A/N: Special thanks to Iraq Lobster, Scarheart, Drgnwolf, DEI Caboose, Cadmium, hs0003, New Spark, Ketvirtas, Evilhumour, Kamunari, Killabyte, Ikiostar, and XaldinLance for your comments last chapter. Thank you again, and I hope to continue hearing from you all!
Title is from the song "Perfect" from Simple Plan.
Your thoughts mean everything to me and I would love to hear from you in the comments below! Comments are 
after all, and I could not get by without them from you all!
Trixie took her time walking over to Luna to request that both Lulamoons be brought back to Canterlot. Trixie did not know if she should bring up her mother’s illness or if she should request without requiring it. After all, she would not want to present her mother as a beggar. She did not even seem too willing to accept any kind of help, so making it seem as if this was a favor she wanted might not be right.
Right…Trixie was still having an issue with the fact that her mother was back.
What was worrying her more? Talking to her mother-figure about her actual mother. Given Luna’s tendency towards anger, this could result in the destruction of the entire nearby area if Trixie did not play this right.
After her nerve was gathered and her quivering hooves carried her to the table she had previously sat at with the three princesses, Trixie nervously murmured, “M-mother.”
Luna had calmed down when she saw Trixie approaching. The mere fact that Trixie was not breaking down and crying was enough for Luna to try and think good thoughts about what was being said. If Trixie could perhaps settle some old wounds, she may even come out of this stronger and be able to get past some of her crippling need for others’ recognition.
“How is it going?” Luna asked with a smile. She definitely wanted to come off as the good parent in this, so she wasn’t going to reveal her hatred of the newcomer in the first sentence.
Still nervous, Trixie tried to get through her thoughts but instead fumbled completely, “I…she…”
With a reassuring look from Luna, Trixie swallowed her fear and tried again, “I want to bring her with us back to Canterlot,” her own face faltered and grew sad as she continued, Luna’s mouth moving from a smile to a crease, “I have not quite forgiven her, but she needs help.”
Luna blinked, her voice caught between disbelief and curious, “Help? Her of all ponies?” a small nod from Trixie made Luna’s voice divert from curiosity increasingly into one of anger, “Trixie, this is your abusive mother. She just drops by after what, sixteen, seventeen, years—”
Not about to let Luna snap at her student, Celestia spoke up as Twilight cringed in her own seat, “Luna, please—”
Not all that sure about her own age after living out on the street for so many of her younger years, Trixie bit her lip as she tried to correct Luna with some uncertainty in her own voice, “I think it was fifteen.”
Luna responded without a single moment to rest, her voice now completely furious, though it was not directed at Trixie herself, “Oh pardon me, she comes by after fifteen years, and acts like nothing has happened! Come on, Trixie, this is the same mare who didn’t care enough about you to open the damn door!”
“She made a mistake. Many, yes, but so does everypony else,” Trixie cringed similarly to Twilight, though she had no seat to find comfort in and instead took a half step back. Despite her physical action revealing her mental fear of Luna’s reaction, Trixie’s voice became more resolute and sarcastic, “I’m sorry that not everypony can be as perfect as you, Princess Luna.”
Seeing Trixie retreat made Luna dial back her volume instantly. She did not want to be the one to now instill fear in Trixie, and realized her error with extreme regret. What had she become these past months? With her transformation drawing out her darker emotions, the loss of Loki (and previously Trixie too), in addition to her life’s stresses had caused Luna to become something she did not even recognize.
Luna sighed as she spoke with this lower voice, “Trixie, I understand that you want to be better than her, take her in when she would not do the same to you, but you’re not going to change her, she’s not coming back for your sake, she’s here to appease her own regrets.”
Trixie lowered her head to stare at the floor while Celestia spoke up again, not about to be interrupted again, “Everypony calm down. We can talk about the specifics later, but for now I think it would be good courtesy to allow Ms. Lulamoon to return with us,” she turned to face Luna with a serious expression, “Right, Luna?”
Luna joined Trixie in staring at the floor, though she spared a glance across the room towards the subject of this conversation. In a perfect world she wanted to kill Trixie’s mother and take that position for herself. Having her in their castle would make growing her own bond with Trixie more difficult since the natural mother would be in direct competition for affection despite her previous gross failures.
“Fine. She can come with us, but I will have a word with her when we return. Alone. Rules will be established.”
Trixie’s eyes lit up at Luna’s words, her face turning into a smile.
Maybe this all could turn out well. Her mother seemed to be open to rekindling their bond on some level, and her adoptive mother was willing to let things be.
She would be willing to forget if it meant everyone could be happy.
The ride back required Luna to be on mental autopilot. Anything else would have had her throw the elder Lulamoon from the carriage in pure anger.
Trixie sat awkwardly between them, trying to keep a smile on her face even as the ride home remained completely silent. Luna was unwilling to break her concentration while Trixie’s mother kept her own mouth shut to not aggravate the giant Alicorn riding in the same carriage. Twilight and Celestia had gone in their own separate one back to Canterlot, leaving just the three who had issues to settle between themselves.
After both carriages arrived back at Canterlot Luna was the one to break their silence. They were let out at the balcony that led to Luna’s room, all five ponies disembarking and waiting there for the others to get off.
This being done, the ponies entered Luna’s room where she spoke, “Now, it has been a long day for everyone. It is time to sleep.”
It was the early hours of night, Luna having had to move the moon during the ride, and it had been quite the day for them all, especially Twilight and Trixie. They each felt aches in their bodies where they magic had collided and done damage, though Trixie wore her bruises with some level of pride.
Celestia and Twilight gave their farewells to the others and wished them a goodnight while Trixie offered to show her mother a place to sleep. As both Lulamoons turned to leave Luna to her own room, Luna spoke up again.
“You stay.”
Her voice was directed at the elder Lulamoon, leaving Trixie to bite her own lip nervously while heading to the door. Luna took little note of Trixie’s exit while she focused her eyes on the only other remaining pony, who had stayed without protest. She had expected this conversation and was not afraid of being confronted alone.
“Take a seat,” she stated rather than offered. She wanted to speak down to the mare, and she would appear more intimidating if she was being looked up at rather than towards.
Trixie’s mother did not move, seemingly unfazed by the order. Her unflinching gaze irritated Luna, who made sure her door was closed with her magic as she stated through grit teeth, “Sit. Down.”
Out of a lack of caring, not fear, Ms. Lulamoon sat down and looked up at Luna as the princess approached her and only stopped a few feet in front of the blue pony.
Luna narrowed her eyes as she began to speak the words she planned on the carriage ride between fleeting mental images of eviscerating this mare, “I won’t pretend I am a moral pillar to be praised in matters regarding family, but some things I do know. I’ve learned because I’ve decided to have a family of my own, one that has not had you in the picture until recently.”
This did not seem to bring any doubt to the stone cold face of Trixie’s mother, whose only facial animation appeared when she was speaking to Trixie.
With nothing said back, Luna was left to continue her tirade, “You take care of your family, not neglect them, and love them for who they are. You love them despite their faults because that is what a mother and a sister does. These past months I have done everything I can for her, and I am not going to let you ruin Trixie’s emotional state after she has come so far.”
Again, there was no objection, though Luna was hoping for something. Anything. Talking without her talking back made it feel almost as if her words were being accepted, not recoiled against.
Still, Luna moved to the next part of her planned speech. She had little else to do but keep moving forward, and she wanted to let her thoughts be known, “Trixie is the most dedicated, loving and fantastic daughter that somepony could ever hope for. I intend to remove custody from you and grant it to myself, and any attempt you make at stopping this process will be denied and stricken from the record.”
Luna leaned down to bring their eyes as close as they could be, snarling at the stoic mare sitting before her, “She is my daughter now, as I appreciate her for who she is. I do not abuse her for what she is not, unlike your marred record,” she paused before continuing with obvious disgust and a very sinister tone, “If you do anything that can or does hurt Trixie, I swear they will never find your body. You will disappear and no-one will care. I can end your life or make it miserable as I please.”
Rising to her full height, Luna stared down at her rival of sorts with a more smug face, “Or did you forget that I can do that?”
“Not forget. Simply don’t care. I will die soon enough as it is,” the flippant Lulamoon stated, her voice followed by a cough. Her dismissal of Luna’s threat would have deflated the Alicorn’s ego if not for how it was stated that she was dying. That rose Luna’s interest greatly.
Luna rose an eyebrow, keeping her face and voice neutral, “How much longer do you have?”
“A few weeks. A month if I am so unlucky.”
That revelation gave Luna some pause. So this was the help that Trixie spoke of…it seemed that, at least to Luna, the mother had accepted her fate while Trixie wanted to try and interfere with it. It would be quite sweet if the recipient of the charity actually deserved it on any level.
“I can see why she wanted to bring you with us,” Luna narrowed her eyes again as she thought about the situation more. This fact being revealed meant that it could serve as something else that hurts Trixie. If her biological mother died after reconciling with her then it would weigh heavily on her mind and possibly drive her back into depression.
“Is this some attempt to reconcile before you die then? You do realize you will likely hurt her more by being here than by never having come back. Trixie would have been better without you being in the picture.”
As if she was bored, Trixie’s mother asked Luna a cutting question, “Are you done?”
Luna hid her annoyance at this while responding, “Yes, but you will answer this to me. Why?” Luna had to restrain herself as she brought up a question which she expected to have a poor answer to, “Was she not good enough? Or is it something more personal to you? There is no father listed on her birth certificate, and you were only at the end of middle school. Did you resent having her?”
It took a moment, but the stone-faced façade cracked. Trixie’s mother lowered her gaze ever so briefly before looking straight back up to Luna with a focused gaze.
“Truth be told, I never wanted that girl,” she stated, her voice containing a sigh within it before pausing completely, “If I had the chance to go back and change things I never would have had her. At least not then. Not at that age.”
Luna tried to think back to the record she had read of Trixie’s mother. She had glossed over the less relevant details, and so she was having a hard time remembering just how old this mare was. She really did look as if she was a marginally older Trixie, and their features were stunningly similar outside of Trixie’s most recent growth spurt.
This time spent retrieving information mentally gave Trixie’s mother time to continue, “By the time I scared Trixie away I was still younger than she is now. I was young and stupid. My parents evicted me, so they were no help when she was first born. By the time I knew enough about an orphanage to leave her at one, she was old enough to talk and do magic. Older fillies aren’t adopted as often…”
Luna’s building rage and anger began to stagnate. If what this mare was saying was true…
No. There was another piece of this equation that Luna needed to know.
“Where is her father? I assume you know who they are.”
The other mare gave a small grunt, “You’ll have to ask that bastard who married into Prince Blueblood’s family,” as Luna’s jaw dropped at that very statement, Trixie’s mother added with some disgust, “Trixie and that Prince Blueblood you so despise are half siblings.”
Blueblood’s father…he had passed away before Luna had returned, though she had never heard a bad word about him. Granted the age of Trixie’s mother, that would mean he took advantage of a child.
Luna felt her heart sink. She actually felt some sympathy for the mare who, until now, she had every reason to hate and despise to irrational levels. She did not know how she felt about that, but something else still mattered.
“Does she know? Does she know any of this?” Luna asked, though she honestly doubted Trixie did. If she did, she would have brought it up at some point.
Ms. Lulamoon shook her head no, her voice being a cross between a monotone and regret, “No, but you do the math. The downsides of looking older than your age, especially when you look like an adult and are too young to know what is happening,” her voice shifted as a small smile graced her lips, “You could confirm it with him, except I killed the stallion years ago. Left his legitimate child the same way as my own, and repaid him in kind for everything he had done.”
Despite the admission of a crime, Luna found herself fully in support. She would have done the same thing after all, though she was genuinely curious why this seemingly intelligent and collected mare did not just turn him in to the police, “Why did you not report him? Tell someone?”
“You were not back yet from your lunar excursion, but he was quite the influential figure in his time. It allowed him to get to where he ended up, and it is quite difficult to accuse royalty of something so…” she paused before her façade broke again for a moment, her eyes wincing as she coughed, “Even my parents did not believe me.”
Parts of Luna wretched at her own emotions as she realized that her sympathy was now eclipsing her hate for this other horse. While the actions of this mare were inexcusable towards Trixie, Luna could find herself understanding how and why she had treated Trixie terribly. This did not erase or excuse her crimes, rather it put them into a context that made Luna absolutely sick to her stomach.
“I hated Trixie. She always looked like a happy version of what I was like back when I was her age. Back when I didn’t have my life ruined,” Trixie’s mother gave a small snort, “I might have actually given her up if she didn’t though. If she looked like him.”
With a breath, she began to admit to her own issues, “I hit her. I starved her. Forced her to work until she was in tears. I wanted her to hate me like I hated her, and she just couldn’t. She can feel indignant, but she isn’t capable of one tenth of the malice I am.”
To that Luna could agree. Trixie did not have it in her to be a true villain, much unlike herself. Even when Trixie was corrupted by the Alicorn Amulet she had gone no farther than taking a town over and banishing her object of scorn, when she easily could have inflicted real damage and harm.
Still speaking, Trixie’s mother sighed again before wheezing momentarily, “You don’t know what you have until you have lost it. I have no idea of how to be a parent. I made Trixie the way she is, for better or for worse, because I couldn’t be there for her like I should have.”
Surprising Luna, Ms. Lulamoon stood up and turned towards the door.
“You’ve taken her in like your own. In these past few months you’ve done more for her than I ever have,” Luna could swear she could hear the faintest trace of her fighting back tears, “Take care of her. You are right about how I do not belong here. I will not bother you two any more.”
Despite her inner rage, Luna could not help but also feel the same compassion that drew her closer to Trixie. As such she did not try and stop her so she could yell more, instead asking about what she would have to say and explain to Trixie, “What should I tell her?”
“You don’t need to tell me anything!”
Both Luna and Ms. Lulamoon whipped their heads around to face the area beside the door, where Trixie emerged from an invisibility illusion. Tears were streaming down her face and her eyes were puffy as she removed her magical veil, and neither mare could believe that she had been there the entire time without their knowledge.
“Trixie?” Luna gasped as she realized just how badly this was going to turn out. Trixie had screamed, meaning that she had not taken all of this news lightly, nor had her sympathy built up like Luna’s had.
Her mother attempted to approach her with a soothing voice, “Listen, Trixie, honey—”
Trixie’s horn began to glow its new black, purple, and green and she leveled it towards her mother, “Don’t you dare call me that!”
While Luna’s threats earlier may not have fazed the elder Lulamoon in the slightest, the extremely volatile Trixie was bringing fear to her eyes. She took a step back as Trixie continued to sob and point her horn at her.
“You hated me because of something that wasn’t even my fault!?” Trixie was nearly choking on her tears as her voice continued to elevate, “No matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried, you still couldn’t stand me because you didn’t want to have me in the first place!? I’ve lived my entire life thinking I wasn’t good enough just because you slept with a disgusting piece of trash twice your age!?”
Luna was unsure how to intervene. Surely Trixie wouldn’t attack another pony…would she? If she ever broke her general sweetness then this would be the pony to push her to that point. Still, Luna doubted Trixie could go so far…
But having heard it all…maybe she could. Trixie was so emotional that she did not seem to have realized that her mother had not willingly been with Blueblood’s father, nor did she appear to care. She was simply furious that her entire life’s pain stemmed from something she had no choice over and that her mother tormented her for.
“Trixie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want you to know that—”
Her genuine apology was cut off with a burst of magic that blasted the floor right in front of her hooves, surprising both the mother and Luna. As her mother retreated another step Trixie’s voice lowered and her face turned fierce, “What was it you said fifteen years ago? Walk out that door and you better not come back. And you can forget any future you will have.”
Trixie fired another blast, though this time it was aimed directly at her mother. It was not fast enough to hit her, as the elder mare moved out of the way and the blast slammed into the wall. This done, Trixie’s mother rushed towards the door as Trixie shouted after her.
“Go on, get out! You better not come back you dying witch!”
After her mother escaped though the door a moment of silence passed in the room. In this time Trixie resumed her tears, her horn’s magic disappearing and her body shaking in distress as she felt her emotions other than anger return to her.
“Trixie…” Luna stated sadly as she looked across the room. As much as the mother deserved some kind of revenge from Trixie, listening in on the conversation had turned the hopeful and happy Trixie into a mess. This was exactly how Luna had hoped things would not go, all because Trixie could not likely trust Luna alone with her own mother.
Luna’s own scary demeanor had, in effect, caused this since Trixie likely feared Luna would have killed the mare.
The shaking, the tears, her continuing sobs…Luna felt her heart wrench at the sight of her adoptive daughter. She approached her and brought a large black wing around her, wrapping her up protectively.
“Trixie, it’s going to be alright. I’m here for you,” Luna cooed, “Everything’s going to be okay.”
Trixie sniffled while wiping tears off one side of her face, her voice trying to sound tough even as it wavered, “I’m already alright. Why shouldn’t I be? I kicked her out this time, not the other way around…”
Trixie breaking down into more tears made Luna bring a hoof to her face and stroke it softly, “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m here for you, you know that right? I always will be. I…”
Trixie looked up to Luna and tried to look tough, but her quivering lower lip kept it from working, “I know, but I’m fine. I don’t need her, just like I’ve never needed her,” her voice was confident even if her face wasn’t, “I didn’t need her when I learned how to levitate apples off of carts to eat. I didn’t need her when I found out how to do show magic to get my cutie mark, and I did fine without her making a life for myself before Twilight’s friends humiliated me, didn’t I?”
Not sure how to respond, Luna just nodded while bringing her hoof up and down Trixie’s side in a comforting manner, “Yes, you did.”
“Without her I became the apprentice of a princess. Without that recalcitrant bitch I made my life better, defeated two Ursas, and proved I’m the best Unicorn in all of Equestria!” Trixie choked out, her words harsh but also revealing how hurt she felt, “I’ve lived my whole life without her helping me, from the day I crawled out of my crib to feed myself since she couldn’t be bothered!”
A pause, and then…
“Why doesn’t anypony love me?” Trixie asked in a whisper, her voice fading along with her anger.
Luna lowered her lips to the top of Trixie’s head, “Trixie?”
“Yes m—mother?”
Luna rubbed her face against Trixie’s, feeling a tear fall down her own cheek, “I love you. I always will.”
With that, Luna lead her student and daughter over to her bed. She was not going to let Trixie sleep alone that night and stir in her thoughts. She needed comfort, and that was what she was going to get.
Tucking Trixie in under the blue and green sheets of the bed, Luna bent her face down to kiss her student on the cheek. Trixie gave no resistance to all of this, and when Luna laid down beside her and brought her hooves around her she turned to return to gesture.
“I love you…” Trixie whispered.
Exhausted from the day and the previous few minutes, Trixie nodded off almost instantly. Luna kept herself awake long enough to be sure that Trixie was sleeping well, at which point she entered her dreams and guided them throughout the night.
Trixie would have suffered from nightmares, but she did not lose an ounce of rest to them because of the mare who took her in and who she now called mother.