//------------------------------// // Chapter 86: Trixie // Story: The Reader // by GnollReader //------------------------------// When he entered the dimly lit room, Trixie's eyes widened in surprise, "It's you!" she eyed him up and down, "You've grown so much!" her face softened considerably, "And you've gotten more scars..." The gnoll nodded, "Is called Scar now." "So you've finally found a new home?" she asked with a sad smile. "Scar did..." he replied. He watched her with a tired eye, she seemed much smaller than in his memories... or had he been the smaller one back then? His relation with her, their shared past and memories... even though they had not seen one another again since that fateful day, there had been a strange connection between the two of them ever since. He eyed the little ring on her horn, "What is that?" he pointed at it. "This?" she trailed her horn with her hoof, "It's a seal, to prevent me from using my magic." she explained with a sad voice. "How is Trixie?" She sighed heavily, "It seems our past always comes back to haunt us..." "Scar knows..." he replied with an equally heavy sigh, "It met Redfield..." "You didn't hurt him, did you?" she asked with worry. He shook his head, "Scar didn't..." he replied with a grave voice, "But almost... almost... But Scar had to see for itself. Scar had to see Redfield in cage, thought it would give it peace..." "Did it?" she asked with sadness. He shook his head, "Did not. Only made Scar angry to see Redfield again, hadn't changed..." he turned to Trixie, "Did Trixie change?" Her eyes closed for a moment as she let out another sigh, "I changed... for the worse I fear. After I met you, after I saw what ponies were capable of... nothing was the same again. I hated myself for what I did to you, and I hated other ponies for making me do it... I started to treat those around me badly and became condescending towards anypony." she turned to him, "When you ran away... even though I could understand it... I felt more alone than ever before." He slightly hung his head, "Scar is sorry if Trixie got hurt because of..." "Don't apologize for things you're not responsible for." she interrupted him with a sad smile, "I made a decision back then to do the right thing for once, and no matter what it brought and what it will bring, the great and remorseful Trixie will accept it as her choice." He chuckled, "Trixie still talks like that..." his faced turned serious, "What will happen to Trixie?" She took a deep breath, "I will be tried for my crimes, just as Redfield will be tried for his." "Trixie did nothing wrong..." he started. "I tore through your mind." "Only because Trixie believed what Redfield said, other ponies would have done the same. Scar holds no grudge for that." "But I still made you suffer." she said with a bitter voice, "And I will accept whatever punishment Celestia finds suited for my crimes." "Scar will ask Celestia to let you go." "She won't, because she can't. Even if you hold no grudge towards me or even towards Redfield, she still is the ruler of Equestria, and she is the symbol of justice. She has to punish us for what we did, and we have to accept it." He shook his head, "Scar doesn't want punishment for others... it doesn't want revenge..." She smiled, "I know, you were always kind even to those that hurt you... but this needs to be done." "Scar could free you... just like Trixie freed Scar." he looked at the bars on the windows, one pull would be enough and they would come clean off the wall. Trixie shook her head, "No. I don't want to run away anymore... and I don't want you to lose your new home." Scar hung his head, "Scar never wanted this..." "I know, but it's alright. I'll finally be able to put my past to rest after this." she was silent for a moment, "Can you ever forgive me?" "Scar never blamed you..." "I know... but still, can you forgive me?" He looked at her for a long moment. Then, he embraced her in his arms, "Scar forgives you." "Thank you." she whispered as she returned his embrace, a small tear escaping her eyes. --- When he stepped out of the room again, he found Celestia and the others waiting for him on the other side with torn expressions on their faces. "How much did Celestia hear?" he asked with a tired voice. "Everything..." she replied, "Scar, I..." "Will Celestia let Redfield and Trixie go if Scar asks her to?" She shook her head with a sad face, "I am sorry, but I can not. This needs to be done, I can not simply let them go for their crimes." He gave a sigh, "Scar understands... but know this, Celestia. Scar holds no grudge against them, and it does not want revenge." "I understand, and it will be considered in my verdict." The gnoll nodded, "Good. Scar hopes..." "You're wrong." a bitter voice interrupted him. He turned to Purple Haze, there were tears in her eyes, "How can you just want to let them go after all they've done to you? I can't understand you! This is your one chance for justice and you're just going to let them off like that?" Scar eyed her with a sad face, "Scar does not want revenge." "You should!" she shouted at him, "After all they put you through! After all that pain! You should..." "What should Scar do?!" he thundered back at her, making all of them flinch, "Should Scar go and drag Redfield into cage? Should it beat Redfield with sticks and burn him? Should it ask Celestia to tear into Trixie's mind?! Should it demand to kill Redfield for what he did?!" he gave a snarl and his voice grew tired, "No... Scar can't." More tears started to well up in Purple Haze's eyes, "You should be angry at them! You should shout at them and demand your right for justice! They deserve to be punished for..." "For what?! That ponies were scared of Scar? That ponies wished to protect their families?" he gave her a long stare, "Purple Haze would have done the same..." Her eyes widened in shock, "No! I would have..." "Purple Haze would have seen a monster, just like other ponies did. And she would have hunted Scar just like others if they told her Scar had taken little foal and Purple Haze knows it! Purple Haze would have done the same to protect her family." "You're wrong!" she replied with a bitter voice, "You're wrong and you know it!" "Scar walked the path of the beast once before, and it swore to itself never to again. Scar can't expect Purple Haze to understand what it feels like to be feared, and Scar won't. This is gnoll's decision, and Scar hopes Purple Haze will understand with time." he said with graveness before turning around and heading for the exit, "Scar needs to be alone... needs to think... had enough bad thoughts for today." They watched him leave in silence, feeling the weight on their hearts double as heavy as before. Purple Haze hung her head, tears falling onto the floor, "Damn you Scar, you're wrong..." --- Inside the Ponyville library, a little dragon still sat behind a babbling Tag, eyed by an ever-more annoyed manticore. "Does nopony see a problem with this!" he wailed, "Wait here, Spike... Sure! Leave me here with the manticore to be eaten! I don't care! Well, this sucks!" "Lighten up, old chap. I think I'm about to get it to do a trick! Now... sit!" The manticore's eyebrow went up higher. Spike gave another wail of despair, "Am I the only one sane left in all of Equestria?!"