Blue

"You can go in now."

Shining nodded, and trotted into Trixie's room, followed by Vinyl. The showmare was awake, albeit worn out. Her right foreleg was bandaged from hoof to shoulder. The door closed behind them, but Luna was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she left for important tasks?

"How are you, mare?" the DJ asked.

"I'll live. It hurts like hell right now, but that's better than not having a hoof. Luna said that it succeeded, though, and the pain will go away in a few days."

"Great!"

Shining motioned towards the closed door leading to the examination room.

"And Rainbow?"

"She's fine, I guess. But, when she finished, Luna told me that she needs rest, and if you dare try to enter her room, I'll have to resort to extreme measures."

The stallion raised an eyebrow at that.

"Extreme measures?"

"Yeah, I'll stand up. Luna told me specifically not to stand up, as to lighten the weight on my hooves. So, if you try to enter, I'll get up, and blame it on you. Then you can explain it to her."

"Mare, I've never been scolded for makin ponies stand up!" Vinyl beamed. Trixie looked at her, deep in thought.

"Hey, can you do me a favour?" she asked, seeming concerned.

"Sure, what up, dudette?"

"Please, keep Luna company. I believe she said she was going out for some air, but won't leave the ruins. I think she's tired, and she'd be happy if a normal pony, like you spoke with her, or at least be near her without running away screaming."

" 'Kay," the white mare grinned. "Never took you for one being considerate."

"Yeah, me neither."

Vinyl waved to her, then charged out of the room, singing a silly tone about conquering caves. Shining looked at Trixie with a disapproving look.

"If you didn't want her around, you should just have outright said it."

He turned around, and was about to leave, when the mare's voice stopped her.

"Wait. Let's talk."

The stallion shot her a half-hearted smile.

"I was thinking about getting you some food. We already had lunch; you were in here for quite some time, so I figured..."

Trixie waved a hoof dissmissively.

"Luna gave me nutritients I need, so I'm fine, really." She looked him directly in his eyes. "The reason I sent her away—although the other part was true, too—is because I wish to speak with you. You just tossed all your problems aside. That's not healthy."

Shining's mood fell. He closed the door, sighed, and sat on the edge of the bed. He looked at the azure mare with a sense of purpose.

"Why should I worry about my own life and feelings, when there are others who need me?"

"Hmm, yes, I can see it as your personal motto," she said mockingly. " 'Show them no fear, show them no pain.' Bullcrap."

Shining Armor's expression was tired.

"Where are you going with this?"

"Stop faking. Stop acting like everything is fine with you, reasoning that others need you. We are safe, and you are not fine."

"I-I have no idea what you're going on about," he denied nervously. Sweat began to trickle down on his cheeks.

"Don't pretend that you are carved from stone, a soldier who can disregard his personal feelings. Don't you realize?
You've got nothing to prove to us, and you'll only end up hurting yourself more. Fine? Don't kid me. I haven't seen you shed a single tear, since you were imprisoned. What is that, if anything but wrong?"

"I-I....." The stallion was trembling now. His composure was only held together by the mightiest of efforts ever produced by his will. However, the pressure on him was so high, he was unable to speak. Trixie opened her mouth, and gave the final blow.

"She is dead." The stallion collapsed, his gates finally breached; tears falling like a river.

"C-Cadie..." he sniffed. Suddenly, he perked up, and looked at the mare through her tears with hatred. "I hope you're happy."

Trixie shot him a sad, pathetic look.

"Happy? No, can't say I am. I just knew that if you repressed it any longer, you'd go mad with grief. I have been there. I didn't wish to see you hurt, I just wanted you to face your sadness, and overcome it." She extended her healthy front leg, and shuffled closer to the stallion. "C'mere."

Shining looked at her, confusion in his gaze. Trixie rolled her eyes, and pulled the dumbfounded and weeping stallion in a hug. He resisted at first, but finally gave in, and buried his muzzle in her chest, crying rivers. Trixie produced a half-hearted, small, sad smile as she held him tight.

"Yes, like that. Cry, until you feel better. Don't hold it in."

The silvery moon slowly rose above the horizon as the injured showmare slowly descended into a heavy sleep to the diminishing sobs of the stallion.

________________________________________________________________________________

Rainbow woke with a splitting wingache. That's good, there is no wingache without wings. Her stomach grumbled. Yeah, she remembers now, Luna gave her something to eat after tending to her, but that wasn't enough to sate the hunger of an anorexic mouse.

She jumped on her hooves, silently giving thanks to no-one in particular that at least she's able to walk properly. Also, she didn't have one of those creepy dreams this time, so that should be a plus, too. She opened the door energetically, barging in to see Trixie.

"Hey, I'm – " She stammered, noticing the stallion sleeping in the mare's bed. "I'm on my way, then." she finished, surprisingly meek, ready to burst through the exit.

"Wait!" Trixie's voice was more of a hiss, than a whisper.

"What?"

"Help me a bit, please. I want to get some food, but I can't get up by myself."

Rainbow brightened up.

"So it wasn't just me!"

She stood beside the bed, and waited patiently until the unicorn wriggled herself from under the stallion's head, and finally leaned on her. Curiously enough, Shining didn't wake up. The duo cautiously wobbled out of the room, occassionally hopping in Trixie's case. As soon as the door closed behind them, the showmare snorted, eyeing herself critically.

"Aaaargh, last time I do favours. A word of advice, if you wish. If you ever decide for whatever reason to cover yourself in the bodily fluids of another pony, make sure you exclude drool and tears from the list."

Rainbow looked at her, obviously puzzled. Trixie pointed on her chest, where a damp patch of fur stood defiantly against the rest of her coat.

"Um, why was he crying? Were you that bad...?" the pegasus asked sheepishly. Trixie looked at her with a blank stare, but then did something completely unexpected: she laughed loudly from the bottom of her heart, for the first time since Rainbow met her.

"Oh, dammit, that's rich," she said, her eyes glinting merrily for a change. "Really, did you truly expect me to try and get laid as soon as I'm cured of life-threatening injuries? Besides, he just got widowed recently. I am not that much of a jerk."

"But then what happened?" asked Rainbow curiously. The unicorn shook her head.

"That is for him to disclose or keep a secret. If he's ready, I think he'll tell you."

"Meh. I'll ask him, then. I wonder..." she began, steering the topic, "how did the Princess escape from the moon?"

"Good question. I think we'll have to wait for Luna to appear and clear up a few things. Until then, breakfast, or whatever this time of the day calls for."

Entering the small kitchen, Vinyl was nowhere to be seen, earning some worryful thoughts from Rainbow. Seeing her expression, Trixie quickly caught on, and shook her head.

"I’m sure she’s with Luna. The princess does not seem like the type who would let anypony come to harm if she's got a say in it."

Rainbow chuckled.

"And you concluded that from a single glance?"

Trixie seemed unfazed.

"If you would have spent as much time as I did handling different ponies everyday, you'd have developed some degree of sense to their true personality."

Rainbow shrugged, and helped her sit down, then rummaged through the various boxes in the cupboards.

"Instant hay?! What the..."

Deciding they were too hungry to actually cook something, they simply set out the food they deemed edible, and started to chow down on them like a pack of hungry wolves. Even the unicorn set aside all sort of mannerisms, and despite being a unicorn, did not use her magic to help her eat.

They soon finished their meal, and cleaned up after themselves. Even though Trixie didn't move from her chair, she still moved the dishes into the sink, and washed them magically; all while Rainbow put away the now emptied boxes into an empty closet, to be emptied later. All of that, and still, nopony else was in sight. The pegasus found it strange.

"Hey, why do you think nopony is around? They didn't leave us, did they?"

Trixie wondered for a moment, but then she shook her head.

"I think it's safe to conclude by this point that Luna is out there, doing something no doubt important, and she probably took Vinyl with her. Still, can't imagine what they are doing, though."

"Maybe write a song?" Rainbow suggested. "That aside, Shining should be up by this time!"

"Well... he is a soldier... so he should be up already, except if he really exhausted himself with that spell he cast on me. Or, he's wallowing in his grief, which he could do someplace else, other than my bed."

At least, he could do something other than sleeping away his pain. I mean, is he even confronting his sadness, or was that whole scene in the bedroom useless? she thought.

"Why are you being so mean to him? He saved your life, and he acted nice, too, generally speaking."

The unicorn looked embarassed. "I...I don't really want to be mean to him, it's just... I can't help myself."

Rainbow furrowed her brow. "Do you dislike him because he is Twilight's brother?" she demanded.

The azure mare shook her head.

"No, I believe the actions and attitude of a pony does not depend on their family, but themselves. If I'd judge him upon my sore spot against his sister, I'd be no better than those who chase us. Besides, I don't dislike him, I just... I think I became untrusting through all these years – not to mention my upbringing—and treat him how I was told when I was little."

"Upbringing?" the pegasus asked, utterly confused. Trixie wrinkled her nose, and took on a superior tone.

"Do not forget my daughter, that as a member of our clan, you are always right! No matter whom you face, your opinion is the correct one, because we can not err! Now, would you like some pancakes?"

The multicolor mare stared in disbelief.

"That was..."

"My father, yes. And the pancake part, too. The way they treated me and the rest of the world was waaaay more complicated than they let on. Basically, I got nearly everything I wished for, and the rest of Equestria could go suck it up."

"Well, okay, I guess, but still, try to be a bit nicer to him."

"All right, I promise." She shot the pegasus a playful smile. "Might be easier now that I am not on the verge of dying."

Rainbow let out a pained groan.

"You have a strange sense of humour."

"There is a reason I didn't become a comedian, you know." Trixie said. Her expression became softer. "Hey, um, I know I didn't really thank you for–"

"There's no need," Rainbow said. "I just felt like it was the right thing to do."

They sat in silence for a while, deciding to explore the great hall a little. They stumbled out of the kitchen, through the corridor. The throne room was mysteriously lit, as always, yet the inspection of the throne itself turned up nothing mysterious to Rainbow's great disappointment. While it was beautifully carved, and seemed to be a part of the floor rather than a different stone altogether, there was nothing interesting about it. The only thing that broke the boring look of the place, and gave it a comfy feel at the same time, were the couches, cupboards, and bookcases in the back. Disregarding the table up front (they supposed this was designed as some sort of mess hall, too) they scanned the contents of the cupboards. Most of them were empty, save for a few rags, and cleaning supplies. Still, they wouldn't make displays for rags, right? Moving on to the bookshelves, Rainbow groaned in frustration for not being able to hover over to look at the top shelves. They both browsed the books they reached instead, occassionally reading their names out loud.

"Hmm... 'History of the Griffon Empire'... 'Geography of the Southern Continent'... 'Guidebooks of the Crystal Empire'... It looks like in this section are the informative books."

"Lessee... 'Stare Wars'... I wonder if Fluttershy read this?"

Trixie pulled closer.

"What's that? 'Wrath of Quan'? I remember that one. Seems like these are the fiction books... Should be interesting... provided you read."

"Hey! I can read! And I read read, too! I've read almost all of the Daring Do books!" Rainbow objected, seemingly hurt.

Trixie pondered for a moment, then took off a smaller book with her magic.

"Here. I think you'll like it."

Rainbow checked the title.

"Dr. Moo?! What's this, a coloring book?!"

"No, no, it's the first Con Mane book. It's a spy story."

The pegasus hesitated.

"Spy? Well... I guess it can't hurt to take a look, can it?"

The showmare took a book titled 'Magical Methodology,' and they retreated to one of the couches. The unicorn suddenly perked up.

"Wait, we'll need a blanket, because if we don't move for a long time..." She paused, slowly shaking her head. "Actually... no, we don't need one. Somehow, it's insulated here, even though I can't see any fire that would generate heat. Remind me to ask Luna about it when they get back."

Trixie positioned herself carefully, so her back would rest on the arms of the couch, and her sore hoof would absolutely not touch anything. Rainbow simply sat beside her, and indulged herself in the story.

_______________________________________________________________________________

When Luna and Vinyl arrived, the scene that greeted them was quite bizarre. Trixie slept on a couch, an open book near one of her hooves upside-down, with Rainbow's head resting on her blanket-covered flank. The pegasus was fast asleep, too, but the book she was reading has slipped from her hooves, and landed on the floor. In front of them, on an another couch, sat a fully alert stallion, sitting in a position which reminded the alicorn of a chieftain long dead, who swore revenge for his murdered son. Shaking these thoughts aside, she was about to speak, but Vinyl beat her to it.

"Goooood morning, Everfreeeeee!"

Surprisingly enough, nothing happened. The stallion looked disapprovingly at the DJ.

"Please refrain from shouting, Vinyl. They need the rest."

"Sorry, sorry," the mare said, offering a sheepish smile. "Still, how come they didn't hear me?"

"I put up a soundproof shield. I figured we might cause some noise, so it was a precaution... which proved to be useful, after all. When I woke up, they were already asleep. So I thought... let them rest, even for a little while. I took two blankets, and covered them. That is all that's in my power, anyway."

Luna musingly watched his sad features, causing him to shift around a bit uncomfortably. Shining got the impression she is planning something... but what? Ultimately, she turned away, and levitated a saddlebag from Vinyl's back to the table near her.

"Before we discuss where we were, there is another important topic to clear up. I was meaning to ask this earlier, but I decided a wounded pony always finds mercy in my care. Still, I am now very curious just who is this Trixie?"

"Sorry, I got nothing, Princess." Vinyl exclaimed with her usual bright smile, as if happy for being completely clueless. Shining, on the other hoof, tilted his head, his gesture betraying a hint of guilt.

"What I do know that she has met with Twilie before, and... well, I don't know the details, but seems like she holds a grudge against her. She herself stated so when she was pretending to be mad. I think her name came up with a few... border infringements, but I pass those reports onward to Border Defense." The alicorn hummed.

"I think there was an incident a few years ago, when somehow an Ursa appeared in Ponyville. If I remember it right, your sister's description in her letter matches Trixie's. If that's true, she was supposed to be forgiven officially, but never showed up. I wonder why?"

Shining scratched his head.

"Well, Your Majesty, I think that if you are sure she caused the Ursa incident, I might have some more information. You see, Twilie sent me a letter not long after the Saddle Arabian ambassadors visiting Ponyville, and wrote that 'the one that claimed to vanquish an Ursa' appeared again. Apparently, she was sporting some really powerful artifact, and spread havoc in the town... until the Elements stopped her somehow. Strangely though, Twilie didn't write anything about her, just the fact that she came, and left, abruptly. I found it strange that she went there and hurt ponies, and everypony just tosses this fact aside; now though, that I made the connection, I understand it even less. Why did she help us? Why does she act friendly towards Rainbow, if she hurt her in the past? Other than than that, I know one thing. The only official document that has her photo, too, was an old license for a cart. From that, we concluded that her name is Trixie Lulamoon."

The moon princess seemed to be taken aback, her coat paling noticeably.

"Lulamoon?"

"Um, yes?"

Luna stared at the sleeping unicorn, disbelief filling her features.It cannot be.

"Who is this mare?" she asked, biting her lip. She suddenly became as sharp as a blade, determination flaming in her eyes. "There are too many tales; all of which tell a different story: trickster, demon, murderer, martyr. Which is the real one? Since she does not disclose anything, she leaves me no choice. We will get to the bottom of this. Grab my hoof, you two."

A moment of darkness, that feels like a century. A blinding flash, piercing your closed eyes.

If this is how she visits every dream, I think I'll pass up on others, Vinyl Scratch thought. But at the same time, it was not Vinyl Scratch at all, who thought it, but Shining Armor. Still, the truth eludes us, because it was none other, than the princess of the night, who stated this.

Don't be afraid, we are in her body in her dream. That is why we can hear each other's thoughts, pointed out Princess Shining Scratch. And it was true, too; their eyes caught a glimpse of an azure blue muzzle before them; better yet, they started to grasp what Trixie's eyes saw. First, it was like heavy fog; something elusive and red filled her vision; but it cleared up rapidly, and they had her sight to use. Shining wished they didn't. In front of Trixie's eyes, a group of ponies danced seductively, all trying to get into the good graces of the Great and Admirable Trixie. The stallion felt his nonexistent face redden as he recognised the ponies: Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Vinyl Scratch, himself, performing an elaborate pole dance of sorts, and for whatever reason, the alicorn sisters, Celestia and Luna.

I wish my dignity to be buried beside my honor, he thought, feeling completely humiliated. At the same time, Vinyl thought "My horn is not that small!" grumpily. Luna either had nothing to add, or was unfazed by sights like this. Suddenly, the ponies disappeared, and they were separated at last, somehow able to see each other in the pitch black. An eerie voice echoed through the void.

"Welcome, good guests! This was Sense of Humour, hoping that you had a good time with our opening act! A personality fragment will be dispatched for your viewing pleasures shortly!"

The darkness lit up, and suddenly they stood in a vast green field, the grass gently caressed by the invisible hands of the wind. The landscape looked idyllic, although if one really tried to look, they could notice a rather dark, gloomy castle in the distance; sharp edges and high towers making it look menacing. Luna, now herself again, shook her head.

"She's toying with us. Not many are those who notice me upon entering." She gazed at the castle, her features becoming stern. "But that castle... It's almost like as if it's..."

"... King Sombra's," Shining finished. Luna seemed concerned.

"We must immediately check it out. If it is some sort of residue left of Sombra's corruption spell, then it is our duty to help her." The other two nodded in agreement. Setting their destination, they started to gallop; however, Shining noted that they actually went faster then their hooves could take them. Perhaps a gesture of good will, speeding things up? They reached the castle in no time, and while it towered above them quite sternly, the pony-sized front entrance somehow took away any possibility of it being frightening. The door opened itself, and they entered.

The scene inside was so different, that Shining had to spend a minute just to figure out where they were. Drapes with the face of Trixie covering nearly every inch of the wooden interior, a makeshift throne made of a sofa, with a boastful blue unicorn sitting on top of it. She smiled, a grin full of satisfaction and malice, all while Rainbow Dash fanned her from the side, except that neither of them moved. The rest of the room was a blur, but there were definitely shadows that could be ponies around them. The moon princess paled again. Vinyl took notice of it.

"Say, if you continue like this, Princess, I think you'll become the new Princess of Snow, don't 'cha think?"

"Do you not see what I see?" the alicorn asked horrified. "Those blood-red eyes... that amulet!"

Indeed, Trixie was wearing a strangely familiar, red and grey amulet. It reminded the ex-captain of... No...

"If what I perceive is true, that must be a phylactery." Luna whispered.

"Filly-teary? Whuzzat?" Vinyl interjected. The alicorn swallowed, nervousness starting to show on her usually calm features.

"A phylactery. It is a powerful magical artifact that can store the creator's soul, should they die... And regenerate them, through any means necessary. If she came into possession of it..."

"...She might be slowly transforming into Sombra." Shining finished quietly. A sudden cackle startled the three intruders.

"Hah! As if!"

In front of their eyes, Trixie herself materialized... with some odd differences. Her mane was styled differently, she was dressed in posh clothing, and—Shining was glad the others did not hear him anymore—she even looked a bit... cute. She curtsied, and looked at them with a warm, but confident smile.

"Welcome! I am Vanity, but you may call me Pride for short. You have decided to come here—"

"Called it!" a voice interjected.

"Oh, shut up, Paranoia! You decided to come here, so now you will be rewarded with first-class memories!"

"Why pride?" the alicorn asked. The fragment-Trixie shot her a reassuring smile.

"All will become clear in time. For better understanding, you will hear thoughts, too. The memory will soon start. Watch it closely to the end. Until then, farewell."

The image disappeared, and the blur filling the room took on more solid shapes. It was now crystal clear: apart from the throne, a sewing machine and some buckets of apples were present; both of which accomodated a respective friend of Twilight. The scene suddenly sprung to life; Rainbow fanned Trixie with a grumpy expression, Rarity was making a banner similar to those hung upon the walls, and Applejack... Applejack looked really fed up, standing in one of the buckets.

"Sending the others away was a good idea. Ordering them around was too tiring, and to be honest, the pink one started to annoy me too much."

Was that Trixie's voice?

"Hmm, seems like she finished another one."

Rarity levitated a drapery adorned with the image of the showmare to a larger pile.

"Yes! Charming, as ever."

"Bask in our glory!"

Two of the three interlopers recognized that voice... and they wished they didn't.

"Sombra..." muttered Shining Armor.

"Still, the same design over and over? Should include something new."

"Skin them alive, and press a burning hot brand with your silhouette in their living flesh!" demanded the voice with a roar.

"I know! There should be a moon in the background!"

Shining blinked. Did she just disregard what the most powerful evil unicorn who ever lived, tried to make her do?

"Hmm, but that Applesauce is still not ready with my apple sauce facial. I wonder what takes her so long?"

"She needs motivation! Kill one of her friends, that should make her faster!" Sombra offered, his words envisioning him grinning, if he existed.

"Hmm... Motivation... I think I have one riiiight here."

With a red glow, and a plop, several feathers appeared near the orange pony; when she noticed them, her gaze jumped to the smiling unicorn. One of the feathers gently brushed her coat.

"Do I need to say anything at this point?"

The earth pony doubled her efforts. Trixie chuckled to herself.

"... Mine was a better idea," Sombra sounded hurt, strangely.

"Actually, this is boring... I hope somepony shows up to challenge me, I'm more interested in trying out this amulet's limits now."

BLOMF.

The castle disappeared with all it's inhabitants, leaving them out in the open field again.

"What goes 'blomf' anyway?" murmured Vinyl.

Shining shook his head, still hardly believing his senses.

"Princess, what the hay was that, pardon my language? Who was controlling whom there?"

"I-I have no idea," the alicorn said. A sudden tug on her mane caused her to look down.

"How did you get in here?" a young filly's voice echoed. It was a foal no older than Twilight was, when she was taken in by Celestia. The filly clearly represented Trixie, all of her features were present, albeit smaller, save her cutie mark.

"It is in my power to see the dreams of ponies," Luna replied. "I brought the others with me."

The filly nodded.

"So you do have abstract powers connected to the night."

"I always suspected it." another voice joined. She was another Trixie, but unlike the others, she kept her distance from them, as if afraid. A dull flash, and three other fragments appeared. One was Pride, the other grinned nonstop and wore a fake moustache... Humour, perhaps? The third one was very light, her coat was almost whitish blue. She turned to the intruders with a warm smile.

"In the name of Trixie, I welcome you to Trixie! Call me 'Thoughts That Keep You Equine', or Purity, for short. You've already met Pride, and this is Humour. The one in the back is Paranoia."

"So, have you figured out the reason for my appearance at the castle?" Pride asked with a playful smile. The princess looked at her, expression unchanged.

"Because you wished to tell us, that you take pride in the fact that you resisted Sombra's corruption." The fragment looked disappointed.

"Really, I expected better from a neigh-immortal alicorn. I was trying to point out the fact that my glorious personage would never accept foreign control; no matter it's power. You can't force me by controlling my mind, in simple terms. Moon, I am disappointed."

With a bang and a flash, three fragments disappeared, leaving only Paranoia and Purity behind. Luna stepped forward, bowing her head a little.

"I am sorry for our intrusion, but you left me no other choice. Still, I am impressed. Many take more time to notice my presence in their dreams."

"One? Maybe. Three? Not a chance," Paranoia replied coldly.

"Anyway," Purity interrupted, completely ignoring her, "since you're here and all... What do you say for a little game?"

"Game?" Shining Armor asked, full of suspicion.

"Yes. I will show each of you three exactly one thing that you are curious about. No tricks."

The fragment's horn glowed, and three doors appeared from nowhere, standing firmly on the groung, even though nothing supported their weight. Maybe it was on account of it being a dream world, the stallion did not know, nor cared. He began to wonder what he should inquire about. The whitish Trixie started speaking again.

"Come one! Come all! Come, and witness the greatest secrets of the mind of the Great, and Powerful Trixxxxxie!" She suddenly turned to Vinyl. "You wish to go first?"

The DJ gulped, and nodded. Purity stepped aside, and bowed, while pointing to one of the doors. The spiky-maned mare opened it, and stepped through it cautiosly. Nevertheless, as soon as she went through it, she found herself in a dark place, and the door slammed shut behind her. She nearly began panicking, but then a melody started playing, changing the threatening ambience to something similar to a late night music session. She recognized the song; of course she would, it was a quite popular band in Trottingham, who started playing together three years ago, and were producing song after song since. How did she know this? There wasn't a DJ gig where she didn't have to play at least one of their records from the beginning to the end. She started humming the tune, too, and began to feel somewhat more comfortable. As if in synch with her, the darkness began to lift up, revealing a table near her; a large serving of ice cream sitting on it's top.

The 'sky' also cleared up, making place for the moon and the stars, which in turn lit up the place. A bookcase appeared, crammed full of books. A comfy bed, wrapped in the finest sheets. And, for whatever strange reason, broccoli. The unicorn grinned. Ice cream and vegetables? Hay yes! She just knew she would be shown something out of the ordinary. Trixie sure holds surprises, for those who take wild guesses.

She felt that her question has been answered; the objects disappeared, and the room shifted into a landscape, however. A lightly steep hillside, in the middle of the night. Even though she did not take a single step, the world was moving around her. Glancing to her left, she noticed a cloaked Trixie running upwards said hill, breathing heavily, but having a smile across her face nonetheless. Finally reaching the top, she gazed over the plains below, and Vinyl followed her example. The view was breathtaking. The serenity seen from above gave the DJ a warm feeling inside.

The scene dissolved, and she found herself back in the meadow they were standing in; two doors remained, and her companions gave her expectant glances.

"Simple, honest, and curious. Really, just what I've expected," said Purity, smiling at the white mare. "You wished to know what my favourite things were? You got to see them. Next one, please!"

Shining stepped forward, and entered a door without hesitation. Likewise, it slammed shut behind him, too, and disappeared, leaving him in the dark.

"Interesting," a disembodied voice stated. "Straight to the point, eh? It seems small talk is not your style; let's get down to business then. What you want to know will be explained with these memories."

The darkness gave place for a small, dimly lit hearing room, separated into two by a barred wall. Two ponies sat in the prisoner's side: a dark brown pegasus mare, with orange mane, and a cream-colored earth pony stallion, with reddish mane. One of his hooves had bandages all over it. Both of them stared with hostility at the one sitting in front of them: a younger Trixie, wearing a confused look on her face, fighting to hold back her tears.

"Get out," the mare hissed.

"B-but..." Trixie struggled with words, but something distracted her too much to be able to say anything remotely coherent.

"Get. Out!" the pegasus pressed, raising her voice. It seemed to snap the unicorn out of it.

"Why? Why did you do it? Weren't we friends?" asked the showmare, on the very verge of crying. The brown mare snorted, clearly bemused.

"Hah! Get a life. You were useful to a point. But, as it turned out, you suck too much to be even copied. GET! OUT!" she bellowed.

The young unicorn couldn't take it anymore. She ran out of the room, sobbing loudly. Shining was beside her, convinced that this indeed was a memory, and not a fake. But then, who were those two? What did they do to be arrested, at such a young age, to boost? And last, but not least, what connection does Trixie have to all of this? His train of thought was thrown off it's rails by a voice calling out, full of worry.

"Oy! Bee! Stop!"

Trixie (apparently Bee,) hit her brakes, staring at the one calling out to her. Shining's first thought about that pony was the following: I never thought Trixie was friends with Rainbow's long-lost twin sister. That, of course, was not true, as he admitted to himself on the second glance. The mare standing in front of him was more like an inverted Rainbow Dash; her mane was dark blue, and her coat was the colours of the rainbow instead. Her cutie mark was visible, too, and itt differentiated her further from the cyan pegasus: it was a prism, breaking the light into colours. Not to mention the fact that she was a unicorn. She appeared to be the same age as Trixie, her horn slightly longer, though. She got closer to the sobbing filly, and put a hoof over her shoulder.

"You all right, Bee?"

"They... They said they always hated me...." she sniffed. "Please... not you, too!"

"Whaddya' mean, stupid? You did nothing wrong, you hear? Nothing! Seriously, it should be the other way around."

Trixie raised her head.

"....Specs? You don't mean..."

The multicolored unicorn seemed to be ashamed of herself.

"I'm sorry, Bee, but ... I helped them steal it from ya. I..."

Trixie looked at her, horrified.

"You were in, too?"

"N-no, I just told them stuff I saw while I was watching you, cause... well, they told me ya wanted to give them a too meager one originally. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"N-no, that's fine, I'm not mad at you, or anything!" young Trixie desperately struggled to keep her voice; it threatened to dissappear over her poorly repressed feelings. 'Specs' slowly shook her head.

"Sorry, Bee, but that's not gonna work. I've betrayed ya... I did the worst thing a friend could do... therefore I fail as such. I should just leave your life, before I cause too much damage... Your father was right. I don't qualify to be considered an equal."

"Dad? Forget about what he said, just—"

"No, Bee, it's all right. Think about it. Because of my carelessness, I gave them a chance to humiliate you... which backfired for them horribly, to boost. I feel responsible for this rift... Not to mention that Throat left us, thinking she would be next to be thrown into a cauldron of humiliation... And I don't blame her for thinking like that a little bit. Sorry Bee, I... I royally screwed up. I singehoofedly destroyed a five-pony friendship. If I stay, I will just alienate you from everypony... If I go, it will hurt for a while, but... eventually, you'll overcome it. And maybe then... you will find somepony worthy of your friendship, unlike me. Sorry Bee... Goodbye."

In a flash, the colorful mare suddenly disappeared, leaving a sobbing wreck of a unicorn behind. The scene dissolved, and Shining found himself again in the darkness. He was utterly confused. Every fiber of his being demanded an explanation, yet remembering the young Trixie's sad face... his heart stirred with compassion. Before he could fully recover from his unexpected witnessings, the disembodied voice spoke up again. It was full of vitrous cooing, yet he could make something new out in it: sadness. Pain of reminiscence, and fear of loneliness.

"Did that answer your question? I think yes. But, you know what? I'll throw in a bonus. Hearth's Warming. Everypony loves Hearth's Warming."

The voice went silent, and another place came into existence. A small, comfy room with a fireplace that had a cozy fire in it, bookcases, couches, and a richly adorned Hearth's Warming tree. A young filly raced up and down from the large stack of presents under said tree, to two older ponies, whom Shining could only picture as her parents. One of them was a unicorn stallion; blue coat, dark green mane, and an elegant jacket. his expression was just as arrogant as it was confident; yet, when he looked at his daughter, his eyes radiated gentleness. The other pony, a pink coated earth pony mare with white mane smiled at the extatic filly, gesturing her to sit down. Trixie did so, and looked up at her with an expectant grin.

"Now, don't be too greedy, Trixie. Don't disappoint Luna, or she will not bring you presents if you misbehave!"

Trixie nodded vehemently, while her father shot a disapproving shot at his wife.

"What is this about? 'Trixie?' She has a proper name!"

The mare continued to smile.

"I think this much is forgiveable; since she is my daughter, I can give her a nickname if she likes it. Don't you agree?" she asked, winking at the stallion slyly, and flicking her tail just to slightly brush his nose. He blushed, and grunted something sounding like 'things I agree to...' under his breath.

The older mare pulled the filly into her embrace, and began singing an old Hearth's Warming Carol. Her daughter joined in, and her husband's frown all but disappeared, looking at the harmony between them.

The room faded into white; snow falling in tiny flakes, smearing an older Trixie's coat with damp patches. She paid no mind to it; her attention was focused on a pine tree she was sitting in front of, crudely made stars, moons, and other decorations hanging from it in a symbolic manner. This unicorn wore a purple cape, and stared with sorrow and regret in her eyes in contrast to her younger self. A few moments later, she sighed, and sang the same carol from the previous memory.

The scenery shifted again, keeping in constant motion; each time older, and in a different snowy forest; but it was clearly her, and she sang the same old carol every single time. The flashes finally stopped, arriving to a halt in a snowstorm, for a change. The air was heavy, cold, and vision was obstructed by the intense amounts of snow carried by the wind. The Trixie of this occassion sat before an unadorned tree, for a change. She was clutching something to her chest, while staring lifelessly in front of her. She was crying; the cold weather freezing her tears as soon as they rolled down her muzzle; drops of diamonds in a sea of azure.

Suddenly, she jumped up with an inarticulate scream, attacking the tree before her, flailing wildly, but causing little damage. Litting her horn up, she desperately tried to shoot bolts of raw energy everywhere, but the swirling snow sucked up the spells she shot. She finally collapsed on the snow, sobbing, and shouting incoherently.

Shining stood dumbfounded as his surroundings switched back to the field where the others awaited him. Purity nodded at him, but he barely registered it. This was not an answer; this only prompted more questions. Who were those ponies? Why did Trixie leave her family? And finally... what could have caused her to snap like that?

Purity, realising that he probably won't respond to anything at the moment, turned to the moon princess instead.

"Your turn. What do you wish to see?"

"I wish for the truth. Nothing else. Your antics do not amuse me."

Paranoia cackled.

"Can't fool you, eh?"

Purity faded into nothingness, and only the three intruders and 'Paranoia' remained in a bright, but strangely quiet field.

"Yes, you're right." Trixie spoke up. "There is nopony else in my mind, no different personalities, just me, Trixie." She glanced up at the alicorn with a serious expression. "Apart from the scene which greeted you when you entered, everything was true, though. My wishes, my feelings, my memories, all of them."

Another door appeared. This time, it was dark, as if made of coal, rather than wood. The azure unicorn pointed to it.

"You want the truth? Open it. No tricks, no hiding anything. Just what really happened three weeks ago."

Luna lit up her horn, and moved the handle. Just as it opened to the smallest of gaps, it disappeared, leaving only a frame behind which expanded rapidly through the landscape. Whereever it touched the ground, it changed. Moments later, they were standing in a moonlit meadow, overlooked by a burning, ruined town. Corpses littered the field, young and old, mares and stallions, brutally mangled and ripped to pieces. The smell of decay lingered in the air, mixing in with the suffocating scent of the smoke emanating from the fires. What was the most disturbing, though, was the fact that the ponies were not the only dead beings there. Patches of blue, night sky-like liquid, and similar chunks of different shaped furred, fleshy objects showed up here and there, suggesting at something really large... that was cut down to size, literally.

And in the middle of all this disturbing scenery... a lone, panting unicorn stood, her azure coat painted red with blood; her pristine mane covered in that blue liquid.

"So? Here is the truth. How do you like it?" Trixie asked.

The world suddenly shattered to pieces, and the intruding ponies fell into the void, with their host's last words ringing in their ears.

How do you like the truth?