"Is it okay if I talk to you about something in private?"

"Sure, Gilda."

Trixie followed her friend away from all the huts, out of earshot, waiting until they knew they were completely alone together to stop. The unicorn started to worry when she noticed that the further away they went from the camp, the more somber Gilda seemed. The griffon looked depressed when they finally stopped.

Trixie winced unsurely. "... What is it?..."

Gilda started pacing back and forth, holding her face in her talons, clearly fraught with some form of distress that had been constantly haunting her; she never let it show until now.

"This is all my fault, Trixie. Everything, all of it. The dragons, the settlement, the whole situation we're in. I messed up, really, really bad, and now karma's come back to repay me for it."

The unicorn was baffled. "What're you talking about? There's no way you could've been responsible for all of this! You didn't make those dragons attack those cities! We just happened to have really bad luck!"

Gilda sighed, squinting her eyes closed, rubbing her forehead as she tried to think of how to explain herself. "... Do you remember when we started doing shows together?"

"Of course..."

"... Well... Did it ever occur to you that maybe things at that time had seemed a little too easy? That you were getting famous very fast, without many problems?..."

The showmare blinked, taken aback. "... Well, a few times, actually... But I never really thought anything of it..."

The griffon looked away out of shame. "That's because I was... Doing some really bad things, trying to make something really good happen..." She rapidly shook her head, her voice staring to quiver as tears filled her eyelids. "You were so unhappy for such a long time, Trixie, and everything that happened to you before then was so unfair... I figured if anyone deserved to have their dreams come true no matter what the cost, it was you..." Gilda paused. "So, I cut a deal with this gang -- as in, like a criminal gang... I... Did some things for them, in exchange for helping you out, discreetly..."

Trixie's eyes widened as she felt herself turn pale. She was shocked into speechlessness.

"I never killed anyone, or ruined anyone's lives beyond repair, or anything like that... In fact, at first, I tried to refuse doing anything to anyone who didn't deserve it somehow, but the longer it went on, the further they forced me to blur the lines... I'd do some racketeering thing, just like these dragons tormenting us do, or commit burglaries or assaults, and in return, they'd bribe the right person to get you into some good deal for a show, or sabotage your competition so you could take their place... That's why I was always gone so long at such strange times, and I kept feeding you all those lame, pathetic excuses," Gilda explained.

"That 'accident' with the Flim Flam Brothers, where their horns were broken off at the halfway point?... I did that. In fact, they never even crashed at all. Some crooks and I beat the crap out of them and broke a ton of their stuff and simply made it look like they crashed, and we intimidated them into running with our story... I felt horrible for it... In doing all this, I only proved everyone who hates me right... I really am just a dirty sharpclaw..."

"Don't say that!" Trixie exclaimed, immediately hugging her friend, driven to tears herself. "You... You were trying to do something good, and you wanted to so bad that it led you to do something you didn't want to, didn't mean to... I can understand..."

"It's not right, Trixie," Gilda lamented. "I don't know how you can stand to look at me... In trying to help you, I've only soiled the meaning of your career with these dark secrets... I already hid Jennet's destruction from you way longer than I should have... I just keep hurting you..."

"I've made mistakes, too, Gilda! But you've still accepted me and cared about me in spite of them! You're still my oldest friend, and it's going to stay that way!"

Gilda sniffled. "... I'm so amazed you still think so highly of me, after all I've done to hurt you..."

"It's like I said before, Gilda... There's nothing you could say or do that would ever change that I'd only have fond thoughts of you..."

Gilda hugged Trixie back.

"Oh, Soft Hide! It's time for you to get us some gems again!" Garble laughed.

Trixie scowled. "Just leave everyone else alone, and I will," she insisted.

The dragon frowned, clearly irritated. "Sure we will, as long as none of them need our help," he said slowly. His eyes then fell upon Hope, seeing her new hat and cape, and he gasped. "Why, look at this poor filly here! She's trapped in some awful outfit! The brim of that hat is so wide she probably can't see where she's going at all, and she could trip and fall on that cape! And the Noble Dragon Code obligates us to make sure that doesn't happen, doesn't it?"

Before he even started talking, Hope was incredibly nervous. The more he spoke, the more scared she became, until she finally cried out "No!" and tried to run off. Before she could, however, Pain and Smokey once again intercepted her. This time, Smokey promptly pulled off her hat and cape, stuffing the cape inside the hat and tossing it to Pain.

"Give that back!" Hope complained, trying to reach it, but the two dragons threw it back and forth between one another.

Trixie was about to levitate them back into Hope's grasp, but before she could, Smokey burnt them to smithereens with his flaming breath.

Hope fell to her forelegs, crying.

"Okay, that's enough!" Gilda shouted, pushing her way through the scared griffons amongst them and pointing an accusatory talon at Garble. "You've had your fun, you've tormented this innocent filly long enough! You even did it when that's exactly what you promised Trixie you wouldn't do in order for you to help you! If you say you're going to do what's fair, actually be fair, damn it!"

Garble laughed, tossing his head back, wiping a tear from his eyelid from laughing so hard. "Wow, boys, look at this! Bird brain's getting all fired up over what we've been doing to Soft Hide Junior!" His amusement quickly turned into a scary, seething anger. "We can't have her be unappreciative of us following the Noble Dragon Code, can we?" He snapped his claws again.

Following his cue, Smokey picked up Hope and held her in his claws, managing to keep her from breaking free as she squirmed, struggled and protested.

Trixie gasped. "Please, stop!"

Pain and Blaze grabbed Gilda together, requiring effort from more than one dragon to keep her held down.

Garble leered at Trixie. "Now, Soft Hide, your two namby pamby friends have been very bad and hurt the feelings of the boys and I. And to show us they're sorry, one of them is going to have to pay for it. You'd better thank me for being so merciful, because I'm going to let you pick which one it is."

The showmare's jaw dropped. She looked between Gilda and Hope, unable to fathom hurting either of them; while she tried to figure out how she could possibly get them out of this situation, her mind raced, worried that her indecision, or even decision, would make either of them think she didn't care about them as much as she really did.

Finally, she got an idea. "Why not hurt me, Garble? Let me take their place." It was almost hard to hide a smirk; with the magic defenses subconsciously conjured by her survival instinct, it could repel their attacks, maybe even fend them off enough by itself to make the dragons start to leave them alone.

Garble paused for a moment, seeming to sincerely consider the idea, but he relented. "That's very noble of you, Soft Hide, but I'm afraid you weren't the offending party, so you get to sit this one out. Besides, how else would we get gems so easily without you? There's no other unicorns in this loser camp. We need you good and healthy to help us," he explained.

His fellow dragons grunted in agreement.

Trixie lowered her ears, feeling defeated. 'Damn... It was worth a try...'

Gilda gave up struggling, and frowned. She took a deep breath, and then shouted, "Pick me, Trixie!"

The showmare looked to her, her heart sinking at the idea of letting her oldest friend get hurt.

"You know what I've done to you! You know what needs to happen! Let it be me!"

The unicorn squinted her eyes shut, tears squeezing out her eyelids. She released a shaking sigh, and then pointed her hoof at Gilda reluctantly.

Garble flashed a toothy, fanged grin that stretched across his face. "There we go! Looks like we have a volunteer!" He laughed, clapping as he started to approach Blaze and Pain. "I think we should give her just a little sample of what good ol' Roul went through... Again, just a bit, because I'm in a merciful mood today..."

Trixie felt horrified. "Please, no! Please don't take her wings!"

The dragon stopped, suddenly getting an idea. "... You know what? All right. We won't break her wings. You're going to."

Blaze and Pain promptly dragged Gilda over to Trixie, holding the griffon with her back turned to the unicorn, giving her clear access to her wings.

The showmare looked at Garble again. "Please don't make me do this..."

"You've got no choice, Soft Hide! You're obligated to help us fulfill our Code! And don't try any of that illusion crap, either! If we come back here next week, and her wings aren't broken, it's going to get worse!"

Trixie squinted her eyes shut.

"And Soft Hide?"

She looked at him again.

"Make it slow," Garble demanded, smiling sadistically.

Trixie returned her attention to Gilda, who looked back at her. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"Just do it," Gilda insisted. She spread her wings out so that Trixie could have the most access to them.

Already, she could feel a nosebleed and headache coming on, and she hadn't even started yet. The showmare struggled to get a hold of her magic, not wanting to keep Garble waiting. Finally, she got her levitation spell to start working, using it to grab Gilda's wings by the tips. She started to snap the bones beneath, slowly, from top to bottom, causing the griffon to scream out at the top of her lungs in excruciating agony. Tears slid down Trixie's face as she winced, feeling just as physically hurt by her magical strain as she was emotionally by what she was being forced to do.

The horrible ordeal gradually made it's way further down Gilda's now mangled appendages, with the unicorn fighting to maintain consciousness as she got closer to blacking out. After what seemed like an eternity of sickening crunches and bloodcurdling shrieks, Trixie had finally broken Gilda's wings all the way down to their foundation. She ceased her magic, barely remaining awake, and the two dragons dropped the griffon, letting her fall face first onto the ground. Gilda sobbed at the unbearable pain and mourning the loss of her ability to fly, while the showmare tenderly rubbed her gargantuan headache, racked with guilt.

Garble applauded, more than pleased with the results. "Well done, Soft Hide! Now, hurry, hurry! We don't want to wait any longer to get us noble dragons our well-deserved gems, do we? Move it!"

"Are you okay?" The unicorn briskly whispered to Gilda.

Gilda fought through her tears to reply; her voice was shaky, and her throat was sore from so much screaming. "Y-yeah... I-I'll be f-fine..." Struggling through the pain, she managed to smile; in some twisted manner, she felt relieved. "N-now were e-even..." she finished, feeling she paid her moral debt to Trixie.

Gustave immediately ran to Gilda's aid, and Trixie quickly fled to Hope.

"Hope, listen to me -- it's going to be okay," she whispered, trying to console the sobbing filly. "We're going to make it out of this -- don't let them kill your dreams -- you're stronger than all of this, I promise," she added, hugging her.

"Come on, Soft Hide, let's go!" Garble grabbed Trixie by the mane, dragging her away and forcing her to let Hope go.

It had been an hour since Trixie started searching for gems. Fortunately, like before, there were many hidden around. She didn't want to think of what could possibly happen when -- if -- there weren't any more for her to find.

Suddenly, she was pelted in the back of a head with a rock.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, rubbing where she was hit. She leered at the dragons behind her, who laughed.

Garble gave Pain a high five. "Nice going, Pain!" He then looked back to Trixie. "But seriously, Soft Hide, you did some good work on that unruly griffon. I almost thought you didn't have it in you."

"Go to Tartarus," Trixie snarled.

Garble recoiled in surprise, and the other dragons let out an impressed "ooooh" at the unicorn's stand against him.

"You're just going to let her get away with that?" Blaze whispered to him while Pain and Smokey chuckled.

At first, their leader seemed like he might have an outburst at the young mare's audacity to defy him, but he apparently kept his cool. He suddenly swooped over and grabbed Trixie by the tail, causing her to yelp in alarm as he threw her onto the ground before the dragons. They formed a circle around her, enclosing her within.

"Why, look at this poor, unhappy pony!" Garble chimed in mock concern once more. "The Noble Dragon Code obligates me to make her happy... And maybe she can make me happy, too," he whispered maliciously.

The other dragons laughed again.

"Naw, man, that's nasty!" Smokey guffawed. "You're not seriously going to hit that pony flank, are you?"

Trixie was chilled with fear, trying to back away, as Garble stroked his chin in thought. "It has been a long time since I've been with a female... All those griffons at that loser camp are way too ugly, and I'm sure that Hope wouldn't fit even if I tried," he remarked, causing the dragons to laugh and the unicorn to boil with anger.

"I can't believe he's going to do it!" Blaze snickered.

"You think it'll feel any better just because she's famous?" Pain remarked.

"Maybe... Just think of how funny it'd be..." Garble pondered.

"What do you mean?" Smokey asked.

"When all those paparazzi and journalists spend months quizzing her on her baby, only to be surprised when it comes out all gross and scaly," he elaborated.

Trixie winced in disgust, shielding herself with her hooves.

Blaze giggled eagerly. "I bet she'll squirm and squeal, like that last griffon from the other place!"

"Mmm, she wasn't able to handle tough love," Garble retorted.

He grabbed the unicorn by the jaw, lifting her into the air with his raw strength. "Come on, Soft Hide... Even you should know, sometimes what you need the most is what you want the least..." He slowly closed in for a kiss.

The unicorn's eyes widened in fear. 'Oh, Luna, please, no -- is he seriously going to do this?!? Leave me alone!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!'

Suddenly, he lunged forward, his jaws clamping down like a steel trap. Trixie leaned out of the way just in time, narrowly avoiding having her muzzle bitten off as she fell to the ground. The dragons laughed again.

Garble fought to catch his breath, then looked at Trixie as if she were overreacting. "Oh, come on, Soft Hide! Relax, I was only joking! I wouldn't mate with your worthless race if you were the last females alive!"

As they turned away to walk around and laugh amongst themselves over what transpired, the showmare's fear twisted back into searing rage. She immediately tried to cast the life extinguishing spell, but in her unbridled fury, she could not get her magic to work, instead greeted only with a massive headache.

'DAMN IT!!!'

After Renard was finished tending to her wings for the time being, Gilda sat on a rock slightly outside of the survivor camp, waiting for Trixie to return. She hid her face in her talons, sobbing, the agonizing pain coursing through her both physical and emotional.

"Gilda?"

The griffon jumped, started by the voice. She quickly wiped her eyes and face, sniffling, and then turned only to see Fiona sadly looking at her.

"Do you need a hug?"

Gilda paused, then closed her eyes, nodding slowly.

Fiona walked over, and they mutually embraced. She squinted her eyes shut, empathizing all too well with Gilda's misery.

After she returned from finding more gems, thankfully unharmed (at least physically), Trixie immediately retreated to her shared hut, finding Hope. Gustave had been keeping her company, and he left as soon as the showmare came in, realizing the filly wanted to be with her again.

Hope's cheeks were damp from crying so much, for so long, so recently. The most intense parts of her current sorrows were all cried out, but the remaining sting of haplessness lingered on her face.

Everything that had been happening to her since she lost her home didn't make any sense to her. Before Trixie found her again, she wasn't sure how she would get through every day; even still, their turmoil made her ponder things that her former optimistic idealism clashed with.

"Trixie... Are all dragons bad?"

The showmare paused. She wanted to say "no" right away, but she didn't, and the fact that she even hesitated to answer made her feel horrible. After taking a moment to mull it over, she told Hope her honest thoughts.

"... I don't know, Hope. I don't think so. A lot of ponies assume that Lunar loyalists and griffons are bad, but, we know better. So, I'm sure that somewhere, there's probably good dragons."

"...Do you think they would do anything to help us if they knew what was going on?..."

"... Yes..."

Hope seemed relieved by this answer. "Okay..." Slowly, her expression turned into one of lament and remorse. "I'm sorry..."

Trixie blinked, confused. "What're you sorry for? You haven't done anything wrong."

"You trusted me to take care of your hat and cape, and I didn't..."

"That wasn't your fault, Hope," the unicorn insisted. "Those dragons are just cruel..." After she hesitated for a few moments, the showmare retrieved her remaining hat and cape, the ones that were meant for her size as a mare. She levitated them into Hope's grasp, surprising her. "Here, you can have these now," she said.

Hope hugged them close to her, then froze, bewildered. "B-but... They're yours! You use these for when you perform! I can't take these!"

"Then you can just borrow them for when I'm not using them... We'll trade," Trixie explained, smiling warmly.

Hope started to caress the hat, frowning unsurely. "These are too special... Nothing can happen to them..." She squinted her eyes shut, loathing the very thought of the dragons destroying them.

Trixie grimaced, sharing her concerns. "You're right... Actually, I have an idea." she felt foolish that it didn't occur to her sooner, but hopefully, it would prevent more unpleasant incidents with Garble and his thugs, at least concerning Hope. "When Gilda and I were a lot younger, we needed to be... Secretive, about something we were doing... I used my magic to establish a conversation link between us. We could hear each other's thoughts, and no one else could. It's been so long since I've done it, I forgot all about that... Maybe we can start doing that, and practice what we'll do when the dragons come by, so they don't bother you again."

Hope cracked a relieved smile, nodding. "That would be nice..."

The showmare shared her relief. "Good. Then, let's get started..."

Ever since Fiona started to feel better, Trixie noticed that it gradually put the older griffons at ease, but not everything was sound just yet, and understandably so. But after spending so long amongst them all, she started to notice peculiar patterns with Tristan's behavior. The only one in the camp quieter than him was Renard, the doctor, and while all of them were still periodically suffering the mysterious nausea, the unfortunately bald young griffon seemed to be especially uncomfortable on a regular basis. She hoped to bring it up, but whenever he seemed to sense she'd approach him with the subject, he'd avoid her.

She hated to do it, especially now, but the only solution Trixie had left was to discreetly read his thoughts, just enough to figure out whatever it was that was causing his eccentric behavior. As soon as the unicorn finally found it, she was startled and heartbroken all at once. She took the next opportunity she could find to speak to Renard about it, which lead to the two of them bringing it up the next time every survivor was out of their huts, in each other's company.

"You have Morningstar disease?!?" Perla exclaimed, shocked.

"I-it's not contagious!!!" Tristan insisted. "I-I just didn't tell anyone because I didn't want them to worry about me... I was never that useful even when you all thought I was healthy, the least I could do is be less of a dead weight without that in the clear."

"I should have seen it sooner," Renard scolded himself, shaking his head. "It's bad enough I haven't been able to cure you all of this nausea we've been experiencing, and now I was too stupid to notice what this poor young man has been going through all this time."

Roul, the older griffon, patted Renard's back. "Don't beat yourself up too bad. You're doing the best you can with what you have. If it wasn't for you, I would have bled to death when Garble ate my wings. Besides, it's not like you're exactly healthy yourself."

Perla huffed, shaking with rage, storming off. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!!!" she yelled, retreating to her hut to be alone.

"You could have told us, Tristan," Adia lamented. "We're all in need here. No one gets left behind, no matter what they need."

Tristan sighed, lowering his head in shame. "I'm sorry I never told you... I'll go help out some more, now..."

"Hold it, Tristan!" Roul insisted. "You can't just let this keep festering any longer than you already have! You need to have the doctor check you out before you do anything else!" he added, gesturing to Renard.

Trixie looked off towards Perla's tent, mystified by her reaction to Tristan's state of health. She decided she would talk to the griffon about it, but she wanted to give her a chance to cool off, first.

"How are you doing, Hope?" Trixie asked, gently stroking the filly's mane.

She perked up, beaming at her. "I'm doing better... Thank you again for letting me use your hat and cape, Trixie..."

She smiled. "Don't worry about it, it's no problem. How are you and Lucy?"

"Oh, we're doing great! Lucy and Special are becoming really good friends, and Special helped her find out that those wish gifts she got are worth having and she can get them, after all! She proved it because she told Lucy all about how she helped make it so that you'd find me again!"

Trixie felt touched. "I'm very glad to hear that!"

Hope nodded eagerly. "Fiona and I are having a lot of fun together, too! She's going to make her own imaginary friend to start playing with Lucy and Special! She said her name's Irene, and she's a griffon! Fiona and Gilda are also making each other happy and spending a lot of time together, just like we do!"

"I just can't believe this happened," Gustave sighed, lamenting the fate of Gilda's wings. "And she told you about what happened with us... I'm... For a while, I found it hard to believe she actually felt bad for just leaving the way that she did," he laughed out of surprise. "It's all so odd... How she said she was jealous of you... I was jealous of you, too, once, and like her, I feel foolish for it... I was jealous when we were all traveling together. Even though I got to serve my food at your shows, our patrons were never so interested in the former as they were in the latter... I felt like my work was never going to get the recognition it required to achieve my goals, so, that's part of why we left. It wasn't fair of me to make Gilda come with me, to either of you... I was afraid I might not succeed without her help somehow, but you were truly happier together."

"I wish I knew so much sooner that she just wanted to do something to make griffons and ponies coexist better... That's what I've always wanted, too. I was... More fortunate than she was, as far as being judged, mostly because I spent most of my life somewhere more open-minded. But, where she's motivated by merely wanting to be treated as an equal, my father Arluin has always encouraged me to pursue the dream of harmony between our kinds. I always just wanted to make him proud. All of this silliness, all this miscommunication and unnecessary strife, all those times I unintentionally used her, taking too much and giving too little... I wish I could have a second chance to do it all over. She never deserved for any of that to happen to her, just like she never deserved to have her wings broken like that..."

Gustave squinted his eyes shut, hanging his head shamefully. "If only I stood up for her... If only I did something... I would have taken her place if I could have..."

"Gilda knows that you care," Trixie reassured him. "Maybe now, you two can finally put all of these things behind you. Maybe now, you can be as close as you used to be."

The next time she got the chance, Trixie sought out the contortionist griffon, Perla. She was morose, sitting alone in her hut, sniffling as she tried to hide that she had been crying for quite some time.

The showmare frowned, wanting to console her, but apprehensive of how she might react. "Hey... Perla?... It's me... Trixie..."

"I know," she answered shakily, her voice ambiguous as to whether she wanted the pony to leave or stay.

"... I couldn't help but notice that you were... Well, really upset when you found out about Tristan's health... Do you want to talk about it?..." Trixie winced, fearing an angry reaction.

Instead, Perla paused for a moment, then sighed. "I'm surprised it wasn't more obvious..." she murmured, forcing herself to get up from her seat and turn to face Trixie. "In the time that I've been here, I've gotten really... Close to Tristan... Or, at least, it's felt that way... I'd like to think he feels the same way about me, but, since he hid this from me for so long, I just don't know..."

The griffon shook her head, her face twisted in a bitter scowl. "Things were finally seeming to go all right for me right before the dragons ruined it all... I had it pretty hard right up until then, and that... That little piece of satisfaction I had between then and now was all too brief," she explained. "My parents were acrobats in the circus... They got in a really bad accident during a rehearsal shortly after my mother became pregnant with me, and they were injured too badly to continue on with their careers... They didn't want to become poor and homeless, and wanted to stay within the circus life, so my mother kept her stomach bound tightly during her whole pregnancy, hoping I would come out deformed so she could sell me to the circus as a freak."

Trixie recoiled in horrified disgust, and the griffon continued revealing her past. "To their disappointment, I was born looking completely normal. They were more desperate than ever, so not long after I learned to walk and talk, they put me into work in a sweat shop... All that child labor crap... I just wanted them to like me, to help them get back in the life they liked and enjoy it the way they did. So, I tried to get good at all kinds of things a circus would appreciate, discovering that I was a contortionist who could manipulate most of my body. My family's desperation became my own, and I kept raising the stakes, trying to be the best entertainer I could. I'd do anything, no matter how painful or humiliating it was. I even did geek shows... Chasing small, live prey around the ring and eating their heads just to give some sick spectators some easy laughs..."

Perla shuddered, ashamed of her former actions. "But, none of it was ever good enough. My parents didn't care. I did get to go into the circus and all, but... It was the bottom of the barrel. The most reprehensible, cheap, dishonest shows around. I got really depressed, and took to drinking... It screwed my crap up for a long time. Then, I decided I was tired of it. I was going to get cleaned up, sober up, and move up into the kind of show I deserved to be in after working so hard for so long. And right when that was about to happen... Well, you know the rest. Dragons. Boom."

The griffon shook her head, sighing sadly. "I never wanted to be in this camp at first... I was so ready to give up, and I thought it'd never be the same... The only reason I stuck around originally was the off chance that someday I might get into another place where I could drink myself to death. But then, I met Tristan... I don't even know how, but... In some way, he got me to open up, tell him about all this crazy junk that happened to me, and, and... We became pretty close friends, and the longer I knew him, the further I realized that I wanted us to become something more..."

She winced, trying to keep herself from crying. "He was always so kind, so understanding to me... He was able to empathize from having this father who always pressured him to overachieve, and was disappointed in him for not living up to his expectations... Tristan would never say it, at least not to me, but he always felt so worthless because of it, and I always wanted to prove him wrong, to show him he helped me look forward to the future again... I found out he used to want to be a mime, but he gave up on it, so I tried to convince him to take it up again, so maybe we could perform together someday... I was getting ready to ask him if he wanted to get closer to me, and then, I found out that he's dying... No matter what I do, no matter how much I suffer, it all just turns to crap..."

The unicorn took a moment to soak all this information in, still cautious about trying to comfort Perla. "... Maybe you can still tell him how you feel?... That way, at least he'll know... You have nothing to lose, right?..."

Perla hesitated, completely still and silent, then nodded in agreement. "... Yes, you're right... I'm not going to let all this go to waste... I... I was just really upset earlier, I wasn't clear headed... Dying or not, I'm going to make this right with him..."

Minutes later, the contortionist found Tristan. Unfortunately, she caught him where they were both in plain view of the rest of the survivors, but that wasn't going to deter her. She was going to confess her truest, deepest feelings to him, whatever it took. Cornering the mime with her neighbors onlooking, she poured her heart out, declaring her desire to become romantically involved with him.

Tristan was just as touched as he was bewildered. "But... I'm useless! I've been the least helpful out of anyone here, this whole time!"

"You've helped me feel better," Perla cooed insistently, softly stroking his face with her talons.

Tristan blushed, clearly not used to female attention, or at least believing that he wasn't worth it. "All my fur and feathers are gone... I'm hideous..."

"I think you look fine," the contortionist replied.

The mime's spirits sank, remembering his fate. "And I'm probably going to die very soon, in just a few years at most..."

Perla smiled, tears forming in her eyes as she cupped her talons on his cheek. "And I want to be with you anyways..."

His heart melted at that. Tristan had never felt so accepted, so desired, so loved. He embraced her in a tight hug, trying to contain the strong extent of his emotions. "O-okay..."

Each of the survivors witnessing this in spite of Tristan's inevitably early death found the scene deeply moving, but most of all, Trixie found it particularly inspiring.

'Even in the face of all this hellish madness, these two want to stay with each other to the very end... No matter how bad things have gotten, how bad things could or probably will get, they still found their companionship truly worth enduring it... Maybe Gilda was right about my choice. How could I have thought it would be bad for me to stay with Hope, when she's wanted me to be there for her more than anyone else? She makes me just as happy as I make her, if not more... That settles it, then. After this whole mess is said and done, not only will I take her to the Hoofington carnival as promised, but I will keep her with me after all, just like I told her.'

"Hello, again, Hope. It's good to see that you and Fiona are getting along so well and having fun together," Trixie observed approvingly, seeing the two youths drawing a picture together.

She inspected it closer, intrigued, finding that it was of an internal view of a three-story castle with a light blue outline. The top floor housed a sadistic-looking tyrant, the middle contained a bloodthirsty army, and the bottom held miserable slaves. In the bottom right corner, outside the castle, a desperate princess was pleading to Lucy, Special, and Irene. "What's this?"

Hope stopped drawing, turning to Trixie. "It's an enchanted, living castle, powered by feelings," she explained. "It used to be run by a princess who did everything she could to keep all of her subjects happy. They were peaceful. But, then, this angry, hurtful king stormed the castle and stole it from her, and the castle is hurting because he and his followers are poisoning it with bad feelings. So, the princess is pleading with Lucy, Irene, and Special to help, and Irene is training them all to become knights so they can drive out the king and his army, free and help his slaves, and give the castle back to the princess and her people."

Once again, the showmare was impressed with the filly's creativity. "Is the castle supposed to be... Me?..."

The filly perked. "Yes, it is!... Special told me about how you were feeling unhappy again, so we tried to find some way to help..."

While Trixie was moved by Hope's desire to help her, she felt bad that she ever even noticed that she was so distraught. She thought she was supposed to hide as much of her own strife as she could, to keep it from effecting Hope in any way. "Well, thank you very much, that means a lot to me... I can see you two are having a nice time, so I'll go ahead and let you keep playing..."

With that, the unicorn started to walk away, deciding that she would go check up on Gilda next.

Concerned, Hope turned to the young griffon beside her. "I'm going to go be with Trixie for a little bit, okay?"

"All right," Fiona replied.

The filly briskly got to her hooves, quickly galloping to catch up with Trixie before she got too far away. "Are you all right?"

"As long as I'm around you, I am," the showmare said. "I thought you wanted to keep drawing with Fiona?"

Hope shrugged. "Eh, I can always do that later... I really like spending time with you..."

Trixie smiled.

"Is it okay if I ask you something?"

"Of course, Hope."

"... There's something about your shows that always confused me... How come whenever you were on stage, you'd talk about yourself like you were someone else? Like, you'd say 'Trixie is here' instead of 'I am here'?"

The unicorn bowed her head. "... When he was still alive, something my father said he always liked about me was how I was honest about my capabilities. He was proud that I knew that just because I was able to do certain things didn't mean I was necessarily better than anyone else. But audiences like a performer who's really sure of themselves, so I tried to create a healthy balance between those by distancing myself from the role I had on stage. I'd make sure that I didn't let it get to my head. That's why I do that."

Hope frowned unsurely. "It's so strange... The way I've seen you act here... It's like you're always able to see the best in everyone else, and you do what you can to help them see it, too, and yet you never thought that much about yourself... It's sad, really... I'd like to think that someone who does things like that for everyone she meets would truly get to see how great she herself really is..."

Trixie blushed. "You're giving me too much credit, Hope... I'm not that great... There's so much more I could have done, but, I didn't, because I was so foolish that I didn't see it until it was too late, or I made other decisions... If I stayed with you in Jennet like you asked, maybe I could have helped, and things wouldn't have been as bad as they were, but, I wasn't even there when it happened..."

"You couldn't have known it was going to," Hope reassured her. "We didn't even know dragons were anywhere near our village before it happened..." She paused, trying to think of what else she could say to try to lift her hero's spirits. "... What if I told you there was a unicorn who was there for me whenever she could be? And she always helped me feel better, no matter what was going on? And she showed me that things can get better, no matter how bad they seem?"

Trixie smiled.

"What if I told you she did all of these things... And she wasn't you?"

The showmare became bewildered.

Hope continued; "Before you started doing your shows, I didn't think very much of myself, either... And yet, other ponies in Jennet, whether they were friends, family or strangers, would always tell me how I was a really nice and kind filly who always made them happy... I never believed them at first, but they kept saying it anyways... Then, I heard about you, and how you would find people who never believed in themselves before, and help them see everything good they had inside... I started to see what those ponies were talking about, and how you set such a wonderful example for all of Jennet..."

The filly looked away. "Every now and then, I'd fall back into thinking badly of myself, whenever I was disappointed with something I was trying to do, or when some of the other fillies and colts would bully me... But then, I'd remember about how you would help everypony else realize their potential, no matter who they were or how bad they believed themselves to be... So, I started to do this thing to remind myself of my own goodness, where I would pretend there was another pony who happened to be exactly like me... I'd treat her nicely, like how I try to treat everypony else, and then feel good about myself again when I realized that pony was just like me... I usually did it with my shadow, because everyone's shadow is like a lock that only they can open, because it's shaped exactly like them, like a keyhole..." Hope looked at Trixie again. "Maybe you might feel better about yourself if you tried it, too..."

The showmare blushed. "I thought I was the one who was supposed to be helping you... Why is my self-image so important to you?"

Hope hugged her. "Because you're my best friend, who's been there for me as long as I can remember, and gave me everything I have. You helped me make my life as good as it ever was, and it's only fair that I return the favor. You can understand that, right?"

Trixie felt a warmth of acceptance overcome her, and she hugged Hope back.

"You're stronger than all of this," Hope reassured her. "We're going to make it out of this together just fine, thanks to you."

The next time she got a moment to herself, Trixie decided to take Hope's advice. It had been such a long time since she was able to muster the magic necessary to temporarily personify her stage alter ego into another entity; something told her that trying it again for a therapeutic purpose, much like before her first time performing in Canterlot, would bear fruit.

This time, she picked a spot in the forest not too far off from the camp, a sunset soon approaching. The unicorn gazed at her own shadow on the ground, and sighed. Closing her eyes, she tried to maintain calm and focused, until a spell materialized and left her horn, causing her shadow to come alive as her separate persona, Trixie The Magician.

"It's been a while, old friend," the shadow kindly greeted her with a warm voice. "This is rather new. Every other time, you've reanimated me as a reflection, at least when you want to discuss matters off stage."

The unicorn nodded. "I'm sorry that we haven't had time to do any actual performances anywhere but here, but... Someday we're going to make it out of this, and get back to what we're used to doing. I think."

"But of course," the shadow replied, "you should know by now that nothing's been able to stop you; literally. As perilous as these parts might be, they will do you no permanent harm."

"It's not my safety I'm worried about," Trixie clarified with a sigh. "It's that of everyone else. Especially my closest friends. Gilda, Gustave... Hope... I want to make sure we all going to leave this place unharmed... Every day, the danger seems to grow, and the likelihood of that happening seems to grow dimmer and dimmer... The ones I care for have been holding up quite well all things considered, and they're quick to comfort me when they can, but I still just feel so unsure..."

"Have you forgotten what Celestia had told you all that time ago?"

The unicorn paused, taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"She told you that Luna is going to come back someday, while you're still quite young, and when she does, she will be welcomed back with the respect and royal treatment she deserves, and the equality of her followers will be validated. You're running out of youth every day; the hour of her return can't be much farther from the present. Whatever transpires while you endure this torment, it will be worth undergoing to see to it that you finally get to meet your goddess. The same goes for Hope. You'll get the chance for both of you to travel and perform together as you promised her, and still see the one you've adored for all of your lives," the shadow explained.

Trixie couldn't help but smile, feeling motivated and inspired by this reminder. "You're right... I'm so used to whatever's going on right in the moment, I forget to keep my eye on the future... I've made it out of times that seemed this bad before, and every time my life only got even better... But this new possibility? Spending a lifetime having a career with Hope, and getting to be in the presence of Luna? Those are going to be the best of all..." she released a relieved sigh. "I feel much better now... Thank you for that..."

"Of course, Trixie. If you ever need to speak with me again, you know I'll be waiting for you inside of your heart." with that, the shadow became still once more, no longer taking it's own shape but conforming to Trixie's own.

Hope and Fiona bowed in unison, graciously accepting the applause.

The conjured violin disappeared, and Trixie levitated the flute back to Adia.

The two young girls who just played a song together smiled at one another. Fiona clenched her talons into a fist, bumping it lightly with Hope's forehoof. A warm pang hit Trixie's heart as she was once again reminded of her younger days forging such a strong friendship with Gilda.

The griffons continued clapping, finding that the combined musical talents of the children made for even more soothing and beautiful songs. The showmare did her best to make sure that everyone got a turn to demonstrate their talents, as long as they were feeling up to it, performing tricks by herself as well to add an additional element to their escapist experience.

The unicorn sighed in relief once the pressure in her horn started to die down. She didn't want to admit it to the others, but she was more exhausted than she seemed, and wanted to stop the show much earlier. She started to trek towards her hut to get some rest.

"Hey," Adia said.

Trixie was startled, and froze in place. She turned to face her, surprised at how much closer she was when she realized.

The griffon smiled. "I just wanted to say thank you for everything that you've been doing here. This entertainment, and all the other things you've provided... It's done great to boost the morale and quality of life here. I know sometimes it might not seem like it, but it really does make all the difference in the world... At least, for everyone here. Keep it up."

The unicorn returned her grin, nodding respectfully. "You're very welcome. I'm glad to -- ... I'm honored to help you all."

That evening, Trixie was putting Hope to bed, as she became accustomed to doing so shortly after moving into the hut. Pulling the filly's blanket over her, she smiled. "Would you like to hear a bedtime story?"

Hope nodded eagerly.

"Okay. Close your eyes."

She obeyed, and Trixie started to cast an illusion spell, once again allowing Hope to experience sights, sounds and other experiences that weren't necessarily real, this time coinciding with the story she told.

"Once upon a time, Princess Luna had nothing in the night sky except for the moon. She did everything she could to keep the dusk hours dark, cold, and peaceful, a silent serenity and a welcome retreat from the stressful chaos of daytime life, allowing her subjects to relax and rest. However, this did not completely soothe them as Luna had intended. Those who ever stayed awake during these hours would look into the sky, only to feel alone and haunted. Staring into the empty black abyss above them would only allow them to reflect on the true nature of the problems of their daily lives, unmarred by interruptions and magnifying their turmoil.

"Those who would manage to get some sleep after this were always plagued with nightmares, having their deepest fears and insecurities come back to haunt them, further empowered by the limitless reach of their own imaginations. Luna was saddened by this, confused as to why her efforts seemed to hurt her subjects instead of help them, and she started to wonder if perhaps she herself was the cause of it. But then, a wise, young filly named Hope got an idea for a solution. She recognized that everyone had a small light glowing inside themselves, however dim or small, that personified all of their dreams and goals, the keys to their own happiness.

"Some of them never realized this, however, and thus Hope thought that if they could somehow be shown this light and constantly reminded of it, it would make the sadness and nightmares go away. And so, she set off to go to the moon to talk to Luna about it. Even pegasi weren't able to fly that high, and Hope didn't have wings, but she was clever; she tied herself to a metal slab and kept throwing a magnet into the sky, gradually pulling her closer and closer until finally, she reached the moon, and got to meet Luna. The night princess was impressed that another had finally managed to make it so far, and was curious as to why the filly had come to see her. Hope explained her plight, and told Luna about her idea.

"Deeply moved and impressed, Luna agreed to give Hope's suggestion a try. They worked together to create the stars, making one for each pony and every other living creature that was back on the world below them. With each star being made for a specific soul, they were able to look up at them and remember their dreams and goals, as well as what they enjoyed the most out of their lives, rekindling the light within them and making them glow brighter than ever. And so, they no longer felt alone and haunted during the night; the sadness became joy, and nightmares turned into dreams.

"Princess Luna was so grateful for everything that Hope did that she decided to give her a reward. With her powerful magic, she granted Hope a pair of wings, a magical horn, and a crown, turning her into an alicorn princess like herself. But there was one last thing left to give her. A reminder of her achievements, and the wonderful, eternal contribution she gave to Luna's night that helped make it so peaceful and beautiful..."

With that, Trixie cast one more spell. "Open your eyes."

Hope obeyed, and immediately noticed something different. She pulled her blanket off of herself, and gasped. The hat and cape she wore were now covered in blue and yellow stars, just like the ones on her and Trixie's cutie marks.

Trixie slowly levitated Hope into the air and over to her, wrapping her forelegs around her in a close hug. "This way, I'm always with you, my little princess. Now and forever, like the moon up high, you'll be every star in my night sky." She gently set Hope back down in her bed, pulling her blanket back over her.

Hope smiled at her, tears of joy in her eyes. "You're like the big sister I never had, Trixie..."

"And you're like the little sister I never had, Hope." The showmare kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight, and may Luna bless you with sweet dreams." Next Chapter: 8. The Great And Powerful Trixie Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 32 Minutes