Trixie couldn't sleep.

She was going to go back to Jennet for the first time in months.

As much as she wished it was, that wasn't the reason she stayed awake. She was terrified. The last time she went there was also the last time she ever heard from Gilda.

This wasn't like her, to go all quiet on Trixie all of a sudden. The griffon always wrote her at least once a month, as long as she knew where her best friend was, who always told her about her traveling schedules, revealing where she stayed and when. There may have been that period in their youth where they didn't meet again for years, but Gilda wasn't being controlled by her father anymore.

Something had to be wrong.

As much as she missed Hope and didn't want to disappoint her by missing out on a visit that was, yet again, already late in the first place, each passing day she didn't hear from Gilda filled Trixie with a panic-ridden desire to look for her lost fillyhood friend. What could have happened? Did she hate her for some reason? Did some awful fate befall her? She could only imagine what the possible reason for her uncharacteristic constant silence could be, and none of them put her at ease.

She almost wanted to ask Celestia for her help in finding Gilda, but a part of her thought the sun princess might be angry with her for dropping out of her school all those years ago, and refuse to help her for it, or worse.

Trixie hated feeling so helpless. She was used to it in other periods of her life, but now it was especially unbearable. It wasn't just her own happiness at stake. Her friend could be hurting, or dying, for all she knew.

Alas, there seemed to be nothing she could do except for simply move on to Jennet and hope that she would get back into contact with Gilda as soon as possible. So, the day before she was going to travel back there, she went to a Canterlot cafe for breakfast, ordering a hay smoothie and sipping it slowly, her somber mood preventing her from savoring it's flavor.

Suddenly, the front door of the cafe burst open, and a loud thud hit the floor. Trixie immediately looked to the source of the noise, and saw Gilda prone on the ground; malnourished, starved, tired. Alarmed, she promptly bolted over and helped her friend to her feet. "Someone get her some water, please!"

Gilda set the glass down on the table, releasing a refreshed sigh. "That feels  so much better..."

"What happened to you, Gilda? You look so horrible..."

The griffon frowned. "I came here to find your help, Trixie. If you refuse, I'll understand, but, you're the only one I know who can give us everything we need. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you in so long, but you have to understand, it's not that I didn't want to, it's just... Something happened. Something really, really bad happened, and I just couldn't..."

"What?"

Gilda shuddered. "Gustave and I were on our way to move in to another town where he got hired as a chef, and... We got caught in the middle of a dragon raid... They just, attacked the town for no reason, burning and smashing and tearing and eating anything that they could... They destroyed houses, murdered entire families... We barely made it out alive... We found our way to this survivor camp of these other griffons who were attacked by dragons... They're having a really hard time, and barely making it by... Most of them are sick, or starving... I was the only one feeling well enough to go off and fly for help, so, I tried to find you..."

Gilda and Trixie were riding in the showmare's traveling show carriage. Normally, it would be pulled by magic, but this time Trixie hired stallions to do it. She spent almost every last bit she had hiring stallions and carriages, buying food and medical supplies, enough to help everyone at the survivor camp that Gilda told her about. Even with her amassed, saved wealth, Trixie lamented that there probably wouldn't be enough for everyone. She could only afford for the stallions to take a two way trip; they would empty the supplies from the other carriages, load up the most seriously ill and wounded, and take them off to hospitals and hotels, and that would be the end of it.

Meanwhile, Trixie was going to keep her carriage there, having packed all of her personal belongings in it as usual, and provide free charity entertainment to the other remaining survivors for the duration of her stay. At the same time, she would help out with providing the food and supplies necessary to keep them going, as well as build new carriages and materials to help them eventually flee to the safety of society, where they could begin anew in much better conditions.

Gilda also warned Trixie about the gang of teenage dragons who would plague the camp; once a week, they would visit to extort favors and supplies from the griffons in exchange for leaving them alone and not harming anyone. In spite of this, the dragons would always cause some other form of trouble before they left, always tormenting them for their sadistic amusement.

Gilda looked morose, feeling guilty. "There's... One other thing I haven't told you about, Trixie..."

"What's that?"

"I'm so sorry, but... I only waited until now to tell you because... Because I thought you might not help if you knew right away..." She looked right in her best friend's eyes. "... They've destroyed Jennet, Trixie."

She gasped. The young mare felt her blood turn to ice, feeling lightheaded.

Gilda shook her head, tears flowing from her eyelids. "It's all gone... They burned everything, killed almost everyone..."

Trixie struggled to speak, still overwhelmed by all this. "... Did... Did anyone survive?... Did anyone escape?..."

"... Well, yes, actually..."

"Trixie!!!" Hope exclaimed, relieved to see her hero. She immediately ran over and hugged her, just as tightly as she did the first time they met. "I'm so glad you're here!!! I've missed you so much!"

Trixie comfortingly hugged her best fan in return, reassuringly caressing her mane. "It's okay... I'm here now... I've missed you, too..."

Just as Trixie expected, there wasn't enough for all of the griffons to go, but fortunately the ones left behind were very few. Between everyone, there would be only ten of them staying there in total.  

As much as she wanted to keep spending time with her, she knew she'd have to send Hope away.

"No, please, don't!" The filly begged her. "I don't want to be without you!"

It broke the unicorn's heart to see the filly so distraught. It must have been so painful for her; first, to lose her parents and everything she knew, now to see to her hero again for only a glimpse before she disappeared.

She hated the idea, but Trixie knew that Hope would be safe this way. She couldn't conceivably stay here, not with the dragons coming to terrorize her and everyone else there every week. It wasn't up to her -- she was morally obligated to send the filly somewhere safer.

She hated how all of this could have been avoided if she simply stayed in Jennet, like Hope asked her to. If she couldn't save the whole village or keep them from dying... At least she would get to be with them, and there would be a chance that she could protect Hope and her parents.

And yet...

The look on Hope's face was too familiar to ignore. Trixie herself had worn it so many times, during the countless hours throughout her life that she remained stuck in such deep despair.

She couldn't just send Hope away. Not when Trixie was all she had left of Jennet -- and Hope was all that she had left of Jennet, too.

So, the showmare decided her fan could stay. She pulled her into a tight hug.

"I won't leave you alone again."

Trixie finished unpacking her things in her new hut. It was rather large, or at least large enough to house her, Gilda, Gustave, and Hope. They even had their own rooms built into it with curtains separating them, however small; Gilda had built Trixie's into it when she got the idea of bringing her here. Now that she was settled in, her griffon friend showed her around the rest of the camp, introducing her to the other survivors that would be staying behind with them.

"That's Renard," Gilda said, pointing to a middle-aged griffon almost entirely swathed in bandages. "He's a doctor who got burnt pretty bad in one of the dragon attacks. It's sort of impaired his ability to take care of the rest of us -- not that he doesn't try his best -- and he keeps beating himself up about it. Pretty quiet, too. I don't know why, but whenever he has to change his bandages, he won't let anyone help him with certain body parts. Said it's too disgusting or infected or something like that. He has a wife and kid that he sent off somewhere safe just before the dragons got his town, and he just wants to find them again. That, and make up for lost time, since their relationship wasn't... Perfect, before..."

She then turned Trixie's attention to a young griffon in his early twenties, who was entirely bald, completely free of feathers and fur, clad in striped, black and white clothes. "That's Tristan. He's missing his fur and feathers because some bullies back at his home waxed them all off before the dragons attacked... Talk about crappy luck, right? Anyways, he seems nice enough, but he's really nervous a lot, and I mean all the time, even on the rare occasion that there's some peace and quiet... Not too sure why."

Gilda pointed out an exceptionally thin female griffon around Tristan's age who was talking to him. "That's Perla. She's a comedienne, and, um, a clown, I guess... Aren't they the same thing? I guess not, but, whatever. The point is... She's pretty talented. This chick does all kinds of things -- fire eating, sword swallowing, contortion, it's just insane. She's been pretty interested in talking to Tristan quite a lot lately... I think she suspects he used to want to be a mime or something like that, which explains his getup. Maybe she wants them to work together if -- I-I mean, when they get out of here."

Soon, Hope approached Trixie once more, this time with a young female griffon around her own age. "Hi, Trixie," she said, "this is Fiona. She's a friend I made after I started staying here. She lost her parents in the dragon attacks, too."

Trixie frowned. "I'm so sorry that happened, Fiona."

The young griffon scowled. "You shouldn't be. I'm glad they're dead."

The showmare was taken aback, not expecting that reaction.

Off in the distance, a male elderly griffon missing his wings appeared to be struggling with carrying some firewood. He groaned in strain, finally giving up. "Girls, would you please come over here and help me with something real quick?"

"Yes, sir, Roul!" Hope and Fiona answered in unison, quickly running to him.

"That's Roul -- well, obviously," Gilda explained. "He's this guitarist and actor who was one of the best impersonators of Cyrano, someone who did the same things and was pretty damn famous for it. Of course, Cyrano was, like, twenty years older than him, and he's dead now, but he still does things like that, or, did, before all of this happened. He's been pretty down over losing his wings, and he's tried to make up for it by helping out as much as he can and improving the rest of his body to compensate. I'll admit, he's in pretty damn good shape for his age, but Renard keeps warning him not to push himself too hard... Old age, heart problems, stuff like that."

Trixie felt chills. "How did he lose his wings?"

Gilda sighed. "Before Jennet got destroyed, well... We were all here, and the dragons thought it would be funny to try to pick on Fiona one week. Roul stood up to them... And the leader held him down so he could eat his wings, down to the bone. He would've died of blood loss if Renard hadn't burned the wounds shut right after it happened. He still gets phantom sensations sometimes, like his wings are still there, when they're not and will never come back... It's... Pretty sad..."

Suddenly, Gustave called Gilda back into the hut to help him prepare a meal. Soon, Hope returned to Trixie by herself.

"I meant to tell you more about Fiona earlier, but I forgot," Hope explained. "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Hope..."

Hope grimaced. "Everyone here has been really unhappy... I don't blame them, but... I just haven't been around anyone who's really been able to help me feel... I don't know... Just, to forget everything that's going on... Gilda and Gustave have been really nice to me, but, I missed being around someone I knew a lot better... Like you, or my parents..."

"... Well, what about Lucy?..."

"Oh, her? I still have her here, but, I haven't played with her any more or drawn any pictures of her or anything... I just didn't feel like it, I guess... Not since her last adventure..."

"... What happened in there?..."

"... Well... Lucy and her friends found out about this mirror that would lead them into another world... It was actually older than their own world -- the first world ever, really... And, the people who lived there saw all these bad things going on that made everyone unhappy, and they wanted to stop it... So, they made this thing where they could put all the bad things in so that they'd be gone, and then they got to live well and be happy all the time... But, they didn't know that when they put all the bad things away, they got sucked into another world... Lucy's world, by accident," Hope explained.

"Lucy got really upset when she found out, because she was tired of having to stop all these bad things from happening without ever getting to rest, and she thought that it was just the way her world was, but it wasn't supposed to be that way. She and her friends found out that they were actually supposed to be born in the better world, but they got sent to the one they were in by mistake, just like all the bad things. So, they tried to figure out where they could find the mirror, and how they could use it to get back to the other world. The right world. But, they had a lot of trouble doing it, even when they tried really hard and spent a long time on it," Hope continued.

"So, they all got ready to go on this really long journey to try to do that, but then Lucy got really sick, from being tired of stopping bad things all the time. So sick that she couldn't really go anywhere, and had to rest all the time. So while they tried to keep figuring out how to get to the other world, they stayed by her and waited for her, because she fell asleep for a really, really long time. And they used this magic to make presents for her every year, presents made out of wishes for things they thought they could do when they made it over to the other world and grew up, that they'd leave inside of her for her to find when she woke up. Things like wanting to have your own house, or get married and have kids, or work at a job you really liked, or do whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted, because everyone else could do the same, and were always nice to each other...

"... Only, after so many years, they got tired of waiting for Lucy because it was making them so sad. They finally found their way to the other side of the mirror, and thought she might not ever wake up, so they decided to go without her. All those years she was asleep, Lucy dreamed of being there in the other world with them, having the perfect, happy life. Then, she finally woke up a long time after they were all already gone, but she felt all the presents representing wishes inside her, so she opened herself up and started to go through them. Only, they made her really sad, because she realized that not only would she never be able to get any of these things she wanted, but they were never even worth having in the first place. So, she went back to sleep, because dreaming about the other world was easier and more comfortable than actually trying to go there, and she never woke up again..."

Trixie was heartbroken. She recognized this as the filly's way of coming to terms with accepting this horrible quality of life she'd come to know and endure in the survivor camp. The showmare wished she would have arrived so much sooner, to comfort her fan before she succumbed to such sorrowful pessimism. What could she do to help alleviate this?

Just when it seemed like there was nothing she'd be able to do, the unicorn got an idea. She quickly rummaged through her belongings nearby, and found what she was looking for. The doll she had from her fillyhood.

"This is Special," Trixie said, introducing her to Hope. "I've had her ever since before I was your age, Hope. She's been one of my closest friends for a very long time, and I've told her all about you, and how happy you make me feel. She's been really excited to meet you, and wants to be friends with you and Lucy, the way you've always been my friend. I've tried so hard to take good care of her for all these years... Now, I'd like you to take care of her." She gave the doll to her.

Hope held Special close to her, touched that her hero would entrust her with something so nostalgic and dear to her. "Thank you, Trixie..."

Next, Trixie met Adia, the founder and leader of the survivor camp. She was the griffon responsible for rescuing survivors from other dragon attacks and organizing food rations and tasks divided amongst the survivors. Adia looked to be in her early thirties, and notably sported tribal garb. Now that she had met everyone else staying there, Trixie was asked to help Adia find some healing herbs in the forest to help Renard.

"For some reason, they're the only things that'll help with some of his injuries," Adia explained. "Even the medical supplies you brought with you to help us didn't have this specific remedy."

Trixie felt disappointed. "I'm sorry..."

"There's no need to apologize," Adia answered. "You couldn't have known. Everything else that you brought with you will be fantastic help. Renard's really grateful."

"I'm glad to hear it..." Trixie murmured. After pondering it for a moment, she commented, "It's really admirable, how you've held up so strongly after everything that's happened. I mean, the dragons killed your entire family... Your entire tribe... I'd hope that the survivors appreciate everything you do for them. Fortunately, they seem to."

"I've lost much, yes. But, I pity the others back at the camp. My life was actually pretty good before the dragons took it from me. With those other griffons, it seems like they've traded one hell for another."

The unicorn nodded somberly. "... Didn't you say you were the sin-eater of your tribe?"

"Yes, I was."

"I remember hearing so many years ago that they used to consider depression a sin, but now they don't anymore... I'm just curious, why is that?"

"Well, many centuries ago, sorrow was looked upon as allowing in demonic spirits to soil one's viewpoint of the world they lived in. Later on, our tribes eventually realized that it's an inherent part of living that cannot be helped, so they repealed it as a sin. Life is suffering. To exist is to hurt."

While it was painful to hear, Trixie couldn't argue with it. It was something she suspected for many years, but never really put into those specific terms before.

"Oh, before I forget," Adia added, stopping to turn to Trixie. "I want to apologize in advance if I'm... Rude. While, like Gilda, I've mostly had bad experiences around ponies due to their biases, we're not bigots. It's simply that, ever since I've started this whole thing, I've come to learn to be suspicious of everyone until I know for sure I can trust them. So, please don't take it personally if I'm... Curt, at times. It's nothing against you, it's just me trying to look out for my camp's best interests."

"I can understand that, and I respect that."

After they had dinner that night, Trixie, Hope, Gilda and Gustave were getting ready to go to bed in their respective rooms in their hut.

Hope hugged Trixie again. "I know I said it before, but... It means a lot to me that you're here... I just wish things were still the way they were before."

Trixie frowned, comfortingly holding her in return. "I know... Me too..."

Hope pulled away, sniffling, and Trixie wiped a tear from her eye. She tried to think of a way to brighten the filly's mood, and suddenly got an idea. Within moments, she conjured a bouquet of Jennet Orchids, giving them to Hope.

The filly gasped, smiling in delight upon seeing the flowers for the first time in months. She hugged them close to her, breathing in their refreshing scent. "I thought I'd never see these again... I thought they were gone forever..."

Trixie felt a pang in her heart, realizing they actually were gone forever. They never grew anywhere else except for in Jennet. All that would ever remain of them now was the memory that Trixie could only temporarily create.

"I can only make them last for a little while at a time... But, at least they'll stay fresh, and won't die..."

With that, Hope lowered the flowers, unintentionally reminded of her parents.

Trixie realized her mistake, lowering her ears. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to --"

"It's okay... I know..." Hope murmured sadly. "I'm just... Going to go to bed... I need to be alone..." With that, she retreated to her room.

Trixie wanted to reach out to her, to try to fix it, but she knew that the filly needed her solitude for now. The showmare went to her own bed, unable to sleep, kept awake all night by the haunting ache that she had accidentally hurt Hope's feelings.

The next morning, the sun was slow to rise. It was there just enough to illuminate the world around the survivor camp, but the sky was still dark. Trixie remained awake, surprised to find that she didn't feel tired or fatigued at all, yet was starting to slightly experience some of the nausea Gilda told her the others were suffering for some time. Remembering that Adia had asked her to go scavenge for fruits in the forest, she decided to do just that, asking Hope to go with her, who accepted.

At first, there was an awkward silence between the two as they walked through the forest.

"I know I said it before, but... I'm still sorry about what happened last night."

"It's okay..."

Trixie looked to her fan out of concern. "Are you... Starting to feel better?..."

The filly nodded. "A little... Yeah..."

As they continued, with the unicorn levitating fruits off of the trees and into her saddlebags, the silence pervaded.

Finally, Hope looked at Trixie. "Do you think you could --?" before she could finish her sentence, she stopped herself, looking away. "Never mind..."

"What?"

"Don't worry about it... It's stupid..."

The showmare suddenly realized what she meant. She didn't need to read Hope's mind. A moment later, she gently levitated Hope into the air, and put her on her back, letting her ride there the way her parents had let her to do them.

Hope hugged Trixie's neck gently. "Thank you..."

The unicorn felt a slight sense of relief at the filly's comfort, continuing about her business, careful not to let any of the fruit bump into Hope as she filled the pockets of her saddlebags.

After another uncomfortable silence, Trixie tried to probe further. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"About what happened."

Again, Hope was quiet. Trixie frowned, lowering her ears. She worried that every time she tried to help, she simply made things worse.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. Just... Sometimes, it helps you deal with bad things if you talk about them."

Hope took a deep breath, then released a shaky sigh, already feeling tears coming back at the memories. "I... I guess I could try..."

Trixie stopped, waiting patiently.

Already, Hope was starting to sniffle. "... The night that the dragons attacked Jennet... My parents and I had just finished eating dinner... We... We were talking about you, and how excited we were about the next time you were going to come... Then, we saw fires out the window, and heard screaming outside... The shadows of these giant dragons were all over the ground, flying above us... We all got really scared...

"So, then, my Mom took me to the basement, and put me inside... She told me not to come out until she and my Dad came to get me, or until everything went completely quiet for a long time... I begged her not to leave me alone, but she wanted to try to go help, and wanted me to be safe... She gave me Lucy, but... I really wanted to be with her and Dad... I tried to get out, but my Mom's magic locked every exit there was, so I'd stay safe in there... It didn't go away until... Until everything was quiet for what felt like forever...

"When I finally could get out, I saw... Most of the house was destroyed... I got out of the wreckage, and there were bloody dead bodies everywhere, burnt and sliced open and eaten... All the houses and all the buildings were destroyed, burnt down or crushed to pieces. Everything was gone... I tried looking to see if anypony else was alive, but there was nopony... I saw all my neighbors, all my teachers, even all my bullies were dead... I saw the bodies of all my friends in the Wishmaker Club, and even my cat, Remiel... And then... And then..."

Hope squinted her eyes shut, starting to break down crying. "I-I-I saw my parents... M-my Dad -- was holding m-my Mom -- trying to keep her safe, so her magic would keep the basement locked... I-I could see they dragged trails of blood behind them, and the reflection of our house in their eyes... They were trying to crawl home so they could make sure I was okay and be with me before they died, but they never made it... I-I was so alone... I just laid down and cried forever..."

The filly sniffled, shaking her head. "I was just going to stay there and wait for me to go with all of them... B-but then, Adia found me... Gilda and Gustave were with her... They took me back here, and... I've been here ever since..." She hugged Trixie harder, bawling into her mane, dampening it with her tears.

Trixie tried her best not to cry as hard. She gently levitated Hope off of her back and hugged her, allowing her to continue crying against her. When Hope was finished, she sniffled, wiping her eyes, and Trixie put Hope back onto her back.

"Thank you..."

"It's okay..." Trixie murmured. "... I lost my parents, too... The wrong way, like yours..."

Hope blinked out the remaining tears blurring her vision, then perked in surprise. "... You did?"

The showmare nodded. "Yes..." She took a deep breath, preparing herself to share more with Hope, the way she had just done for her. "... My Mom died when I was born... There was something wrong with what happened when she was giving birth to me, and, it killed her... My Dad was working at a silver mine the whole time he raised me, and because he was so old, and working so hard, his body wasn't holding up very well... And his heart... Was hurting a lot from missing my Mom... He did his best to raise my sister and I well... He didn't want us to end up like him... He gave everything to make sure that wouldn't happen..."

She sighed. "There was this one time where... I was trying to help him at his job, trying to break down rocks with a sledgehammer, like he did... I was too young to be strong enough to do it with my hooves, so, instead, I tried to do it with my magic... I got overwhelmed, and passed out, and this cart was going to hit me... My Dad jumped in the way, and got hurt really bad by it... The doctors said that his heart was getting worse, and his whole body wasn't going to be holding up that great, even if he could work again...

"It got so bad that he was hurting all the time, every day... It only got worse the longer it went on... A-and, finally, he couldn't take it any more... He was hurting too much, and he knew he wasn't going to last very much longer either way... So... He wanted me to use this spell to kill him, so that he wouldn't be hurting any more... I begged him not to leave me alone, and he told me he didn't want to, but he just couldn't stay... So... I did it..."

Hope hugged Trixie again, empathizing with her. "I'm sorry..."

Trixie resumed walking, and moments later, the two ponies were startled by a beautiful sight. Phoenixes were finally awakening, starting to soar through the air, lighting up the dark sky with their marvelous fiery radiance. The two stopped and stared in awe.

"... They're so beautiful..." Hope murmured, taken aback. "... What are they?..."

"They're phoenixes," Trixie answered. "They're naturally on fire, all the time, and it doesn't hurt them... They always come back to life after they die, but only if they've hatched, first... Leaving behind everything before, and starting anew again..."

Once again, Hope was reminded of what happened with Jennet. She looked away sadly.

Trixie perked in alarm. "... I know things are bad right now, Hope, but... I promise, I'm going to make things right with you... Remember how you were sad about not having your cutie mark, and you thought you might not ever get it, but then you did?... There was a time after my parents died, after I started performing, even, where I was disappointed with my shows, and thought I'd never really do any good for anyone with them... But, you proved me wrong... Now, both of us are in a situation where it looks like things will never get better, but, we have to keep looking for that chance... When I was ready to give up, you were my phoenix... Maybe I can be yours, too..."

Hope started to feel reassured. After pondering for a moment, she asked, "Have you ever been to the carnival in Hoofington?"

"No, I haven't. I've done a show in Hoofington before, though, and I saw it off in the distance... It looked very nice..." Trixie answered. "Why?"

"That's where my parents met," Hope explained. "They told me all about it... How they first saw each other as teenagers there... They spent the whole day there together, playing all the fun games and winning these cool prizes, eating these awesome sweets like cotton candy and pink popcorn... Riding all these cool things like roller coasters and the ferris wheel and the tilt-a-whirl... And... Sitting there watching fireworks..." She sighed, feeling nostalgic. "They told me they'd take me there for my birthday one year, when they could afford enough for all of us to go, but... We never got the chance... It's too bad, because it sounded so nice, and I always wanted to go..."

Trixie stopped. She slowly and gently levitated Hope in front of her again, then hugged her, stroking her mane. "I promise you, when all of this is over, I'll take you to the carnival in Hoofington. Both of us can go there for the first time, together. After that, we'll continue my traveling show and work together on it."

Hope beamed, smiling. "You're still okay with all that?"

"Of course! You're still my number one assistant, remember?" She held Hope's forehooves in hers, gazing into her eyes. "We'll help all of Equestria get good at what they love to do, and make their dreams come true. Just the two of us; Trixie and Hope, now and forever." Next Chapter: 6. Daughters Of Jennet Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 39 Minutes