"Closure," Luna repeated, as if tasting the word. "You want me to go back to the Everfree Forest, to the, ah, site of the event." Luna stated, not quite a question. The princess raised a brow in Twilight's general direction.
"What event? Nopony's going anywhere until you tell us what the hay's going on!" Rainbow Dash protested. Five confused ponies stood still at the opposite end of the room from the princess. "I don't know whether to buck Luna, or, well, whatever!" the frustrated pegasus complained to a murmur of general assent.
"Rainbow Dash. All of you. Please, forgive me," Luna said, smiling at them with a mixture of fear and hope. "If you wish to know, I will tell you, but these are thoughts I have carried with me for a thousand years." She lowered her gaze. "I wish only to leave it behind now, if I can. You ask to share my burden, and you may regret it."
"Perhaps sharing it might help?" Twilight asked, mirroring the princess' smile as she slowly walked over to stand by her side. The other lucent ponies, tired as though they all were, nodded in unison while Trixie slept on. The haggard unicorn was so deep in slumber, she had not even stirred.
"You may be right," Luna admitted. Immortal or no, right now, she looked a little nervous about the way the majority of the ponies were looking at her. "I think we are all tired and hungry though. Can I ask that you see about procuring some food, first? I do not want to impose upon Winter Sun further, and I think I spotted a Neighponese take-out across the street. If it possible, I would like to have a few words with Twilight in private."
"Leave you alone with Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked, narrowing her eyes. "How do we know you haven't cast some sort of spell on her, huh? And how do we know you won't, even if you haven't? What's going on?"
"I, ah, perhaps some of us could stay?" Rarity suggested. It was obvious and understandable that they were a bit apprehensive, Twilight figured. They had not seen what she had seen. Luna must seem like a complete madpony to them, wrathful one moment and apologetic and meek a second later.
Luna swallowed and looked away. "Perhaps you are correct. After all this, I have no right-"
"Come on girls, let's go," Applejack commanded just as Twilight was was preparing to explain. The orange earth pony prodded the most reluctant of them on the flank, though to little effect. "Git' moving, Ah know Ah'm hungry!"
"Applejack?" Twilight asked, not quite sure what the real question was until after she had said it. She'd not expected Applejack to leap to Luna's defense.
Applejack didn't seem to take offense. She was getting a few surprised looks from the others, though, and her frown deepened. "Might be that it took me while, yeah. Maybe Ah'm sorry it took Luna helping Trixie to see it, but Ah trust her. And Ah don't see why you don't, too." The farmpony looked around at her friends, none of which would meet her gaze, now.
"Don't see how anypony with cruel intentions can go against the wishes of her own sister to save a, um, distant relative?" Applejack continued, shaking her head a little at the thought. "Ah don't rightly know, but Ah can tell a rotten apple from one that's good eatin', and- oh horsefeathers," she groaned. "What Ah'm saying is, Twi's got a handle on this. Let's just get moving girls."
"Our apologies, princess," Rarity muttered as the ponies began filing out of the room past Luna and Twilight. Fluttershy threw a last, worried glance at Trixie, but the sleeping unicorn did not appear to be suffering any more.
"No," Luna said. "Do not apologize, even in jest. But thank you." The princess locked eyes with Applejack as she passed, and smiled gratefully until they had left, leaving Twilight alone with her once again.
"What do we tell them?" Luna asked, taking a few steps towards the bed and Trixie atop it. "How much would you have me tell your friends?"
Twilight walked past the princess and hopped onto the bed, turning to face her with an implacable smile. "My friends? You mean your friends. Our friends," she said. "How many times do you need to be reminded?"
"At least once more, it seems," Luna admitted with a half-hearted chuckle.
"As long as you tell them the truth about the Elements," Twilight said. "I- were you serious? Will we..." her breath caught in her throat. It felt ridiculous to speak so frankly of such momentous things, and the room felt bare. Insufficient. This was not a conversation to be held in a half-ruined hotel room.
"Eternal life?" Twilight finally managed. "Immortality?"
"I hope I have not given the impression that I am in the habit of lying or exaggerating," Luna said. "It is a possibility. An option, if you will. And yes, I will tell them." The moon princess gave a short, barking laughter and shook her head.
"It is ridiculous, is it not? This memory. If I had told Celestia of it, perhaps..." the princess muttered, her voice petering out.
"You didn't tell her," Twilight said, disbelieving. "She- Celestia didn't know you carried the memory. Oh that's just brilliant."
Luna scoffed. "Yes, well, if you had any illusions regarding me being perfect, I hope they are well and truly shattered now."
"I'm sorry," the purple unicorn stammered, uncertain of whether the bile was directed at her or at Luna herself, but she didn't like either option very much. "I just, oh my gosh. How did Celestia find out? She knew, she helped me!"
"Celestia is a brilliant strategist and a notorious schemer, Twilight," Luna said as she climbed onto the bed herself. Space was a little limited, but the foot-end fit her and Twilight nicely as they sat together. "She rarely acts on impulse. She must have learned more than I thought in our conversations from the fort and Belltown."
The princess snorted, adding almost as an afterthought; "Perhaps I wanted her to know. I do not rightly recall everything I wrote to her, but she must have gleaned something. I know for a fact that despite her taking over my duties for now, she could not enter the dream. I would have suspected you of tattling, had you not been surprised at the admission just now. I do not think you are quite that brilliant a liar, at any rate."
Twilight blushed a little at that and shrugged. "Well, I'm glad she realized."
"As am I," Luna said.
The following silence was almost comfortable, but it was hard to rest with so many questions up in the air still. It was almost poetic that as they sat there in each others' company, they were facing the ruined doorway. It was a subtle but potent reminder.
"I'm sorry. I betrayed your trust, just like you said – in there," Twilight sighed. It had to be said, though she didn't know if she would like whatever came of bringing it up. Of all the words traded inside the memory, of all the rebukes and threats, that bit was what stuck with her. Everything else could be excused, but not that. Never that.
"Do you regret it?" Luna calmly queried.
"No," Twilight answered, instantly. She didn't even have to think. "That would be absurd."
"Why not?" Luna asked.
Only now did the unicorn realize how close they were. They sat side to side, both their legs and flanks touching. Luna's eyes were regarding Twilight with apparent impassivity, but the bookish pony knew far better. She had no desire to ever play poker with Luna.
"Because it was the right thing to do," Twilight said, trying to affect nonchalance. Her shrug rubbed her hindleg against Luna's and she winced.
The princess did not seem to notice, tilting her head a little. "Are you aware of what a horribly illogical atrocity it is to justify something with nothing but itself?"
Twilight huffed. "Don't be difficult. I was trying to help. If you can do something ridiculous for anypony," she said, flicking her head back at Trixie, "why can't I?"
Luna appeared to consider this for a long time, her eyes never leaving Twilight. Perhaps it would have been unnerving if Twilight hadn't been a little cranky. She had no idea why Luna was being so difficult when it was in fact very simple.
It was simple, wasn't it? It had been simple before, at the very least. Twilight had had a goal, a mountain to climb. She'd told herself that trying to sort out this mess came first, before she'd consider a very big question. Now she stood at the top of the mountain, and it quickly became apparent that it wasn't the tallest peak.
If no other parts of her little metaphor worked, one thing was for sure; Twilight realized that she had a very long way to fall if she slipped. She had something to lose. The princess had said something in there, inside the dream, that suggested that maybe, perhaps...
"What are we?" Twilight asked, finally voicing that elusive question. "And if you're going to say 'ponies', I will cry."
Luna smiled and shook with soundless laughter. "I did not know I had given you cause to think me a prankster, and I am not trying to be obtuse here."
"That is the most brilliant non-answer I could ever have imagined," Twilight admitted, rolling her eyes, eliciting another little laugh from Luna.
"I had my own answer when you broke my trust. When you confirmed that you have no regrets, that answer was reinforced. I want you to answer your own question, though. Or rather, what do you want for us to be? What is the 'us', Twilight Sparkle?" Luna asked, suddenly serious.
Twilight's stomach clenched. It took her a second for her to convince herself that she was in fact not going to throw up. She had blown it the very second she realized what "it" was. The purple unicorn forced herself to answer, though she could not keep the disappointment from her voice as she fell from the top of the mountain.
"Nothing, apparently," she said, clumsily getting up to stand. "I'm sorry for thinking-"
"Twilight," Luna said, her voice bordering on stern. The princess extended a wing over Twilight's back and gently pushed the bewildered unicorn back down. "Say no more, I do not wish to see you like this!"
"You said you had your answer," Twilight muttered, unable to meet Luna's gaze. The princess' wing stayed where it was, draped over her. It was uncomfortably hot.
"Yes. I have my answer. I know what I think of the Element of Magic, of she who was strong enough to unite the other Elements and stand up to me. Brave enough to face down a thousand years of bitterness wielding something you still only barely understand," Luna explained.
"More than that, I have seen the Twilight behind that Element. The pony who recognized that the bitterness left... wounds," Luna said, sighing. "The unicorn who was too stupid and stubborn to leave me well enough alone even on a direct order."
Twilight forced herself to give Luna a quick glance when she said no more. The princess eyes were on her still, and it made her heart skip a beat. She found no words. She let herself hope.
"What are we?" Luna repeated after a long moment, her smile fading. "I do not know exactly, Twilight Sparkle, but you are your own pony, and you can tell me what you want. For my part, I know that I would be a fool not to love you for what you have done for me. But at the same time, you have to remember the goal of this journey, for me."
"You're a princess," Twilight said, nodding, voice dead as she opened the floodgates of logic and reason. "And you have your duties. Celestia has ruled alone for a full millenium, and you want to raise the moon again. Open your own court. Help rule the principality."
"I must," Luna nodded once, mechanically, and it looked like it pained her to do even that. "But before I do that, I wish to set things right. She has managed without me for a thousand years. I am certain she can manage for another few days or weeks, or however long. You have not yet told me your plan."
Twilight felt wretched. She didn't know why, but she'd always had a vague notion that the impossibilities surrounding the situation would somehow fall away when the truth was out. She dared think that when the word 'love' was involved, everything changed, but this was nothing like the novels she'd read. Was this the end of the road, then? The princess looked just about as displeased as Twilight felt, and she had no idea how to interpret that. She forced herself to answer the question before she became unable to think of nothing else.
"Well, I don't know if it'll work, but perhaps you just need to go back there. Trying to avoid it and refusing to acknowledge that it happened out here in the real world, all the while indulging yourself in a memory like that?" Twilight shrugged. "That's kind of backwards."
"I, ah. The memory, yes," Luna said, licking her lips.
"You haven't ended it yet," Twilight accused, feeling very weary.
"No. I suppose I am letting it run one more time," the princess admitted. Twilight slowly got up, slipping out from under her wing at that. The unicorn pony hopped down onto the floor and walked towards the door.
"You are leaving?" Luna asked.
"I am going to start walking towards Canterlot. I am going to find Celestia and tell her to buck you in the head," Twilight muttered.
There was a soft glow from behind Twilight, followed by a muted flash. She felt something poke at a connection in the back of her mind that she'd never before known was there. It felt like somepony slapped her on the back of the head.
"You've made your point. It is gone," came the princess' voice from behind her, oddly quiet - almost vulnerable. "Will you come with me to the ruins of Crepuscin, or will I walk alone?"
Twilight wanted to shake her head. She wanted to be a big fat hypocrite and refuse to help now that she knew the princess was beyond her reach. More than anything, she wanted to go home to Ponyville with some of her heart intact, thankful that she'd never said those magical three words to Luna. If she just kept refusing to think about it, it might go away.
Twilight nodded. "Of course," she heard herself say, but the words were empty. She was thankful when she heard the noise of hoofsteps coming down the hallway, accompanied by animated chatter. She forced herself to adopt an expression resembling normalcy, whatever normal was these days. It probably looked absurd.
"Right! Morning slumber party with Neighponese takeout time!" Pinkie Pie declared as the five ponies entered the room, shedding the disposable saddlebags she wore. Suddenly, the room was full of life again, and the smell of food was nothing short of divine. While she didn't really feel hungry any more, Twilight accepted a plastic plate of lotus spring rolls.
"So," Applejack said, sitting down in the middle of the floor, right next to Twilight. "We're downstairs talkin' to Winter, who by the way is hiding under the sofa downstairs and dearly hopes she never has to play host for us again-
"Anyway, so you and me, Luna," Applejack began anew, leaning on Twilight. "We're downstairs talking to Winter, and you suddenly bolt off like you've seen a ghost. Ah take off after you, and you're yelling at Twi' though she's asleep."
Luna, still atop the bed, nodded and did not interrupt.
"So Ah ask you what's up, and you're not very forthcoming about anything much, and Ah tell you to get away from her, and from there, things pretty much go downhill faster'n for a sapling in a storm," the farmpony said, sounding neither angry nor confused. She was simply reciting facts. "And then, Twi' wakes up, and you're back to bein' yourself. Why?"
Rainbow Dash nodded vigorously along with every word Applejack said, only pausing to stick her snout into her spiced rice. She'd sat down next to Fluttershy and Pinkie on Twilight's other side, and was listening with rapt attention.
"We're all aware that it's all tied to the sleep deprivation issues Twilight had earlier," Rarity added. It was obvious that Pinkie and Rainbow had not let on what they knew, for which Twilight was thankful.
"It is not so much related to Twilight as it is to me," Luna began, levitating over a helping of leaves and rice proffered by Pinkie. "Or rather, it was not, up until recently. Listen well, for I hope this is the last time I have to tell this tale."
Luna told them everything. She re-told her memory with precision and skill that was the unenviable result of having lived it and replayed it in her mind millions of times. The memory was as much part of her as anything else. Luna was herself, Luna was the moon, and Luna was the memory of her lowest moment all. She shared this part of her with them, and looking at her friends' faces, Twilight was glad that she had entered the darkness of Luna's mind alone.
It was hard to understand how they could listen so passively to what triggered images in Twilight's head. While Luna told them of Celestia's role, of the Sun Spear, Pinkie Pie calmly offered a hoof-full of rice to a smiling Fluttershy. Twilight cringed, remembering the insatiable, screaming hunger of the horrible weapon. Rarity merely shook her head at the destruction of Crepuscin. To her, it was a tragic and unnecessary event of the past. Twilight had not just seen it, she had been there, and it still weighed on her. She still wondered what became of the hundreds of ponies in the square below the tower as Crepuscin ended.
To the others, it was a story. To Twilight, it felt like a real event. Looking at Princess Luna, the purple unicorn had to wonder what kind of pony could make this part of her daily routine. The madness of Nightmare Moon after her release was not quite so hard to grasp, suddenly.
One thing, though, caught their attention. When Luna concluded her tale, it was Pinkie Pie who spoke up first. "Hang on, so, we live forever?" she asked, curious and shocked past the point of even smiling.
"Forever," Rainbow Dash repeated experimentally, as if the word was foreign to her.
"Yes, about that," Luna said, sighing. "It is one of the many potential powers of the Elements, but it is not a power that belongs to you. It can be taken away, too."
"What happened to the previous bearers?" Rarity asked fearfully.
Luna closed her eyes and was quiet for a moment before she replied. Twilight had gathered it would be a sore spot. Celestia's words inside the memory still echoed in her own mind, too. They gave them freely because they love you, Luna.
"Nothing," the princess said. "I asked Celestia. It was... the first thing I asked her when we got back to the palace. She told me they had lived full and healthy lives until the day they passed, most of them leaving behind families of their own. Perhaps she lied to me, but there is no intrinsic harm in losing the spark of the Element itself. Worse by far is to lose sight of who you are. That is the real danger, what you should truly fear," Luna warned. "But then, that goes for everypony. We all lose our way sometimes. Myself included."
The princess levitated the leftovers onto the floor, apparently satiated, and her expression hardened. "I trust you will not take offense at my words, but I think both my sister and I would have liked to keep this from you for a little bit longer."
"If you don't mind me asking, um, why?" Fluttershy asked.
"Because it is not an easy decision to make, even if you can go back on it," Luna replied, positively grim.
Once again, the conversation Twilight'd had with Luna regarding eternity sprung to mind. It felt like so long ago, now, that evening in the the fields of Breezevale. Where the others looked confused by the notion that there could be drawbacks, that anypony could ever turn down such an offer, Twilight entertained no illusions about the glory of eternity. At least, not if it was something one had to face alone.
Twilight huffed and jammed a lotus roll in her mouth as if she could shut her own brain up.
"Regardless, it is not an immediate issue," Luna said. "And I think we are nearing ways end. I suspect we shall see about finding a way home, soon."
"What about Trixie?" Fluttershy asked. The yellow pegasus got up on her hooves and walked over to stand by the bed, followed closely by Pinkie Pie. Pinkie had used Fluttershy's back as a table while they ate, spilling rice all over her. The pink earth pony was hard at work trying to get all the sticky rice out of her coat, and Fluttershy didn't seem to mind.
"Ah yes. She has been awake for the past half hour or so," Luna said affably, turning around. "What about you, Trixie? Where do you go from here?"
Indeed, when she was called out, Trixie's eyes popped open. She seemed alert enough despite her condition, though her expression was one of suspicion. The showmare frowned at Luna.
"Trixie would ask why you do this," the red unicorn mare said, her voice rusty, a far cry from her usual high-pitched and boastful declarations. "But you're clearly trying to save everypony out of the kindness out of your heart." The words were spoken with a mixture of sarcasm and disdain that made Twilight's hackles rise. Twilight's eyes narrowed, but the bedridden mare's sneer was unbroken.
"Trixie has... heard things," she said. "Things that she would not have believed half a year ago. Things Trixie would rather not have heard." Her voice wavered a little bit as she returned the question. "But what the hay is Trixie supposed to do when she is no longer herself?"
"You don't have your magic back?" Twilight gasped.
"Trixie tried," she replied, voice strained. She closed her eyes as if concentrating, but nothing happened. Her horn did not so much as shimmer. "Nothing! Not a spark!" she cried.
"Definitely not the Great and Powerful any more," Rainbow Dash muttered humorlessly, earning a few glares.
"It is as I said. The damage has been done. For what it is worth, I am sorry you had to suffer due to my negligence," Luna said, frowning. "I am afraid I can not break the rules a second time. Not for this."
"Can not," Twilight repeated. She knew it was more a question if "will not", but nopony else appeared to want to press the issue. Trixie, however, was not thus inhibited.
"Suffer?" Trixie shrieked, and Fluttershy moved a little closer, as if ready to hold her down again. The livid mare's energy was gone quick enough; she lowered her voice to a murmur that crackled with the embers of anger. "Trixie is powerless, her magic gone, why bother 'saving' me at all? Just let me die."
Twilight dropped her eyes. She heard Fluttershy make a noise halfway between a gasp and a sob. Did Trixie truly still wish she was gone? Did they do the right thing?
"Why'd ya do it?" Applejack asked. The apple farmer approached the sullen red unicorn, steady and composed. Twilight knew she burned with a desire to know, and it showed as she cut through the mood in the room with an edge of no-nonsense. "Your family. What happened?"
"What does Trixie's past matter if there's no future?" Trixie muttered, but Applejack was undaunted, standing at the side of the bed.
"It matters to me it does. What happened?" Applejack repeated.
"Trixie does not owe you anything," came the reply, though she was blinking rapidly and trying to shift away from Applejack.
"You owe us your life," Applejack hissed, leaning in so close that their snouts were almost touching. "And you will tell me."
"Applejack!" Fluttershy squeaked, scrabbling onto the bed on the opposite side and pushing her back with her head. Luna herself looked taken aback and ready to intervene. "She's still weak, please don't do that!" Fluttershy implored.
"Trixie is not weak," Trixie snarled, pushing them both back with quivering hooves. "And Trixie owes you nothing. I do not want this life! But fine, you will have your story, your explanation."
"You don't have to," Fluttershy protested. "Applejack is just, um, tired. Please, you have to rest."
"If you wish to make yourself useful to Trixie, pegasus, go find Trixie something to eat," Trixie snorted. Fluttershy nodded and headed for the door, halting Dash with an imploring look. Rainbow Dash looked about ready to have a go at Trixie for her tone, but nodded reluctantly.
"Trixie's parents are nobility," she began. "Lesser nobles, but nobles all the same. They never approved of Trixie's choices. Trixie wanted to tell stories, but there is no room for fanciful tales and 'lies' in that house. When Trixie told her parents what she wanted to do, they refused her to go to advanced magic schools. Took her home from school the very same day."
"Homeschooling then? Truly?" Rarity asked, receiving a bitter nod from Trixie.
"Trixie's teachers had said she had talent. That she could one day be the very best, perhaps," Trixie said, her lower jaw trembling. "The best," she repeated, spitting the word out as if it pained her.
"Trixie left for a time. She entranced the commoners," she continued, rubbing her eyes. "Dazzled the stupid ponies with her stories and what little magic she knew. And it worked. They loved the Great and Powerful Trixie."
The broken red unicorn grimaced with bittersweet pride at the memory. "But when she came home all she got was scorn and hatred. Mother... hit Trixie. And Trixie struck back," she drew a sharp breath through clenched teeth. "Trixie realized that she had to find her own life, and left again, for good this time. She- I. I never knew what happened to her."
Applejack shook her head sluggishly from side to side as she slipped down from the bed. "T'aint right. Nopony should hate their foals. Just like nopony should hate their parents. S'all wrong."
"Trixie is not sorry," Trixie said, trying to disguise a sniffle as a disdainful sniff. "And doesn't even want to know."
"Why d'you lie? A’course you want to know," Applejack scoffed.
"You are from Hoofington, yes?" Luna asked.
Trixie, taken aback by the question, shifted her attention to Luna and nodded mutely.
"If it had been fatal and magical in nature, it would have been listed in the event log for magical altercations," Luna said, shrugging. "I read all eighty-eight volumes, and if memory serves, nothing of note has happened in Hoofington since a rather unfortunate accident involving a trio of unicorn colts fifty years hence."
"You can't know-" Trixie stammered. "You don't-"
"I am quite sure, but I will find out for certain and tell you," Luna said. "Whether you like it or not."
Fluttershy returned, carrying a bowl of soup on her back wedged between her wings. With Rarity's help, they got the bowl safely onto the nightstand next to Trixie, who gave it a glance and a snort, as if the soup had offended her.
"It does not matter," the red unicorn muttered. "Trixie still has nowhere to go."
Twilight scratched her horn and sighed, trying to think of how to solve this. How could anypony be so lost? What would she have done without her own magic? It was an unimaginable situation. She drew a total blank.
"Ah thought you hated your magic," Applejack said, scrunching up her face.
"Well, thinking you've killed somepony tends to have that effect!" Trixie snapped, but Twilight snagged on Applejack's words.
"But it's not about the magic, is it?" Twilight chanced. "It's about the stories. And you're a fantastic storyteller."
Trixie looked over at Twilight for the first time since she had woken up, and the purple unicorn was taken aback by just how much hatred that there was in those sunken eyes. The showmare shrugged dismissively and leaned over to give the soup an experimental sip, much to Fluttershy's delight.
Twilight was undeterred. "We've been chasing you for weeks, Trixie. Or rather, we've been chasing Phoenix. Do you even know what you've left in your wake? Do you know what they are saying?"
Having sipped the soup and apparently found it to her liking, Trixie drank greedily. It began innocently enough, but she soon had her entire head down the soup bowl. She looked about to lick it clean when she realized everypony was looking at her in silence. She sat up in the bed and looked at Twilight expectantly. Twilight crossed her hooves in a show of defiance. She could be difficult, too.
"Fine!" Trixie spat. "Tell Trixie. What were they saying?"
"Every single one of them were spellbound. You touched hearts and minds without your magic," Twilight said, and she did not have to fake the passion that crept into her voice. "I couldn't wait to hear what happened next, and all I had to go by was second-hoof fragments. It wasn't just trying to find a callous and confused mare. I wanted to know."
The venom in Trixie's gaze was tampered somewhat by confusion. Rarity rushed to fill the gap.
"What Twilight says is true. Lady Argent in Belltown even remarked upon it. You were a sensation, from how she told it," the fashionista said, smiling.
"The story about the ursa major and everything, it wasn't half bad either," Rainbow Dash added, shrugging. "I mean, except for the part where you were being a total idiot."
"If the road's your home, Ah don't see why you can't do that no more," Applejack said with a shrug. "But that Argent lass seemed mighty impressed indeed. Perhaps the princess here can pull a few strings with her if she can't give you your magic back?" The farmpony glanced up at the princess.
"I most certainly could," Luna agreed, but Trixie held up a shaky forehoof, blinking back tears.
"Trixie. Does not owe you. Anything," she said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself more than anypony else. "She will do this herself if she wishes."
"I have not, and will never ask for anything in return, Trixie," Luna calmly explained. "But I am certain a strong and independent mare like yourself only needs to be made aware of her options, yes."
This seemed to placate Trixie somewhat, and she nodded.
"One thing I will give you, though, and whether you see it as a request or permission, that is up to you," the princess said locking eyes with the red unicorn. "I know you have heard all we have said. You are one of very few ponies who know a very unpleasant few truths that nested in a web of secrets between my sister and I."
"I would ask that you tell the story," Luna said. "Spin your craft however you wish, but do not lie. If you wish to use the story, you will not lie by omission, but embellish if you must. Tell the true story of the banishment. If you have questions, ask me. Do not be afraid to send me a letter."
Trixie stared, stunned. Honest amazement was plain on her face for a precious few seconds before she re-assumed her casual superior sneer. "Perhaps Trixie will. However she sees fit."
Luna, apparently satisfied, nodded and turned to the other ponies scattered around the room. "I suggest we leave Trixie alone for now, and let her have the room. We have one final matter to discuss. Shall we perhaps retire to the lobby?"
"I suppose," Twilight said, giving Trixie one last glance. The showmare was looking right back at her, still angry. It hurt Twilight, not just because it was unpleasant to be the target of so much hate, but because she had done nothing to deserve it. Some wounds didn't heal overnight.
The seven ponies left Trixie alone in the room and silently marched, single file, down to the lobby. The reception room was as they had left it with its sofas and the clean stone tile floor. Winter Sun sat in one of the sofas. The white, pale-maned pegasus did not look happy.
"You can have your stinking hotel back!" Winter cried, pointing an accusatory hoof. "Last one, okay, that was fine. Angry mobs is kind of a new thing for me, I'll give you that, so I'll chalk that up to a learning experience."
Luna looked decidedly sheepish as Winter Sun went on. "The exploding walls up on second floor? That's also fine! Because you know what? That's old news, that happened way back when I was co-owner of The Last Ditch Effort, a nice little inn over in Coltland. Happens all the time! The fact that it was a visit from the other princess was a nice touch, though the guards didn't seem terribly impressed by that."
"I'll cover that-" Luna muttered.
"But I want to know what the hay happened up there that made every single glass in my kitchen freeze, crack and explode!” Winter shrieked. “And I want to know why that warranted half of you bolting out on a snack run! Is this entertainment for you? No, actually don't tell me. Just take your damn hotel back!"
The only sound was Winter Sun's labored breathing as she stared at the princess. Luna coughed, and Pinkie bounced over to hug Winter Sun, by way of nothing.
"I-" Winter Sun sputtered, deflating and closing her eyes, hugging Pinkie Pie back. "I'm sorry, oh my goodness, princess I, I didn't mean to yell, please don't hate me. I'm just, I'm a little stressed. This is all a bit much. This is not my usual brand of crazy. Forgive me, and I don't actually want to give you back the hotel, or, well, if you want it back, it's yours, but I don't want to. I just need to take up a second loan, I think, and-"
"We have been more of an inconvenience than I thought we would be," Luna interrupted her. "And I will cover all the expenses and more. The finances should not be a problem, but I am afraid I am going to have to ask another favor."
It looked as if what little life was left in Winter Sun died as she let go of Pinkie Pie and sat down on her rump. "Uh-huh. Of course," she said, her voice unsteady. "How may I be of service?"
"Up in the remaining room," Luna began.
"What's left of it," Rainbow Dash interjected, causing Winter's lower lip to tremble. "There's some more wall missing."
"There's a hurt and weak mare who will probably refuse professional medical aid," the princess continued.
"A rude mare with an ego that puts Rainbow Dash to shame," Rarity said, rolling her eyes. Winter sighed.
"Hey!" Dash called, though it was hard to tell whether she was more indignant at the obvious insult, or the fact that Trixie bested her in something.
"I would like for you to see to it that she does not lack for anything. I will have the council provide all the bits you will need, but she should be recovering at a rapid pace. Just feed her and keep her company, if you have time," Luna concluded.
"I guess I can do that,” Winter muttered.
"Do you think she'll even want company?" Twilight asked.
"She will not, but she needs it," the princess said. "She is a very clever pony, and tremendously strong to have come so far, but she has suffered, and I will say again that nopony does well alone."
"Her speech mannerisms," Rarity noted, folding her ears. "It's a defense, a way to distance herself from things and from others."
"Quite so," Luna agreed. "But I am fairly certain she will be okay. I will keep an eye on her, just to be sure. For now, though, we should find someplace else to sleep for the night, what with the state of the hotel here. In case we do not meet again soon, Winter Sun, I would like to say farewell."
"Sleep sounds wonderful," Fluttershy said, yawning. "Thank you for the, um, well, rooms, Winter Sun. I hope to see you again."
"Yeah," Winter muttered. "About that, can we try one of you at a time, next time, and see if perhaps at least some of my business survives? I haven't even opened yet!"