A/N: Hey everyone, later today at about 6PM EST I am releasing a story titled "Equestria Was Only A Setback!" which will serve as a spinoff of this story. It'd mean a lot if you guys could support it with your likes and comments when it is released, and I hope you enjoy it thoroughly! It's another crossover story similar to this one, and will serve as a continuation of the Trixie/Kael plotline albeit in his world instead of hers! Unlike this story it'll be more of a comedy, but if you guys have gotten this far in this story you know I can't go without putting a teency bit of drama in. Anyways, thanks for supporting this story so long, and I hope you enjoy my new story and this new chapter!

Luna had come to visit Trixie many times in the past few months. Her adopted daughter had been in a state of extreme depression since her biological mother’s attempted suicide nearly succeeded. The mare who Trixie was the spitting image of, if a decade younger, lay comatose in the hospital bed that had come to be her new home.

Trixie had used the Aether’s healing powers just in time to stop her mother from dying. However, the damage was done, and while Trixie knew enough to heal lightly she could not do any better than barely keep her alive. The Aether was tied directly to Trixie, and extending even some of its properties to another was difficult for her.

Sitting beside the catatonic mare with tears both dry and new on her face, Trixie turned to face Luna with a fake smile, “She’s going to be okay…”

Luna approached Trixie and placed a hand on the Unicorn’s shoulder, her other resting on her own swollen stomach. This was the first time Trixie said anything to her since that day, and now that she was talking Luna was the one who did not know what to say.

Biting her lip and choking on her tears, Trixie forced herself to face away from both of her mothers, “I made her do this. If I wasn’t so mean, so vile…”

Luna brought her hand up to the top of her daughter’s head to brush it gently, her heart breaking at the sight of her daughter so distraught, “Trixie, you were angry, but do not blame yourself for this. You could not have known this would happen.”

“I put off seeing her so long…I wanted to forget all about her…” Trixie sniffled as she began to sob vocally, “If only I was a minute faster...I…those ponies in the town…”

Trixie wanted to blame her short stop on her way to her old home as the reason she was too late to stop the incident, but in reality she knew she had been pushing off the confrontation for months. She had meant to come by before her mothers’ life expectancy was up, but even then she couldn’t manage to. She had to use the supportive Kael to psyche herself up for it, and even then it wasn’t soon enough.

She rubbed her eyes as she tried to stop her tears, but her self-loathing disallowed her from succeeding, “But I wanted some closure, and I tried finding a way to help her. I took too long though…I’m a terrible pony…”

Luna was not going to let someone she cared for hate themselves over something out of their control, so she spoke in a firm yet soft manner only a mother could manage.

It was hesitant and weak, but Trixie managed to lift her head up to face Luna. The thought that she had caused someone to die, someone who was not a literal monster or murderer like the Ursas or Algrim, but someone who held as much pain and sorrow in their life as she did.

Now with Trixie facing her, Luna brought a hand to the wet fur of Trixie’s cheek, “No you are not. You can be selfish, you can be petty, but you have done so much to rise above that. I am proud to call you my daughter, as I know few ponies who have as big a heart as you do. You made a mistake. Everyone does. I know that better than most…”

Removing her hand from the wet fur, Luna gave Trixie a serious look, “What matters now is what you do about it. Will you work and try to make sure there are no others who suffer like her, so that they do not cause their loved ones to suffer, and in turn create a cycle of sadness?”

She paused to bring a hand to her own chest, her own eyes averting this time, “Or will you ignore the problem, give up, and move on like I have…”

Trixie moved a hoof to touch Luna, but before she could do so Luna gave a sigh and continued.

“Trixie, I am the one who should be sorry…as should Celestia. She casts a blind eye to how corrupted our kind has become. Corruption that leads to tragedies such as this. While other races grow bloodthirsty, ours has grown petty and weak in its own way…”

She brought a hand out to touch Trixie again, a small and sad smile replacing her more distraught countenance, “I need someone who has lived in these recent times, who has taken the brunt of the abuse and lived through the sadness to be the one to enact change. Will you help me with this?”

That brought a reciprocal and genuine, if sad, smile to Trixie’s own face. She had gotten over only wanting to please her own ego long ago, and the thought mixed with her empathy brought out some warmness in her, “If it makes the pain go away,” she let out a sniffle before moving over to Luna and burying her head into Luna’s side, “Mother…”

Luna waited, letting Trixie take her time before the young mare continued, “When others say they have two moms, they mean something else. But…” Trixie laughed weakly at her own joke before calming down to whisper, “You have given me so much. I just want to thank you for that.”

Trixie glanced over to the comatose Lulamoon, realizing how it must have been to look on at a family member in such distress, “We’re as flawed as the rest of them…but we see the problem. I’ve been thinking of ways to fix it, even been thinking about just how to implement them, but…”

Trixie’s attempt to bring up business failed as she broke down crying before she could finish. Her mind was being gnawed at by her own thoughts and feelings, and Luna wished she could see into her student’s head more thoroughly. Trixie’s dreams had been blank all this time, as if she was keeping Luna out entirely.

Unable to do anything else, Luna tried to comfort Trixie again, “It’s okay Trixie.”

“I don’t anyone to feel like this…I don’t want to let anyone feel like this…” Trixie sobbed, her whole life’s tragedy flowing through her eyes.

Since Trixie was leaning into Luna’s rotund stomach, the mother-to-be could not help but think of the other two in the room. With a full smile she gently touched her stomach, which she had been protecting fervently since she learned of her condition, “I hope the world your brother and sister grow up in is a better place because of your efforts.”

Trixie could not help but also be a little lightened up by the thought of her coming siblings, the thought of whom made some of the weight on her chest lift, “How long until they come?”

Luna sighed, her mind somewhere between contentment and exasperation at the gestation period. Celestia had just had her own daughter a week prior, a lively baby foal who had many of the features Luna remembered from Celestia’s own childhood such as pink hair if the pictures in the paper were to be believed, “Possibly a year, if Celestia’s foal was any indication. I know it is not the same, but it is all I have for reference.”

The eldest of the soon to be three siblings snorted at the thought of having a brother and sister so much younger than her, though perhaps over time the age difference would not mean so much, “I bet they’ll call me aunt Trixie…that’s what I get for being two decades older than them.”

Trixie felt some of the burden return to her as she thought about her very finite lifespan, “Will I live as long as you now that I…”

Now that Trixie was an Alicorn as well, even if she was masquerading as a Unicorn for the time being, Luna honestly did not know the answer. If the answer was no, Luna would find a way to change that, since just the thought of outliving someone she loved made her feel sick. That or the pregnancy.

“Twilight is still aging since all she received was a power boost from Celestia to become an Alicorn. It is possible that by ascending on your own you will live just as long as Celestia and I…”

Trixie did not respond to that and the room fell silent between them, at least until Trixie let out a laugh that slowly built up to a cackle.

That certainty in her voice made Luna curious about her laughing daughter, “You could?”

She received a nod as Trixie continued to laugh with a seeming cheer, “Of course. With the Aether, all I would have to do was let its power out for a moment…and poof. No more ponies. No more sadness.”

Luna gasped at the flippant voice of Trixie, but did not manage to voice her concerns before Trixie continued on, “But that would be wrong. They need to live and be happy if I am to be a successful leader.”

That eased Luna’s worries. Trixie was just going through a bout of sadness brought about by yet another tragedy on a life long slew of them.

After visiting Trixie, Luna went to see how her sister was doing. Celestia had been through quite the difficult birth because of her abnormal foal, and had been recovering ever since. Luna had not received word of the birth right away, having been in Asgard with Loki, but came as soon as she could manage to. Trixie was in more dire need of support, so her visit came first, but Luna was quite eager to see her baby niece.

When Luna entered Celestia’s room she was pleasantly surprised to see that it had been refurnished to accommodate a newborn foal. Next to the room’s crib stood the drooping Celestia, whose face held bags underneath her eyes, while inside the crib the sounds of a foal moving about could be heard.

Luna smiled to her sister as Celestia drearily turned to face her, the smile upon her face not lessened by her complete exhaustion.

Luna approached her sister and ran a hand down her white furred back while positioning herself to peak in the crib without hitting it with her own stomach, “How are you feeling?”

“Incredibly wiped out…” Celestia yawned as Luna took a look at the newborn foal. They had the white fur and pink hair the newspapers had been showing, but barely poking out underneath from their blanket was a reptilian, dragonlike leg. Their small wings also were two different colors, one being a sky blue color and the other having a lighter version of navy blue. Luna felt a warm feeling as she looked down at the sleeping child, hoping that it would have good dreams.

Luna lowered her hands down to pick the foal up, but stopped before actually doing so to ask permission, “May I?”

Celestia nodded, bringing a hoof up to touch Luna’s shoulder caringly, “Of course. Her name is Ataxia.”

Luna was careful to be gentle while touching the soft baby. The child was sleeping peacefully even when touched, and Luna felt the warmness grow as she observed the foal as it slept.

It was official. Luna could not help but want her own to be born so should could hug them and lift their little bodies up like this to be cuddled in her arms.

The fact that Discord was not there made her warm feeling turn to one of hot anger. He should be with Celestia right then…but perhaps the idea of commitment was too much for the chimera being. His loss, Luna believed, because he was missing out on the chance to be with a great mare and their beautiful child.

“You have quite the interesting parents, Ataxia. Mommy is a dutiful ruler, and daddy is a childish delinquent. Yes he is,” Luna cooed as she rocked the sleeping baby back and forth.

“Luna…” Celestia chided weakly, not feeling up to actually scolding Luna. Discord had come to visit, but he had not stayed as Celestia had hoped. He could come back, or he could not. Celestia did not really mind either way, as she would raise her daughter as well as she could regardless.

Luna bowed her head slightly, feeling a tinge of remorse about her statement as true as it was, “Sorry. His lack of presence around here is as meaningful as if he did spend time here.”

“He cares, but Discord…” Celestia brushed a hoof across her daughter’s soft face, “He’s not up for this whole family thing it seems. I’m fine with that though. I will do everything I can for Ataxia though. She deserves that.”

At that moment Atraxia woke up and began to make baby noises, which quickly morphed into crying. Luna could not smell anything foul, so she could tell that something else was the cause of the foal’s crying. She handed the foal over to Celestia, who smiled as she brought her foal into her hooves.

“I will leave you two alone. I believe she has much to discuss with your milk providing anatomy.”

Celestia smirked at her sister, “Oh laugh while you can, Luna. You’ll know how it is soon enough.”

“I suppose I will. Until then I have to put up with weighing too much and having back trouble.”

On her way out, Luna noticed stacks upon stacks of books by the side of Celestia’s bed. They were not the kind that seemed to have anything to do with work related issues, but rather appeared to be small books that were made by hoof.

Celestia laughed, her voice containing a hint of nervousness, “Yes, I have been reading a lot…”

Curious about this interest her sister now had in books, Luna glanced at the first few titles, “Magical love…Meet the Family…Young Love…” Luna blanched at the terrible naming process, “Who comes up with such terrible titles?”

Celestia bit her lip as Atraxia continued to cry, not having been tended to yet.

The lack of response was enough for Luna to groan at her sister’s chosen reading material. Was she really that lonely?

This time, Luna was on the receiving end. Having been resting on her bed, she found herself pleased to find that Loki had joined her.

“I am doing well…” she slowly rotated so that she was facing him beneath the covers, her extended stomach touching his chiseled one, “My body aches, but I am not sure what will be more of a pain…this or actually having them crawling around and being the kind of nuisance mothers everywhere have to deal with.”

The thought of having his own child, his own flesh and blood, made Loki feel a sense of contentment he never possessed before. He had not particularly desired to settle down like this before, at least not yet, but having a loving wife and a growing family made up for some of the emptiness he felt about his old family. Odin was dead, and Laufey had abandoned him when he was an infant…

He wouldn’t be absent in the lives of his own children, of that Loki was certain, “Fortunately, you will not be alone in raising them.”

Luna brought her arms around Loki and clung on to him needily, “I sure hope not.”

Both Luna and Loki found themselves feeling confused and angry at the disturbance across the room, that being the green cloaked figure of Maiev who had teleported into their residence without warning.

Luna was worried about the intruder, but took some comfort in how Loki only seemed annoyed and not scared as he sat up and stared down the Night Elf, “Maiev, what could be so urgent that you interrupt my time with my wife?”

The woman across the room kneeled before them and bowed, actively trying to show some respect despite her sudden entrance, “I have found out more about the one known as Thanos. The sooner you act, the safer you all may be.”

Even annoyed, Loki could not pass up the chance of finding a way to deal with Thanos, “Very well.”

“Who is this, Loki?” Luna whispered to her husband. She did not recognize the woman, having only seen her momentarily many months ago when Trixie came back from the land of the dead.

“An agent I sent to spy on Thanos,” Loki turned to face Luna, a frown upon his face, “Also, the mother of my fallen friend Illidan’s child. I am to find a way to reconnect them for her services.”

Luna put at ease, Loki gestured to their intruder, “Go on then. What have you found?”

“Thanos has a family. On a world he has conquered he has a child with a woman there.”

That…changed things. A family meant that they could possibly use these people as leverage against him. Still, Loki was not quite sure this was a family in the normal sense of the word given how Thanos seemed obsessed with Hela as far as his affections went…

Loki stroked his chin thoughtfully, trying to think about how to use this new information. Kidnapping and using them as hostages was possible, but how they could stop Thanos from just taking them back with force was beyond him at that moment, “So we use them as a bargaining chip against him to keep him from coming after us?”

Loki waved a hand at Maiev to dismiss her, “Keep looking into the matter. I do not trust Thanos so much as to think he would be a family man.”

Standing up, the assassin nodded to him before disappearing in a flash, “Of course. Your will will be done.”

Luna found herself caught off guard by the formal and direct woman’s whole demeanor. She seemed to possess a detached, cold aura around her that was nearly as chilling as when Hela visited.

“She is…” Luna paused as she thought about how to describe their visitor, “Intense. Yes, that is the word. But do you think this will protect us?” Luna added, “Protect Trixie?”

Loki did not want to give false hope to Luna, so he did not oversell the information’s value, “It is a step in the right direction, but we are not free of him yet.”

The day after, Loki returned to Asgard to handle business there while Luna temporarily remained in Equestria to give her dear sister company. After sleeping all day though, she found herself face to face with another intruder.

This one was far less menacing, as it was simply Trixie standing by the edge of the bed, hovering multiple scrolls and pieces of paper around her.

“Good afternoon to you too…” Luna groaned as she rolled over to face Trixie. Luna wanted to get back to her old sleep schedule, or at least as close to it as possible. She was meant to be nocturnal, and all these months of shirking that natural part of her was making her groggy at all points of the day.

Trixie started to talk without acknowledging the greeting, “While negotiating with the Frost Giants, I arranged for an Equestria Games styled event to be held between the three races of our nations.”

Luna yawned as Trixie floated a piece of paper over to her face, Luna not bothering to actually check it as she was too tired for that kind of thing, “It is good to see you taking initiative, but you ought to have asked my permission first for such a large matter.”

Seemingly excited, and likely hiding her sorrow behind a work ethic Luna thought, Trixie went right on as if Luna said nothing again, “I have already drawn up plans for the stadium and drafted a list of rules for the events that will take place. I will need your input on some, but I think that we can filter the aggression of the Asgardians and Jotuns into these competitions—”

Luna raised her voice slightly and brought a hand to her daughter’s chest, “Trixie, slow down.”

The firm voice snapped Trixie out of her rambling, at which point she lowered the papers and laughed nervously, “I’m sorry. I just have thought a lot about this.”

The fact that Trixie really was being proactive and caring about her new duties made Luna swell with pride, as if she was not swelling enough already, “I’m sure you have. I take it you will be the one who leads the event and manages everything?”

Trixie nodded, and that made Luna content. Luna did not think herself capable of being the leader of any such project, what with her condition and all, and perhaps a major project under Trixie’s belt could help other ponies realize her potential.

“It will be your biggest show yet then. I look forward to seeing what you have planned,” Luna smiled as she began to like the idea of this event more and more, “Where will this take place? What details can you give me?”

“It should be here in Equestria, as we are the most tangential of the three species as well as most neutral. If it took place in Asgard the Jotuns would take offense, and in Jotunheim the Asgardians may. Not to mention that the cold conditions of Jotunheim would prohibit what can be done. Their land can be useful in other ways, but not this.”

Luna could agree with Trixie’s assessments, and so she nodded her head as she considered them all more thoroughly, “Go on.”

“I also plan on using the singers from the wedding as a beginning act to the events. Their voices seem to please Asgardians and ponies alike, so it is a safe form of entertainment.”

Celestia had praised the talent of the singing trio, and Luna had caught sight of Trixie and Kael seeing a few of the shows put on in Canterlot. Luna had not actually seen them perform since the wedding, mostly because of her odd hours and time spent in Asgard, but felt like she could trust their skills from what she heard. They were already a growing fad in Equestria, with ponies from all over coming to see the alluring humanoids.

However, the account for three races attending the games, certain things had to be taken into consideration, “How large will the stadium be?”

Trixie smirked at the opportunity to uncurl one scroll, which had on it schematics for contruction of a stadium, “Gigantic. I am hoping to have thousands upon thousands of our three species gather. The entirety of Jotunheim, basically, as well as Asgard, with their small populations, with ponies filling in what is left.”

Having Asgardians and Jotuns in an enclosed space may, at least to Luna, prove unwise, “And what is keeping there from being an all-out brawl?”

Trixie gestured to herself with another smirk, “I will take care of that. The Jotuns know I can wipe out the remainder of their species with the bat of an eye. I made that very clear,” Trixie curled the scroll back up and gave a content sigh, “The more boisterous Asgardians should be kept in line by Loki, and again I will be there to handle any disputes.”

That could show some promise, Luna considered, but by no means should that be all there is between complete anarchy, “We should work on additional failsafes.”

Trixie moved in to hug Luna, reaching up onto the bed, “You need not worry about that. I am going to take care of everything.”

Seeing Trixie so confident made Luna happy, since it meant she was feeling at least somewhat better now that she was burying herself in work to escape her personal tragedy. Trixie had the fortitude and perseverance to make for a great leader Luna reckoned, and had a spirit to her that made her try her hardest to succeed at what she applied herself to, “You are taking quite well to leading. You remind me so much of myself when I was just beginning my rule.”

“Hopefully I won’t try killing someone in an attempt to take over Equestria like you did,” Trixie joked, bringing a smile to Luna’s face. Okay, she had that coming.

Trixie smiled to her and released Luna from the embrace, “Don’t worry. Things will not go the same way this time around.”

Luna laughed as Trixie lowered herself to the ground, “Besides, you already had your customary tenure as a villain, what with the Alicorn Amulet that allowed you to take over Ponyville so long ago.”

“Oh yes, that…” Trixie closed her eyes and let out a sigh, memories flooding back to her about her past misdeeds, “It is surprising how weak such an object feels now.”

The Aether was truly a great power, and Luna was happy that Trixie seemed fine with holding it since she trusted Trixie not to abuse that power. All the same, the motherly part of Luna made her try and warn Trixie about it nonetheless, “Just be careful with that power. I am happy to see that it is not changing you, but power has its own risks.”

“I know quite well…” Trixie trailed off, not elaborating about what she meant at all.

The rumbling of Trixie’s stomach prevented Luna from following up further, with Trixie adopting a carefree look and turning towards the door, “I am hungry. Let’s go find something for the four of us.”

Having slept most of the day, Luna too was hungry, and so she easily acquiesced to Trixie’s suggestion, “Of course.”

Loki was in a foul mood after handling a land dispute between two of his subjects when he got his next visitor. The land in question was meaningless to the already rich men, and they were just using it as a way of arguing and trying to get the king to side with one over the other. Loki settled the matter by giving the land in question to himself, and intended to use it to form an orphanage for the Asgardians who lost their parents to war. Problem solved.

His next visitor during his ruling hours of the day was Kael’Thas, who bowed down before Loki in the restored throne room. The throne room had seen much conflict in the past year, but Loki was pleased to have had the finest Asgardian architects fix the damage that had been done.

It also meant he did not need to see the spot in the ground where a grenade had exploded and killed his father.

Loki enjoyed having power over another member of royalty, so he casually waved a hand at Kael in a way that said “Speak your mind” without actually saying anything. Loki was still somewhat off put by his last encounter between such petty people.

Kael stood up fully and a bright smile appeared on his face, “I know of a way to create a replica Sunwell, a power source that brought my people prosperity for over nine thousand years. Its power would be unrivaled by almost any other, and in fact would possess power quite similar to the artifact that mistress Trixie holds in her now.”

Kael reached into his robe and retrieved a half empty vial with some strange, colored liquid in it. Loki could not make out much about it from atop his throne, but the look on Kael’s face told him that this was important.

“While speaking with your medical staff recently, they returned to me some of the objects they found on me at the time of their operation. One of the items was a vial of water that holds in it the properties required to create a Sunwell.”

So this simple vial of liquid could lead to a powerful resource for Asgard? Loki was intrigued, but needed to know more before he allowed anything that could possibly be dangerous, “And if we create this…structure, what then?”

Kael returned the vial to where he removed it, a broad smile still on his face as he began to gush about the benefits such a structure could lend Asgard, “Your race’s arcane potential will be increased tenfold. You will have the raw energy to accomplish great tasks, build powerful artifacts, live even longer, and with your new power you can deter any enemies you have from confronting you.”

Still, nothing came without a price. The foreigner had to have some kind of stake in this matter, so Loki decided to confront that particular issue instead of leave hidden agendas be, “What do you gain from this?”

To Loki’s surprise, Kael was willing to reveal his hand without any reservations, “Theoretically, the Sunwell’s power source could grant me the opportunity to return home, when coupled with the Bifrost your people possess. The structure’s current limited range of certain realms would be greatly expanded, and it would just take some effort to then find my world amongst those that it then has access to.”

Loki smirked at the thought of combining the power of the Bifrost and the Sunwell. The Elf certainly knew how to think outside of the box. Too bad it meant he would be leaving them, “So you would be out of my hair for good. Just when you were beginning to settle in.”

Kael bowed once again in respect, making Loki regret all the more that he would be leaving. After all, it meant that he would have one less example of how you should treat royalty around.

“I would not wish to be a burden to you or your people any longer than is necessary.”

Standing beside Loki the entire day was Frigga, who had been there to give aid if necessary. She had remained silent throughout mostly, since Loki had been handling issues well and being in the place of her husband’s death weighed heavily on her. However, Loki turned and sought her counsel about the matter because of her knowledge of the arcane.

Frigga looked to Loki with a grimace, “I am only worried that our guest does not fully comprehend the workings of the Bifrost. There are many tomes that should be consulted before undergoing such a project, or even before hypothesizing about its potential.”

“I have considered the information within those very tomes you speak of. I only seek to use the knowledge I now have,” Kael responded matter-of-factly, his smile not leaving his face for a moment even with her doubts.

Frigga’s face scrunched up as she thought about what he said, “My granddaughter Trixie read the books if I do recall.”

Kael continued his bow to the two of them, “We share much, milady, and on this matter we both share and agree completely.”

Since Kael seemed to have knowledge of what he was talking about, had the trust of Trixie, and seemed willing to grant them a powerful artifact if it would allow him to return home, Loki saw no reason to not follow through with this plan right away. If things seemed to not be working out he could always pull the plug on the project, but for the time being it had at least piqued his interest and Loki felt as if this could prove a great way to increase his public image should he give his people such a resource.

“Very well. Now that our castle is finally restored, I think we can spare the resources to complete this project. Empowering our people is not something I can speak against, especially with the threats looming on our horizon.”

His words were music to the ears of the Elf, “Thank you for your permission, My king. There is another important matter to consider. Thanos may be powerful, but he does not know of this particular ace up our sleeves. For this reason I suggest you keep the general nature of the project quiet.”

The ability to use such a powerful power source against Thanos perked Loki’s interest up even further. Anything that could possibly defeat their monstrous foe was something Loki wished to be in his possession, “Could we possibly use its powers against him?”

“That would be quite…situational. The power it grants us all will undoubtedly help though, even if the actual energies cannot be channeled directly against him. It all depends on how, what, where, and when.”

“I suppose we will have to see when the time comes then…Thank you for your gift, Prince Sunstrider. It will be fortunate to have you at our side in the coming storm.”

We Remember Everything

by Thunderscourge

Dear Mother