> Blood On the Moon
>  by sentinel28a
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Before a Fall
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

BLOOD ON THE MOON
A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
By Sentinel 28A

“My thanks, Twilight.”  Princess Celestia carefully placed the wooden box holding the Alicorn Amulet in a saddlebag draped across her back.  “You handled this situation well.”
“Thank you.”  Twilight bowed her head to her ruler and teacher.  Defeating Trixie had not been easy, but if there was one lesson Twilight Sparkle had learned in her time in Ponyville, few things were.  The damage was undone, however: Trixie’s brief rule of Ponyville left few permanent marks, the delegates from Saddle Arabia were none the wiser, and Twilight even felt she was now more learned in magic.  She had never really given studying Zecora’s philosophy much thought, but she felt herself more complete as a pony and as a magic-user with the experience.  
“And Trixie, then?” Celestia arched an eyebrow at her.
“She’ll be all right.”  Twilight smiled.  Her erstwhile rival was last seen running off in a cloud of smoke—and falling on her face in the process.  Trixie had asked forgiveness and gotten it for her actions…at least from Twilight Sparkle.
Celestia was a different story.  Upon learning what Trixie had done with the power of the Alicorn Amulet, namely enslaving Ponyville, Celestia was as angry as Twilight had seen her, as much as during Discord’s attack or the Changeling War.  Celestia took attacks on her subjects very seriously, and there were some ponies who had been punished worse for less.  Trixie’s boast that she would rule Equestria—after she had lost the Amulet—was especially disconcerting.  She claimed it was the influence of the Amulet corrupting her, but Celestia was obviously not convinced.  
“She’ll be all right,” Twilight repeated.
“I hope so,” Celestia sighed.  “Twilight…exiling Trixie or even imprisoning her is not something I want to do.  Yet I cannot risk a threat to the realm.  You understand that, I know.”
“Yes, of course, Your Majesty.  But I think Trixie’s learned her lesson.  She won’t try that again.  I believe she’s genuinely sorry for what she did.”
“Actions have consequences, my student.”
Twilight blew out a breath.  “That’s a lesson I know only too well.  But you gave me another chance after that fiasco with my, um, want-it-need-it spell.”  That was a memory Twilight wished she could forget—when her obsession with making regular reports to her liege caused her to abuse her magic.  In some ways, Twilight mused, she had committed a crime not unlike Trixie’s.  
“Yes.  Which is why I’m leaving this in your hooves, Twilight.” Celestia smiled.  “I have to trust you in this.”  She checked the sky.  “I should be getting back to Canterlot.  There’s still one more day with the Saddle Arabians.  As for this—“ she nudged the saddlebag with a wing  “—I will make sure it finds a safe, and hidden place.”
Twilight wanted to ask how Trixie had gotten the thing to begin with, but that could wait until another time.  She bowed respectfully to her mentor, Celestia returned it, and then she was gone in a flash of orange light.  
With a sigh, Twilight turned and walked back towards the library.  It had been a long few days, and now she just needed some rest.

A month passed.
Rainbow Dash went to Wonderbolt Academy and returned.  Twilight wrote another letter, this one for her own records, about how she had nearly been killed in a tornado.  After some thought, she added her observations on Lightning Dust, the pegasus who had been partially responsible.  Lightning was stripped of her rank and summarily dismissed from Wonderbolt Academy for gross negiligence.  Again, it had been pride, and that made Twilight think of Trixie.  Nothing had been heard of her since her abrupt departure from Ponyville, but Twilight didn’t think that unusual.  She was probably back on tour as the Great and Powerful Trixie again, or working on the rock farm.  Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled to herself.  Great and Powerful.  It’s a shame she wastes her time on parlor tricks.  If she really buckled down and studied magic, she could get really good at it.  The raw power’s there, just not skill.
The doorbell rang as someone thumped on the front door to the library.  Spike was over at the boutique, mooning at Rarity, so Twilight put down the letter and opened the door.  “Oh, hello Derpy.”
“Hi, Twilight!  Got some mail for you.”  Derpy Hooves reached into her mail pouch and pulled out some mail—though she ended up scattering half of it on the floor.  Muttering apologies, Derpy began to gather it up while Twilight sorted out her own mail.  When she had first come to Ponyville, she had gotten rather annoyed with Derpy’s tendency to trip over her own hooves and scatter mail hell to breakfast, but over time she got used to it.  The mailpony didn’t do it all the time, and when she did, she was just being Derpy.  One just dealt with it and moved on; Derpy certainly didn’t mean to be clumsy.
Twilight put her mail aside—it was junk anyway; she needed to talk to Spike about being on Equestria Clearing House’s mailing list—and was about to help Derpy when a thought occurred to her.  “Derpy, have you seen Trixie?”
“Trixie?  That loser?”  To Twilight’s surprise, Derpy’s eyes narrowed in anger, though the effect was somewhat spoiled because her eyes were crossed.  “You know she used to summon me just to make me crash into things for fun?  Just because I have a medical problem with my eyes…”
Which I’ve been meaning to correct, Twilight reminded herself.  That spell still needed work, though.  “Sorry to bring up bad memories.  I just wondered…if you’d heard any news.  Given that you do a lot of traveling, as a mail pony and all.”
“I heard about her, all right.  Yeppers.”  Derpy gave kind of a half-nod, half-bow.  “She’s out west somewhere, up in the Smoky Mountains.  I didn’t deliver any mail to her, and I damn sure wouldn’t!”  Derpy blushed.  “Excuse my language, Twilight.  But I hear from one of the other mailponies, Fedex, that she’s up there.  At some kind of school or something.”
That surprised Twilight.  Still, maybe that was a good thing.  Twilight had heard stories of sages and mages that lived in the Smokies, many of whom might just be able to provide the balance that Trixie would need.  Or maybe the other pony had just exiled herself up there.  She thanked Derpy, who flew off, turned and waved—in that order, during which she nearly collided with Rainbow Dash.
Twilight meant to do some research on the Smoky Mountains, but was distracted by Rainbow announcing that there was a new Daring Do book out.  Being picked up and rushed out of the library to the bookstore at near supersonic speeds tended to be something of a distraction.

Three months passed.
Twilight abruptly remembered her research on the Smoky Mountains, only to find, with a small amount of utter horror, that she possessed no books on the subject.  After a few minutes of going through her horizontal files on what was in her library, then an hour or two perusing Ponyville’s bookstores (all two of them), Twilight realized that it really was not that much of a hassle to go to the Royal Canterlot library.    
A short train trip and a moderate walk later, Twilight was perusing the stacks of the library.  She loved this place: her little library at Ponyville would fit into one room of the vault of Equestria’s collective knowledge.  Finding the book was not difficult: she knew the Dewdrop Decimal System by heart.  As she levitated her book from the shelf, it brushed against another book that also being withdrawn with unicorn magic.  “Pardon me,” Twilight said, turned and collided with Nightmare Moon.
She barely suppressed a shriek, then felt like an idiot.  It was not Nightmare Moon: it was just Princess Luna.  Twilight recovered her breath, and wondered why she had thought of Luna’s former evil persona.  Luna had not been Nightmare Moon for nearly two years now.  “Are you all right?”  Luna asked, confused.
“Oh!  Yes.  Yes, I’m fine…um, Your Highness.”
Luna shook her head.  “None of that now, Twilight.  I owe you too much.”  She took both books with her magic and set them on a nearby table.  “What brings you here from Ponyville?  Has my sister summoned you?”
“No, nothing like that,” Twilight responded, though she made a mental note to see Celestia before she left on the evening train.  After all, it would be rude to not pay her respects.  
“I wondered at that.  ‘Tia—Princess Celestia,” Luna amended, “is out of Canterlot at the moment.  She’s visiting your brother and sister-in-law at the Crystal Empire.”  She winked.  “I’m sort of running things right now.”
“Ah, I see.”  That explains why she’s awake in the middle of the daytime, Twilight thought.  She also noticed a steaming mug of coffee sitting on the table, which explained why Luna seemed fairly alert, given that she must have been up all night.  Twilight noticed the name on Luna’s book and gave a bit of a start: The Discordian War.  Discord was safely neutralized, imprisoned in stone, but just the thought of the dragonequus was enough to give Twilight the shivers.  She and the rest of the Elements of Harmony had dealt with Discord for barely two days, and it had come very close to destroying them and Ponyville.  The Discordian War had lasted years, and nearly ended in the destruction of Equestria and the death of both alicorn princesses.  It also led to the creation of Nightmare Moon, so Twilight kept her questions to herself.  
The two sat in the library room for the better part of half an hour in silence, broken only by Luna sipping her coffee and the flipping of pages.  Finally, Twilight could no longer contain herself.  “Your High—er, Luna?”
Luna looked up.  “Yes, Twilight?”
“You don’t have to answer this, but…”
“Yes?”
“What turns someone evil?”  At Luna’s cocked eyebrow, Twilight added, “Like Discord.  Or King Sombra.”  Or Nightmare Moon, she wanted to add.  Luna set down the coffee cup she was about to drink from.  “If it makes you too uncomfortable…”
“No, Twilight Sparkle.  It does make me uncomfortable, but not for the reasons you think.  It makes me uncomfortable because I do not have a good way to answer it.”  Luna steepled her hooves.  “It is hard to say.  Sombra was ambitious and he let the ambition consume him.  Discord…” Luna winced.  “It may be that Discord was simply born that way.  I don’t know…about him much.”  Twilight covered her astonishment, because she was fairly certain Luna had just told a lie about Discord.   
“As for Nightmare Moon…” Luna sighed.  “I was bitter, Twilight.  I was also very young—well, by alicorn standards.  I still wanted to have fun and yes, play.”  Her mouth quirked into a smile.  “As you saw on Nightmare Night last year, I’m still having trouble with that.  Ponies didn’t want to deal with the night, and they didn’t want to play, certainly.”  Luna looked down, to Twilight’s surprise, unable to meet the younger pony’s eyes.  “By the time my sister realized what was happening, it was too late.  The darkness consumed me.”  A single tear welled up and fell.  “The rest you know.”
That still left a lot, Twilight considered, but it was obvious that Luna did not want to continue.  The wounds were still too fresh.  Twilight reached across a hoof and laid it on Luna’s.  Luna smiled, shook off the melancholy, and patted the proferred hoof.  “Well.  I suppose that’s not much of an answer.”  She shrugged.  “Each person has their own path, Twilight Sparkle, as you know.  Your choices determine whether or not you are good or evil.  In my case, I was fortunate enough that somepony was there to change my path.  Friends have a way of doing that.”
“Could someone who is basically good and decent become evil?”  Twilight instantly regretted it and thumped her head with a hoof.  “Sorry, that was a dumb question.  Of course they can.”
Luna answered anyway.  “Yes.  Even Sombra did not start out as evil.  He was once a good pony, and a good ruler.  Like I once did, he resented the fact that he could never be more than the king of the Crystal Empire.  He could never rule Equestria as my sister does.  For most people, they are content with their lot in life, but there are some like Sombra who could never have enough.”  Luna wryly chuckled.  “The irony in this is that, if people knew how difficult being a princess is, they would never want the job.  Certainly no one is making you stay awake all day and night.”  Luna glanced at her coffee.  “Which reminds me, I should get another cup of this.  Would you like anything?”
“No, thank you.”  As Luna trotted off, Twilight realized she never really gave much thought to how much Celestia, Luna, and Cadence gave up for their positions.  Celestia could never do the things that Twilight took for granted, like swimming with Pinkie Pie or enjoying a lazy afternoon with a cold mug of milk at Sweet Apple Acres.  If Twilight made a mistake in Ponyville, the worst she could expect was a writeup in the newspaper, if that.  If Celestia made an error, it was a national scandal, even an international one; a faux pas could even lead to a war.  It was a thankless task, and Twilight found herself fervently hoping that it would never be one that would fall on her withers.
Twilight noted that time was getting on, and if she wanted to do a little shopping before getting on the train, she had better move on.  Rarity had asked for some sequins unavailable in Ponyville, while Spike would never forgive her if she didn’t stop by Donut Joe’s.  She wanted to wait for Luna, though, so she busied herself by putting back the book.  As she levitated it back onto the shelf, Luna came back into the room.  “Leaving, then?”
“I’m sorry; I have to make a few stops before getting on the night train.”
Luna returned her smile.  “’Tis nothing to worry about.  May I ask what you were studying?”
“Just the Smoky Mountains.  I’ve…there’s somepony I know that went there.”
“To study magic, I would guess.”
Twilight blinked in surprise.  “I suppose so.  I’d heard there were schools of magic up there, but…”
“Ancient magic, Twilight.  More ancient than even my sister and I.  Most of it is hedge magic, alchemy, rattles and hums, that sort of thing.”  Twilight could detect just the slightest bit of superiority in Luna’s tone; Zecora might have some things to say about 'rattles and hums.'  “Some of what is taught can be quite dangerous, however.  Luckily those who live in the Smoky Mountains keep such knowledge to themselves.  There are rogues, here and there, but none of them would dare try on my sister.”  Luna’s smile turned into a grin.  “Or me.”

Twilight returned to Ponyville late that night, and made the walk from the station to the library alone.  Few lights were on, though she noticed that the Carousel Boutique still had some burning; Rarity was obviously on one of her bursts of creative energy.  Twilight made a note on her mental checklist to check on the fashionista the next day when she dropped off the sequins, as Rarity had a tendency to forget to eat when she was busy.  The lights on the library were off as well, which surprised Twilight a little: Spike knew she was bringing home a bag of Donut Joe’s best, and he would stay up for that.  Well, she thought maternally, probably for the best.  He’s not supposed to stay up this late, and he’ll eat the whole bag of donuts and be sick as everything tomorrow.
Twilight saw that the door was unlocked.  Spike, you know better than that.  Crime was as rare in Ponyville as a serious Pinkie Pie, but there were things in the library that Twilight felt better under lock and key.  She closed the door behind her and locked it with her magic, then cast a small light spell, illuminating the library in a soft purple glow.  
It was at that moment that Twilight realized she was not alone.  “Spike?”
“He’s over there.”  Candles flared to life by magic fire.  Twilight blinked in the sudden light.  The first thing she noticed was Spike tied up securely, hands and feet, trussed like a cow in Applejack’s lasso.  A piece of cloth was threaded through his mouth, and he looked up at her in utter terror.
The second thing she noticed was Trixie.  
It took a moment: Trixie wasn’t wearing her customary cape or hat.  Nor did she have her typical sardonic expression; instead, her face was unnaturally calm.  It was the eyes, Twilight decided with a start.  There was something in those eyes that was terrifying.  Twilight had once stared down Nightmare Moon and held her own against Discord, but what she saw in Trixie’s eyes was enough for her to take a step back.  
“What have you done to Spike?” Twilight shouted.
“Now, now.  You don’t want to wake the neighbors.  He’s fine, Twilight.  I only tied him up.”
Celestia’s Mane, Twilight thought morosely, she wants another damn magic duel.  “All right, Trixie.  Out with it.  Do you want another magic duel?”
Trixie gave her a half-shrug.  “In a matter of speaking.  Yes, I want a duel, but I want to change the ground rules this time.”
“What now?  You’re not going to try exiling me from Ponyville again.”
“Certainly not.  That was ridiculous of me.”
Twilight was glad for that, at least.  She also noticed Trixie wasn’t referring to herself in the third pony this time.  “Fine.  Can we get started in the morning?  I need some sleep.”
“I’m afraid not.”  
Twilight’s considerable patience was nearing its end.  “All right,” she repeated, “tell me.  What do you want?”
“I suppose it’s not obvious.”  Trixie’s smile faded.  “I am here to kill you, Twilight Sparkle.”    

> One Last Lesson
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   At first, Twilight Sparkle laughed nervously.  “Kill me?  Um, is this a joke?”  Trixie shook her head.  “Euphemism?”  Another shake.  “You mean m-murder?”
“Give Celestia’s best student a prize,” Trixie said with heavy sarcasm.
“But that’s—that’s crazy!  There hasn’t been a murder in Ponyville in decades!”  Twilight realized just how stupid that sounded, like she was reporting news.  It was true, though.  For that matter, there hadn’t been a murder in Equestria in quite a while, even in the bigger cities such as Fillydelphia or Manehattan.  Ponies were taught to honor life; certainly there were deaths, by accident, and there were wars on occasion.   Outright homicide was almost unknown; Twilight couldn’t remember the last time it happened in all of the realm.  “It’s crazy!” she repeated.
“I know,” Trixie replied.  “It is.”
Twilight’s mouth fell open.  Trixie sounded sad, devastated.  “Trixie, are you being forced to act against your will?  Is someone controlling you, like Discord?”  Twilight doubted it, but the Spirit of Chaos was capable of anything, even encased in stone—though even Discord had not actually killed anyone.  
“No.”  Trixie’s mouth curled in a snarl.  “You don’t even understand, do you?  Of course not.  Pure-hearted Twilight Sparkle, Celestia’s pet.  Element of Harmony.  Defender of Ponyville.”  Trixie snorted.  “You’ve never had a bad thought in your head, have you?”
I’m having a few at the moment, Twilight mused to herself.  “I don’t understand, Trixie,” she said quietly.
“No, you don’t.  You’ve never had anything happen to you that has happened to me.”  Trixie put her head down, and Twilight braced for either a charge or a spell.  “I’d rather not have this fight here, so meet me on the edge of town.  Alone.”
“And if I bring my friends?”
Trixie gave her a satanic smile.  “Go ahead.  Bring Rarity.  I’ll shatter her hooves so she'll never sew again.  Bring Applejack.  I’ll break her hind legs so she’ll never walk again.  Bring Rainbow Dash.  I’ll rip her wings off so she’ll never fly again.  Bring Fluttershy.  I’ll tear out her voice so she’ll never sing to her animal friends again.  Bring Pinkie Pie, and I’ll snap her spine so she’ll never bounce around again.  
“Bring anypony you want, and they’ll die, Twilight Sparkle.  I don’t want to, but I’m prepared to kill everypony in Ponyville if that’s what it takes.  Be alone, for their sake.”  With a puff of smoke, Trixie disappeared.  Twilight blinked in shock.  Before, Trixie used smoke to cover her retreat, but it was an illusion: she didn’t actually disappear.  This time, she had teleported as easily as Twilight herself did it.
Twilight quickly untied Spike.  “Spike! Are you all right?”
“I’m—I’m okay, Twilight.  She didn’t hurt me.”  He was shaking.  “Twilight, she’s gone crazy!  Do you think she really meant all that?  And killing you?  That’s beyond bonkers—“
“She meant it, Spike,” Twilight said softly.  “Somehow Trixie’s become more powerful than she was before.”  Realization dawned.  “That’s why she was in the Smoky Mountains!  She was training up there!” By Celestia’s Mane, Twilight thought in horror,  she’s been planning this ever since she left Ponyville!  She didn’t reform at all!
“What do we do?”  Spike asked.  “I can get the others.  We could use the Elements of Harmony to—“
Twilight shook her head.  “No, Spike.  I have a bad feeling that Trixie wasn’t making an idle boast.  If we’re going to be fighting with magic, then the others might end up being alternate targets.   There’s no one in Ponyville that could help, really, and Princess Celestia’s in the Crystal Empire…”  Twilight put her hooves on Spike’s shoulders.  “Spike, wait!  Luna!  Contact Luna!”
“I don’t know if I can,” Spike replied.  “I mean, it’s nighttime, she’s up, but my messages go to the throne room in the palace, not Luna’s quarters or her observatory.  It could be hours before she gets it, even if she does!”
“Send her a message anyway.”
“Just wait, Twilight!”
“I can’t, Spike.  If Trixie’s gone insane, she might start attacking Ponyville.  I’ll do my best.”  Before Spike could argue further, Twilight disappeared in a flash of purple light.
Spike felt tears well up in his eyes, then angrily brushed them away.  He grabbed a quill and some parchment.  “I’ll write the letter, Twilight,” he said to himself, “but I’m still going to tell the others.”  He ran out the door, towards the lights of the Carousel Boutique.

The field was wide and level, halfway between the Everfree Forest and Sweet Apple Acres, an equal distance from town.  The noise of any magic duel was likely to wake Fluttershy in her cottage and Applejack at the farm, but there was nothing to be done about that, Twilight considered.  She wondered if Trixie planned it that way.
As soon as Twilight materialized, Trixie closed her eyes briefly and her horn glowed with blue energy.  “That’s an anti-teleportation field,” she explained.  “That way you can’t run, and no one can teleport here from Canterlot to interrupt our little fight.  Not even Celestia.”
“That’s Princess Celestia to you, Trixie,” Twilight snapped.  “Show some respect.”
“Why?  What has Celestia ever done for me?”  Trixie began to stalk in a slow circle around Twilight, who turned in place, not letting the other unicorn get behind her.  “Spared my life?  Given me my freedom?  But I forgot, you’re Twilight Sparkle.  Celestia’s perfect in your eyes.  She never, ever makes a mistake!”  Trixie spat.  “To hell with her.”
Twilight took another tack.  She couldn’t believe Trixie had fallen so far so fast.  “Trixie, why?  Why are you doing this?”
Trixie stopped.  “I still can’t believe you don’t understand it.  Well, I will tell you, and maybe you’ll finally get it.”  Her eyes met Twilight’s.  “You ruined me, Twilight.  More than that ursa minor, more than even Celestia.  Congratulations.  You destroyed the Great and Powerful Trixie.”
“How?”
“The first time was bad enough.  The news of what happened with the ursa minor spread faster than I could trot.  Everyone knew that the Great and Powerful Trixie was just a charlatan, a fake.  I wasn’t, but that’s what they thought!”  Trixie’s voice rose.  “I couldn’t find anypony who wanted to watch my show.  I was run out of every town from Appleloosa to Canterlot.  I had to work on a rock farm just to eat!
“That’s when I found the Alicorn Amulet in a pawn shop in Las Pegasus.  I wanted you to know how I felt, Twilight.  I wanted you to know what it was like to be run out.  The whole ‘taking over Ponyville’ was the amulet’s influence, but it was acting on my impulse.  I wanted…I wanted to know what it felt like to have true power.
“Then after you defeated me with your damned tricks,” Trixie snapped, “I had to run again.  It was worse, if that was possible.  Before ponies just laughed at me.  Now they wanted to hurt me.  Some of them wanted to even kill me, I think, for defying your precious Princess.  I went hungry, Twilight.  For days.  I wanted to die.  In fact, I even tried to kill myself once or twice.  I even failed at that.”  She began to cry.  “I wished, I begged for death, Twilight!  Don’t you understand?  I want to die!”
Twilight reached out a hoof.  “Trixie, you could’ve come back to Ponyville.  I forgave you.  I told you that.”
“And Celestia?  And your friends?”
“Yes, them too.”
“Even Pinkie Pie?  I stole her mouth!”
Twilight risked a smile.  “Trixie, Pinkie Pie is the hardest pony in Equestria to offend.  She’ll probably throw you a party.”
For a moment, Twilight thought she was getting through.  Trixie looked at the ground.  “A party…”  Then she shook her head angrily.  “No! You lie! They hate me!”  Tears were running freely now.  “Everypony hates me!”
“That’s not true, Trixie.”  Twilight took a step forward.  “Please, Trixie.  This isn’t you.”
“You don’t know anything about me.  Don’t pretend like you do.”
“Maybe so.  But I’d like to learn.”
Trixie’s eyes burned with rage.  “You’ll never learn.  Never.  I’m going to kill you for what you did to me, but before you do, you’re going to hurt just like I did.  I’m going to teach you one last lesson, Twilight.”
“And that will help how?” Twilight pleaded.  “You kill me, and Princess Celestia will come after you, like she did with Sombra and Nightmare Moon.  Maybe she’ll exile you to the moon or turn you into living stone like Discord.  It’ll solve nothing, Trixie!  It won’t make things better.”
“You’re right, Twilight.  It won’t.  But at least I won’t be ashamed anymore.”
Twilight realized what Trixie meant.  “You…you’re going to—“
“Stop it!”  Trixie stomped her forehooves.  “I learned a lot in the Smoky Mountains, Twilight.  I found a teacher.  He was more than happy to teach anypony who was an enemy of Celestia.  Now you better defend yourself, or don’t.  It doesn’t matter either way!”
“Trixie—“
Trixie’s horn flared.  Three bolts of energy shot from it.  Twilight dodged, and two of them missed.  The third hit her in the flank, scorching hair and causing her to yelp. She glanced at the wound—it wasn’t bad—then looked around to see another three bolts heading for her.  She concentrated, and the missiles sparked against an invisible shield.
Trixie cocked her head to one side in thought, and smiled.  This time, she let loose a blast of lightning.  The electricity danced across Twilight’s shield.  The purple unicorn concentrated even harder, and the lightning abruptly died.  
“Not bad,” Trixie remarked.  “Shielding yourself and then dissipating my lightning.  But you’ll never win on just defense, Twilight.”
“Trixie, don’t make me do this—“
“Oh, shut up.”  Trixie reared on her hind legs, then dropped back to all fours, unleashing a ray of pure sunlight that lit up the trees around them.  Twilight braced for it; the shield held, but she could feel the heat leaking through.  Then she suddenly had to shift her shield to the right, as two trees were uprooted and flung against the shield; Twilight was barely able to change her shield from one of pure energy to something more solid.  The trees shattered, but she felt pain erupt from her temples.  As she turned back to face Trixie, three crystals appeared around the other unicorn and shot towards Twilight.  She brought the shield back, too late: all three sliced into her, one cutting across her shins, another her flank, and the third across her cutie mark, leaving trails of blood.  Twilight gasped in pain.  Three more blades struck in quick succession, drawing more blood from her withers and her face.  The shield flared and died.
“How was that?” Trixie asked, the taunting tone in her voice that Twilight recognized all too well.  “Does it hurt, Twilight Sparkle?  Good.  I want it to hurt.  I want it to hurt a lot.”
“How…are you able to do that?”  Twilight gritted her teeth.  The cuts were thin and not deep, designed to inflict pain more than kill.  “You were never this powerful!”
“Oh, I was.  I just didn’t know how to use it.  Here I was, wasting my time on cute little party favors like fireworks and illusions.”  Trixie began her stalking again.  “I learned, though.  Didn’t Celestia teach you offensive spells, Twilight?  I guess not.  A bookworm, devoted to reading books.  Pampered and soft.  You didn’t grow up like I did, digging in the dirt.  I didn’t have a warm palace to live in!”
“That’s it.  That does it.”  Twilight faced her.  “You want a fight, Trixie?  You got one.”
“Show me.” Trixie did not smile.
Twilight lowered her head and stamped her hoof.  Trixie looked surprised.  “You’re going to try to charge me?  That’s kind of—“
Instead, a blast of energy fired from Twilight’s horn, a focused blast that let out a whine of superheated air.  Trixie barely moved her head to one side, turning what would’ve been a devastating blow to a graze, but she couldn’t stop a scream of agony as it left a deep burn across her temple.  “You…that would’ve killed me!”  Trixie sounded surprised.
In actuality, Twilight had not aimed to kill, but she had aimed to take off one of Trixie’s ears.  To her own surprise, Twilight realized that she wouldn’t have minded if the bolt had hit Trixie right between the eyes and blown her brains out.  Now she was angry.  “If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead,” Twilight snarled.  “That was a warning.  You’d better give up, because if you don’t, you’ll find out just what Princess Celestia taught me.”
Trixie let out a unpony-like growl of frustration and let loose more lightning.  Twilight leapt to one side, conjured her own razors—four of them, unlike Trixie’s three—and cut all four of Trixie’s legs.  Now both ponies were bleeding.  Trixie sucked in her breath, clenching her teeth, not wanting to show pain.  Their horns and eyes were glowing with magic now.
 I need to end this, Twilight thought, looking for an opening.  The noise would’ve woken everypony in town by now, ponies would be running towards the noise—she had a brief horrible vision of fillies like Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom--and she suspected that Trixie would stop at nothing now, even hurting foals.  The other unicorn had nothing to lose.  Twilight reared back, lifted her gaze to the night sky, breathed a prayer, and summoned the most powerful spell she knew.
A comet flared to life above the Everfree Forest and streaked towards Trixie.  Twilight knew that there was no magic shield that could stop it, and aimed it at Trixie’s forehooves; it would explode there, hurt the other pony, probably knock her out, possibly kill her.  Twilight was beyond caring.  The duel needed to end, now.
Trixie, to Twilight’s surprise, only smiled.  She spoke one word: “Deflection.”
Without warning, the comet snapped downwards, knocked off course.  Trixie’s timing was off: instead of blasting Twilight, it landed between them.  The ground exploded, leaving a deep crater, but while Trixie absorbed the blast with a shield spell, Twilight went flying backwards—but rolled on landing, to her hooves.
Trixie threw her a sardonic salute, and Twilight couldn’t resist a wry smile.  Not bad, Twi, she thought.  Who would’ve thought all those gymnastics Pinkie made me do would come in handy?  I didn’t even think! I just did it! Then she staggered and fell.  The adrenaline abruptly wore off and she could feel the deep bruises stones and earth left on her body.  
“Get on your hooves,” Trixie snapped.  “I want you on them when you die.”
Twilight had a very Rainbow Dash-like thought.  “Bite me, Trixie.”  She shakily got to her hooves, then shot a fireball at her enemy.  
“Fireball?  Well, well.”  Trixie’s shield was still up, but Twilight anticipated that.  The flaming sphere suddenly vanished in a purple flare.  “Nice try,” the other unicorn said, and her shield disappeared, only to appear behind her.  “I knew you were shoot it behind me.”
“Wrong,” Twilight replied.  The fireball appeared directly in front of Trixie once more and exploded.  Twilight heard her scream, but then the fire flashed to steam.  Trixie stepped through the curtain, her fur scorched and smoking.  Now it was she who was shaking; Twilight could see that the burns were deep.  Trixie had to be in terrible pain, but she was still up.  The ice sphere she had conjured around her bubbled to water.
Twilight braced herself, throwing up her own shield when she saw Trixie’s horn spark.  No bolts of energy or lightning came at her; rather the ground itself erupted, boulders blasting through the soil all around her, collapsing the earth.  Twilight levitated as much as she could, which was not much, but enough to escape.
Trixie, she could see, could not take much more.  Twilight felt exhausted, but Trixie was bleeding from her nose and eyes.  She’s consuming herself, Twilight saw in horror. She’s using herself like a battery.  Even if I don't kill her, she’s going to kill herself.
“Trixie,” Twilight gasped, “for the love of Equestria! You’ve got to stop this.  You’re going to die!”
“Just die!” Trixie shrieked, and let fly with a fireball much as Twilight had.  It burned its way towards the other pony at supersonic speed.
Except Twilight was no longer there.  With a purple flash, she vanished a split-second before the fireball would’ve consumed her, and reappeared right next to Trixie.  At this range, Twilight could hardly miss: she summoned a hammer of wind that sent Trixie flying into a tree.  Even over the roar of the fireball exploding against a rock and her thumping heart, Twilight could hear ribs snap.  Trixie went down and stayed there.
Slowly, painfully, Twilight limped over to her.  Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that other ponies had finally arrived: the mayor, Octavia, Vinyl Scratch, the Cakes, even Derpy.  In front of everypony were her friends: Rarity with Spike, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, leaving a rainbow trail as she arrived from her floating home.  Twilight idly wondered why some details stood out even amidst all the destruction, through the haze of pain: Rarity had her robe on backwards.
Trixie was barely breathing, her eyes a sliver of white.  Blood flecked her mouth in a pink froth; Twilight knew that meant a lung was punctured.  She weakly motioned with her hooves, and her horn gave a final, defiant glow.  “Please, Trixie,” Twilight pleaded.  “Please.  It’s over.”
“Not…yet.”   Her eyes flew open, fixed on Twilight, and her horn became blinding.  A single disintegrating beam blasted outwards, but Twilight anticipated it and teleported behind her.  The beam harmlessly went into the night.
“I knew you’d do that!” Twilight shouted.  “Dammit, stop!”
Trixie turned and looked back over her flank.  “I knew that you would do that, Twilight.”
“Do…what…”  Twilight realized that she was suddenly frozen.  She could not move, just like when she had been turned to stone by the cockatrice.  
Trixie struggled to her hooves.  Her breath came in ragged, bloody gasps, but she chuckled.  “Delayed action…hold spell.  Cast behind me.  You can’t move.”
Twilight’s ears flicked backwards.  The spell was already wearing off.  “Not for long, Trixie.  You can’t hold me for long.  You don’t have the strength.”
Trixie nodded.  “You’re right, Twilight.  I’ve got enough…one more spell.  Guess I’d better make it…a doozy, huh?”  She glanced back.  The other ponies had stopped: Rarity with her hooves at her mouth in shock; Fluttershy splayed on the ground, screaming in terror; Pinkie Pie, looking around frantically, unable to decide on what to do; Applejack, hesitating, afraid to get any closer.  Rainbow Dash had stopped as well, but both unicorns could see she was getting ready for a high speed run at Trixie.  “I told you…I’d kill them too…if they interfered…”
“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted.  “Stay back!”  It stopped Rainbow before her charge began.  “Trixie, one more spell will kill you!”
“Yes…I know.”  Trixie was crying, tears mixed with blood.  She coughed.  “The last of my power.  The Great and Powerful Trixie will go out…with quite the bang.”
Twilight realized what the other unicorn was going to do.  “Mother of Celestia, NO!”  Trixie began to glow.  Twilight looked at her friends.  “Run!  Leave me and RUN!”
“Too late,” Trixie whispered.  “Too late.  This will kill me, Twilight Sparkle.  It’ll kill me…you…everyone within a mile.  Disintegration…”  She sobbed.  “And now the show ends…”
Twilight’s world filled with black light.  The disintegration spell formed a globe of pure destruction, spreading outwards faster than even Rainbow Dash could fly.

> Heavy is the Crown
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   The grass was nice and cool, Twilight decided.  It felt good just to lie there.  Nothing seemed to hurt anymore.  It just felt…peaceful.  She wasn’t sure she wanted this to end.
 Am I dead? Twilight asked herself.  I must be dead.  Despite herself, she found the thought fascinating.  Nopony really knew what happened after one died; there were many theories, from the scientific to the metaphysical.  She wanted to find out, but then felt sad that she wouldn’t be able to report to Princess Celestia what being dead was like.  
She thought she heard someone calling her name.  It sounded dimly familiar.  Pinkie?  No, it’s not Pinkie or Applejack.  Rarity?  That makes sense.  None one of them would’ve gotten away in time.  Maybe Dash made it, but I guess we’re all dead now.  Could be worse, I guess.  At least we’re still together.  
The voice was insistent, coming over a curious ringing, buzzing noise.  Twilight risked opening an eye.  At first everything was white, then slowly she could make out shapes, and then colors.  Funny, Twilight mused, the afterlife looked a lot like the woods outside Ponyville.
“Twilight Sparkle, can you hear me?”  Twilight blearily looked over, and saw it was Princess Luna.  Her voice sounded like it was coming down a tunnel.  Why was Luna here?  Luna wasn't supposed to be dead.  “Speak to me, please.”
“Um,” was all Twilight could muster.  She wetted her lips and tried again.  “Luna?  Princess Luna?”  She could see Luna nod and smile.  “Am I dead?”
“No.”  Luna could be very direct at times.
“Oh.”  Twilight tested her limbs.  All answered her, though slowly.  Now the pain returned, building from slight aches to real hurt.  “Ow.”  Suddenly everything snapped back into place.  Twilight leapt to her hooves—or tried to.  She was upright for a second or two before she collapsed.  
“Now you stay down, sugarcube.”  Applejack came into view.  “Doctor Stable’s on his way.  You’ve been through the wringer, Twi’.”
“Applejack?  What about the others?  What about Ponyville?”
She felt soothing balm being spread over the cuts on her shins.  Rarity was at her side.  “We’re quite all right, Twilight, but you’re not.  Lie still, please.”
“But—Trixie’s last spell! It was a mass disintegration spell—it should’ve killed everypony—“
Rarity nodded down at her.  “It should have.”  She motioned at Luna.  “But it didn’t.”
“L-Luna?  How?”
“Spike contacted me.  Luckily for all of us, I happened to be napping in my sister’s bed when the message came in.”  Luna gave a shrug and a half-smile.  “As for the spell, I cancelled it.”  At Twilight’s expression of shock, the smile grew.  “Twilight Sparkle, I am an alicorn and a princess of the realm.  I do have certain powers.”  She looked up.  “Again, luckily Trixie picked the night to attack, when I am strongest.  If it had been during the day…” Luna preferred not to finish that sentence.
“Trixie!” Twilight tried to get up again, only to have Applejack’s hoof firmly planted on her chest.  “What happened to Trixie?”
“She’s alive,” It was Spike who answered, in a tone of voice that obviously wished Trixie wasn’t.  He climbed down from Applejack’s back.  “Barely.”
“For now!”  Rainbow Dash landed next to Twilight.  “Oh my gosh, Twilight, you look like crap!”  Rarity thumped her with a hoof.  “Hey!”
“Bedside manner!” Rarity exclaimed.  “Really, Rainbow!”
“Well, she does!”
“But you don’t have to tell her that!” Fluttershy was remarkably firm, Twilight thought.  She turned to the unicorn and began to cry.  “Twilight, oh no, Twilight…”
“Is she okay?  Really okay?”  Pinkie Pie bounded over.  “Twilight!  You’re okay!  You’re okay, right?”
“I’m all right, Pinkie.”  She was not all right, but there was no point in upsetting Pinkie.
“You’re sure?”  Pinkie’s eyes were huge—well, more huge than normal.  “That’sgoodbecausewheneverythingturnedblackIthoughtweweredeadandIdon’tknowifdeadponieshavepartiesandIwassadbecauseGummywouldbeallaloneandIcan’tbelieveTrixiecoulddothisandyouwereawesomeTwilightsogladyou’reokay!”
Twilight smiled, though that hurt too.  Her friends were alive.  She lay back.  The pain didn’t seem so bad now.  Doctor Stable arrived with Nurse Redheart and gently pushed them aside.  Stable was going to help her sleep, which sounded like a very good idea to Twilight, but as the sleeping spell began to take hold, she grabbed for Luna.  “Luna, please!”
“Everything’s fine now, Twilight,” Luna reassured her.
“No, no…Trixie.  Don’t let her die, Princess.  Please.”
“That’s not up to me.”
“Please, Luna…”  Twilight’s eyelids fluttered.  “Please…don’t let her…die…”  Then the black curtain of unconsciousness rolled down and Twilight drifted into blissful, painless sleep.

Princess Celestia stared out the window of her palace.  Behind her, Luna waited patiently.  She had been waiting for several minutes now.  They were alone; Celestia had ordered the guards to leave them.  Celestia glanced at her sister, but Luna was not asleep on her hooves.  She was awake and alert, which was something, given that it was well past noon.  Briefly, Celestia wondered when Luna learned patience, but remembered, and the memory was like a spike in her heart.
“No,” she finally said.
“’Tia,” Luna pleaded.  Only Luna ever called her that.  It brought a brief smile to Celestia’s face, like it always did; she had not heard that pet name for a thousand years.  The smile faded as quickly as it came.
“No,” Celestia repeated.  She turned back to Luna.  “I can’t, Luna.  It must be done.”
“You can’t do it,” Luna told her.  “You didn’t do it to Discord.  You didn’t do it to me, for heaven’s sake.”
“Because you are my sister,” Celestia replied.  “As for Discord…” Her voice trailed off, and she looked out the window again.  Discord’s statue sat in her line of sight, just below the window, frozen in an expression of abject horror, as he realized that he had underestimated the power of friendship.  Celestia ordered the statue placed there instead of in the garden, both to keep an eye on the Spirit of Chaos and as a lesson, to herself.  Why didn’t I kill him? Celestia asked herself, not for the first time.  It would make things so much easier.  She herself had underestimated Discord, twice now.  It made sense to simply do away with him, and now it would be ridiculously easy…except for their past history.
Celestia put that aside and returned to the matter at hoof.  “Discord is different,” she said to Luna, who gave her an expression of disgusted disbelief.  “Luna, Trixie embarked on a personal vendetta to murder Twilight Sparkle.  Even if Twilight wasn’t my student and, yes, my friend, it wouldn’t make a difference.  Moreover, she intended to destroy Ponyville and everyone in it.  At best, Trixie is dangerously deranged.  At worst, she’s a mass murderer.  We’ve had those before, Luna, in the past.”  Long past, Celestia added to herself.  Equestria had a violent history that the plays and books tended to gloss over.  “And the punishment was the same.”  She shook her head.  “Luna, I’m sorry, but Trixie must pay for her crimes with her life.  No pony kills another.  That is my rule.”
Luna stared at her sister.  “And will you do it yourself?”
“You know that I will.”  Celestia refused to ask a pony to do something she would not do herself.  “It will be private, and swift.  I shall not let her suffer.  I am not cruel.”  She could swear that she could hear Discord’s mocking laughter behind her.
The two sisters stood in the center of the throne room for long minutes, neither speaking or looking at the other.  Then Luna spoke.  “What if I could reform her?”
“No, Luna.”
“’Tia, please, listen to me.  Trixie’s not beyond redemption.  If nothing else, let me try for Twilight’s sake! She begged me, pleaded with me, even as she sat there bleeding into the grass, to spare Trixie’s life.  Believe me, ‘Tia, my first instinct was to let Trixie die right there.  But Twilight, the very person she was trying to kill, stayed my hoof.”  Luna paused.  “How is Twilight, by the way?”
“Twilight is recovering.  Trixie did no permanent damage.”  Celestia faced Luna.  “And my answer is still no.”
“But Twilight—“
“Twilight will understand!” Celestia shouted, causing the castle to reverberate and the windows to rattle.  Celestia rarely felt the need to use her palace voice, but Luna simply would not give up.  
The echoes died away, but Luna did not turn away.  “Trixie will die, then, for the crimes of attempted murder—“
“Attempted mass murder.”
“Attempted mass murder,” Luna amended, “along with treason, ergo the attack on Ponyville and purposely training in the art of death magic from a known rogue—who we still haven’t identified yet.”  
“Once Trixie awakens, she will tell us before her time comes—before she’s put to death.”  Celestia hated herself for trying to use an euphemism.  Death was death.  
“And if she doesn’t tell us?”
“She will.”
Luna shook her head.  “And now you’re advocating torture, ‘Tia.”
“Compelling magic—“
“Torture.  I’ve seen compelling magic used, ‘Tia.  Remember?  Call it what it is.”
Celestia’s eyes narrowed, and Luna saw real anger mixed with anguish on her sister’s face, enough to make her take an involuntary step backwards.  It was the same expression that was her last memory of Celestia for a thousand years, as she was propelled to the moon.  “Luna, enough!  You know why I have to do this!  It’s for Equestria! It's always been for Equestria! Don’t you realize that?  Do you think I want to do this?  I have to!  I have no choice.  I must choose between the life of one pony and the lives of all.  To do that, I must be prepared to use everything I have to defend the realm.  
“I let Twilight talk me out of this before, and the result was nearly the death of an entire village—to say nothing of the Elements of Harmony!  What if you had been too late, Luna?  Think about that!”  Tears welled up in her eyes.  “Think about that…”
Luna trotted to her sister and put a hoof around her as she began to weep.  This was the Celestia nopony, not even Twilight Sparkle, knew.  Everypony else saw a demigoddess, a being of near unlimited power, a princess that had ruled benevolently for a millenia, somepony that was above emotions and the petty squabbles of the world below Canterlot, a pony of absolute reason and goodness.  Luna, however, knew that the crown rested uneasily on a princess who had to make all the hard decisions, who could never truly be friends with someone, who gave up everything for herself to preserve her realm.  She knew Celestia would carry out Trixie’s sentence, and that was the problem: she would carry out Trixie’s sentence, no matter how much it hurt Celestia personally.  Everything for Equestria, as it always had been and always would be, as long as Celestia drew breath.
Luna had one last card to play, and hated to do it, but it must be done.  Twilight wanted to save Trixie’s life, but Luna wanted to save her soul.  “Then why didn’t you kill me, ‘Tia?”
Celestia looked up and shook her head slowly.  “That is a horrible thing to say to me, Luna.”
“Were my crimes any worse than Trixie’s?  She only wanted to kill Twilight—admittedly, a terrible thing.  I wanted to plunge Equestria into eternal night.”  
“You—you weren’t in control.  Nightmare Moon was.”
“A valiant effort, sister, but we both know that the choice to become Nightmare Moon was mine.  Yes, I was corrupted, but I made the choice to be corrupted.  I was not wholly in control of my actions, but ultimately the responsibility was mine.  I won’t attempt to claim otherwise.  It is something I must live with.”  Luna gave her sister a friendly nuzzle.  “I can live with it because of Twilight and her friends—and because of you.  Let me try, ‘Tia.”
Celestia moved away from Luna, to face the window again.  She let out a long sigh.  “All right, Luna.  All right.”  She smiled wryly.  “I never could deny you anything, could I?  You’d just look at me with those eyes, and next thing I know I’m handing over my tea set and my dolls.  Father used to say you must have taken a thousand bits off of him with those eyes.”
“Yes, but he always liked you best, ‘Tia.”
“Hm.”  She fixed Luna with a stare.  “Reform her, Luna.  If she can’t, or she tries anything, then the sentence will be carried out.  Explain this to her.  As far as I am concerned, she remains under a sentence of death, and I reserve judgement.  Do you understand?”
“Completely.”
“Very well.”  She went back to staring at Discord.
Luna paused.  “’Tia, this probably isn’t the right time to ask, but…we didn’t spare Sombra’s life.  I’ve never regretted that.  It had to be done.  But you spared Discord—twice.  I was surprised you didn’t take his head after what he did to Twilight and her friends.  Why?”
“I don’t know.”  Celestia’s eyes were hard.  “Maybe it’s because I want to see the bastard suffer.”
    

> Tears of the Moon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Trixie floated in a world of white nothingness.  She was aware.  She could see—herself, anyway.  There was nothing but her.  The wounds on her body were there, but they didn’t hurt.  That was all right, at least.  Maybe she was dead, then.  Trixie looked around.  Was this it?  Was there nothing in the afterlife? She had heard old mare’s tales, of meeting ponies who had passed on and such.  Trixie did not really believe any of them, because she was the Great and Powerful Trixie, who knew no rivals.
Except one.
Twilight Sparkle appeared then, as she usually did in her dreams, but this was not the somewhat dimunitive purple unicorn—Trixie was actually no larger in size, but thought of herself as being so—but a towering, demonic giant with blood red eyes, horn and golden crown glowing with hellish energy, her mouth parted in a savage, fanged grin.  Wings spread in an arc around Trixie, but the feathers were metallic and sharp.  They tightened the arc, coming closer and closer until they tore into Trixie’s skin, reopening her wounds.  Agony shot through every nerve in her body, her ears assaulted by Twilight’s horrible cackling as she tortured Trixie.  Somehow, Trixie knew this would never end: the pain would be eternal.  She tried to scream but then realized she had no mouth—
Trixie’s eyes opened.  She drew in a breath.  Then another.  She could breathe.  “I’m…alive…”
“Yes, you are.”
She looked around and saw who spoke: Princess Luna.  Luna sat on her haunches, and as Trixie surveyed the room, she realized she was in the palace at Canterlot.  The bed she lay on was actually quite comfortable, though as she moved, the pain started.  It was not as bad as the dream, though.
Then Trixie remembered.  She turned away from Luna.  “Ponyville.  I destroyed it, didn’t I?”
“No.”
“And Twilight Sparkle?”
“Alive.”
“How?  I cast a mass disintegration spell.”
“Which I cancelled out.”
Trixie turned back to her, eyes wide.  “You can do that?”
Luna rolled her eyes.  “I raise the moon every night, and ponies are shocked that I can cast magic? ”
There was silence for a few minutes, then Trixie spoke.  “Kill me.”
“No.”
Trixie tried to fill her voice with as much venom as it would hold.  “Kill me while you can.”  It sounded pathetic.
“Why?”
The question took Trixie utterly by surprise.  She stared at Luna.  “I think it's plainly obvious.  I tried to kill Celestia’s prize student.  I was going to destroy Ponyville.  For that matter, I enslaved Ponyville before all of this.  By Celestia’s law, any of that is punishable by death.”
“’Tis true.”
Trixie motioned around the chamber.  “Then why the nice treatment?  Why am I still alive, or at least not chained up in a dungeon somewhere?”  She met Luna’s eyes.  “Or on the moon?”
Luna’s tail lashed.  Her pleasant expression vanished—but only for a moment.  “Because I believe in you, Trixie.”
It was Trixie’s turn to roll her eyes.  “Oh, please.  You think there’s still good in me or something?  I remember that from books I read when I was a filly.  A foal turns his father back to the good and gains his cutie mark.  Well, there’s no good in me, Luna, and I’d much rather get it over with.”
Luna said nothing for a moment.  “Then why didn’t you destroy Ponyville or kill Twilight Sparkle?”
“I tried.”
“Did you?”  Luna stood and stretched her wings.  “No one saw you enter Ponyville.  You could’ve trotted to the town square and wiped the town off the map.  As far as Twilight goes, why not wait until she was asleep and cut her throat with a magic dagger?” 
“I wanted her to know it was me that killed her.”
“Ah, you wanted a dramatic exit.”
Trixie considered that for a moment.  Luna was right: it would have been easier to take Twilight by surprise.  For that matter, she could have poisoned Twilight, acted like her friend and then slipped a few drops of nightshade into her water trough.  Or killed her silently with a spell in Twilight’s own library.  No one would’ve ever known who the culprit was.  Celestia would’ve figured it out eventually, probably, but by that time Trixie would be long gone.  There were a few places on Equestria where Celestia’s long hoof did not reach.
Yet Trixie knew exactly why she had challenged Twilight to the magic duel.  Assassin tricks were not the way of the Great and Powerful Trixie.  Standing over Twilight’s dying body, defying even Celestia in an epic last stand, or killing both Twilight and herself in an awesome act of mutual destruction—yes, that was how the Great and Powerful Trixie should die.
Then Trixie began to cry.  She couldn’t even get revenge right.
Luna watched her.  Trixie finally couldn’t stand the princess’ stare.  “What are you looking at?” Trixie bawled.
“Myself.”  Luna walked away.

The next day, Trixie was allowed to walk around.  Her wounds were largely healed, through magic, though she winced with each hoofstep at her still-cracked ribs.  There would be scars as well, though hard to see through her blue hair.
She noticed there were plenty of guards around, all of them stoic and expressionless as usual, except for their eyes.  The eyes followed her everywhere, and not a few of them clearly would happily volunteer to be the one to kill her.  Twilight Sparkle was popular with the Royal Guards—her brother was once their commander, after all—and news traveled fast.  Trixie sighed.  Clearly the only reason she was being treated decently was to get her healthy enough to stand trial, after which she would be convicted, and then executed.
It didn’t explain why Luna was being so kind to her, however.  Her last words the day before haunted Trixie.  As they walked through the palace garden, she finally asked the alicorn, “What did you mean by that, that you saw yourself?”
Luna smiled.  “I should think the Great and Powerful Trixie would have deduced my meaning.”
“Please don’t call me that.”
“Very well.”
Trixie stared at Luna, who took in a deep breath of the night air and smiled pleasantly.  The unicorn felt adrift.  She understood the guards’ hate; she understood Celestia’s reasoning for her to be back to full health for the trial.  She did not understand why Luna, Nightmare Moon for the love of Equestria, was so accomodating.  Coming from Celestia, she could almost believe it; she could certainly believe it coming from Twilight Sparkle, the naïve little idiot.  But not Luna, the alicorn of the night.  
“Well?” Luna asked.  “Have you not figured out why I said that?”  Luna certainly hoped so; she had only figured out why she had said it three hours afterwards, after a lot of thought and a few glazed ones down at Donut Joe's.  Trixie gave a shake of her head, and Luna stopped.  
And began.
“Trixie, what you attempted to do—and did, by your actions with the Alicorn Amulet—is indeed punishable by death.  There is no question of that.  The Royal Court would not take very long to come to that conclusion.  I do not mind telling you that my sister strongly desires it.”
“Celestia the Cruel,” Trixie snapped.
To her surprise, Luna only laughed.  “Please, Trixie, enough.  Your attempts into goading me into killing you make no impression on me.  I am almost two thousand years old; I have heard far worse and tolerated much.  That is one of the reasons why you’re still alive.”
Now Trixie was thoroughly confused.  “Why’s that?”
“Because you want to die.”  Before Trixie could say anything, Luna kept talking.  “I know the feeling.  After being freed from Nightmare Moon…death is all I wanted.  I wanted my sister to kill me, as you do."
“And instead Ponyville threw you a ‘welcome back, thanks for not murdering us’ party,” Trixie said sarcastically.
“’Tis true.  But do you think that made things better, or worse?  How did you feel after Twilight defeated you with…what was it, a doorstop?”
Trixie felt the rage build.  “Thank you ever so much for reminding me.”
Luna ignored that.  “It made things worse, the party did.  It brought me face to face with the very ponies that I wanted to destroy.  For you, watching Twilight perform for the Saddle Arabians must have been like a slap to the muzzle.”
Trixie reluctantly nodded.  “You’re right about that.”  She looked at Luna.  “But you did all that under the influence of Nightmare Moon.”
“Nightmare Moon would’ve been powerless without me.” Luna took a deep breath.  This was not something she liked to relive, but she had to.  “You know the story of how I became Nightmare Moon; I will not bore you with that.  What you do not know is the aftermath.
“I was exiled to the moon for a thousand years, Trixie.  Can you imagine a thousand years passing?  No, you cannot.  You are too young, and too mortal.  I can, however, because I lived it.  
“While there are some creatures up there, most of my exile was spent in silence.  Every morning, I saw the sun come up over Equestria with the knowledge that my sister was raising it.  I knew that the moon’s very movement was due to my sister.  I screamed at her, Trixie.  I screamed until my voice was gone.  I screamed that I was sorry, that I hated her, that I would kill her…” Luna fought back the tears.  So many years, wasted.  “And every day, Nightmare Moon grew more powerful.  I let her.  I wanted her to.  The hate filled the hole in my heart.  When the stars aligned and I was able to escape, all I could think of was how all of Equestria would suffer.  Instead of the joy a prisoner should feel when her sentence ends, all I wanted was to make everyone feel the same pain I did.  I wanted them to hurt.  I wanted to see them scream in terror as Nightmare Moon came to devour them.  
“Which is why I started with Ponyville.  I had no idea Twilight and her friends were there.  They were unknown to me.  All I knew was that the Elements of Harmony were nearby and I must destroy them, the most powerful weapon Celestia had at her disposal.  I could’ve just as easily attacked Canterlot directly, but the Elements weren’t the only thing that drew me there.  I wanted to make the ponies suffer—because if they suffered, my sister would.”
Luna glanced at Trixie.  She expected to see an expression of horror, or hatred.  Instead, she saw understanding.  Trixie knew.
“And that would not be the end of it,” Luna continued.  “I would plunge Equestria into eternal night.  Celestia could not raise the sun, because I would not lower the moon.  Darkness would cover all.  Crops would die without the sun.  It would be worse than the blizzard that led to the founding of Equestria.”
Luna looked up at the starry sky.  She could not stop the tears now.  “The foals would go first.  They would starve.  Mares would roll over on top of them, smother them quickly rather than let them die by inches.  Food might still exist in some places, and wars would break out over who would possess them.  The pegasi would try to get to the moon, I think, but of course they would die in the attempt.  And many would try to kill Nightmare Moon…and fail.”  She turned her gaze on Trixie; now the unicorn was horrified at last, thinking of a ruined, cold, dark world of a night that would never end.  “That is what I wanted, Trixie.  Nightmare Moon wanted it, to be sure, but she would be nothing but a dark spirit in the void if I was not for my hate.  You only wanted to kill Twilight Sparkle; I wanted to kill the entire world.  Now…which of us is the greater criminal?”
Trixie gulped.  “And…after all that… Celestia still spared you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”  Trixie checked herself.  “Because you’re her sister.”
“Because she loved me, Trixie.”
Trixie thought about that for a moment.  “I’m sorry for what I did to Ponyville, Princess Luna.  But…I…I still want…”
“…to kill Twilight Sparkle?”
Trixie looked at her hooves.  “Maybe.  I don’t know anymore.  I just can’t…every time I think of her, I just want to…do something!”  She stomped the ground in frustration.  “She just makes me so damn angry!”
“Why?”
“Because…she’s better than me!”  Suddenly, Trixie could not stop talking, and months of frustration poured out.  “She’s so perfect, Luna!  Everything about her!  She’s Celestia’s little pet!  She’s got all of her friends, who think she’s just so great—even that moron Rainbow Dash, who’s got an ego the size of an ursa major, looks up to her! Ponyville practically worships her.  Her magic is perfect and she can take out ursa minors and she can even fool me with stupid illusions!  Me! The Great and Powerful Trixie, who can whip up illusions with the very best!
“Do you know what that’s like, Luna?  To want to be the very best?  All of her so-called friends want to be the best.  I saw that in Ponyville when I ran the place, you know.  Rarity wants to be the best dressmaker.  Applejack wants to be the best farmer.  Rainbow Dash wants to be the fastest.  That dolt Pinkie Pie wants to be the best at partying.  Even that doormat Fluttershy wants to be the best at being with animals.  Nopony comes after them or makes fun of them for wanting that—but that’s all I get!  No, Trixie, sorry, you don’t get to be the best—Twilight Sparkle’s got that all sewed up!”  Trixie was crying again.  “There, now I’m crying.  See?  I can’t even get angry right.  I bet Twilight Sparkle doesn’t cry!”  Trixie wiped at her eyes with a hoof.  “You don’t even know what that’s like, Luna.  To want to be the best and realize that there’s always going to be someone better than you.  That nobody gives a damn if you live or die, because you’re nothing special.  You don’t know what it’s like!”
“Trixie,” Luna said quietly, “I know exactly what that’s like.”
“How? How could you?  You’re a princess! An alicorn!  You’re rich!  You can have anything you want—“
“Trixie, who is my sister?”
Trixie stopped instantly, her mouth open.   
Luna nodded.  Then she began to walk towards the palace.  “It’s late for you, Trixie, and early for me.  Go to sleep.  We’ll continue this conversation later.”       

> End of Dreams
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  “Twilight Sparkle?”
Twilight looked up from the book she was reading.  The door to the library stood open, though she did not hear it open.  “Trixie?”
“Yes.”  Trixie did not meet her gaze.
“What are you doing here?”
“Princess Celestia has spared my life.  In return for it, I am to be your assistant.”  Trixie smiled a little.  “To learn the magic of friendship, or something.”
Twilight magicked the book back to its place in the library.  “Well, I already have two assistants, Trixie, but if the Princess wants you to learn about friendship…” Twilight smiled.  “You’ve come to the right place.”
“I wasn’t sure you’d accept me, after what I did.”
Twilight trotted over to her and put her hooves on Trixie’s shoulders.  “Of course I will.  I forgive you, Trixie.  Deep down, I know you’re a good pony.”
“I wish you hadn’t said that.”  Trixie lowered her head, and plunged her horn directly into Twilight’s throat.  
Twilight’s eyes widened in shock, then she gasped.  Her attempts to breathe became more frantic and panicked as she could not get air; her hooves went to her throat in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.  After a few moments, the purple pony collapsed.  After a few more moments, her mouth stopped moving and her eyes became glassy.  
Twilight Sparkle was dead.
Trixie stared down at the lifeless pony.  At long last, her nemesis was gone.  Nothing else mattered now.  Not reforming herself, not Luna’s mercy, not Celestia’s justice.  Only her revenge.  She gazed at her reflection in Twilight’s blood and felt nothing.  
Something appeared in the red reflection next to her: a gray dragon’s head, with a white mane and goatee, a blue horn and an antler, and a snaggletoothed fang.  Trixie jumped, startled.  “D-Discord?”
“Ah, it’s always so nice to be recognized.  You must be the Great and Powerful Trixie.”  Discord suddenly acquired a top hat, which he swept off in a bow.  “I bow to your superior skill, madam.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He motioned at Twilight’s body with a show of shock.  “As if there was any doubt, Trixie! You have killed Twilight Sparkle!”  He bowed his head and closed his eyes, putting his top hat over his heart.  “Ah, poor little Twilight.  Shuffling off her mortal coil—“ he made a springing noise “—at the hands of a fellow unicorn.  She never saw it coming.  She always was a bit naïve.”  He opened his eyes.  “Granted, I wanted to mess with her a bit more, not kill her, but oh well…beggars can’t be choosers.”  Discord now was wearing a finely-cut business suit, and adjusted his tie.  “Now then, down to business.”
“I didn’t do this for you, Discord,” Trixie snarled.  
“No, no, of course not!" Discord seemed genuinely offended.  "I would never take away your revenge.  But let’s talk about your future now.”
Trixie did not look at him.  “I have no future.  Celestia will be here any minute to kill me.”
“Ah, but Celestia can’t kill you, my dear Trixie.”  Discord conjured a desk and chair, and he leaned back and put his mismatched feet up.  “See, Equestria will be under new management now—my management.  And it just so happens I need someone like you, Trixie.  Someone in, shall we say, the business of enforcement.”  His grin turned malevolent.
“I won’t help you, Discord.”
“But you already have.”  He pointed down at Twilight’s body and chortled.  “Thanks to you, there’s no Elements of Harmony now.  I got out of my statue once.  I’ll do it again.  And this time, nothing will stop me.”
Trixie laughed with irony.  “Celestia and Luna will.”
“But not if they’re distracted.”  Trixie whirled and was muzzle-to-muzzle with the gray-furred, aquamarine maned Queen Chrysalis.  Her deep green eyes threw back Trixie’s reflection.  “Celestia will be mourning her favorite student.  It will break her heart…and that just gives me an opportunity to move back in, won’t it?” Chrysalis laughed.  “I feed on all emotions, Great and Powerful One—including despair.  You’ve just provided me a feast, not just of Celestia, but of all of Twilight’s friends too.  Ponyville’s going to be a veritable buffet line.”
“Now you just hold on, Chrysalis,” Discord snapped.  “Trixie’s coming with me.  I need a middle manager.”
“Damn you, Discord!” Chrysalis hissed back, putting a proprietary hoof on Trixie’s shoulder.  “She’s with me.  I’ll need someone to rule as regent over Equestria while I conquer other worlds!”
“Don’t listen to her, Trixie,” Discord said.  “What can Queen Cheesehooves offer here?  I am offering you a chance to punish anypony you want!”
“I am giving you an opportunity to rule!” Chrysalis shouted with a thunderclap.
“I offer medical and dental and a decent retirement plan—“
At that point, Trixie woke up.  Very quickly, she realized that one, she was in bed, and two, it was a dream.  “Great,” she grumped, “I can’t even get my dreams right.”

There was no point in sleeping after that, so Trixie got up and paced over to the window.  It was still dark.  Her internal clock told her that dawn wouldn’t be for at least another two hours.  
A knock sounded at her door.  “Come in,” she called out, when the knock became insistent.  She wondered why whoever it was simply didn’t trot in; after all, she was still under house arrest.
“Trixie? Are you awake?”  It was Luna.
“Yes.”  
Luna walked over to her, her shod hooves clicking on the immaculate tile floor.  Trixie already noticed how clean everything in Canterlot was.  “I saw your dream,” Luna said simply.
“You did? How?”  Trixie rolled her eyes.  “That was a stupid question.  Alicorn magic.”
“Actually, no,” Luna corrected.  She looked a bit embarrassed.  “As Princess of the Night, I can see into other ponies’ dreams.”
Trixie was stunned, and a little horrified.  “That’s…kind of terrifying.”
Luna half-smiled.  “I do not do it on a regular basis.  If I sense a pony having a nightmare, or a spike of fear, then I might intervene.  Otherwise, I do not peek.  It would be poor manners.”
“You can sense fear, as well?”
“Intense fear, yes.  Sometimes,” Luna amended.  “It does not always work.”
“Can you change the outcome of a dream?”
“I can guide the dreamer onto a different path—make an unpleasant dream better.  But if the dreamer rejects me or ignores me, then there’s nothing I can do.”
“You didn’t intervene in my dream.”  Trixie sighed.  Was she about to be betrayed again?  “Well, now you and Celestia have intent.  I murdered Twilight in my dream—in a particularly gory fashion, I might add.  Is that why you were watching me?”  Trixie admitted to herself that the dream bothered her more than she could say.  She had killed Twilight Sparkle many times in her dreams, almost as many times as Twilight had killed her.  Up to this point, it was always with magic, never with her horn.  Twilight’s murder was almost casual that way.
“No.  I suspected you might have nightmares, so I watched you.  I know it was an invasion of your privacy—“
Trixie waved it off.  “I’m a prisoner, Luna.  Privacy is something I no longer have.”
“Nonetheless, I would not have done so normally.”  Luna paused.  “The curious thing is, you were not having a nightmare.”
Trixie sighed.  There was no point in hiding it.  Sooner or later, Equestria’s princesses would have it out of her.  “It’s not really a new dream, either…well, parts of it were.  I’ve never killed Twilight with my horn before.”  Trixie glanced upwards at her horn, half expecting it to be dripping with blood.  “Weird that we don’t use it for a weapon much anymore, huh?  Come to think of it, I’ve never had Discord or Chrysalis show up either.”
“Do you feel that either have any sort of…influence over you?”
Trixie laughed harshly.  “No, Luna.  It would be easy to claim that Discord controlled me, but I won’t make that excuse.  Whatever else I’ve lost, I still have my pride.”  She shrugged.  “For all the good it’s done me.”
“Then I know the reason why they appeared in your dream.”  Luna’s expression was sad and stern at the same time.  “Have you ever been in a war, Trixie?”  The unicorn shook her head.  “I have.  Long before you were even thought of, long before even Nightmare Moon.  I killed, Luna—with my horn, once or twice.  Other ponies.”  She turned away.  “I am not proud of this fact.”
“How did you feel?”  Trixie realized it was not a question she should ask, but she had to know if Luna felt the same emptiness she did.
“It was war, so I was killing rather than murdering—though I suppose that is a matter of semantics.  How did I feel?”  Luna was silent for a few moments.  “I do not really know.  Triumphant, which sounds sickening, but they would have killed me if I had not killed them.  Sad, that my sister and I were forced into that position.  And…shame.”
Trixie turned away as well.  “I didn’t feel all that triumphant in my dream, Luna.  But I didn’t feel sad, either.  I just felt…nothing.  I don’t know why.”  Another sigh.  “Further proof that I’m irredeemable, I guess.  As if there was any doubt.” She said her show-ending catchphrase deliberately, bitterly.
Luna put a protective wing over her.  “No one is irredeemable unless they choose to be, Trixie.  But there is a lesson to be learned here.”
“And that is?”
“When you kill someone, you not only take away their life, but you take away all they could ever be.”
“I suppose.”  Trixie stared at Luna.  “Wait.  You did that, didn’t you?  You put in Discord and Chrysalis!”
“No.”  Luna’s voice reverberated slightly, which Trixie had already learned was an imminent sign of anger.  “I don’t create dreams, Trixie.  I already said I can only guide them.  If anyone created Discord and Chrysalis, it was you.”  The alicorn turned her back on Trixie and stomped off; the latter sensed she had hit a nerve.  Was that how Nightmare Moon would’ve ruled? Trixie thought with an involuntary shiver.  By striking at us in our dreams?  Mother of Celestia…nopony would be safe.  She would have known about any plot to overthrow her or kill her.  Even in our dreams! Suddenly Trixie knew just what Luna’s burden must be like, and just what an insult she had given.  
“Princess Luna,” Trixie addressed her.  Luna stopped at the threshold.  “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have said that.”
Luna blew out her breath.  Her wing feathers visibly smoothed themselves, and her tail stopped lashing.  “No, you should not have.  But…I forgive you for it.”  She glanced back over her flank.  “The question is, can you forgive yourself?”  Luna continued on.  “I must go, Trixie.  The night is almost over.”
Trixie watched the door close with a note of finality.  Then she turned back to the window, putting her forehooves on the windowsill.  Gradually, the sky lightened, then the sun appeared and began its march upwards—pulled by Celestia’s magic.  An earth pony or pegasi would not have felt the incredible surge of magic radiating from the palace, and beyond Canterlot, it was doubtful that many unicorns would have either.  Trixie, on the other hand, almost always felt it; she was strong in magic.  She had always been that way: her mother had sensed it, and in the tough times—and those were many without a father Trixie had ever known—her mother sustained her with stories that she would be something special.  After her mother’s death and striking out on her own as a traveling magician, it was what still kept her going.  
Then again, it was also what motivated her to despise Twilight Sparkle and want her dead.
The magic faded; once Celestia gave the sun a tug, it was on its way and no further assistance was needed.  Trixie sat there, watching it rise.  She thought about Luna’s words, and the possibilities.  She’d never really thought about that before.  
First, Twilight Sparkle.  What if she had killed Twilight?  True, Discord was imprisoned and the Crystal Empire was free of the demonic King Sombra, but Chrysalis and her changelings were still out there, somewhere.  Trixie had avoided Canterlot and the hoopla about the wedding of Cadance and Shining Armor—after all, they would be the center of attention, not the Great and Powerful Trixie—so she missed the Battle of Canterlot.  Twilight and the other Bearers of Harmony were instrumental in Chrysalis’ defeat.  Of course she was, Trixie thought miserably.  Still, if Chrysalis were to return, or some other horror appear, and the Elements of Harmony crippled by Twilight’s death, then Equestria would suffer…and it would be Trixie’s fault.
Or would it?  Granted, murdering Twilight would not exactly be the way towards becoming a Bearer herself; Celestia would be a bit upset, Trixie chuckled wryly to herself.  Still, what if something happened to Twilight?  If she wasn’t available, if she was sick or incapacitated, or if someone else had killed her?  Then Trixie might be the next Element of Magic…
Trixie sighed.  She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.  No, she thought, I could never be that.  I’ve read the stories; it’s why I came to challenge them in the first place, to see if I was just as good as the Elements of Harmony.  To use the Elements requires all six of Twilight and her friends.  What was it, Loyalty, Generosity, Honesty…what were the other two?  Oh yes, Laughter—ugh, that idiot Pinkie Pie!  I can’t remember the last one that Fluttershy represents.  Whatever.  I don’t have six friends.  I don’t have…any…
She felt the tears coming and angrily fought them back.  They wouldn’t stop.  She had lost all control of herself.  Trixie dropped to the floor and cried like she never cried before.  Yet she was not crying just because she realized how alone she was.  She cried because it never had to be that way.  She cried because she knew that she would never have friends, ever.  The Great and Powerful Trixie would be mentioned in the same breath as the worst villains in Equestrian history, a genocidal, selfish maniac who had attempted to destroy the realm’s best defense against evil out of nothing more than jealousy.  Most of all, she cried because there was no way out.  Every path left open to her ended in her ignominious retreat, and likely death.
After almost an hour, Trixie finally had no tears left.  She shakily got to her hooves, staggered over to the mirror, and looked at the wreck that stared back at her.  Her mane was frazzled, her coat was bedraggled, her tail desperately needed a clipping, and she still bore the angry welts, cuts, burns and bruises of her battle.  “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie,” she sniffed.  
Resolutely, Trixie went to the washroom and bathed herself.  Canterlot’s royal palace did not scrimp, even for prisoners, and so she used the most expensive shampoo she had ever seen.  When Trixie stepped from the bath, her coat and mane shone like it never had before.  Using her magic, she brushed both coat and mane, taking an hour to do so.  To her surprise, she was able to conjure her cape and hat, or reasonable fascimiles thereof.  Then she stood in front of the mirror again.  “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie,” she told herself, with conviction this time.  “This is my final act.  And I will meet it with courage.”
She regarded herself once more, then walked to the door, thumping on it with a hoof.  A yellow-coated stallion in full armor answered it.  “Miss Trixie?”  
“Yes.  Flash Sentry, is it?”
“Ma’am.”  He gave her a small bob of the head.  She knew the stallion by name because he was one of the few who did not look as if he wanted to throw her off the highest battlement in the castle.  He had looked at her with pity, which made her truly hate him.  Strangely, she felt at peace now.  “What can I do for you?”
“I would like to see Princess Celestia.”
Sentry thought about it for a moment.  “I’m not sure what her schedule is, Miss Trixie, but I will see what I can do.  What’s it about?”
Trixie, to her credit, did not swallow nervously nor did her voice crack.  “My execution.”

> The Price of a Life
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Celestia stood before her throne, her multicolored mane, as usual, flowing around her.  Trixie admitted to herself that, being in the royal presence, Celestia actually was quite intimidating.  The fact that Celestia’s expression was one of utter disdain did not help.  Trixie crossed her forelegs and bowed.  It was almost instinctual: Equestria’s ruler radiated that kind of power.
“You wished to see me, Trixie?” Celestia’s voice was low, but it carried through the hall.  It was edged in steel.
“I-I did, Your Highness.”  Trixie’s voice broke, but with supreme effort she kept it steady.
“Your guard tells me it is in regards to your sentence.”  Celestia motioned with her horn to a parchment on the floor next to her throne.  “Are you here to ask for mercy?”
Trixie shook her head, and faced Celestia directly.  “No, Highness.  I accept my fate.  What I did was wrong, cruel, and insane.  I have no excuse and will make none.  I await your judgement.”
Celestia was silent for a few moments.  “And if my judgement is death?”
“I understand.”
“Then face justice.”  Celestia spread her hooves slightly, lowered her head, and Trixie saw the horn begin to glow.  Trixie closed her eyes, hating the fact that she was unable to hide her legs from shaking.  She felt the heat increase, and through her closed eyes the outside grew brighter.  The heat became almost intolerable, and Trixie swallowed in fear.  She hoped it would not hurt too much, that Celestia would make it quick.
Then just as suddenly as it began, the heat faded.  
Trixie knew that she was still alive: one, because she could still feel herself breathing, and two, because she needed to go to the bathroom.  She slowly opened her eyes.  Celestia was no more than two strides away from her, the glow from her horn fading.  Trixie suppressed a pang of anger; Celestia had merely moved closer, and the heat in the room had not changed.  It had only felt like it.  One thing that even Trixie could not meet, however, was the Princess’ eyes.
“Trixie Lullamoon,” Celestia intoned, “I sentence you to life.”
When Celestia said nothing more, Trixie asked, “In the dungeon, exile…?”
“No.  Just life.”  She turned her flank on Trixie and returned to the throne dais.  “You may leave.”
“Wha…what?”  Trixie was stunned.  She had expected at least some punishment.  “But…I was sentenced to death.  I accept that.”
“Oh, I know, Trixie,” Celestia replied, taking up her customary position.  “I think, however, that it is far more appropriate to let you live with the consequences of your actions.”  Celestia’s anger still smoldered.  “I will not lie, Trixie.  I would very much like to obliterate you where you stand.  You attempted to kill not only my favorite student, but also one of my closest friends.  To say nothing of what you nearly did to Ponyville!  Personal feelings aside, you deserve nothing less than death on account of that alone!”
“Then why spare me?”
“For several reasons.  Luna has been telling me that you have made some real progress in reform—and, in doing so, you have helped my sister face some demons of her own.   Twilight Sparkle asked Luna, and myself, to spare your life.  And you do have potential: your magic is quite exceptional, if it could only be turned to the cause of good and not selfish, petty thoughts of revenge.”
Trixie looked down.  “But…where will I go?  My life as the Great and Powerful Trixie is over.  I’ll never be able to go back on the road as a traveling magic showpony.  If I leave Canterlot, I’ll probably be killed.  By the sun, your own guards want me dead.”  A single tear escaped her eyes.  “I want to die, Princess Celestia.”
“Which is why you are going to live, and anypony that kills you will answer to me.”  Celestia shrugged.  “Perhaps my sentence is more cruel than death.  So be it.”  Her expression softened, but only a fraction.  “You may stay here at the palace as long as you wish.  My sister should be able to find some use for you.”  Celestia tucked her hooves under herself and levitated the parchment over to her.  “Dismissed, Trixie Lullamoon.”
Trixie did not know what else to do, so she slowly walked out, head down.  The doors closed behind her.  Celestia watched her over the top of the parchment—which was not Trixie’s execution order, but rather a letter from Twilight about the Apple family’s annual reunion.  She sighed, let the letter fall, and then stared out the window, once more at the statue of Discord.

When Trixie returned to her room, Luna was waiting—bleary-eyed, wings drooping, but waiting, curled up on her bed.  “You are still alive,” she said simply.
“Looks that way.”  Trixie walked over to the window.  The sky seemed strangely more blue, the clouds more vividly white.  The colors of everything seemed to stand out more.  She felt her heart beating, and the air tasted rather sweet.  It was all unnatural, and yet wonderful. It’s because I accepted death, she thought slowly, and now I’m still alive.
Luna recognized what Trixie was going through and let her stand that way for nearly half an hour.  Despite herself, she had dozed off when the other pony spoke.  “Where will I go now?”
"Uh?"  Luna shook off the cobwebs of sleep.  “Wherever you wish.”
“Oh sure,” Trixie snorted.  “I’m sure the residents of Ponyville will be so happy to see me.”  She raised a hoof.  “Yes, Princess Luna, I know I’m under royal protection, but as I know only too well, that doesn’t always ensure somepony’s survival.”
“'Tis a tough spot to be in, certainly.”
Trixie turned to face the princess of the night.  “So how did you handle it?”
Luna chewed her bottom lip for a moment.  It made her look much younger, almost a filly.  “It took me a very long time, but I learned from my mistakes—as a pony should.  I knew that I could never fully make recompense to my sister or Ponyville, or Twilight and her friends.  But eventually, I became reacquainted with them, and yes, even made a friend or two.”
“I don’t have any friends,” Trixie said quietly.
“You have one.”  Luna got up off the bed and half-walked, half-floated over to Trixie’s side.  “I want to be your friend, if you’ll let me.”
“Why?”
Luna smiled.  “Because I didn’t have any friends either—well, my sister, but blood is different—and yet Twilight Sparkle extended her hoof to me all the same.  Allow me to, in some way, repay kindness with kindness."
A surge of the old hate briefly came up inside Trixie’s mind, but it faded surprisingly fast.  Trixie found that perhaps she could make peace with her nemesis, after all.  “Why does she have to be so damned perfect?”
“You think she’s perfect?  Ask her about the want-it-need-it spell sometime.  Or rather don’t.  I understand it’s a somewhat painful memory for Twilight.”  Luna chuckled.  “None of us are perfect, Trixie.  We must just keep trying every day to be somewhat better than the day before.
“Twilight and her friends, and for that matter all of Equestria, will not forgive you easily.  Some of them may never forgive you.  That is why my sister spared your life.  You have to live with this.  You have to find a way to make peace with it. The price of your life is to know that, and yet rise above it.  There is good in you, Trixie.  I’ve seen that over the past few days.”  Luna affixed her with her gaze.  “That said, I will warn you that, should you attempt to revenge again, I will end you myself.”
“No…I’m done with revenge.”  Trixie used her magic to take off her hat and cape.  “I’m done with all of this.  The problem is, what do I do now?  I’m just Trixie, not the Great and Powerful Trixie.”
Luna put a hoof over her.  “I think I shall like ‘just Trixie’ more.”  She winked.  “We must begin anew, Trixie.  Can you do that?”
Trixie turned to the sky.  To be honest with herself, she was not sure she could do that.  She felt remorse; she hated herself for what she had done, or almost done.  Twilight might forgive her someday, but Trixie knew that she never would forgive herself.  As Celestia said, she had to live with her actions on her conscience; she was surprised to find that she still possessed one.  It was a terrible pain, far worse than any physical wound.
Still, it was possible.  Luna was forgiven for Nightmare Moon, though it was clear that Luna had yet to forgive herself, either.  There was much to do around Equestria, too: also as the princess had said, Trixie had great magical power, almost the equal of Twilight Sparkle herself, and in time, could surpass her.  Looking at things with new eyes, Luna realized that competing with Twilight did not mean that she must necessarily hate her opponent.  From what she observed in Ponyville, and heard through rumor, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were rivals, but friendly ones. They might fight and argue, but there was true friendship there--as she knew firsthand, because it was the Element Bearers' friendship that had defeated her, twice.  Perhaps even three times, if Twilight drew her inspiration from a desire to protect Ponyville.
There was nothing wrong with ambition, so long as it did not hurt any other pony.  She and Twilight could coexist.  For that matter, Trixie could harness her magic, and though she would never replace Twilight as an Element of Harmony, she might one day be called on to defend Equestria.  What if the Elements were unavailable, or neutralized as Discord had done?  Then Equestria might just depend on a pony like Trixie.  Then she would once more be the Great and Powerful Trixie, but one who used her magic for the good of all, not just for fireworks or for selfishness. 
It would take time, which she had, and patience, which she would need to develop.  Yet Trixie, for the first time in a long time, felt hope.  The future held unknown possibilities…one which she had nearly deprived herself of, as well as Twilight.  It hurt to think of that, but now Trixie knew what she must do.
“Yes,” Trixie finally answered, with a smile.  “I can.”

> Great and Powerful
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Six months passed.
Trixie kept herself busy in the palace.  She shared the offensive spells she knew with Luna (not Celestia, who already knew them--something that surprised Trixie, though she realized she should not be so surprised).  The two became close: two ponies who had nearly lost it all, who had touched the darkness and been brought back from the brink by someone who still believed in them.  
Under an assumed name and a dyed mane, she taught magic kindergarten on instructions from Celestia, and found she had a knack for getting across difficult magic to young foal unicorns just starting on their life’s journey.  Most students their age had difficulty following the teacher and staying on task, but Trixie made lessons fun.  Eventually, Trixie revealed who she really was.  Some of the foals’ parents refused to let her continue to teach, but after a month or two, most came back.  By the sixth month, there were few in Canterlot who did not believe in Trixie’s redemption.
Trixie, for her part, kept a low profile.  Most ponies in Equestria did not know what she had done—the thought was so horrific that few outside Ponyville believed the story, and even in Ponyville, it was assumed that Trixie had merely come to attack Twilight Sparkle, not kill her or destroy the town.  Attacking her was bad enough.  One thing was true, however: she was no longer the Great and Powerful Trixie.  Sometimes Luna gently teased her about it.  Trixie bristled at first, hating the reminder of her former career, but gradually she grew to accept it as the joke it was meant as.  She even learned to give it right back: once, while dining with Luna and Celestia, she had even called Luna Nightmare Moon to her face.  Celestia’s expression was one of utter shock, first at Trixie’s temerity, then at Luna’s laughter.  Celestia then smiled, because she knew her sister had come to terms with her past.  Trixie’s death sentence scroll was quietly burned.
Celestia, for her part, grew to like Trixie.  The young unicorn had a wry sense of humor, and had seen a great deal of Equestria; though Celestia was the ruler of the realm, her duties kept her from going to the smaller villages and regions unless there was an emergency.  Trixie had been there, and was able to give Celestia some details of her travels.  In some cases, the princess realized that there was trouble brewing and flew to take care of it, nipping minor problems in the bud before they became major ones.  In most cases, she was just amused by Trixie’s stories.  While Trixie did not become an advisor of sorts, she filled a void that Twilight Sparkle had left in Celestia’s life: somepony to talk to.  Certainly Celestia still enjoyed Twilight’s letters and occasional visits, but Twilight’s own duties and adventures in Ponyville kept her from doing more.  Celestia was surrounded by courtiers, advisors and guards, but other than Luna, rarely was able to just sit down and talk to a pony.  Trixie was different.  It also provided Celestia an opportunity to gauge for herself if Trixie was truly sincere in her reformation; she was pleased to see that it was so.
There were still bad days.  Celestia would share some amusing or interesting story of Twilight Sparkle’s, and Trixie would feel the old jealousy.  It grew somewhat better over time, but Trixie still felt herself resenting Twilight’s special place in Equestria.  She struggled with it.  When Twilight did visit Canterlot infrequently over the next six months, Trixie found other places to be.  She knew Twilight asked about her, but had no idea what Celestia told the other pony.  She had to trust that Celestia was telling the truth and not telling Twilight stories; Celestia had no intention of telling anything but the truth, but Trixie’s paranoia took a long time to die.  There were some nights Trixie would find Luna and tearfully sound her out about her feelings.  Luna always listened patiently and gave what advice she could.  Some nights just a friendly wing to be under was enough.  
Trixie knew, however, that some day there must be a reckoning with Twilight Sparkle.  That day came on a warm late summer afternoon.

Trixie noticed a few days earlier that the statue of Discord was gone from the royal garden.  Celestia seemed preoccupied, so Trixie—who by now figured out that she was no longer under a sentence, but still feared her ruler’s power—avoided the question, figuring that if Celestia wanted her to know, she would tell her, and hoping the princess had simply destroyed the Master of Chaos once and for all.
Then she saw two things that nearly, in one instant, wrecked the little world she had so carefully built.  The first was Discord, no longer stone, but alive.  The second was Twilight Sparkle and the other Elements of Harmony.  They were walking towards her along with Celestia, who was chatting with her student; to Trixie’s surprise, Discord was chatting amiably with Fluttershy.
Something is very wrong in the state of Yoitsu, Trixie thought to herself.  In any case, this was no time to be talking with Twilight.  She wanted to be alone for that, with either Celestia or Luna there for moral support, and, Trixie admitted to herself, so Twilight would not be tempted to kill her.  She was beginning to move away, hoping none of the Elements had spotted her, but to her horror, Celestia called out, “Ah, Trixie!”  Trixie winced, but there was no ignoring a royal summons.
She pasted a smile on her face and bowed to her ruler.  “Princess Celestia.”  She kept her eyes on the ground a second longer, then took a deep breath.  Trixie met Twilight’s eyes.  “Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight was not a good card player.  Trixie saw a mix of anger and fear run through Twilight’s expression, then the other unicorn put the same false smile on her lips as Trixie had on hers.  “Trixie.”
Trixie forced herself to meet the gazes of the others.  Pinkie Pie looked like she might run.  Rarity wore an expression of disdain.  Applejack and Rainbow Dash clearly wanted her dead; Dash in particular looked as if she might commit homicide in a public place, Celestia or no.  Only Fluttershy wore a neutral expression.  All six wore the Elements of Harmony, and Trixie was under no illusions what those jeweled baubles were capable of.  Maybe they wore them because of her.  Six months previously, she would have taken pleasure in that.  Now Trixie just felt shame.
Discord, for once, was the bystander.  He knew it too.  “This must be the Great and Powerful Trixie,” he said, sarcasm dripping from the emphasized words.  
Trixie whirled on him.  She could take whatever the Elements would give her without flinching, but she owed Discord nothing.  “You must be Discord,” she shot back.  “I wasn’t aware that the Princess was taking you out for walkies.”
Discord’s sardonic smile faded.  He reached forward, ignoring a squeak of concern from Fluttershy and a glare from Celestia, and put his lion’s paw in Trixie’s mane.  With a deft flick of the wrist, he suddenly had her mane in an ice cream cone, piled up in a blue-and-white swirl.  Trixie did not need to feel the sudden draft on her head to realized she had just been magically shaved bald.  He licked at it experimentally.  “A little bitter.”
“Discord!” Celestia snapped, but Trixie moved first.  A gloved hand appeared next to Discord’s face.  The dragonequus regarded it with surprise, only to be knocked to the ground when it hit him.  It was a normal sized glove without much force behind it, but the slap echoed around Canterlot like the snap of a whip, turning ponies' heads for blocks.  The spell was broken and Trixie’s mane ended up back where it was supposed to be, albeit frizzed in several directions. 
“What…what was that?” Discord asked, stunned.  He rubbed at his face with a taloned hand.  
“Bigmane’s Bitchslap of Power, Greater.”  It was Twilight who answered.  She stared at Trixie.  “Somehow I’m not surprised you know it, Trixie…though it was rather appropriate in this case.”
“I could not have said it better.”  Celestia speared Discord with a glance as he got to his mismatched feet.  “It appears introductions are no longer in order.  Discord, meet your new…handler, as it were.”
“What?!”  Celestia found it amazing that two earth ponies, two pegasi, three unicorns, and one dragonequus could harmonize like that.
Fluttershy squeaked in shock.
“That’s crazy!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“Trixie and Discord are a gruesome twosome!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
“There’s no way I’m going to hold his leash!” Trixie yelled.
Applejack made sounds of rupture.
“Princess Celestia!” was all Twilight could get out.
“I’m supposed to obey this loser?” Discord howled.
“Trixie, your hair!” Rarity dashed forward.  She might hate Trixie with the power of ten Celestias, but bad hair was bad hair and it must be taken care of.
There were times, Celestia reflected, that it was good to be the princess.  “For lack of a better word,” she continued as if nothing had been said.  “Discord, you may say you’re reformed, but you have tricked me before.  I don’t trust you for a moment outside of the palace grounds, and even if you’re sincere—which, incidentally, I think you are—you need more…work.  Again, for the lack of a better word.”
Discord gave her a sour look.  “And you expect her to do it?”  He stuck his tongue out at Trixie.
Celestia ignored that.  “I do.  Fluttershy has her own duties to take care of in Ponyville.  She can't be around all the time.  Trixie is uniquely qualified for this duty.”
“Oh, really?”
Trixie suddenly understood what Celestia was doing.  She wondered if this was the real reason she had been spared.  If Luna could reform Trixie, then could Trixie reform Discord?  Trixie blew out her breath; that was a tall order.  Then again, Celestia was asking her--not Luna, not even Twilight.   “Yes,” she told Discord.  “You corrupted Ponyville and the Element bearers.”  She could not resist a shudder.  “I…I tried to destroy Ponyville and kill the Element bearers.”
Discord, for one of the few times in his long life when he was not encased in stone, was speechless.  “You?  I didn’t think ponies did that.”
“They don’t.”  Applejack found her voice.
Discord turned his head to one side, genuinely curious.  “And Celestia left you alive?”
“I admit I was curious about that myself,” Rarity added, running a magic comb through Trixie’s mane.  
“If I can show remorse and be reformed,” Trixie said, “then you can too, Discord.”  She took two steps forward and stuck out a hoof.  “Let’s start over.  My name is Trixie…just, Trixie.”
Discord hesitated.  He actually looked lost for a moment.  He glanced at Fluttershy, who smiled up at him and gave him a gentle nudge with a wing.  He reached out his lion paw.  “I am Discord.”
Trixie almost allowed the paw to close over her hoof.  “If you shock me, I know a spell to tear out that snaggle tooth of yours.”
“She’s not kidding, Discord.”  Twilight motioned at her flank.  “She gave me this.”  There was a still noticeable scar over her cutie mark.
Discord gasped.  “By Starswirl’s beard!  How could she ruin such a gorgeous plot? Truly, Trixie, you are a monster.”  Twilight turned an interesting shade of reddish-purple.  Trixie was seriously tempted to let him have it, but the shake was completed without further incident.
“Discord, come with me.  Trixie will catch up in a moment.”  He sighed elaborately, but Discord obeyed Celestia’s command.  
That left Trixie alone with the Elements.
Trixie closed her eyes.  She had dreaded this moment, but now it was here.  “Saying ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t enough.  I know you would like to kill me.  Six months ago, I would have let you.”
“Six months ago,” Twilight told her, “I would’ve done it.”  She paused.  “But…Princess Celestia and I have talked about it.  If she can forgive you, Trixie, so can I.”
“Twilight Sparkle, if you’re forgiving me because the Princess wants you to—“
“I’m not.” Twilight smiled at her.  “I’m forgiving you…because it’s the right thing to do.  Believe me, it’s taken me six months to get to that.”
“Me too.”  Trixie wiped at her eyes.  Damn her, she thought.  Bad enough we nearly killed each other, now she’s making me cry.  “What I did to you I can never apologize enough for.  Luna…ah, Princess Luna, she made me realize just what I almost did.”
“If you can finish reforming Discord and get him out of our manes, that’s a long way towards paying your debt to society,” Twilight replied.  “I don’t hate you, Trixie.  I never did.”  She looked a little sheepish.  “Well, maybe after…all that.  I think I hated you then.  But I don’t now.”  She stuck out a hoof.
Trixie hesitated, then tapped it with her own.  “Thank you,” she whispered.  “How do you do it, Twilight?  You’re always so…damned…perfect.”
Twilight blushed again, and the other five Elements stared at Trixie.  Then Dash snorted, Rarity chuckled, Fluttershy could not suppress a grin, and even Applejack had to laugh.  “Oh dear,” Rarity said.  None of them wanted to say anything further, so Twilight said it for them.  “You don’t know me very well, Trixie.”
“I suppose not.”  Maybe someday, both of them thought, though neither realized the other was thinking it, I will know you better.
Seeing Celestia motioning them forward, they began walking towards them and Discord, who was amusing himself by preening the princess’ wings with exaggerated care.  She was clearly annoyed and trying to ignore him.  Rarity looked from Trixie to Twilight, said nothing very loudly, and trotted ahead.  Rainbow Dash turned her flank on Trixie, gave a snort of contempt, and flew away.  Pinkie shrugged, bopped Trixie’s nose and made a beep noise, and caught up with Rarity.  
Applejack put a hoof on Trixie’s chest.  “Trixie, ah don’t care if yer reformed or not.  Ah don’t believe it any more than ah believe that horseapple is.”  She tossed her head at Discord, nearly losing her hat.  “Ah tell you right now, it’s gonna be a damn sight longer afore ah forgive you for what you did.  You evah come within an angry mule’s kick of Sweet Apple Acres, and ah will buck you to the damn moon.  You lay a hoof on Twi’ again, and ah’ll kill ya mahself, and ah don’t give a hoot what the Princess thinks.  You just think about that now.”  She stormed off with a lash of her blond tail.
Fluttershy gasped at the venom in Applejack’s voice.  “I’m…I’m sorry…”
“About what?” Trixie said.  “Being a good friend?  I don’t blame Applejack in the least.”
“I’ll help you with Discord,” the pegasus said, then moved on ahead.  For the first time since almost killing each other, Twilight Sparkle and Trixie were alone.
“You won’t win them all over immediately,” Twilight said.
Trixie had the briefest flash of Twilight gasping for air as blood sprayed from the hole in her neck.  She glanced at Twilight’s horn and realized the same fate could’ve just as easily been hers.  “I’m surprised that you were won over so easily.”
“I’m not, sort of.”  Twilight raised her rear right hoof.  “Do you know what it’s like to have your cutie mark hurt?”
Trixie pointed with her own hoof at her forehead.  “I still get migraines from where you zapped me.”
Twilight giggled softly.  “I guess we still have a ways to go, don’t we?”
“Yes.  But at least we can.”
Twilight slowly nodded.  They were not friends, not yet.  But they were no longer enemies.  “Discord’s going to be a hoof full, you know that.”
“After what I’ve done? After what I’ve been through?”  Trixie laughed.  “He’ll be easy.”
“Because you’re the Great and Powerful Trixie?” Twilight asked.
Trixie began to walk towards the others.  “No, Twilight.  But…maybe someday.  Maybe someday.”

> Epilogue: The Best Laid Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Far away, in the Smoky Mountains, a unicorn stared into a scrying glass.  There were places in Equestria where even Celestia’s hoof did not stretch, but this unicorn knew that there were places even in Canterlot itself where Celestia did not know.  
The unicorn sighed.  It had been a simple thing to manipulate Trixie into attacking Twilight Sparkle.  It had been she, the unicorn, who taught Trixie her new offensive spells.  It had not taken long: Trixie already knew quite a few, acquired from living alone on the road, but the truly devastating ones were acquired in the mountains.  This unicorn had learned them elsewhere, after leaving Canterlot in a rage.  Some she learned from forbidden books in forgotten libraries.  Some she learned from no less than Chrysalis of the Changelings.  In return, she had shared what she knew of Canterlot’s defenses.  That plan failed too, but then she had never really expected the overconfident Chrysalis to succeed.
No, the unicorn thought, Twilight was a means to an end.  Had Trixie done her job and killed Twilight, the Crown of the Elements of Harmony might have been wide open to take.  At the very least, it would have stabbed Celestia to the core.  Celestia had hurt this pony, and the pony wanted to return it tenfold.   It was not enough to hurt the Princess of the Sun; she wanted Equestria.  Had Chrysalis succeeded, the unicorn would’ve led a counterattack to retake Canterlot, and she would have been the heroine of the hour.  Unfortunately, that had not worked out either, but these things happened.
“Oh well.”  The unicorn tossed her mane, turned her back on the scrying glass, and instead regarded herself in the mirror.  She checked a clock.  “Almost time to go back to the other world.”  It would be awhile before she could get back, but that gave her plenty of time to plan.  “When that day comes,” she mused to herself, “Equestria’s mine, Celestia.  I’ll have technology your mind can’t even fathom.  Your magic’s going to be useless.  And I’ll step on Twilight and Trixie just as hard, just to hurt you.  I’ll force you into a war you can’t win.”  She grinned at her reflection, liking the evil she saw there.  And why not? Good had never done anything for her.  “You’re going to regret the day you spurned Sunset Shimmer.”