the wrong places.”

* * *

Ponyville seemed somehow different from what Trixie recalled of her first visit, long ago. It was as if some part of its spirit had wilted away. Superficially it looked the same, with ponies trotting about, busy with their daily chores, but underneath lurked a sense of loss, of something that could never be replaced.

Luna came to a halt, and Trixie looked up at the large, hollow tree housing the library and once home of Twilight. Celestia had said Twilight's old assistant still worked here, but it looked closed. Luna knocked a few times while Trixie took a peek through a window. “I don't think anypony is home. Did Celestia say where else he might be?”

Luna shook her head and knocked again a little harder, but still no reply came.

There was a screech as of something dragging against the gravel before coming to a stop. “Hey! What's up?” They turned to the young orange pegasus who was standing on a scooter surrounded by a small cloud of dust from her sudden stop. The filly tilted her head, then gave a smile of recognition. “Princess Luna, Trixie! I thought it was you under those cloaks. What are you doing here in Ponyville?”

Luna smiled and walked over to the young pegasus. “Scootaloo? It is good to see you. We were just looking for Spike, but it seems he is not here.”

“Well of course he's not here now, it's late! He's probably on the apple farm with Applejack. I can show you the way if you think you can keep up?” The filly grinned.

“If it isn't too much trouble,” Luna smiled.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “I was going there anyway. Rainbow Dash promised she'd teach me some new tricks tonight.” She got back on her scooter and set off on the beating of wings. “You better keep up!”

Trixie set off after her, followed by Luna. “So, how have you been?”

Scootaloo raced down the street, moving in and out between ponies who turned to watch the three, some shaking their hooves at the little speedster. “I'm cool. I mean …” She frowned but kept her focus on the road ahead. ”I really miss Sweetie Belle and Twilight, but it's been crazy since they … you know. I sure don't want to end up like some of the others. But Rainbow Dash has been totally cool and helped me a lot.”

“Some of the others?” Luna called, having to raise her voice a little to make sure she was heard over the rushing wind.

The orange pegasus winced. “Yeah. Just saying you should probably avoid Pinkie Pie if you ever drop by Sugarcube Corner. She’s gone complete loco, and Rarity lost it too after what happened to her sister. She's gone and locked herself up in her boutique. I saw her through a window once, and she looked awful.” She shivered and had to narrowly evade a cart full of carrots parked on the side of the road. “I miss them too, but moping won't bring them back. That's what Rainbow Dash says. She and Applejack are the only two who’s kept their cool.”

“What about Fluttershy?” Trixie remembered the yellow pegasus she had met back in the royal gardens. “Do you know her?”

Scootaloo shrugged. “I barely ever see her anymore. Always on her way somewhere else now. I guess she’s doing well enough, if only she would stop and rest.”

* * *

“Hey, Scoot! Up here!” A rainbow blur descended from the sky over the apple orchards. “Who—Oh, it's you!” Rainbow Dash came to a halt in front of them and gave Trixie a cold stare.

Scootaloo stopped and smiled, then glanced between Rainbow Dash and Trixie. “Uh, yes, this is Princess Luna and—”

“I remember her!” Rainbow Dash muttered. “The worthless showmare who humiliated us all and ran off with our best friend.”

Trixie frowned. “Well, I certainly feel welcome now.”

“Well, you're not!” Rainbow Dash flew in between Trixie and Scootaloo, puffing up her chest defiantly. “And if you think you can come here and use your devil charms on any more of my friends, then you better think again!”

Scootaloo tried to get around Rainbow Dash. “Hey, Rainbow Dash, calm down. She's cool. Trixie saved me and Apple Bloom, remember?”

“Well, I don't trust her! I can't believe Twilight would run off with somepony like her!”

Trixie felt the anger rise inside her, like a dark fire eating away at her. A sudden urge to shut the pegasus up, maybe for good, reared itself. She took a step forward, but paused. No, that wasn't like her at all. But she wasn't going to let her get away so easily either.

Trixie smirked and gave the other mare a taunting look. “Oh? You think she should have run off with somepony else? Is that it?”

“Calm down, dear,” Luna said quietly, placing a hoof on Trixie's shoulder. “We didn't come to fight. Just let it lie.”

Trixie felt the fires dim a little, but she couldn't stop now. She had to show this fool. “I bet you're jealous!”

Rainbow Dash stared at Trixie with malice. “Oh, that's it! You better take that back, you—”

Rainbow's words were cut short as a lasso wrapped around her body and pulled her out of the air. “What in tarnation is all this yelling about out here?” They all turned to Applejack who was coming towards them, carrying Spike on her back. “Well?”

Luna stepped up quickly before Rainbow Dash or Trixie could speak. “I'm really sorry, Miss. It seems our arrival opened a few old wounds.”

Applejack paused, then quickly bowed and gave Rainbow Dash a stare.

Rainbow Dash just sat down and crossed her hooves over her chest in a defiant posture.

“Well, if I had known y'all was comin’, Princess, I would have chained up Rainbow here in the barn first. I'm mighty sorry for that, but Twilight's death has been hard on us all.”

Luna smiled and gave Trixie a little nudge. Trixie forced a small smile while her eyes were engaging in a war of stares with Rainbow Dash.

Luna sighed and rubbed her head with a hoof. “They're like little fillies.”

Applejack laughed. “You have no idea! But shoot, I wish I had been warned y'all was comin’.”

“Celestia didn't send a letter?” Luna asked.

“Only just now,” Applejack gave a nod at the dragon on her back, who had been busy watching the raging battle of stares between Rainbow Dash and Trixie.

Spike looked up. “Oh, yes, the letter.” He fumbled a bit before holding up a scroll bearing the royal seal. ”It only said she wanted me to go with you on some journey.”

Applejack nodded. “It was a might sparse on details, if y'all don't mind me sayin’ it. What’s this all about, exactly?”

“Trixie and I are going to visit Hoofswell, specifically its asylum. There may be somepony there who can help us shed some much needed light on what happened with Twilight. We promised Celestia we would take others with us, in particular Spike to keep her updated along the way.”

Rainbow Dash jumped up. “What? I knew it! You're just here to take more of our friends away! Well, I'm not—”

Applejack grabbed her tail and pulled her back down. “Will you calm down, sugarcube!” She gave her a firm look before turning back to Luna and Trixie. “Y'all sure you want to go diggin’ in that old mess? I mean, there's no reason to dwell on the past and all. What's done is done.”

Luna nodded. “We are certain. There are questions we need answered, and we would appreciate both the company and help if you would join us. You were Twilight's closest friends.”

Rainbow Dash scowled. “I'm not going anywhere! I promised Scoot here I'd look after her, and I never let a friend down.” She glanced at Trixie, leaving the obvious accusation unspoken. Trixie was about to reply but closed her mouth as both Luna and Applejack gave her a cold stare.

Applejack shook her head. “I'm mighty sorry to say I can't go either. I have my sister Apple Bloom to look after, and this one,” she gave Rainbow a poke, “ain't much better. But I'm sure Spike would be happy to get away for a while, and I could use one less head to keep count of.”

Spike looked between Luna and Trixie. “If Celestia wants me to go, then I will go. And I'd do anything for Twilight, even though … even though she's gone.” The dragon looked down sadly, but then looked back up as if remembering something. “Oh, but you have to take Rarity too!”

“Why, shoot, I nearly forgot about her,” Applejack exclaimed. “And Pinkie Pie. We've been trying for weeks to get those two out of their holes, but they're more stubborn than a pair of mules. If y'all could take ‘em with you, I reckon that'd do 'em some good.”

“Yes, that's the spirit! Let's give up on all our friends and send them off to some far off place when they become a burden. That's what friends do,” Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Will you get over yourself, Rainbow! You tried your best with Pinkie, but you know it ain't workin’. Some fresh air and new sights will do her good, I'm sure. Rarity too, she really needs to get out of there and stop bein’ such a burden on poor Fluttershy.”

* * *

Trixie followed behind as Luna stepped inside Ponyville's bakery with Spike riding on her back. Trixie didn't recall ever meeting Pinkie Pie, but her letters to Twilight had always been the most colorful of the lot. Trixie wasn't sure what to expect, given what they had heard.

There was a clatter as a plump, rose-maned pony dropped a plate of cakes with a gasp. “Y-your Majesties!” she stammered and bowed. “What can we do for such esteemed guests?”

Luna smiled politely. “Good evening. I hear a Miss Pinkie Pie lives here? Is she available this evening?”

Mrs. Cake's ears drooped. “Oh … oh my. I-I'll try to make her presentable, Your Highness. Just give me some time.”

Luna shook her head. “Don't worry yourself, my good pony. We simply wish to talk with her. We hope she will consider coming with us on a little trip.”

The baker blinked, then looked as if some realization dawned on her. “Oh … oh!” She looked down sadly at the cakes on the floor. “Has it … really come to that? Dearest me. I promised to take care of her, but heavens know it hasn't been easy. And now … well, we almost had to close the shop when she began scaring all the customers away. Maybe it'll be for her best.”

Luna looked confused, but Trixie quickly stepped up. “We are terribly sorry, Ma’am. We promise that Miss Pie will get all the help she needs, you have our word. The Hoofswell Asylum has a long reputation for helping cases like these, and perhaps once she's feeling better she can return to you.”

Luna nodded a little slowly. “Er, yes. Perhaps you would tell us where we can find her, and we'll go talk to her.”

Mrs. Cake sniffed and sighed. “If you're sure. She's in her room, just up those stairs.” She pointed at a flight of stairs. “Please, she's … not been herself lately.”

* * *

“You know, I almost wish that thing about putting Pinkie in an asylum wasn't a big fat lie you just gave Mrs. Cake,” Spike said as they ascended the stairs.

Trixie raised an eyebrow at the dragon. “Why is that?”

Spike shivered as he peeked out over Luna's head. He didn't get to respond as Luna stopped and knocked on the door in front of them. “Miss Pinkie Pie?”

The door opened with a creak and a single cyan eye peeked out through the slight crack. Her deep pink hair hung around the face like a wet blanket, and her equally pink coat seemed dull and messy. Worst was the joyless face and the blank stare meeting them.

Trixie felt a slight shiver. For a second she thought at least it couldn't get any more uncomfortable, but she was wrong. The eye glanced over them once, twice, then lit up. The joyless face seemed to twist and contort in front of their eyes as a rather deranged smile formed on her lips. Spike shivered and buried himself in Luna's mane while Trixie took a slight step back.

The door opened fully, and the pink pony stepped out. “There you are! I'm so happy you could make it!” She dragged them both through the door and shut it behind them. Once inside, the pink pony shoved them each a glass of punch and ushered them through the room to a table completely overflowing with sweets and colorful decorations.

Trixie and Luna could only stare in disbelief at the room. It was at once an utter mess and done up with more decorations than would be fitting for the whole town. Balloons, streamers, confetti, silly hats, flowers, and an endless supply of sweets which all worked to create an overpowering scent. Around the table were placed chairs, most of which were occupied by everything from a bag of flour to a stack of rocks, all wearing party hats.

One chair and its occupant drew immediate attention, however. Placed at the end of the table, evidently the “guest of honor”, was a large ragged doll in the likeness of a lavender unicorn. Bits of hay stuck out of her here and there, and it looked like she had been crudely pieced together from old bags by a highly unskilled hoof. The guest sitting on the chair opposite the doll was almost as odd; it was in fact a small alligator staring back at them with indifference.

Pinkie Pie walked around the table, pulling out chairs for them on each side of the Twilight doll. Evidently she had expected guests. “Have a seat! We'll have so much fun! Aren't you happy to see them too, Twilight?”

The pink pony stuck a hoof out and made the doll nod enthusiastically. “Why yes! Yes, I've missed you two so much!”

Luna sat down slowly, and Trixie followed. The two shared a look. “Uh … yes.” Luna struggled a bit to find words. “How have you been, Pinkie?”

Pinkie stopped and flinched. “I'm great! And Twilight is great! We're having a delightful party! Aren't we?” She shoved them a pair of cherry cupcakes and looked at them with her big, deranged eyes.

Luna winced and put the cupcake down. “Pinkie … maybe we could … go outside?”

“I'm not going anywhere!” The pink pony stared at them maniacally, but it quickly returned to the deranged grin from before. “We're having a wonderful party here for our friend, Twilight. It's her big, special party, isn't it Twilight?”

Again the doll nodded in agreement.

“Pinkie—” Luna tried to keep eye contact with the other pony, but it was admittedly difficult to not look away from those crazed eyes. “Pinkie, Twilight, she's … dead. Twilight is dead.”

The deranged smile vanished from Pinkie's face, and she stared at Luna. “She most certainly is not! She's sitting right here.” The doll nodded. “It's not very nice to joke about such things. Not fun at all!”

Luna opened her mouth again, but Trixie stopped her. She leaned in and whispered to Luna. “Let me handle this. I have an idea.” Grabbing a silly hat, of which there were plenty, Trixie subtly covered her horn to conceal her magic as she reached out to control the doll next to her, like she had done so many times before with her puppets in her later shows.

The stuffed Twilight moved a little and spoke. “Hey, Pinkie …”

The pink pony turned and blinked, staring at the puppet.

Trixie winked at Luna and pretended to take a drink while Twilight spoke. “I just had an idea! Let's go on an adventure, it'll be fun! Just like we used to do, Pinkie.”

“But … Twilight, your party? I made it just for you.”

“And it's been a great party, Pinkie! You always throw the best parties, you know. But this'll be fun too, and we can have lots of other parties when we get back. What do you say, Pinkie?”

Pinkie shuffled her hooves a little. “Can Gummy come too?”

Trixie blinked, having no clue who Gummy was. Twilight nodded slowly. “Uh … sure, the more the merrier they say! Why don't you and … Gummy go ahead with the princesses, and I'll catch up with you later? I have a few, er, things I need to do first.”

The deranged grin returned as Pinkie scooped up the pet alligator and headed for the stairs. “You heard the guest of honor, come on! We're going to have an adventure!”

As Pinkie disappeared down the stairs, Spike looked out from Luna's mane where he had been hiding. “That was pretty cool! I can't believe she fell for it.”

Trixie grinned and puffed her chest up proudly, giving the dragon a haughty laugh. “O ye of little faith, like there could ever be any doubt. The Great and Powerful Trixie is not called Great and Powerful for nothing!”

Spike rolled his eyes while Luna snickered, pulling the silly hat off Trixie's head and giving her a small dash on the nose with it. “You know, I almost missed the Great and Powerful Trixie.”

* * *

Pinkie walked along with Gummy the alligator lounging on her back. Everypony they passed stopped and stared at the deranged pony and her pet, many of them taking a few steps away.

Trixie gave Luna a skeptical glance. If they had hoped to avoid attention, they just failed big time. “I'm having serious second thoughts about taking this pony with us.”

Luna smiled. “I know, but we promised Celestia we'd take others with us, and she was Twilight's friend. Maybe we should just give her a chance, don't you think?”

Trixie nodded, not at all convinced. “So where to next?”

Spike pointed down the road. “We need to get Rarity, but she's locked herself up in her shop for weeks now, and I don't think she ever gets out at all.”

Luna looked over her shoulder at the dragon. “She doesn't come out at all?”

“Nope. She only lets Fluttershy in. That poor pegasus comes by every day with food and such. Works herself to the bone to support Rarity now that Rarity isn't selling any clothes.”

Trixie paused. “Fluttershy? I met her in the royal gardens. If she can talk to Rarity, then why don't we go to her first? If nothing else, I think she would be a more useful addition to our party than—” She glanced at Pinkie who was walking up ahead. “You know what I mean.”

Luna nodded. “Sounds like a good idea to me. Do you know where Fluttershy is, Spike?”

Spike scratched his chin thoughtfully. “She might be at her cottage, if she's not working.”

“Alright, show the way then, Spike,” Luna said and set off.

* * *

Fluttershy's cottage lay nestled among the fields and woods on the outskirts of Ponyville. The idyllic little home seemed warm and welcoming as the group trotted up the path towards it. The sun was just beginning to set, casting a red glow over the landscape. Here and there a chicken clucked, birds chirped, and bunnies frolicked in the tall grass. A few windows in the cottage were open, and a thin line of smoke rose from the chimney.

“Seems like we're in luck,” Trixie said as she glanced around.

Luna nodded and stopped at the front door. She raised a hoof and was about to knock when a voice called out behind them.

“Hello there, can I help you?” A pink unicorn with purple mane smiled at them from inside the chicken pen where she had been working. As they turned she gasped and quickly bowed. “Oh dear, I'm sorry Your Majesties. I had no idea it was you.”

Luna smiled. “There is no need to apologize. We were hoping to find Fluttershy. Is she home?”

“Yes, Your Highness. She just returned not long ago. Poor thing works so hard.” The unicorn dusted herself off and stepped out of the chicken pen. “Follow me.” She opened the door and stepped inside. “Fluttershy, dearest?”

Luna and Trixie followed her inside and looked around while Pinkie ran off to chase a squirrel. The cottage looked neat and tidy, and a small pot was bubbling merrily on the stove. In front of it stood Fluttershy, holding a wooden spoon in her mouth and swaying slightly with her head drooped near the floor. She snored a little as the unicorn spoke, then blinked and dropped the spoon. “Oh … uh … oh my … Sparkler? Is that you?”

Sparkler, the unicorn, gasped and ran up to the sleepy pegasus. “Oh dear, come here.” She led Fluttershy over to the couch and made her sit down. “Don't you worry yourself about dinner. I'll take care of that. You just relax and talk to our esteemed guests.” She turned to Luna and Trixie, smiling nervously. “Please forgive Fluttershy. She works so hard now that our poor friend Rarity can't support herself.”

Luna smiled. “Actually, that is partly why we came.” She turned to Fluttershy who was now sitting on the couch, nodding to herself. “Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy jerked her head and blinked at them. “Uh …?” She rubbed her eyes and looked at them, then gasped and bowed, causing her to tumble down the couch. “Oh my … I'm so, so sorry!” After a few seconds of scrambling about, and some help from Sparkler, she pulled herself up off the floor.

Trixie gave the pegasus a worried look.

Luna looked concerned as well. “I think we'll cut to the chase. We need your help to get Rarity out of her house so she can come with us on a small journey. We hope it would help her.”

Trixie nodded and added with a smile, “And we'd love to have you come with us as well, if you like. You could really use the vacation, I'd say.” Their meeting earlier had been brief, but Trixie already felt that she liked the shy but hard working pegasus a lot.

Sparkler clapped her hooves enthusiastically. “A great idea! And don't you worry about your cottage or all your little animal friends. If it means you and poor Rarity get some rest, then I'll gladly take care of them while you're away. That's what friends are for, after all!”

“Anything … for my friend Rarity. Where, um, where are we going? Can Angel come too?” Fluttershy yawned, swaying on the couch as she tried to stay awake.

Trixie gnawed on her lip. After Pinkie Pie and her crazy alligator she could only imagine who or what Angel was. She nodded a bit. “Sure. We're traveling to Hoofswell. We hope there's somepony there who can help us find out what happened with Twilight. Pinkie Pie and her friend Gummy are also coming.”

Fluttershy's head drooped again. “Oh … that sounds good.”

Trixie looked at Luna and Sparkler. “Maybe we should let her sleep first. She can hardly sit up, much less walk.”

Fluttershy swayed dangerously, then jerked up and shook her head. “No no, I … I'm fine,” she mumbled and stood up shakily. “A little fresh air and … and I'll be fresh as, uh, as a daisy.”

They all watched with concern as the pegasus staggered out of the door, calling for Angel in between long yawns. Luna sighed. “I suppose she can sleep later. Thank you for your help, Miss Sparkler.”

Sparkler bowed. “Of course, Your Highness. I really hope this will do her and Rarity some good. It pains me to see old friends like that.”

* * *

Fluttershy knocked on the door to Rarity's boutique. “Rarity? It's me—” She let out a long, quiet yawn “—Fluttershy,” she finished and knocked again.

A curtain on the second floor was pulled apart just enough for a single azure eye to peek out for a second, scanning the area. Fluttershy looked up and waved.

Trixie watched Fluttershy from where they were hiding, out of sight of the windows, waiting for the signal. They had decided that the best thing to do was to not let Rarity see them, lest she decide not to let any of them in.

There was a faint click from the door, and Fluttershy winked as she opened the it. Trixie and Luna, with Spike on her back and Pinkie trotting along behind, hurried off and slipped in behind Fluttershy.

Trixie looked around at the closed fashion shop. She remembered the local fashion designer well, both from her first visit to Ponyville and from her letters to Twilight during the time in Dappleshore. Everything bore the touch of a mind obsessed with cleanliness, despite the room looking abandoned.

Fluttershy pointed a hoof at the stairs, and they ascended in silence. The pegasus paused at the top and bit her lip nervously “I-I don't know if I can convince her. I've tried before, but she won't listen to me.”

Luna smiled at her. “Just try your best, Fluttershy. We are here to help.”

Fluttershy nodded and reached out for the door. She paused. “Um … watch where you step, and don't, uh, don't mind the cats.”

Trixie quirked an eyebrow and looked at Luna who looked back with concern. Trixie walked in behind Fluttershy as she opened the door and stepped in.

“Rarity? Are you in here?”

Several eyes turned to stare at them in the gloom.

Trixie stopped and looked at the wall of unblinking eyes. “Cats … no kidding,” she uttered under her breath as she scanned the horde of felines dotting every inch of the room. Luna and Spike blinked nervously while Pinkie put on her most deranged smile … or rather left it on as she took in the room.

Rarity sat in front of a large mirror, dressed in a black dress and holding in her lap a white cat with a purple bow in its hair. She stroked the cat gently while staring blankly into the mirror. Her dress and grooming was as Trixie remembered it—perfect—but nothing could hide the ragged, crazed look of somepony who had obviously not slept for far too long, much less been outside in the fresh air and sun.

She looked up as they entered. When she saw them all, her eyes widened and she jumped up, pointing an accusing hoof at Fluttershy. “Traitor! You have led these hounds into our midst! How could you?”

Luna and Trixie shared looks again. This day was by far one of the more interesting they had ever experienced.

Fluttershy shook her head vigorously. “No no, please … I-I'm your friend. You remember Luna, and Spike, and … and Pinkie. We just want to help.”

“No! You will not have us! Stay back, curs! Back, I say!”

Trixie almost expected foam to form around the cat lady's muzzle.

“Please … please stop yelling,” Fluttershy cried.

Trixie frowned and stepped up next to Fluttershy to face Rarity. “Will you calm down and stop scaring your friend! We just—” Her voice broke and her eyes snapped to something in the large mirror behind Rarity. A little violet unicorn was staring out at her, large tears sparkling in her eyes. But there was something else there. Trixie couldn't see it, but she knew something was there, a lurking shadow in the corner.

Rarity stared at Trixie with wild eyes, pointing a hoof shakily. “You! We will drive you off, you dirty, dirty mongrels, yes we will! Back with you! Back!”

Trixie opened her mouth, but that was about all she got to do as all the eyes in the room turned to her. In a cacophony of cries and hisses all the cats launched themselves at her with tiny claws bared. Trixie stumbled and fell with a cry as the mass of fur and claws descended upon her, scratching mercilessly.

Trixie screamed and flailed wildly, but the cats were far too many. “Help! Somepony get these things off of me!”

Luna and Spike fought to get through the mass of fur and claws, but little did it help.

“You. Stop. Right now! All of you!”

Trixie blinked and batted away a few cats from her face. Total silence fell over the room as all cats and ponies alike stopped dead in their tracks and stared at Fluttershy, whose eyes suddenly seemed to draw in all attention as if the world had decided to revolve around those two orbs of unflinching cyan.

Fluttershy lifted herself off the floor and flew straight at Rarity who visibly shrank under her old friend’s gaze. “How dare you! Of all the ponies! I don't care how sad you are—”

Rarity opened her mouth, but Fluttershy wasn't done yet.

“No, not one word! You do not hurt your own friends! Do you hear me? Now, you go apologize to Trixie, and then you march right out of here, Missy. We're going on a trip, and you're coming with us! You got that?”

Rarity gulped. “W-what about my cats?”

Fluttershy didn't move her eyes from Rarity. “I am sure Sparkler will find good homes for them all.”

“Can I … can I at least take Opalescence with me?” Rarity looked beyond miserable as she sat there, small and cowering before Fluttershy.

“Yes, you can take Opal with you, but no other cats. Now, apologize to Miss Trixie.”

Trixie scowled as she stood up. She had scratches everywhere from all the tiny, sharp claws.

Rarity walked over to Trixie with lowered head, Opalescence on her back looking just as sad. “I'm terribly, terribly sorry!”

Trixie closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. “Apology accepted. Don't let it happen again,” she half whispered. “And keep your little monster away from me!”

Rarity trotted out of the room. Pinkie followed her out with a confused look while Luna hurried over to Trixie. “Are you alright, dear? How hurt are you?”

Trixie looked down at her bloodied coat and winced. “I'll need a bath before we go anywhere, but I'll survive. If I get any scars, I swear I will turn that cat green!” She gave the mirror a nervous glance, but it was empty now. She stood for a second before she turned around.

* * *

Trixie stepped back out of the boutique, glad to feel the fresh air, and even more glad to be away from all the mirrors in there. The sun had set by now, and while Trixie was washing her wounds Luna had brought out the moon to begin the night.

Fluttershy, meanwhile, had taken all of Rarity's cats to her cottage where hopefully Sparkler would find a home for them. Trixie thought of poor Sparkler and decided that she wouldn't blame the unicorn if she simply dumped all the cats off in the Everfree Forest. Or a lake.

She sighed to herself and looked over the group as it gathered outside the shop. Her and Luna, Spike the dragon, the deranged party pony with her toothless alligator, the insane cat lady and her cat—thankfully just one cat—and finally Fluttershy with her scowling bunny. No doubt it too didn't much like cats, or alligators, no matter however toothless.

At least she had come to like Fluttershy, especially after the little display in the boutique.

Trixie shook her head and leaned in close to Luna, whispering in her ear. “We're a traveling circus. I dare say a freak show! Fitting that we should be traveling to an insane asylum. Are you sure you're not secretly intending to dump us all off there? I wouldn't blame you.”

Luna chuckled and winked at her.

“This is going to be a long trip …” Trixie sighed.

5. Net Lift

Canterlot drifted by far below as the balloon rose steadily upwards towards the snowy peaks in the distance. It was in the middle of the night before they had managed to take off from Ponyville in the old hot-air balloon. Fluttershy had been first in the balloon, rolling up in the bottom of the basket along with Angel and promptly falling asleep. Rarity and Opal had quietly followed along with Spike, while Luna ensured that they had a basic supply of food.

Everything was going well until Pinkie began to complain that they couldn't leave without Twilight. She had stubbornly refused to get in the balloon without Twilight. It had taken a long time, and a lot of talking on Trixie's part, to make her come along. In the end, Trixie had managed to convince Pinkie that Twilight had gone ahead and they had to find her, that this was what the adventure was about. This seemed to work for Pinkie, and it didn't feel like a complete lie to Trixie as she thought of the filly in the mirror, feeling her heart sink in her chest.

And then to top it off, it had turned out the balloon was too small for them all to sit comfortably in it. With Fluttershy snoozing away it had fallen on Luna and Trixie to take turns flying next to it. Luna had taken the first turn, suggesting Trixie write the first letter to Celestia to let her know that they were—finally—on their way to Hoofswell.

Trixie sighed as she looked up from the letter. Both Fluttershy and Spike were soundly asleep, while Rarity and Pinkie were leaning over the edge of the basket to view the landscape below. Angel meanwhile hid behind Fluttershy to avoid the hungry-looking cat, and Gummy was happily nibbling at Spike's tail.

Trixie shook her head and looked back down as she wrote. The letter was getting a bit long, but Trixie needed something to take her mind off things, and she wasn't in a rush anyway to wake the sleeping dragon so he could send it.

Luna could only fly for brief stretches at a time before her wounds forced her to rest, so Trixie spent most of the night on the wing. It was a long and cold flight as the balloon rose high above the clouds, but Trixie pushed on. As the first rays of dawn burst forth, they had left the Neighagra Falls behind them. A vast tundra stretched out to the east and west as far as the eyes could see, and the imposing Crystal Mountains loomed ahead.

Trixie felt herself starting to wear out and struggled not to sag behind the balloon. “Is Fluttershy awake yet? I could use a rest,” she called to Luna.

Luna poked her head up from the basket. “No. Should I wake her?”

Trixie flew closer to the balloon, looking forward to a few hours of rest. “Yes, please. I don't think I could fly much longer.”

Luna nodded and disappeared back into the basket. A moment later a yellow and pink head peeked out over the edge of the basket.

Trixie smiled at her. “Good morning, Fluttershy.”

The pegasus' eyes widened, and with a squeak she vanished back into the balloon.

Trixie blinked and glanced down at the landscape below but couldn't see anything dangerous. “What's wrong?” she called.

Luna looked back up. “It would appear that our pegasus friend is afraid of heights.”

“You're kidding me?” Trixie flew closer and held on to the outside of the balloon, looking over the edge. Fluttershy was huddled together in the bottom, shivering at the hooves of the others. Trixie sighed. “It's alright, Fluttershy. Surely you've flown before?”

“But it's so … high!” the quivering pegasus whispered. Angel stomped his paw at Fluttershy, but she just rolled up even tighter. “I-I can't. I just can't!” The bunny slapped his paw against his face with a hopeless expression.

Trixie was tempted to do the same, but resisted. She took a look around. “What then? I can't fly much longer, nor can you,” she said directed at Luna. “Sooner or later we'll both have to sleep.”

Luna leaned over the edge, looking down at the land below. “Only one solution. We need to find a place to land for the day.”

* * *

The balloon touched down heavily in a small glade surrounded by sparse trees, and everypony got out. Fluttershy and Rarity seemed happy to have firm ground beneath their hooves, while Pinkie was already off exploring the area.

Trixie landed with a sigh. “Do you think it's safe for both of us to rest and leave the others on their own? They don't seem entirely stable, if you know what I mean,” she asked quietly.

Luna looked around before shaking her head. “No, I suppose not. I don't think this land is safe either. It's probably good that we're only here during the day.”

“It isn’t anything like the Everfree Forest, is it?” Trixie glanced nervously at the trees around them. She had never truly been to the Everfree Forest, but the stories about that place were plenty enough.

Luna shook her head again. “No, but we are close to the Crystal Mountains. This area is sparsely populated and not well explored. In any case,” Luna said as she pulled out some of the food they had brought along, “I can stay awake a few more hours while you get some rest, then we can switch.”

Trixie hesitated. “Are you sure? How is your neck?”

Luna smiled. “Don't worry about me, dear. I'll be fine. It's you who has been flying almost non-stop all night.”

Trixie nodded and crawled into the basket where she curled up under some blankets they had brought with them. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

* * *

Trixie woke at a gentle nudging. She groaned and turned to look up at Luna, blinking and holding up a hoof to shield against the sharp light of the sun behind the princess. “How long have I slept?”

Luna rubbed her eyes tiredly. “About four hours. I think the others are getting a little restless, and I could really use some sleep myself.” She glanced at the others nearby.

Trixie sighed and got up slowly, stretching herself as she stood up and looked around the glade. Pinkie and Rarity seemed to be having an improvised tea party with Gummy, Opal and a very displeased Angel, as well as a few “guests” made of twigs and stones. Fluttershy was sitting nearby, watching the butterflies dance in the sunlight. “Where's Spike?”

Luna looked around. “He's taking a walk. I told him to stay within sight of the camp, but I saw him not long ago.”

Trixie nodded, though a little concerned. “You know, it occurs to me that this whole plan was rather poorly thought out. They're awake while we sleep, but they can't be left on their own.”

Luna sighed and lowered her head. “It isn't exactly the greatest arrangement, but to be fair I hadn't planned on making any stops in the middle of the frozen north. I thought the balloon was big enough, and who would have guessed that the pegasus was afraid of heights?”

“We're off to a great start,” Trixie smiled and nuzzled Luna gently. “Don't worry. Get some rest. I'll keep an eye on everypony in the meantime.”

Luna smiled and kissed her before crawling into the basket. “Good day, then, my dear.”

Trixie stifled a yawn as she got out of the balloon. She narrowed her eyes as she scanned the tree line around them. After a moment she spotted a small bit of green and purple moving around among the trees. “Don't go too far, Spike,” she called.

The dragon gave a wave at her before turning back to his wanderings.

* * *

Fluttershy had been quietly sitting in the sun all day, watching the butterflies and listening to the birds and animals of this new land. She looked up as Trixie sat down next to her. “Oh … I'm so, so sorry.”

Trixie looked at her. “Why?”

Fluttershy looked down and hid her face behind her mane. “Because I'm a burden on you all.”

Trixie sighed. She couldn't deny that Fluttershy refusing to fly had made the whole thing rather more difficult. “Well, I would be lying if I said it wasn't inconvenient. But I'm glad you came along, Fluttershy. Still, it would be a great help if you would just try flying.” She ruffled her wings a little. “I wasn't born with these, you know. It was quite strange, and frightening, when I had to fly the first time. But there's really nothing to be afraid of, Fluttershy.”

“But … what if I fall? It's so, so high,” Fluttershy stammered and gazed up at the sky.

“You just need to get up there and face your fear. Stare it right in the eye like you did with Rarity and the cats. That was great! You do that with your fear and you can do anything, Fluttershy!”

Trixie smiled brightly and stood up. “When I was younger, I always got really nervous when I had to go up on stage and perform. But I knew that I could do it. I knew I would be Great one day, so I faced the crowd and my fears with raised head. And I didn't fall.” She pulled Fluttershy up. “And neither will you. You have got to believe in yourself!”

“I don't know if I can do that,” Fluttershy muttered with bowed head.

“Nonsense!” Trixie stepped back and place a hoof under her chin thoughtfully as she looked Fluttershy over. “The Great and Courageous Fluttershy! Yes, fabulous!” A grin appeared on her face. “That's you from now on. You are the Great and Courageous Fluttershy! Say it with me!”

Fluttershy whimpered. “I-I'm the g-great and c-courageous Fluttershy!”

Trixie shook her head, “No no no no! Follow me!” She jumped up on her hind legs with her front hooves in the air dramatically, gesturing at some unseen audience. “Watch in awe as I, Fluttershy, spread my wings wide and fly straight into the heavens above! Watch as I bring the world beneath me and soar to ever new heights! My wings shall never falter and nothing will ever keep me down, for I am the Great and Courageous Fluttershy!”

“B-but I'm not c-courageous at all!” Fluttershy huddled together on the ground, quivering as she looked up at Trixie.

“Yes. you. Are!” Trixie pulled her back up and stared into her eyes. “You listen to me now. I believe in you, and by Celestia so will you! I want you to stare yourself in the mirror whenever you have the chance, and proudly proclaim to the world that you are the Great and Courageous Fluttershy! Let no pony tell you otherwise, least of all yourself. Do you hear me?”

“B-but I don't have a m-mirror.”

“Then pretend! Just stand up and pretend you're staring yourself right in the eyes, and say it!”

Fluttershy sank and nodded.

“Good! Now let me hear it!” She grabbed Fluttershy, who gave a squeak as Trixie spread her wings and set off. “I'm not hearing you!” Trixie beat her wings, taking them both into the air above the canopy of the sparse forest.

Fluttershy squirmed and closed her eyes tight.

“Come on, Fluttershy! There is nothing to fear, so spread your wings and say it!”

Fluttershy's wings unfolded, every feather shivering with fear. “I-I-I am … t-the … g-great—I-I want to go down! Put me down!”

“No! I am here, Fluttershy. You are safe. Open your eyes and your mouth and say it with the conviction it deserves! You are the Great and Courageous Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy held on tightly and buried her face in Trixie's chest. “I-I can't … I just can't!”

“Yes you can! And don't ever tell me you can't! Who are you? Tell me!”

“I-I am … I am … I a-am the g-great a-and c-c-c-courageous F-Fluttershy …” Fluttershy cried.

Trixie smiled. “Yes you are! That wasn't hard! Say it again!”

“I am … I … the … the great a-and c-courageous F-Fluttershy!”

“You're doing great! One more time!”

Fluttershy opened her eyes. “I am the … the great and c-courageous Fluttershy!”

* * *

Trixie woke with a start as someone poked her. Had she fallen asleep? Fluttershy had made some progress but still refused to fly on her own. Trixie was still exhausted from the night's flight and too little sleep, and she had decided to take a break and sit down for a moment.

She opened her eyes and looked around, spotting Spike standing above her. “Spike? What's going on?”

Spike pointed towards the trees. “The others are gone. I saw them walking in the forest a while ago.”

Trixie sat up and looked around. The small clearing around her was silent. The balloon was standing where it had been before, but aside from her and Spike she couldn't see any of the others. She stood up and looked at the sky. The sun had begun its descent but was still shining. “Evening,” she muttered. “Alright, was Luna with them?”

Spike shook his head. “Not that I saw.”

Trixie nodded and walked up to the balloon to peek in. Luna was still sleeping in the darkness under the blankets. Trixie nudged her gently. “Luna, wake up. We have a problem.”

Luna stirred and peeked out from under her cover. “What? Oh my, how long did I sleep?”

“I don't know. A while. I fell asleep too.”

Luna got out of the balloon and looked around. “Where is everypony?”

“I don't know,” Trixie admitted. “I just woke up. Spike said he saw them in the forest a while ago.”

Luna gnawed her lip nervously and scanned the area. “Great. We need to find them quickly. I'd like to be gone from here before nightfall. Spike, can you point the way?”

The dragon nodded and pointed. “I saw them go this way.” He turned quickly and started running in that direction.

“Good, let's hurry,” Luna said as she and Trixie followed behind the dragon.

* * *

Pinkie trudged through the undergrowth of the forest. It had been way too boring so far, but that would all change once she found Twilight. Everything would be fine again once she found Twilight. “She's here somewhere, girls. Come on.” She smiled widely as she pushed her way through the bushes. Yes, everything would be fine again.

“I'm getting scratches and dirt all over! Why would Trixie have us go through this dreadful forest?” Rarity complained from somewhere behind Pinkie.

“Because it's an adventure, silly! And because Twilight expects us!” Pinkie stopped and looked around as if deciding on a path, then turned left and continued. “You heard Trixie, she's out here somewhere waiting for us to find her.”

Rarity sulked. “Twilight is not here, darling, and you know that. If you ask me, something is up with that Trixie. Do you think she's plotting something?”

“I, um, I don't think this is a good idea. We should go back,” Fluttershy whimpered nervously even further behind, but the other two ponies didn't hear her. She let out a frustrated sound and tried to keep up.

“Of course Twilight is here. And we're not gonna let her down!” There was a slight twitch in one of Pinkie's eyes as she continued on. “Hey, there's something over here!” she exclaimed and pushed aside a few branches as she stepped into a small circle of trees. “Somepony left their lunch here! Isn't that silly?”

Rarity stepped in behind Pinkie. “It's probably all dirty and rotten. And where is a bath when you need one? I'm terribly filth—WUAAH!”

“Aww, no cupc—HAY!”

Fluttershy jumped and shrieked at the sudden noise. Up ahead the forest floor seemed to rise up and swallow Pinkie and Rarity in a swirl of snow and fallen leaves, pulling both ponies high into the air among the trees.

Fluttershy squealed in panic as snow-cloaked shadows leaped out of the canopy, diving down on large wings towards them. Two winged creatures turned in the air and raced for her. Fluttershy screamed and felt her legs take over as she turned and ran.

Fluttershy could hear the beating of wings behind her as she plowed through the forest with Angel hanging on to her mane. Her pursuers were closing in on her fast. In a mad rush she dashed in and out between trees, hoping to shake them off. As she ran her mind cleared and a purpose emerged above the initial panic. She had to find Luna and Trixie. With lungs screaming for air she leaped over a small bush as grasping claws from behind narrowly missed her.

Her hooves touched back down on the soft ground, and with a terrible snap a pair of strong steel claws closed around her leg just below the knee. The sharp metal teeth sank deep into the bone. Fluttershy screamed in agony and fell, tumbling across the ground as two large shadows descended upon her.

* * *

Trixie skidded to a halt as a cry of pain cut through the forest far away. “Fluttershy!” she called back, her heart sinking at the cry.

Luna flew past Trixie and made a quick turn, racing in the direction of the sound. “This way, quick!”

Trixie set off again, following swiftly while Spike clung to her back trying not to fall off. Ducking branches and evading trees and shrubs, Trixie made her way through the forest behind Luna. Why had she fallen asleep? She cursed herself and set off from the ground, beating her wings as she rose upwards through the canopy. “I'm taking a look from above!”

She burst through the snowy cover of the forest and into the last light of the day. She blinked at the light and scanned the land around her. Something in the distance caught her eye, and she looked up to see several figures flying towards the north, carrying a large net beneath them.

Trixie narrowed her eyes. “Harpies! They have our friends!” she called and set off after them at top speed. But the harpies were already far ahead. Untrained and tired as she was, Trixie knew she could not catch up with them. She came to a halt and cursed as Luna came out of the forest behind her.

Luna placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Don't worry, we'll get them back. I'll go back and get the balloon, you follow them. Don't lose them of sight.” She picked up Spike and turned around, flying back towards the balloon on swift wings.

Trixie nodded grimly and set off again. “I won't lose you! Not again.”

* * *

“Put us down, you ruffians! This is no way to treat a lady!” Rarity yelled, tangled up in the net as the harpies carried them away. “This net is chafing me! I'm going to get marks!”

“Are all you harpies such big meanies?” Pinkie frowned from the bottom of the pile she was in with Rarity, Fluttershy and their three pets, all together in the net.

Fluttershy cried. Her leg was bloodied and pained, but the fear was even greater than the pain now. “I am the Great and Courageous Fluttershy,” she kept whispering to herself over and over as the forests passed by beneath them.

“I am the Great and Courageous Fluttershy.”

Silence fell over the group as the sun's last rays disappeared below the horizon. Only the sound of the wind and the slow beating of wings was heard. Fluttershy shivered as the night grew colder. With a sad sniffle she curled up tight. Angel's small body tucked against her shoulder did little to keep her warm.

“Here you go, darling.” Fluttershy felt Rarity's long, diamond encrusted scarf settle over her and opened her eyes to see the unicorn smiling at her. “Is that better?”

Fluttershy wrapped herself and Angel in the scarf and nodded a little. The scarf provided only little protection against the cold air around her, but Fluttershy was thankful for her friend's gift nonetheless. She closed her eyes and fell into an uneasy rest.

As dawn broke, the landscape below had changed to ice and snow-covered hills, and tall jagged mountains rose up ahead like a threatening wall. Fluttershy opened her eyes and stared at the scenery. “W-where are we?”

“I don't know, dear.” Rarity groaned a little. “But we've been flying all night.”

Pinkie Pie moved beneath them. “Ouch! I think we're landing.”

“Oh good, I can't wait to get back down on the ground,” Rarity said.

“Me too, sister! I can't feel my legs,” Pinkie moaned.

The harpies began a slow descent towards a large collection of tents and buildings below. Large crowds of harpies were already beginning to gather as they landed. The three ponies were thrown on their backs on the cold, hard ground and quickly pulled up by unrelenting claws.

“Tie them and lets get things going!” one of the harpies commanded. More harpies were drawn to the scene, some standing around, others pushing to get a closer look while the three ponies were tied up.

“A hundred bits for the pink one!” someone shouted among the crowd.

“Are you nuts? A pony is worth twice, at least,” one of the harpies tying up Pinkie said.

The first one pinched Pinkie's leg. “Yeah, but this one's not a proper work horse. She's too plump, and getting her in prime form will cost me more. A hundred is my offer.”

Pinkie snarled and struggled against the ropes. “I am not plump! And this is not funny! Let us go!”

None of the harpies paid them any attention. “A hundred and fifty for the pink pony!” another harpy called somewhere, overbidding the first.

Fluttershy cried as claws poked and pulled at her, feeling and probing. “Look at that leg,” someone muttered, and others chimed in. “She's hardly even fit for food, look how lanky she is. Barely any meat on her bones. I'll pay two hundred, but only with the scarf.”

“Three hundred for the scarf and pegasus!” another offered.

“How dare you! Uncultured brutes!” Rarity yelled as she struggled against the harpies holding her. “Let us go this instant!”

“Seven hundred for her horn!” someone shouted. Somewhere another harpy bid a thousand.

“That's a fine specimen. I'll pay three hundred for her skin.”

“What? You can't—” Rarity choked on the words.

“Five hundred for the unicorn's skin!”

“Any higher?” No one spoke up. “Sold!”

* * *

“Fluttershy! Pinkie! Help me!” Rarity cried, but the other two had already been dragged off, sold for much less. A large, one-eyed harpy grabbed her and held up a long knife. The edge blinked dangerously in the light as the harpy pressed its tip against her throat.

Rarity closed her eyes, awaiting the cut of the blade and her final moment.

It was a moment that never came, as a resounding crack of thunder shook the village and caused everyone to stop in their tracks. Rarity fell to the ground as the harpy holding her let go and dropped the knife. It landed inches from Rarity's face. Rocks and dust flew everywhere from where the lightning had struck the ground.

A voice like thunder rolled over the tents and gathered harpies, commanding all attention. “The next one won't be a warning! Let them all go this instant. The rabbit, cat and alligator too!”

All eyes turned to the dark mare hanging above the gathering. Lightning danced dangerously in her teal eyes as she looked down at them. A nervous silence fell over the crowd. Finally, after a long moment of tense uncertainty, a harpy took a step forward. “You have no claim here, pony princess! We're not in Equestria, we don't follow your rules here. We caught these ponies fair and square in the wilds outside the border, so back off!”

Luna turned her gaze slowly to the speaker. “And I say you better let them go if you value your own hides. If you don't have to abide by our laws, then neither do I! Is that not clear?”

The harpy hesitated, glancing to the sides nervously. Even alone in the wilds, the princess of the night commanded a certain respect. “Y-yeah? What's one pony gonna do about it?”

“Who said I was alone?” Luna lifted a hoof, and all eyes followed.

With a distant beating of wings, a vast line of pegasi rose against the sky, the rays of the early morning sun flaring in their golden armors. At their head drifted a golden vessel, rising majestically with the sun.

Luna smirked. “So? What will it be?”

The harpies stared in horror at the golden host. The one who had spoken turned positively white as she stuttered. “O-of course, Your Highness!” She gave a nearby harpy an elbow in the side, and soon the three ponies and their pets had been brought before Luna.

Luna frowned and pointed a hoof at Fluttershy's leg. “If I were you, I'd turn tail and fly before my sister gets here and sees what you did to her.”

The harpies shared frightened glances. In a wild flutter of feathers they were off, disappearing swiftly against the horizon. Luna landed next to the three ponies and quickly untied them and their pets. “Don't worry, we're here.”

* * *

“That was awesome, Trixie!” Spike jumped excitedly as the balloon drifted down towards the ground where Luna and the others were waiting.

Trixie gave the dragon an exhausted grin. “You continue to underestimate the Great and Powerful Trixie's awesome magic!” Even she had to admit to herself that she had outdone herself with that display of illusions. “Although she did get a teensy bit of help from the sun this day,” she quietly admitted.

Spike shook his head and crawled out of the basket as they landed, running over to embrace their three friends.

Trixie jumped out and trotted over to Luna who was washing Fluttershy's wounded leg. “Oh Fluttershy, I'm so sorry …”

Fluttershy smiled weakly at Trixie. “I'm just glad you came. I was so afraid.”

Trixie smiled and sat down next to her, turning to look at Luna. “Will it heal?”

Luna looked up with a grim expression. “She won't be able to walk on it for awhile at least. I can't do much except clean it and hope that it doesn't get infected. If we're lucky it should heal in good time.”

Trixie nodded and looked back at Fluttershy, smiling warmly. “Don't worry. Tell me who you are.”

“I-I'm the Great and Courageous Fluttershy,” the pegasus whispered and gritted her teeth as Luna began wrapping the wounded leg.

“Damn straight you are, and don't you forget it! You'll be fine.” She gave the pegasus a friendly nudge before turning to Luna again, glancing around. “So what now?”

“We need to move on soon. I don't know if it's wise to stay in case the harpies figure out what we did and come back.” She took a look up at the sky. “We aren't much off course. If my navigation hasn't failed me entirely, we are in the mountains south of Hoofswell. If we leave soon we should be able to get there tomorrow morning.”

Trixie nodded at the balloon. “We need to rest along the way. The balloon is still too small for all of us.”

Luna bit her lip and nodded. “Then it will be a little longer.”

“I believe I can help with that!” They all turned and looked at Rarity who already looked much better after having found a house with water to wash in. She trotted over to the large net, and her horn glowed as the net lifted off the ground and floated towards the balloon.

“We hang this beneath the basket, line it with some blankets,” Rarity explained as she worked her magic, “and voilà! Not … pretty, but comfortable enough for one pony, I am sure.”

Opalescence gave an approving meow.

They all looked at each other, then at Rarity and the balloon. Luna smiled. “That is excellent! Thank you, Rarity. This will make the journey much easier.”

Rarity beamed. “You are quite welcome, darling.”

6. Tortured Souls and Sweet Dreams

The heavy iron gates creaked upon their hinges, sending chills down Trixie's spine as she pushed them open. Before her lay the asylum, nestled among the windswept mountains outside Hoofswell, isolated and blissfully forgotten by the world around it. A deathly silence hung over the place, so oppressive and complete that Trixie swore she could hear the heartbeats of her friends behind her. She took a step through the gates and looked around with a hint of trepidation.

“Where is everypony?”

Luna followed not far behind. “I have no idea.” The princess paused for a second in the gate before continuing down the gravel path towards the looming asylum. Trixie and the others trotted reluctantly after her.

The sun had set not long ago, and while Trixie had written her latest letter to Celestia, Luna had brought out the moon to begin its path across the darkened sky. The nightly orb now cast its pale white light upon everything, clothing the asylum grounds in an eerie glow.

“M-maybe they're s-sleeping,” Fluttershy whispered in the back, flying along close to the ground, her eyes darting back and forth in fear. Her wounded leg had been treated and bound up so that she had to fly most of the time, only briefly resting on three legs.

Rarity backed up a little to walk next to the shivering pegasus, offering her friend a warm smile. “All of them, darling? I am certain somepony must be around to keep an eye on things, even at night.”

Luna shook her head. “Celestia sent them a message to let them know in advance that we were coming. They could not have missed it, I am sure.”

There was a gasp from Pinkie, causing everypony to jump and turn around. At the sudden attention she quickly slapped a hoof over her mouth, staring back at them with wide, crazy eyes as if she had just stopped herself from blurting out some immense secret.

“What?” Spike, sitting on Luna's back, groaned irritably. The long hours of the past few days and the scare of the harpy incident had been rough on the young dragon, and his mood had dwindled quickly.

Pinkie removed her hoof from her mouth and trotted along past them with a big smile. “Nothing.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Let's just move on. The sooner we find somepony else, preferably sane, the better.”

* * *

The large main building loomed ahead, an ancient colossus draped in black. Trixie looked up at the darkened windows and the heavy oaken doors at the top of the stairs. Everything was silent except for their hoof steps against the stones. A shiver ran through her body as she took the first steps up the stairs and raised a hoof to knock. The hollow knocking echoed across the asylum grounds. Trixie waited, but the ancient building remained shrouded in silent, unresponsive darkness.

“I don't like this,” she whispered and pushed at the door, but it remained stuck. Trixie turned around and looked at Luna. “Something is wrong with this place. Can you open this door? I think it's locked.”

Luna nodded and stepped up next to Trixie. “I should be able to do that,” she said and focused her attention on the lock. Her horn glowed briefly in the darkness, but after a few moments she looked back around at Trixie. “It's not locked. I think it's barred.”

“Barred?” Trixie sighed and rubbed her eyes. Something was definitely wrong with this picture, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was. “Can you force it open?”

Luna considered the door in front of her, shaking her head a little. “Not without breaking it down. Maybe we should look for another way in first; I would hate to break down doors if everypony is simply elsewhere or something.”

Trixie nodded faintly and turned slowly, looking around at the surroundings. She paused and narrowed her eyes, holding up a hoof as she pointed towards a patch of trees where something had caught her attention. “Do you see a light too, or is it just me?”

Everypony turned to look where she was pointing. A small light appeared to dance and flicker among the shadows of the trees.

“I see it too.” Rarity nodded, with Fluttershy cowering behind her. Pinkie was already off towards the light, striding cheerfully along as if expecting a grand party. Luna looked at Trixie before following the pink pony, Spike holding on to her mane with a bleary look.

Trixie looked at Fluttershy and smiled. “Come, my brave pony. There is strength and courage to be found in numbers.” The yellow pegasus let out a short squeak before hesitantly following Trixie. Rarity walked behind her with Opalescence hungrily watching Angel.

* * *

A soft orange light flowed out from a small, overgrown greenhouse tucked in among a grove of trees in the garden surrounding the main building. Trixie caught up with Luna and Pinkie as they trotted across the garden in silence. The door to the greenhouse was open, light flickering through the opening into the night along with a sweet, strangely soothing scent.

Trixie found herself slowing down as they neared the door, breathing nervously. Only Pinkie Pie seemed unmoved by the gloomy atmosphere and deathly silence. She appeared in fact practically giddy.

Trixie took a quick look around her and over her shoulder, instinctively checking that they hadn't all disappeared on her. Luna offered a reassuring smile, although it was clear that she too felt nervous about the situation. Trixie straightened up, holding her head high. “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie,” her voice proclaimed with conviction in her mind before she stepped through the door, pushing aside the green curtain of plants and flowers.

Among flowering vines of a vast variety a lonely pony was sitting within a circle of lit candles from which the flickering light originated. Her back was turned to Trixie and her head bowed as in mediation. Her coat was a light indigo, and her short-cut mane and tail a dull blue with two stripes of different shades. A star-shaped black flower graced her flank.

Trixie stopped, feeling struck by a sudden sense of familiarity. “Y-you can't be—”

The pony's ear flicked a bit at Trixie's hushed voice. Her head lifted a little and turned towards Trixie and the others entering behind her. A pair of bright cerulean eyes, pupils focused like pinpoints, stared intensely into Trixie's. Trixie only now noticed the broken stump of a horn between those fierce eyes.

“You must have me confused,” the pony spoke. Her voice was calm, eerily contrasted by her seething eyes betraying a deep, burning anger, like a lightning storm barely contained within two orbs of glass.

She looked young and yet so very old, with a striking familiarity. The likeness with Twilight was undeniable if not nearly as obvious as Midnight's had been.

Trixie felt suddenly on guard, a sense of anger and fear. She felt like she was viewing the other unicorn as through a growing haze. “Who are you?” she demanded, lifting a shaking hoof as if to take a step but sat it back down quickly, too tired to carry through with the intended move.

“A kindred spirit,” she heard the unicorn speak, showing no reaction otherwise.

Trixie backed up and glanced over her shoulder, feeling a rush of panic. As she stepped back she bumped into Luna who was swaying slightly, eyes half closed. “Luna! We need to … get out,” she said, her voice feeble. Trixie felt her own eyelids drop against her will and her legs buckle under her.

She turned, trying to glare at the unicorn. “Stop it! Stop … whatever you're … doing,” she demanded, her horn flaring in the flickering light of the candles. She felt the magic surge through her and fade. She closed her eyes and felt the ground rise up to meet her.

Behind her, Trixie could hear Pinkie protest weakly. “Where's the … surprise party? Where's … Twilight?” The voice grew distant, fading into the night.

* * *

“Twilight?”

“Yes, dear?” Twilight looked up from her book, the light of a candle dancing across her face.

Owlowiscious was sitting on his perch near the window, head tucked under a wing, safe and warm within the old mansion while the rain and wind howled through Dappleshore's streets.

A hint of concern crossed Twilight's expression. “Are you alright?”

Trixie leaned against the door frame, reaching a hoof to her head and closing her eyes. “I think I had a nightmare … it's all so … hazy. I can't quite remember.”

Twilight got up and trotted over to Trixie. “Maybe you have a fever. You should stay in bed.” Twilight lifted a hoof to feel Trixie's forehead, her worried look quickly confirming the suspicion. “I'll make you some tea. You better get back to bed.”

Trixie's legs wobbled a little under her. “I don't want to be alone. Please don't leave me.”

Twilight smiled. “I'll just be in the kitchen, dear.”

“I thought I had lost you. I don't want to lose you …”

Twilight leaned in and kissed Trixie. “You know I would never leave you, Trixie. I will always be with you, no matter what.” She touched her hoof against Trixie's heart, smiling, a glint in her purple eyes. “Now rest, my dear. There is nothing to fear. I'm right here with you. Always.”

* * *

“Good, you're awake.”

Trixie groaned and blinked at the dim light around her. Memories started to flood back as she struggled to clear her mind and locate the source of the voice. Everything seemed hazy. Where was she? What was going on? Memory of their arrival at the asylum and their meeting with the unicorn in the greenhouse slowly returned to her. Trixie tried to pull herself up, but strong leather straps held her down firmly against the bed she was lying upon.

A face began to form through the haze in front of her, and she felt something touch her horn, taking it in a firm grip. “Don't struggle or try any funny business. I would hate to have to break your horn, but I will do it if you don't remain still.”

Trixie hesitated, a brief moment of fear at the threat. Yet even through her clouded senses her mind picked up on something in the voice and eyes of the other unicorn. Trixie smiled, or tried to, she wasn't exactly sure her facial muscles were under complete control at this point. “You're a … terrible liar, you … know that? I say … you're bluffing!” Trixie knew how to deceive, it was part of every stage magician's act, and she knew how to spot it in others quite well too.

There was a moment of silence, a slight tic of one of those bright cerulean eyes. “Oh? Are you prepared to test that hypothesis?” The hoof on her horn tightened its grip slightly.

Trixie could barely contain her amusement. Even in her drug-addled state she could clearly see through this pony's pathetic bluffs. “Quite,” she managed to utter in a smug tone.

Another moment of silence passed. The unicorn glared at her, then gave a mildly annoyed sound and removed her hoof from Trixie's horn. “So I'm not much of a liar, and yes, your horn is quite safe. But don't think for a moment that it matters. You couldn't manage any kind of resistance in your current state anyway, so you may as well lie still and listen for now.”

Trixie tried to stare down the unicorn standing above her, but it was proving quite difficult to focus, and she no doubt looked more silly than menacing. “Where are my friends? Where is Luna? Tell me!”

“Your friends will have to wait.” The unicorn stepped out of Trixie's view. “But let me assure you that they are quite safe. Safer than they are around you, in any case.”

Trixie listened, trying to follow the echoing hoof steps of her captor as they moved around somewhere behind her. “Who are you? What do you want?”

The hoof steps came to a halt not far behind Trixie's head. “Manna Sparkle is the name my mother gave me. And what I want, Trixie, is revenge! For a lifetime I have waited for this moment, and now I have you to thank for it.”

Trixie's throat felt dry. She recalled Twilight's early family research, the family tree in that little journal Twilight had found at the fair in what seemed like ages ago now. “You're saying you're … Twilight's great-great-grandmother? Midnight Sparkle?”

“Do not call me by that name! I spit on the name of Midnight!” Manna hissed behind her.

There was a long silence except for a slow, deep breathing. Finally she spoke again, more calmly. “My name is Manna. My great-grandmother was wise when she changed our family name to Sparkle, and I was but a foalish girl when I changed the name she had blessed us with. A foalish obsession it was, with something long dead. It should have stayed dead!”

“How … is that even possible?” Trixie could hardly believe what she was hearing. Was her mind playing tricks on her? “You must be … how old?”

Manna’s face appeared above Trixie once again. “I don't look that old?” There was no mirth in those eyes as she looked up. “I stopped counting the years and decades long ago. I know what you're going through, Trixie, and my poor descendant Twilight before you. It is a curse that runs in the family, a curse I have known all too well.”

She sighed. “Midnight was not content to die and used ancient and forbidden magic to ensure that her spirit lived on through her family. Every few generations the curse finds a new descendant and inevitably drives her to research Midnight’s dark work in order to bring her back, at which point her undead spirit takes over their mind and body. That's what she did to Twilight, and almost did to me.” She lifted a hoof and tapped her broken horn. “But I broke her hold over me. I made myself useless.”

Trixie blinked through the hazy cloud of half-sleep threatening to overcome her, trying hard to follow the other unicorn's words. “You … broke your own horn?”

Manna nodded solemnly. “It was painful, but necessary. With my magic broken, I was useless to her. I denied her a body, but she never stopped haunting me.” She paused, looking down at Trixie, her eyes revealing the ages that had gone by. “I haven't aged or slept for a single hour in the decades since. She has tormented me for generations, one long nightmare, and in all those years I could do nothing but wait and scheme. Nothing, not until Twilight took my place and freed me from eternal torment.”

She paced slightly as she talked. “I had hoped I could save Twilight, but I was too late. When she died, I was sure I would once again be tormented by the undead spirit of my ancestor as before, but … things changed. Twilight changed the rules.”

She stopped her pacing and looked deep into Trixie's eyes. “I see much of Twilight in you, but I also see something else. When Twilight died, she passed on the family curse to you, and with it, Midnight’s undead spirit.”

Trixie stared at her, unable to find a single word.

The unicorn continued without waiting for a response. “You have been haunted lately, I am certain, and did you ever stop to wonder what in Equestria brought you to this forsaken place?” Manna nodded knowingly before Trixie could say a word. “You came here for 'answers', or should I say certain forbidden knowledge by a certain long dead pony?”

“You are a puppet, Trixie, and guess who's pulling the strings? In time she'll drive you mad, and before you know it you'll be digging up graves and performing unspeakable magic to bring back the dead. And I dare not think of what will happen should she gain possession of the body and power of an alicorn such as yourself. Nor do I plan on hanging around long enough to find out.“

Trixie's mouth felt like a desert. She tried to lick her lips, but it didn't help much. “So … what do you intend to do with me?”

Manna disappeared briefly out of sight and returned carrying a cup of water, holding it against Trixie's lips. Trixie drank the cool liquid greedily, not stopping to worry if it was more than just water.

“You are valuable to me, Trixie. As long as you live, I am free of Midnight’s spirit, so I am going to keep you alive and safe. But as valuable as you are—” She paused, looking serious. “—I could never trust you. I know what she is capable of. The moment I turn my back, you'd slit my throat and dance in the rain of my blood. I'm going after her, and I'm going alone. I will not be kept from my just revenge! Midnight is mine, and I will see to it that she suffers eternally for what she did to me, to Twilight, and what she is doing to you!”

Trixie jerked, the sudden movement causing the cup to fall and shatter against the floor. “You're mad! And how would you even do that?”

“Am I? Perhaps, but I'm going to do what I should have done ages ago. I'm going to kill Midnight, and make her stay dead, forever! I have studied, and I have uncovered her weakness, the only way in which I can touch her. It is called the Mirror of Souls, an ancient artifact of the alicorns from time immemorial. It has been long lost, but I know how to find it. With it, I can enter the realm of the soul and confront Midnight's immortal spirit. All I need in order to do so is the blood of an alicorn, and how fortunate that you brought one with you.”

“You won't touch Luna!” Trixie pulled against the straps holding her down, but despite the anger burning inside her at the threat of hurting Luna, she felt too weak to do much except to hiss helplessly.

“Calm yourself. I won't need much, and she won't feel a thing. You have my word.”

“Then take mine, but keep your hooves off Luna!”

“Sorry, Trixie. I can not be sure that your mixed blood is sufficient, nor safe given Midnight's influence over you. You must understand that I can risk no mistakes in this endeavor. No, all I need from you is sleep.”

She turned and gestured at the room. “In this room, and the rooms where I have left your friends, are tubs containing a mix of herbs. These particular herbs are usually burned as incense in small amounts to cause relaxation and sleep for those who find it hard to achieve this on their own. In larger doses they are very effective at subduing ponies, as you are witnessing.”

“It is something I envy you, Trixie, as sleep has ever eluded me. The lovely scent you may have noticed is the product of a slow fermentation going on in the tubs behind you. A somewhat crude, but much more reliable long-term administration than burning incense. Flames can go out if not tended, but the fermentation carries on.”

“For the next few weeks or months you will sleep, waking up only for brief moments like now.” She gestured again but this time closer to Trixie. “There is water and hay within reach, enough for months I should think.”

“You're insane! Let me go, we could … help each other against … against Midnight!” Trixie felt tired and weak. She could barely feel her body now, and her eyelids were getting heavy as she struggled to stay awake. “We don't have to be … enemies!”

“Midnight is mine, Trixie! And I won't risk having you close enough to betray me when she inevitably takes control of you.” She leaned in close, staring into Trixie's eyes. “Sweet dreams, Trixie. And Midnight? I'm coming for you!”

7. Night in the Asylum

Trixie's horn shone in the chill darkness of the night as she picked up the bouquet of flowers from where they had been dropped on top of the stairs. A small card attached to the gift bore the stylized insignia of a crescent moon, matching the moon in the sky that night. Trixie glanced down the path and around the garden outside the mansion, but everything was quiet with no sign of the princess. The bouquet drifted in front of her as she turned slowly and closed the door behind her.

Twilight's owl sat on its perch, watching her as she placed the flowers on the desk and turned to stare into the dark window. Her wistful self gazed back at her from the blackened glass, reflected by the night beyond.

The mare smiled sadly, a hint of understanding, and shook her head. “I'll give you a hint; they are not for you. Not for the Great and Powerful Trixie.”

Trixie brushed a strand of light cyan hair from her face and sighed, pinching off one of the bright flowers and holding it up before her. “I know,” she said quietly to herself, watching the flower.

The mare in the mirror took the flower gently and pulled a petal off, letting it drop on the table. “You know who she loves. It was never the Great and Powerful Trixie. It never will be.”

“It was Twilight,” Trixie whispered, half as a question, though she knew the answer well.

The mare nodded sympathetically. “You never loved her either, did you? You know deep in your heart who you truly love, don't you?”

Trixie gave a little nod of her own. “Twilight Sparkle.” It was not a question.

“It was always Twilight.”

“Always will be.”

“I know. And Luna would take her from you. She tried to kill you. You, the Great and Powerful Trixie. And she'll try again if you let her.”

Trixie's jaw tensed as she glared at the flowers.

“But you wouldn't let her, would you? You know what you must do.”

Trixie nodded and picked up the flowers before turning around, throwing the bouquet into the fireplace with a flick of her head. The flames licked over the gift, turning the once lush and colorful flowers to ashes as she watched.

“Twilight is mine!” Trixie picked up a coat by the door and threw it over her shoulders as she stepped out into the night.

Behind her, Twilight watched her in the window with a dark smile. “And you are mine, my dearest Trixie. All mine.”

* * *

Luna felt a light caress of her cheek. With a faint groan she opened her eyes and blinked at the hazy darkness around her. Her head felt heavy, like it was hoping to sink through whatever surface she was lying upon. “W-where am I? What is going on?” she whispered, struggling with her memory.

A pale light lit up above her, casting long shadows over a familiar face. Luna felt a great relief as Trixie smiled back at her. “Trixie? I'm so glad you're here! What … happened? How … did you escape?”

Trixie remained where she was, still smiling. “Don't worry about that. What is important is what is going to happen.”

Something about Trixie made Luna pause. “W-what do you mean, Trixie?” She felt suddenly uneasy around the otherwise so familiar mare.

Trixie leaned in closer. “Tell me, Luna, who do you love?”

Luna tried to focus on Trixie, tried to remain calm and clear her foggy mind. She didn't like feeling helpless, tied down and unable to move as she was. “You know I love you, Trixie. Please, I don't like this. Please help me free of these bonds.”

Trixie's smile vanished. A darkness filled her eyes as she straightened back up, looking down at Luna. “I don't like being lied to. You never loved me, we both know that, so let's drop the game.”

Tears welled up in Luna's eyes as she felt a growing panic. “That's not true! Please—” She choked on her words. “Please, Trixie. I do love you. This isn't you, please … I don't like this.”

“Oh! You don't like me now? Well …” Trixie leaned back down, staring into Luna's frightened eyes. “I never liked you either. I never loved you, Luna.” She smiled at Luna's widening eyes. “Don't look so shocked. You knew this was coming, but you had planned to be standing where I'm standing now, hadn't you? Ever so sorry to disappoint, but I couldn't let that happen.”

Luna struggled against the bonds holding her. She wanted to get free, needed to be free. The pony standing above her was not the Trixie she knew, she couldn't believe that. Her mind fought against the haze as her horn began to glow. If she could only get free of her bonds.

Her magic fizzled uselessly as a hoof struck against her jaw hard. The copper tang of blood filled her mouth as she looked up at Trixie through the tears.

“Bad move, Luna.” Trixie's own horn glowed and something floated up beside her, hanging in the air above Luna's eyes. A long row of metal teeth glinted in the magical light.

Luna's eyes fixed upon the saw dangling in front of her. “Y-you can't do that!” She gasped as Trixie lowered the tool, placing it against the base of Luna's horn. “Trixie!”

Trixie reached out a hoof, placing it against Luna's head and pushing down against the bed. “Better lie still, or my hoof might slip and you'll get ugly scars and jagged edges, dear.”

* * *

Rarity turned slightly, burying her face in the soft covering. Something soft and warm poked her ear and rubbed against her face insistently. “It's too early, Opal …” she moaned and pushed the cat away with a weary hoof. “Just one more hour.” She turned her head and sighed. Just a little longer, that would be nice.

A sudden pain shattered her slumber as the cat took an angry swipe at her cheek, leaving behind five thin red lines. Rarity's eyes flashed open with a gasp. “Opal! Wh—” Her protest at the rude awakening was cut short as she tried to grasp her surroundings. “—where am I?” The looming trees and dark gardens didn't look anything like her home back in Ponyville.

Slowly memories began to flood back to her. The trip to the asylum, the greenhouse … that scent! “The incense!” she half cried as she recalled the events of that night.

She had stepped into the greenhouse behind Fluttershy and recognized the sweet scent. It was the same incense she used when Sweetie Belle couldn't fall asleep, only stronger. She had felt the slumber come over her and backed out. She remembered stumbling out of the greenhouse towards the trees, calling for Fluttershy and the others.

“Fluttershy!” Rarity jumped up and looked about herself frantically. Everything was quiet, and she could see the greenhouse not far away. It was now dark. Nowhere could she see any sign of Fluttershy or any of the others. “Oh, Opal. Of all the worst possible things …” she moaned, having cleanly forgotten the claw marks on her cheek as she lifted the cat off the ground and set it down on her back. “I have to find my friends!”

Rarity snuck up along the greenhouse and peeked through the door. The place was dark and the sweet scent had left, blown away by the breeze. Carefully she stepped inside and poked her head as quietly as she could through the green cover of plants hanging everywhere. “Nopony here,” she whispered and backed out through the door. “Somepony must have ponynapped my friends! They would never just leave me … would they?”

Rarity looked around at the gardens and the dark, looming asylum. She sank a big lump in her throat and tried to keep her legs steady. “Oh Opal, this is simply dreadful! How will I ever find them?” A slight shiver crept along her spine and down through her legs.

“Well! If I stand around here any longer, I'll become positively frozen! Now where did I put—” Rarity paused, her eyes widening at a sudden thought, and her horn lit up as of its own volition. “My diamond encrusted scarf! Oh I hope Fluttershy still has it. Come along, Opal!”

* * *

Rarity's horn glowed, pulsing softly as she nudged the door open. She took a glance back at the garden, nervously scouting for anything lurking in the darkness, before stepping inside. The door on the side of the building led to a large kitchen. Pots and pans were scattered over the tables as if somepony had been busy cooking before suddenly abandoning all work. Now the kitchen was silent and dark.

Opalescence hissed and stood up on Rarity's back, puffing herself up as if at some unseen threat in the shadows.

Rarity yelped as the cat's sharp claws dug into her back. “Ouch! Opal, darling! What is wrong with you?” She pulled the hissing cat off and sat her down on the floor where the animal proceeded to hide between her hooves. Rarity trotted cautiously through the kitchen, whispering at the cat following along. “Be quiet darling. We don't want anypony to hear us now, do we?”

The light from her horn provided only little illumination in the darkness, and Rarity had to walk slowly to not stumble into tables and walls. As she turned the corner of a table, a glint of something in the darkness ahead made her pause. After a moment, she took a few slow steps towards the source of the reflection.

A single eye looked up at her, reflecting the soft light of her magic. “H-hello?” Rarity's horn glowed stronger, shining ahead of her and falling on a stallion collapsed on the floor behind another table.

“Oh my, good sir, are you alright?” Rarity exclaimed and stepped closer. She stopped almost instantly and felt her insides churn as her light fell behind the table. The pony was lying on his back behind the table in a pool of dried blood and scattered muffins that he must have been carrying before collapsing. A deep cut across his throat nearly separated his head from the body.

Rarity stumbled back with a choked cry, stepping on Opal in the process. The cat wailed loudly, and Rarity's hoof slipped, causing her to lose balance and fall back, violently crashing through a door into another room. In the fall her horn flared brightly, briefly lighting up the room to reveal a nightmarish scene before her.

Rarity screamed as the light died around her, yet the blood still stood out in burning red letters before her eyes, forever seared into her mind.

* * *

“A gift for Twilight, something fitting! You always gave her gifts, did you not?” Trixie threw the saw away and held up Luna's horn before her, looking at it with deep satisfaction in the dim light. “She will love this one, don't you think?”

Luna looked away, crying quietly.

Trixie stood in silent contemplation of her trophy for a few minutes. She wasn't sure what she felt.

“Look at her!”

Trixie instinctively turned her head in response to the thought, her cold eyes lingering on Luna's face. Tears streamed down the princess' cheeks from her closed eyes, but her expression was one of defiance, not the despair of a broken pony.

“So helpless now. We're not done with her yet, are we?”

Trixie closed her eyes, shaking her head.

Luna's horn clattered against the floor as Trixie dropped the grim trophy and fell on her knees, a new look of horror on her face. “I … Luna! W-what have I done?” Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the horn on the floor before her. “I-I'm so sorry … I never—”

Luna remained silent.

“I'm a monster,” Trixie cried in despair. “I can not fight this!”

“Trixie …” Luna's voice was weak from the slumbering effect of the drug. She stirred a little, pulling against her restraints. “We need to get out of here, while … we can.”

Trixie stood up and looked at Luna with a pained expression. “I'm sorry … for everything.”

Luna broke her off. “Trixie! I would give anything to … save you from this curse. But you need to forget everything for a moment and just get me free of these bonds before I lose you again.” Trixie looked down. Her horn flared briefly as she untied Luna's hooves. Luna quickly threw off the leather straps and rolled off the bed, standing on shaking legs.

“Luna … how can I ever—” Trixie looked away, unable to face the princess.

“I followed you out of love, Trixie. I swore I would do anything to help you, that I would give anything if I could end this nightmare somehow. None of that has changed.” She reached out and placed a hoof on Trixie's cheek, turning her head so that she could look into her eyes. They stood for what seemed like a long time, eyes locked. “Nothing has changed …” Luna whispered and closed her eyes as she leaned forwards.

Trixie sighed as their lips met. A faint gleam crossed her eyes, a brief satisfied smile. “Born for the stage, my dear Trixie. A fine performance …” Pride filled Trixie's heart. She was doing well, but the play was far from over. She relaxed and lost herself in the kiss.

A sharp pain and the unpleasant taste of her own blood broke Trixie out of the moment. Her eyes widened, and she let out a muffled cry as Luna's teeth sank deep into her tongue. Trixie stumbled and fell back, feeling the air forced from her lungs as Luna pushed her hard and spat out a mouthful of blood on the floor.

“Nothing has changed … except you!” Luna hissed as she snatched her severed horn in her mouth and charged at Trixie, death gleaming in her eyes. “You can't fool me, not for a second, monster!”

* * *

For but a second the flash from Rarity's horn lit up the grand dining hall and revealed a scene she would forever wish she could wipe from her memories. It looked like most if not all of the asylum's residents had been gathered here, and then savagely slaughtered. Some seemingly while eating dinner. Everywhere ponies were sitting or lying, thrown randomly on the floor or dragged onto a table, with throats cut, heads severed, and guts torn out in a seemingly senseless massacre born of some unfathomable rage.

And above and around the sea of blood which drenched the floor and tables, words had been smeared crudely in red upon the walls and ceiling. Large and messy letters scribbled by a furious hoof, their crimson message burning in the dark with some demonic light, the strangely lucid ramblings of a mad pony.

“NO MORE LEASH TO KEEP ME

AWAY FROM YOU, NO MORE

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS ENTWINED

IN A DREAM, A NIGHTMARE,

YET SO FAR APART,

ALWAYS OUT OF REACH!

STARING THROUGH A MIRROR,

CAN SEE YOU, CAN TOUCH YOU,

PART OF ME, APART

FROM ME, NEVER AGAIN

SCREAMING THROUGH MY BARS,

DON'T TOUCH ME! NO MORE!

MY REVENGE SWORN IN BLOOD,

UNLEASHED, HAS SHED YOU

FROM ME, SET TO CLAIM

BACK WHAT YOU TOOK FROM ME,

I NOW SWEAR, I COME

FOR YOU! JUST FOR YOU!”

Rarity scrambled to her hooves and backed out through the door to the kitchen, away from the monstrous scene. She shut the door and leaned against it, ignoring the dead cook nearby. She stood there in the darkness and silence for a long time, her breathing a low hissing.

Slowly, after a while, she began to stir again. She looked around for Opal, but there was no sign of the cat anywhere. Maybe it had run off, but that was the least of her concerns. She needed to find Fluttershy and the others, if it wasn't already too late. If they hadn't already joined the poor lot in the other room.

A determination took over from the terror in her mind, and her horn once again lit up, pulsing faintly as she turned to open the door. Somewhere out there her friends were waiting, depending on her. She would not fail them.

* * *

Weaving through the massacre, Rarity made it to the door at the other end of the dining hall when she heard echoing hoof steps on the other side. Swiftly she stepped to the side and pressed herself against the wall next to the door. Darkness fell upon the room as she dismissed her spell and held her breath.

The hoof steps reached the door and paused. Rarity felt her heart beat faster as the door opened, and she pressed herself closer up against the wall and into the shadows.

An indigo unicorn with a broken horn walked in and continued across the room, holding a lit candle in her mouth and carrying a pair of old saddlebags over her back. Her head was low as she wound her way amidst the corpses, and in the dim light Rarity thought she caught a look of shame on her face. Rarity considered jumping her while she had the advantage, but quickly decided against it. She couldn't risk getting caught. Finding her friends was more important, and if this pony was on her way out, then maybe that was a good thing.

The other pony reached the door to the kitchen and suddenly paused. Rarity's heart skipped a beat as she pondered if the other pony might have noticed something out of the ordinary. Had she dropped something in her fall? Rarity mentally checked everything but couldn't think of anything she might be missing. If the other pony turned around she would surely spot Rarity immediately. Rarity watched the other pony closely, preparing herself for action should she turn.

The other pony shook her head back and forth a little, then finally continued on through the door. Rarity released her breath in a sigh of relief as the door to the kitchen closed behind the pony. Quickly she hurried out of the dining hall and into the dark corridor beyond.

* * *

The gloomy corridors seemed to have no end as Rarity's horn led her deeper and deeper into the asylum, down long passages and winding stairs into what she thought could only be the depths of the very abyss. Her hoof steps echoed against the hard stone floors, frequently making her spin around when she thought she heard somepony behind her, only to stare down yet another empty hall. The atmosphere and constant feeling of being watched or followed was starting to wear on her nerves, and on several occasions had she almost set off in a panicked gallop at some perceived sound or creeping shadow in the corner of her eyes. And every time it had been nothing, or so she assured herself.

She wasn't sure how long it had been. Her horn glowed more brightly now, but still she had no idea where her friends were, or even if the spell was leading her to the right place. Perhaps their captor had taken the scarf from Fluttershy, or she could have lost it somewhere in the endless halls and rooms.

Rarity gnawed on her lower lip in anxiety and listened at yet another door before poking her head inside. Laundry room. Nothing.

She had to be close to the scarf, she could feel it. But where was it? Rarity turned and looked down a corridor lined with doors. So many doors. She had to concentrate, had to focus. Maybe she could get a clearer image of where exactly the spell was pointing.

“I miss Twilight,” she whispered. The sound of her voice made her feel a little better, a little less alone and lost. It was a small thing, but it helped. “She would have known a spell, or … something to help.”

Rarity closed her eyes, fighting the fear and desire to keep them open. Her horn lit up a little brighter as she tried to get a better image of where to go. It was difficult with the constant feeling of somepony watching behind her. And she was growing tired, the effort of keeping the spell up for so long wearing on her. But she couldn't give up. Never.

Slowly she began to walk once more, down the new corridor. All the doors seemed to lead to cells, cells that had not been used in a long time from the looks of it. Rarity stopped at the end and listened at the last door. It was silent like the others. “Can't be anywhere else,” she whispered, “it must be here.”

She pushed the old door open and peered down a crumbling flight of stairs. Rarity wrinkled her nose at the dust and cobwebs, but something else took her attention. Somepony had obviously been this way recently, because the dust on the steps had been disturbed.

Encouraged by this, Rarity began her descent further into the earth. “What is this place?” she thought as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked around at the ancient stone walls and crumbling floor. It didn't look like the rest of the asylum and had obviously not been used for anything in ages.

Rarity took another step down, but felt her hoof slip on a broken step. With a cry she fell the last few steps into the room, landing hard on her face. Her cry echoed through the room for a bit as she sat up and rubbed her bruises.

“Oh Rarity, darling, you look just terrible,” she sighed at her ragged looks. Why had she come along on this horrible trip? Why had all this happened, why did it all have to happen? First her little sister, and her friend Twilight. They were gone, she would never see them again. And now her other friends lost, maybe worse.

Rarity sat in the cold, dank room and cried as the memories and the miserable situation she was in overwhelmed her. She had failed them all, like she failed her sister and Twilight.

A tiny voice broke her out of her misery. Rarity looked up with wide eyes. Had she really heard it? Was it another trick of the mind, a cruel joke played by her senses?

“… anypony? p-please …”

“Fluttershy!” Rarity cried and jumped up, looking around. “Where are you?”

There was a long silence before the voice returned, barely audible. “R-Rarity? I-I don't know …”

Rarity listened with bated breath, following the sound down a narrow passage. Her horn burned brightly as she stopped in front of an old door. “Fluttershy?” she called, listening at the door. There was a faint and familiar scent from behind the door, sweet and soothing, but no reply. Rarity frowned. She knew she would have to work quickly now.

With a deep intake of air, Rarity threw open the door and stepped into the damp room. Fluttershy was lying, tied up on a bed on one side of the room with Angel nearby. On the other side, Pinkie, Gummy and Spike were tied up likewise, all soundly sleeping. Rarity could find no sign of either Trixie or Luna, but she didn't waste time speculating about their absence.

In a flash of her horn she had them all untied—that was thankfully one thing she could do easily, practically in her sleep as it were. Dragging the drugged and sleepy ponies and assorted animals out of the room while holding her breath was another task entirely.

“I miss Twilight,” she thought to herself once again, reminded of her friend’s many great shows of magical prowess.

* * *

Trixie fell on her back with Luna swiftly upon her, the sharp horn in Luna's mouth aimed at her heart. She rolled to the side to evade the attack and tried to push the princess off, but Luna proved stronger and forced her back down with great force. The back of her head hit the floor, and she felt her vision blur as she tried to hold the princess back. “Please … I-I'm sorry, for everything! I-I love you, Luna, please …” she begged.

Luna hissed and stabbed again, a grim determination shining through the tears in her eyes. “Beg all you want, but you're not fooling me! I know your little mind games. You are not the Trixie I knew, you are nothing but a monster. It is too late for second chances now. I should have let Celestia have you executed after all, at least it would have been merciful.”

Luna's words hit her harder than she had expected. Something deep within her stirred, a burning rage. A dark ember glowed in her eyes, and magic flowed within and through her, erupting in a burst which threw Luna back against the wall. Trixie stood up as Luna collapsed on the floor. “If that is how you would like it,” she hissed as she picked Luna up in her magic, “then you shall have your monster!”

Trixie advanced on Luna who struggled helplessly in the magical grip. Something floated up between them, a puppet in the likeness of a dark mare, long threads flowing along attached to its limbs. “Remember this?” Trixie held up the doll in front of Luna. “You tried to strangle me with it once, long ago. It was our first meeting, even if I didn't know it at the time. Can you guess where this is going?” The strings stirred and wrapped around Luna's neck as Trixie leaned in close to her. “A fitting conclusion to this, our last meeting.”

Trixie watched as the strings tightened. Luna gasped for air, struggling in growing despair against the magic. The princess' eyes grew wider, almost pleading. Trixie smiled, unable to look away even for a second. Luna continued to struggle for a while as the strings wrapped even tighter, but soon her body grew still.

Trixie stared into the now empty eyes of the mare she had once called her love. It was over. Without moving she let the magic fade away, watching the body fall limply upon the floor. A tear ran down her cheek. It was beautiful. So beautiful.

“The show is over, my love.”

8. Left Behind

Celestia raised her sleep-deprived eyes towards the morning sky. It was a few hours since she had raised the sun and set it on its course for the day, yet still the pale white crescent of Luna's moon sat there against the deep blue horizon, looking like a ghostly sickle in the light of the dawn. Celestia closed her eyes, letting the tears flow freely as she reached out at last with her magic, gently cradling the moon in her mind as she brought it down beyond the horizon. A faint sob escaped her lips as it faded from her view.

“Your Majesty …” a voice spoke behind her. Celestia hadn't heard her servant enter, too absorbed in her own thoughts or simply too tired. She remained still, head lowered and eyes closed. “Your Majesty? Is something the matter?”

Celestia opened her eyes weakly, blinking away a few tears without turning around to look at the servant. She took a long breath before speaking, forcing herself to speak in a regal tone. “Cancel all appointments, and send home all servants and guards on paid leave until further notice. We desire the castle for ourselves, and we will not be disturbed. That is all. You are dismissed.”

She could hear the servant shuffle her hooves uncomfortably behind her. “Y-your Majesty, I mean no disrespect, but are you sure—”

Celestia stood up, raising herself to her full height as she turned around, pointing a hoof at the servant. The unfortunate pony instantly fell down before Celestia’s blazing eyes, cowering as the Sun Regent's normally calm and light-hearted voice now rumbled like thunder across the sky, shaking the castle in its foundations. “That was an order!” The last word reverberated over the mountain, echoing back in thunderous waves. It was a voice she had not used in centuries, one in which she had never taken pleasure, and now it reminded her most of all of her sister.

Perhaps somewhere, she too would hear.

Celestia lowered her hoof slowly and watched in silence as the terrified servant stormed off without looking back. There would be consequences, much to catch up on and sort out later, but for now everything else could—and would have to—wait.

Celestia turned one last time to look at the sky, then walked back inside, head now low. She wished to be alone, away from the light of day.

* * *

Awareness returned slowly. All was dark and silent, no sound nor sight. Luna lay perfectly still, huddled up like a foal still in her mother's womb. As her senses expanded out, searching the void, she slowly became aware of another.

Something was there in the dark with her. It felt familiar to her, yet it made her uneasy, and she wanted it gone. It circled around her, mocking her weakness, offering the power to escape, the key to her prison. But Luna knew it would not be granted even if she succumbed and begged for it. Not this time. This time she was truly alone.

She had no idea how much time had passed. A day, a year, a thousand? A mere dribble in the eternity that lay ahead, alone in the dark. Time passed silently around her as she lay, asleep and yet strangely aware.

Somewhere there came a scratching of hooves against stone. Was she dreaming? Luna stirred and turned her head towards the sound. She listened for a time, then reached out a hoof to feel in front of her. Slowly, ever so slowly, she began to move towards the sound, dragging herself through the darkness.

Stone formed around her, a narrow, jagged tunnel. A dull, gray light shone down from above, and a small hoof reached down to meet hers. Luna hesitated at the offering of help. Slowly, fearfully she reached out and grabbed the hoof, feeling it pull her up into the shadowy bleakness above.

Luna gasped and scrambled through the opening onto a barren plain of rocks and dust, her legs feeling like those of a newborn foal as she tried to get up. The other hoof let go of her, and Luna looked up into a pair of violet eyes belonging to a lavender unicorn filly.

Luna stared back, her mind flooded with memories of a love long lost and a great evil lurking in the shadows with dark promises.

“Don't be afraid,” the filly said, looking at her sadly. There was something in those eyes which made Luna feel uncertain. She wanted to trust in those eyes, wanted to reach out for help …

Luna took a step back as a distant sound made her look up into the starless void. Was it a call? It seemed so far away to her. Luna looked back down and saw the darkness swallow up everything around her.

She cried out and tried to reach for the quickly fading filly. “No! Don't leave me here! Please don't leave—” Their hooves touched for a second before darkness took her away.

* * *

A long crack ran through the glass of the small hoof-held mirror, dividing it neatly in two halves. Celestia ran her hoof along the thin crack as she held up the mirror in front of her. She could barely recognize the tired pony staring back at her, bloodshot eyes looking at her blankly from the other side. Her horn glowed dimly, and the crack in the mirror faded as the glass mended itself. With a sigh she put the mirror back down on Luna's desk, among all the other things; everything her sister had left there as well as other things Celestia herself had dug out or brought with her when she had practically turned Luna's room into her own. Every surface of Luna's already overcrowded room was now covered in books and scrolls.

Celestia stared hopelessly at a blank spot in front of her. It seemed to take infinite resolve to break herself free. Finally she blinked and looked up. Her eyes fell on a scroll, one of the many she had brought with her from her own shelves. She picked it up and felt a little pain as she recognized it as one of her student's old friendship reports. Shaking a little, she unrolled the scroll and began to read aloud to herself, her voice faltering in several places.

“Dear Princess Celestia

“Today I learned something amazing. Every pony everywhere has a special magical connection with her friends, maybe even before she has met them. If you're feeling lonely, and you're still searching for your true friends, just look up in the sky. Who knows, maybe you and your future best friends are all looking at the same rainbow.

“Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”

Celestia lay the letter down on the desk and held up her hooves to her face as she cried. She was still crying when a small flash and puff of smoke broke her out of the moment. She looked up through tears as a scroll appeared and landed in front of her.

* * *

Trixie looked upon Luna's still form before her. She watched the blank stare now in her eyes and the strings around her neck. She wanted to reach out and wrap her hooves around her, to shake her and cry, to scream out all her despair. She wanted to do something, anything, but all she could do was look as if through a window into another world, detached from everything except the vision in front of her.

She watched as she sat down next to the dead princess, watched as she stroked the once flowing, now fading mane with a cold mockery of affection. And she couldn't look away.

She had enjoyed it. She had felt a great desire well up inside her as she looked into Luna's dying eyes, a kind of sensual pleasure. Feelings she had associated with something different. Her mind fought in horror against the realization. She didn't want to admit it; it couldn't be true! These thoughts were alien, revolting, and yet she had surely felt this way as she did the deed.

She wanted to cry now.

A warm breath caressed her ear as a whisper reached her. “You can't deny it, Trixie. You loved it, didn't you?” She could feel Twilight's presence behind her, the familiar violet eyes examining her. Trixie felt violated, exposed and powerless in the presence of these eyes. She was a slave, a puppet to be controlled and abused.

“Embrace it, Trixie. There is power in death, power in the flow of blood, and you know what we want, don't you?” Trixie watched as her hoof caressed Luna's neck before settling over the princess' heart. A knife floated up from behind her and settled in her lap. “For us, Trixie … and for our love. Present us with her heart.”

Trixie watched. She could feel the knife with her magic, could feel it as it pressed against the soft skin, could feel it cut. Deep red blood flowed from the fresh wound. Trixie felt herself drawn to it, felt a burning desire for it. She wanted to cry, but all she could think of as she followed the knife with her eyes was the memory of Luna's warm blood upon her lips that night back in Canterlot, and the desire to taste it once more, one final time.

A distant noise made her ear twitch slightly. The knife came to a halt, her hoof shaking. Somewhere, voices called out for her. They seemed far away and hazy as if from another world.

“Trixie? Luna?” There was terror in Rarity's voice. “Are … are you in here?”

Trixie's eyes stared in horror from the knife to Luna's bloody chest. Twilight's whisper echoed in her mind, “Give us … the heart!” Trixie gasped and felt herself collapse, the knife clattering against the floor as her consciousness and body reunited in a rushing sensation. Her body trembled violently, tears streaming from her eyes as she screamed in despair.

* * *

Rarity dropped Pinkie Pie on the floor and collapsed against the wall, her breath frantic and her vision blurred from the exertion. She closed her eyes, she wasn't sure how long, and tried to calm her breathing. She had dragged them all out and away from the sleep-inducing fumes, but she couldn't allow herself to relax now. She couldn't afford to fall asleep in this place, and there was still Luna and Trixie to find.

Rarity tried to force herself to stand but collapsed again with a sigh.

She wasn't sure how long she had been out when she woke to a claw shaking her shoulder firmly. “Rarity! Rarity, wake up!” The unicorn blinked her eyes open and stared into Spike's green eyes. The dragon seemed greatly relieved to see her awake.

“Spike? How long … did I sleep? Are the others awake?” She held up a hoof to her eyes, closing them briefly as she tried to steady herself and regain her bearing.

“Pinkie is up, but she just sits there.”

Rarity opened her eyes and followed Spike's claw where he pointed. Pinkie was sitting on the floor nearby, staring at her hooves, shoulders sagging and mane utterly lifeless. Gummy was asleep on the floor next to her. Rarity had never seen the pink pony so entirely joyless, it was a deeply surreal sight.

Spike shuffled his foot nervously. “I have no idea about the time. I just woke up myself.”

Rarity nodded and stood up, looking for Fluttershy. The pegasus was still asleep close by, a sad-looking Angel pawing at her nose to wake her up. Something about the scene made Rarity feel a tightness in her chest and tears threaten to well up in her eyes. She trotted over and knelt down beside her friend, gently nuzzling her.

“Dearest Fluttershy! You're burning up!” Rarity gasped as she felt how hot the other pony was. She moved over to have a look at the wounded hoof, carefully unwrapping the bandage. It looked like a new bandage, and some care had obviously been given to it, but the humidity in there had left the cloth wet and the wound in a bad state. The hoof looked swollen and the wound clearly infected.

Spike looked on with wide eyes, a claw to his mouth in worry. “Will she be alright?”

Rarity shook her head sadly. “I can not do anything for her here. But she needs rest, the poor thing. Help me get her up on my back,” Rarity said as she lay down next to Fluttershy. “We need to find Luna and Trixie and get out of this … this dreadful place.”

With Spike's help, Rarity had Fluttershy slung over her back and stood up slowly. It was a good fortune that pegasi were built light to allow flight, Rarity thought as she turned to Pinkie.

The pink pony looked up at the attention. Without a word she picked up Gummy and stood up to follow. Rarity shook her head and took a long breath before looking around, feeling low on hope as she stood there without a clue where to go or what to do. Finally she took a door at random, the others following close by as they ventured on.

* * *

Spike glanced up and down the rows of empty bookcases, ancient wood hidden beneath ages of dust and cobwebs. He stopped as the others passed by. A library without books, long forgotten and left to time. It reminded him of Twilight, of the library back in Ponyville where he used to fetch her books from the crowded shelves. Since her death the library had been so quiet, only a few ponies still came by to get a book now and then. The dragon sniffed and wiped his eyes before catching up with the others.

Rarity called out again. “Trixie? Luna?” Her voice echoed among the bookcases and crumbling stone walls of the library. “Are … are you in here?” They had decided to throw caution to the wind in order to better find their two missing friends. If anypony were still down here with them, they had given no sign of themselves so far.

“Libraries are supposed to be quiet,” came a sad whisper from Pinkie in the back. Spike backed up a little and patted the depressed party pony on the back. He felt a little less alone knowing he was not the only one to have thought of Twilight.

Rarity was about to call again when a long shriek cut through the silence, causing them all to jump and look around in fear. Loud crashes followed amidst continued cries of despair between choked sobs. Rarity looked around with wide eyes, then set off in the direction of the noise as fast as she could run with Fluttershy on her back.

They turned a corner and burst through a door into what must once have been a study, in ages long since past. The room looked like it had been razed by fire in a great struggle, things thrown everywhere. Not far from the door a bed had been toppled over, leather restraints torn. Trixie lay on her knees next to this bed, sobbing uncontrollably, blood dripping from her mouth.

Rarity rushed over. Trixie offered no resistance as Rarity began to to pull at her, but made no effort to help either. With Fluttershy on her back, Rarity struggled. “Pinkie! Spike!” she called and was glad when Pinkie appeared and quickly grabbed Trixie. Together they got the sobbing alicorn out and collapsed next to her just inside the library.

“Ah hur’ Una! Ah hur’ her!” Trixie kept repeating in sobs. Her voice was a strange, almost incomprehensible slur as if her tongue was rebelling against her.

“Rarity, Pinkie!” Spike's voice called from the other room. “I found Luna! Come quick!”

Rarity let Fluttershy roll off her back next to Trixie and got up. “Stay with them, Pinkie,” she said, not waiting for the pink pony to reply as she hurried back in. Spike was struggling with something in the back of the room, trying to keep the sleep from overcoming him. Rarity rushed over and quickly took stock of the situation.

Luna lay on a toppled bed, still tied down. The princess peered up at them with a blank, distant gaze, her lips moving slightly, “Don't leave me here …”

With a flick of her horn, Rarity loosened the bonds. With Spike's help she began dragging out the dazed princess. She dropped the princess just inside the library and collapsed, exhausted.

* * *

“How are they doing?” Rarity looked up at Spike as she slowly came back to her senses.

“Luna is awake and better. Trixie … doesn't respond.” The dragon looked over at where Luna was trying to get through to Trixie, but she simply lay there, staring straight ahead, tears rolling down her cheeks and lips occasionally trembling. “She seems to have bitten her tongue quite badly, but I don't think it's because she can't speak. She's in her own little world right now.”

Rarity stood up on shaky legs and walked over, sitting down next to Luna. The princess looked down, exhausted and concerned. “She doesn't seem to register anything. She appears to think she hurt me. I wish I knew what she's going through. I wish I could help her.”

Rarity put a comforting hoof around Luna's shoulders. “She'll recover. She's a tough one.”

Luna didn't say anything as she stroked Trixie's cheek.

“We need to get out of here. Can you carry her?”

Luna nodded slowly and stood up, gently lifting Trixie up with her magic and laying her on her back before helping Rarity with Fluttershy.

They walked in silence through the dark and empty corridors. Rarity was glad for the company, but still felt uneasy in the eerie darkness of the asylum. The image of the slaughtered ponies kept coming back to her, and the thought of returning to the scene made her struggle with her breath, not to mention the contents of her stomach.

Luna glanced over her shoulder at Rarity as she noticed her struggles. “Are you alright?”

Rarity shook her head, “No. No, I can not—” She breathed deeply. “We simply can not go back the way I came. We need to find another way out. Please.”

Luna nodded, a look of sympathy on her face. “Where did you come in, then?”

“Through the kitchen. There was a back door.”

Luna considered for a moment, then gave Rarity a small smile. “Then we shall take the front entrance. It was blocked from this side, so it should open for us here.”

Rarity nodded, feeling a little calmer at the prospect of not having to go through the dining hall. She just hoped they could find the main entrance and get out that way. She didn't want to spend one second longer in this place than she had to.

Thankfully it proved a simple matter to find the entrance hall. The grand doors had been blocked by furniture in a haphazard but effective manner, preventing entrance from the outside. Pinkie and Spike helped Rarity and Luna pull the furniture out of the way, and soon the group found themselves breathing in the fresh air and warming themselves in the rays of the midday sun.

Rarity, greatly relieved, trotted down the stairs and carefully lay a fevered Fluttershy down in the soft grass. Luna followed, letting Trixie off her back. Trixie still lay there, staring ahead of her. Luna lay down next to her and nuzzled her sadly.

Rarity looked between Trixie and Fluttershy before turning to the others. “I'm … going to go get some things from the balloon so we can do something about Fluttershy's leg.”

Spike raised his claw. “I'll come with you.”

Rarity smiled at the dragon, thankful for the offer. She honestly didn't want to be alone, even if it wasn't very far to walk. “Thank you, Spike. You are a darling.”

Luna nodded. “Can you get some paper and quill while you're at it? We need to write a letter to my sister as soon as possible. She must be terribly worried by now. She needs to know that we are … relatively well.”

Rarity nodded and set off down the path towards where they had left the balloon, Spike following close behind. Luna sighed and wrapped a wing around Trixie while Pinkie sat down on the grass and stared ahead of her in silence.

* * *

“Twilight is … is never coming back, is she?”

Luna looked at Pinkie Pie, surprised at the sudden question. Pinkie had been uncharacteristically quiet, and with Trixie still in shock Luna had for a moment almost forgotten Pinkie was there.

Luna smiled sadly and shook her head as she spoke. “No, Pinkie. Twilight is dead, but she lives on in our memory.”

Pinkie looked down, seeming to understand. Somehow, something had clicked in her mind to break the weeks of denial. “Last I saw her was at the fair. I was a terrible friend to her.”

Luna stood up and walked over to give Pinkie a friendly nudge. “I'm sure that's not true, Pinkie. I'm sure Twilight couldn't have asked for a better friend.”

Pinkie shook her head vigorously, the first real energy displayed in a while. “But I wasn't any good. I never visited her in Dappleshore. I should have come by sometimes, I should have … I should have thrown her a big, humongous, super spectacular party to make her feel at home there. But I never did. Maybe that's why she became so sad and did the things she did, because she never got a big party to cheer her up!”

Luna sat down beside Pinkie and wrapped a wing around her. She wasn't sure what to say, all she could think of was, “It's not your fault, Pinkie.”

Pinkie sniffed sadly and leaned against Luna. “I miss her. Do you think they have parties where she is now? Do you think she's happy?”

“I'm sure they do, Pinkie. And I'm sure she's happy too, wherever she is.” Luna looked up at the sky with a sigh. Deep down she found herself less certain about her words than she wanted to be.

She was torn out of her thoughts as Rarity came running with a huffing Spike struggling to keep up behind her. “Luna! The balloon … it's gone!” The white unicorn called as she slowed her run and came to a halt.

Luna looked in the direction of the balloon and bit her lip. “Gone?” She frowned and stood up again. “The pony who captured us must have taken it. No doubt she's far away by now, not even any point in trying to go after her then.”

Rarity stomped in annoyance. “What do we do then?”

“You and Pinkie stay here with Trixie and Fluttershy. I'll go find bandages and paper. There must be some here somewhere. I won't be long.”

Rarity nodded nervously as Luna wandered off, but the princess was true to her word, and Rarity didn't have to wait long. Luna returned not long after with bandages, paper and a few other supplies she had managed to salvage from the nearby buildings. She lay it all in the grass, and Rarity immediately set about treating Fluttershy's leg while Luna sat down to write a very late letter for Celestia.

Spike watched for a while before voicing a thought that had plagued him. “What are we going to do now? I mean, where are we going and how?”

Luna looked up from her writing and let the quill rest on the paper as she pondered quietly. “I am not certain, Spike. For now I suggest we go into Hoofswell and rent a room or two, until Fluttershy and Trixie are better. Until then I don't think there's much we can do.”

Spike nodded and returned to watch in silence as Luna finished the letter.

* * *

They rented a small suite at the nearest hotel in town, but none of them slept much that night.

Luna was resting on a couch in one of the rooms, watching over Trixie on a nearby bed while reading the response from Celestia. She felt sorry for putting her sister through such pain and constant worry. Luna had no doubt that Celestia would know if something really did happen to her, but the stress of waiting in uncertainty, unable to do anything to help or hinder the inevitable seemed to affect her deeply.

Luna sighed and rested her head on her hooves, her thoughts drifting. What would happen if she failed? What would happen to Trixie, to her sister, and to Equestria? She knew she had to continue on and find a way, any way she could. “I only wish I knew how,” she whispered to herself as she glanced up at the sky through a nearby window.

The sun was starting to rise again when Trixie stirred, drawing a long and painful breath. Luna looked up and quickly got on her hooves, rushing over next to Trixie on the bed.

Trixie stared into the ceiling past Luna, tears trickling down her cheeks. “Ah'm sowy. Ah'm so sowy!” she cried as Luna pulled her into a tight hug, wrapping her wings around her.

Luna nuzzled her cheek. “It's alright. I'm here. We're all here for you. We'll find a way, I swear.”

Trixie buried herself in Luna's embrace. “Ah know wha' she sheeks. Ah know wha' she wan’s to do.” Her voice remained slurred, although a little better than earlier.

There was a moment of silence before Luna responded. “Who are you talking about?”

Trixie explained as best she could about Manna and her quest for vengeance. Luna listened in silence and seemed to have drifted off in a thoughtful gaze as Trixie explained the mirror of souls which Manna had told her about. After a while of silence, Trixie pulled herself free of the embrace and looked up at Luna. “Wha'?”

“I know where she's going,” Luna finally spoke.

9. Letting Go

Luna watched the rising sun through the window of the hotel room. Perhaps her sister was watching it with her even now, somewhere back in Canterlot. Yet Luna knew she couldn't return there. Somewhere out there lay her own path, a path that would take her back … but not to Canterlot. Luna wondered what she would find at the end, and whether she would ever return to see her sister.

“Princess?”

Rarity's voice broke her out of her gloomy thoughts, and she turned to the others who had gathered in the room, waiting for her to explain. They all seemed eager to know what their next step was going to be. Everypony except Luna.

She tried not to show her hesitation and sat down on a nearby pillow. “From what Trixie has told me, the pony in the asylum was Twilight's great-great-grandmother, Manna Sparkle. You all know the story of … Twilight, and how she …” Luna took a moment to gather herself. “How she died. It seems Manna was the victim of the same malevolent spirit as Twilight, and now Trixie.”

“It appears to be a family curse that Trixie has now inherited. Yet Manna escaped by breaking her own horn, though we know nothing of what else happened back then. It seems that once her tormentor passed on to Twilight, and now Trixie, Manna broke free and now pursues her vengeance against the spirit of her and Twilight's ancestor.”

“So she's after the same as we are?” Spike, sitting with Rarity, asked?

Luna nodded. “It would certainly seem so, but I wouldn't trust that mare, and it appears that she doesn't trust us one bit either. But we know what she seeks, and I know where to find it. Whether she actually knows where it is too …” Luna shook her head. “It doesn't matter.”

The others looked at her expectantly. “Manna, it seems, seeks the Mirror of Souls, an ancient artifact that would allow her to cross into the world beyond and confront the spirit of her ancestor. That is her plan, but it won't work.”

The others waited patiently for her to continue. Luna's mind drifted back through the ages to a time before the nightmare. “The mirror is a powerful piece of alicorn magic from the time of Discord. It was through it that my sister and I discovered the Elements of Harmony and how to use them to defeat Discord. Only an alicorn can use its magic. Manna took some of my blood, but even if the mirror is still intact and functioning after all this time, it won't work for her.”

Trixie looked up from where she was lying next to Fluttershy, resting and tending her wounded tongue. “Are you sure? Ah mean … your blood did thish?” She ruffled her wings a little.

Luna hesitated. “We still don't know exactly how that happened. I am certain that my blood alone could not have done it. I suspect Twilight's sacrifice had as much to do with it as my blood did, though surely neither would have been enough on its own and perhaps other factors played a part as well. Even so, it is not clear whether you could use the mirror either. Manna seems to have suspected that you might not have that power at least, from what you told.”

“But you could!” Spike interrupted eagerly.

Luna nodded slowly. “If the mirror is still there and intact, yes … yes, I could use it. The mirror was lost long ago during the last days of Discord's rule when much of the land and seas were changed. Equestria once encompassed much of what is now sea, and the mirror was in a grand city in what is today the eastern sea. One of many such sunken cities, the most famous of which is of course Marelantis. If it still exists, it has long since been claimed by the deep.”

There was a long silence as everypony mulled over the information to themselves. Finally Pinkie broke the silence. “How do we get there? We have to get there!”

Everypony looked to Luna, who knew they had all reached the same conclusion. This was the path they needed to take from here, she knew that too. “I suggest we all get some rest. We will travel south by hoof. If we follow the roads we should be able to make good time and not run into anymore trouble. Once we reach the sea we will need to take ship, but let's save that worry until then. For the moment we need to rest, then resupply in the evening.”

Everypony seemed to agree with that plan for now and got ready to get some rest. Luna turned back to look out through the window, gazing into the distance.

* * *

Trixie stepped into the small shop and looked around at the shelves full of various and sundry items and supplies. It was not the finest of places, a little rustic and simple, but like every other place in town it seemed to have been shined up in a great hurry. Apparently the presence of her and Luna was difficult to keep from the local ponies, and like everywhere else they went out of their way to greet the royal pair. Trixie was merely happy to not be trampled by a mob of festive ponies upon entry.

An old mare peeked out from over the counter at her, watching nervously as Trixie walked along the shelves. Once she would have been happy for the attention, to have ponies bowing and scraping at her hooves, but the attention of strangers no longer made her feel joy or any thrill. Yet neither did she seek solitude … something was missing from her life, and something dark now lurked in the void instead.

She picked a few items off the shelves. Dried and canned food, good for long travels. They had lost everything with the balloon and needed to restock for the next step of their journey. While the others took care of other matters, Trixie had volunteered to do the necessary shopping of basic necessities. She mentally checked her list and looked around the shop.

She needed fresh bandages and healing herbs for Fluttershy. The pegasus' leg was still in a bad state, and they had only been able to give it a very crude treatment. Her own tongue was already doing much better, the swelling nearly gone, though it still hurt.

She approached the mare behind the counter. “Do you have any medicinal herbs?” she asked as she loaded everything else onto the counter and began counting the payment. “I need plenty of bandages and basic remedies for wounds and infections.”

The elderly mare bowed deeply. “Of course, Your Majesty!” she said and hurried out back for the requested items. Trixie could hear her scramble about and mutter to herself.

While waiting, Trixie turned to one of the shelves. She briefly glanced over her shoulder at the door—half expecting to see Luna enter behind her—before looking back at a small hoof-held mirror on display. Quite ordinary, unremarkable, a simple piece of glass in a wooden frame. Trixie checked the door again before picking up the mirror, holding it up before her. Nothing but the empty shop stared back, and Trixie lowered the mirror again in sadness.

She picked up a few more things, quietly paid the shopkeeper, and left. As she did she slipped the small mirror into one of her saddlebags, tucking it in safely beneath the other things where it would stay hidden.

* * *

“Opal, dear?”

Rarity called as she trotted down the path through the small local park, her horn shimmering in the early evening. She hadn't seen her darling cat since it fled from the asylum kitchen. Her gem-finding spell had turned up no trace of Opal's jeweled necklace back there, and Rarity had been worried sick for the poor thing, lost and alone somewhere out there in these unfamiliar lands. While the others prepared for the trip, she had gone out to search the city. Her spell had picked up a trace which had led her to the park where she hoped she would find the lost critter.

Peeking under a bench, she called out again. “Opalescence, darling? Momma is sorry, so you can come home now! Oh, of all the worst possible things—” She broke herself off and sat down heavily on the bench, sniffling a little sadly.

Twilight, Sweetie Belle and Zecora's deaths, all those poor innocent ponies in the asylum slaughtered, Fluttershy and Trixie suffering even now, Celestia worrying for her dear sister who only just returned after a thousand years of banishment and nearly died less than a week ago. Who was she to put her cat above all of that? “Of all the worst possible things, this is … at the very bottom,” she muttered, lips trembling.

The gleeful voices of a pair of nearby foals broke her out of the gloom, and her horn flared slightly as she glanced up. A pair of young fillies, twins judging by their nearly identical looks, ran up to what Rarity assumed to be their mother. They looked poor and in need of a solid meal—and a bath—in stark contrast to the fine object one of them was holding in her mouth. Rarity recognized Opal's jeweled necklace immediately, her eyes widening at the sight.

The filly with the necklace held it up to her mother, dangling the trinket eagerly. “Look Mommy! Look what we found!”

The other filly giggled joyously. “It's so shiny! I bet it's worth a million bits!”

The mother picked up the fine piece. “Oh my … where did you find this?”

“In the bushes over there,” the two fillies chimed. “It was stuck on a branch. Can we keep it?”

“I-I'm sorry, dears.” The mother looked deeply conflicted. It was obvious that the small family could do well with the money such a find would bring. “It … It must belong to somepony who is probably missing it. W-we should bring it to the guards so they can find the owner.”

“Aww!” the twins said in agreement, hanging their heads low.

“Now now, you know it's … it's the right thing to do. You wouldn't want somepony to take your toys if you lost them either, would you?” The fillies shook their little heads and muttered something Rarity couldn't hear. The mother smiled. “There you see. Now come along.”

Rarity watched as they began to walk down the path. She wiped a few tears from her eyes and stood up, approaching the family. “Excuse me … I'm sorry to disturb, but my cat, Opal, she ran away and I couldn't help but notice that you found her necklace. I was wondering if perhaps you had seen her? She's a white, fluffy cat and very dear to me, you see.”

The family looked at her with a mix of fear and awe. The mother glanced down at the two fillies who shook their heads, jaws hanging a little. “Uh … Um, we only found t-the necklace, Ma'am,” one of them finally managed to speak.

Rarity's ears dropped and she hung her head slightly. She had dared to hope, even though deep down she had expected that to be the answer. “Oh … alright, then. Thank you.”

“W-We're mighty sorry, Ma'am. We didn't mean to take it … here.” The mother held up the necklace, but Rarity stopped her.

“No, no! Please …” Rarity smiled through her tears. It was time to let go and move on. “Please keep it. It … would just remind me of poor Opal, and I dare say you need it more than I ever did. Take it with my blessing, and may it bring you good fortune.” The mother hesitated, but Rarity looked insistent.

The fillies brightened as they watched, and their mother smiled thankfully. “Really? Oh … Oh thank you, good Ma'am. You're very kind.”

“Think … think nothing of it!” Rarity felt her voice faltering slightly. “I-If I could just ask one thing. I promise I won't ask much, but … if you find my cat, by any chance, would you … would you make sure she gets a good home? She can be a little difficult, but I'm sure somepony around here could take good care of her.”

The family looked at each other. The twins both looked hopefully at their mother, who finally nodded with a smile. “O-of course, Ma'am.”

Rarity smiled sadly. “Then I … Then I can't ask for more. Thank you, and may fortune smile upon you and your family.” She turned around, head hanging low.

She was stopped by a gentle tug on her tail. “Ma'am?” She turned around and looked at the young twins staring up at her admiringly. “W-what is your name, Ma'am?”

Rarity knelt down and smiled at the two young fillies, “Please call me Rarity, dears.”

* * *

Pinkie put the bowl of warm water and soap down on the floor next to the bed and sat next to Fluttershy. She looked at the pegasus who smiled back at her warmly, yet Pinkie felt no joy herself, no bubbly feeling deep in her chest wanting to burst out in a fit of giggling or outright laughing. All she wanted was to laugh and smile with her friends again, to see them all happy and full of joy again, but how could she smile or laugh with all the death and suffering around her?

“Are you feeling better?” she asked while unwrapping Fluttershy's wounded hoof. The wound still looked infected, and the others had seemed worried about it. Pinkie had volunteered to stay behind and take care of Fluttershy while the others went out to get supplies and prepare for the trip. She wanted to feel helpful, wanted to do something to be of use, but what use was a party pony who couldn't party?

Fluttershy just smiled, gently as always. “A little,” she said, in her eternally quiet voice.

Pinkie wanted to cry at that voice. She dipped the rag in the warm water and began washing the infected leg, cleaning away pus and dried blood. It made the leg look a little better, but the deep wounds left behind by the bear trap now gaped openly at her. “I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I don't know if—”

Fluttershy placed a hoof on hers and rubbed it softly, her gentle eyes telling her to stop speaking. “It doesn't matter, Pinkie.”

Pinkie looked down. “Is there anything I can do for you? I just want something I can do.”

Fluttershy sat up as best she could in the bed and nuzzled Pinkie. “There is one thing you could do.” Pinkie looked up at her hopefully. “There is only one thing I really want, Pinkie.”

Pinkie looked at Fluttershy expectantly. “Yes?”

Fluttershy smiled. “I want to see you smile again, Pinkie. I want to hear you laugh again, just like you did before all of this. Back when we were all together.”

Pinkie looked down and closed her eyes. “I don't know what there is to laugh or smile at anymore.”

Fluttershy nuzzled her again. “Smile for me, Pinkie.”

Pinkie looked up and smiled sadly. It wasn't much of a smile, but it seemed to make Fluttershy happy. Pinkie felt a little warmer inside as she saw her friend brighten up like that. It made her feel a little better herself, even if it wasn't much.

“See? I knew you could still smile, Pinkie!” Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around Pinkie as best she could with her wounded leg. “I don't know what's going to happen, Pinkie, but I know I don't want to face it without you or your smile to lighten up the dark. I don't want you to ever stop smiling.” She gave the pink pony a light tickle, which caused her to giggle slightly. Fluttershy smiled.

Pinkie sniffled and giggled all at once, “Thank you, Fluttershy. You're the bestest friend a pony could ever have!”

* * *

Spike let out a long burp of green flames, from which a small pouch formed in mid-air.

The pouch clinked a little as Luna picked it up with her magic and opened it to inspect the golden bits inside. “It's a most curious choice of communication you and my sister have established. And a little bit gross, actually.”

“But useful!” Spike said as he coughed a bit and patted his chest. A letter was one thing, but bags of gold and other big deliveries always left his throat a little sore.

Luna nodded. “Quite. It would make things a little more difficult if we had to buy everything on our good names alone.”

“Glad to be of assistance!” Spike said cheerfully. It felt good to be doing something useful once again, instead of lounging about the empty library all day. “And it's a dragon thing. The breath, you know,” the young dragon began as they turned down a small path outside town. “All dragons have a special breath. A little like cutie marks and special talents. And messenger dragons were very import in the ancient dragon societies, you know,” he explained proudly, puffing himself up to look important.

Luna smiled. “Yes, I am quite familiar with the history and cultures of the dragons, though I do not recall other messenger dragons being quite as …” She searched for the right word. “Noisy, when delivering messages.”

“Just part of my unique charm,” Spike answered, brushing his scales back with a claw.

Luna chuckled a bit. Or perhaps it was his youth, she thought to herself. Either way, the dragon had managed to cheer her up a bit, at least for a short while. She pushed open an old gate and stepped through to a small lot of land with several wagons and carriages lined up in rows. Luna walked casually down the rows, inspecting each of the carriages.

“What are we looking for?” Spike asked as he rode along on her back.

Luna stopped and considered. “Something large enough for us all preferably, but if not that then at the very least it must be covered. We need to make sure Fluttershy stays warm, dry and off her legs.” She turned and looked at a small, covered carriage. “Like this one, though perhaps bigger if we can get it.”

Spike nodded quietly and looked around. “Do you think she will be alright? Fluttershy, I mean.”

“I don't know,” Luna said sadly, looking down. The worry of earlier, briefly banished by the previous conversation, began to return as she continued down another row. “Hopefully Trixie will find something which will help. There's not much else we can hope to do here in Hoofswell. But whatever happens, we will do all that we can to help her.”

They continued in silence for a while before Spike spoke again, having watched Luna as they walked. “You seem very worried lately.”

Luna bit her lip a little and smiled. “I'm sure we all are. Aren't you worried, Spike?”

Spike scratched his chin. “Yeah, but you seem very tense and … jittery.” He gave Luna a poke between the wings, causing her to jump a little and twitch a wing reflexively. He grinned as she turned to stare at him. “And you look like you're somewhere else half the time.”

Luna frowned slightly. “Please refrain from poking me like that. It is not very … polite to poke a lady, much less your princess like that! And I'm just …” She sighed. She probably wasn't fooling anypony. “I suppose worried is right. I fear for Trixie. I fear I'll lose her and all of you. I don't know what we will find, if it will even help us or if it's just a wild-goose chase. Or something worse.”

Spike gave her another friendly poke. “Oh come on, don't worry like that. You do your best, and we all trust you. I'm sure we'd all be totally lost without you.”

Luna looked over her shoulder at the dragon riding on her back. She sighed and tried to give a smile. “I suppose you're right. We all do our best, don't we?” Quietly she wondered to herself if they were trusting her blindly, trusting her too much? What if she was the one who was lost?

* * *

Trixie pushed the door open and walked into the hotel lobby. She stopped when she spotted Rarity sitting on a couch under a small palm tree, reading a magazine. “Hello Rarity. What are you doing down here?” she asked as she walked over to the other unicorn.

Rarity looked up and smiled a little, though it was clear she had been crying. “I got back and I, you know, thought that Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie might want a little … time to themselves.”

Trixie glanced towards the stairs. “Is Fluttershy alright? I got her some herbs and fresh bandages that should help with her wound.”

“I think she's doing better.” Rarity covered a slight blush behind the magazine she was reading. The giggling she had heard through the door left her with the impression that barging in would have been most inappropriate. “So I take it the shopping went well? You got everything you were looking for?” she asked to steer the topic in a new direction.

Trixie merely nodded and sat down next to Rarity. She glanced at the magazine for a while before looking at Rarity. “And how about you?” Trixie wasn't sure how to approach such a situation. She had never been known for her skills at listening or making ponies feel better, but Rarity and the others were the only friends she had, the only ponies who made her feel less lonely and lost now.

Rarity lowered the magazine, shoulders slumped. “I lost Opal. I couldn't find her, just her necklace which I gave to a poor family … I don't think she's ever coming back.”

Trixie nodded slowly and looked down. “I'm sorry.” She wasn't sure what else to say in such a situation. It wasn't something she was used to saying, even after everything. “I know you loved that cat. Maybe she'll find you, though … pets have a strange way of finding their way back, don't they?” Trixie had never owned a pet herself, but that seemed like the kind of thing she always heard about pets.

Rarity shook her head. “I don't think … I mean, maybe it's for the best. Maybe I needed to let go and focus on what is important here. Namely you, and everypony else. My friends.” She looked up again. “I just hope she finds a good home.”

Trixie looked down quietly. “Thank you, Rarity. For coming along, and for being there for me and for us all. I just hope one day I can make up for everything. I don't know if I can trust myself anymore, or if you all can trust me. I just don't want to hurt any of you.”

“Friends are always there for each other,” Rarity said and smiled at her. “Even when the going gets tough. You know, I certainly didn't have high thoughts of you when we first met, but I can see now something of what Twilight saw in you. And I know she would have stood by you 'till the end as well.”

They both looked up at the sound of a carriage stopping outside. Rarity put down the magazine and stood up. “That must be Luna and Spike. We better go see if Pinkie and Fluttershy are ready to go, then.”

* * *

The carriage rolled steadily along the rocky, uneven road, pulled by a simple come-to-life spell cast by Luna, and enthusiastically steered by Spike. The rest of the group were tucked inside, a little tightly so as to make room for Fluttershy to lie down comfortably. Trixie looked back at Hoofswell as the small town disappeared in the darkness behind them. It was going to be a long and arduous trip to the sea and beyond, but hopefully it would be an uneventful one.

As she settled in under a blanket and looked up at the stars, Trixie thought of the small mirror secretly hidden away in her saddlebag, and of the little purple filly she had talked to back in Canterlot. If only she could pull out the mirror and look into it, to find her, but she knew Luna wouldn't approve. She sighed sadly, feeling the strange loneliness deep inside, despite the others around her.

10. Severing

Luna's eye twitched, her face set in an expression of barely restrained anger. She had to find a way, if only she could—

And again that accursed sound tore at her train of thought and caused it to crash down the mental hillside in a smoking wreck!

She clenched her teeth in frustration, but she didn't want to give in. No, she would ignore it! She would not pay it any attention. She would pretend it didn't exist at all until maybe that became the truth! Instinctively she picked up her pace and turned a corner.

If only she could find a way in this darkness. She wasn't sure to what end, or what she sought. But she didn't want to admit that she was lost, or worse, that she was clueless. She marched stubbornly on, neither looking nor stopping to consider her course. There was no course to take, it didn't make any blasted difference! She would carry on, and one way or another she would stumble upon the way. Sooner or later.

And there it was again! That sound, always right behind her. Luna's face scrunched up even more, teeth bared in a low snarl. It had been driving her slowly insane ever since … since … Luna didn't know how long she had endured this … torture! But she would never let it get to her. She would pretend it didn't exist. For all eternity if she had to!

She tried to divert her thoughts. Maybe if she could remember why she was here, or where she had been before. She strained to remember something. She focused all her attention, and it was right there, just beyond her reach, if she could only remember something … just a tiny piece … so tantalizingly close.

Clip-clop, clip-clop. Little hooves against stones.

Luna scowled as she tried to keep her focus. It was an exercise in futility.

Clip-clop, clip-clop they continued incessantly.

Luna's eye twitched. She couldn't take it anymore. She spun around and stared at the frightened filly behind her. “What do you want from me?” Luna demanded, her expression of restraint collapsing, tears of frustration streaming down her face. “Why do you hound me so?”

Twilight looked up at the princess with deep, sad eyes, quivering all over as if freezing. She looked lost and confused. “I don't want to be alone,” she whimpered. “I don't want to be lost here all alone.”

Luna hesitated. Looking at the young Twilight made her want to cry again. She backed away a few steps and tried to resist, tried to ignore her heart. She knew she couldn't allow herself to listen to her heart. “No! I will not believe your lies! You …” She trembled.

The little purple unicorn backed away a little from the dark princess. “I-I'm sorry,” she sniffled. “I thought … you could help me find Trixie. I think I lost her, and now I can't find her again. Do you know where she is?”

Luna's face contorted into a snarl as Trixie's name stirred up certain memories. “Trixie?” She rose up, towering over the filly like a black cloud of thunder. “I remember now!”

Twilight backed away in fear, eyes full of tears. “I-I thought you could be my friend … I just want a friend …” she stumbled and fell.

Luna's eyes flashed with lightning as she approached the terrified filly. “I am not your friend! I never were and never will be your friend! Nopony is your friend! And I won't let you hurt me, or Trixie, or anypony ever again!” She raised her hoof, lightning flaring from the tip of her horn.

“I-I never …” Twilight cried in terror, eyes begging. “I never hurt you!”

The storm raged around Luna as she looked into Twilight's eyes. For a second she hesitated. The lightning in her eyes died, and she turned away, spreading her wings. “Leave me alone. I don't want to ever see you again!” She tried not to look back as she set off into the endless darkness, her heart broken.

Somewhere behind her the young Twilight cried, alone and abandoned.

* * *

Luna opened her eyes. Outside the sun was setting as the carriage bumbled along the road of its own power. It wouldn't be long before she had to bring out the moon. She sighed and sat up, stretching herself as she looked around at the huddled-up ponies around her. She was feeling terrible, but didn't want to show it. “How is she doing? Any improvement yet?”

Pinkie looked up as Luna spoke. “She's still fevered.”

Fluttershy's condition had gotten worse despite their best efforts to treat the infection. The pegasus slept most of the time, the rest she spent in a fevered dream, and it had been difficult to get her to eat and drink enough. Pinkie had stayed with her ever since they left Hoofswell, helping as best she could, but now that Fluttershy was unable to guide them herself there was little left they could do armed only with Luna's limited knowledge.

“She'll make it, won't she?” Pinkie asked. She had asked that many times, and every time it was a little bit harder for Luna to reassure the pink pony.

“I'm sorry, Pinkie, we can only hope. If we're lucky, we'll reach the Neighagra Falls within a day.”

They had hoped to make the journey directly to Manehattan, but with Fluttershy's condition getting worse rather than better they had decided to continue south instead and stop by the hospital in Neighagra Falls, the nearest large city. Luna had always suspected this would be a necessary detour, but had dared to hope otherwise. It was now the best hope they had of helping the pegasus.

Pinkie stroked Fluttershy's cheek gently and lay down, huddled up next to the pegasus.

Luna watched them sadly for a while. “Where is Rarity?” The others were still sleeping, except Pinkie and Rarity who had been keeping an eye on Fluttershy and Trixie the past few hours. It had been decided that two of them should always stay awake at any time. With Fluttershy sick and Trixie afraid of what she might do in her sleep, they needed to be on their guard.

“She's outside,” Pinkie said as she looked up again briefly.

Rarity poked her head inside the wagon, trotting along behind it. “I am here. I simply had to stretch my poor legs for a while. Sitting in a wagon all day, packed in like stuffing, is not my idea of a fun time. And I still can't get used to staying up all night and sleeping the day away. I can not imagine how you live like that.” Rarity sighed. She was still prone to complaining, an old habit of hers. “It's not exactly doing wonders for my looks either,” she said and rubbed her eyes. “Oh dear.”

“I know, Rarity. Once we get to Neighagra Falls we can all get a proper rest and a bath.” Luna got up and moved over to examine Fluttershy's leg. Pinkie followed along as Luna unwrapped the injured hoof and studied the infected wound and the blackened skin surrounding it. The look of worry on her face said more than she really wished, but there wasn't much point in giving false hope. “I'm sorry, Pinkie.”

* * *

Trixie watched the ponies walk up and down the street through the window of the hospital in Neighagra Falls. Or so it might have appeared. In truth her eyes paid the passing ponies no heed, instead lingering passively on the faint reflection in the newly polished pane of glass. She could vaguely make out Rarity and Spike behind her, along with Gummy and Angel. Luna and Pinkie had been allowed into the clinic as Fluttershy was brought in, while the rest of them waited for the news on her condition.

Trixie's own reflection was still absent, as was the image of young Twilight. And yet she hoped, as she stood by the window thinking of Fluttershy, that the filly would show herself. Just a glimpse, a brief reassurance that she was still there, somewhere.

A door behind Trixie opened, and all of them looked over as Luna came back out. The princess shook her head as she closed the door behind her. “They have to remove the leg to prevent the infection from spreading even further. There's nothing else to be done for her.” Everypony looked down in silence. “We did all that we could,” Luna tried to reassure them all. “The good news is that without the infected leg she should recover well enough.”

“The poor dear.” Rarity dabbed her eyes with a hoofkerchief.

Trixie turned around. “When will the operation take place? Can we … see her?” She felt she needed to see the pegasus before the operation. To say she was sorry.

“They're preparing to perform the operation later tonight. She's asleep right now, and the nurse thought it best if she was disturbed as little as possible. Pinkie is with her, though, and we'll get to see her just before the operation.”

Trixie nodded and looked down silently.

Luna walked over to her and nuzzled her lovingly. “She'll be alright, dear. She's a strong pony. Stronger than most would think. I'm going out to find a place for us to stay while she recovers. Will you accompany me, dear?”

Trixie nodded quietly once more.

Luna turned to Rarity and Spike. “You two should stay here in case Pinkie or the nurses need anything. We will be back before the operation.”

Spike gave a small salute. “You can count on us, princess.”

Rarity agreed. “We'll wait here for you. Take care.”

Luna smiled. “Good, see you later then,” she said and headed out the door with Trixie close behind her.

* * *

Trixie followed behind Luna as they trotted in silence down the streets. She didn't pay much attention to anything but her own thoughts, trusting Luna to know what they were looking for. She followed quietly as Luna found a hotel and rented a small suite, and she continued to follow along as they went upstairs to inspect their new temporary residence. Trixie walked mindlessly around the room and stopped, without thinking much of it, in front of a window, gazing distantly out at the early night outside.

“Trixie.”

Trixie turned and blinked, pulled out of her thoughts, or lack thereof. Luna was lying on a couch nearby, watching her, a serious and concerned look on her face. For how long? The realization hit Trixie immediately, but she instinctively tried to conceal it as she turned and took a few casual steps away from the window. “Um … yes?”

Luna folded one hoof over the other and gave Trixie a look. “Trixie, please don't pretend I didn't just watch you mutter to yourself in front of a mirror.”

Trixie looked at Luna, surprise likely evident on her face. Had she been muttering to herself? She didn't remember. What had she been muttering? Her mind struggled to remember.

“You didn't realize? No, I figured as much from the look of you,” Luna answered in response to her thoughts. “I saw you in the hospital too, in front of the window. It wasn't very difficult to put two and two together. I'm worried for you, Trixie. I wanted a chance to talk to you, and I wanted to be sure that it is Trixie, the real Trixie, with whom I talk. That's why I wanted you to come with me now, without the others. Just you and me, despite the risk.”

Trixie looked around. It hadn't truly registered in her mind before that they were alone. She had simply followed. She looked at Luna, and it occurred to her how exposed the princess was here, alone with her. Trixie felt a stab of worry and stepped away when it dawned on her that this had been Luna's intention from the start. She stopped and looked at Luna. “You didn't trust me. You wanted to see if I would attack you here, when you were alone.”

Luna seemed to watch her reaction carefully, and sadly. “I do trust you, Trixie. I would entrust my life and everything I hold dear to you, you must know that. But you have been very silent of late, and we haven't had a chance to talk much. It's not been easy to tell what goes through your mind. I wanted to be sure I was talking to you, the real you, the Trixie I love and trust and not a certain somepony else. I take it as a good sign that you haven't attacked me, though I'm still worried.”

Trixie sighed and nodded. She knew that. “I'm sorry.”

Luna tried to draw her eyes to hers. “I'm sorry too, you know.”

Trixie walked over and tucked herself against Luna.

Luna nuzzled her gently and wrapped a wing around her. “I don't want it to be this way, Trixie, but more than anything I don't want to lose you. I just hope I can be there for you, to look out for you and protect you if you can't do it yourself. And what I don't trust right now is what you see when you look in the mirror, and you know you shouldn't trust her either.”

“Luna …” Trixie rubbed her head gently against Luna's soft coat and breathed deeply, taking in the mildly perfumed scent still detectable despite a few days spent on the road. They could both use a proper bath once Fluttershy was better, but right now Luna's scent still made her feel comfortable and safe. “I don't think she's bad. I think … Luna, my heart tells me she really is Twilight.”

Luna was clearly worried and sad. Trixie didn't need to look at her to tell just how concerned she looked. “Trixie …” She tried to look at Trixie, but Trixie instead buried herself in Luna's soft mane. “Trixie, she is not Twilight. I know you wish her to be, but she's not.”

Trixie didn't reply. She lay there, tightly pressed against Luna, face buried in her mane. She knew Luna was just trying to protect her, but she couldn't ignore what her heart was telling her.

Luna was silent for a long time, waiting for Trixie to say something. Finally she continued. “I know it's hard to accept, but you have to face the truth. It's hard for me too. I've … been dreaming of her. She comes to me in my dreams now.”

Trixie pulled herself out of Luna's mane and looked at her with wide eyes. “You've talked with her? Is she … is she alright?”

“Trixie!” Luna gave her a little shake. “She's only trying to trick you and bend you to her will, and it looks like she's succeeding. Please listen to me … she is not Twilight. She can't be, it's not possible!”

Trixie frowned. “How do you know that? How can you be certain?”

“Because this one was in MY dream, Trixie. Remember, Twilight chose you back in Dappleshore. She gave her soul to you, never to me. I don't share your connection to Twilight. What we do share is my blood and my curse, which is Nightmare Moon. This filly who appears to us both can't be Twilight!”

Trixie looked at Luna, who looked back deep into her eyes. Trixie's mind struggled. Luna's words made sense, she knew they did, but at the same time she wanted desperately to find some rationale, some reason to disbelieve it. “Maybe—”

Luna shook her again before she could begin her argument, “No! Trixie, I won't lose you to her. She is a monster and a liar, pure and simple. Please promise me that you won't listen to her. If she's stopped appearing to you maybe that's a good thing, but don't think it's safe. It's just another one of her tricks, I fear.”

Trixie looked away. She wanted to cry, but she didn't know why.

“Trust in me, Trixie. That's all I ask.”

She looked at Luna and found it hard to breathe as she gazed into the eyes of her love. “I promise. I won't listen to her.” Her voice was flat. It was a lie, and they both knew it. Trixie looked away and closed her eyes.

She could tell that Luna was crying.

* * *

Pinkie brushed the hair away from Fluttershy's face and watched her sleep. It wasn't a peaceful sleep. The pegasus looked pale, and pearls of cold sweat soaked her yellow coat. She breathed heavily and frequently turned restlessly in her sleep. It broke Pinkie's heart to see her friend like this, and all she could do was wait. It wouldn't be long, the nurses had promised.

The thought of them sawing off Fluttershy's leg frightened Pinkie, made her feel sick and terrified at the same time. She knew it was necessary, and that the pegasus would lose her leg anyway and might even die if it wasn't removed now. That thought scared her even more.

But there was more to it than just the fear of losing a friend. Fluttershy had always been a close friend, but more and more Pinkie felt there was something she wanted to tell the pegasus. Something she couldn't deny and needed to get out. She watched the fevered pony for whom she felt so deeply. But did Fluttershy feel the same?

Pinkie looked down at her hooves. There was something else she would have to tell the pegasus, of course. About the leg. Pinkie wanted to be the one to tell her, even though it hurt so much to think of it. Fluttershy would appreciate a friend telling her, Pinkie thought to herself.

As she sat there, poking idly at the floor with a hoof and trying to think of what to say, Fluttershy stirred and opened her heavy eyes. It took a little while for her to speak. “P-Pinkie? Is it you there?”

Pinkie looked up and nodded, reaching out to rub Fluttershy's hoof gently. “Yes, I'm here, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy smiled and closed her eyes. “That is … good.”

“Fluttershy …” Pinkie began, feeling her chest tighten. “There's something I need to tell you.” Fluttershy tried to look at her. Pinkie moved a little closer, leaning over the bed so the pegasus could better see her. “About your leg.”

“Is it … bad?” Fluttershy's lip quivered a little.

Pinkie nodded. She was crying, but Fluttershy had to know. “They need to remove your leg. They can't do anything to save it. I'm so sorry, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy looked sad, but nodded a little as if it didn't really come as a surprise to her. “I … I knew. Sometimes … sometimes it's better that way. Will you—” Fluttershy's voice broke. “Will you stay with me?”

Pinkie nodded quickly. “I won't leave you. I'll be right here by your side.”

Fluttershy smiled sadly and closed her eyes again. “I am … glad.” Then she fell silent.

Pinkie's lips moved, but the words were slow to follow. “F-Fluttershy,” she finally half whispered. She needed to get it off her chest. She needed to say it. “Fluttershy, I … I love you!” It was a relief to say it as she watched Fluttershy anxiously. Pinkie cried a little. “I love you, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy breathed slowly, her eyes closed. The pegasus had fallen asleep again.

* * *

The door to the operating room opened as a nurse rolled through with the bed on which Fluttershy lay. Pinkie walked in beside the bed, holding Fluttershy's hoof in hers. The pegasus looked calm now, sedated by the drugs for the operation. Pinkie squeezed Fluttershy's hoof gently. She knew her friend couldn't hear or feel anything right now, and yet she felt certain it meant a lot to Fluttershy that she was there with her. “Don't worry … it'll be alright. I'm here.”

11. Something Lost Between Us

The rock turned over and came to a stop, as inert as ever. Pinkie sighed and gave the piece of black stone another nudge with her nose, making it roll a few feet through the darkness before once more coming to a stop. The little pink filly looked around at the endless black plains and sighed again, even deeper this time. She trotted with heavy hooves over next to the lonely rock and shoved it again, but all it ever did was roll then stop.

Pinkie plopped down on her haunches with a deep, soulful sigh and stared into the darkness. Her brow furrowed, and her eyes bulged out as she scrunched up her face and stuck out her tongue in a grotesque expression of childish concentration. Slowly her little hoof came into her view as she lifted her front leg up in front of her face. Carefully and with great precision she reached out and poked the darkness.

A tiny chuckle escaped the young filly's lips, and again she poked, poked the darkness. The black stuff around her gave way for her hoof, like the soft mass of fluffy, sugary candy floss. Pinkie giggled softly and poked once more.

A little red sparkle flickered in the darkness as she pulled her hoof back. Pinkie's eyes widened, and with bated breath she reached out. Her hoof poked through the black curtain of soft stickiness, and a tiny little light appeared above the groove of her hoof, dancing and blinking like a firefly in the night. Pinkie stared in wide-eyed awe at the vision, a smile spreading on her face.

With a quick upwards throw, the little blinking light left her hoof and soared towards the sky. Pinkie's eyes followed its trajectory as it rose higher and higher into the sky, then she turned her eyes to the rock next to her. That black, inert, silly little rock!

Pinkie looked at it long and hard, stroking her chin like an imaginary beard as ideas began to form. Slowly she reached out her hoof, just barely touching the stone. There her hoof lingered for a bit, then she gave it a little quick poke.

A spark flew from the contact between her hoof and the stone, a little flickering white light that landed on her nose like a flake of snow. Pinkie tilted her head and crossed her eyes to look at the light sitting on her nose. Tears welled up in her eyes from the strain of looking, but the smile remained all the same.

She closed her eyes and sat perfectly still. As she sat there she could see the stone in her mind, and she picked it up. It floated in front of her as if held up by unseen hooves, the hooves of ponies she knew. Ponies she loved.

The stone turned in her mind as she giggled and began counting. “One … two … three …” Pinkie reached out both her hooves, the stone turning slowly between them. “Four … five … six!” On six she brought her hooves together, and with a gleeful chortle she tickled the stone.

The stone sang in her hooves and sent sparks in every directions. Pinkie continued cheerfully as the stone grew smaller and smaller, until finally with a little poof it vanished in a prismatic spray of stars.

Pinkie opened her eyes and looked up, mouth agape and eyes wide with glee at the wall of light shimmering around her, a glittering, dancing rainbow-veil of tiny fireflies. Not a speck of black, not a single drab color. Pinkie cried and laughed at the same time as she turned and turned, hooves stretched out, passing through the veil of light, sending ripples through it as through water.

Her smile vanished swifter than it had appeared. Her hooves fell down, dangling by her side, and the veil of light fell quiet all around her. Pinkie stared ahead of her and listened intently. Somewhere else, somepony was crying, sobbing in the darkness outside. Pinkie gasped and pushed herself through the veil, into the dark. Somepony needed a hug, and maybe a big cheering-up party!

Pinkie scouted the darkness, eyes narrowed. Her gaze locked on a tiny figure in the distance, a lonely unicorn filly trudging through the dark and dreary night with her head hanging low, almost dragging along the ground.

Pinkie gasped and called out to her, waving her hooves wildly, “Twilight!”

* * *

Pinkie opened her eyes and fluttered at the pair of cyan eyes looking back at her.

Fluttershy was smiling brightly at her, a little yellow sun with the most beautiful blue eyes. “You're just so, so cute when you giggle in your sleep. Did you know that?”

Pinkie opened her mouth, though she wasn't sure what to say. She didn't get to figure it out, as Fluttershy leaned over and kissed her softly. A full-grown dragon could have stormed through the building that moment, and the whole place could have crumbled to ruins around her, yet Pinkie wouldn't have noticed. She just stared as Fluttershy's lips met hers, and was still staring as Fluttershy opened her eyes again and blushed at her. “I love you too, Pinkie.”

Pinkie was crying, yet she had never been happier in all of her life. She reached out a hoof and touched Fluttershy's cheek before leaning back in for a second kiss. Pinkie wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy's neck and let the tears flow freely down her cheeks. Life and joy bubbled up inside her, flooding her and washing away what felt like ages of sadness.

She laughed as she hugged Fluttershy.

Fluttershy seemed overwhelmed. She cried a little and blushed timidly. “I-I'm so happy to hear you laugh again, Pinkie. Nothing m-means more to me.”

Pinkie smiled and nuzzled Fluttershy before wiping the tears from her eyes. She stood there for a while, hugging Fluttershy in silence, before her eyes settled on the bandaged leg. Some of the sadness returned as she looked at the now missing hoof. Only the thigh remained as a strange, useless stump. Everything from the knee and down had been removed.

Pinkie remembered little of the operation. She had been squeezing Fluttershy's hoof while trying to block out everything but the thought of the pegasus' smiling face and all the happy memories she had of her from back in Ponyville.

Fluttershy nuzzled her and turned her head away from the leg. “It's … it's alright, Pinkie. Don't be sad.” Pinkie nodded a bit and buried herself in Fluttershy embrace. They sat like that for a while before Fluttershy broke the silence. “You shouldn't have to sleep here. The doctors say I'm doing well, and if the leg heals without complications I can get out of the hospital … soon.”

“I don't want to leave you,” Pinkie murmured.

“I know, Pinkie. But I don't want to keep you here now that I'm doing better. You need proper sleep too, and you can always visit me whenever you like.”

Pinkie hugged Fluttershy a little tighter. “Just … just a little longer?”

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. “Okay, just … a while.”

* * *

“What did they say?”

Luna closed the door behind her and looked up at the others who had gathered around the main room of the suite. “She is doing well. I talked a little with her, and Angel was very happy to see her too. She should be well enough for you to visit her. And if all goes well she can leave the hospital within a few days, but it will be a while longer before she is well and safe enough to travel anywhere.”

Everypony looked relieved, and the mood of the room seemed to rise significantly. Luna appeared to be the exception, looking uncomfortable as she stepped over to the others where they were sitting. “It brings up a question that I am not eager to consider, but there is no way around it. With Trixie in the condition that she is, with what is at stake, I … am not sure we can wait for Fluttershy.”

Both Pinkie and Trixie jumped up. Pinkie looked horrified. “We can't leave her here. I won't leave her! I promised I wouldn't leave her. Never, ever, ever!”

Trixie frowned. “I won't leave her either. She is our friend, how can you suggest we just leave her here because she's … inconvenient? After all she's been through and paid for in blood, you just want to abandon her?”

Luna looked hurt. “I'm not abandoning her, and I don't want to leave her behind any more than you do, but please be reasonable. We may not have much time, and the longer we wait the worse it will only get. I don't want to lose you for anything, Trixie, and Fluttershy would be safe and well taken care of here. I am certain my sister would also be happy to arrange a royal escort for her back to Ponyville and her old friends. It's not like I want to just dump her off here in the middle of nowhere.”

Trixie huffed. “So all this has been for nothing. She came with us, and lost a leg, for nothing? Just to be sent back home? That is not fair, I won't accept that!”

“Trixie—” Luna began, but was cut off by Pinkie.

“Trixie is right, it's not fair! What kind of grand tale of adventure would that be? Even I couldn't make that worth telling. Fluttershy can still help, just you wait and see!”

Luna sighed. “I know none of us want it, but we don't want things to take a turn for the worse with Trixie either. We need to think of more than ourselves here. Manna must be far ahead of us by now. She could have reached the sea already. What if she grows desperate when she finds that she can't use the mirror? She has my blood, what will she do with it? What will it do to somepony as unstable as her? I dread to learn the answers to such questions.”

Everypony remained silent. Pinkie looked down at her hooves sadly while Trixie turned and stared at the wall. The briefly happy atmosphere turned cold and unhappy instead.

Luna looked down sadly. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off as if … I'm sorry. I just try to do what is best.” She turned around and left the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Luna turned on the bed and opened her eyes, sadly stroking the empty spot beside her. It was cold, untouched by the warmth of Trixie. Was she wrong? She only wanted to do what was right, to protect those she held dear.

Had she been too hard on Trixie? Or not hard enough? Maybe she just needed to put her hoof down and take charge here. For Trixie's own sake, and for the sake of everypony. It hurt to think that way, but did she not have a responsibility to the others as well? To all of Equestria, if things took a turn for the worse? But how would Trixie react? Would she turn against Luna and … no, that could only make things worse.

Luna turned again, staring up into the ceiling. She wanted to hold Trixie tight, wanted to feel her and comfort her. She wanted to feel happy again and know that everything would be alright, somehow.

Something was missing or broken between them. Luna felt it deep within her heart. It was not the same since their argument earlier. The way Trixie looked at her, not as a lover or a friend, but … something else. Luna felt her chest tighten and closed her eyes to staunch the tears. Where had she gone wrong? How could she make everything good again?

She sniffed and wiped her eyes. She had to make it right again somehow. She needed to talk to Trixie. She needed to make amends. Slowly, feeling heavy, she rolled over and got out of the bed. She trotted across the room and opened the door.

Spike and Rarity were playing cards in the main room, passing the time as they kept watch while the rest of them slept. Luna gave them a weak smile as she walked over to the next door and gently pushed it up, peeking inside. “Trixie? Won't you come stay with me?”

Trixie was sitting on the bed with her back to Luna, looking down at her front hooves. “I would like to be alone, please. I don't want to talk to you.”

Luna stepped inside and closed the door behind her. “I'm sorry if I've somehow hurt you. I'm honestly trying my best, and you know that I love and care about you.”

“I know.” Trixie sighed and looked up a little, but didn't turn to face Luna. “I just wish to be alone right now, if you don't mind.”

Luna looked down sadly. “I—” She walked over to sit by Trixie. “If I have done something … if there's anything I can do to—” She stopped as she was about to sit down and her eyes caught what Trixie had been looking at. A small hoof-held mirror. “What are you … where did you get that mirror?”

Trixie frowned. “I bought it before we left Hoofswell, if you must know.”

“And you didn't tell me?” Luna asked, looking hurt.

Trixie looked away. “I knew what you would think. You would try to convince me not to bring it. But … you're wrong.” She looked back down at the mirror, eyes searching. “I need to find her. I need to see her again. It's all I can think about. It feels so important, as if … it's more important than anything.”

Luna looked helplessly at Trixie. “Trixie, you're obsessed. It's not right. Please listen to me. I know how you feel, but you must shake off this … fixation with Twilight.”

“You know how I feel, do you?” Trixie sounded angry, but composed herself again. “I'm sorry, Luna, but I know I am right. You don't understand.”

“I try,” Luna said quietly and moved a little closer to Trixie. “I really try, Trixie. Because … because I love you.” Luna looked at Trixie hopefully, waiting for her to say the same.

Trixie remained silent, looking down at the mirror in her hooves.

Luna watched her, a great sinking feeling swallowing her up. She wanted to break down crying. “I love you, Trixie,” she repeated in vain. It seemed as if she might as well have been speaking to herself.

Luna couldn't make out Trixie's face or determine her emotions, but it was as if she was changed. “I am sorry, Luna. I can not abandon Twilight.”

“Not even for me?” Luna tried desperately and reached out for Trixie. “Trixie?”

Trixie pulled herself away and turned around. She looked angry. Different. Luna recognized the look in her eyes, it was the same look she had seen long ago, back in Dappleshore when Trixie was just a poor, lonely performer down on her luck. Trixie stood up, facing Luna. “For you? You want her for yourself, don't you? Trixie sees it. You're jealous! Jealous because Twilight chose the Great and Powerful Trixie, and not you. You never truly loved Trixie!”

“I—” Luna was in shock and crying. “I do. I truly do!” Her eyes fell on the mirror. She frowned, and her horn glowed, determination in her eyes. “Trixie, I love you. I really, truly love you. I do this only because I love you.”

Trixie's eyes widened as she saw what Luna was after. Before Luna could grab the mirror, however, Trixie launched herself at her. The air crackled with energy as Trixie threw herself and Luna violently against the wall. Luna cried in pain as she crashed into the wall.

“You won't have her! Leave Trixie alone!” Trixie cried and stormed out the door, past a shocked Rarity and Spike who only just managed to jump out of the way. Luna tried to stand and pursue, but collapsed with a cry as her wing gave a crack.

“Look after Luna. I'll talk to Trixie!” Rarity said to Spike before bolting out the room in pursuit of Trixie.

Spike looked lost as Rarity disappeared. “Be careful!” he called after her, unsure if she even heard it, before turning to Luna who lay by the wall, crying.

* * *

Trixie burst out on the street outside the hotel and stopped briefly. Everywhere ponies turned to look at her, some stopping to stare or even bow. Trixie quickly put on an untroubled, aloof face and hurried down the street as if she was simply busy to get somewhere. But on the inside, her mind was anything but untroubled. She needed time to think and to calm down, to gather herself. She slowed down a little as she put some distance between herself and the hotel.

She glanced down at the mirror, still floating along beside her, and caught a glimpse of Rarity behind her. Trixie frowned as the unicorn trotted up beside her. “Do not try to take Trixie's mirror!” she warned, moving the mirror out of the way of the approaching unicorn.

“I won't, and I doubt I could even if I wanted to,” Rarity said as she caught up with Trixie. “I simply wish to talk with you, if that's not too much trouble.”

“Trixie does not wish to talk,” Trixie said, trying to sound firm.

“I think you really hurt Luna.” Rarity continued, undeterred. “And not just physically.”

“I—” Trixie's voice faltered slightly, but she quickly caught herself. ”Trixie is sorry for that, but she tried to take the mirror from Trixie. Tell her that Trixie is sorry.”

Rarity watched Trixie as they walked. “I really think Trixie should be the one to tell her that herself.”

Trixie didn't respond but kept on walking while keeping an eye on the mirror as if expecting Rarity might try to grab it.

Rarity simply followed. “What happened? What is it about that mirror?”

Trixie didn't say anything. For a while they simply walked in silence along the streets of the city. Trixie sighed as she thought of Twilight, the young filly she had spoken with in the mirror, and how much she missed her. Why did she miss her so? Why couldn't Luna understand? She felt so confused and …

Trixie finally slowed down and looked at Rarity. “Trixie … I mean, I just feel so …” She sighed. “So alone.”

“You have us, your friends. We all care about you, Trixie,” Rarity said as they stopped. “And we'll always be here for you, dear. You don't have to feel lonely.”

Trixie looked down. “I know. It's just like something is missing. Somepony. I feel empty, lost … like I did before I met Twilight and fell in love. Before, when I was … nothing.”

“But you have Luna. I know she loves you more than anything,” Rarity said with a smile, trying to bring one to Trixie's own face. It didn't seem to work.

Trixie began walking with heavy steps again. “I-I don't know …”

“She does love you, Trixie. She's mad about you. It's hard to miss,” Rarity insisted.

“That's … not what I meant. I'm not sure …” Trixie hesitated to voice the thought that had been growing in her mind lately.

“Are you saying …” Rarity looked a little shocked, “that you no longer love Luna?”

Trixie nodded slowly and looked down. “When I look at her … it's not the same anymore. Something that was there before is … gone.”

“Oh, Trixie …” Rarity stopped her and tried again to give her a friendly smile. “If this is about your arguments lately, that's all normal. All couples fight sometimes, and you're both going through a very trying time. Don't throw away something wonderful just because you have a few fights.”

“Have you ever loved somepony?” Trixie asked curiously, and mildly hopeful that it might divert the topic a little off of herself and Luna.

Rarity chuckled a little. “Well, since you ask, Trixie … let's just say I have yet to find the perfect stallion. I am a lady, and just call me old-fashioned but I expect to be swept off my hooves. Few stallions truly understand that.”

Trixie nodded. “I would really like to be alone, just for a while,” she repeated her wish from earlier.

“Are you sure? If you're feeling lonely, is being alone really what you need?”

“I … need to gather my thoughts. Maybe I'll go see Fluttershy at the hospital.”

Rarity watched her a little before nodding. “Alright, Trixie. Just know that we're all here for you, whenever you need it.”

“Thank you, Rarity. And please tell Luna that I am sorry for hurting her.”

“I will, but I think she would prefer to hear it from you sooner than later,” Rarity said and gave Trixie a smile before turning around and walking back towards the hotel.

Trixie watched her for a while, then turned and walked in the opposite direction.

* * *

Spike helped Luna back up, careful to keep her wing in place so it didn't move suddenly. “Are you alright? How bad is it?”

Luna grit her teeth as she tried to move the wing slightly, the pain bringing tears to her eyes. “Ow! I think … I just hit it badly. It's nothing. Where is Trixie?”

“Rarity went after her. Come, you should lie down or something. It didn't sound like nothing,” the dragon said as he led her over to the bed.

Luna protested, “We need to find her! What if she hurts Rarity?”

“I'm sure Rarity knows what she's doing, and Trixie's not going to do anything in the middle of the street, is she?”

Luna reluctantly lay down and wiped her eyes in the sheet while Spike sat down next to her. She looked up at the dragon. “Am I wrong, Spike?” She didn't wait for an answer. “I just don't know anymore. Trixie seems obsessed with Twilight and that mirror. I worry for her. I fear that Nightmare Moon is taking over, that I'm losing the mare that I love to the same monster I once fell to myself. But …” Luna shook her head. “What if I'm wrong? And maybe I was unfair about Fluttershy too.” She looked at Spike, desperate for answers. “Was I unfair? Was I wrong?”

Spike sighed. “I think you're asking the wrong dragon,” he said and got up. Luna watched him as he disappeared into the other room, returning moments later with a piece of paper, ink and a quill. He looked up at her as he placed the quill against the paper, waiting.

Luna smiled a little sadly and nodded. “You are a genius, Spike. Thank you.”

“Dear Princess Celestia, Spike is a genius!” the dragon repeated proudly as he wrote down the words. Luna shook her head and looked up as she let her thoughts flow freely, letting Spike write down all her concerns and questions.

* * *

Trixie knocked gently on the door to Fluttershy's room at the hospital before opening it and peeking inside. “Fluttershy?” she asked quietly. A tiny snore was her only response from within.

Trixie walked inside quietly and closed the door behind her. She stood for a while by the door, watching the sleeping pegasus before walking over by the side of the bed. Fluttershy looked peaceful for the first time in a long time, comfortably asleep under a warm blanket which covered the now missing leg.

“May I sit here with you for a while?” Trixie asked in a whisper. She didn't want to wake up the pegasus, but somehow talking to her made Trixie feel a little better, a little less alone. “Thank you,” she whispered as she sat down beside the bed.

She sat for a while, watching Fluttershy's chest move slowly up and down with each long breath. “I'm sorry. Sorry for what you had to go through because of me. I'm a terrible friend. I take and don't know what to give back. Maybe … one day I can repay your kindness and sacrifice. If I … if we survive this, I will! I promise.”

“I know you are my friends … all of you. My best friends.” Trixie looked down, crying. “So why do I feel so alone?” She fumbled a little with the mirror that she had brought with her. She looked into its blank surface and saw nothing but the wall behind her. “What have I done? Why can't I find you?” She closed her eyes tightly to keep the tears away. “Where are you, Twilight?”

Fluttershy's slow, soothing breath calmed her. She sighed and leaned against the bed, resting her head on the soft mattress next to Fluttershy.

* * *

Trixie stared into the mirrors all around her, reflections of reflections, infinite repetitions, yet no Trixie looked back at her and no Twilight met her searching gaze either. All alone she looked around her, feeling empty inside. Sadly she reached out a hoof, touching it against the polished surface of the mirror in front of her. She wanted to pass through, to step through the cold, hard mirror, to find her there, wherever she was now.

A voice tickled her ear, brought to her upon a cold breeze. Trixie turned. Was it her name? Was somepony calling to her? “Twilight?” she called back, a tiny spark of hope igniting within her, but the mirrors remained blank, reflecting nothing but their own empty faces. “Twilight, I'm here!”

She had to find a way, had to find Twilight. She needed a way to get to her, to find her again. The voice called once more. Trixie listened with bated breath. Luna knew the way. Luna could open the way. That was the plan. She needed Luna … she needed her friends, to find Twilight. Trixie turned around … she had to find her friends first!

* * *

The green flame faded as a small scroll materialized in a puff of smoke. Luna looked up from where she lay and picked up the scroll, unfolding it. Spike looked over her shoulder as she read Celestia's reply.

“My dearest sister,

“Caution can turn to distrust, and distrust can tear apart even the best of friends. Stay by and trust in those closest to you. If you leave friends behind you may be sorry later, and if you look for snakes everywhere that's all you're going to see.

“Celestia

“P.S. Yes, Spike is a wise dragon and a good friend.”

12. Shattered Pieces

“Before our friends and those special to us here, on this wonderful day of happiness and good fortune, I Fluttershy take you Pinkie Pie as my wife, in friendship and in love, in strength and in weakness, to share the good times and the bad times, in achievement and in failure, to celebrate life with you forevermore.”

“Forrrreeeever!” Pinkie giggled.

A crying Rarity lowered the garland braid over their heads to rest around their necks and bind them together in wedlock. The thin braid had been woven from strands of their own manes, two shades of pink intertwined in perfect harmony. Rarity bowed and stepped away, dabbing her eyes with her hoofkerchief and sobbing quietly.

“By the power that is vested in me, and the witnesses around us,” Luna began, smiling at the two as she spoke, “I now pronounce you lawfully wedded wives. You may kiss each other.”

Pinkie and Fluttershy looked at each other. Pinkie grinned and set off like a pouncing tiger, tackling Fluttershy whose yelp was cut short as their lips met.

Streamers and fireworks erupted in a wild display of lights and sounds—a collaboration between Pinkie and Trixie, and truly something to behold. Pinkie had surely outdone herself for this party, and everypony had been eager to help out in preparation for the ceremony. It was something to take their minds off the journey and the desperation of their quest, and for that they were all thankful. Even if it was going to be only a short reprieve.

Luna tried to share in the joy, but inside she felt only a growing despair as the days and weeks went by. While friendship and love blossomed between the others, she and Trixie had only grown further apart and now barely talked. Luna's wing had not been seriously wounded, but she could not say the same about her heart. Trixie's apology had seemed sincere, she seemed to be as sad and hurt as Luna, and yet the love was no longer there.

They had stayed in Neighagra Falls for two weeks while Fluttershy recovered from the operation. Pinkie and Fluttershy had announced their engagement only days after the operation. Luna suspected some of the hurry was out of a fear that they may never get the chance later, a very real possibility she tried not to dwell upon. Preparations for a wedding party began immediately after. It had kept the gloomy atmosphere at bay, giving everypony something else to worry about than the many concerns they faced.

Fluttershy's recovery had been quick and without complications, and the journey to the sea soon after was spent finishing the last bits of preparation. It was a wild and strange wedding preparation, nothing at all like the very formal and stuffy things Luna was used to back in Canterlot. At any other time, Luna would no doubt have been feeling all giddy about it all.

In the city of Fillydelphia it had taken Luna no small amount of searching and convincing before she finally found and secured a ship to take them out on the wide open ocean. The captain, one Woody Hooves, seemed friendly if not entirely reliable. Unable to find another ship, however, Luna had to settle for what she could get.

Meanwhile the others had been asking around, but nopony had seen anypony matching Manna's description. A few did mention the sighting of a hot-air balloon heading out to sea a few weeks back.

Luna gazed out over the open ocean as the currents took them into the vast unknown in search of long lost lands now buried beneath the seas. While the others celebrated the wedding aboard the ship, Luna wondered what they would find once they got there, and if they would be too late.

* * *

The weather seemed to match Luna's mood as she stood at the bow of the ship, looking up at the densely clouded sky through the cold rain. They had long since left behind the safe, controlled environment of the Equestrian soil and entered the open sea where, not unlike the Everfree forest, the world had a life of its own, a life only rarely disturbed by the pegasi. Her mane flowed behind her in the wind, and her coat was drenched. She felt cold and alone.

“Ahoy Princess, ya see anything up there?”

Luna glanced over her shoulder at the crazy captain at the wheel, before silently turning back to the cloudy sky. Her horn glowed, and her eyes filled with a bright white light, reflected as a tiny rainbow in the rain falling around her. Stars peeked through the clouds as they parted before her eyes, a growing hole forming in the clouds above the ship.

Luna studied the tiny lights in the sky above the clouds, noting the patterns and formations she knew so well. For a moment she felt a little less alone, as if she was among friends again. The stars and the moon, for a long time they had been her only friends. As her magic faded again, clouds drifted back in front of her vision, snuffing out the lights once more. She sighed and hung her head, then she turned around.

“So?” The wall-eyed, peg-legged captain looked expectantly at her. He was a strange one, and not entirely reliable, Luna thought, but Fluttershy in particular seemed to have taken a shine to the old and weathered pegasus and his talkative parrot, naturally called Polly, which was short for Pollyanna. The captain had even carved Fluttershy a wooden leg like his own.

“We are not far from our destination, of that I am certain, but I don't know what we can expect to find. There may be nothing but water for us there.” It seemed like all they had seen for days was water, in the sea or falling from the sky. Luna had always enjoyed the open sea, so much like the open sky above, but the weather and feeling of loneliness made it seem so bleak and empty to her now. “Are you sure you don't want me to keep the sky clear?”

“A frisky wind is a ship's best mate, Princess. Let only the old gale blow and fill her sails up good. Makes the old ma'am purr like a kitten, it does.” The captain had a way of making everything sound dirty, a trait Luna might have enjoyed once, before all of this. Celestia had always accused her of having a bit of the same talent from time to time, but lighthearted humor didn't come as easily to her in these times.

Luna nodded and trotted down the few steps below deck to where the others were holed up, sheltered from the weather outside. The others, with the exception of Trixie, were passing the time with a game of cards, a pastime they had all become very familiar with over the weeks of travel in between wedding preparations.

The captain's multicolored bird had teamed up with Pinkie and somehow hoarded nearly all the bits for the pink pony. Rarity was scraping in the meager remains. Both Rarity and Trixie had shown themselves to be sharks at these kinds of games, and when both were playing it often ended up a skirmish between the two. Yet faced with the uncanny combined talent of Pinkie and Polly they both had to admit defeat, something Rarity dealt with a lot better than Trixie.

“We're not far from our destination. Is everything ready and packed?” Luna asked as she came down the stairs. “Where is Trixie?”

“She refuses to play when Polly is at the table,” Spike explained and pointed a claw at the back cabin. “I can't blame her. That bird is no fun playing with. She's hiding in there, brooding.”

Luna was sure she knew the real reason Trixie spent so much time alone, huddled up in the small cabin on her own. She knew Trixie well enough to know that she would never give up a challenge or admit defeat to anypony, much less a mere bird, if it wasn't for her obsession with that mirror. Trixie didn't want to speak of it, and Luna had long since given up trying to force the issue. The whole thing tore them further and further apart, and Luna couldn't bear to make it worse. A persistent doubt also kept gnawing deep in her heart, a feeling that perhaps she had been wrong about Twilight.

Pinkie had begun speaking of seeing the young Twilight in her dreams too. It left Luna even more bewildered and doubting of what she thought she knew. It made no sense. Rarity had tried to comfort her by explaining that Pinkie often made no sense, that it was probably just another one of her antics, but Luna was not so certain. As the weeks went by she felt more and more lost.

“I do have to admit, that bird is quite remarkable,” Rarity said, apparently in reply to some comment by Fluttershy who sat next to Pinkie and Polly. Luna had drifted off for a moment and looked up as Rarity turned to look at her. “Are you alright?”

Luna nodded. “I am well enough. We better get ready,” she said before she was interrupted by a call from the captain above.

“Oy, ya need ta see this!”

Luna turned and hurried back up the stairs, followed shortly by the others. “What is it?” she asked and turned to follow as the captain pointed a hoof towards the starboard. A roaring mass of lightning and storm clouds whirled through the rain and darkness.

Luna could have sworn she had seen no signs of such a storm moments before. At first Luna thought it was coming towards them, but soon realized that it was the ship moving instead, slowly but surely sailing sideways towards the storm. “Where did that come from? Why are we not sailing away from it?!”

“I'm trying, Princess,” the captain called back over the growing noise of the storm. “It's pulling us in. Unless ye can tame that storm, Princess, I suggest y’all get the sails down fast and brace yourselves for a mighty rocking.”

“Trixie!” Luna called as they all got to work on the sails. The rain was hailing down around them, and the masts were already groaning under the strain of the wind as the ship pulled ever closer to the raging heart of the storm. Trixie came up the stairs and stumbled, sliding several yards across the deck as the ship rolled to the side.

“Everypony hold on tight!” Captain Hooves yelled as a great wave roared above the ship and crashed down upon them. Trixie got back on her hooves and helped a trembling and terrified Fluttershy with the last sail, while Luna turned in the direction they were drifting, towards the center of the storm.

Luna stared up at the raging black clouds and thundering winds. “This is not a natural storm! Something is out of control here, I can't—” A purple flash of lightning broke her off, as it struck the main mast of the ship, splintering the wood in a shower of flames and a resounding clap of thunder.

Fluttershy screamed as they all fell down, holding on to anything they could grab. She felt Trixie's protective wing above her, and an azure light enveloped them as fire rained down around them. “Pinkie!” Fluttershy cried as she struggled to see anything through the storm. The wind roared, and the ship seemed to lift itself from the waves. “Pinkie!” Fluttershy cried again and tried to stand back up but felt herself get pulled down by Trixie.

“Don't let go!” Trixie whispered in her ear. A sudden violent crash rocked the entire ship, and an ear-splitting sound of splintered wood drowned out everything. Fluttershy felt her hoof slip and the deck of the ship disappearing beneath her.

* * *

“Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy felt herself torn from Trixie's side, her hoof slipping as she was tossed violently into the air by the whirling winds. Black rocks towered above her like giant teeth rising out of the white, raging sea. Fluttershy fought against the wind and the rain, her wings beating feebly as she tried to reach the rocky outcrops for something to grab on to. Anything at all. Through tears and rain she saw the rock disappear from her view.

Fluttershy cried and flapped her wings harder, as hard as she could against the storm, when she saw a pale blue light beneath her.

“Fluttershy!” Trixie's voice called. Fluttershy struggled blindly through the rain towards the light, her hoof searching desperately in front of her. It touched something, and she felt another hoof grab her and Trixie's voice calling again. “Hold on!” Fluttershy held on for her life as Trixie's wings carried them towards the cliff in the distance.

Trixie hit a large rock and landed hard on a small outcrop far above the sea. “Hold on to something, and don't move!” she called as she stumbled back on her hooves and spread her wings again.

Fluttershy grabbed the nearest rock in terror. “D-don't l-leave me!” she cried, but Trixie had already taken flight once more. Somewhere behind her, Fluttershy could hear Trixie yelling back at her.

“Who are you?”

Fluttershy sank the lump in her throat, her mouth feeling dry as sand, and hugged the rock tighter as the wind howled around her. “I-I'm the g-great and … and courageous F-Fluttershy! I-I'm not afraid … I'm not afraid!” she cried to herself, sure that none but the wind could hear her.

And yet a voice reached her back, a tiny cry deep below her. Fluttershy hugged the rock as she peeked over the edge of the cliff into the stormy abyss, shivering all over from fear. “S-so deep,” she whimpered.

Somewhere far below her she could see the shattered remains of the ship almost swallowed up by the sea. Amidst the white foam, dark blue waves and brown wood of the sinking vessel, a tiny pink dot seized her attention. “P-Pinkie!”

Fluttershy struggled to breathe as she stared down the side of the cliff, down at where Pinkie was struggling in the cold waves. “I-I'm not a-afraid! I am not afraid!” She let go of the rock she had been hugging and stood up. Her eyes set into a fierce stare as she gazed straight ahead into the darkness, into an imaginary mirror. “Now you listen to me here, Missy! I am the Great and Courageous Fluttershy!” The sound of her voice clashed against the rocks as she jumped, wings held tight along her body as she dove straight down, screaming defiance at the top of her lungs against the choking wind.

At the last moment she spread her wings and swooped down over the sinking wreckage of the ship. Pinkie was hugging one of the broken masts, staring up as she tried to keep her face above the waves. Fluttershy landed behind the mast and reached out to grab Pinkie.

Pinkie kept her grip on the mast, coughing up water as the waves rolled over her face. “F-Fluttershy! I'm … tied!” She sputtered desperately and fought to keep herself above water a little longer.

Fluttershy looked around in a panic. Seeing nopony else around to help, she took a deep breath before diving into the cold water just as Pinkie's face disappeared under the waves again. Holding on to the mast, she felt herself along until she found Pinkie. A rope from one of the sails had tied itself around Pinkie’s waist and hind legs, and the heavy sail now pulled her down along with the rest of the ship.

The currents pulled at Fluttershy relentlessly, and the cold water numbed her hooves as she struggled and tore at the ropes to get them free. Her lungs were screaming for air as the darkness of the deep grew closer around them, but she wouldn't leave Pinkie. She would never leave her.

* * *

Trixie landed on the small rocky outcrop with Spike clinging to her back, shivering from the cold. “Fluttershy!” she called, but there was no sign of the pegasus where she had left her. “Fluttershy!” Trixie looked around. Was it the same place? She was almost sure of it, and yet there was no Fluttershy.

“Trixie! Up here!”

Trixie looked up, shielding her eyes with a hoof against the rain. Luna waved down at her from higher up. Trixie spread her wings again and set off, beating hard to fight the wind. Luna reached out and pulled them both into the narrow opening of a small cave in the side of the cliff.

“I'm so relieved to see you both!” Luna gasped. “Have you seen the others?”

Trixie looked around, but all she could see was Luna, and Rarity huddled up further inside the cave, shivering. “I left Fluttershy on the rocks below, but she disappeared while I was out helping Spike. I haven't seen Pinkie or the captain at all.”

They both gazed out of the small cave into the raging storm and sea outside, but there was no sign of either pony. Trixie walked back and forth along the edge in worry. “I told her not to move. They could be anywhere. We have to find them!”

“Wait, look!” Luna pointed down at the water. There, near the base of the cliffs, a small pink and yellow dot was struggling against the waves.

“It's them!” Trixie cried and set off, followed by Luna.

Pinkie coughed and wheezed as she dragged Fluttershy up on a flat rock jutting out of the sea and collapsed next to her. She barely noticed as she was lifted up by Luna and carried away.

* * *

“I have good news and bad news,” Luna said as she landed inside the small cave. It had been nearly an hour. “The storm is clearing, but there is still no sign of the captain, or the pets,” she continued and looked down. “I'm afraid we've lost them to the sea.”

There was a long silence. Fluttershy buried herself in Pinkie's hooves. “A-Angel …” she cried softly. Pinkie was silent—a once rare but now increasingly common occurrence—as were the others as they mourned the losses.

Trixie glanced out at the blue ocean outside the cave. Somewhere down there, deep below the sea, now lay her little hoof-held mirror. Somehow it felt almost like losing a pony.

Finally Luna looked back up. “The good news is … I think we're in the right place, and we're not as stuck as I first feared. I found the balloon; it's tied down on the other side of the island.”

“The balloon? What of Manna, then?” Trixie asked.

“I am not certain. I only saw it from afar, but if the balloon is there then I'm certain she must be somewhere near as well. Certainly she can't have gone far without it. Which means we're close and should be careful. I suggest we set out as soon as possible to find her, and the mirror.”

“I think we could all use a rest,” Trixie said, despite her own eagerness to find the mirror. “We're wet and tired and still grieving.”

“Which is exactly why we should not sit here and grow even colder. We'll all get sick that way. We've lost everything with the ship. We have no food, nothing to drink and nothing to keep us warm. If we're lucky there are still supplies in the balloon,” Luna said.

They all looked around at the barren cave. Trixie looked at Fluttershy. “Can you fly on your own?”

The yellow pegasus sniffed a bit and nodded. “I'm not afraid,” she whispered.

Trixie smiled at her. “That's wonderful, Fluttershy. If you can have Spike with you, then Luna and I can carry Pinkie and Rarity.”

Luna nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

The balloon lay tucked in between two rocks, deflated and tied down. While the others searched it for supplies, Luna and Trixie searched the area around it. The island was small and barren, a spire of rocks rising out of the sea. Trixie had half hoped there would be tracks left behind they could follow, but even if it hadn't all been solid rock the storm would surely have blown and washed away any tracks.

Luna was silent as she walked among the rocks, shifting between looking up at the sky and down at the ground. Trixie followed quietly, straying a bit in her search to cover more of the area. She wasn't sure what they were looking for, but Luna seemed to have something in mind, and Trixie didn't feel like asking for details. No doubt she would know it when she saw it.

Or maybe she would literally stumble upon it.

Trixie nearly fell on her face as something got in the way of her hooves, but she managed to keep her balance and backed away with a small grunt of surprise. “I found something over here!” she called as she looked down at the rope stretched taut before her, one end tied to a nearby rock. “Look where you step,” she added as Luna came up behind her.

“Well done, dear,” Luna said with a smile, trying to cheer up the tension between them. Trixie didn't reply, but continued her previous silence as she walked along the rope. Luna sighed and followed.

They didn't have to walk far before the rope disappeared down a wide crack in the rocks, into an inky blackness below. “Looks like we found the place,” Luna said as she peeked down the hole. “If we're lucky, this leads to one of the towers of the city. It was built into a mountain much like Canterlot.”

“Let's get the others then,” Trixie said and turned around. Luna watched her sadly for a time, then followed slowly. Maybe it would soon all be over and they could return to how it used to be.

* * *

Trixie let go of the rope and flew the last few yards down. Rarity and Pinkie followed shortly behind her. Luna was standing a bit away, looking around in the light from her horn at the ancient stonework of the room. Trixie looked around as well as she landed. It did indeed look like the room of an ancient castle or tower, but not much had been left intact by the ravages of time.

“I think I know this place,” Luna said quietly and began trotting around the room, lighting up the walls and floor to inspect the old carvings that had nearly disappeared. She stopped at a crumbling hole which Trixie imagined might have once been a flight of stairs.

“Then you know how to find the mirror from here?” Trixie asked, feeling excited. The loss of the small hoof-held mirror, now resting at the bottom of the sea, had felt like a greater loss than she had expected. The pull she now felt towards this Mirror of Souls was stronger than ever.

“Give me a little time,” Luna said as she looked down the remains of the stairs and around the room as if trying to stir ancient memories. Trixie wandered back and forth while waiting. Would she finally find the answers she had come all this way for? And what of Twilight? For some reason that now seemed as important, maybe even more important, than anything else they had come here for.

It seemed like forever to Trixie, but finally Luna nodded as if to herself. “Yes, I think I know where we are. This is indeed one of the ancient towers of the castle where the mirror was kept. I don't know if it is still intact, but I know the way to it, at least.” She took a few careful steps down the stairs. “Hopefully we can still get there. And we better be careful.”

They all followed Luna, stepping carefully as they descended the stairs. The halls and rooms of the castle were empty and ruined. In several places the walls and ceilings had collapsed, and many low-lying passages were flooded, but Luna led them on with growing confidence. Trixie noticed several places where it looked like stones and rubble had been pushed out of the way by somepony before them. If nothing else, it seemed they were on the right track to find Manna.

They had walked for what seemed like hours to Trixie, changing course many times when the path ahead was blocked or when Luna's memory led them astray for a time. Finally Luna paused. “We're close,” she whispered and listened before continuing more carefully.

They wouldn't be the ones taken by surprise this time, Trixie thought as she followed behind the others.

* * *

Manna sank down on the cold, wet floor, her eyes staring blankly in the dim light she had brought with her. So tired, and yet no end in sight. No rest, no peace, only the eternal mockery and pain of her failure. She had long since run dry of tears, long since lost everything but the desire for an end, and now here she was … stuck with a cursed mirror between her and the end.

She could hear the mocking laughter, see the smirking face in the reflective surfaces around her. It looked a bit like her, but it wasn't her. She wanted to throw something at it, to shatter the glass and be rid of it, but she knew it would do her no good. There was only one way …

She looked down at the small vial of blood between her hooves. It didn't work. Why? Manna closed her eyes and turned the vial between her hooves, trying again and again to answer that question. It should work. She had been certain it would work. She had worked for so long, only to be defeated here. She could find only one answer, the blood was cold, dead … it had no life left, no magic. It was useless.

Manna grit her teeth and clenched her hooves, shattering the glass and staining her hooves a deep red with the cold blood of the princess. She took a deep breath, restraining herself from screaming again. She was losing control, going mad. She couldn't afford to lose herself again, she needed to be in control of her emotions. Always in control.

“Breathe!” she hissed at herself between clenched teeth.

The cold floor against her cheek calmed her a little as she lay there, defeated. She needed Luna to open the way forward. She had been sure she could do it on her own, but now she realized that she had been mistaken. But what could she do now, this far away? She couldn't return to Hoofswell in time, and surely Luna would never help her willingly. And she couldn't possibly force the princess.

She had burned her bridges, it was over.

“Manna Sparkle!”

Manna jumped at the voice and scuttled backwards as she turned towards the sound. Her eyes widened as she stared up into Luna's stern gaze. Laying a trap and facing the princess when she was subdued and dazed by drugs had been one thing, but to face her now …

Manna shrank before the regent of the moon. “How—”

Luna cut her off. “What have you done with the blood you took from me?” she demanded.

Manna pointed a bloodied hoof at the shattered glass and small stain of blood on the stone. Luna watched her but didn't say anything, as if waiting for her to speak instead. Manna's lips trembled as she sought for words. “I only did what I thought I had to do. I was wrong.”

“You admit your guilt then?” Luna's eyes remained cold, her face unreadable. “You admit to have murdered the ponies of Hoofswell Asylum in cold blood? You admit to having captured me and my friends, possibly putting our lives and the lives of many ponies, indeed all of Equestria at great risk?”

“No,” Manna shook her head but quickly looked down again. She tried to maintain her breath, tried to keep focus. “I did kill them. I had to, they would have stopped me, locked me up. I didn't want to, but I had to. I had to get here. I had to find Midnight to end it all. And I had to make sure she would not be able to stop me either. I had to do what I did, to make everything right.”

“Did you?” Luna asked, unmoving. “Did your plan work then?”

“I …” Manna kept her eyes down, staring at the floor. “No. I was wrong.”

“So you did put others at risk,” Luna continued.

“I thought—”

Luna raised her hoof, cutting her off again. “Manna Sparkle, what you have done is unforgivable. Even if your goal was noble, your actions haven't been.”

Manna looked up. “Please, Your Highness … allow me to speak?”

Luna gave a single nod.

Manna took a moment before speaking. “I'm sorry. I am an honest pony, and I know I have done wrong. I have—” she looked down. “I have done so much wrong. All I ask is that I be allowed a chance to make one thing right. All I ask is a chance to end my ancestor's evil. I need you to do that. I was wrong, I can't do it alone. I need your help, and maybe … maybe you'll accept mine before you decide my final fate?”

Luna looked at her for a long time, then spoke. “It is not for me, or anypony here, to mete out judgment for your crimes. We are all your victims, and our judgment would be colored by that.” She paused. “You will come with us, and if you survive to return to Canterlot, your final fate will be determined there by the royal court, as is custom under Equestrian law. You will stay by my side at all times, any attempt to flee and I may not be so lenient.”

Manna looked down. “Thank you.”

* * *

Trixie gazed into the vast mirrors around her. She had been here before, in her dream. In this very room, looking into these very mirrors. Her eyes drifted from one to the others. She could see reflections in the ancient glass, reflections of her friends, repeated over and over, but none of herself. And none of Manna.

She looked around the room and her eyes fell on the purple mare, whose icy blue eyes seemed fixed right back at her. Trixie didn't trust that mare, and no doubt the feeling was returned, and yet … as she looked back into the mirror and saw nothing, she couldn't help but wonder at their shared fate.

Trixie shook the thought away as Luna approached one of the mirrors, horn glowing brilliantly. The princess raised her head. “It is time for us to find answers, and time to confront this evil that stalks us. I am going to open the way. Be on your guard and stay close, never lose sight of each other.”

They all gathered around Luna as she touched her horn against the cold surface of the mirror. The reflection shimmered and darkened as if a portal into a world of eternal night had swallowed the glass. “I will go first,” Luna said. “Manna will go with me and stay by my side. The rest of you follow close behind.”

Luna looked around at them briefly to make sure they were in on her plan, then took a step through the blackened mirror, soon fading until she was only a distant ghost against the blackness. Manna looked at the mirror and the fading princess, then followed in silence.

Trixie watched them step through one by one, before following herself. A cold, clammy darkness settled around her as she stepped through the mirror. She could see the shadowy outlines of her friends ahead, waiting for her.

Luna said something to them all, but the sound barely reached Trixie. Something else did, another voice, like a gentle caress. “My Trixie … we are brought together at last!” She took a step forward and turned, staring into Twilight’s eyes looking back at her with a gleam of purple.

Luna's voice sounded somewhere in the dark. “Trixie? Are you with us? What's wrong?” But Trixie no longer heard or saw anything.

* * *

Luna turned around and looked at Trixie, whose wide eyes stared past her into the darkness, mouth agape in a dead expression. “Trixie? Are you with us? What's wrong? Trixie!”

A gleam crossed Trixie's eyes, then she broke into a long, deep laughter.

Luna's eyes widened. “No!”

Trixie just laughed and took a step backwards. “Thank you, Luna! You have been my greatest friend and ally all along, even if you never knew it. I couldn't have asked for better.”

“Leave Trixie alone! Come out and face us, demon!” Luna thundered and charged through the darkness at Trixie. A deathly light lit up the black sky and sent Luna flying back with a cry.

”Don't flatter yourself. You have been useful, but you were always too weak, unworthy of the power I now hold. You should have listened to your sister and killed Trixie when you had the chance. But you couldn't make yourself do what was necessary, could you? So you led her straight to me instead, and so it ends.” She stepped back, through the mirror, fading with the shadows around her. “I'll be sure to say hi from you.”

“No!” Luna scrambled to her legs and threw herself into the darkness. A great shattering of glass accompanied her fall, then everything went silent.

13. Last Fall and First Snow

“Hey, Rainbow Da-aaash!”

One of the clouds making up Rainbow Dash's cloud home gave off a little grunt. A light snoring followed suit. Scootaloo considered the object in her hoof, weighing it ponderously as she waited. Getting no further response, she called again.

Rainbow Dash gave a groaning noise in response and poked a groggy head out over the edge of the cloud. “What—” A ball of white whizzed through the air and planted itself with a mighty splat squarely between Rainbow's eyes. Dash blinked and wiped the snow from her face as Scootaloo set off on her scooter with a roaring laugh.

“Oh, you asked for it now, squirt!” Rainbow set off in a great swoop after the smug filly, gliding along the ground at full speed.

Scootaloo glanced over her shoulder and narrowly ducked a shot, the snowball grazing her ear and hitting the ground. She stuck out her tongue at her pursuer and took a sharp turn, the small wheels of her scooter screeching against the snowy road. The vehicle careened dangerously, and Rainbow Dash was on her before she could regain her course, lifting her off the scooter which sped on off into a snowdrift by the wayside.

Rainbow grinned mischievously as she stopped and dangled her by the hind legs over a large pile of snow, head inches from the cold snow. “Did you really think you could outrun me, pipsqueak? Me! Rainbow Dash! The greatest flier to ever come out of Cloudsdale? Better think again!”

“You're too slow, Dash!” Scootaloo taunted smugly. “It's the first snow of the season, and I got the first hit!” Rainbow Dash scowled and opened her mouth. Scootaloo grinned. “Duck!” she said and stuck her front hoof into the drift of snow below her before swiftly swinging it back out, sending a plume of loose snow into Dash's face and open mouth. “And second hit, slowpoke!”

Dash sputtered and shook her head. “Oh you little—” She blinked with a sudden realization and dropped Scootaloo, who landed head first in the pile of snow. “Wait! It's not supposed to snow today!” She glanced around at the thick cover of snow gracing the forests and fields outside Ponyville. “What the hay! If it's that featherbrained Derpy at work again, I'll …” she made a mock strangling gesture with her hooves.

Scootaloo stuck her head out of the pile of snow and shook herself free. “Come on, Dash. Who cares if it's a little early? Let's have fun!” She threw a teasing ball of snow of Rainbow Dash.

“My flank cares!” The ball whizzed lazily past Dash as she lowered herself down onto the ground. “ 'Cause it's gonna be all kinds of sore when all the farm ponies find out about this. I'm supposed to be in charge of the weather team, now they'll throw me out! Worse, they'll tie me up in the town square and throw tomatoes at me. Green tomatoes. Frozen green tomatoes!”

“I really don't think they'd do that,” Scootaloo said as she crawled out of the snow, shivering as a cold breeze blew across the empty field. “It's not like it's your fault. Somepony else screwed up. Find out who and make them clean it up again. Meanwhile we enjoy it while it lasts, right?” Scootaloo smiled up at Dash, whose face had turned to look towards the sky. “Right, Dash?”

A long shadow crept along the ground and fell over Rainbow Dash's face. Scootaloo glanced down at the growing shade then followed Dash's gaze upwards. “Whoa!” The light of early dawn dimmed as a great shadow moved slowly across the face of the sun, blocking it out. Scootaloo held a hoof to her mouth and whispered breathlessly, “I-is that supposed to happen?”

A freezing gale blew in from the forest, making even Dash shiver. She pulled Scootaloo closer and wrapped a protective wing around her to keep out the cold. “No, squirt … no it's not.”

* * *

The brisk hoof falls of Celestia echoed down the hall of the grand tower. Golden rays of light followed her, reflecting in the stained glass portraits along her path. Pictures of the past, of Luna and herself from before their friendship drifted apart, of Twilight and her friends, of many other ponies who had known the magic of friendship and overcome great foes. In these halls and their memories Celestia had always found comfort and hope, even in the darkest of times.

Yet it was more a sense of desperation than of hope she now felt as she came to a stop in front of the grand, gold-framed door with the sun in the center. A last hope, a last resort. And she had no friends to stand by her side.

A hollow sound echoed in the darkness behind her. Celestia looked over her shoulder and let her gaze drift down the long hallway, her ears perked. The golden light from her horn cast long, flickering shadows along the marble floor and grand pillars. “Somepony there?” she called, the faint response of her own voice all she received back.

She turned around again and lowered her head, pointing her horn at the center of the stylized sun in the door. The heavy doors parted silently before her, revealing an empty vault beyond.

Celestia gasped, her face set in a deep scowl. “Not again!”

Another low noise as of light hooves against the floor sounded at the opposite end of the hall. Celestia straightened up and turned around, glaring down the hallway. “Show yourself!” she demanded, the voice reverberating along the columns. The echo died slowly and left a deep, oppressive silence behind.

Celestia stood for a time, waiting. She was about to turn when unmistakable hoof steps made her stop and narrow her eyes once more. The dark silhouette of a pony appeared far down the hall and turned its head to look at her. It stood for a second before making a full turn and approaching quickly.

Celestia's pose relaxed slightly as an azure pegasus mare in royal armor emerged from the shadows. Her look was one of grave concern. “Your Highness!” she greeted with a deep bow. “I have been searching all over for you.”

The princess gestured for her to stand. “Commander Blue Jet. Shouldn't you be leading the emergency response? My orders were quite clear on the procedures.”

The mare stood back up. “I made the calls immediately when I saw the eclipse, as you ordered Your Majesty, but we're getting no responses back. I have reports that guards are missing, some of my key lieutenants among them. Many never reported in for duty, others can not be reached. I have redirected all available guards to protect the castle, but I am having a shortage of ponies. There is also a growing crowd of ponies in the castle courtyard awaiting news on what is happening.”

“Tell them to go home and stay inside, for their own protection.” Celestia strained to keep a facade of calm control. “It is not safe for them to stay out in the cold.”

Blue Jet gave a single nod. “And my guards, Your Majesty?”

“Find them,” Celestia said as she turned around. The vault remained empty, nothing on the pedestal where the box should have been. It made no sense then, it made no sense now. What trickery had foiled her wards not once, but twice? “We have an enemy in our midst, Commander. Find your missing guards and we may just find her as well.”

* * *

The great halls and corridors of the castle lay silent, while outside a howling wind raged. It had not been this silent or lonely since she ordered the entire staff home, but this time she had made no such order. And yet the presence of her guard seemed to dwindle still, only a hoofful left and no further word from Blue Jet. Meanwhile ponies gathered around feeble fires in the grand courtyard, trying to drive out the bitter cold as they waited for news. A deathly cold seemed to hang over the castle, draining away both life and hope.

Celestia turned away from the window towards the table of scrolls. Old friendship reports and other things to remind her, yet all they did now was to make her sad. She had never felt so lonely as she did now, here in the crushing silence of the castle. She picked her way through the scrolls, but could not summon the will to read them.

Finally her eyes fell on Luna's old hoof-held mirror. She picked it up and looked past the empty reflection to the mare sprawled on a couch behind her.

At Celestia's notice, a devilish smile crossed Trixie's face, framed by a hoarfrost mane gently flowing, dissolving in the warm golden glow of Celestia's light. “Hello, Celestia. What do you think?”

There was no surprise in Celestia's expression. She watched her enemy closely in the mirror, eyes following every small movement. “What have you done to my sister and her friends? What have you done to my guards?”

“Winter always was my favorite of seasons. It's such a beautiful time of year, it has a certain beautiful harshness to it. Cold, unrelenting beauty.” Trixie stretched herself lazily on the couch. “It always resonated with me at some deep level.”

“You didn't answer my question. What have you done with my sister?!” Celestia repeated with an obviously restrained anger in her voice.

Trixie shot Celestia a glance. “You didn't answer mine. I have waited long for this occasion and put a lot of work into making it a memorable one for all of Equestria, not least of all you.”

“This occasion? Do not think you will have my death so easily,” Celestia turned around to face Trixie instead of staring into the mirror.

A gentle laughter escaped Trixie's lips. “Your death? My dear Celestia, I do not wish your death.”

“You think I will simply surrender, then?” Celestia sneered, still eying her closely. “Your early winter will kill my ponies. They will all starve. I will not allow anypony to suffer like this!”

“Those who deserve it shall live. I will make this nation stronger than it ever was. And who's going to stop me?” Trixie sat up. “Look around you. Where is your sister? Let me tell you, your sister is dead. As are her little friends. All dead.”

Celestia's eyes burned like molten steel. “My sister is not dead! Do not lie to me!”

“Your sister is dead!” Trixie spat back. “Her friends are dead! Your precious Elements are broken.” Her horn glowed slightly as she pulled out a small bag from behind her and turned it upside down. A fine golden dust fell on the floor in front of Celestia, who looked down at the pile in dismay. “Your guards have all defected, your once loyal subjects doubt you in their very hearts.” She threw the empty bag at Celestia's hooves. “You are alone and friendless.”

Celestia looked at the pile of dust. She was alone, and she had never felt it so keenly before. Memories of Twilight, of all her friends, and of Luna made her cry as she looked back up. “What do you want?”

Trixie's smile widened, her teeth shining in the golden light. “I want …” She stood up tall and majestic, eyes level with Celestia's. “I want for you to go out there, in front of your subjects, and renounce your throne, to crown me Queen and surrender yourself to me. Bow down and give yourself unconditionally to me. That is what I want from you.”

“And what if I refuse?”

The smile faded a little. “Then I shall simply make you do it.”

* * *

Rainbow Dash landed among the crowd of ponies and turned around, letting Scootaloo crawl off her back. Applejack was making her way through the masses towards them with Apple Bloom in tow. All around ponies were whispering or trying to get a view of the castle while the snow blew about them in a haze of white. Rainbow Dash looked up at the dark castle. “Why does it look so … abandoned? Shouldn't the royal guard be here? I don't see them anywhere.”

Apple Bloom galloped past Applejack to join Scootaloo, both of them trying to look above the heads of the many ponies around them. “Do you think the princess is in danger?”

“I don't know,” Applejack said as she caught up. “And I don't like it. But if anypony has answers it's the princess, if only we could get in and find her.”

“I could fly up and look inside!” Rainbow Dash said eagerly and set off, but was pulled back down swiftly.

Applejack spat out Rainbow's tail. “We stay together, remember?”

Rainbow Dash sulked. “That's no good if we can't get in. I'll just take a quick look!” She spread her wings again, but folded them back up with a frown at Applejack's glare. “Fine. So what's your plan?”

“I'm workin’ on it, alright?” Applejack snapped back with a frown. “I'm no Twilight, I can't just … magic up a solution, alright?”

Rainbow Dash gave her a little nudge. “Hey now, don't go thinking like that. But we still need to think of something, and I say flying up and having a look is our best bet. I could do it in ten seconds flat and be back before you knew it, wanna bet?”

“No, I don't wanna bet.” Applejack sighed and held on to her hat in the wind. “Maybe if we get up front,” she said, pondering the masses of shivering, huddled-up ponies. “Maybe if Celestia knows it's us she'll let us in.”

While she spoke the murmur of the crowd silenced as a pair of doors opened on a grand balcony overlooking the courtyard. Everypony turned to look as Celestia walked out and stood in front of the gathered crowds.

A long silence followed as she stood there, gazing out over the courtyard. Her face lacked any expression, as if her mind had yet to make a decision. A nervous murmur resumed among the crowd as confusion spread, ponies looking between each other for answers.

Finally the princess broke the silence. “Ponies of Equestria, my … my dear ponies. I stand before you on this night, to announce as of this moment my abdication of the throne.” Celestia raised her hoof to silence the outcry from the gathered ponies. “I hereby step down as your Princess and give over all rights to the throne of Equestria to … Midnight, your new Queen!”

Horrified cries echoed in the grand courtyard and several ponies fainted as a tall, majestic figure draped in a flowing mane of frost stepped out from the dark gateway behind Celestia. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both stared, while Applejack strained to keep back a furious Rainbow Dash.

“I knew it! And I told you! I told you!” Rainbow Dash cried while Applejack dug her hooves into the ground.

Scootaloo gaped. “Is that … Trixie?”

“What is she doing?” Apple Bloom asked of nopony in particular. “What happened to her?”

Trixie's eyes glinted with a cold malevolence as she turned to Celestia and held out a hoof towards her. The princess looked down as she got on her knees and hesitantly kissed the outstretched hoof. “I live to serve you, my Queen.”

Trixie's smile grew as she turned to the assembled ponies. “That, my loyal subjects, is how you are to address your Queen. With unwavering loyalty and reverence!” She held up a hoof towards the outraged crowd. “Silence!” Even Rainbow Dash froze at the frigid voice, a voice as cold and hard as ice.

“Those who obey, those who show proper reverence for their Queen, they shall be rewarded and their lands shall prosper. Those who do not, those who disobey or show disrespect …” Trixie stepped closer to the edge of the balcony and looked down at the crowd, her eyes a piercing stare. “They shall suffer, and any who offer them help shall suffer with them.” She held out a hoof towards the crowd. “Show your loyalty to your true Queen! Bow down before the ruler of Equestria!”

Several frightened ponies bowed down, and many others followed more slowly. One by one the heads lowered, only a few hesitating or staying high in defiance. Applejack struggled as Rainbow Dash raged and tore at her to get free.

The farmer's grip failed and as she tumbled backwards, the rainbow mare shot towards the balcony and Trixie. “I will never bow down to you! I bow only to Celestia!”

A great light lit up the sky, and a roaring clap of thunder shook the castle. With a cry, Rainbow Dash fell to the ground below, feathers and coat charred. The crowd around her all scrambled to get away from the fallen pegasus as Trixie landed in front of her, folding her great wings as her hooves touched down against the stone.

Trixie pulled up Rainbow Dash by the chin, forcing the smoldering pegasus to look at her. Dash's eyes were wide with fear, a trickle of blood from her lips. “If she will not bow, then she will hang. At dawn! Let this mare serve as an example to you all. Serve, or you will suffer!”

All around, ponies got busy bowing.

Trixie smiled as marching hooves sounded behind the crowd, guards still clad in the royal gold of Celestia marching into the courtyard. “Guards, take this traitor to the gallows. Anypony who doesn't clear out from the courtyard in a timely fashion is to join her at dawn.”

The guards gave a brief salute and set about clearing out the masses just as a small voice broke in. “No, please!” Scootaloo pushed her way through the crowd, crying as she fell on her knees before Trixie. “Please don't kill Rainbow Dash!”

A hushed silence fell over the crowd again as Trixie looked down at the young pony with a freezing smile. She held up a hoof to stop the guards. “And why should I stay my judgment, little one?”

“B-because …” Scootaloo looked desperate, struggling to find some reason that might convince the cold-hearted mare. “Because she's my best friend, and … and the coolest pony I know. I don't want her to die.”

Trixie leaned down and pulled up her head to look at her. “You look familiar,” she said as she looked at the frightened filly. “I remember you. You were in Dappleshore, were you not? You helped foil my plans.” She smiled. “But I suppose I should thank you. After all, had you and your friends not done what you did, I would not be here today. Scootaloo, was it?”

Scootaloo cringed, but looked hopeful. “So … so you'll let Rainbow Dash go?”

Trixie let go of the filly. “No. Your actions may have benefited me, but your intentions were perfectly clear. If anything, I should have you hanged, or worse, as well. I can not have such a rebellious youth on the loose, can I?” Scootaloo's eyes widened, but Trixie continued. “But! I will give you a chance, a chance to tell me, little one, what will you give to have me spare your best friend's life?”

“I …” Scootaloo cried. “I'll do anything.”

Rainbow Dash muttered a feeble “No”, shaking her head at Scootaloo, but it was already too late.

Trixie's face lit up in a fiendish smile. “Will you now? Tell me, then, if this is not a fair deal. Her life, for yours.” Scootaloo stammered something. “Will you give up your life, so that your friend can have hers?”

Rainbow Dash looked with begging eyes at Scootaloo, but Trixie took a step to block her. The young filly struggled, then looked down with a nod.

Trixie broke into a deep laughter and gestured for the guards, “Guards, take the rainbow one to the dungeons! Make sure she is properly chained.”

Scootaloo looked up in a panic. “No! You promised!”

“I promised nothing!” Trixie said, as several guards dragged off Rainbow Dash. Trixie waited until they were gone. “And the proposed deal was for her life, not her freedom. I shall honor that deal, and that deal alone. Now, as for you …” A smile returned to her face. “I find that I quite like you. You've got spirit, and you understand the things a pony has to do. The price was your life, and a deal is a deal. Your life is now mine, you belong to me for all time. I hereby name you …” Trixie looked up thoughtfully, her smile widening in an ironic grin. “My heir! Guards! Clear out the courtyard, I am done here!”

Ponies were swiftly ushered out by the guards while Trixie gestured for Scootaloo to follow her as she turned and walked through the doors to the castle. Celestia, who had been kneeling silently on the balcony, got up and followed with bowed head. The grand doors closed silently behind them.

14. The Greatest Gifts

A lonely tear fell on the little mirror, a sparkling pearl in the light of the moon. Celestia closed her eyes and let it be. Her sister would prevail, wherever she was now, and so would she. Equestria would stay strong through the winter, and a day would come when the fires of friendship would thaw the heart of ice, a day when the golden rays of dawn would once more warm the fields of Equestria and bring renewed life to all its ponies and critters. She had to believe that this was so.

As she lay on the bed she felt a cold breath against the back of her neck that made her shiver. Celestia opened her steely eyes as a shadow brushed along her side, a frigid caress like that of winter itself, and a voice whispered in her ears. “I wish you had been there when she died, to see the look in her eyes in that last second of her life. It was a moment of such transcendent beauty I can not hope to do it justice with mere words.”

Celestia tensed. She knew deep in her heart that her sister was not dead. She knew it was all lies meant to break her. She refused to believe it, refused to react to these cruel words.

A hoof gently stroked her mane and exposed the neck. “It was so very quick.” The hoof rested on her cheek as the voice spoke with deep sensual fulfillment. “One brief, exalted moment in time, flash frozen in the broken shards of a mirror. The look in her eyes as the end dawned on her, staring silently for all eternity as the light of life went out.”

Celestia's eyes burned with a deep fire, forced to listen, forced to endure silently.

“Have you ever seen a pony's soul caught in a mirror as it shatters? It is a singular experience, without compare. No end could better match your sister's exquisite beauty, that flawless fatal beauty,“ the voice sighed deeply. ”Oh, but I know these words can hardly compare.”

Celestia closed her eyes. She didn't want to cry or give her torturer the sense of satisfaction she wanted of her. The voice went quiet, a long, anticipating silence, yet the hoof kept affectionately caressing her face and neck. Celestia hated that loving caress, hated that perverted affection. She could take all the words in the world, but not this. “Do not touch me,” she demanded in a restrained voice. The hoof slid down her neck towards her chest, a slow, tender stroke. “I told you t—” Celestia opened her eyes, and her heart instantly stopped. Her breath and a half-spoken word remained frozen upon her lips.

A large fragment of a mirror floated gently in front of her eyes, surrounded by a cold aura of white light. Its surface was cracked into many small facets, and from within each of these peered a pair of eyes, a frozen image repeated in each splintered face of the mirror. Luna's lifeless eyes were wide with sudden pain, sudden fear. Tiny drops of blood trickled from a thousand cuts, as if from a shower of broken glass, the crimson flow of life frozen like everything else in that fatal vision.

It had to be a twisted, gruesome lie. Celestia couldn't bear to look at it.

“Absolutely ravishing, is it not? I took a few souvenirs before I left. I thought you might want one too.” The voice spoke sweetly behind her. “I know it can not possibly compare to seeing it happen, but it is the best I could do, and I do hope you like it. I have arranged for the fragments to be placed in the grand hall of the castle, assembled for all of Equestria to see.”

Celestia's face set in pain and anger. She wanted to explode, to lash out with great fury. She wanted to cry. Her body trembled with all the force of her will to hold it back as she threw the shard away and got up, turning to face her torturer, legs shaking and eyes burning. “Why are you doing this?”

Trixie smiled up at her from where she lay on the bed. “For pleasure, for joy … why, for you, dear Celestia. Don't you see?” Trixie vanished in a swirl of smoke which snaked itself across the bed and around Celestia's legs and body.

Celestia tried to shake it off, but the smoke licked closely against her skin, and Trixie's voice whispered in her ear. “I may have lied. Nothing in this world or beyond could compare to your beauty.” The smoke coalesced behind her, and Trixie breathed in slowly. “It would not be fair of me to expect that you would remember, but many, many years ago a young and unremarkable pony named Midnight was granted a rare chance to watch as you raised the sun during the annual summer sun celebration. Needless to say, she found herself in awe at what she saw.”

Celestia backed away a little. She remembered the young and troubled Manna who later took the name Midnight and caused such a stir that she was locked up for her own protection in Hoofswell. The exact circumstances of that incident had always been a mystery, as with Manna herself. But until Twilight's demise she recalled only little about the older Midnight, the one apparently behind it all. She had studied at Celestia's school of magic, done well but not remarkably, then went on to live comfortably as a business mare in the newly founded village of Dappleshore. Had such evil lurked deep in her heart all that time, unnoticed? Or had something changed her, perverted her?

Few answers seemed forthcoming. Trixie smiled enigmatically and leaned in close to whisper something, so close. “It’s my birthday today,” she whispered, and then she turned, walking out with a smirk on her face.

Celestia watched the door for a long time, then her eyes drifted and settled on the broken piece of mirror on the floor. Her eyes softened as she picked it up carefully and lay it face down in the light of the moon filtering through the window. “I believe in you, sister.”

* * *

All strength had long since left her body, leaving her hanging there like a hopeless sack of oats, unable to even lift her head as the heavy door creaked upon its hinges and armored hooves entered the room. She had tried to get free but it had been hopeless. The merciless chains kept her stuck down here in the lonely darkness.

She was going to die here, a failure to all her friends, a failure to the princess, a big bloody failure of a pony. If she had had any tears she would have cried, but her eyes were as dry as her mouth after days of starving and burning thirst. She couldn't count the days, had no idea if it was night or day. Maybe this would be the end.

The hooves came closer and stopped in front of her. Something was pressed unceremoniously against her lips, not forcefully but with a gentle insistence. “Drink up,” a voice spoke to her. It was calm, yet something in it betrayed a sense of urgency. “Quickly, while you can.”

Her lips parted, and she drank slowly of the offered liquid. It was cool and tasted sweet. She almost choked on the memories of the times spent in Sugarcube Corner, with Pinkie and all her friends.

“Careful now. You will need every drop, soldier,” the voice encouraged, but she was too lost in the act of drinking to listen. As she licked off the last drops on her lips the cup was removed.

“Good. Listen carefully.” The urgency in the voice became stronger, yet each word was spoken slowly, forcefully as if to make sure none were missed. “Your young friend is alive and unharmed! The enemy keeps her close. You did not hear this, you think she's dead, do you understand? You did not get anything to drink either. If asked about me you will say that I beat you. I count on your loyalty to the Princess, so don't fail me, soldier. Stay strong for Equestria.”

She groaned, and the world around her seemed like a great haze. She could hear the hooves turn and march towards the door as the words began to settle. She fought against her own body to lift her head a bit, just enough for a glance.

Through her blurred vision she could see the outline of an azure mare in a dark gray armor, reaching out for the door. She knew that mare. She even had an old picture of her back in her cloud home. “You're …” her voice was weak and dry despite the drink. The mare hesitated by the door and turned her head. “You're … Blue Jet, you … were with the Wonderbolts. Why did you … quit?”

The other pony gave a sad smile. “Hang in there, Rainbow Dash. Equestria needs her loyal soldiers.” She reached out and knocked once on the door. It creaked as it opened, and Rainbow Dash watched her disappear into the hallway beyond. As the door closed the solitude returned.

* * *

Fluttershy sneezed at the dust and rubbed her eyes as she lifted her head to look around. “Pinkie?” Her tiny voice soon drowned in the silence. “L-Luna?” She tried and sat up, looking up at the starless sky above.

Last she remembered she had been with her friends. Luna had tried to stop Trixie and there had been a great shattering sound. Something had gone terribly wrong. Fluttershy concentrated, but no further memories dawned. She looked around but couldn't see any of her friends. They hadn't left her, had they? They would never do that. Pinkie would never do that.

“Pinkie?” She called again in a pitiful voice as she struggled to stand and spread her wings, flying low along the road before her. “W-where are you, Pinkie?”

The road continued for a while before winding its way inside a deep forest. Fluttershy paused and landed at the edge of the woods, feeling a shiver run along her spine. The trees loomed darkly before her and seemed to close in around her even as she looked down the narrow path. She backed away but stopped herself. No, she was not afraid anymore. She would be brave, for Pinkie and for her friends. She took a deep breath and beat her wings. The darkness swept around her tightly as she entered the forest.

She wasn't sure how long she had been flying among the tall, dark trees. She felt alone and miserable, maybe she had gone wrong? Maybe she would never find her friends. She landed in a small clearing to take a short break. She was tired, so very tired, but she had to find her friends no matter how long it took her. “Pinkie?” she tried again, calling softly. Her voice faded away into silence, then the silence of the forest was broken by a curious and sad melody.

Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp!

Fluttershy sniffled and rubbed her nose as she looked up at the little bird singing in a tree above her. “Oh …” She felt a small spark of joy upon seeing the little fellow singing above. It was the first living thing she had seen since waking up. “Oh, mister nightingale, I'm so, so sorry to interrupt your beautiful song, but if you don't mind—” She sniffed sadly. “Could you tell me if you have seen my friends? I really, really need to find them, and I think I'm lost.”

The bird of the night chirruped and turned its head to look at her. “I will tell you where you can find your friends,” the bird said, and Fluttershy lit up. “But there is something I want in return.”

Fluttershy looked desperately at the bird as it ruffled its feathers and settled down with its feet tucked in under itself. “My dearest wife passed away in a cold winter's storm, and I can no longer hear her sweet voice. Please sing for me, all the songs you've sung under the night sky. I do so enjoy them.”

Fluttershy folded her hooves pleadingly. “Oh mister nightingale, I am so very, very sorry. I can not wait too long, for my friends might need me, but if I have to then I'll sing you all my songs.”

The bird sat on its branch waiting, and though she longed to see her friends, Fluttershy began singing all her songs to the night under the branches of the tree. And the bird listened in silence until the very last song when her voice had all but left her.

“Thank you for the gift of your beautiful songs,” the bird chirped and fluttered up into the branches of the tree where it disappeared.

“Oh please don't leave me, little bird. You promised to help me!” Fluttershy cried with a feeble voice. There was a little rustling of leaves, then the bird returned carrying something in its beak. It sat back down on the branch and dropped the shiny piece of glass in front of Fluttershy.

“Take this with you, and it will light your path to your friends,” the bird said.

Fluttershy picked up the little piece of glass and thanked the bird as she continued her journey through the dark woods. It wasn't long before her eyes caught sight of a tiny flicker of light among the trees ahead. With renewed hope she followed the light until the dense forest turned to thorny bushes. She slowed down and carefully wove her way among the branches.

The thorns grew closer, and then suddenly the forest changed from dead branches to a wild hedge of brilliantly red flowers in bloom. And lying in a small glade among the thorns and roses she spotted a lonely figure.

* * *

Rainbow Dash lifted her head slightly to look as the door creaked. It felt like ages since Blue Jet had been by, and her stomach felt like a gaping hole. She dared to hope for another drink as an azure hoof appeared in the door.

It was a short-lived hope as the hoof clearly did not belong to the commander. Dash felt her heart beat faster in fear as Trixie entered the small room and gave her a brief freezing look. The self-styled queen turned to the two guards standing by outside the door behind her. “And you are certain she's had nothing?”

Both guards bowed deeply, clearly fearful of arousing their queen's ire. “Not on our watch, my queen! We are ever loyal to you and do only as you have commanded, Your Highness.”

Trixie looked long and hard at the two ponies sweating before her. Finally she turned and shut the door in their faces. “So …” she said as she walked casually up to peek out the tiny barred window of the cell, the only view into the outside world, placed just so that Dash couldn't see anything but the empty sky through it.

“My guards seem to think you're a pretty tough pony. So many days without food and water, and yet you don't seem too worse for the wear. They are mighty impressed. Me, I am very disappointed. I have been very kind, promising not to kill you as I did, and I had hoped you would see reason after a few days like this, but it appears that you are determined to resist.”

Dash remained silent. It was as much in defiance as for the simple fact that she could barely get a word over her dry lips. Trixie turned to her. “The crows are picking at your little friend as we speak. Such a pity, but a deal is a deal.” She studied Rainbow Dash closely. “I was thinking of having her dumped in some unnamed hole somewhere, but I might be persuaded to give her a decent burial. I'll even let you attend. You know what I want to hear. It's not very difficult.”

Silence. Rainbow Dash looked down, tried to hide her face. She didn't want Trixie to look at her, but Trixie walked closer and Dash felt her head lifted back up. “I don't know how you can live with yourself,” Trixie said coldly. “Knowing how she died for your pathetic hide. Perhaps you think you can atone, that you can make her sacrifice have meaning one day. How very noble … or perhaps you've had visitors. Is that it?”

Dash scowled and shook her head. Trixie's horn glowed and Dash screamed as a sharp pain shot through her wing. A long blue feather dangled in the air before her, a drop of blood on the tip where it had been attached. “That was for your little friend. One friend's life on your name. How many will you endure? How about we start with your family …”

Dash felt a slight tug on another feather. “Thunderbolt Lane 20, Cloudsdale, who lives there? Do you think I should pay them a visit? Or will you tell me who has been helping you?”

Tears ran down her cheeks as images of Cloudsdale and her family flashed through her mind. Trixie smirked darkly. “I hear they mean a lot to you, perhaps more than anypony. Don't they deserve a little of your famed loyalty?”

Dash opened her mouth, hesitantly, more out of reflex than a deliberate wish to give in. Thankfully a sudden knock on the door gave her time.

Trixie turned with an annoyed hiss. “What?!”

The door opened and a blue mare in gray armor bowed deeply. “I am so very sorry to disturb you, my Queen, but your …” Blue Jet paused, but a cold glance from Trixie got her to swiftly continue. “The … pony in your private quarters has escaped, Your Highness.”

Trixie stalked up to the commander and pulled her up so their faces were level. “And perhaps you would like to tell me how that happened, commander? How did she get out from under your watch?”

“M-my guards must have failed in their … duty.” Blue Jet gasped for breath. “I will ensure they are … properly reprimanded, your … grace!”

Trixie stared long and hard at the commander dangling in front of her. “I believe any failure of the royal guard are on your head, commander. Or do you disagree with me?” Blue Jet lowered her eyes. “Good. I shall see to your punishment myself, later. As for you—” She turned back to Dash. As she did, Rainbow Dash caught a brief wink from Blue Jet. “I suggest you think on where your loyalties lie, and what is best for those you hold dear. I am done playing nice with you.” With that she turned and left, dragging the commander behind her.

Dash watched the door close. She hoped the commander didn't get in too much trouble for her sake. Trixie would be back, and then what would it all have been good for? She lowered her head and thought back on how she once before had betrayed her friends for Cloudsdale, and for her family. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Her family would understand, even if she broke they wouldn't be safe. If only she could warn them, tell them to flee the city …

A fluttering of wings by the window caught her attention and broke her out of her thoughts. Dash looked up weakly, then blinked. Surely she had to be dreaming, or perhaps she had finally gone mad.

* * *

Pinkie jumped up and down stubbornly, stretching her neck all it could be stretched to see, but no more did it help. The hedge of thorns was as tall as it was dense, or more so. All around her it circled with no way through. “Now I wish I had wings,” she said as she dropped down sadly.

She looked up at the dark sky. She had to find Fluttershy and her friends, but how could she when she was stuck here? Maybe if she called out, Fluttershy would hear her and come find her. Fluttershy had wings. Beautiful, soft wings.

Pinkie stood up and took a deep breath, all the air she could contain, and began yelling at the top of her lungs. It was a terrible racket, the very best she could muster, and that was quite a bit. Surely if Fluttershy was near the pegasus could not fail to hear. Or maybe Luna. Anypony? Her throat hurt and her voice grew hoarse as she yelled and yelled.

Finally, when she could yell no more she sank down and cried. “Somepony help me. Anypony? Fluttershy? Luna? Twilight?” Maybe they couldn't hear her because they were stuck too. Maybe they were in danger. Or really sad and lonely somewhere far away where Pinkie couldn't hug them and make them feel better? Pinkie looked up. She couldn't leave her friends in need.

She stood up and trotted up next to the thorny hedge with a scowl. “You're not going to keep me from my friends, you … you …” She made a face and clenched her teeth. “No thorns will keep me from my Fluttershy! I'll … I'll laugh! Hah! Hah! You'll see!” Pinkie taunted the bushes as she tried to work herself up. If it was the only way, then … Pinkie took a step back, then threw herself at the thorns, tearing, pushing, biting and struggling.

And the thorns tore back, biting and scratching without mercy. Blood poured from her wounds, and her mane and tail got hopelessly tangled in the thorny vines, yet the hedge did not yield.

Pinkie tried to drown the pain and futility with laughter, but it was no help. Her laughs turned to frantic tears, and she cried hard as she hung helplessly among the thorns. As drops of her blood ran down the vines and fed the ground, a rustling went through the hedge and tiny buds sprung forth from the once lifeless branches.

The rustling in the thorns became as a voice, old and full of sorrow. “Winter has been long and hard, our roots and branches are frozen and will not yield, but give us the warmth and life of your heart and we will show you the way to your friends,” the thorny hedge promised.

“For Fluttershy and my friends, I'll hug you 'till I drop!” Pinkie whimpered. She moved as best she could and pressed herself against the thorns, hugging the lifeless branches with all her might. The sharp thorns sank deep into her chest, and thick red streams of blood flowed from her veins down the vines, soaking the ground below her.

Pinkie kept hugging until she could no more, and all around her tiny buds sprung forth and bloomed into brilliant red roses from the warmth of her heart. With a low rustling the thorns parted and carried the blood-soaked pony through the wall of thorns. As they lay her back down, a little thorn of glass was left glistening just above her heart.

* * *

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. With neither voice nor tears left she simply opted for staring in silent disbelief at the brightly colored parrot flapping its wings outside the small window, a snow-white bunny with a key in its mouth swinging in the bird's claws. It was surreal, like a rescue mission taken right out of some crazy fan-written Daring Do tale.

The bunny swung elegantly through the bars and landed with a thud on the cold stone floor while the parrot settled down on the edge outside the window. Dash followed the bunny as it ran across the floor and fumbled to get the key in the lock of one of the chains attached to her hind legs.

“Angel?” Dash managed to force her dry throat to comply. Could it really be? If Angel was here, perhaps Fluttershy was not far off too. “Did Fluttershy send you?” She looked up at the window hopefully.

Angel scowled up at her and lifted a paw to his lips as a gesture to stay silent. With nimble paws he turned the key. A low click sounded from the lock and the chain rattled slightly as it fell off her hoof. Dash pulled her leg up, delighted to be able to bend and move it again.

Angel moved on to the next chain with a great single-mindedness. It was not long before it too was free and Dash now dangled freely in her front hooves. She struggled not to laugh as Angel jumped and climbed up her body, tickling her something fierce along the way.

The bunny gave her another scowl and pointed at her frayed wings, tapping his foot impatiently. Dash's tired mind took a moment to understand. With feeble beats she moved her wings, trying to keep aloft. With another click and a terrible suddenness Dash was left dangling in one hoof, held up only barely by the weak fluttering of her wings.

Her shoulder gave a little crack, and she let out a brief cry. For a second she feared somepony would have heard, but after a few seconds of breathless waiting the cell remained silent and the door shut. Angel wiped his brow with quiet relief and moved on.

A final click and with a gasp she landed heavily on the floor, entire body aching and shivering with weakness. Angel jumped up on her back and tapped away impatiently as she tried to regain some strength. Blood and feeling slowly returned to her limbs, but she worried that she wouldn't be able to make it far.

She would have to. It was doubtful she would ever get a second chance. It was now or never. With a series of long, deep breaths she stood up. She would escape, or die trying!

The parrot, which had been waiting silently in the window, gave a low whistle and a squawk as it set off in a flutter. “Squaaaawk! Fire in the hole!”

Dash tried to prepare for whatever was about to happen. She could only imagine what crazy scheme these animals had cooked up. As a great crash shook the walls she threw herself on the floor with her hooves above her head. The bars and wall shattered as a green-shelled ball crashed through the window and hit the opposite wall in a cloud of dust and rocks that rained down upon Dash.

“Haul wind, mateys! This ship's asailin'!” The parrot squawked loudly outside.

Dash had no time to think! Mustering all her remaining strength she grabbed the green-shelled ball and set off through the window as the door slammed open behind her and two guards came galloping in. One tried to grab her tail, but lost his grip as he found himself assaulted by a screeching parrot, fluttering and clawing wildly at his face.

“Keelhaul the bloody bastards! Squaaaawk!”

Dash didn't look back as she beat her wings the best she knew, with Tank tucked against her chest and Angel clinging to her mane. Behind her she could hear shouts and struggles, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was freedom, or death. Every muscle in her body screamed, her heart was beating hard in her throat, and with despair she felt her wings freeze in cramps and the ground rush up towards her. This was going to get bad before it got better.

* * *

“Have you seen our friends? We would be ever so thankful if you could help us.”

A sap-green pony lay shivering on the ground, wrapped in a blanket to ward off the cold to little avail, her entire body shaking. She showed no sign of having heard the question. Rarity watched the sad pony with a heavy heart. All around it was the same sight; poor ponies freezing and sick on the barren ground. For miles and miles around her it seemed to be the same.

“Anypony?” she begged, yet it seemed a cruel mockery to ask these starved-out souls for help.

“Who are all these ponies?” Spike asked as he trudged along beside Rarity.

“I-I don't know, Spike.” She looked out over the shivering and crying forms. Whole families, young foals and once sturdy stallions alike. Sick, freezing, starved and lost every single one, except … Rarity's head perked up as she caught view of a lonesome figure standing among the lost crowds. A crooked, old silhouette like a gnarled root, black like the night around it.

Spike followed anxiously behind as she approached. “Excuse me?” She looked at the ancient stallion standing over the quivering form of a young pony who was cradling a sickly foal in her hooves while tears streamed down her cheeks. “Sir?”

The crooked old pony looked up at her with heavy eyes, a face marked by long years and deep sadness. He didn't look sick or cold like the rest, despite his great age. He watched her silently as if waiting for her to continue on her own.

Rarity felt a desperate urge to shake him and ask what in Celestia's name was going on, to break down and cry it out, but she restrained herself. “What is going on here? Who are all these ponies, and what are they doing here?”

“They are the souls of the dying and the brave, those who would rather die free than live in servitude. Winter has been hard this season, and many will not make it through the cold,” he answered in a slow, matter-of-fact tone as he looked back down at the young mother with her foal.

Rarity felt her heart sink further, if such a thing was possible. “What of you? Why are you standing here? What of this … poor little thing?”

“I am waiting for them all in turn. This mother has no fire nor milk, and her foal is young and sick from the cold. They have no pony to help them and nowhere to go. When dawn comes I must carry him away.”

“But …” Rarity looked at the mother. “He's so young, he never even had a chance. Is there nothing that can be done for them?”

The ancient pony shook his weary head slowly. “The young and the old are often first to go when winter comes unexpectedly. It is the way of things. One lives, another dies. It is not my place to interfere, even had I the power.”

Rarity hung her head. Spike lay a claw on her shoulder and opened his mouth, but no words came to him. He looked down and stroked her lightly, trying to comfort. No words would do.

“There has to be something … anything that can be done for this poor foal.” Rarity half whispered at the pony standing solemnly beside the grieving mother, but he just looked down with heavy eyes. “Something I can do,” she said and looked at the mother. “They can't see us?” The stallion shook his head silently. Rarity looked down again. “I wish I could give the poor thing life. I wish I had life to …” she spoke in slow realization “… give.”

The ancient pony looked at her. “And whose life would you offer instead? And what of the rest?” He gestured at the plains around them, all the sick and starving ponies. “And those who have yet to be born. Are you wise enough to tell who should live and who should die?”

“I …” Rarity looked around. “Am I dead?”

The pony looked long at her with sad, passive eyes. Then he merely shook his head in answer.

Rarity looked at the dying foal. “Then … then I wish I had the power to give of my own years. They are mine, are they not?”

The black stallion looked out over the plains. “There are many, many ponies here.”

Rarity followed his gaze. “I-I only have to give a little. Only enough to last the winter. Once spring comes they will be fine, will they not?”

“Some. Many, perhaps,” the stallion answered. “If spring comes,” he added grimly after a pause.

“Then my mind is made up,” Rarity said as she reached out for the young foal.

Spike grabbed her hoof and looked at her with fear. “Rarity, a-are you sure?”

Rarity smiled sadly at the dragon and nodded as she gently took the foal in her hooves. The young colt cried a little, but the mother seemed oblivious to them, her head hanging as if asleep and her breathing slow. The old pony simply watched in ever passive silence as Rarity held the foal close against her, helping it to stand on its young legs.

The foal pressed against her for warmth and instinctively sought with its mouth along her body. Rarity closed her eyes and cried softly. For a while she feared she would have nothing to give, but slowly—as if by her wish alone—the milk began to flow. The foal drank greedily, and it was with a heavy heart she had to pull it away and return it to its mother where it quickly fell to rest.

Rarity looked at the pair, then out over the plains again. “Can you show me the youngest of those who will not make it through the winter, and those who must care for them?” she asked the old stallion who merely nodded in solemn confirmation and turned to walk. Rarity followed, with a sniffling Spike by her side.

The sick and the poor seemed to have no end, but Rarity's mind was determined. For every foal she nursed, for every young filly or colt she gave of her warmth, Rarity felt a little weaker, a little older as if more than merely warmth and nourishment was drawn from her. Even in the dark her coat turned a little more dull, her mane a little less vivid.

Spike cried as he followed, and at last Rarity could continue no longer. She sat down, drained and weathered like never before. How many she had given of her life she had no idea, even less how many would make it. But if she had given them a fighting chance, at least then she had done something good. Something right.

The old stallion who had been following all the way, looked upon her with the same sad and heavy eyes as always. “Not many would have given as you have, and few are more deserving of such a gift,” he spoke slowly. “Yet it will all be for nothing if winter lasts.”

He paused for a long while, a long silence that seemed to hang over the plains like a shroud. “For your generosity I repay you with this.” He pulled a small glass splint from his cape and pointed a hoof towards the distant sky, to where a lone star shone just above the horizon. “Your friends await you if you follow the light. Go swiftly, while your time remains.”

Spike took the splinter of glass and helped Rarity back on her legs. With one last look at the black stallion they set off towards the star in the distance. The stallion watched them until they were but small dots against the dark horizon, then he turned back to the fields of souls.

* * *

Scootaloo opened the door a crack and pushed her head through. A gentle light lit up the grand room beyond. It was without question the most majestic room the filly had seen so far in the grand castle, but she didn't have time to admire it. Her eyes searched the room and settled on the figure of Celestia on a large bed with her back to her and the door. Scootaloo glanced over her shoulder briefly, then slipped inside and closed the door behind her.

“P-Princess,” she whispered nervously. Celestia didn't respond. Scootaloo snuck around the large bed. The princess appeared to be sleeping, her eyes closed and her breathing calm. She looked pale and bore the signs of having cried, yet despite this she was still regal and majestic to gaze upon.

The experience of addressing the royal sister in her sleep made Scootaloo feel suddenly very little. “Princess, please … please wake up,” she whispered again and nudged her cheek.

Celestia opened her tired eyes. It took a few seconds for her to focus on the young pony in front of her. As she saw Scootaloo she lifted her head and looked around the room with concern. “Scootaloo? What are you doing here? What is wrong?”

“I-I'm scared,” Scootaloo whispered, her voice quivering. She stood for a moment, then jumped up on the soft bed and wrapped her hooves around the princess, crying into her mane.

Celestia folded a wing around the young pegasus and gave her a comforting nuzzle. “There's nothing wrong with being scared,” she whispered softly. “I am scared too right now. But you must not let the fear overcome you.” The princess moved to look at her very seriously. “She didn't hurt you, did she?”

Scootaloo shook her head a little. “N-no. I don't see her much, and she just acts like I'm not really there. Like I'm not important. W-why is she like this?”

“Something evil has taken away her heart and now fills the void.” Celestia sat up in the bed and pulled the young pegasus close. “How did you get out?”

“Blue Jet let me out and told me to run. She came by once before to cheer me up, but the rest of the time I've been all alone. I-I don't know how to be brave when I'm all alone. It's easier when you have friends around you.”

Celestia smiled weakly. “You are not alone, Scootaloo, and you have friends even when you can't always see them. And so does Trixie. We can only hope they can find her and help her to see.”

Scootaloo looked up at her and wiped her eyes. “I'm glad you're still here, princess.”

Celestia smiled sadly. “Thank you.”

15. Without Eyes To See

Celestia opened the window and helped Scootaloo up on the narrow ledge overlooking the lands below. A freezing gale blew in from the snow-covered mountain outside. “It's a very, very long way down, Scootaloo,” she said as she held on tightly to the young pegasus. “Are you certain you don't want my help?” There was a hint in her tone that she wasn't really going to accept a no if it came to that, but it likely passed over the young pegasus.

Scootaloo looked down the dizzying heights from the window of Celestia's room, down through the wispy clouds to where the ground was. Or ought to be. Somewhere down there. She tried to conceal her nerves. “Yeah, I can do this. I've been training real hard with Rainbow Dash.”

She spread her young wings in the freezing wind and bit her lip. “She says I'm getting much better …” She lost a bit of her earlier daring. It was one thing to speak of it, another entirely to stand on the precipice and look down just before the jump.

Celestia smiled softly. “There is no shame in this, Scootaloo. There is no pony here you need to impress, least of all me. Many young pegasi struggle with their flight, and many of them find their talents are more suited to staying on the ground. There is nothing wrong with that.”

“I wish I could be like her. Like Rainbow Dash.” Scootaloo looked over her shoulder at Celestia. “She's always been good to me, and she's really cool. Have you seen her fly?” Celestia nodded, and Scootaloo looked back out the window. “Where do you think she is now? Do you think she's safe?” A slight rumble far down below made her perk up. “What was that?”

Celestia furrowed her brow slightly and listened. “Let's hope it's good news,” she said after a moment's silence. “But there will be time for questions later. You should hurry. Are you ready?”

Scootaloo looked out the window and sank a bit. “I-I guess a little help won't hurt.”

“You should never be afraid to ask for help from your friends.” Celestia smiled, and her horn glowed a warm yellow as she took a firm hold of the young filly in the window and lifted her over the edge. “Stay safe out there, and find your friends.” Scootaloo kept her wings steady and looked up at Celestia as the princess began lowering her down the steep mountain side.

Celestia leaned out the window as she watched Scootaloo slowly descend, concentrating to make sure she didn't lose the young filly. The cold wind blew about her, making her shiver, or perhaps it was something else. A sudden terror chilled her to the very bones as she picked up the pace, the sense of urgency growing.

A light caress tickled her ear and cheek. “Drop her … go ahead,” the voice whispered in her ear, tempting her. Celestia paused, felt her body betray her, felt herself act against her will. “No pony will ever know, and it's so easy. Just let go and watch her fall, watch her flap those useless little wings. Watch her desperation.”

The magic wavered in the cold night air. Down below Scootaloo hung in the air helplessly, looking up with terrified eyes at Celestia in the window.

No! She couldn't do it. Could never betray a friend. “I am not your puppet!” she said, commanding all the conviction she could muster and let a surge of magic flow through her horn. A wave of light washed over her and banished the shadow clouding her mind. Below her, Scootaloo dropped a few yards before she was caught again, slowly descending anew.

A mild chuckle sounded behind Celestia. “Oh, but your are … aren't you?”

Celestia felt a thin wisp of thread wrap around her neck. She gasped as the thread tightened, but stubbornly kept her eyes on the filly dangling above the clouds below. She couldn't let herself lose focus.

“You all are!” A deep menace replaced the light chuckle as the thread pulled taut around her throat. Celestia struggled but soon faltered, her legs shaking before collapsing. In the fall she lost sight of Scootaloo, and lost her hold. A long cry sounded from below, quickly fading.

“Beg,” the voice commanded in a whisper in her ear, and she felt her head pulled back forcefully, the thread tightening further.

Celestia gasped and moved her lips in a silent “Please.” There was a split second of silence, then a rush of air and a clattering of the windows. Celestia coughed and wheezed as the thread loosened with a snap. She struggled back on her hooves and leaned out the window. Maybe it wasn't too late, if only she could see, but the clouds obscured her vision. Celestia's horn flared, she had to act quickly, but she knew she would be too late.

The wind howled, then the clouds parted as dark wings shot up from below. Celestia stumbled back as Scootaloo was thrown through the window and tumbled across the floor, landing by the bed. A long shadow crept through the window and took form. Trixie rose up before them as she closed the window.

“Fun's over. We seem to have a bit of a rebel spirit around here. Let me make one thing clear.” She turned and looked Celestia in the eyes. “Do not think me blind. Your lives belong to me, and you will serve, whether you like it or not.” A dim glow filled her eyes, and Celestia felt herself forced down, her legs bending and head lowering against her will. “If my puppets won't dance for me, I will make them dance! Do you understand?” Celestia's head nodded. “Tell me then, whom do you serve?”

Celestia struggled as she felt herself pressed against the floor, her lips moving of their own accord. “I serve … you alone, my Queen. I am yours to command.”

Trixie smiled with dark pleasure. “Then you will tell me, who let my heir out of her room, who has been feeding my prisoner and orchestrated her escape? Who is foolish enough to oppose me?” Celestia struggled, sweat dripping from her brow as she fought against the demand. She would never betray a friend. Trixie's eyes burned brighter. “I do not hear you. Perhaps I should have my heir tell me instead? Do you want that? Do you think she can resist me half as well as you?”

Celestia closed her eyes. She couldn't let Scootaloo come to harm because of her. “I-I did it, your majesty,” she gasped.

Trixie bowed down close to stare into her eyes. The smile had vanished again. “I think you lie, do you not? Who are you protecting? Is it perhaps my trusted commander?” Her body ached and tears ran down her cheeks as she felt herself nod. She collapsed in front of Trixie as she was released with a sudden force.

“I thought as much,” Trixie said and turned to Scootaloo who was crying by the bed. “Let's hope the commander finds your friend before she freezes to death out there in the snow. Let's hope so for both of their sakes,” she said and turned to the door as a pair of guards stepped in. “Take my heir to her room. If she is not there when I return I will make you beg for the gallows.”

Celestia watched helplessly as the two guards dragged the young pegasus away. One question kept pushing at the back of her mind. Why had Trixie saved Scootaloo from the fall? What did she intend to do with her supposed heir? What did she intend to do with Celestia?

As if reading her mind, Trixie shut the door behind the guards and turned to Celestia. Celestia felt a freezing cold creeping along her spine as Trixie stood above her, looking at her with cold eyes. “We have work to do, you and I …”

“What do you intend?” Celestia tried to keep her voice level, eyes focused on Trixie.

“Assurance,” Trixie said darkly.

* * *

Applejack turned and groaned under her pillow. It felt like she had only just closed her eyes, and now the dog was acting up, barking and scratching at her door, creating a terrible clamor. She would never get any sleep this way. As she got out of bed to open the door, the earlier worries emerged anew, sleep having briefly relieved her of them.

Things had not been easy for the apple family, and every day she feared what would become of them. The worries had only deepened now that Granny Smith had fallen ill and was too weak to get out of bed.

She opened the door and saw Winona dart off down the stairs. “What's the matter, girl?” she called as she galloped off after the barking dog. She found her again by the front door, scratching and whining desperately. Applejack glanced out the window, but only the veil of night could be seen through it. “Is something out there?”

“What's the racket, sis?” Apple Bloom asked and rubbed her eyes as she came down the stairs with Big Macintosh following close behind.

“Go back upstairs and hide, Apple Bloom,” Applejack said and grabbed a solid branch from its resting place against the wall. “You stay here with her and Granny,” she added, directed at Big Macintosh. The heavy stallion gave a silent nod and pushed a protesting Apple Bloom back up the stairs.

Applejack waited until they were gone, then opened the door. Winona set off with a frantic barking into the snow and freezing gale outside. “Winona!” Applejack called and stepped outside, hastening to close the door behind her to keep the cold out of the house, and what little warmth they had inside. The snow lay thick across the farm and reflected the dim light of the moon. Winona's barking persisted somewhere out among the vast apple orchards. Applejack shivered and set off at a brisk pace in the direction of the barking.

The trees of the orchard loomed over her as she caught sight of Winona up ahead, bouncing around something in the snow. She picked up her pace as a rainbow-colored tuft of hair gained her attention against the backdrop of white. “Rainbow Dash!” she called.

Rainbow Dash was lying in the snow, looking like she had dragged herself through the orchard before finally giving up and collapsing under a tree. The green shell of Tank stuck out from under one of her hooves, head and legs pulled inside for protection against the freezing cold. Applejack almost didn't see Angel huddled up under one of Dash's wings, concealed against the white snow.

“Get my brother!” she told Winona, who barked and ran off. Applejack tried to get Rainbow Dash to stand, but the pegasus didn't respond, hanging like a sack of oats in her hooves. “Don't give up on me now, Rainbow Dash. We'll get you inside in the warmth, I swear!”

* * *

“Here. Drink this, Sugarcube.”

Rainbow Dash took the warm mug in her shaking hooves. “T-thank y-you, AJ. I didn't k-know where to go … I thought I was a goner for sure.” She sipped the steaming drink with a little help from Applejack to keep her hooves steady. The sweet taste of apples and spices took her memories back, and the warmth spread slowly through her aching body.

“They're going to be looking for you, aren't they?” Applejack sat down next to her, holding her hooves so they wouldn't shake so much.

Rainbow's head slumped a little, her muzzle resting on the edge of the mug. She nodded a little, quietly. She knew what Applejack would say. She could barely stand on her hooves, hadn't had a proper meal or rest in far too long, and one of her wings had been bandaged up while she was unconscious. She was pretty sure it was broken in the fall from the castle and counted herself extraordinarily lucky that it hadn't been her neck. And yet she needed to leave as soon as possible. They would find her here, and if they did, they'd take Applejack and her family too.

Perhaps Applejack read her face, perhaps she simply came to the same conclusion. Either way she seemed to understand. There was a long silence as they sat there in the darkness of Applejack's home. Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh had gone back to get some much needed sleep. The shadows under Applejack's eyes suggested she could use it too. Perhaps a few weeks of sleep.

“I was so worried when they took y'all away.” Applejack broke the silence after a while. “I thought I would never see you again, and then Angel and this strange bird dropped in all of a sudden and were all aflutter. Never heard a bird babble so, I swear I thought it was Pinkie for a moment, and I couldn't make head nor tail of what they wanted. And then, when I mentioned that y'all had been taken to the castle, they were off in a rush again with nary a peep of explanation.”

Applejack looked like a heavy stone weighed upon her heart, something she wanted to shed. “What happened?”

“I thought I'd never see anypony ever again either,” Rainbow Dash said as she breathed in the warm steam wafting up from the hot cider. She took a deep breath and began telling of her time in the dungeon, of Blue Jet and the surreal rescue mission, and of the fall from the castle. How she plummeted down the mountain and, barely knowing where she was, dragged herself through the snow.

“I had only two thoughts in my mind, if you could call them thoughts at all. To get away, and to warn my parents in Cloudsdale. I knew I couldn't make it there myself, not in my condition, and that it will be the first place they look for me too, so I sent the parrot to warn them. I-I just hope it makes it there in time. I wasn't quite aware of where I was going after that, thank Celestia I somehow found my way here.”

Applejack looked down while Dash drank her cider. After a while the silence became almost oppressive. Dash looked around. “What about you and the family?”

“We're getting by,” Applejack said with a heavy breath. “The cold has been hard on everypony. Many have given up and pleaded for help from that infernal mare. Seems like they got it too 'cause they ain't missin' anything now, but we sure as hay ain't gonna submit to her if we can help it. Many are doing worse than we here at Sweet Apple Acres, and we do our best to help, but I'm not sure how long our stores will last if this continues much longer.”

“And I fear Granny Smith is getting ill too. She's always been a strong pony, but there are limits to anything, and she's just not been herself lately.” Applejack's voice was tired, as if all these worries were somehow old and less on her mind.

Rainbow watched her. She usually wasn't the most observant about other ponies, but something definitely bothered Applejack that she wasn't saying. “Alright, out with it, AJ. What's the matter?”

Applejack looked up and shrugged in mild defeat. “Well, you tell me a few pets busted you out and I did nothing all the while. I have to be honest, I'm not proud of that. And who knows about poor Scootaloo?”

“I think Blue Jet had something to do with it too,” Rainbow Dash muttered, then shook her head at Applejack. “Come on, you helped too. Without you and the farm here, I'd be dead out there by now. I consider that a pretty big help. And you had to stick by your family too, what else could you do? I hope Scoots is safe, but there's nothing either of us can do right now is there?”

“I don't know, and I suppose,” Applejack said vaguely. She looked many years older as she stood up slowly. “But don't you think I ain't here for you or that I ain't gonna stand up for you too. They better think twice if they think they can come here and take my friend again.” She placed herself next to Rainbow Dash and bent down to allow the beaten pegasus to crawl up on her back. “Now come on, I'll get you to bed.”

* * *

A tear joined the sea. Manna watched its lonely fall as she clung to the piece of wood, adrift in the vast obsidian nothingness. Nothing looked back at her, in this nor any mirror before. She tried to imagine her face, from the cerulean eyes to the jagged remains of her horn. Even in her imagination the face seemed blank, lifeless, like ashes and faded pictures. She had no memory of it, only meaningless descriptions pried from others. What good were they when she couldn't see with her own eyes? Had there not been a time when she had looked herself in the mirror and seen … herself? What she would not give to look into her own eyes, the windows into a pony's soul as it was said.

“If only I could see,” she whispered at the sea.

And the sea whispered back in deep voices like the rolling of waves. “And what would you see?”

Manna stared into the black ocean, her mind searching the deep for an answer. Finally her lips moved again as she spoke her wish. “Nothing more than the honest truth. If I could but see myself, the truth of me. Perhaps at last I could see where I went wrong.”

The ocean waves washed against her and the broken piece of wood she was clinging to. “We can show it to you, but we desire something in return.”

“Tell me what you desire, and if I can I shall give it to you,” Manna begged.

“Your precious blue eyes,” the sea spoke. “In return for our sight we ask that you give us yours.”

Manna's breath collapsed, and she felt as if dragged down into the deep. Could she really give up her eyes that she had so longed to see, as far back as she remembered? How could she ever hope to see anything without them? She looked around. She had already lost everything else. Everything … there was nothing left to see. So what good did her eyes do her now? “I-if that is the price I must pay.” She leaned down, submerging her face in the cold water.

Water and darkness engulfed her as her eyes sank to the bottom of the ocean like a pair of azure pearls, claimed by the sea of night as its treasure. Only the sound of washing waves and its cold touch remained, the only tangible sensations left as she was carried off by the waves. And there she saw it, like she had never seen. Dappleshore, the winding streets and marshy fields of home. That she had once called home, so long ago.

* * *

The village was abuzz with life, ponies young and old eagerly trotting up and down the streets on the outskirts where tents and colorful constructions had been raised all across the marshy fields. They were all here for the festival, of course. The Fabled Filly Fair, that annual event so unfortunately named, as Manna alone of all ponies seemed to have realized. And she had never felt any need to explain the connection.

A group of young colts were making their way through the city towards the fairground, chatting along as they trotted through the streets. A brash young pegasus at the front, the apparent leader of the little clique and by coincidence the son of the mayor, was in the middle of an animated retelling of some previous daring event.

The beefy earth pony next to him laughed heartily. “Good one, Stormwind. I wish I could be there to see the looks on their faces.”

Stormwind landed and trotted a few yards ahead of the group, turning. “Yeah, me too, Rocky. If that doesn't blow their minds, I—aww hay, man!”

The group turned at his outburst and looked back the way they came. A young unicorn had fallen behind and now trotted along at a pace that might as well have been a complete stand-still, eyes turned to gaze at a window in one of the houses by the side of the street.

Stormwind rolled his eyes and held a hoof to his mouth, calling out. “Keep up, Charcoal, and leave the creepy pony alone already. She's not your type.”

The others snickered, and Rocky muttered under his breath, “She's not anypony's type.”

Charcoal, an aptly named young colt, waved a dismissive hoof. “You go on, I'll catch up.” His coat was a charcoal gray, mane was black and eyes a dull brown. He was taller and thinner than most and had a perpetually tired look, the shadows under his eyes never quite managing to fade. A pair of charcoal sticks crossed over a sheet of paper on his flank.

“You don't have the guts anyway, Casanova,” Stormwind yelled back teasingly.

Charcoal looked from the window back at his friends, then back at the window with a scowl. For a little while he stood, swaying slightly as if one half of his body wanted to move while the other wanted to stay in place. Finally he gave his friends a dismissive scowl and stood up tall, taking one step forward, then another.

“This ought to be good,” Stormwind grinned at the others around him and set off, flying closer to watch as Charcoal approached the house and with some obvious reluctance knocked on the door.

The house remained silent and dark, except for a flickering of light in the upper window. Charcoal felt the sweat run down between his eyes as he scratched at the ground and knocked again. There was another long silence, then a high window opened and a face steeped in strange shadows peered down at him.

Charcoal looked up into those intense cerulean eyes set among locks of blue hair and felt his legs turn soft beneath him. Everyone said Manna was creepy, but Charcoal thought he saw through it to a smart, if a little reclusive mare. If only he could talk to her, get to know the real her.

“Uh …” he croaked, his voice betraying him. The snickering ponies behind him made him frown at himself and straighten up again. “I-I was wondering if you h-had any plans today?”

Manna looked at the group of snickering, waving ponies out on the street. Charcoal bit his lip. He didn't dare to think what she might be thinking with those foals standing there looking dumb. He didn't even dare imagine what kinds of gestures they were making behind his back. Nothing helpful, he wagered. “I-I mean, perhaps you'd like to join us … me at the fair?” He could give his friends the boot for one day if it meant a chance with the filly of his dreams.

Manna turned to look back down at him. Charcoal looked up into the bottomless blue ocean that were her eyes and felt his heart sink, his whole body sink into the ground. They were the eyes of a pony who had never loved, and never known a friend in her life. And all he ever wanted was to be that friend.

“I'm sorry, I'm kinda busy,” she said without a tinge of regret and closed the window, that portal to her heart.

Charcoal stood as if struck dead on the steps of the house. He barely heard and much less cared as his pegasus friend landed next to him and lay a hoof around his neck. “Forget her, dude. Tell you what, I bet you we can find ten hot and needy mares for you at the fair before sundown. You game?“

* * *

Water and darkness surrounded her on all sides, swallowed her, filled her up. Even as she struggled for her life, struggled to breathe through the choking water flooding her lungs, that lonely face haunted her vision still with its eyes. It was all she could see, all she would ever see again. She flailed wildly, desperately. She knew not up from down, and she was alone, as she had been all her life.

Upon her last breath, as her body sank, her thoughts turned to others. Those she had wronged, never spared a thought except for how they could aid or hinder her plans. All she ever wanted was a chance, a chance to turn it around, to have a friend. Just for one brief moment.

A lonely star shone on the far horizon as the ocean carried her upon its waves. But she would never look upon it.

Elsewhere, in times and places distant from her, Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder at the flaming orange glow lighting up the dark sky as she ran, columns of dark smoke blotting out the moon.

16. Washed Ashore

The farm was burning brightly. The realization made her stop and turn to stare from under the shadow of a tree as the flames lit up the night sky. They had come in the darkness of night—it was always dark now, but it had seemed particularly dark of late. Winona had awoken them, and they had watched from one of the upper windows as the rows of torches circled in on the farm.

Applejack had shoved her into the basement, along with Angel and Tank, and told her to run. There was a tunnel between the farm and the apple cellars, and here she was. The whole night was a blur until now.

She took a step and turned around. She couldn't leave Applejack and her family. What if they were taken, or worse, they could be stuck in the burning farm? All because of her. But they had told her to run, and what else could she do now? Her wing was broken, the rest of her body beaten and weak. She couldn't fly, couldn't possibly fight either. But she couldn't leave a friend in need either, could she?

She gazed up at the sky, at the grand castle she knew was there somewhere, far away in the distance. She had left one friend behind already, had she not? She stood in silent indecision and tears as flames and smoke rose towards the sky.

An angry, insistent pull on her mane tore her out of it. She looked back at Angel, the scowling bunny sitting on her back with folded arms, stomping his foot. Ever since Angel appeared in the window of her cell, the bunny had seemed very eager to get her somewhere, sometime very soon. Only, Rainbow Dash wasn't sure where that was. All she knew was that Angel had been Fluttershy's pet and had never accepted a simple no.

Applejack or Fluttershy? Fight or flee? The sound of angry voices and stomping hooves came rolling over the hills towards her. Time to decide was running out. The snow lay thick, and she couldn't fly. If they found her tracks she would need to be far away. And Applejack knew how to take care of herself.

She looked back at the forest behind her, then turned and ran. “I'm sorry, Applejack!”

* * *

Princess Luna's old room was full of stuff, all kinds of things gathered over many, many lifetimes. It was perfect. There had to be something, anything she could use, Scootaloo reassured herself as she nudged through the contents of one of the large drawers.

So far she'd found rocks, gems, no end of books and scrolls, plenty paper too, quills, pillows, socks, jewelry, dresses, figurines both sculpted and carved, dolls, various instruments, small bottles of perfume, many things she wasn't sure what was, just about everything but what she had hoped for. The rocks and gems were too small, the figurines too unwieldy or fragile. But there had to be something, somewhere in this royal mess.

Scootaloo stuffed the things back in the drawer, closed it and stretched herself as tall as she was to open the next one, peering inside. A collection of feathers, a bag of needles and thread—if only the needles were bigger—many, many letters and drawings from young fillies and colts who had written the princess since her return … Scootaloo grumbled and nudged them aside. There was probably one from her in there too.

Her nose hit something hard and cold. She stopped and brushed a drawing away, staring at a long, slender pair of scissors made of heavy silver. She picked it up and weighed it in her mouth, considering the edge breathlessly. This was it … just what she needed.

A sound made her spin around. The two guards in the next room made a quiet salute, but the slight movement of their hooves as they stood at attention was enough for her. Scootaloo thanked them silently as she rolled in under the bed where she had dug out a small room among all the things crammed in there.

Her head disappeared under the mattress just in time, a second before Trixie's hooves came into view in the door in front of her, stepping with soundless grace into the bedroom. Scootaloo bit down on the scissors and held her breath.

A drop fell upon the floor in front of the bed. Scootaloo stared wide-eyed at the deep scarlet stain before her. Trixie stood for a moment in silence before the bed. Another pair of ruby drops joined the first, then she turned slowly.

Scootaloo watched in bewildered and breathless silence as Trixie sat down at the desk with her head turned away. She sat there like a gargoyle, unmoving and sombre. It took a moment for Scootaloo to realize that this was her moment to strike. It was better than she had dared to hope for. As quietly as she could, she crept out from under the bed, scissors between her teeth.

Scootaloo rose up behind Trixie, trying to keep the paralyzing dread out of mind, the thought of killing another pony, one who had once been her friend. A heavy drop fell from Trixie's face like a tear upon the parchment spread out before her. Scootaloo watched as blood ran down Trixie's cheek and stained her coat.

Had she hurt Celestia? Hurt her friends and how many other ponies? The young pegasus tensed. And struck! The scissors flashed as she threw herself at Trixie, weapon aimed for the neck, aimed to kill.

Her breath was lost, and the scissors clattered against the floor as she was thrown back, not violently but with a certain insistence. She landed on the bed before being pinned down, helplessly pressed down against the mattress. Trixie sat before the desk, the only change a faint glow of her horn. Scootaloo watched her fearfully, but something about her seemed less threatening. Scootaloo thought she looked tired yet strangely calm, perhaps satisfied?

Minutes passed but might as well have stood still, the only sound seeming to be her frantic heartbeat as she lay there upon the bed. Finally Trixie looked up and turned as she stood. Scootaloo stared. It hadn't been Celestia's blood. A deep gash ran across Trixie's face, crossed by several bloody scratches. What remained of her left eye was a bloody mess.

And yet she seemed calm, and that was about all that could be drawn from her expression as she walked up next to Scootaloo and picked up the scissors from the floor. “Celestia's pet bird is fiercer than it looks,” she offered as explanation before the question had even formed properly in Scootaloo's mind.

Scootaloo sank a lump in her throat and finally found her voice, summoning up all the courage to speak that she could find inside her. “A-are you going to hurt me? D-did you hurt Princess Celestia? W-what did you do to her?”

Trixie lay the scissors down carefully on a nearby nightstand and looked down at Scootaloo with a soft smile. It was a strange smile, it seemed almost motherly, and yet it couldn't be. Not from the monster Scootaloo had seen, that still hid behind those eyes. “My dear,” Trixie said as she reached out a hoof to stroke Scootaloo's mane. “You are both very precious to me. Celestia has learned her proper place, and you, my dear, you needn't fear a thing from me.”

“W-why?” Scootaloo stammered.

It was a deeper question than it seemed on the surface, or perhaps more than one question, and Trixie appeared to know. She sat for a time looking at something, face unreadable. Scootaloo was confused. Everything about Trixie's behavior was different, unfamiliar. And yet she was surely the same she had been in Celestia's room earlier that day.

She looked a little thoughtful, several small furrows forming upon her brow as she looked up at the ceiling. Scootaloo had never seen her look so genuinely ponderous, as if for once she wasn't already absolutely certain what to say and do. After a while Trixie looked down again. “Tell me, have you encountered any bullies in school? You don't strike me as one yourself.”

Scootaloo was taken quite aback by the question. “Uh … yeah, kinda, I guess,” she muttered. She briefly imagined Diamond Tiara making an entry, but even she could never be this evil.

“How about love?” Trixie asked enigmatically and winked. “Anypony you fancied? Some handsome colt, or perhaps a fine young filly friend?”

“I …” Scootaloo blushed a little despite the situation. She looked away as best she could. She didn't want to answer such a question, not to the … thing who had asked.

Trixie smiled at her. “Never mind, perhaps another time. Allow me to tell you a tale, then.”

Scootaloo expected a trick as she watched and listened, helplessly pinned to the bed.

* * *

“Bullies are common as flies. Every school has their bullies, just as every pig sty has their flies,” Trixie began. “Mine was named Daffodil Dreams, a dreamy little pegasus who was terribly in love with herself and loved to gloat about her obvious superiority. She had her eyes on me from the first day we met, but I won't bore you with her many humiliations of me. In the larger scheme of things they must surely be considered insignificant.“

“Daffodil had a friend, a unicorn named Mandrake Meadows, who was actually quite handy with herbs and mixtures and only truly obnoxious by her association with Daffodil who she followed around like a well-trained lap dog.”

“Mandrake was also to blame for Daffodil's stellar and entirely undeserved grades. See, Daffodil wasn't very bright but had a very bright friend, and she had plenty of wits to take full advantage of that. Mandrake did all her homework, and Daffodil wrote off of her during tests. Easily done with a half-senile old teacher with a fondness for burying her head in old magazines while her students toiled. But everypony kinda knew, and this was all the least of Daffodil's secrets. Her true secret was far more interesting.”

“Of course, these days it hardly raises any eyebrows, but back then a young filly who found herself looking at her classmates rather than sneaking a peek at the colts next door tended to keep her tendencies a secret. And that's what Daffodil did. To be found out would be disastrous for her reputation, not to mention the reputation of her high-society family. Didn't matter that then as now most fillies had the same urges, or at least experimented. It's only natural with a majority of females in the population, but traditional values are strange that way. Daffodil had a lot to lose, that's all that mattered.”

“And as it so happened, you can imagine that I learned of this. I was only at Daffodil's place because our teacher, in a fit of teaching us the value of finding friends in unexpected places or something equally sappy, had assigned us randomly to another classmate. We were to make a project together, and I ended up with Daffodil of all ponies. To this day I suspect the random drawing of numbers was rigged.”

“But either way, there I was in Daffodil's inner sanctum, and while she didn't look I slipped her diary, carelessly left in a poorly locked drawer, into my bag. She never learned the value of quality over frilly looks, not just when it came to locks.”

“Imagine my glee at the rather, oh, shall we say colorful drawings and awful attempts at romantic fiction within that book. But it was quite arousing in its own way, not so much the things she wrote as the mere fact that I was reading it.”

“I recall the moment vividly, because it was the moment I got …” Trixie looked down at her cutie mark. “Well, not this one, but my original cutie mark. Reading through Daffodil's most private thoughts and desires, I knew exactly what to do with that sort of knowledge. I wrapped her ever so artfully around my hoof and made her dance to my every tune. And everypony thought I was particularly good at weaving fine fabrics, the fools, how I laughed. I never felt more alive.”

“After that, Daffodil became a pure delight. You could say a lot about Daffodil, but she did have one redeeming virtue. She was quite a fine young filly, any young colt's dream I dare say. And as you might have guessed, mine as well. Like herself, I had an eye for fine things, only I knew how to not leave any incriminating evidence lying around in poorly locked places.”

“She was my first true love, and I will never forget our times together. She hated me with such a burning passion, but her abused tears were the sweetest I ever tasted. To make her mine against her will, to make her bow down at my merest glance, to do the things I did to her … can not be adequately described.”

“To the outside world we appeared to have become the best of friends, and that meant that many new ponies suddenly paid me attention now that I was best buddy with the school's most popular filly. Our teacher declared her project a great success because of our newfound 'understanding' and gave us both top grades.”

“Mandrake was the only one who didn’t buy it, but even she was left in the dark. Daffodil never told Mandrake her dirty little secret, and even if she may have wanted to say something later I made quite sure she couldn't, lest a certain little book should end up in somepony's mail. I had quite a few copies made, you see, using a simple copying spell.”

“But it only lasted so long. Eventually she vowed to end it. Using Mandrake's knowledge of herbs, Daffodil served me tea full of poison. Only, you'll remember that Daffodil was not very clever, and she never told Mandrake what she needed it for, so Mandrake in turn never told her about the horrible taste of said poison.”

“The taste was truly awful, and I didn't have to swallow to tell that something was terribly wrong with my tea. I discreetly spat it out in a napkin and smilingly played along for the rest of the evening. She got really scared after that, and I knew it was time to end it, as sad as I was to do so. She was my first love, and the only pony I have ever … truly loved.”

“I decided to show her how it's done. Her last lesson, as a friendly courtesy. So I gave her poison. Not quite enough to kill, just the right dose to subdue. I had never killed a pony before, she was my first in that regard too, but I knew from the moment I looked into her terrified eyes that I liked it. I loved it, all the more because of the tragedy.”

“Have you ever killed a pony up close and personal? It's a very special experience, something I have found most ponies simply can't do. In fact I am quite proud of your little attempt there with the scissors, very nice. But back to Daffodil …”

“I dragged her into the woods as night fell, where I knew no pony ever came. I tied her up between two trees, and when the poison began to wear off I took her life with a stitching awl while she begged and screamed. I left her remains for the wild animals; they were never found. This was some time before I learned the value of ashes, mind you. Oh, I would have given anything for her ashes later on.”

“Her loss was mourned, but because everypony thought I had lost a dear friend they treated me quite differently from then on. I became close friends with many ponies who had before been just … followers, I suppose you could charitably call them. Suddenly I was loved, and everypony stumbled over themselves to comfort me.”

“And what I learned from all that is that friendship is cheap, bought easily for false tears and spilled blood. Or money, or any number of other things.”

Scootaloo stared in horror at the monster sitting next to her. Trixie didn't seem to notice her much as she continued after a short break. “Not long after that I attended the Summer Sun Celebration and saw Celestia raise the sun. I saw how everypony … every pony bowed at her merest presence, how she moved the heavens according to her will, how she ruled the lands and the skies with unquestioned authority. I knew right then where I wanted to be, and where I wanted her; beneath my hooves.”

“I enrolled in her school and set my eyes for the top. I was never the best at magic, but I worked hard, and I knew how to get ahead in life. I knew what had to be done, and I wasn't afraid to do it, not for a second. I loved every moment of it, every pull of the threads, every drop of innocent blood, every tortured soul. And here I am at last, a pony who has done what no other pony could do, and not a living soul left who could deny me my right!” She finished with great pride.

“You're a monster!” Scootaloo spat out the words that had been forming on her lips. She was angry and crying. She remembered Sweetie Belle, Zecora, Twilight … all those other ponies, and who else? Celestia? Rainbow Dash? She didn't know, and that was perhaps the worst part. “I hate you!” It was all she could say, with all the force and gravity her lungs would bear, yet it felt flat compared to the raging emotions screaming inside her.

Trixie smiled and picked up the scissors. “Yes.” The blades of the scissors parted. “You can hate me to your heart's content, I don't mind, you see, because you'll still do everything I want you to do, and I couldn't desire anything more than that. You are mine, whether you like it or not.”

Trixie stood and turned, her bloodied eye staring blankly down at nothing. Scootaloo felt herself stretched out on the bed, legs and wings spread out and head pulled backwards. She felt the cold, sharp blade of the scissors run lightly along a vein in her neck, down over her heaving chest to where her heart was beating, and further along the soft skin of her stomach.

She gasped between heavy sobs as Trixie lay down next to her and kissed her, leaving a taste of blood upon her lips. “But you needn't worry. It will soon be over, my precious child.”

* * *

Fluttershy dragged herself and Pinkie over the crest of another small sandy hill and paused, scouting out over the beach stretching endlessly towards the distance. Pinkie stirred and leaned against her. “Do you see anything?” She asked hopefully, with a hint of longing.

The beach was empty, like no other beach she knew. No seaweed or driftwood washed ashore, only sand and … she stopped. There was in fact something. A faint glimmering in the waves as they licked the shore, a shimmering of light from a small heap. She gave Pinkie a little nuzzle and started down the hill, stepping carefully. It was difficult and tiring to walk on three legs, but she couldn't fly with Pinkie, and the pink pony was still too weak to walk on her own.

She stopped halfway down the hill as something appeared over another hilltop ahead. A pair of silhouettes against the starless sky, one small the other larger but walking as if ages weighed down upon it and made it appear smaller than it likely was. “Is that …” Fluttershy said, her voice weak and hoarse.

Pinkie lifted a hoof to her eyes and looked up.

“Rarity?” Fluttershy finished.

“Rarity! Spi—” Pinkie made a little jump and rushed forwards. Too late did her legs follow her mind, and she fell instead, tumbling down the sandy hill. She landed in a heap at the bottom as Fluttershy gasped weakly and spread her wings to follow.

They met midways along the low between hills. Fluttershy gingerly hugged Rarity who gave a weary smile in return. None of them had the energy to do more or to speak many words as they stood in the sand, looking at each other through tears of mixed joy and sorrow.

It was a glittering light by the water that broke the silence. They turned as one to look, only now noticing the figure sprawled out in the wet sand. Fluttershy was first to fly over next to the soaked pony. The others stood for a while, then followed one by one.

“Is she … dead?” Pinkie said hesitantly.

Fluttershy nudged at the unresponsive Manna. Her eyes were empty holes staring blankly ahead, a frightening sight. A piece of glass glittered in her chest. Fluttershy carefully removed the piece and examined the body. She shook her head and moved aside.

There was a brief pause, then Spike moved in to help. Together they pulled the drenched pony out of the water and onto the dry beach.

* * *

Manna gasped and coughed up several mouthfuls of salty water. She took several long, deep breaths before looking up … or she thought it was up. Everything was black, but she could hear somepony next to her, a voice she thought she recognized from somewhere.

“Can you hear me? It's alright … we're here.”

A hoof was offered to her, gently pressed against her own. She hesitated. Here she was—she had no idea where. She could hear the gentle lapping of the water and feel the sand beneath her, but everything was still dark. There were others around her—she wasn't sure who. Who would help her? She had never earned anypony's friendship, but here they were. Was it a cruel trick?

“It's alright …” the voice repeated. It was a low, hoarse voice, rough and unrefined, but it carried a gentleness behind it.

Manna looked up at where she thought the voice came from. She was keenly aware of tears streaming down her cheeks as she gave a weak squeeze of the hoof. She wanted to say something, but the words never came.

The hoof squeezed back softly, assuring her that no words were necessary.

* * *

They were right on her track. It was impossible to hide when the snow recorded her passage perfectly and all the rivers and lakes were frozen over. Rainbow Dash doubted she would have survived many seconds in the freezing waters anyway. They were close by now, and they would find her soon.

She leaped across a small brook and ran as best she could. The trees and bushes circled in on her, a twig slapped her across the cheek, and a root nearly tripped her. It was as if the forest itself rose up against her in her hour of need. The path narrowed, then finally vanished entirely.

Rainbow Dash came to a skidding halt and looked around in a panic. A deep ravine cut through the landscape in front of her, and around her the forest denied her passage. Behind her the flickering lights and voices of her pursuers came closer by the second. She was trapped.

Perhaps if she jumped … she would hit the rocks and surely die, but it was absolutely better than getting caught. She looked down the gorge and sank.

There was a little nap at her ear. She looked back at the tortoise. Tank nodded his head at a dense patch of bushes nearby. “They'll find me,” she said, looking between the bush and the gorge. Tank pulled at her bandaged wing; she winced as a stab of pain shot through it. “It just might work …” She dared to hope and stepped up to the edge.

With a muffled cry of pain she pulled off the bandage and threw it over the edge. It descended for a bit before getting caught on a sharp rock. Tank and Angel both nodded. Rainbow Dash looked behind her, then leaped into the bushes, bashing her one wing frantically. She crashed through the dense thicket and landed with a cry.

She had only just managed to settle down and make herself as small as possible when a large stallion in royal armor rounded the corner and came into view.

“Hurry, I heard something up here,” he said as he moved cautiously up to the edge of the ravine. Several others followed behind him, looking around with tense eyes. “Looks like she jumped.”

“Or it's a cheap trick,” said another. The others nodded. “Steel Wing and Hawk, you two fly down there and have a look. If she's dead, then we need her body. The rest of you search up here, she's bound to be somewhere near. The Queen will reward us royally.”

The others gave a salute and got to work.

Rainbow Dash held her breath and tried to convince her heart to not beat so loudly as she watched in horror. One of the guards approached the bush she was hiding in, and a hoof stuck through the dense branches and felt around. This was it, she thought as she closed her eyes and waited.

A voice called out somewhere above. “Soldiers! The fugitive has been sighted north-west of here. We need her surrounded before she escapes again.”

The voice sounded familiar. Dash opened her eyes and glanced up slightly, trying to make something out in the pale light of the moon.

The soldiers exchanged confused looks between each other. “Commander, she was here only moments ago, we are certain of it. She either fell or is hiding close by.”

“Your senses need checking, soldier.” Rainbow Dash recognized the features of the blue mare descending below the canopy towards the guards. “Or perhaps her wings were not as badly hurt as you thought. Either way, we're losing time.”

There was hesitation. Blue Jet clapped her hooves. “Move to it! Now! Or do you wish I should report your names to our Queen for dereliction?” It was clear that the guards had been given some doubt about their commander, but the mention of the Queen made short work of any hesitation.

Rainbow Dash sighed a breath of relief as calls were made and the guards set off towards the north-west. Blue Jet turned in the air and looked down, an imploring look in her eyes that seemed to say, “Don't waste it.”

Rainbow Dash knew, it would be the last time she saw those eyes alive.

* * *

Luna dragged herself the last few yards to the edge and collapsed as she begged of the stars and the night. “Please … be real.” Sombre birds on silent wings settled in the crooked trees and shades around her, eyes peeled for her last exhale and their long awaited meal. Long shadows of thin branches like claws reached out for her, longing to take her away.

She forgot all about these things as she stared longingly into the cold, blank surface of the water, her young face staring back. She leaned over, shaking with the fear that it should be taken away before her eyes. She needed this, the water. She couldn't go on any longer.

Her tongue touched the surface of the lake, and there was nothing. She licked the empty air and felt dry tears well up in her eyes. She cried and stuck her entire head into the water, but there was still nothing there. She could see it, it was right there, it looked back at her, but she never could touch it or drink it. It denied her, rejected her.

“I'm sorry!” she begged the water with desperation. “I'm sorry!” If only she knew what she had done, where she had gone wrong. “I'm so sorry …” she cried, too weak to lift her head as she lay by the shore of the lake. “Please help me … please … just one drink.”

There was a tiny spark deep in the dark waters. Luna followed it with her eyes. Dark trees and black beaks with cruel little eyes reflected in the watery mirror, waiting for her, and there, on the other shore she sat, looking into the water sadly. The azure coat and the pale blue, nearly white mane, the young violet eyes … “Trixie,” Luna pleaded as she lifted her head an inch to see.

Trixie looked up at her, and Twilight met her eyes. Luna blinked in confusion and stared at the young filly sitting by the lake, looking across the waters at her, and the image of Trixie peering out of the water below. A gloom crossed their shared face, and they turned away from her.

Luna cried. “Please, don't leave me … please, I need your help.”

But Twilight didn't look at her. “ 'I am not your friend! I never were and never will be your friend! Nopony is your friend!' That's what you said to me, remember?” the filly said with tears in her deep, purple eyes. “Why should I be your friend if you won't be mine? Why should I help you in your moment of need when you never helped me once and instead turned your back on me?”

“I …” Luna looked down. “I'm sorry. I never meant—” she began. “Please … I was wrong. I thought—Please, won't you help me?”

“I thought you loved me, I thought you were my friend, my love … I loved you. But maybe you only love me now that you need me? Maybe you never cared as long as you were fine.”

Luna felt miserable. “I always loved you. Truly, I did! You must know that,” she begged.

Twilight looked at her, then stood up and turned her back on Luna as she walked away. “I don't believe you. Help yourself.”

* * *

Rainbow Dash stumbled through the thicket and out onto the beach. She was cold to her bones, hungry and weary. Her body was scratched and beaten. All she wanted was to lie down and sleep for days or weeks. Several times in the last few hours she had been face down in the snow and not even realized it until Angel or Tank had bitten her, hard. She had lost her pursuers, but she couldn't go on much longer.

Angel had gotten more insistent, more eager as the forest thinned towards the east. Now the bunny was practically dragging and pushing Rainbow Dash across the rocky sands of the beach. The light of a city in the distance brought a little hope into her heart, perhaps word of her hadn't reached that place, but it was evidently not where the bunny wanted her attention.

She stumbled over the rocks, led like a beast of burden. And there it was …

She wasn't sure what she had expected.

Upon the rocks lay a small green alligator, frost covering its scaly hide, its once vivid eyes now closed forever. In its mouth it grasped a simple hoof-held mirror, held protectively as if it meant the whole world in those last moments of its life.

Rainbow Dash moved closer and carefully picked the mirror from its grasp. She looked at the mirror and sat down heavily, her mind at a loss for what to feel. She wanted to cry for Gummy, for her friends, all the ponies she had lost and failed, all the pain she and they had suffered.

And all she had come this long way for was … a dumb mirror?

17. What Makes a Monster

“Please …” Luna begged, her voice but a dry whisper. Panic took her as Twilight walked away from her, her only hope and the only thing on her mind quickly disappearing like sand through the hourglass. “I'll give anything. I'll prove I love you! I'll prove it to you, if you just give me one chance.”

Twilight slowed down and stopped. She turned her head and looked at Luna over her shoulder. It was a burrowing gaze, as if it looked straight through to her soul to judge her. “Then tell me this,” she began. “To prove your love for me you say you will give up anything?”

Luna nodded desperately at this.

“There is not much that you could give me, is there?”

Luna felt the hope disappear as if swept away by a riptide, replaced by empty despair. It was true, she had nothing to give but herself and her word. “I-I have only myself.”

“You do have something else too, I think,” Twilight said. Luna wasn't sure what she could be talking about. “You have friends, don't you? Somewhere out there, at least, unless you think they have forgotten you, is that it?”

Luna shook her head, though a sliver of doubt rested in her heart. Perhaps they had forgotten her.

Twilight continued regardless. “Then, if you have friends, will you give them up for me?”

Luna looked away. This was one thing where she felt no doubt in her heart. “No,” she said. “To abandon or hurt my friends … that must be the one thing you could never ask of me. Anything but that.”

Twilight turned around but stayed where she was. “So you would rather lose me than your friends? I might still stay or walk away. This might be your last chance.”

“If you have to ask this of me,” Luna said slowly, “then you are not the one I loved, and I was right to condemn you when I did. If you have to ask this of me, then you must truly be the monster I at first feared and you are but toying with me.”

Twilight walked back, stopping at the edge of the lake where she had been sitting before, opposite shore from Luna. “And if I now say I would never ask that of you?”

“Then you may yet be toying with me, but I will have no choice but to trust you,” Luna whispered, desperate for a drop of water to quench her thirst. “But I already did. I was wrong. I let my fear mislead my heart and turned my back on you, and on Trixie. I wish I could take every word I said back.”

Twilight walked around the pond and sat down next to Luna. She dipped her hooves in the cool water, scooping it up for Luna to drink. “I would never ask you to abandon your friends. And I also forgive you. We all get lost in this darkness when we are alone.”

Luna sipped the water from Twilight's hooves and almost laughed with glee at the cool, refreshing sensation. She closed her eyes and dipped her head into the lake. It no longer rejected her, and she drank deep.

When she opened her eyes again a glimmer of light met her from the deep. She pulled out of the water and looked between Twilight and the light. “There's something down there,” she said.

Twilight looked into the water. “I come here sometimes. At times you can see things in the water, that's how I first talked to Trixie. Mostly it just shows places.”

The light flickered faintly, like a little star in the night sky reflected in the water. Luna looked up at the starless sky and back down at the water. It definitely wasn't that. She looked at Twilight briefly to see if she might be thinking something, then reached out for the glittering thing with her magic. There was a moment of silence as she searched around in the darkness of the water, then something small and sharp turned up among the mud.

Luna pulled it out and washed it clean.

“It's a piece of glass,” Twilight said.

“A mirror,” Luna elaborated. “A piece of a mirror.” The small fragment of glass floated out of the water, sparkling. Luna wasn't sure in what light.

Twilight nudged her excitedly, and she turned to look around. Something had changed about the small piece of garden they were sitting in. Luna stared at the colors bleeding through the black cover, a warm light spreading without a source. She looked back at the mirror and smiled.

* * *

“My Queen.” The royal guard bowed deep in front of the grand dais whereupon Trixie lay, slung back lazily on a small mountain of pillows with Celestia in a leash beside her. She gave little indication of having heard. The guard coughed a little nervously and continued. “I regret to inform you that we have no new intelligence on the escaped phoenix. It hasn't been seen since yesterday when it was spotted near Fillydelphia.”

Trixie lifted a hoof and waved it a little as if to say, “Go on”. A golden light surrounded a piece of candy on a nearby plate. It floated gently towards Trixie. She licked it with a passive expression.

“Uh … yes, m-moving on,” the guard stammered mildly. “The reports from the farm count seven dead, six of them ours. More were injured.” Trixie opened a lazy eye to regard the pony in front of her. He shifted uncomfortably. “They met some opposition, but I am told he fell in the end. The rest appear to have escaped in the chaos. We are not quite sure how many, but they must have fled into the forest.”

Trixie nodded and closed her eye again. “Throw the body to the wolves. Have every tree on the farm uprooted and the ground salted. Let them starve in the wild or plead before me for mercy. Remind the population of the penalty for supporting traitors.”

The guard looked down at his notes and shifted somewhat. “I am told some of the trees are magical, Your Majesty.”

A minor scowl crossed Trixie's face. “Then recruit some unicorns from the school and just get it done already. Do I have to tell you everything?”

“N-no, My Queen,” the guard hurriedly spoke.

Trixie returned to passively licking the piece of candy while rolling the end of the leash around her hoof.

The guard moved on, not wishing to test his luck. “The fugitive is still at large somewhere in the east, and there is still the matter of your commander. We have reason to believe she led the search parties astray deliberately.” The silence told him to continue quickly. “She tried to flee when confronted but was apprehended near Dodge City. She's waiting in the dungeon.”

“Bring her before me,” Trixie said coldly.

The guard bowed and turned hurriedly.

“And my heir as well. I wish her by my side in this matter,” Trixie added as the guard was halfway across the grand hall.

* * *

“So …” Trixie looked down at Blue Jet chained up on the floor of the throne room between two pegasus guards. “I must say, I have had quite enough of your little games, Commander.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Blue Jet said without moving her gaze.

Trixie regarded her with a look of boredom. “I assume you have nothing to say in your defense?”

“Would it make a difference?”

Trixie sat down on her pillow and picked up a piece of candy. “Would you tell me if it did?”

“Probably not.”

“Well, it probably wouldn't, then,” Trixie said. Blue Jet remained silent as Trixie watched her. After a few minutes Trixie gave a light shrug. “So be it. Blue Jet, I hereby condemn you to death and disgrace in the eyes of your country.”

“And so that it shall not be said that I am not merciful—” she said and turned to look at the young pegasus next to her. Scootaloo looked up through tears. She felt like she had been crying for days. “—I leave your manner of your death to my heir's decision.” A sinister smile played on Trixie’s lips as she spoke.

“I …” Scootaloo struggled to speak through sobs. She looked to Celestia for strength, but the princess didn't look back. She hadn't done for a time now, not since that day … Scootaloo didn't want to remember that day. “I won't!”

“Well then, if that is what you want I will just have to make the decision for you, won't I?” Trixie said casually. “And I've got a real desire for whips today. A good public flogging should satisfy my craving.”

Scootaloo looked at Blue Jet. The blue mare lay in chains, silently watching Trixie. Her expression was one of acceptance of her fate, steadfastly refusing to beg or show fear. She didn't look at Scootaloo. “I …” If only she could be brave like that, Scootaloo thought. If the only way she could help the commander, who had been so nice to her, was by making her end as painless as possible … she tried to imagine what that would be.

Trixie was about to say something when Scootaloo broke her off. “Beheading. I-I choose beheading.” Trixie smirked and ruffled her mane. A shiver ran down Scootaloo's spine as she looked down, trying not to cry again. She didn't want to cry ever again.

Trixie's reaction bothered her. She remembered how Trixie had fooled her with Rainbow Dash, promising not to kill her but not to let her go. “With a guillotine, a sharp one, as sharp as the guards can make it. Not a rusty old one,” she added quickly.

“Clever pony,” Trixie said. Scootaloo wasn't sure if there was a hint of disappointment or if it was more amusement, but it was quickly gone either way. “My heir has spoken. Take her away and have the courtyard ready within the hour. I don't want any chances for escape, do I make myself clear? Make sure my subjects know they are expected to attend.”

* * *

Fluttershy felt exhausted and drained after what seemed like ages of wandering, trying to find her friends and her way. But now at last, as she trotted through this garden, the surroundings seemed to grow increasingly familiar with every step. She felt a little life bubble up again within her, a little hope, and a warmth she thought she should never feel again.

There was an anticipation in the air, as if they were getting close to something. Even color and smell had returned to the otherwise dark and eerie landscape, creeping in like paint slowly soaking a piece of canvas.

She breathed in deeply and listened. Did a bird sing somewhere far off?

“Can you see it?” Pinkie cried with a bubbling enthusiasm and joy which had been rare of late, gone for what seemed to Fluttershy like ages. Pinkie gave a joyous squeal. “Colors and hues and shades other than grays, hoorays!”

The sudden elevation in the mood was contagious. Even Manna, for whom everything remained blacker than night, found the new smells and sounds uplifting.

Fluttershy blushed as Pinkie picked a small white flower from a nearby bush and gently, with her tongue sticking out in a great expression of concentration, placed it behind Fluttershy's right ear.

“T-thank you, Pinkie. Oh …” She paused and looked up. “I think I see something ahead.”

A warm light shone among the trees and bushes some distance from where they were standing. All except Manna turned to look in the direction Fluttershy was pointing. Rarity was the first to speak. “Well what are we waiting for? I'm not getting any younger,” she said and marched past Fluttershy with Spike hurrying after her. The others looked at each other before following.

Light flowed out from the small glade and the lake in its center, a warm glow that seemed to come as much from within themselves as from the glade itself and nowhere in particular. Pinkie burst past the others at a full gallop into the glade despite her wounds and pounced on a young figure by the water. “Twilight!” she squealed and hugged the lavender unicorn who returned it awkwardly. “I found you, I found you!”

“Luna!” The others chimed in as they noticed the other occupant of the glade, lying beside Twilight by the water. The princess looked a little flushed as she was surrounded by her friends on all sides. Only Manna remained behind, standing uncomfortably at the edge of the glade as the others rejoiced at the reunion.

Luna looked up and noticed her. She looked at the others then back at Manna and stood up.

Manna tensed as the others seemed to quiet down and soft hoof steps in the grass approached her. She began to open her mouth to apologize, but a hoof gently stopped her. “If my friends have forgiven you, then I need no more reason than that to do the same,” Luna spoke and hugged Manna. “I too have made mistakes. Terrible mistakes. No pony should be friendless.”

Manna stood, looking for a moment rather befuddled in Luna's embrace until, after a while, she hesitantly returned the hug. She couldn't see it, but she could feel the warmth as the light permeated the area, washing away the shadows and gray colors. Flowers and trees shed their ash-like demeanor and broke out into full hues around the little lake.

“Ooh,” came Pinkie's old characteristic exclamation of appreciation. Everypony else looked around at the changing scenery. A warm glow played in the waters of the lake now.

Luna gave Manna a gentle pat and walked back to peer down into the water. Familiar gardens peered back up at her, trees and flowers she had somehow thought she should never lay her eyes on again. “I think it is time for us to go home,” she said. The others turned to look at her as she faced Twilight. “Twilight … Trixie, I no longer know which name is yours.”

“It is but a name,” Twilight said and reached out a hoof to Luna. She looked suddenly older, still the young filly on the outside but with many more ages now reflected in her eyes. “I think I remember … I was lost and alone, and I wandered but couldn't find my way in this darkness. But now it is gone, or fading, and I remember. I gave it all to Trixie, and we were always one. So call me Trixie if you prefer.”

Luna reached out and gave her the little piece of glass she had fished out of the lake. “Take these to remember us by. I get the feeling they will help you more than they will us, and if … if we don't go to our deaths, I promise we will try to find you a way back too.”

Twilight looked at the little pieces of glass as Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Manna came up to her with each of their pieces. They floated around her like a little necklace as she looked up at the five ponies and one dragon. “Thank you. I-I hope I'll see you all again.”

“We will never forget you, or our promise,” Luna said and kissed her.

Luna’s horn glowed as she turned to the lake. The reflection in the water took on a solid sheen and a strange depth. She looked back at Twilight before stepping into the water, the others following behind her.

* * *

Blue Jet was pushed unceremoniously down on the hard wooden block, and her head placed in the stock as she was tied down securely. The blade loomed over her, and her eyes looked out over the masses of silently terrified ponies watching against their will. There was nothing in her eyes to suggest it, but in her heart she begged for a miracle.

She had done what she could for Celestia, for Scootaloo and for Rainbow Dash, for all the ponies she served, but if change was coming to Equestria it looked like it would come too late for her. At least she knew she had done the right thing, but had it been enough or too little too late? She closed her eyes as Trixie landed on the platform overlooking the gathered ponies.

Trixie smiled, the sinister smile of a monster escaped from somepony's nightmare and on the prowl for blood. Celestia and Scootaloo were led up behind her by the guards surrounding the place. Celestia looked sick, her eyes absent of any light.

“My beloved subjects,” Trixie began, trotting calmly back and forth as she addressed the ponies. “It is not a simple matter to run a nation. It requires dedication, hard work and sometimes sacrifice. Have I not been good to you? You are here because you have all shown loyalty to the throne, loyalty to me. Some of you may have doubts. Perhaps you worry about the long night. Well, all things good come to those who wait, and those who serve.”

She stopped in front of the guillotine and turned back to face the crowd.

“You have served me, so I have served you in turn. You are well fed, safe, many of you are better off than you were. That is my gift to you for your show of loyalty. Those who serve are rewarded in equal measure. I would return the sun to shine upon your lands too, but you see, its light falls on all equally and not all are deserving as you are. There are those who will not serve, who would betray us, betray Equestria!“

She pulled up Blue Jet's head for all to look upon the condemned pegasus. “This one has betrayed us! She would bask in your sunlight without serving her part! Let this be a lesson to you all. The night is here to weed out all these parasprites from our midst.”

“If you hear a pony speak out against me, you know who to blame for your eternal night. Tell them what you think of that! Show them what you think! Rid Equestria of these vermin, and the day shall be yours again!”

She turned to Scootaloo, the smile on her face taking on a terrifying twist. “Now, if my heir will have the honor,” she said and held out a hoof to the young pegasus, “of performing the execution that she in her wisdom has chosen for this … stain upon Equestria.”

Scootaloo tried to stay steady. She had known it was coming. She knew Trixie would find a way to make her do it. Why? Scootaloo thought she knew why, to turn her into a monster like Trixie herself. She was Trixie's heir, she was to be like her. It had slowly dawned on her, crept up like a sneaking shadow. And she would rather die than let that happen. But Trixie wouldn't let her die, would she?

“Well?” Trixie said, a dangerous hint in her tone. “Perhaps my heir didn't hear me. We all do our part, every one of us.” More was conveyed between the lines than in the words themselves.

Scootaloo knew what would happen if she refused. Trixie would force her, or torture them both. Likely she would do both. She owed it to the commander to spare her the torture, to make sure it was quick. Perhaps that was all the force and persuasion Trixie needed. Maybe that was all it took to turn her into a monster.

Scootaloo stood up slowly. She tried to ignore the feeling that she was doing it against her will. Blue Jet lay on the guillotine, neck under the raised blade, eyes closed. All it would take was a pull and it would be over. Scootaloo placed her hoof on the lever and looked at the blue mare. “Please forgive me,” she whispered through her tears.

“You never needed forgiveness,” Blue Jet whispered back.

* * *

The air was fresh and cool, the moon casting its familiar light upon the gardens. Her moon, her garden … Luna breathed in the night air as she stepped out into the gardens of Canterlot. It had been so long, everything looked as she remembered it and yet … felt different. For one thing it shouldn't be night, Luna knew instinctively. She was also fairly certain that it shouldn't already be winter, or had they been gone longer than she thought? But even more than that, the place felt wrong, the calm that always hung over the castle and its gardens was gone, replaced by a repressive feeling of fear.

For a moment she wanted to reach out and lower the moon, but thought better of it. That would surely give away their return if it wasn't already well known. Instead she turned to her friends appearing from the mirror of the small lake in the garden. Luna hoped the strange light reflected by the waters didn't alert anypony to their presence here.

She was about to ask them the question they were no doubt asking themselves when her ears caught something. She stopped and raised her head, listening. “I think I hear a voice,” she said. “Do you hear it too?”

The others stopped and looked around with bated breaths as they listened to the sounds of the garden. The light breeze, a rustling of branches, and then a voice, too vague to make out the words but there nonetheless.

“Sounds like something is going on over there,” Spike said, pointing a claw in the direction of the sound.

Luna set off in that direction. As she made her way through the winding paths of the garden surrounding the castle, the voice became clearer.

“Tell them what you think of that!”

Luna recognized the voice and picked up her pace.

“Rid Equestria of these vermin and the day shall be yours again!”

She came to a halt in one of the grand arches separating the garden from the castle proper. Masses of ponies had gathered in the castle courtyard. Frightened ponies, grieving ponies, their faces worn with fear and despair. The presence of the guards made it abundantly clear that none of them were there totally of their own will. Yet no doubt it was the presence of Trixie which exerted the greatest influence. Luna watched from the shadows as Scootaloo rose at Trixie's request. Behind her was Celestia.

Luna couldn't believe what she saw over the heads of the assembled ponies. Celestia lay kneeling, a guard standing like a gargoyle next to her holding the other end of a leash. The princess, Luna's sister, looked weak and gray, her eyes distant as she stared straight ahead. There was nothing of her former presence and power evident in her posture or expression. She looked for all the world like a doll.

“Look!” Spike directed her attention to where Scootaloo was now standing, trance-like next to the guillotine and the center of the grim spectacle—a bright blue pegasus.

Luna knew that mare. She had watched some of her shows and personally recommended her to the position as commander of the royal guard. Luna's lips quivered as the scene unfolded before her, too fast to think. Scootaloo placed her hoof on the lever, there was a pause, something deep within the young filly seemed to struggle, and lose.

There was a click and a deathly silence as the heavy blade fell.

A hushed gasp surged through the crowd as the blade came to a halt mid-air, bathed in a faint blue glow. Several seconds seemed to pass before Luna noticed what she had done, or all the eyes now turned towards her and her friends. Murmuring voices filled the courtyard, and ponies nervously backed away, frightened of what this could all mean.

Up on the stage Trixie turned slowly and regarded them with a dark expression, her one good eye turned towards them. “My my my.” The crowd silenced at her voice. “What a surprise.”

Luna spread her wings and set off, the blade balanced precariously in her magic. All eyes were on her as she approached the platform, her friends making their way through the parting crowds behind her. Scootaloo, as if released from invisible bonds, made like a bolt towards them. No pony stopped her as she fell crying around Fluttershy's neck. Trixie watched the scene with a curious glint in her eye. Even Celestia had lifted her head a little to see, there was a faint glimmer of recognition in her blank stare.

Blue Jet too had opened her eyes to look up at Luna as the princess of the night landed on the platform. The commander looked up at her, a smile and silent “bless you” forming upon her lips. It was a short smile. There was a faint glow, then a sickening snap. Luna stopped and stared as the commander's head made a sudden 180 degree turn, a look of shock now in her eyes. The crowd gasped.

“What did you do that for?” Cried Pinkie as Fluttershy hugged Scootaloo tighter and turned so the filly wouldn't have to look at the dead commander.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” Trixie said coldly, dropping the limp body in the guillotine. “I forgot to ask if any of you would have liked the honor. How very thoughtless of me.”

Luna looked as the body grew still and felt the tears well up. She pulled the commander out of the guillotine and lowered the blade before turning to look at Trixie. An unseen wind carried Trixie's snowy mane as she loomed tall and threatening in the dim starlight, awaiting patiently as if it was all the same to her. Luna's face hardened. “I will make you pay for what you have done.”

Trixie didn't twitch a muscle, her calculating eye watching them coolly but without ever leaving them out of sight. “Oh? And what, pray tell, do you intend to do? Accept it, Luna,” she said as she walked up to Luna, her cold mane brushing against the princess. “You have no hope. You are nothing before me, haven't you learned?”

Luna followed her as she circled around her.

“I am everything you could have been, and more,” Trixie continuer. “But you were always too weak, too afraid to take the power for yourself. Well, I was not afraid. Nightmare Moon's power is mine, more than you ever knew or dared to grasp.”

“Nightmare Moon was defeated once!” Rarity countered defiantly, her voice hard despite the weight of many ages. “We'll defeat you as well!”

Rarity expected a laugh. Nightmare Moon had laughed a lot at them, but Trixie's eye just narrowed, and no hint of laughter escaped her lips. “You will, will you? You do not possess the Elements of Harmony, in fact I made quite sure to destroy them. They are dust, just ask your precious Celestia.”

“You also seem to be one pony short. Unless, let me guess, the dragon is the new somepony right?” Her mane lifted the scowling dragon by the chin then let him go as she circled Rarity. “Yes, I heard that story. You haven't learned, have you? But I have.”

“You see, I knew Celestia was hiding something from me and plotting behind my back with her commander. And here you are even though last I checked you should be trapped in the land of the dead. But of course, I of all ponies should know there are ways out of there. So I took a bit of insurance this time.”

Luna stepped in her way as Trixie turned to Celestia. “You won't hurt my sister again!”

“Oh Luna, I would never dream of it.” Trixie smiled. “But would you?”

Luna found herself taking a step back, her legs moving of their own accord.

Trixie walked past her and stopped in front of Celestia's kneeling form. She gently lifted the princess' head a little, showing a small scar just above the heart. A shimmering of prismatic sunlight flowed through Trixie's mane as she lifted a hoof to indicate her own scarred face.

Trixie smiled at Luna's look of horrified realization. “Think very carefully of what you would lose if I was gone. Your Trixie, your beloved sister, everything you've ever loved. Surrender yourself to me, and I will spare you the loss. I will be your Trixie if you like it.”

She reached out an inviting hoof at Luna. “Surrender, Luna. You have no hope of defeating me anyway. I am not the Nightmare Moon you once were.”

18. Nightmare's Turn

The water rippled as Twilight watched the last flicker of her friends fade away. The watery mirror once again reflected only the garden surrounding her. She looked at the small pieces of glass glimmering around her neck like a band of jewels, then turned around at the garden where colors bloomed and darkness receded. She was alone again.

Alone, except for herself …

Trixie's young eyes peered out of the water at her. Twilight reached out a hoof to the water, and their hooves met at the shimmering boundary. Twilight smiled. “I found you at last.”

“I missed you so much,” Trixie said. “I thought I had seen you for the last time.”

Nothing more needed saying, their eyes revealing more than words could. The darkness had led them astray, brought them apart and caused rifts between them, but they had found together in the face of it all. All of them. Fluttershy and Pinkie, Rarity, Manna, Luna.

Twilight idly reached for the glittering necklace of glass now resting around her neck. Five pieces … was one still missing? But what was she meant to do? What could she do except wait here for them to return? And what if they never did?

She turned to look upwards at the dark, starless sky above. A sound somewhere made her turn her head. Her eyes drifted along the blooming gardens, the trees and bushes surrounding the little lake, to a darkness beyond where color had yet to reach.

“There are things out there … sometimes they make noises in the dark.” She had told Trixie that once. Sometimes she had gone to find them, but then she got lost until she found her way back here, where she started. Perhaps she had been afraid to go too far, to the places where it was truly dark.

“Maybe you need to go into the dark places where they hide,” Trixie completed her thought, looking up from the water. “You told me that once too. Seems like so long ago now.”

“What if I lose sight of myself?” Twilight asked with a sense of déjà-vu.

“You have me now,” Trixie said. “And your friends are with you too, even when they are far away. You won't be alone.”

Twilight reached up a hoof to touch the glass necklace. She stood up and turned towards the path leading out of the glade, the path that led into the darkness beyond. Somewhere out there lay her destiny, waiting for her to find it.

* * *

Philomena dove beneath the dark cloud cover, the last stretches of land coming to an end beneath her as the ocean stretched out to touch the horizon. Large floes of ice clashed in the waves along the shore below. Out there she could fly low without fear of being seen. No pony would sail in this weather, but a little wind had never kept her down.

Hunger was a different thing. A long journey lay ahead, and she had been on the wing long enough that the desire for food was setting in. She descended and scanned the lands and seas below. It was a sparsely populated area, so she could take that risk.

Her keen eyes caught something glittering in the water, a brief twisting of a silver body as it broke the surface. She turned in a steep dive before pulling up and gliding just above the water, claws closing around something in the freezing waves. She beat her wings and rose up with the large fish struggling in her grip. She settled down on a large rock with the silvery morsel. It would only take a moment, then she would be on her wings again. She couldn't spare much time, as she knew Celestia depended on her.

She was deep in the guts of the fish when a glittering caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. A different kind of glittering, not like a fish jumping out of the water. It didn't come from the sea but from the rocks and ice. She lifted her head and stared with intense, unblinking eyes at the light. There was a hint of something against the snow and ice, a brilliant blue and red, and a scent … a scent of blood. Philomena let go of the fish slowly, looking about uncertainly.

There was a pony down there on the cold rocks. A pony in need. She thought it looked familiar. But Celestia … Yes, something told her that Celestia would help this pony. And maybe it wasn't alone. She spread her wings and set off, leaving the remains of the fish behind on the lonely rock.

* * *

It was not long before she couldn't see the light of the glade in the distance behind her. The darkness was complete and seemed to close in around her, and yet it grew darker still with each step, in defiance of all reason. Where her vision left off her other senses took over.

The air felt cold and clinging, like a thick sheet sticking to her skin and crawling down her throat, leaving a moldy scent in its wake. Here and there something wrapped around her hooves as she felt her way ahead of her, and the blackness seemed alive with the scuttling of many-legged things, crawling through the depths on purposes all of their own. Twilight wished they wouldn't come near.

The unseen tunnels she thought she was following wound their way downwards into further depths of blackness and bleak lifeless terror. Something crushed under her hooves, an icky mess with a foul stench. She stopped, fighting against her instinct, struggling to not run screaming back. Her heart was climbing its way out her throat as she lifted her hoof and stepped forward again, scraping the icky stuff off on the ground and wondering if she dared create a light. Perhaps darkness was to be preferred to the light of truth.

A low sound crawled through the darkness like a drawn-out, despairing wail. The hairs along her spine stood on end as she stopped and listened. Something was down here with her. She wanted to run away, but something within her comforted her, assured her that she was not alone. And she would see it through. This time she would not turn or get lost, she would stick to her path wherever it led her. The wail came again, sending chills down her neck.

With slow breaths, trying to control her fear, she summoned a faint light. The rays pushed back against the choking darkness, illuminating the tunnel around her in dull tones of gray despite her greatest effort. Slick webs lined walls of moldy earth riddled with tiny tunnels, teeming with creeping life.

Twilight sank and edged her way down the tunnel, making herself small to not touch the walls and the clinging webs. A deathly cold breeze ran through the tunnel, carrying a deep moan upon its wings. It took on a distinctive voice, like a drowning cry.

“Help me,” it whispered.

Twilight hesitated before calling out with trembling voice. “Who are you?”

The voice went silent as if listening, then came back, weaker than before. “Anypony there? Please … please, you must help me!”

The tunnel widened as Twilight snuck closer to the source of the voice. She looked down as she passed a slick, glittering black orb stuck to the wall by webbing. Another followed, and a dozen, large clusters of black orbs. Twilight shivered as she looked up at a cave lined in what looked like eggs … eggs of some monstrous abomination from the deepest recesses of her nightmares. Her throat felt like sandpaper as she moved through the mess of webs and black orbs. “Where are you?” she called again in her most confident voice.

There was a long silence. Twilight's hooves dragged through the shadows, trying not to step on anything as she made her way further into the cave. There was a low noise of something moving in the dark, and the voice returned. “Above you,” it came down at her from somewhere above her head.

Twilight looked up, her light moving across the ceiling with its webs hanging low. A thick bundle of webs hung beneath the ceiling, clinging to the rock. A starry cobalt-blue tail dangled down from it, and a pair of cyan eyes peered out from within the webbing.

“Please help me,” Luna begged.

Twilight took a step back and looked over her shoulder nervously. “You can't be … I know I just … you were just …” Her mind scrambled for meaning.

Luna's eyes pleaded for her to stay. They looked genuinely terrified. “Please, Twilight … the spiders, when they hatch … they will all eat me alive. I don't know who you met or what trickery they told you, but you have to help me! I don't want to be here when the spiders hatch.”

Twilight took a step back towards Luna, glancing down at the eggs. As she did, the light from her horn reflected in one of the shards of mirror around her neck, the one Manna had given her. Twilight's eyes settled on the truth reflected by the piece. “I see what you really are,” she said as she looked up at the bundle carefully. “Nightmare Moon!”

The cyan irises narrowed in fright. Genuine fright. Could it really be true, or did she imagine it? Was it just a clever ruse, an act to gain her trust? “I beg you, Twilight, t-the mirror lies to you. I am Luna.”

Twilight considered. “Then you know what you said to me when I was alone and wanted to be your friend.” Twilight hazarded a guess that Nightmare Moon had been occupied with Trixie at the time. This one didn't seem to remember the incident, the way she begged.

“I …” There was hesitation, the eyes looked more and more catlike to Twilight as the realization that it wasn't going to work began to show through the mask. “I don't remember. It's still hazy. But … I am your friend, you must believe me. That's what friends do.”

“I am not your friend. And you don't even know what it means to be a friend,” Twilight countered coldly, expecting things to take a turn for the worse.

“I …” There was a hint of restrained anger in the voice, and of regret. “I should have know that wouldn't fool you, but don't blame me for trying. I had hoped this form would make you more … amenable. I …” The eyes looked down at her, begging her. “I don't suppose I can convince you to help me anyway? Please, Twilight, will you give me a chance?”

“Give you a chance?” Twilight scowled up at the form of Luna, but not Luna. “What, a chance to bring eternal night again? Besides, if you're Nightmare Moon, why would you need my help?”

The eyes closed. “She took everything, stole it all from me and left me in this form, left me to … to those.” Twilight guessed she meant the eggs. “Believe me, I have never begged before, but if I must do so now then that is what I shall do. I need your help, if you will but trust me just this once. I can help you against her. She's using the power she took from me against your friends you know. But you must trust me.”

Twilight hesitated. “If I do, you will leave Equestria forever and never come back. And you will never harm another pony. Those are my terms. Swear on it.”

Nightmare Moon frowned. “Harsh terms, but I'll take it. I, Nightmare Moon, swear that I shall leave once I have had my revenge on Midnight, and never return to Equestria, and never harm another pony, in return for your help and your trust now. There, so what of it? Will you trust me?”

“What do you want me to do? I am not sure how to get you down. I was never very good with ropes,” Twilight admitted a little sheepishly. It was true. It had always mystified her how ropes of all kinds continually defied her, but it was a fact.

Nightmare Moon scoffed. “What, the great and powerful Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's pet student, can't handle a bit of webs? Well, then bite me!”

“You're not helping your case,” Twilight scowled at her. “You're the one asking for favors here.”

“I meant you could bite the web, you foal!” It was clear that Nightmare Moon's capacity for diplomacy was wearing thin, but she made a valiant effort.

“I'm not sure I can get up there,” Twilight countered.

The eyes rolled around once. “Forget it. Just listen, I need you to lend me your magic.”

Twilight backed away. “What?”

“I told you to trust me,” Nightmare Moon said. “You will have it back, I promise, but I can't very well do anything to help either of us without any magic now can I? You will not regret it, I said I would help you.”

“I …” Twilight's body shook nervously as she hesitated. “I think I will regret it, for the rest of my days! But …” The necklace of mirrors around her neck glittered like little stars, and with a sigh she closed her eyes in concentration. Her horn flared in the dark, casting back the darkness for a brief while. “I-I will try …”

Somewhere in the mess of webs Nightmare Moon smiled.

* * *

Luna stared at Trixie's outstretched hoof. Around her the gathering of Canterlot ponies were standing with bated breaths, as if in a trance, awaiting what would happen. Celestia lay behind Trixie with a blank stare in her eyes. Luna sank a little at the sight. Behind Luna her friends were looking on in uncertainty. She could hear Scootaloo sobbing quietly in Fluttershy's hooves and begging her, “please don't.” Trixie just smiled at them all.

Luna looked back at them, at the young pegasus. Somepony had hurt her too, Luna didn't need to guess who. She looked back at Trixie. “You don't know me if you think you can tempt me. I will never surrender to you, or let you harm another pony.”

“I'm sorry to hear that,” Trixie said. “Because it wasn't really a choice, but I do like to ask.”

Luna struggled against a sudden impulse to kneel down. Trixie stepped past her, her flowing white mane brushing against Luna’s side. Luna's legs buckled beneath her as, slowly, she broke and lay down.

“I share your sister's blood. If this body dies, she dies with it. You will lose them both. It is a powerful bond, the bond of blood, and you gave me yours once. Perhaps I should return the favor.” Luna could hear her friends kneel down like herself behind her as Trixie wandered among them. “Perhaps I should give all of you the gift of a shared fate, my fate. I die, you all die.”

The hooves stopped. Luna's ears were perked in the hope of figuring out where Trixie was and what she was doing as she struggled hopelessly against the bond, her every muscle betraying her.

“Should I start with you?” Trixie asked, and Luna heard Rarity giving a low gasp. “You look like you don't have long again. I could offer you your youth back. Just one drop of blood … how does that sound to you?”

Luna could almost hear Trixie smirk in smug satisfaction. She was playing with them now. She had them wrapped around her hooves, and there was nothing they could do. “Leave …” Luna closed her eyes, her soul hurting to break the hold on her. “Leave … my friends … alone!”

It was hopeless.

There was a brief silence, then Trixie's head appeared within Luna's sight. Her one eye was gleaming like gold. Luna stared into the molten void. “Oh?” Trixie smiled. “How about this one then?” A silently crying Fluttershy levitated over Luna's head, dangling by her wings like a puppet. “I could give her the leg back. As good as new.”

The golden light in Trixie's eyes flared as they narrowed and took on a look of mild distraction. Trixie turned her head towards the sky behind Luna. The light grew like a tiny lick of flame catching a pile of old, dry tinder. For a moment Luna thought the sun was rising behind her, but it couldn't be. Celestia hadn't moved.

Trixie took a calculated step back as a roaring of wings soared past her. Luna glanced up at the flames blazed against the night sky as they turned and came back. A rainbow trail flowed behind a tortured pony dangling in strong claws beneath the flames.

“Take your bloody hooves off my friends!” Rainbow Dash cried as the claws released her midair, sending her flying on one wing on collision course with Trixie.

“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo's feeble voice cried out somewhere behind Luna, equal measures of joy and terror in the young pony's words.

Trixie spread her wings and made an elegant evasion as Rainbow Dash flew past her with Philomena passing above in a torrent of flames. Rainbow Dash stumbled across the platform but managed to stay on her trembling hooves as she spun around.

Trixie laughed as she faced Rainbow Dash. “Well well well, the old Rainbow Dash returns. And you found my missing bird. I have been looking all over for you two. Come crawling back have you? Come back to beg for mercy, or just to die?”

Luna's eyes followed as Philomena turned and descended again, passing low over the panicked ponies watching below. The great bird's course was set directly for Luna. She passed over Luna's head in a majestic swoop and made a sudden turn for Trixie who spun out of the way a split second before impact.

Trixie didn't see what Luna saw. As the bird passed above Luna’s head something dropped with a heavy sound in front of her. Luna stared down at a small frame of wood, the glass cracked in several places, but the flames of the phoenix behind her and the stars above her still reflected in its dirty surface. Trixie's old hoof-held mirror, that she had bought in Hoofswell and which had caused a rift between them. Now Luna stared into its depths.

“Little Luna …” And something stared right back. “I have missed you.”

* * *

Nightmare Moon looked from her one outstretched wing to the other, to her hooves and her mane, the glittering necklace of shattered mirror around her neck. “I am free.” Her eyes brightened, and she threw her head back in a deep laughter. “I am free!”

It was not an evil laughter as much as one of simple, profuse joy at being able to do so. Still, it got Twilight to take several steps back and consider how great a mistake she had just made, if it was too late to regret and beg to have it back.

Nightmare Moon turned to her suddenly. “Which way did you come from?” There was an urgency in the question.

Twilight pointed a hoof silently at the tunnel behind her and stumbled as Nightmare Moon swept her up and soared towards the exit. The cave narrowed into a tunnel until it became too narrow to fly. As her wings began to scrape against the walls Nightmare Moon landed and strode briskly on, a grim purpose in her step.

Twilight tried to keep up behind her. She might as well have been blind in this darkness, but Nightmare Moon seemed undeterred. After a while the sound of her hoof steps became less certain. “Are you sure this is the way you came from?”

Twilight looked around. All she could see were a few dots of light in Nightmare Moon’s mane and tail, and their light was soon drowned in the ocean of blackness. “I think so. Why?”

“Because we're definitely going down, not up. In fact …” Twilight nearly bumped into her as she turned and walked back. Twilight turned and followed, wondering if she should ask for some light. After a while Nightmare Moon spoke again. “In fact, it seems we're still going down. This tunnel goes down,” she said with a curious suggestion of amusement, “whichever way you look at it.”

“But … how is that possible?” Twilight wondered aloud.

“The experiences of your spirit are not too different from a dream. Things don't have to make a lick of sense,” Nightmare Moon explained conversationally. “Sometimes you control them, sometimes they control you. Right now we're going down, best to just enjoy the ride because there's usually a reason.”

Twilight turned that over in her mind as she walked. “I … don't suppose you could give a little light?”

There was a brief silence, then a flash of pale light. Twilight blinked at the sudden brightness, even though it wasn't really very bright in this darkness. “Right, I forgot about your worthless little pony eyes. Better?”
Twilight nodded as her eyes got used to the new illumination.

“Good.” Nightmare Moon turned back, then stopped. Before them the tunnel opened into another cave like an ancient hall full of shattered mirrors. The light from Nightmare Moon's horn glittered like a rainbow in the pieces scattered across the floor.

Twilight stared in wonder as she followed Nightmare Moon into the room. There was a change in the black mare's steps as she walked across the ruins of the mirrors. A thoughtful hesitation and uncertainty. An inner light shone from the shards of glass around her neck, growing in intensity and spreading out to the rest of the pieces.

Nightmare Moon turned around with a questioning look as all the pieces began to shiver and rise off of the ground, dancing in the air like a rainbow-veil of glass.

A vision formed in the glass. Of mountains passing by under a darkened sky, a beating of flame-wreathed wings, and the silhouette of Canterlot rising on the horizon. “Ah …” Nightmare Moon breathed deeply as the castle courtyard rose up towards them. “At last!”

* * *

Nightmare Moon's eyes sparkled in the mirror in front of Luna, a halo of light surrounding her as she broke out laughing.

Trixie slammed Rainbow Dash down against the ground and rose above her torn and broken form. “Say your farewells, Rainbow Dash. This is the end for you!”

Rainbow Dash coughed and opened her mouth, her face set in anger. Yet, for a moment, it seemed instead as if she was laughing. A deep, exuberant laugh.

Trixie blinked and looked up as a great light filled the castle courtyard. “What in blazes now?” she hissed as she turned around.

In the radiant light pouring out of a small hoof-held mirror it seemed as if six brilliant stars had left the celestial dome and descended to earth, dancing around Luna and her four friends. The princess of the night rose back on her hooves, her laughter cast back in waves by the castle walls and mountains. She turned to Trixie. She looked taller and darker as she stood up, tears of laughter sparkling in the corners of her eyes, darker perhaps in contrast to the pure white light bathing her form. A star settled around her neck, another on her head, like a glittering crown and necklace.

A star settled around the other four friends as they too rose, necklaces of light illuminating their forms and breaking the invisible threads holding them. They looked at each other and at Luna in stunned silence.

“Oh heavens!” Luna took a deep breath, steadying herself as catlike eyes settled on Trixie's looming shade. “You won't believe what this feels like!”

“Oh?” Trixie said, stepping off Rainbow Dash's beaten and bloody shape. “And what is this, then?”

“You said it yourself,” Luna said, as the others gathered behind her. “This is the end.”

Trixie smiled. “So soon now? You think it will be easy?” she said and slipped towards Celestia's kneeling form. The guard holding the other end of the leash had long since run off, but the princess remained prostrate on the ground. “And I still have your sister, lest you forget.”

A chuckle from Luna elicited a twitching of Trixie's eye. Luna's catlike eyes regarded Trixie as they came closer, one step at a time. “If you truly thought that Luna wouldn't kill her sister with her own damn hooves to free her from your claws? Then you're wrong, Midnight. Very wrong.” Their eyes were inches apart. “And if you ever thought I would give a flying feather about Celestia, or Trixie … then you're a blundering foal! You can't toy with me, not this time. Go ahead, kill somepony. Kill Celestia for all I care. See if I flinch or lift a hoof to stop you.”

The smile vanished from Trixie's face, her eye darkening in recognition. “You! How … how is that even possible? I left you with nothing! You shouldn't even exist!”

“Isn't it funny that way?” Luna said coldly. “I got a little help …” There was a brief hint of silence as Luna tasted the words forming on her lips. “A little help from friends, as it were,” she said with strange pride. She took a step forward, forcing Trixie back a step in return. “You left me behind, Midnight. Never leave anypony behind, they may come back to haunt you. They may come to take back what is theirs!” Her eyes shone, and her horn flared suddenly.

Trixie reacted in the blink of an eye, vanishing in a flash of lightning, the rolling of thunder shaking the walls and stone columns of the courtyard. As if a spell was broken a sudden panic broke out among the ponies gathered there, and as one they turned to run, stumbling and trampling over and around each other to get out.

Philomena dragged an unconscious Rainbow Dash off to the cover of the gardens while Spike led Scootaloo away in close pursuit.

Trixie hovered over the masses, dark thunder clouds gathering in the sky above her. Her voice seethed. “I will not be defeated! I reign here!”

Luna turned as another flash of lightning struck at her friends. It shattered in a rain of sparks as it met a wall of light expanding out like a wave. Luna spread her wings and set off, her form dissolving into an incandescent cloud of stars. It swept around her friends and lifted them up like flames ascending to the sky. Above them Trixie rose like a great shadow, a nightmarish wraith poised to swallow the castle.

Terror and panic broke out in full fervor below as light and darkness collided in a brief but violent clash. A ghostly aurora of flames rolled across the sky to the tune of a long, soul freezing shriek. Everywhere terrified ponies threw themselves on the ground with their hooves over their heads, or trampled feverishly through the gates as if struck by insanity. The shriek turned to a cry, a shrill note of despair as the light faded and flames died. Then the cry fell to silence as the sky broke, heavy tears of rain falling upon the bloodied, trampled field of ponies.

A shadow crept across the courtyard towards a small, broken shape by the platform. Trixie looked up as the darkness took shape in front of her, and a black hoof pressed her face down against the stone.

Nightmare Moon lowered her head to the level of Trixie's, looking her in the eye. “You should have stuck with what you knew, Midnight. Ruling with an iron hoof never was your business. I hope you had fun while it lasted, because this is the first and last time you ever steal from me!”

Her horn shone with a dark and ancient light as she rose back up.

“You …” Trixie coughed. “You may not care … but what will your friends say if … Celestia dies?”

Nightmare Moon tilted her head in silence as dim lights surrounded them, expanding into four luminescent shapes. Nightmare Moon looked back at them, then towards the place where Celestia lay, drops of rain trickling down the princess’ ashen face. Celestia’s eyes were closed, the look of eternal sleep upon her face.

“If that is what you call life, then I imagine death would serve her better,” Nightmare Moon said and looked back down at Trixie, an unreadable look in her eyes. “But you think I plan to kill you? Not quite. A promise was made between two ponies close to me, and I feel it only proper that I should be the one to fulfill that promise now and return things to their proper places.”

Something small drifted through the rain and landed next to Trixie. Nightmare Moon lifted her hoof from Trixie's face and took a step back. “Look in the mirror.”

Trixie looked at the small wooden frame, then around at the five ponies looming above her.

“I said, look in the mirror,” Nightmare Moon's voice commanded.

Five pairs of eyes watched Trixie as she dragged herself up to the mirror. “You will pay for this,” she hissed, her eye meeting theirs with a promise of torment before her head forced itself over the small mirror. Trixie tried to close her eye, but her body no longer responded to her will.

A pair of violet eyes met her in the glass, a crown of light on their shared head. Trixie's face twisted in a silent scream of despair, and her body writhed in agony as the light flooded her soul. There was a flash, and the mirror shattered in a cloud of sparkling dust.

Trixie collapsed as a deep silence fell upon the palace.

For a time they stood in silence as the rain fell around them. Slowly, as if walking out of a trance, Nightmare Moon took a step forwards. She looked at Trixie, then knelt down next to her and the shattered mirror. “You told me to leave … so here I shall leave you.” Her face and posture tried to hide the emotion betrayed by her voice. She wanted to say more, but finally she just looked down as a light engulfed her. “Thank you.”

As the light faded away Luna looked up at the stars, tears washed away by the cold rain.

* * *

The soft golden rays of dawn reflected in the snow-covered mountains and forests, washing away the darkness and the night. Luna looked out over the lands from her balcony as she let go of the magic, setting the sun on its normal course.

A new day beckoned, but no rest was on the horizon. Below her the lands lay ravaged by the cold, and all the sick and the dead, the starving and the lost awaited. Light had returned, and eventually warmth and life would follow, but the scars might never fully heal.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the cool morning air before turning slowly to face the day.

* * *

The sun broke through the window of the royal hospital, casting its warm light upon Rainbow Dash in the lone bed of the small room. Scootaloo blinked the sleep from her eyes and looked up blearily as Luna stepped inside. The princess seemed taller, looking more like her sister in the way she walked than Scootaloo could remember. Scootaloo thought she looked older too, and tired. “Have … have you heard any more? Are there any news?” she asked nervously.

The princess looked down at Rainbow Dash silently without answering. Scootaloo looked at the princess, but her eyes were silent too. “How are you feeling?” Luna broke the silence after a while. It was not the first time the princess had asked, and not the first time Scootaloo didn't answer. Luna looked at her. “You know you can tell me anything, any time, if you ever need it. We all need to talk about things that happened to us, and to our friends, sometimes.”

Scootaloo nodded, just to end the conversation. She didn't want to talk, not about herself. Not with Luna. “H-how is Celestia? Do you think I can see her soon?”

A hint of sorrow crossed Luna's face. “As soon as she wakes up and feels a little better, I promise.” Rainbow Dash stirred a little. Luna smiled at Scootaloo. “Perhaps you should go ask the nurse for something to eat while I talk to Rainbow Dash. Alright?” Scootaloo got up and trotted off. Luna watched the door close behind the filly.

“Bad news, huh?” Rainbow Dash's voice was hoarse. She had been treated well at the royal hospital, but full recovery would take time.

Luna levitated a glass of fresh water from a nearby table and set it down by her side. “Your family made it out of Cloudsdale, and we're doing our best to find them all. Reports are good.”

Rainbow Dash looked towards the door where Scootaloo had left. “And …?” She fell silent as she looked at the princess, the answer clear in her eyes. Rainbow Dash's heart sank, and her voice broke. “It's just not fair!” She threw one of her pillows at the wall in frustration.

Luna looked down with sadness. “I thought it best she heard it from you. I know you will look after her, and we'll always be here for her, for both of you. I … fear for her. We hope Midnight is gone this time, and Trixie appears to be back in her own body. Both she and Celestia are recovering, thank the heavens. But we don't yet know what Midnight did to them, or Scootaloo. She won't talk to me.”

“Do you … do you think Midnight could return?” Rainbow Dash asked nervously. “Do you think she would try to hurt Scootaloo again?”

Luna looked out the window at the sun shining in at them. “I am more worried about the scars she left.” She straightened up. “But I know Scootaloo can trust you, and that I can trust you completely. There was one more thing I wanted to ask of you, an offer, if you will.”

Rainbow Dash watched her as she stood up. “As you know, with Celestia sick as she is, I am officially in charge for now, and I have much on my hooves. Thankfully the royal guard has been quick to mobilize, but unfortunately they currently lack a commanding officer, and I am stretched thin as it is.”

She paused to assume a formal tone. “As commander-in-chief, I would like to offer you the title of Commander of the Royal Equestrian Army after the late Commander Blue Jet. Understand that this is an offer, and that you may freely decline.”

Rainbow Dash took herself in staring. “Oh my gosh!” She quickly tried to regain her composure.

“I understand if you need some time to think it over. And I also understand if you choose to decline my offer.” Luna smiled. “I could put in a good word for you with the Wonderbolts, instead. I do say I think they should be falling over their own hooves to recruit somepony like you.”

“No, no,” Rainbow Dash finally managed. “I-I would be honored to accept, and to serve Equestria with my life if need be. I have always been loyal to Equestria!”

Luna brightened, “And I am honored to have you. We shall have a proper ceremony once you are fully recovered, and may your service be long and marked by glory.”

Rainbow Dash bowed her head.

* * *

Manna looked up as she heard the hooves come to a halt behind her, the gentle sound of elegant metal shoes against the marble floor unmistakable as those of Luna and not of her less refined guard. Manna tensed a little. She knew the time was coming, that one day she would have to be judged for all that she had done.

But one day it would be over.

“I have talked with the others,” Luna said softly as she sat down next to her. Manna turned her head in her direction, to where she thought Luna's face was. In reality she was staring at a column. She thought Luna sounded like she was smiling softly.

“And,” the princess continued, “we all agree that whatever you did was under the influence of Midnight and not your own doing. After getting to know you we do not believe you did any of it of your own free will. We also decided that no pony needs to know what you did, as your friends and only witnesses we will simply … leave that part out if you wish.”

Manna looked back down. “You are far too kind, but I don't deserve such mercy from you. I have never tried to hide what I did. I did it. I am not proud of it, but I can not lie about what happened. I killed all those ponies and almost had you and your friends killed too. I could have ruined all our hope of stopping Midnight before it even began. I do not deserve mercy of any kind. I deserve death for what I did, and I shall welcome it.”

They sat in silence for a while, Luna looking up at the figures in the stained glass windows. There was Twilight and her friends, twice saviors of Equestria, battling Nightmare Moon and Discord. Luna knew she would have to make a new set one day, to commemorate the events of the past few weeks.

She looked back down. “I was in the archive. I know what happened to you. I know what Midnight did to you when you were young. I … know about your daughter. Twilight's great-grandmother.”

Manna was crying. Luna rubbed her back gently. “She lived a good life in a good family. There is no sign she was haunted by Midnight. What I wanted to say is … on behalf of myself and Equestria, I am sorry. We punished you unfairly back then. We took your child and locked you up for a lifetime for crimes that weren't yours. I can not punish you any more, Manna. I feel it is my duty instead to make it up to you. I would rather give you the life we took back than end it.”

“I …” Manna said slowly. “I want an end, Luna. I want peace at last. If you won't do it for my crimes, please do it as my friend. Let it end.” She could imagine Luna looking at her, and Manna turned pleadingly at where she imagined the princess to be. “I don't know all of what Midnight did, but I haven't lived since I was Twilight's age. I haven't slept for one straight hour. I haven't seen my own face, always it was her. And I haven't aged in sixty years … not on the outside. You may not see it, but I feel so very, very old on the inside.”

Luna placed a hoof around her shoulders. “You have friends now, Manna. You have freedom and a life out from under Midnight's influence. You could experience all that you never had before, all that Midnight took from you.”

“I just can't go on, Luna. I can not face another year. I have lived past my time. It may be a drop of time to you, princess, but to any other pony it is far too much to bear. I swore all those years ago to rid my family of Midnight's shadow and my own folly. I have done all that is in my power. I have kept my promise as best as I ever could. It is time I moved on. I am ready to move on.”

Luna was silent for a long time. Manna reached out a hoof and continued, “If I can have one wish it shall be death. An end at last, Luna. I can face that knowing that for a short time at the end I had friends, true friends.”

Luna reached out to take her hoof, squeezing it softly. “If this is truly what you wish …” She looked at Manna for confirmation. “Please spend your last time with your friends, talk with them about it, and if we can not change your mind, if it is truly what you want, then when you are ready, once things are back in order here, I will instruct the royal physician on what to do.”

Manna smiled and reached out to hug Luna, tears trickling from the holes where her eyes once were. Luna hugged her back tearfully. No more words were spoken.

* * *

The sound of sawing and hammering could be heard over the pouring rain as Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo made their way up the path towards the farm. “Sounds like they're busy,” Rainbow Dash said, trying to lighten the mood with a bit of conversation.

Scootaloo trudged along beside her but said nothing. Rainbow Dash watched her for a time before turning back to the farm up ahead. Ponies were milling around in the rain, carrying planks and tools for the restoration. It was a lot of work from the looks of it, but the Apple family had always been hard workers and not ones to give up so easily.

One of the ponies overseeing the work looked up as they walked through the gate. Applejack's hay-colored mane hung wet around her face, but a little brightness returned to her eyes as she saw them. “Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo! Y'all don't know how glad I am to see you back here.” Applejack wrapped a pair of muddy hooves around Rainbow Dash's neck in a tight hug. “I hear y'all are moving back in around here. I feared it would be Canterlot for you, what with your promotion and all.”

Rainbow Dash returned the hug. “Ponyville is our home, always was and always will be. It's where all our friends are. Besides, I can make it to Canterlot like that!” she said with a snap of her tail and a little of her old pride. “It won't be a problem.”

Applejack nodded and let go of her. “It's good to see y'all again,” she said before she was interrupted by running hooves.

“Scootaloo!”

Scootaloo looked up as Apple Bloom came running from across the field, drained and muddy with bits of paint all over her coat. The young earth pony came to a halt and tackled Scootaloo in a big hug. “You're back!”

Scootaloo stood a little uncertainly for a moment before returning the hug. “Hey, Apple Bloom.” She paused and released herself from the grip. “Whoa!” she said as she trotted half a turn around her friend to inspect her flank. “You got you cutie mark!”

Apple Bloom beamed as she showed off the mark of a wooden apple painted red, with a pencil and a small white flower. “Oh yeah! I discovered it while helping out on the farm. You wanna see my work?” she asked proudly.

Scootaloo looked at Rainbow Dash who grinned as if to say “go on, pipsqueak”, then nodded enthusiastically and set off after Apple Bloom.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash watched them run off, and Applejack gave an approving nod. “It's good to have both of them here again. Apple Bloom was getting moody, even with the cutie mark.” She turned and trotted slowly away from the working ponies and the noise.

Rainbow Dash followed. “How are things around here?”

“Pinkie and Fluttershy moved in together. Would you believe they got married? I never would’ve thought.” She gave an uprooted apple tree a sad glance as they made their way through the once blooming orchards. “Things are slowly getting back to normal. As normal as they can get. We're working hard, but some scars will never leave, will they?” She stopped in front of a small sapling tree. A plain but solid stone had been raised next to it.

Rainbow Dash nudged Applejack softly and rubbed against her a little. “I'm so sorry.”

Applejack gave a low sigh, steadily holding herself from crying. “We've all lost somepony special and dear to us, and he won't be the last we have to mourn. He gave his life for us, to protect his family. We remember him and move on, and we will grow strong again, as he would have wanted. My poor brother.”

They stood in silence as the rain fell in heavy drops. Finally Applejack looked up at the setting sun and brushed away her soaked mane. “Looks like it's time … I got you a dress back at the farm, your old one from the gala. I think she would appreciate that.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, and together they turned back towards the farm.

* * *

Rarity opened the door and smiled out at them. “Oh darlings, you're here. Do come in before you ruin your fabulous dresses,” she said, her voice tired but her face shining despite the new weight of age. The Carousel Boutique had been under the capable hooves of Pinkie Pie who had clearly poured her heart and soul into it.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack hurried inside and gave Rarity a hug.

Pinkie and Spike, as well as Manna were there. The dragon looked many years older from his stature and expression alone, a grown dragon in a young dragon's body. Pinkie was bravely trying to keep him from crying, but in truth looked only marginally more cheerful than he.

Rarity smiled. “We're still waiting for Fluttershy, she should be here any moment,” she said, and as if on cue there came a shy knock on the door. “Ah, but there she is. Excuse me a moment,” she said and turned to welcome the last guest.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash shook off a little of the rain and went to greet the other three.

Rarity opened the door and let out a gasp. Behind Fluttershy stood Luna, smiling warmly at her, a gentle hoof around Trixie to steady her. Rarity bowed slowly. “Luna … and Trixie! I didn't think you would make it! What with Trixie sick, and all your tireless work.”

Luna just smiled as she and Trixie followed Fluttershy inside. “We wouldn't miss it for the world, my friend.”

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie and Fluttershy were dressed in their old gala dresses that Rarity had once generously spent all her time making for them. Manna had been given Twilight's old dress; it fit her as well as it ever did Twilight. They had once looked so happy in them, now it was a bittersweet mood as Rarity clinked a small glass to get their attention.

“You know what I am about to say. But … I wanted to say it, and I wanted it to be under happy circumstances.” She paused and looked around at them, at all her friends both old and new. She had come to appreciate them all more than ever, even Manna, perhaps because the broken unicorn's eyes, even missing as they were, made her look many times older than herself.

Rarity blinked away a tear and took a long breath. “I do not have long to live, my friends. I feel it in my bones. I want you to know that my end is drawing near, and I want to ask you for one last party before I go. Don't cry, not tonight. Tonight I just want to be with you, my best friends, and remember the times we spent together.”

Rarity smiled as she looked at her friends. Outside the sun turned red before giving way to the night.

* * *

Luna kissed Trixie and nudged her cheek before turning to approach the podium between the two open caskets decorated with flowers. She looked out over the small assembly of ponies, mostly friends and families. Behind her stood Trixie and Celestia in mournful silence.

“As my beloved sister has been advised not to speak in her illness it falls upon me to say a few words on this occasion,” she began. “As another year comes to a close and brings with it a new century, we are here to remember those upon whom the sun’s warmth no longer shines. None more so than the two ponies on my sides, without whom we would have many more to mourn.”

“Many died, and many more are still lost and unaccounted for, but many also survived against all odds. Many more, in fact, than even our most optimistic outlook would have us expect.”

She reached out a hoof towards one of the caskets, a white, purple-maned unicorn lying gracefully upon silken pillows. “Rarity gave of her life so that others might live, and because of her tremendous sacrifice many who were dying can now greet the dawn of a new day and a new century with their families and friends. Her generosity and selflessness is an inspiration to us all when we remember that whatever happens, there are always ponies who are willing to help us and stand up for us.”

“Some have lost much. Some have lost everything they knew. If you find yourself lonely, know that there are always friends waiting for you out there. You may never have heard of Manna—” She reached out for the purple unicorn resting in the other casket. “She lived her life in solitude and pain, but even she found friends in the end, showing us that hope springs eternal. Without her friendship and honest heart the sun may never have risen upon our fair lands again.”

“Let us never forget the tribulations and sacrifices of those who are no more. As we say goodbye one final time, let us remember them and thank them, our friends and our families.” Luna's horn glowed softly as she closed the lids on the two caskets. “Thank you. Thank you from the bottoms of our hearts. May your memories live on forever.”

Bonus. Nothing Shall Be Given You

Nightmare Moon stopped and turned her head to glance at the obsidian surface of the pond. It reflected nothing but the endless darkness and the cold, crushing emptiness filling the void between stars, a loneliness and despair made manifest. She knew it did, she knew it always had, and she knew it forever would.

Her eyes knew different. Her eyes knew a pony looking back at her.

“I don’t know you.” Her lips formed the words, slow as if from a moment of uncertainty, and the pony in the water mimed them back at her.

A drop hit the surface and caused a ripple across the face of the pony. Nightmare Moon lifted a hoof to her face. The pony in the water looked down at the tears glittering at the edge of her silver shoe, like a star sitting just above the horizon.

Nightmare Moon turned her head away, eyes closed for a moment so they couldn’t know. She turned and looked the other way, at the garden of black leaves and motionless branches. It was a garden of hollow and stillborn life, a shadow of a void in her chest where no heart had ever swelled with life. A tight and tangled knot of resentment was all she ever had.

She picked up a bright red flower from the ashen ground and lifted it high in the air as she watched its ruby leaves wither away to gray and dissolve into dust. For one glorious moment this garden—this shadow of a hollow heart of knotted strings in her chest—had known of colors, of life and joy, of warmth and beauty and a lightness and energy of the soul that swelled and threatened to burst the knot and consume the void.

For one brief moment she had held—no, for one brief moment something so pure and precious had held her, lifted her up and touched the void where no heart had ever been and left a heart there with an impossible longing. And then she had let it go as promised and given back what was not hers, because … because something so beautiful could never be hers … and because in that moment it was impossible to imagine taking it for herself.

Nightmare Moon let the dust of the flower fall gently over her outstretched hoof, like the dust of time that whittled away the world to nothingness. “Nothing is mine,” she whispered and closed her eyes tight. “For nothing is all I shall ever know.”

But her heart knew different.

Nightmare Moon turned and walked through the darkness of the garden, away from the pond, away from her reflection in the cold, dark water. Behind her, a tiny flower bloomed for a moment in the ashes and withered away again.

* * *

Branches and cobwebs tangled like endless claws playing twisted games of cat’s cradle, twisting in and out among each other. Silken ropes hung from the trees, holding up the bodies of young fillies, like unmoving puppets dangling on strings in the still air. Their blood, black as tar, soaked their fur and fed the ground. Their skin stripped and peeled from their flesh, entrails dangling beneath them in grotesque imitations of some sick and twisted art.

Here and there, some of them still sobbed and cried for a release that never came.

Nightmare Moon followed the trail of tortured bodies, her steps slow and her head low as the tangled forest grew denser and darker, black upon deeper black, not a single shade of gray or hint of light. She turned her head now and then to watch the tragic souls strung up beside her.

Once these poor souls had known the warmth and color of life. Once they had known love and the bonds of friendship. Once their hearts had swelled with joy and laughter, with kindness and all the other things that the innocent heart of a child could feel. Nightmare Moon didn’t feel anything. She never had and never would.

Her heart felt otherwise. It felt a tightness which could only find release as a sob.

Nightmare Moon turned away and closed her eyes tight, face distorted in anger and resentment at herself and the tears in her eyes. She could not feel these things, it was impossible, but her heart kept telling her different. She couldn’t have a heart, so how did it hurt so much? She picked up her pace, head held low to the ground to avoid looking at them.

Branches clawed and grasped at her as she forced her way through the thickets and webs of this bleak and lifeless desolation. Behind her, a young voice cried out in hope for a second before wooden claws tightened around her neck and strangled the sound from her lungs.

* * *

The cave entrance yawned before her like the maw of some unspeakable horror from beyond imagination, its black throat descending endlessly into the deepest recesses of the abyss. Nightmare Moon did not know fear. She knew of fear, because it was what she invoked in those who, unlike herself, could know its terror.

Her heart shrank back before the black chasm gazing back at her.

Nightmare Moon drew herself up and stared down the deep. She filled her lungs and stepped into the dark as she spoke to command her quivering heart, “I do not fear!”

The forest with its tangled branches and crying souls soon disappeared behind her, leaving nothing but the solid walls of darkness around her and the open darkness ahead of her. Deeper shades of black reached out for her, blacker than black and hungry for light. Nightmare Moon needed no light. This was her element, and she knew what she was here for.

It was in front of her, bloated and oozing black blood from its tattered body, dripping thick and sticky drops from its open wounds. It knew she was there. Pale black limbs dragged its body further into the back of the blackness with a slow scraping noise, pulling itself away from Nightmare Moon. It was a futile but natural reaction.

Nightmare Moon’s heart fought for control, screaming in terror, but she refused to listen. She took another step towards the black monster, her hooves sounding hollow in the echoing cave.

“Have you come to deliver the final blow?” The creature asked, its voice but a whisper in the dark. “Have you come to kill me while I am at my weakest?”

Nightmare Moon said nothing and watched the creature with a face as empty as she herself had ever felt.

“And what would that accomplish? Why are you doing this?” the creature spat out the words in anger. “Is it just for some silly idea of revenge? Because I tricked you? You would have done the same, but I simply did it first.”

“I haven’t come to kill you, Midnight.” Nightmare Moon’s voice was as hollow as her face.

“Ah,” the creature laughed. “Gloat, then. Go ahead, gloat all you like.”

“I haven’t come to gloat,” Nightmare Moon said without her eyes leaving the creature.

“Now I don’t believe you at all.”

“I had to punish you, but I am not unfair,” Nightmare Moon said and moved closer. “I am here to make you an offer you can’t refuse. A gift, in fact.”

“Hah! So you can trick me?” The creature moved a little to the side and settled down heavily. “I don’t need your help. I won’t be stuck here for long.”

A flicker of something stirred within Nightmare Moon, something that shouldn’t stir within her but did. “I know about the blood. You have quite an extended family now, don’t you? Not only your own and Trixie. Celestia, Scootaloo? Possibly even Luna in some twisted way. Am I missing anypony?”

The creature remained silent, watching her with tiny, hateful eyes.

Nightmare Moon watched her in silence for a while. “Oh yes, two of the palace guards, the owner of a candy shop in Canterlot, and a young sculptor from Cloudsdale. You see, I know about all the ponies you’ve got your poison in, and I can watch all of them. I never sleep or tire. I also know where you were buried. I’ll make sure there are no ashes for them to find. I’m going to make sure you rot down here forever.”

“You’d waste all your time to be my jailor? Have you no ambition?”

“Oh, I do,” Nightmare Moon said and smiled. “And as it happens, I need you. That’s why I have a gift for you, and since it’s something you can’t refuse … can I assume we have a deal?”

The creature glared at her for a long time from its corner. “What is this gift?”

“The power that you tried to take from me, but this time on my terms. First term is no more questions. Say yes, like a good little unicorn,” Nightmare Moon gave her an enigmatic smile and winked, “I know you want to.”

There was a heavy silence as they watched each other, unblinking and unflinching. After a minute, Nightmare Moon turned around without a word and began walking back the way she had come. She reached the yawning tunnel, and the walls narrowed in around her.

“Yes. Yes, I’ll take your gift!” the creature broke the silence behind her.

Nightmare Moon turned around and raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”

“Yes, I … accept your gift,” the creature tried again.

Nightmare Moon’s horn burned without color or flame as she stepped back into the cave, approaching the creature. “Then I shall give it to you,” she said as the glow surrounded the creature, seeping into her like hollow strands sucking in the darkness around her.

The creature writhed and shrunk, its legs withering away to nothing but darkness. A young filly with a spider on her flank looked up in its place, eyes wide as she lifted a hoof and stared at Nightmare Moon through it. “W-what is this?”

Nightmare Moon stepped closer, looming over the filly. “Everything I ever had to give. You see,” she lowered her head as the filly stumbled back. “I never had anything. I never had any power to give either, or for you to trick out of me. I never had anything to offer but empty promises, but some ponies are eager to believe, never realizing that I never gave them anything. It was themselves all along.”

Midnight cried as her hooves became little more than a shadow. “No!” Her horn flared a dark indigo for a second before dying. “Take it back! Take it back!”

“You wanted what I had to give, and all I have to give is nothing. It is yours.” Nightmare Moon looked down at herself, a mere shadow of something, perhaps a memory. “You will never hurt my friends again, or any other pony!”

Midnight’s scream died upon the shadows of her lips as the darkness flooded in to fill the empty space where she had been. Silence, deep and complete, filled the darkness.

Nightmare Moon lifted her head and closed her eyes as nothing remained.

* * *

A tiny white flower bloomed in the darkness. Elsewhere, a little red bud peeked out of the shadows and blossomed. Grass covered the ground while bushes and trees grew from nothing and filled the garden with colors, brilliant flowers in every hue and plants of vibrant green. The sky lit up with stars, and a gentle breeze rustled through the leaves.

A young filly stood up and looked around. She turned to her friend beside her. Across the garden many other fillies joined them as they drifted towards the glade in the center, looking around in wonder and confusion at each other and the garden blooming around them.

A young white filly with lavender-and-rose hair looked up at the faint shadow of a dark alicorn standing in a circle of trees. The filly stood up on her hind legs and closed her eyes as she wrapped her forelegs around the shadowy body. She smiled as tears ran down her cheeks, her head pressed against the shadow’s heart.

Other fillies drifted closer. A white and golden-maned pegasus joined the first filly, hugging the shadow of a leg and letting out tears that seemed to have been held back for ages for this very moment.

Nightmare Moon opened her eyes and looked down at the fillies gathering around her. All she had ever known was emptiness and loneliness. But for a brief moment, something precious and pure had filled the void of her heart with joy and friendship, and it had left behind a bright and burning memory and an impossible longing in the tangled knots of her heart.

Nightmare Moon lay down in the soft grass and cried, and something light and pure lit up her heart with joy and sorrow as she hugged the young filly with the purple-and-rose mane, who seemed to her somehow familiar.

Light and warmth filled the glade. Nightmare Moon closed her eyes and smiled as she faded away in the light. For the first time in her life, she had something.