Trixie smiled as she made her way to the kitchen to get some more snacks. After everything had finally been resolved Astelle was the powerless, her servant had completely vanished, and all of Equestria was safe. Heck, she was even chosen as the bearer of the Element of Forgiveness!
After all had been said and done, Pinkie Pie immediately went on for a way to throw a party at Twilight's library, inviting everyone from the citizens of Ponyville to the Princesses themselves, some of the townsfolk were skeptical of Trixie considering their last encounter with her, but Twilight immediately reassured them and brought up her status as the newest Element. Things went rather smoothly after that...
Trixie jumped when she heard the door slam behind her and quickly turned around, she was greeted by a familiar sight:
Shining Armor, Former Captain of the Royal Guard, Prince of the Crystal Empire, and Twilight Sparkle's older brother.
“Oh hi Shining.” Trixie smiled brightly. “Trixie was just about to return to the party-”
“Not yet.” He said. His horn glowed for a moment and enveloped both the door and the window. “We need to talk.”
“Uh… about what?” She asked nervously.
“Everything.” He stated in a stern tone. “Let me tell you right now young mare, you are very, very, VERY lucky that my sister isn't one to hold grudges.”
“W-Well I-”
“And even more so that you somehow managed to con your way into getting the Element of Forgiveness.” He continued, levitating Trixie's very Element in front of her.
“Con?!” Trixie gasped, half hurt and half infuriated. “Trixie earned this Element!”
“And that element is the only reason you aren't being held in a dungeon for your crimes.” He retorted. “Willingly aiding an enemy of the crown, using an not one, but two illegal magical items, using said illegal magical items on royalty, impersonating royalty, abuse of authority, not to mention willing supplying said enemy of the crown with said illegal magical item! Hell if we had let the justice system do its work it would've been a miracle just to have you beheaded! Because trust me, that would be merciful compared to half of the punishments that could be carried out for your actions!”
“N-Now hold on a second!” The showmare cut in. “Trixie understands that she did many horrible things, but Trixie has made up for them hasn't she? Trixie saved Fluttershy from that Manticore!”
“And tell me, would Fluttershy have been in danger if she were back in her own body?” He fired back, causing the showmare to flinch. “Probably, but at least she would've been able to use her natural talent to calm it down! But because of your little stunt with the gem she couldn't!”
“T-Trixie admits that the situation would have gone differently had she not used the damn gem… but Trixie still cooperated with Twilight and her friends when the true threat made itself known!”
Shining snorted as if he had just been told a bad joke. “Yes you did, all the while openly acting like you have nothing to apologize for or even feel guilty about. You even had the nerve to demand that you be let go after all was said and done!”
“Was Trixie helping save Equestria not enough?!” Trixie angrily retorted, growing tired of all of her failures and misdeeds being thrown back in her face.
“Yes, you saved Equestria from a threat that you technically made even worse! What made you think giving Astelle that amulet was ever going to work out in the end?!” He stated, growing angrier by the second. “And where exactly did you get the idea to believe that you had ANY right to act like WE were the ones who should've been asking for forgiveness for not believing you?! YOU DID NOTHING BUT LIE MANIPULATE TWILIGHT AND HER FRIENDS SINCE THE WHOLE SITUATION STARTED! WHY SHOULD WE HAVE BELIEVED YOU?!”
Trixie looked down at her hooves in shame. Thinking back to that moment where she had practically doomed all of Equestria by handing the amulet over to Astelle, even though she double-crossed her in the end, it didn't change the fact that she had gotten them into that situation to begin with.
As she thought back to that moment she soon realized that she really had absolutely no moral high ground to stand on in that situation. She had willingly attempted to ruin Twilight's life out of pure spite, not once, but twice, even after she had saved her from the corrupting power of the amulet and completely pardoned her for her actions.
’Celestia had been right there, if she wanted to she could've just called her to take me away…’ Trixie thought to herself, trying to hold back the tears as the realization truly dawned upon her. ’I continuously acted like I was more entitled to her status as royalty… and yet she had done everything to earn it while I simply expected it to be handed to me…’
“When Twilight told me and my wife that you had locked her in the dungeons, all the while cruelly mocking her about how you were going to keep her there for the rest of her life along with her friends… I saw my little sister break down in tears….” He continued, his voice now dangerously calm. “She tried to give you the benefit of the doubt not once, but twice, the first time after you used that amulet, and the second time when you used it to swap bodies with her. You threw her kindness and generosity back in her face.”
Trixie looked away, the incident replaying over and over in her mind, those cruel words she said, the way she taunted Twilight and manipulated her with her lies, and with the intent of ruining her life even though she had shown her leniency.
‘You… you're a monster!’
‘Not anymore, I'm a Princess.’
She shivered, she really had been a monster that whole time. A selfish, egotistical monster who bit the hoof that gave her a second chance that she hadn't earned. As she looked up at Shining Armor that guilt only increased when she realized something:
He was crying.
“Do you have any idea what it was like to look down at my sister as she explained everything that happened to her because of you?” He asked, trying to remain stone-faced despite the tears pooling into a puddle at his hooves. “To know that she was suffering, that she was terrified, broken and alone, and I was unable to do anything about it?!”
“N-No… Shining I-”
“It hurt me as a brother.” Shining continued. “Because once again I was unable to do anything for her while she suffered, I felt more ashamed of myself than I did during the changeling invasion!”
Trixie could only stare at him in shock. “Shining… I, I didn't know-”
“Was there ever any doubt? After all, when does the “Great and Powerful” Trixie think about anyone other than herself?” He snapped, wiping the tears away. "After all, if the situation doesn't pertain to you or benefit you in someway, why should you care?”
Trixie remained completely silent, she really had nothing to fall back on, no matter how many time she played the scenario in her head the fact that it was mostly her fault didn't change. ’I can't even completely pin the blame on Astelle, sure she had approached me with the offer, but I could've easily just said no, or even lie to her and then alert Twilight of the danger…’
She was brought out of her thoughts when she noticed Shining getting much closer to her. She instinctively took a few steps back only to realize that she was backed up against the wall. “W-Wait, I-”
“You may have everyone else buying your whole "Element of Forgiveness" stunt. But know this: as far as I'm concerned you're still that selfish self-absorbed mare who try to ruin my little sister's life despite her showing you nothing but kindness.” Shining Armor snarled as he glared down at Trixie. “And I'm warning you right now. You take one step backward, one slip-up, give me one good reason to think you might hurt my little sister again, physically or emotionally, and I will put. you. down. right then and there. Permanently.”
Trixie could only shiver and she stared up into his eyes, these weren't just the eyes of an overprotective big brother, these were the eyes of someone who'd been trained to kill and wouldn't hesitate to take her life in a heartbeat.
This was no idle threat, if Trixie slipped up once, she was a dead mare.
“Do I myself abundantly clear!?”
Not trusting her voice, she nodded rapidly.
“Good. Now I suggest you clean yourself up and get back to the party, Pinkie wants you to be there when they cut the cake.” He stated nonchalantly before turning away from the showmare and making his way out of the kitchen. “This conversation never happened. Oh, and thanks for helping save Equestria." He casually said before tossing her Element into her hooves and slamming the door, leaving Trixie alone with her thoughts.
Trixie looked down at the necklace that represented her Element and silently weeped. For the second time since she received her Element, she believed she didn't truly deserve it...
’Not yet…’