'You have done well.'
Trixie groaned and forced herself up, worried that she felt no pain, but that thought vanished when she found herself in a room with only white emptiness all around her, making her wonder if she had finally died. That was when she noticed the silver mare, but that was only because the silver mare moved against the white background. If she hadn't, Trixie probably would never have seen her.
"So, where am I?" she eventually asked the silver mare as she got up with a groan. "Did I finally die or did you somehow prevent that from happening?"
'You are as astute as ever. Yes, I managed to get both you and Batmare out of the demon's plane before the gates crashed down,' the silver mare confirmed for her. 'But as to where you are, this is where I first came into being...where I first found out how badly I had failed.'
"What do you mean?" Trixie asked before an image flashed across the white background, the image of a human with a black suit and a golden lightning bolt running down his chest, holding the silver mare by the throat with tears in his eyes. "Who...is that?"
'The one that I have failed,' she whispered to herself before moving her arm to wipe away the image. 'But that is not important. What is important is that I am so proud of what you have done.'
"You mean stopping the demons? Yeah, I guess I did alright," Trixie muttered, but the silver mare shook her head.
'No, I mean that you were kind and generous to others, even when you were an outcast to those the ponies you sought to protect,' the silver mare explained as she showed Trixie the images of her friends. 'Starshine, Sombra, Armora and Bark...all of them would have had no future if you hadn't taken the time to help them. Starshine would have died on the streets and Sombra would have never gotten to say his farewell to his daughter. Armora would have fought 'til the day she died and Bark would have watched his son become tyrant. But you helped to stop all of that from happening. All because you decided to give a small, lost colt a home.'
"Like I said, I do my best to help and I enjoy bringing others to justice," Trixie replied before a worried look crossed her face. "Speaking of others, what happened to Batman? Or...Morgaine?"
'That you must find out for yourself when you go back to them,' the silver mare said as she flashed a dazzling light. 'But for that, you need to wake up.'
/T\
Trixie groaned once again as she struggled to get back up on her hooves, barely aware of what was going on before she got tackled from the side by a small colt.
"You're alive!" Starshine cried out as he wept into her side, tightly hugging her as she looked around in a daze. Sombra, Bark and Armora were all standing beside her, all but Sombra having tears in their eyes. "You've been out for a few minutes. We didn't know if you were going to--"
"Speak for yourself kid, I knew that it would take more than that to kill her," Sombra said with a smirk as Starshine let go of Trixie, before he walked up to her and held out a hoof. "But I'm glad to see that you're not in a coma, Trix. You are the only one who can get us back in the wagon, after all."
"Glad to see that's why you were so worried," she said, returning the smile as she took his hoof, shakily getting to her hooves as she looked around her. She hadn't been moved far from where the portal had been opened, but she did notice that she hadn't been the only one resting. "Batmare?" she asked as she saw the dark clad mare beside her, a good portion of her suit destroyed or burned. "Jeez she looks bad. Are you certain that she's alright?"
"We only have the word of the silver pony that she'll survive," Bark said before turning with a growl, the others looking to where he was sniffing to see a figure all in black land on the roof beside them, the symbol on his chest letting them all know who he was.
"Batman," Trixie muttered as the Dark Knight limped over to them, doing his best to hide his pain. He glared down at them as he approached and they moved to the side, allowing him to bend over to pick up Batmare into his arms before he looked at Trixie.
"Where's Morgaine?" he asked her, causing a wave of sorrow to come crashing down on Trixie as she remembered what had happened. Trixie fell back down to her knees and lowered her head, causing the Bat to raise an eyebrow at her reaction. "I asked you a question," Batman threatened before a bolt of darkness flew by his head.
"She's dead," Sombra growled as he walked up to the Dark Knight, not intimidated by him in the least. "She sacrificed herself to use a spell that trapped her in the demon's plane along with the demons. And that was after she had told Trixie how much she cared for her! So I don't give a damn who you are, but you will leave her alone!" Batman narrowed his eyes as Sombra's horn began to glow, but Trixie held out a hoof to stop him.
"She's gone, Batman, just as Sombra said," Trixie muttered as she got back up, looking into Batman's eyes with her own. "But she was the one who cast the spell that allowed us to stop the demons, to keep all of Equestria safe. She saved us." Batman narrowed his eyes at that statement before he turned and walked away with Batmare. Sombra scowled at him before Batman stopped and looked back at Trixie.
"I'm sorry." Trixie let a small smile out at his two words as he vanished, leaving the five of them alone to look around at the destruction of the city. All of the demons had vanished, which Trixie contributed to the closing of the portal and everything seemed to be fine, apart from the few cries of pain that they heard. Trixie was about to say something when there was a loud noise, and a giant ship that looked badly burned flew up over the crest of the city. A laugh could be heard from the ship before it flew off into the distance, leaving the five of them more confused than they had been.
"TRIXIE!" Trixie turned around only to be slammed into by a wall of purple, which she found out to be Twilight--after they had stopped rolling. She grunted as Twilight pulled her into a 'death hug' and squeezed the entire time. "I can't believe it's really you! I had no idea that you would...actually, I thought you would show up, but to battle two of the demons!"
"It's nice to see you again too, Twilight," Trixie said again as she broke free of the 'death hug', giving Twilight a small smile in contrast to her large one. Luna and Celestia came running up after her, both of them coming to a stop when they saw the dark pony standing next to Trixie and Twilight.
"Sombra," Luna snarled as she let her horn glow with power, Celestia following suit. Sombra let his horn begin to glow as well, but Trixie placed herself between him and the princesses before anything could start.
"Yes, Sombra, the former ruler of the Crystal Empire and one of my friends who helped me to stop the demons," Trixie said, causing the princesses to gasp in surprise. "In fact, all of these misfits you see here helped to stop Daragon. Starshine, Armora and Bark, Sombra--all of whom have been my good allies." Celestia looked at the group for a moment before she shook her head.
"It seems that there is a lot that you need to tell us," she said with a sigh as she looked around the city. "But this is not the place to do so. Please, come with me."
/T\
A full day had passed since the defeat of the demons, a day that Trixie had mostly spent with the princesses and the Elements, telling them mostly of her journey for the past few years up to the point where she came to Canterlot to fight. The parts with Sombra especially raised the princesses eyebrows, and the knowledge that Atlantis had been in the clutches of the Kraken for so long caused sorrow to flash in their eyes.
"The Atlantians had been good allies of ours," Celestia said. "They had aided us in our battle with Sombra and the Changelings, which is why I assume that he went after them." She glared at Sombra as she said this, but he ignored her completely. Trixie had then told them about Star-Swirl's secret temple and what he had told her, but she said that the others would tell Celestia what he told them if they chose. The sun had set before they had finished talking, so Celestia had the guest rooms made up for them, although Trixie had to convince her not to throw Sombra in the dungeon.
"I just can't believe that you're friends with all the princesses!" Starshine said excitedly as Twilight escorted Trixie and her family to their chambers, smiling at the excited young colt as he looked around the castle with a huge smile.
"I wouldn't exactly call us friends," Trixie tried to say, but Twilight pulled her into a wing hug in response.
"She's right, we're the best of friends," Twilight said with a smile, Trixie rolling her eyes in response. Armora and Bark got their own rooms while Trixie said that Starshine would stay with her. Sombra had refused the princesses' hospitality and had said that he wanted to be alone for a while. Trixie wondered what he was thinking, but figured that he wouldn't do anything.
"You didn't have to do this," Trixie said humbly as Twilight opened the door for her, but Twilight shook her head in response.
"You're my friend Trixie," she said as Starshine ran into the room and jumped onto the bed. "And with everything that has happened to you, I figured that you could use a friend right about now. But it seems that you have made more friends than I ever thought you could have." Trixie looked back at Starshine with a smile, chuckling as he bounced off the bed and onto the floor with a grunt.
"Yes. I am very lucky to have them," she agreed before stifling a yawn.
"It's getting late and I shouldn't keep you longer than I have to," Twilight said with another smile. "And I want you rested up for tomorrow."
"Why? What do you have planned?" Trixie asked suspiciously, knowing that when Twilight had an idea it often involved things she didn't like.
"I'm throwing a massive celebration for you and your friends, the heroes that stopped the demons," Twilight said with a smile, causing Trixie to face-hoof.
"It is a nice gesture, but you don't need to..."
"Of course I do. You want everypony to know that you aren't a monster, right?" Twilight asked with a wink that told Trixie that she wasn't getting out of this one. "Besides, according to you the other members of your band of misfits are all outcasts as well. I talked to Bark and Armora and they were all for it. This will be a great chance to show them in a positive light." Trixie wanted to argue again, but she realized that Twilight was giving her a chance she would never have on her own--a chance for others to see her for more than the monster she was.
"...Very well Twilight, but not too big a party," Trixie said with a thankful smile. "Please keep Pinkie away from it."
"You know that's impossible," Twilight said with another smile before wishing Trixie goodnight and leaving the azure mare alone. Trixie shook her head with a smile as she walked inside of her room, closing the door behind her to find Starshine fast asleep, covering nearly all of the bed in the process. 'Still a little troublemaker,' she thought as she gently kissed him on the head before walking out onto the room's balcony, looking up at the stars with a smile.
"So, what do you think of Twilight's idea?" she asked the shadows next to her, Sombra emerging from them with a frown on his face. "I am all for it and I'm sure the others are too, but I wanted to ask you."
"I couldn't care in the least," he said with a shrug. "Let them know that they should be thanking you, it's the least you deserve." Trixie caught the tone in his voice and turned to look at him, able to see the conflict on his face in the moonlight.
"What's the matter?"
"It's just...for the majority of my immortal life, the only thing that kept me going from either being trapped in ice to being blown apart was my desire for revenge, to conquer this city and crush the princesses. And now I'm here, in the perfect position to take that revenge. But..." Trixie walked over to him as he hung his head and gently pulled him into a hug.
"I can't say I know what you should do, because whatever you do next is your choice," she said as she let go to turn back to her room. "But whatever you choose, I just wanted to say that I'm glad the books--and others' opinions--were wrong about you. I'm glad that there was a good ruler down there. I just had to dig real deep." She headed back into her room as she said this, leaving Sombra alone with his conflicting thoughts and the gaze of the moon upon him.
/T\
Trixie couldn't believe how many ponies had come out to celebrate with her and the others for what they had done. Twilight had ordered a special wagon for them and once they were all inside, she had ordered the driver to take them through the streets of Canterlot. Trixie and the others couldn't believe their eye and ears as they drove into the streets, where hundreds of thousands of ponies had come out to celebrate them. Trixie could hear them chanting her name along with the names of her friends, all except for Sombra, who didn't seem to care either way.
"They really love us," Bark said with a smile as he waved at the edge of the city, Trixie turning his arm so that he waved at the crowd. Armora buzzed something in reply, which Sombra said was that she agreed. Twilight beamed at Trixie the entire time that they went through the streets, loving the look of happiness on her face as she heard everypony cheering for her.
"It seems that I was right ten years ago," Twilight said with a smile. "I told you that they'd get over it. You just had to save the world to help them do it."
"Oh, is that all I had to do?" Trixie joked as she gingerly waved a hoof of hers, causing the crowd to cheer wildly. The cheering went on for another hour, but after that Twilight noticed that Trixie was starting to look down. So she told the driver to let them out at the area where they could overlook all of Equestria, where both Starshine and Sombra got out as well.
"Thank whoever's up there, I thought that nightmare would go on forever," Sombra said with a gagging sound as he walked out. Armora and Bark got out as well with huge smiles while Trixie walked to the edge of the city, looking down across the land.
"Trixie, what's the matter?" Twilight asked her.
"It's just that...for all these years I thought that Morgaine had died in the battle with Batman, but then when I needed her most she appears to save my life," Trixie whispered with sorrow. "And then she tells me that not only am I her best student, but also her only daughter. But then she goes and sacrifices her soul in my place, giving everything in my place so that I could stop the demons and live."
"But that's a good thing, right?" Twilight said, trying to be positive. "That means that Morgaine isn't all evil. It means that she had a good side or else she wouldn't have cared about you." Trixie then shook her head and looked at Twilight with tears in her eyes.
"That's the point. There was so much good in her. But I didn't believe it. After I had betrayed her, I thought just like everypony else, that all she cared about was power. I never got to tell her how much I loved her...or even got my chance to say goodbye. And now I never will." Twilight didn't know what to say, so she wrapped her wing around Trixie to try and comfort her. "Shouldn't you be checking on Batmare? She didn't look too good the last time I saw her." Twilight took the hint and teleported herself away, leaving Trixie to cry against the railing silently. Sombra and Starshine looked at each other as they tried to think of a way to comfort her before two voices came from behind them.
"Trixie, is that you?" Everypony except for Trixie turned to see a pair of ponies standing behind them, one of whom had a small white beard and a pair of crossed wands on his bluish coat. He had a horn and held himself with an air that told Sombra that he was a pony of great self-value. The mare was the same color as Trixie and was a unicorn as well, and she seemed to be of the same thinking as the stallion. And it didn't take much thinking for Sombra to figure out who they were.
"You must be Mister and Misses Lulamoon," he said with pure venom in his voice, a warning that was lost on them as they looked at him with cold eyes.
"We had heard that Sombra was here, but we didn't think he would grace us with his presence," Mrs. Lulamoon said coldly before turning back to Trixie. "Trixie, it's us. We've been waiting so long to actually see you again, ever since...well, that nasty incident all those years ago."
"You mean when you kicked her out," Starshine said with a snarl that made Sombra proud, walking beside the dark pony as he glared up at them. "You kicked her out all those years ago when she failed a stupid test." The stallion and the mare both glared coldly at Starshine, never noticing that Trixie hadn't turned around yet.
"Foals should been seen and not heard," the mother said again before she looked back to Trixie. "Trixie, we know that you must still be angry about what happened, but the both of us want you to come home." Trixie said nothing, nor did she move at these words, but Sombra and the others placed themselves between the parents and Trixie.
"And now you care," Starshine snarled as he glared up at them. "Now that she's some big shot hero that saved the world, now you care about her again! You couldn't give a damn when she couldn't make it into the academy, but now-"
"Watch your tongue child," the father spoke at last in a voice that made even Sombra feel like he was evil. "Do you not know who I am? I am one of the greatest magical minds in this city. If I wish for my daughter to return to us, then I will-" He coughed as he said this and looked down, down at the blade of magic that he found sticking out of his chest. He looked up at the smiling face of Sombra, who pulled the blade out with a smile.
"I may not know your name, but I know who you are," he said with an evil grin. "You're the pony that's going to bleed out in thirty minutes if he doesn't run his pompous little ass to the hospital. Twenty nine thirty to go." The stallion and the mare both looked at Somrba in horror before they ran off, Sombra's evil laugh following them as they did. The group then walked over to Trixie, who still hadn't moved.
"Are you alright Trixie?" Bark asked her.
"Why?"
"Because that was your parents," Starshine said. "Your family!" Trixie finally looked down at him with a small smile.
"Why would I care what two ponies said about me?" she said as she knelt down to hug him. "My mother gave her life to keep me and this land safe. And as for my family, they're here with me right now." Starshine smiled and hugged her back, Armora and Bark doing the same. Sombra was about to join in when he heard two sets of wing beats and looked up to see Celestia and Luna heading towards them.
"I'll handle this," he said to the group before he walked over to where the two landed, giving them the look they gave him. "The hell do you two want?" The princesses narrowed their eyes at him, but Celestia stood up in a businesslike manner before she spoke.
"I want to speak with both you and Trixie," she said as she looked over at the azure mare. "But since she is busy at the moment, I will talk with you. Luna and I both saw how you helped to save this city and all of Equestria, but we must ask you this question. What will you do now?"
"What ever do you mean?" Sombra asked in a mocking tone, much to the anger of Luna.
"Do not play dumb, if you're playing. We know full well that you plan to destroy my sister and me for what has happened in the past," Luna said with a growl as her horn glowed, but Sombra barely looked impressed at her threat.
"The two of you took something from me that day you defeated me, something more valuable than all of the kingdoms put together," he whispered in a cold fury, knowing that the others were watching him. "And I swore that I would not die until I had gotten revenge on the both of you, a revenge that would leave the both of you broken."
"And will you now?" Celestia asked carefully, both she and her sister bracing themselves for a fight.
"I already have." When the two princesses looked at him with confusion, he chuckled at them. "The two of you were powerless to stop the twin demons, meaning that you were powerless to protect all of your precious ponies. But I wasn't. Along with my family, I helped to stop the twin demons. So every time you look over your subjects or they praise you about how kind and strong the two of you are, I want you to remember that the only reason they are all alive is because of me. Because I decided to help. I saved them while the two of you watched." Luna growled in fury at him, but he brushed her off as he walked back over to Trixie, who looked up at Celestia.
"And you said that you wanted to speak with me?" she asked.
"Indeed," Celestia said as she tried to calm the rage she felt towards Sombra. "I wanted to know if you would consider being a part of my Royal Unicorn Magicians, the magicians who help to keep magical threats out of Canterlot."
"And you want me?" Trixie asked.
"Luna and I feel that there is nopony else more qualified," she said with a smile. Trixie lowered her head for a moment before she looked back up at Celestia.
"Do you mind if I think about it?" she asked. Celestia nodded and both of the princesses vanished, leaving her alone with the others. "I don't know what to do. This is the chance of a lifetime, sure, and now that all the ponies respect me again..."
"If it makes you happy, then you should do it," Bark said with a nod. But then Trixie shook her head and placed it on the railing.
"But I don't know if that would make me happy. If I do this, then I won't get to spend as much time with the rest of you. Hell, I don't even know if they'll let most of you stay in the city," she said with a sigh as she looked off into the distance. "I just don't know."
"Well, you could take up the job that Celestia wants you to," Sombra began with a smile. "ORRRR we could bail on old tank flank and go adventuring across the land until death finally has enough of us. So Trix, what do you want to do?" Trixie kept her head down for a few minutes before she slowly raised it again with an impish smile on her face.
"Any of you remember where we parked the wagon?" she asked.
"I do," Sombra said.
"Are you sure?"
"Hey, I'm the pony that made Discord think himself into nonexistence a few weeks before I met you. I think I can remember where we left a wagon," Sombra said as he let out an evil laugh to the skies, he and Trixie preparing to teleport the group. Trixie looked out of the corner of her eye to see the silver mare looking at her.
'Go; be happy. You have earned it.' Trixie smiled in response as the spell finished, the group vanishing in a flash of black and azure, leaving the mare to look out over the land. 'And it is almost time for me to go as well. But first I must speak with the Dark Knight...both of them.' She vanished in a flash of silver, leaving the area silent once again.
/T\
There is a story in Equestria, a story of a group of rag-tag creatures from all corners of Equis that managed to overcome the greatest of obstacles placed in their path. Through these constant struggles they grew closer together as a team and eventually became one of the greatest group of heroes known throughout the land. And they travel the land, seeking out all injustices that plague not just the ponies, but any race that needs a protection that the princesses cannot give. Some call them a band of heroes. Others a band of misfits. But no matter what they are called, they are feared by all who seek to harm others.
And I am one of those crusaders, the one who tried to bring down a nation only to realize that I myself had been brought down. I had to spend tens years of my life trying to get everypony to love me again, but at the end of it all my family reminded me that I didn't need the approval of everypony else. I only needed the love of those around me. There is nothing else I need.
So write I, Trixie Lulamoon.
/T\
The silver mare stood at the fourth pedestal waiting, knowing what was going to happen. Beside this one sat five others, two of which remained empty, but the other three each held items humming with power. A golden crown with a lightning bolt in the center, an arm band with a green radioactive symbol and the newest addition, a necklace with a bat in the center.
'And now you are with them,' she replied as an azure bolt struck the pedestal, causing a blinding flash. When the silver mare looked again, she could see a tiara with a Cutie Mark in the center of it, a Cutie Mark that was a wand with a flow of magic behind it. 'But I would have never believed that I would be able to find two within the same world. Maybe my sister truly is looking out for me...' She felt a massive surge of power as she said this and the echoes of a word she knew well ringing in her ears.
'He is on the hunt again. I am lucky that he cannot sense me in this place. But there is no place for me to go right now, so I must wait. And remember how I have failed.'