• Published 21st Feb 2020
  • 3,949 Views, 102 Comments

Ring Around The Moon -- Part I - Lets Do This



A shadow descends upon Canterlot. Celestia announces the impending return of Nightmare Moon. And Twilight, Tempest, and their fellow students find there's more to being Equestria's chosen defenders than they bargained for...

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A Little Knowledge

Which... was easier said than done. Apart from regular practice sessions with the Field spell, and refinement of its various solutions and configurations, there didn't seem to be much left for the group to do.

Yet the feeling persisted: something was still missing, something they weren't seeing. It hung over the group like a shadow, intangible, sourceless, and nagging...

"Okay," Twilight said the next morning, tapping her checklist with a hoof, and looking around the main work table at her friends. "Here's what we've got for today. Sunset and I are going to work on the presentation for the Research Division. Or at least, we'll try to come up with an outline..."

"Don't worry, Twilight," Sunset said with a grin. "I had Spike stock up on extra index cards, just in case."

Twilight frowned at her. "And Moondancer," she went on, "you're still finishing your research on Nightmare Moon, right?"

"I'm nearly there, Twilight," Moondancer said. "There's a last few leads I need to chase down over at the Archives. That is," she grumbled, "if I can only find them..."

"Okay," Twilight nodded. "And let's see... oh, yeah, Shining Armor has asked us to assist him with a few drills of the Guard in the Celebration area today."

"It's mostly about getting them used to taking orders from me," Tempest said. "So I've got it covered. Though the Captain did ask that we send along somepony familiar with the Field and the gems we use, in case there are any questions."

Twilight smiled at that. "Shiny says the Guard ponies tend to focus on gear when they're uncomfortable asking what's really on their minds. Trixie," she added, "would you mind?"

The showpony blinked in surprise, then shrugged. "Sure, Twilight! Although..." she added, tapping her chin with a hoof, "I was kinda thinking about finally getting my wagon cleaned out and re-stowed for travel, so I can haul it over and park it behind the tower like we planned."

Tempest smirked. "I imagine we can talk some of the Guard ponies into lending a hoof afterward," she said. "After all, they can hardly refuse a request from their new Commander -- now can they?"

"Ha! All right, then!" Pulling a gemstone out of her hat, Trixie spun it airily on a hoof. "My time is your time."

"Good," Twilight said, going on with her list. "And Starlight?"

"Well..." she said, "it sounds like Trixie's going to be busy, and I didn't have anything specific planned for this morning." She looked at Moondancer. "You want some help with finding stuff at the Archives?"

"Uh, sure..." Moondancer replied, uneasily. "Though it's not going to be very exciting. Just going through a bunch of old scrolls and journals."

"Well, hey, I don't mind!" Starlight smiled. "How bad could it be?"

------------------------------

Starlight's face landed on the reading-room table with a loud thump.

Me and my big mouth, she thought. I forgot I was tagging along with the only pony who's a more dedicated researcher than Twilight...

She looked across the table at Moondancer. The beige pony hadn't even looked up. She was seated with her head resting on her forehooves, her eyes focused on the book in front of her. Her mane was done up in a tight knot atop her head, keeping it out of her way. And there was a determined, no-nonsense glare in her eye, completely unlike her usual, nervously friendly persona.

Starlight sighed, then sifted through the scrolls that the senior librarians had helpfully collected from the Pre-Banishment shelves downstairs. Moondancer was right: the specific scrolls, journals, and references they needed, the ones relating to Nightmare Moon, simply were not there -- with an almost scary precision.

Starlight had personally arranged all three hundred and twenty-nine scrolls attributed to Sharpquill the Voluminous in chronological order, a minor service to academia considering how disorganized they'd been. Never mind the fact that none of them had dates, and she'd had to organize them by comparing beginnings and endings -- in Old Ponish. And in the process, she'd found that the all-important three-hundred-fifth scroll, the one reputed to discuss his encounter with the Nightmare... was missing.

It was the same with the other references on Moondancer's list. Scrolls, pages, even specific paragraphs in documents a thousand years old -- all were missing, torn out, or simply lost long ago.

Moondancer, in response, had buried herself even more furiously in her researches, as if determined to track down just one reference, one scrap of information that hadn't gone missing. The beige filly read thoroughly, meticulously, in depth... and total silence. She'd said next to nothing in nearly an hour.

Starlight stared across at her, unwilling to give up. "So..." she hazarded, "Hoofbane the Stormbringer... he's kind of a bust, huh?"

"Uh huh," Moondancer muttered, distractedly.

"I mean, he wanted ponies to think he was Nightmare Moon's chosen one, heralding her glorious ascension to power..."

"Uh huh," Moondancer replied.

"But it turns out he was just a disgruntled bell-ringer. And the closest he'd ever been to the Moon was when he made his rounds late at night --"

"Arrrgh!" Moondancer slammed the book closed. "Not again!"

Jumping up from the table, she hurried off into the stacks. Starlight stared after her, wide-eyed and worried. Then she got up and cautiously followed.

She found Moondancer high on a ladder, furiously hoofing through bindings, her horn blazing furiously to provide light to see by.

Starlight stationed herself at the bottom of the ladder, ready to catch any books her friend might toss down. "And then there was General Duskhelm," she went on, "who claimed in his memoires to have personally marched into battle with the Mare... except that nowhere in his official journals is there even a single mention of..."

"Starlight!" Moondancer called down. "Do you mind? I'm trying to focus here!" The gleam of her magic encased the ladder, shoving it bodily a double-leg to the left. Then she went on plowing through the shelves.

Starlight grimaced, her shoulders hunched.

"Sorry. I guess I do tend to chatter a bit. I love a good conversation!" She grinned ruefully. "Trixie's the same way. It's one reason we get along so well. When we hang out together, we can just go on and on, for hours. Of course, Trixie mostly likes to talk about herself, but then, who doesn't, really? And also..."

"Starlight!" Moondancer snapped. "Look, I'm not Trixie, okay? I need to concentrate here! So let's keep it down, huh?"

"But --"

"Shhhh!"

Starlight fell silent. Then she hung her head sadly. Some help I am, she thought. Maybe I should just stick to practical spellwork, and leave the in-depth study to ponies who are actually good at it...

Gradually she became aware there was silence at the top of the ladder as well.

Looking up, she saw Moondancer had a hoof pressed to her head, an ashamed grimace on her face. "I'm sorry, Starlight," Moondancer said. "I'm not mad at you, I'm just... a little fed up right now. It's not you. Really."

"Okay..." Starlight hunched cautiously. "You, uh... wanna talk about it?"

Moondancer stared down at her. Then she smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I suppose."

She slid down the ladder, landing with a thump next to Starlight. "I keep running into blind alleys here!" She sighed, gesturing at the shelves of books and scrolls all around them. "I'm right up to the Banishment itself, and it seems like every reference I search for is a dead end. And we're short on time: the solstice is right around the corner... the Sun Celebration itself! And I'm just not sure I can do this in time!"

"You'll get us there. No worries," Starlight assured her. "It's only a few loose ends, right?"

But Moondancer shook her head. "More than just a few. I was hoping I could wrap things up soon. But I still have too many guesses, and not enough facts! And I just can't find what I need to pin things down, put it all together! Urghhh! Starlight, I have one job to do in this little group of ours. One job! Research Nightmare Moon! And I can't even do that properly..."

Putting her head in her hooves, she sighed desperately. "I'm not an historian... I'm just a stupid, useless filly with a yen for dusty old books! Why am I so freaking useless!"

"Hey! Take it easy!" Starlight said, putting a hoof around her. "Nopony expects perfection. And so what if you haven't dotted all the i's? Give us what you've got, we'll work with it. Every little bit helps..."

"Not this time," Moondancer said. "I have to get this right, Starlight! You heard Twilight. If we can't talk Nightmare Moon into returning peacefully, then... well... I'm not sure what we'll do!"

"Ah..." Starlight nodded. "I get it. It's important to you. Because she's important to you."

Moondancer looked ashamed. "Yeah." She snorted, humorlessly. "My fillyhood pen-pal: Nightmare Moon!" She shook her head. "It's so stupid. I'm not a little filly anymore. And she's not the pony I hoped she'd be! I just need to get over it, Starlight. Just put it behind me, forget about it, and get on with the job!"

"Are you kidding me? Absolutely not!" Starlight objected. "Look, Moondancer, it's because of how you felt about Nightmare Moon that you're here right now, helping us out. It's also the reason you're the best pony for the job. Better than anypony else!" She pointed at Moondancer's cutie-mark, the Moon and Stars. "It matters to you... because Nightmare Moon is important to you!"

Moondancer winced at that. She fell silent, her shoulders hunched, her eyes shut tight.

Starlight stared her, concerned. And then pulled her into a comforting hug.

"Hey," she said quietly, "what's this really about, huh? What's really bothering you?"

Moondancer looked up at her, grimly. "It's my mark, Starlight," she whispered. "The Moon and the Stars? Ponies still suspect me because of it. Even after Princess Celestia's announcement! They treat the rest of you like heroes, but me? They tolerate me, Starlight, simply because I'm with the rest of you. I see them staring at my mark, looking at me suspiciously, like they think I'm... well, you know..."

"... in league with Nightmare Moon?" Starlight offered bluntly.

"Shhh!" Moondancer hissed. "Somepony might hear you! And things are bad enough as it is."

Starlight glanced around. The librarians had been quietly shooing other patrons away all morning, so they could work undisturbed. They were entirely alone.

"Well, so what?" Starlight said. "What if it was true?"

Moondancer stared at her. "Starlight..."

"I'm serious! What if your mark actually did mean you were a servant of Nightmare Moon? Then, hey, you could just say it out loud, declare it to the world: I am Nightmare Moon's chosen pony, and I don't care who knows it!"

Before Moondancer could react, Starlight waved a hoof. "Go on, go on! You try saying it."

"Starlight..."

"Humor me, Moondancer. No one can hear. Just go ahead and say it."

"Uhh..." Moondancer gritted her teeth, and glanced around. "I'm Nightmare Moon's chosen pony, and I don't care who knows it?"

"Great! So am I!" Starlight cheerfully punched her shoulder. "Where are we gonna have lunch today?"

Moondancer frowned at her. "That's not very funny, Starlight."

"I'm not trying to be funny," Starlight retorted. "I'm making a point here. I'm your friend, Moondancer. And that wouldn't change even if you did have some kind of deep dark secret. But more than that, if your mark says that you're a servant of Nightmare Moon... well, who's to say mine doesn't, too?" She pointed at her own cutie-mark, a purple-and-white star with cyan swirls.

"But..." Moondancer objected, "You said it had something to do with your ability with magic."

"That's just what I tell everypony," Starlight said, "because they all expect me to have some kind of simple answer like that. But you want the real truth?" She shook her head. "I have no idea what it means. I'm not even sure what made it appear! I was talking to Trixie one day, and I happened to look round... and there it was! I didn't even feel it appear! And I still don't know what it means."

"Seriously?"

"Absolutely. Haven't a clue. And you know what, Moondancer? I don't mind not knowing, not in the least. Because I don't need it to mean anything. It might not even mean anything at all." She grinned. "I might be the only pony in all of Equestria whose cutie-mark doesn't mean a darn thing! And that's okay with me. Because when I came here, to the School, and started hanging out with Twilight, and Tempest, and Trixie, and the rest of you... I realized that I don't need a cutie-mark to tell me who I am. I'm who I am! I define what my mark means, and not the other way around."

She pointed at Moondancer's mark, the Moon and Stars.

"And you can do the same! All you have to do is be the kind of pony you want others to associate with your mark. Yeah, sure, it won't happen overnight. It may take a while. But eventually, they'll see you for who you are. You just have to be patient, and not let yourself get wound up about cutie-marks." She grimaced uncomfortably. "I know I sure did, before Twilight set me straight!"

"I suppose that makes sense," Moondancer said, cautiously. "There's no loss in trying, I guess."

"No loss at all." Then Starlight gave Moondancer's shoulder a friendly nudge. "And just remember, you've got five other ponies here who already see you for who you are, and like you for it. So if your research isn't quite there yet, don't stress about it. Share what you've got, and we'll figure it out together. We'll figure out how to deal with Nightmare Moon, all of us. Because it's important, Moondancer." She pointed to Moondancer's mark again. "It's important to you, so that makes it important to the rest of us -- okay?"

"Okay." Moondancer nodded. "And thanks, Starlight." Then she grinned. "You know, you're really good at giving ponies advice. You ever consider doing it for a living?"

"What, you mean like some kind of guidance counselor?" Starlight snorted. "Yeah, right! Me telling ponies how to live their lives? Ha! Like that would ever work out."

The two of them laughed at that. And then Moondancer looked up at the ladder.

"Well... as warm and fuzzy and reassuring as all this is, it's not getting the job done. We'd better get back to it. You still want to stick around, help me go through whatever sources I manage to find?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Starlight said. "As long as you don't mind me chattering away down here, now and again."

"I don't, actually," Moondancer said, climbing up the ladder again. "It's kind of reassuring... reminds me I'm not alone..."

"Hey, Starlight!"

Starlight turned, and found Trixie trotting up to her. "Hey, Trixie! Did you get your wagon taken care of?"

"Yep! Parked it right next to the fountain, behind the tower, where it's out of sight. Oh, and you should have seen me, Starlight! I had a Royal Guard escort all the way back! I was so proud!" She giggled. "The Grrreat and Powerful Trrrixie wishes she had a Guard escort to all her performances!"

"Oh yeah," Starlight rolled her eyes. "Like your ego needs any more encouragement."

Trixie sniffed, and then beamed smugly. "And I even managed to unload a bunch of old junk I had stashed away, to lighten the load a bit. Like this old book --" Trixie reached into her hat and pulled out a small book, with a cracked faux-leather cover, and tarnished brass clasps holding it shut. "It's some old mage's journal I found in one of my storage trunks. I don't really need it, so I figured I'd donate it to the Archives just to get it off my hooves."

"Hey, can I take a look at that, Trixie?" Moondancer asked, looking down from her perch atop the ladder.

"Oh sure, Moony!" With her magic, Trixie passed the book up to her. And then she grinned at Starlight. "So... what have you been up to all morning, bestie?"

Starlight grinned back. "Oh, you know, the usual... organizing scrolls... giving lifestyle advice... nothing out of the ordinary, and --"

"Oh my gosh! I was right! This changes everything!"

Trixie and Starlight looked up. Moondancer had the journal open, and was staring at it in wide-eyed astonishment. Then she held it out and dropped it. "Starlight! Catch!"

Starlight quickly snagged the book in her magic, as Moondancer came sliding down the ladder at top speed. Landing heavily on the floor, Moondancer pointed a hoof at the journal. "Don't let that out of your sight! I think it's just the link I've been looking for. But I need to grab my notes to confirm it. I'll be right back!"

Starlight and Trixie looked at each other in surprise. Then Trixie worriedly took back the journal, flipping through its pages.

"What is it, Trixie?" Starlight asked, looking over her shoulder. "What'd she find?"

"I don't know!" Trixie gave her a frightened look. "I honestly don't know! Starlight, what did I just do?"

"You made Moondancer's day." Starlight bumped her shoulder with a hoof. "Nice going, Trixie!"

"Yeah. I guess, but... what's she going on about? It's not supposed to -- I mean, it's just an old journal with some hoof-written notes in it. Uhh... right?"

Starlight waved a hoof, grinning. "Oh, you know Moondancer! With all the scrolls and books and things she's been plowing through, she's got half a dozen theories running around in her head. She probably just saw something that clicked with one of them."

"Oh." Trixie stared at the journal, fixedly -- as if afraid it might explode.

"Oh, come on, Trixie! Don't worry!" Starlight shrugged. "Whatever it is, we'll know soon enough, right?"

Trixie winced. And then she passed the journal back to Starlight. "Uh huh. That we will. Um... would you excuse me, Starlight? I just... remembered I left the stove on in my wagon. I'll see you back at the tower."

Turning, she set off at a run, leaving Starlight sitting holding the journal, utterly mystified.

Well, Starlight thought, at least we found something. Now, if only somepony would kindly tell me what it is that we've found...

------------------------------

When they returned to the tower room, Moondancer finally felt confident enough of her research to call the group together around the main worktable, and give them a summary of the results.

Which prompted some startled reactions.

"She's Celestia's what?" Twilight yelled, wide-eyed.

Moondancer blinked in startled surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry. I've been so focused on this, I keep forgetting it's news to all of you. Look, here's the most authoritative text I could find for the Legend of Nightmare Moon... or as it was originally called back then, the Legend of the Two Sisters." She pushed across a heavy volume, pointing a hoof at the floridly illuminated text.

"Once upon a time," Twilight read aloud, "in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters, who ruled together and created harmony for all the land..." Twilight went on, reading the rest of the text to the group, her voice becoming steadily smaller and weaker. "... and Harmony has been maintained in Equestria," she finished, "for generations since..."

Her voice failed utterly, dropping off into a stunned silence.

"Her sister?" Trixie whispered, shocked. "Celestia had to banish her own sister?"

Moondancer nodded. "That's how I felt, when I first read it. I didn't want to believe it! I thought it must be an apocryphal version or something. But based on everything I've read, it's the most solid interpretation, and --"

"Why didn't the Princess tell us this?" Twilight suddenly exploded. "This is important!"

There was a long, tense silence. And then Sunset spoke up.

"Because Celestia doesn't always tell you things."

She had her eyes closed, a hoof pressed to her forehead. Then she looked up at the others. "And it's usually for good reason: to keep you from getting crazy ideas, running off on your own before you're ready. Like I did..."

"But she didn't even tell Twi and me!" Spike objected. "And we've known her the longest!"

"I thought she trusted us," Twilight whispered sadly. "I thought she knew how much we care about her... how much I care about her..."

Twilight suddenly felt a hoof on her shoulder. It was Tempest. "That's probably why she didn't tell us," the maroon pony advised. "She knows how much you care. To tell us... she'd have had to tell you."

Twilight thought about it. Then nodded sadly.

"She didn't want us to know," she said miserably. "She must not want anypony to know..."

"Oh, that's just great!" Starlight said. "And now that means we can't tell her, either! We can't let Celestia know that we know!"

"And we still have to deal with... her sister..." Twilight was still having difficulty accepting it. "... Nightmare Moon..."

"Luna, actually," Moondancer said.

"Pardon?"

Moondancer tapped another of the heavy volumes sitting on the table. "That was the Mare's original name, before she was known as Nightmare Moon. In pre-millennial times, when she ruled alongside Celestia, she was known as Luna."

"Wait... Princess Luna?" Starlight asked, glancing at Trixie.

The showpony somehow managed to keep a straight face, though her gaze darted quickly around the table.

"That's right," Moondancer said. "And you know, it took a lot of digging to figure that out? There were almost no references remaining that connected the two. Trixie happened across a pre-Banishment scholar's private diary, which must have escaped whatever purge got rid of all the other references. It had a note in the margin referencing the Legend of the Two Sisters, which supported that being the original version. And that, in turn, supports a number of other sources who indirectly connect Nightmare Moon with Luna. And given that, everything else... just sorta fell into place..."

"Princess Luna..." Trixie whispered, in a small, forlorn voice.

"Hang on a minute!" Sunset said. "In the mirror universe, at Canterlot High, alongside Principal Celestia... there's a Vice Principal Luna! And I'll bet she's even Celestia's sister, too... the parallel's just too close!"

"Well, what was she like?" Starlight asked. "I was on this side of the mirror the whole time, remember? I never had a chance to meet her."

"She was, well... nice!" Sunset allowed. "A little cold and strict, a little insistent on no loose ends. But ultimately, she cared about us students and our safety as much as Celestia did. Maybe even more so!"

"Wow... she does sound nice," Moondancer said.

Sunset nodded. "Yeah, she was!"

"Yeah..." Trixie echoed, miserably. "She is..."

"Trixie?" Starlight asked, looking at her.

"But..." Sunset went on, "that doesn't really tell us much about our Luna. I mean, if we hadn't resolved the distortion in the mirror universe with our magic, and if Celestia hadn't shown up to help put Canterlot High back in order, who knows what Vice Principal Luna might have done next? And maybe that means that our Princess Luna would behave the same way..."

"Maybe," Twilight agreed. "Do we have any other information on Princess Luna?" she asked Moondancer. "Anything from the history you've put together?"

"Not much, so close to the Banishment," Moondancer admitted. "And obviously nothing afterward." She winced. "I mean, I know she was a kind and caring Princess beforehand, but..."

"But," said Tempest, flatly and coldly, "that's not really enough to go on. And if she was willing to turn on her own sister... on family..." She glanced at Twilight, and her face set in a dark scowl. "Then we shouldn't just assume she'll listen to reason. She may need a little gentle persusion first..."

"Yeah, you may be right," Sunset agreed. "Hey, I'm all for giving ponies a chance. But this is about keeping Equestria safe! And we're the front line here. We have to be ready for anything. Like it or not, we have to be ready to hit Nightmare Moon hard, the instant she shows up again. We need to be sure she knows we mean business!"

Moondancer and Starlight glanced at each other, looking uncomfortable, but reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Trixie?" Starlight asked. "What do you think?"

Trixie jolted. "Me?" she squeaked. "I... um... I don't know... I..." She covered her face with her hooves.

And then she looked up, tears in her eyes. "Would... you all excuse me?" she said. "I need to... go look something up..."

Turning, Trixie scurried away, her cloak flying behind her. She vanished amongst the book stacks on the library side of the room.

"Uhm, keep going, everypony," Starlight said. "I'll just... go see if I can help." And turning, she hurried after the showpony, leaving the others staring after both of them in confusion.

------------------------------

Hunting amongst the shelves, Starlight finally found Trixie sitting in the farthest, darkest corner, hunched and miserable.

And apparently, talking to herself.

"You never told me," she said tensely. "You just never bothered to tell me. You just wanted me to do your dirty work..."

She paused and tilted her head, almost as if listening to something.

"I thought you trusted me... I thought I mattered to you..."

Another pause.

"And I wonder what else you haven't bothered to mention..."

"Trixie?" Starlight asked cautiously.

The showpony flinched, and hunched even further inside her hat and cloak.

Starlight trotted over and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Are you okay, Trixie?"

Trixie sighed. "No, Starlight," she said flatly. "I am not okay! I'm about as far from okay as a pony can get!"

"Is it about... Princess Luna?" Starlight asked.

Trixie eyed her uncertainly. "What makes you say that?"

"You, um... talk in your sleep, remember? You might have mentioned her, once."

"Oh." Trixie fell silent. Then she grimaced miserably, her eyes glistening with tears. "Starlight..."

"Trixie!" Starlight said soothingly. "What is it? Look, if you know something about Princess Luna, anything at all, it might help us."

Trixie shook her head. "I don't think so, Starlight... I don't think this would help at all... It's... kinda bad..."

"How bad?"

Trixie looked at her mournfully. "Bad enough you might not want to be my friend anymore?"

Starlight put her hoof around her, hugging her.

"Trixie, don't say that. Don't ever say that. You know me. If it was really that bad, it'd just make me want to be your friend even more... because I'd want to help!"

"Really, Starlight?"

"Hey, what are best friends for?" Starlight beamed. "So, come on, Trixie, what is it? Can't you even tell me?"

"No."

Starlight blinked. "Huh?"

"No, Starlight," Trixie said, seriously. "I can't just tell you. I tell you, I have to tell all of them. It's the only way."

She hunched, small and frightened.

"Because... I'm not sure I can bring myself to say it more than once..."

------------------------------

The others looked up as Starlight and Trixie returned.

Trixie crossed to the table with a solemn, tense caution, as if she were one of her own focus gems and was afraid she might shatter if she put a hoof wrong. She sat down, and Starlight sat next to her, nodding supportively.

And then Trixie gave the other ponies a lofty, superior look. "Ahem. Trixie would like to say something to all of you, something important. But she would like you to promise to hear her out, to let her finish, before you say anything. Agreed?"

The other ponies nodded in surprise.

Trixie took off her hat and held it up. "First, a quick illusion."

"Trixie," Starlight whispered, "I don't think we have time for --"

"Shush!" Trixie demanded crossly. "This is a good trick! It's called the truth!"

Waving a hoof over the hat, she lit her horn. There was a flash of teleportation, and her hat sagged. Reaching in, she hoofed out a large blue-jacketed volume with a crescent moon on the cover. She levitated it across the table, landing it in front of Moondancer.

"My journal!" Moondancer cried, pulling it close and paging through it. "I thought it was lost!"

"No, Trixie had it. Because she was the one who took it in the first place. Because..." She sighed. "Look, there's just no way to sugar-coat this: Trixie has been working with Nightmare Moon. From the very beginning, before Trixie even came to Celestia's School in the first place!"

The others stared at her, shocked. Except for Tempest, who placed her forehooves gently on the table. She glared levelly at the showpony, as if readying herself to spring across at her.

But Trixie hurriedly went on, and the others all held their peace as promised. "It started when Trixie was little. Trixie was feeling sad, and hurt, and lonely. She didn't have anypony she could trust. And then Nightmare Moon appeared in Trixie's dreams. She offered to help Trixie become Great and Powerful." Trixie frowned disgustedly. "And of course, Trixie said yes -- I mean, why wouldn't she?"

She sighed. "And you know, for a while, it was really fun? It was great knowing things nopony else knew. It was wonderful having a powerful ally like the Mare. With her help, Trixie built up her skills with stage magic, made her way to Canterlot, and got into Celestia's School. She even managed to get into this group! Trixie was so successful!"

She shook her head.

"But... Trixie has come to realize the Mare is not the friend Trixie thought she was." She scowled. "She says she cares about Trixie, but all she really cares about is power, and revenge. She doesn't trust Trixie. She manipulates Trixie, for her own ends. She's not Trixie's friend, not the way all of you are."

She paused. And then she suddenly slammed a hoof on the table, making everyone jump.

"And Trixie no longer wants to help her! Nightmare Moon has to be stopped! And I want to help stop her! That is... well... if you even feel you can trust me any longer..."

She shook her head.

"But Trixie doesn't deserve to be trusted, does she? Trixie lies. Trixie has to! It's part of a showpony's job. And you want to know the worst part, the very worst part of it all? The Mare can tell Trixie to do things, and then make Trixie forget she was told them! So right now, coming clean and telling you all this... I'm not even sure I'm not playing right into her hooves again -- doing exactly what she wants me to do!" She sighed. "I'm not even sure I should trust myself any longer..."

Trixie looked down, ashamed. "That's it... that's the whole truth. Trixie is a liar. And Trixie is sorry! Trixie is not Great and Powerful..."

She shut her eyes miserably.

"... and she probably won't ever be."

There was silence around the table, as the other ponies considered it, none of them sure what to say next, how to react.

Then Moondancer got up, came over, and sat down next to Trixie. She gently put a hoof around her shoulders.

"You've talked with Nightmare Moon, Trixie?"

Trixie looked up, meekly. "Uh huh."

"What's she like?"

Trixie blinked, surprised. "Oh. Scary... really scary. Scary beyond reason, just like the legends say. But... not evil, so much, just... look, she just wants to be honored again. She wants ponies to appreciate and celebrate her Night again. She wants to rule again, to be great and powerful again!" Trixie gave a humorless laugh. "That's probably why she chose Trixie to help her... it's what we both want."

"And... you're able to talk with her," Moondancer went on, "even though she's still trapped up there in the Moon?"

"Uh huh." Trixie nodded. "She talks to me at night, in my dreams. And then, during the daytime, when Nightmare Moon is asleep, whenever I'm daydreaming or my thoughts are wandering, I talk with... with Princess Luna... and she... she..."

Suddenly Trixie was crying, almost uncontrollably.

"We have to help her!" she sobbed. "We have to help Princess Luna! Because she's just like the legends say too! She's the kindest, most caring pony there is! Maybe even more so than Princess Celestia!"

Trixie stared at Moondancer, tears running down her face. "She's the one you've been writing to in your journal! Not Nightmare Moon! Well... not exactly, because they're one and the same... but, look, if we could just rescue Luna! Bring her back, persuade her to give up being Nightmare Moon... you could finally talk to her, Moondancer, for real! And I know she'd care about you. She'd be your friend, and your teacher, and your mentor. Just like..."

Trixie's voice became very small, very quiet.

"... just like she's always been for Trixie..."

She lowered her head, hooves pressed to her face, and went on crying. Moondancer sat with her, holding her tightly and comfortingly. And Starlight moved to join them, putting a hoof around Trixie's shoulders as well.

Then Moondancer and Starlight both looked up across the table at Twilight. And Twilight nodded, understandingly. She looked around at the others.

"All right, everypony," she said, "let's do this! Let's rescue Princess Luna! We'll bring her back, and help her give up being Nightmare Moon."

Trixie looked up, staring in disbelief. "But... Twilight --"

"Look, Trixie," Twilight said, "right now we have a source of information about Princess Luna we didn't know we had five minutes ago! So let's use that! Let's find a way to bring her back safely. The rest of it... well..." She waved a hoof uncertainly. "We'll sort it out later! Right, everypony?"

The others nodded willingly. They all smiled at Trixie.

Even Tempest. "I said you reminded me of someone I knew. He was a mole as well... or rather, a hedgehog." She gave Grubber a sideways glance. "But he turned out all right."

"Thanks, boss!" Grubber said sheepishly.

"But what if..." Trixie persisted, "what if I am just doing what Nightmare Moon wants me to do? How can all of you be sure you can trust me?"

"Oh, we'll keep an eye on you, Grubber and I," Tempest said levelly. "Just the way we've been doing, all along." She gave Trixie a frosty smile.

Trixie glanced at Grubber. He grinned, and gave her a thumbs-up.

"All right, then!" Twilight said. "Let's keep going with Moondancer's summary. And Trixie, you jump in if there's anything that doesn't sound right, based on what you know first-hoof. We'll do this, everypony. We'll find a way to rescue Princess Luna. We'll figure this out! We have to!"

She pounded the table with a hoof.

"Because now both Celestia and Luna are depending on us!"