Trixie took quick, shallow breaths as she slowly rocked back and forth, sitting on a small platform inside the corpse of Harmony. A small pool of water was on the ground besides her. She was trapped, she knew it. She could feel that magic surrounding them, Twilight's magic. It wrapped around the tree and kept them stuck within.
It was only a matter of time, now. She could hear the other mare, slowly walking through the tree towards her. Hear the clop clop of her hooves as they echoed through the chambers of the long dead spirit. The unicorn sat up, brushing her wild mane from her eyes, staring towards the hall that led to the room.
Then she saw her, the powerful alicorn. Twilight. She smiled. “Ah, Twilight. It has been... so long, hasn't it? You look well.”
“You... look horrifying. Trixie, what happened to you?”
“Hm? Oh, living alone, off the land. Haven't had a proper shower in years, you know?” Trixie said with a soft chuckle, before shaking her head. “But, that's not why you're here, right? I mean, if you want advice on hygiene, I'm really not the pony to ask. I could probably find you the right one, but it'll cost you.” She gave a light chuckle, before laying down. “You and I have to fight now, don't we?”
“No, we don't. Trixie, I want to help you,” the alicorn said with a sigh. “Please, let me.”
The unicorn frowned, staring at the ceiling. “Really? You come here and you ask... just to help me? Why?”
“Because you're hurt. You're... damaged. Discord is gone, there's no more need for you to fight.”
“Gone? GONE? He doesn't feel gone. In fact, sometimes I can still hear him. Or, at least, I could. Before. I can't so much anymore. I wonder if I had lost my...” Trixie blinked and shook her head, before tapping the amulet on her neck. “But this is why you're here, isn't it? Your precious Alicorn Amulet? A nice little trophy for the Avatar who has everything.”
“I am here for that, yes,” Twilight said before taking a step forward. “But that's not the only reason I'm here. Trixie, please. You're not beyond redemption. You can be saved. Come with me, back to civilization. We can help you.”
“Help me? HELP ME? Why would I want to be helped?” Trixie screamed, her horn glowing before blades of water shot up, leveling in front of the alicorn and making her stop. “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie! The greatest general the Water Nation has ever known! If not for you, I would have ruled the world!” Her eyes narrowed to slits. “Instead I'm... this! Lost, beaten, half starved. Living off the land like some... pathetic earth pony!”
Twilight shook her head. “Trixie, there is good in you. I know there is. I heard about your visit to the village. You never hurt anypony. You just--”
“I stole what I demanded and left. I could have killed them, if I'd wanted. But what would have been the point? They were weak. I was strong. It was just as easy to take what I want.”
“And you could have hurt them in the process, but you didn't,” Twilight said with a shake of her head, before waving her hoof and making the ice turn to water and drop on the ground. “Trixie, come on. Please. There's no need for us to fight. There no need for us to be enemies anymore. The Water Nation isn't a place of tyranny and strife any longer. There is no Nightmare Moon. Discord is gone. You don't have to hide away.”
Trixie whimpered, her hooves over her eyes. “Why? Why do you care? Why try to save me? I just... I...”
“Because you're still a pony, just like any of us. You're not beyond redemption, not beyond being saved.” Twilight held out her hoof. “Please, Trixie. Come with me. The world could use a pony like you, using your abilities and talents for good.”
The unicorn blinked a few times before slowly sliding off the platform. She stared at the hoof, before gingerly reaching out to take it. “Can... I really be saved?”
“Of course.”
No no no no!
Trixie stepped in closer, closing her eyes and hugging Twilight. “Thank you,” she said softly as she felt the Alicorn hug her back. A moment later there was a sickening squishing sound and blood splattered across Trixie's chest. She pulled back and grinned at the startled eyes of Twilight.
The alicorn held her chest, the large shard of ice impaled within. “T-Trixie... W-why...”
“You really do care too much, Avatar,” the unicorn said, shaking her head. “Why would I ever care about redemption or anything like that? Please.” Her horn glowed again and the spear of ice turned dark purple. “After all, I am the Great and Powerful Trixie. You really should have seen this coming.”
------
Silver gasped and fell back, her heart pounding. Celestia glanced over. “Miss? Are you okay?”
“H-huh? O-oh. Y-yeah. I just...” She shivered, shaking her head. “D-daydream, I guess. Went a little too...” She shook her head and got to her hooves. “I... I need to go clear my head.”
“Okay,” the unicorn said, cocking her head to the side. “Are you sure you're okay? You look quite pale.”
“No, I... I'm fine. Yes, I'm fine. I just...” Silver shook her head and trotted away, panting lightly. Her heart was beating a mile a second and it was all she could do to focus ahead. Once she was a good distance away, she turned and bucked the nearest tree. “Buck it. Buck buck buck it,” she said softly, before collapsing to the ground. “Stupid... why do I care? I don't... I just...” She covered her face with her hooves.
“We... are too far gone, aren't we?”
------
“Hello, Diamond,” Twilight's voice rang out through the alicorn's mind, making her stop and look around.
She was floating in a black void, alone. “H-hello?” she tried nervously. “Twilight? Is that... you? Can you hear me?”
“Yes, I can,” the older alicorn said, a moment before appearing before her. She gave a small smile. “It has been a long time, child.”
“Y-yeah. Not since Meadowbrook. I... uhhhh... thank you for that. I mean, since I...” She took a slow, deep breath. “Yeah. I really thought I was a goner there.”
“I'm sorry I couldn't help more.”
“Trust me, you helped plenty,” Diamond said with a small smile before sitting down. “Twilight... I... well, are you okay with me calling you that?”
The other alicorn chuckled, a hoof to her mouth. “Of course.”
“Twilight, did you ever... doubt?”
“Doubt?”
“Yourself. I mean, were you ever afraid that you just wouldn't... measure up?”
The mare blinked a few times, before bursting into a small fit of giggles. “Oh, heavens no! I KNEW I wouldn't measure up! Oh, trust me. I'm sure by now Rainbow has told you dozens of the stupid, silly things I've done.”
Diamond chuckled and nodded. “A few.”
“I made soooo many mistakes while I was doing this. Heck, I... even made a few at the end, too.” She took a slow, deep breath. “Our connection is shaky, now. So I'm sorry I'm not aware of everything, but... well... if you're here, have you...?”
“Found your body? Yeah. And... I've met your daughters.”
“O-oh. Are they...?”
“Awesome. Very awesome. Rainbow seems really fond of Daring and Sunset is helping to train me.”
“Really? That's good,” Twilight said before walking over and sitting by her. “But, yes, child. I was often afraid and doubted I could succeed. To be completely honest, from the very beginning I felt overwhelmed. I... still tried, of course. But there were so many times when things just felt like no matter how hard I tried, no matter how long I worked, that I'd never have been able to make a difference.”
“You did, though! You saved the world!”
Twilight snickered. “Oh, of course I didn't.”
“W-what?”
“I could have never, ever done it on my own.” She put a hoof on her heart. “My friends were there, every step of the way. Has Rainbow ever told you about the times I ran off on my own? I mean, I almost got killed every single time! Or I got captured, beat up, lit on fire, almost lacerated, just... well, it wasn't pretty. The Avatar is not meant to work alone.” She smiled down at her. “I'm sure you've noticed.”
“Y-yeah. I do tend to do a lot better when my friends are nearby.”
“Of course you do. See, that's just it. That's the important thing. As powerful as we are, we're just one pony. When I set out to change the world, I honestly did very little. Every single major accomplishment, defeating Discord, fighting off the Water Nation, purifying Nightmare Moon, none of those were things I did on my own. Frankly, they would have been impossible for me to do on my own. One pony just can't change the world like that.” She held up a hoof. “But I made friends and allies. I served as a beacon, something for the ponies of the world to gather behind. A flag for them to raise, to rally behind. That's where my power came from. That's how I succeeded. If not for that, I would have failed. But thanks to that, we were all able to succeed and fight back the darkness. There are things only we can do, as Avatars. But you'll find that often, what we do is less important than what we give others the courage to do.”
Diamond nodded, a smile on her lips. “Yeah, friends are pretty awesome. I... don't know what I'd do without them.”
“Of course. They're your greatest weapon as the Avatar. They support you when you feel weak, fight by your side so you never have to be alone. Just remember, no matter what happens. When it comes down to it, don't run off alone. You need them to stay with you and help you. Otherwise...” Her smile faltered. “You'll fail.”
Diamond cocked her head to the side. “What's wrong?”
“Huh? Oh, nothing. I just...” She gave a soft sigh. “We can't maintain this connection forever. Please... tell my girls I love them, okay? And I'm proud of them? No matter... what they do. I want them to know they were always on my mind.” She then frowned. “If I have a mind now, I suppose. I often wondered if...” She blinked and shook her head. “Never mind. That's a theory for another time.”
“I will,” Diamond said with a nod. “Will we talk again?”
“Eventually, I'm sure. It won't always be easy, but if you reach out to me, I'll try to answer you.”
“Thank you,” Diamond said. A moment later, the mare was gone and she sighed.
------
The alicorn's eyes opened and she looked around. “I... uhhhh, I talked to Twilight.”
“That's wonderful,” Celestia said with a smile. “How is she?”
“Dead. A spirit. Sorta. I guess. Not really sure. Other than that, fine. She seemed moderately happy, though. I uhhh... huh? Where's Silver?”
“Your friend? Off behind the trees. She seems upset. I've been trying to give her space, but I can't deny being a little concerned. I thought it best to wait for your return before acting.”
Diamond nodded and got to her hooves, trotting towards the tree. “Hey, Silver?”
The earth pony cringed, before looking up. “Y-yeah? What is it?”
“Is something wrong?” The alicorn looked her friend over closely. The mare seemed upset, though she wasn't crying.
“I'm fine. Just... had a really bad daydream.”
“Really?” The alicorn sat by her. “Let me guess, a great evil attacked the world and I was the only one who could stop it? Yeah, that'd scare me, too,” she joked.
Silver sighed, not even cracking a smile. “Something like that...”
Diamond stopped, before reaching out and patting her back. “Hey, Silver. Come on. We're buddies. Besides, if some great evil anything attacked, I'd take care of it. And I know you, Button and Acrylic would be at my side the whole time, helping me. Prism would probably be there too, but I think he'd more be nagging me the whole time and telling me to get my flank back in gear.”
Silver snorted. “Yeah. We'd all be there alright.” She slowly got to her hooves. “So, you think you've got it down, then?”
“Uh huh. I talked to Twilight.” The other mare froze, the smile locking into place. “Something wrong?”
“N-no. What'd she say?”
“Oh, trust in my friends and to tell her daughters she was proud of them. You know, basic Avatar stuff.” She held out a hoof. “You wanna talk about it? What you were day dreaming about?”
“Honestly, I just want to forget it,” Silver muttered before taking her hoof. “Maybe... have some more tea. Nice warm tea sounds nice.”
“I think Celestia would be fine with that. Come on. I'm sure Sunset will be back before we know it. Possibly... really mad, too.”
------
“GAHHHHHH!” Sunset yelled as she trotted back to the small cottage, her face contorted into the biggest frown she could make.
“No success?” Diamond asked before she sipped her tea.
“Not one bucking sign of the spirit!” she roared.
“I'm sorry,” Luna said, her eyes lowered.
“It's not your fault,” Sunset muttered. “I knew I should have gone after him yesterday. I just knew it. We'll never find him now.”
Diamond shrugged. “It's fine.”
“No, it's not fine. This is why you came here! To find the amulet!”
“I came here to advance my training,” the alicorn said with a shake of her head. “Since arriving, I've regained my fourth element, met the daughters of the last Avatar and have their help, managed to free my predecessor from the grips of the Smooze, possibly found a way to access the Spirit World on my own and, possibly most important, I finally managed to form a connection with my past lives. All in all, not bad for a trip. None of us got killed, either, so I still feel pretty good about this. Best of all, it hasn't even been that long. We'll probably get home and nothing will have changed.”
Sunset sighed. “You are far too--” She then paused. “W-wait, you talked with my mother?”
“Mmmm hmm,” Diamond said with a nod. “Not for long, but we did talk. Given time, I'm sure I'll be able to talk with her a lot more. The connection still isn't the... strongest in the world. But I think that distortion is gone. The Smooze...” She frowned. “It's a very, very strange creature.”
“I... I see. Did... she say anything? About... me?”
“Yes. She wanted me to let you and your sister know she is very proud of both of you. She thinks you two are amazing and... frankly, I agree. You've done a lot to help me in the short time we've know each other and I can't begin to imagine what I'd have done without you.” She gave a little smile to the mare. “All in all, not a bad trip at all. When we get home, I'll work on trying to find the amulet then.”
Sunset nodded, sitting besides her. “Fine. We'd best return, then. It'll be dark soon and the others will worry about us.”
“Mmm hmm,” Diamond said before glancing towards their hosts. “Celestia, Luna? I actually wanted to talk with you two about one more thing before we leave.”
“Oh? What is it, Avatar?” Luna asked.
“Well... your grandaughter and grandson are here. Would it be okay if they were to come down here and meet you? I mean... I guess they have met you before, but I just thought it would be--”
“That would be delightful,” Celestia interrupted. “It has been far too long since we have seen any of our family.”
“I too would much enjoy seeing how they have grown. I am sure my daughter has raised them to be fine, delightful children filled with honor and kindness,” Luna said with a nod.
“So... uhhh, curious. Do you two have anything against having a fire bender in the family?” Diamond asked softly. “I mean... I guess you two knew but uhhh...”
“Hm? Oh, of course not,” Luna said with a snicker. “I... will admit, during my... earlier days as Nightmare Moon I would have. But now...” She lowered her gaze. “I am... just happy my daughter has managed to avoid many of the same mistakes that I ran head first into.”
“That Blueblood always was an interesting fellow,” Celestia said with a nod. “I would be interested in finding out how their relationship has gone so far. And how my niece has been.”
Diamond nodded. “I'll make sure to bring them back here tomorrow, then.” She slowly got to her hooves. “We should head back. Thank you for your hospitality.” She paused. “We'll go back the same paths we came, so it should be safe.”
“Do be safe, young Avatar,” Celestia said with a nod. “Please, return again one day. It is always nice to catch up on old times.”
“Next time, we'll see about having some biscuits made as well,” Luna said with a sigh. “Sadly, cooking in this realm is... more of an art than in the real world.”
“Spirits can live on tea alone, dear sister,” Celestia said with a grin.
“Can is not the same as should.”
Diamond chuckled before she turned and trotted off, the others following behind her.
After a few minutes of walking, Sunset walked up besides her. “So... you really talked with my mom? What... I mean... was that all she said?”
“We mostly just talked about what she did before. She told me to keep my friends close, that there really wasn't much I'd be able to do without them. I'm sorry we didn't talk much about you and Daring. She was worried about you two, but the connection didn't last long. I'll try to get in contact with her more, though. Make it stronger. I'll ask more about you two, as well.”
Sunset nodded, before she suddenly shook her head. “No.”
“No?”
“My mother... is gone. She passed away long ago. While I appreciate the sentiment, I cannot allow myself to... focus on that. Trying to have her live again through you.”
“Sunset...”
“No. You told me she is proud of me, that is enough. You are the Avatar, the connection exists to aid you in your journey. Not to allow me a chance to relive old times.”
“You don't have to--”
“I said no. And I meant it,” Sunset said before walking a little faster. “Now come on. Let's get out of here. The others are probably waiting for us and... I want to see the grave.”
Diamond sighed, before giving a small nod.
Your daughters are really something, Twilight. Sometimes I just don't know what it is.