//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Vote of No Confidence // Story: The Fall of Night // by derpyland //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle was now just seconds away from death. Trixie was sobbing uncontrollably. “Twilight, please, don’t do this! Your friends need you. Equestria needs you. Don’t throw away your life on pathetic Trixie.” “I will not change my mind,” Twilight Sparkle replied, as tears streamed down her face. “Listen to me. While I’m gone, it will be up to you to spread the magic of friendship. Do you understand? There are a lot of broken ponies out there who need someone to love them. You can be that pony, Trixie. I know you can.” Trixie nodded. She wanted to say something – anything – but she couldn’t speak. It was too late. Twilight Sparkle looked into the sky and lit up her horn. It began to grow ever brighter and brighter, until Twilight radiated a light that was almost blinding. Then, all at once, the light went out. Twilight’s body fell to the ground. She didn’t get up. Trixie began screaming. * * * * * Trixie woke up, still screaming. Her body was drenched in sweat, her heart was pounding, and her head ached. She was in a dark room that swayed gently from side to side. The only sound – aside from her screaming – was the clack of the train’s wheels as they raced along the tracks. Not again, Trixie whimpered. Every time she tried to go to sleep she had the same nightmare. In the dream she replayed the last few moments of Twilight Sparkle’s life. It had been three days since Twilight died – three long, terrible days. It felt like three lifetimes. Trixie glanced out the window and saw that it was still dark outside. That meant she still had a little time left before she reached Canterlot – but her time was rapidly running out. After Twilight died, Celestia demanded that her body be returned to Canterlot and that Trixie accompany it and explain herself. Twilight’s corpse was three doors down, in the same train car. Trixie passionately did not want to go to Canterlot, but she knew she had no choice. Celestia wasn’t the sort of pony you could say no to. The trip back home had been long and tiring. Twilight had died far from Equestria, and far from her friends. That, too, was Trixie’s fault. Even if Trixie somehow managed to pull herself together, she knew that Equestria would never let her forget what she had done. The guard ponies on the train had been openly hostile to her. They’re a foretaste of the treatment Trixie will receive for the rest of her miserable life, she thought bitterly. At least her life will be short. Celestia will undoubtedly kill Trixie as soon as she lays eyes on her. Twilight saved Trixie for nothing. Trixie desperately hoped that the surviving Elements of Harmony would not be there. The last time she had seen them was when she used the alicorn amulet to enslave everyone in Ponyville. She knew Twilight’s friends must have hated her before this tragedy happened. She could only imagine what they thought of her now. There was a knock on the door to her cabin, and a male voice called out in the night. “Are you all right in there? I heard some screaming.” “Trixie is fine,” she lied. The voice paused. “May I come in and talk to you?” Trixie wiped the tears from her face with her hoof. “Trixie can’t stop you,” she said sadly. The door opened. A white pony walked into the room, closed the door, and turned on the light. As soon as Trixie saw who it was she screamed in terror. She quickly backed away into the far corner of the room and kept screaming. “Woah, woah, it’s ok,” Shining Armor said. “I’m not here to hurt you! Everything is going to be fine.” “Trixie did not know you were on the train. Have you come to kill her?” “Of course not! Don’t be ridiculous. Cadence and I boarded the train on the last stop. We’re on the way to Canterlot to attend Twilight’s funeral. We wanted to be there for it, to tell her goodbye.” Trixie could see grief in the face of Twilight’s brother. “Please, please, you have to believe Trixie. She didn’t want any of this to happen. She didn’t want Twilight to die. She did not ask to be saved. Trixie would give anything to take back what she did.” “I know,” Shining Armor replied. “I know you didn’t want this, and I know you wish you could change the past. But you can’t. Even Twilight couldn’t do that. What you did was terrible, but despite that there was simply no way Twilight was going to let you die. She loved you, Trixie, in spite of everything you’d done to her, and she was going to do whatever it took to save you. That’s how she treated her friends – and she counted you in that circle.” “But how can you not hate Trixie for this?” “Do you really think that Twilight’s family would be any different from Twilight? Look. The way I see it, you are responsible for what you did, but you had no control over Twilight. There was simply no way you could have stopped her, even if you wanted to – and you did want to. What my sister did was her decision, and I’m going to honor and respect that decision by caring about the pony she saved. It makes no sense at all to hate somepony my sister obviously cared about so much.” Shining Armor looked at Trixie. She was still cowed, huddled in the corner of her cabin. She was dirty and her mane was a mess. It was obvious she wasn’t taking care of herself anymore. Her face was stained with tears. Her magician’s outfit was gone – and then Shining remembered it had been destroyed in the fire. “Come here,” Shining Armor said. Trixie cautiously crept out of her corner and struggled to her hooves. She walked over to Shining Armor and stood in front of him, uncertainly. “Yes?” To her enormous surprise, Shining put his front hooves around her neck and hugged her. “It’s all going to be ok, Trixie. Really, it is. It’s going to take some time to heal everypony, but the pain won’t last forever. One day you will feel joy again.” “Thank you,” Trixie whispered. Shining Armor let her go. He was about to say something, but Trixie interrupted. “Twilight wanted me to tell you that she loved you.” “I know she did,” Shining replied. “And I miss her more than words can say.” Shining looked out the window. He noticed that the sun was just beginning to rise. “We’re going to arrive in Canterlot in about an hour. You need to clean yourself up and get ready. Celestia wants to meet with you as soon as you arrive.” Trixie’s heart dropped. “Trixie knows. She is not looking forward to it.” She paused. “Will – will Spike be there?” Shining shook her head. “No. He’s – well, he’s pretty upset. Once the funeral is over we’re going to take him back to the Crystal Empire with us. He’s a pretty important dragon there, and he will be surrounded by ponies who love and respect him. With Twilight gone, that’s probably the best place for him to be. Celestia has gotten kind of dark lately.” “What do you mean, ‘dark’?” Trixie asked, puzzled. Shining Armor sighed. “You’ll see.” * * * * * Trixie was anxious – on the verge of panic. She found it difficult to breathe. Just calm down, she told herself. Everything will be fine. But she knew it was a lie. The train was just moments away from arriving in Canterlot Station, and Trixie was waiting in the forward car. In front of her were the six guard ponies who were carrying Twilight’s coffin. Shining Armor and Cadence were positioned in front of the group that was carrying the coffin, and Spike was standing beside Cadence. The dragon wouldn’t even look at Trixie. Surrounding Trixie were six more guard ponies. Trixie wondered if they were there to keep her from escaping, or to protect her from being lynched by an angry mob. She found it difficult to believe they would risk bodily injury to save her. Then again, Celestia had given orders that Trixie be delivered to her alive. Under better circumstances that would be a hopeful sign. The train finally rumbled to a stop, and a few second later the door to the train car opened. A dim ray of sunlight streamed inside. Shining Armor, Cadence, and Spike stepped off the train, followed by Twilight’s pallbearers. Then it was Trixie’s turn to greet Canterlot. That was when Trixie saw the crowds. The pathway to Canterlot Castle was lined with ponies of all ages and classes. There were hundreds – no, thousands of ponies present. All of them had turned out to see Twilight Sparkle make her final journey to Canterlot. Trixie forced herself to look straight ahead. She couldn’t bear to make eye contact with any of the mourners. Twilight’s procession slowly made its way through the city’s main streets and toward the giant castle where the royal sisters lived. Trixie knew the funeral service was scheduled for that afternoon. She wondered if it would be a double funeral. Celestia is never going to let Trixie live. Despite Trixie’s best efforts to not look at the crowd, she couldn’t help but notice its mood. Some of the ponies simply stared at the procession in great sadness. A few had tears on their faces. But a lot of them – perhaps most of them – were angry. They didn’t say anything, but she could see the rage on their faces – and they were staring directly at her. Trixie was surprised at how many of the angry ones were gray. Have there always been that many gray ponies in Canterlot? Surely Trixie would have remembered that. Is something wrong? Along every step of the journey, Trixie expected the crowd to snap and turn on her. The tension in the air was thick. It would take only one comment – one remark, shouted in anger – for the mob to turn ugly and attack. There was simply no way six guard ponies, however strong, could protect her from that large a crowd – and that was if they wanted to protect her. Based on their actions on the train, Trixie knew they wanted her dead as much as anypony else. It would only take seconds – less than a minute – for the crowd to kill her. But they didn’t. The procession reached the castle safely. That means Trixie has to meet with Celestia after all, she thought bitterly. After the group entered the front door of the castle, Spike, Cadence, and Shining Armor led the guards carrying Twilight’s coffin down a hallway. When Trixie tried to follow them, the guards that surrounded her stopped her. “This way,” the lead guard said gruffly. Trixie nodded but said nothing. She followed the sullen guards down the giant hallway that led to Celestia’s throne room. The enormity and grandness of the hall made her feel small and insignificant. The ornate ceiling soared high above her, and along both sides of the room was a massive row of beautiful stone columns. The floor under her hooves was made of marble, and the red rug she was walking on was crafted from the finest material. At the end of the hallway were two massive doors. On each side of the doors was an enormous, unsmiling guard pony. Each of them was holding a spear, and they were wearing golden armor. When they reached the doors the guards surrounding Trixie suddenly stopped. “Wait here,” the lead guard pony said. The six guard ponies that had accompanied her from the train then walked off, leaving Trixie behind. Trixie looked up at the two giant ponies that guarded Celestia’s throne room. Neither of the ponies even looked at her. They simply stared off into the distance. Trixie looked back at the door that towered over her head. Celestia is on the other side of that entrance. With Luna, probably. And Twilight’s friends. Trixie swallowed nervously. Minutes ticked by, and nothing happened. The wait was killing her. How long would she have to stand there? She did not want to go through those doors, but being forced to wait when she knew what was coming was even worse. The anticipation, the black fear of what was about to happen– She nearly jumped out of her skin when the giant guard on the right spoke to her. “You may now enter.” How in Equestria could he possibly know that? Trixie hasn’t seen anypony come and relay a message to him! But the doors were opening. The moment Trixie had been dreading had finally arrived. * * * * * Trixie was standing about ten feet in front of Celestia’s giant throne. Celestia was a giant. Trixie had seen her from a distance, but she’d never been this close to her before. The princess radiated power – and anger. There was rage all over her face. Seeing her in person, Trixie suddenly realized what Shining Armor had meant. Celestia really was dark. Trixie was certain that Celestia had once been a white alicorn, but now she was dark gray. All of her color was gone – even in her mane and her long, flowing tail. Celestia’s sister Luna was sitting on the floor beside Celestia’s throne. Luna was her usual midnight blue, and had a look of great sorrow on her face. She was clearly in pain – but Trixie could detect no trace of anger in her features. To the right of the throne, embedded in the giant walls of the room, was a long series of stained glass windows. Trixie had heard about the legendary windows before but she’d never actually seen them in person. Each one captured a key moment in Equestrian history. Most of them seemed to depict events that involved one or more of the Elements of Harmony. That’s when Trixie saw them. Standing in front of the window that was nearest to Celestia’s throne were Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. Every one of them was gray, and every one of them was angry – and all of them were staring right at her. Celestia glared at Trixie. Her eyes glowed a sinister dark green. “So tell me, Trixie Lulamoon, how does it feel to have killed an alicorn? That’s quite an accomplishment, you know! You truly are great and powerful.” “It wasn’t like that!” Trixie protested. “You have to believe Trixie! She didn’t want Twilight to die. She begged her to stop. She didn’t want anything to happen to Twilight!” “Oh, come now! Surely you can’t expect me to believe that you wanted to die. Not you.” “Of course not! But the price for saving Trixie was too high. She told Twilight that Trixie wasn’t worth saving. She told Twilight to leave her and let her die. Trixie didn’t want this!” “If you truly didn’t want this when WHY DIDN’T YOU STOP HER?” Celestia bellowed. Trixie was sobbing now. “She tried to stop her! Really, she did. But she couldn’t.” Luna interrupted. “Celestia, that’s enough. You know what happened. Trixie did everything she could.” “She certainly did,” Celestia said angrily. “Tell me, Trixie. How many lives were lost in that fire you set? Do you have any idea? I bet you enjoyed watching everyone burn, didn’t you?” “NO!” Trixie screamed. She collapsed to the floor. By now she was crying so hard she could hardly talk. “Trixie didn’t mean for anyone to get killed. It was just a trick to scare them. She thought she could put it out – really she did! But then it got out of control, and–” Trixie stopped. She couldn’t breathe, and she couldn’t talk. She felt like she was about to pass out. Celestia stamped her hoof on the ground. “And what happened then, Trixie? Do you remember? Or have you already forgotten how Twilight died?” “Celestia, that’s enough!” Luna snapped. “The screams of the dying constantly echo through her mind. Every time she falls asleep, all she can dream about are the last moments of Twilight’s life. Trixie is tormented by what happened. She would give anything to change the past.” * * * * * A few feet away, Applejack watched the exchange. She had spent the past few days stewing in bitterness and rage. In the best of times Trixie hadn’t exactly been a friend to any of the Elements, but in their worst nightmare none of them ever expected Trixie to get Twilight killed. Applejack and her friends had come to Canterlot wanting revenge. But as Applejack the gray watched Trixie, something inside her changed. Why, she’s bein’ honest. She didn’t want any of this to happen, and she didn’t want Twilight to die. I reckon’ she really would do anythin’ to fix this. But she can’t bring Twilight back – and none of us can. I miss Twilight so much – the pain cuts deep, and I don’t know if it’ll ever stop. It’s just like when Mom and Dad died. But as much as I hate to admit it, it just don’t make sense to hate Trixie just because Twilight chose to save her life. That’s not going to bring Twilight back or make things any better. Why, Trixie’s hurtin’ as much as any of us. Just look at her. I know honesty when I see it. Applejack didn’t realize it at the time, but at that moment her grayness vanished and she became orange once again. * * * * * Celestia glared at her sister. “My beloved student is dead because of that miserable excuse for a pony!” Luna shook her head. “You know that’s not what happened. Trixie didn’t ask to be saved; Twilight did that on her own. Trixie had no way of stopping Twilight. The only person who could have stopped her is you, and you did nothing.” “That’s a lie!” Celestia shouted. “Is it?” Luna asked. “Sister, Twilight never did anything without asking you first. Before she went to save Trixie she wrote you a letter to ask for your blessing. I have seen that letter. She told you what it was going to cost her to save Trixie’s life. If you had told her to stop, she would never have left Equestria and she would still be alive today. But you didn’t do that. You let her go, knowing you would never see her again.” Celestia turned even darker. She leaped toward her sister and slammed both of her front hooves on the ground so hard that the floor cracked. “Don’t you dare tell me that I killed Twilight!” she screamed in Luna’s face. “I’m not,” Luna replied calmly. “Twilight merely did what she thought was best, given the circumstances. No one forced her. She acted because she believed the life of her friend was worth saving. It was her decision, and you were right to respect her judgment.” Celestia looked away from her sister. “I was a fool. Apparently I never taught Twilight that sometimes it is better for the little ponies to die for the benefit of the important ones.” “Celestia,” Luna said reproachfully. Celestia ignored her. She walked back to her throne and sat on it, and then turned her attention back to Trixie. By now the blue pony had stopped crying and was standing on her feet again. “There is one more order of business to take care of,” Celestia announced. “First, Trixie, let me say that as much as I want to break your worthless little neck, I will refrain from doing so. Personally, I believe that your continued existence is akin to sacrilege – a stain on our glorious land. But I made Twilight a promise and I am going to keep it.” Celestia sighed. “Let it be put into the official record that I am strongly opposed to doing this. I think Twilight has displayed remarkably poor judgment. There are clearly some lessons that she never learned. But, despite that, I will do what I told her I would do. “Trixie, you are now the new Element of Magic. It is your job to protect Equestria, along with the rest of the Elements of Harmony. If any dangers arise you and the other Elements will be responsible for defeating them.” Trixie gasped. “But – your highness, you can’t be serious!” “Excuse me?” Celestia said. “Sorry,” Trixie said hastily. “But – surely you must know that the Elements don’t work that way! The Element of Magic isn’t a title you bestow on somepony. It’s something that emerges magically, based on the relationship and experiences of–” Celestia interrupted. “That’s your problem, not mine. Twilight wanted you to replace her, so you get to replace her. You will either make it work or you will die trying. Do I make myself clear?” “But the other Elements hate me,” Trixie pleaded. “They most certainly do. Personally, I hope they eat you alive.” Luna looked at her sister reproachfully. “Celestia, stop it!” “What’s wrong with you?” Celestia asked. “Why do you keep sticking up for Trixie? Don’t tell me you actually like her!” “What is wrong with me?” Luna echoed. “You are the one who has a problem. You’re supposed to be the loving, wise ruler of Equestria! Where is your wisdom and forgiveness? When I became Nightmare Moon and threatened all of Equestria, you found a way to turn me from darkness and forgive me. I understand what it is like to do something terrible and long for forgiveness. I have been where Trixie is now, and I can sympathize with what she must be feeling. How can you forgive me but not her? She is clearly sorry!” Celestia shrugged. “It’s pretty simple. I love you and I don’t love her. Oh – that reminds me. One more thing, Trixie, before you go. I’m putting you in charge of the other Elements. Congratulations! You’re their new leader.” “You’re doing what?” Trixie exclaimed. “But, your highness, Twilight was their leader only because she displayed leadership. The other Elements were her friends, not her servants! You can’t–” “I can and I have,” Celestia shot back. “So there.” Luna looked at her sister. “I know you feel guilty about letting Twilight go, but punishing Trixie isn’t going to bring her back. Your guilt and rage are consuming you, as jealousy once consumed me. If you don’t forgive her–” “Don’t you dare tell me what to do,” Celestia snapped. She then turned her attention to the Elements of Harmony. “Is there anything any of you would like to say to your new leader?” Rainbow Dash walked over to Trixie and stood inches in front of her face. “Let me make one thing very, very clear. Just so we’re on the same page and all. I am the Element of Loyalty. I care deeply about my friends, and I would do anything for them. Anything. When Pinkie Pie was being tormented by a bully, I kicked that bully right out of town. I will engage in hoof-to-hoof combat with full-grown dragons, if that’s what it takes. I will never leave my friends hanging. “You, Trixie, are not my friend. You never have been and you never will be. In fact, you did the worst thing I can possibly think of: you actually got one of my closest friends killed. In my book, that makes you a villain – the scum of Equestria. And do you know what I do to villains?” Trixie was terrified. She opened her mouth, but couldn’t say anything. Rainbow Dash nodded. “You got it. So watch your back, Trixie. Twilight is going to be avenged – I will see to that. Even Twilight’s death will not change my loyalty to her.” Rainbow’s speech made Celestia smile. “You know, Trixie, the funeral isn’t until this afternoon. I think this would be a perfect time for you to get to know your new friends. After all, you’re going to be spending a lot of time with them from now on!” Trixie’s heart sank. “Yes, your majesty,” she mumbled.