'Quickly, hide! Take Fiona with you and go into our hut! The dragons are coming!'

Hope followed Trixie's urgent commands, explaining the situation to her friend as they fled to safety. Shortly afterwards, the rest of the camp became alert as soon as they noticed Garble and his crew approaching on their regular schedule.

The red dragon smiled sadistically, then seemed confused. He surveyed their surroundings, then looked to Trixie. "Where's Soft Hide Junior and her feathered little friend?"

"They're not here," Trixie insisted curtly, trying to remain strong without upsetting him.

He rolled his eyes in disbelief. "Please! All the adults are here, and you all strike me as too 'responsible' to simply let them wander off alone. They're probably hiding." Immediately, he started to head for the hut she was in.

Panic gripped Trixie, but she fought for the self-control not to show it, and to keep her magic working well.

'Stay calm -- they won't be able to see you. Just hold still and keep quiet.'

Garble entered Trixie's hut, starting to rummage through it, looking past each curtain to their respective rooms, only to see nothing every time. When he'd gotten to Hope's room, the two young girls tensed up as they froze in fear, only to be invisible to their tormentor thanks to Trixie's illusions.

He scowled as he left, signaling the other three dragons to help him search the rest of the huts in the camp, proving to be fruitless.

"Well, for a moment there, I thought you were protecting them with a lie, Soft Hide. That wouldn't have gone well for any of you." In the corner of his eye, he saw Renard. "Anyhow, that's all well and good, because there's another loser here for us to play with anyways. What's up, doc? Really rocking the mummy look!"

The bandaged griffon started to back away. "No, please! I'm harmless!"

"Gee, he probably looks really cool under there, doesn't he, boys? All burnt and grody? I'm way too curious, so let's find out!"

The four laughed as they closed in on him, starting to pull away at his bandages. Trixie was about to speak, but before she could, Gustave stepped forward.

"That's enough!" He bellowed.

Garble's attention turned to the chef, seeming equally insulted and impressed. "Well, what have we here? Our meek and cowardly Prenchy might've finally grown some balls!"

"That griffon is our doctor, and he's been severely burned, probably by dragons just like you! If you have any mercy in your heart, please, just leave him alone!"

The red dragon narrowed his eyes. "Really? So, you wouldn't mind volunteering to be his replacement, then?" he promptly snapped his claws, driving the other dragons to briskly swoop over to Gustave, holding him down from behind and his right and left.

Their leader slowly walked over to him. "I've gotta say, you were the last person to ever strike me as the rebellious type... That's normally our thing. We can't have anyone ripping off our style, can we boys?"

The dragons laughed. Garble made a gesture, and Smokey and Pain held out Gustave's talons while managing to keep him held in place with Sparky's help.

"So, you don't want us to hurt your silly little scout group's doctor. I can understand that. But, you, the cook? The one who provides food for everyone here? You're really dumb enough to put that at risk? I'd give you another chance to pick another victim, but I'm getting impatient enough already. It's time to pay for your stupidity."

Garble then grabbed the griffon's thumb talons and pulled to their outer sides until they broke. Gustave hollered in pain; Gilda and Trixie moved in to intervene, but the other dragons glared at them.

The red dragon continued, grabbing each of Gustave's talons and excruciatingly injuring them, rendering them all completely useless, one by one. It was a long, slow, drawn out torture, the griffon's every cry of agony being sweet music to the dragons' ears. By the end of it all, Gustave had fallen to his knees, panting and whimpering, entirely seized by unbearable pain.

Garble leaned in close, meeting him at his eye level. "Be grateful I'm merciful enough to let you keep them and heal. Next time you pull some crap like this, I'll eat them." He suddenly threw his arms back, tossing Gustave face first onto the ground; Gilda immediately rushed to his aid, and Trixie glared at the dragons.

"Soft Hide! Come on, let's go!"

Trixie was just as nervous as she was angry. As she continued to find gems for the dragons, she realized that while the camp got closer and closer to getting everything they needed in order to eventually leave, she was also running out of gems to help them buy some amount of safety from their tormentors. Would they get to leave before there was nothing left to offer the dragons?

The dilemma continued to haunt her thoughts as she kept scanning and unearthing for more gems. She was currently in the darkness of a cave with the dragons waiting off in the distance. The unicorn paused when she realized she found something that suddenly triggered surprised feelings in her. It was a light blue, octagonal gem.

It looked just like Hope's lachrylus.

Her heart skipped a beat, silently thanking Luna for her luck. There would finally be something else she had to keep Hope's spirits up. It was tempting to give it to her as soon as she saw her again... But, she was going to wait. The last token the filly received from her mother was special, given to her on a special occasion; so, the showmare thought it was only fair that it's identical replacement should be treated the same way.

"Hey, Soft Hide! What's taking so long?"

Trixie perked, snapped out of her train of thought. She couldn't let the dragons discover this -- they'd just eat it. Thinking quickly, she levitated it into the strands of her mane, tying it there with her own hair.

When she returned, the showmare found Hope, once again terrorized by the violence of the dragons to the point of being driven to tears. It was bad enough when they destroyed her things and broke Gilda's wings, but now Gustave's talons were broken, too.

Hope hugged Trixie tightly, sobbing into her coat. The unicorn gently patted her, waiting for her to calm down.

When the filly was nearly done with crying, she sniffled, looking at her hero. Once again, the constant terror they bore witness to made her question the ideals and perceptions she had when she was living in Jennet. "Trixie... Why do people do bad things?..."

Trixie frowned, thinking back on how Luna was ignored to the point of trying to make the night last forever, and how Myrtle would constantly victimize her because she thought she killed their mother. "They hurt others when they've been hurt, themselves... Sometimes it just seems like there's no other way for them to get the vindication they think they deserve, so they'll treat others how they shouldn't because no one ever treated them the right way, or at least they didn't too often for too long..."

Hope's ears lowered. She'd always believed that before. "Then why do these dragons do evil things?..."

The showmare winced uncomfortably. "... Because... Because sometimes, they get hurt so bad that there's no turning back... Nothing can ever fix what's happened to them, and it's too late to try anything to bring them back from it... It's... It's unfortunate, but... It's true..."

The filly started to bawl again. "But they're so horrible! They're monsters! I don't want us to become like them!"

Trixie was just as bewildered as she was worried. "Why would you think that would happen to us?"

"Because bad things happen to us all the time! I don't want to become a monster! I don't want you to, either!"

"We're not going to become monsters," Trixie reassured her. "I promise."

Trixie and Renard were now working together to tend to Gustave's talons the way they'd already been doing to Gilda's wings for quite some time. Once they were finished for the time being, Trixie and Gilda started to make their way back to their hut. They suddenly realized that they were alone and had another opportunity to talk in private; having so much past experience mentally communicating with one another, they could tell the desire for a two-way conversation was there.

Mutually sensing this, the lifelong friends walked a little further, out to where they couldn't be disturbed by anyone else. They would have merely literally shared their thoughts once more, but Trixie's magic was currently still too taxed from helping Gustave for them to do so. Once they were sure they were alone, the two stared at one another, waiting for the other to start talking.

"... You were right," they said in unison.

Both recoiled in bewilderment. "About what?" they echoed again.

They blinked, dumbfounded by how in sync their thoughts and speech were. "You first," they said simultaneously once more.

They laughed, amused by the humorous coincidence.

"Rock, paper, scissors," Gilda stated.

The two nodded in agreement, putting out their front hooves and talons. Pounding one onto the other three times, Gilda's talon was outstretched flat, while Trixie conjured the image of scissors from the end of her hoof.

"Looks like you go first," Gilda chuckled, still reeling from their unison.

Trixie nodded with a smile. "I was going to say... You were right about Hope. It's a good thing that I kept her here with me instead of sending her away. Sure, she would have gotten to physical safety a lot faster if I did, but... She really did need someone to be there for her, and I just couldn't know for sure if she was going to get the emotional support she needed anywhere else but with me. I'm not trying to brag, but... You know how she feels by now."

Gilda frowned in disappointment. "Oh..."

The unicorn became worried. "What?"

The griffon sighed, looking away, seemingly ashamed of her own feelings. "I was going to say that you were right about Hope... That it would have been better to send her off. Sure, she likes being around you and things, but... You just can't guarantee her safety here. I know it's too late to say so, but... I thought you would have felt better if I told you that I realized you were right..."

Both of them fell into complete silence, the mood between them quickly becoming awkward and depressing, surprised and disheartened by their respective change of hearts.

"... Maybe we should talk about this another time..." Trixie suggested in a stoic murmur.

"... Sure. That'd be best."

The two started to head back to their hut together, unable to look at one another or say a word. Neither had any contempt for the other, just as they always had, but they feared that their newly reversed disagreement would create a rift in their friendship.

Since all of Gustave's talons were injured, he was teaching Trixie how to cook again, with Gilda and Hope there to help her as well.

The unicorn was embarrassed. She hadn't cooked anything in a long time, and almost felt guilty for not regularly practicing; if she had, then she wouldn't need Gustave's assistance so he could rest and recover. She took turns between tending to the food and casting spells to slightly heal Gustave and numb his pain. At the very least, Gustave's role was merely giving verbal guidance, so he was still allowed to relax well enough (or as well as he could with all of his talons broken).

Although they only had so many options between the packaged foods Trixie brought months ago, and the fruits and vegetables scavenged from the forest, Trixie and Gustave were able to expand the possibilities of their potential meals with the help of potions and enchantments, practically recreating dishes that would otherwise be impossible to make given their circumstances. One such example was the current choice they were working on, Fettuccine Alfredo with mushrooms.

Trixie even went so far as to use her classic mirror mix in the cheese sauce, giving it the soulfully reflective appearance she was accustomed to. This particular variant had one hair or feather from all four of the hut's occupants, although it was also tailored to be specifically cathartic to whoever was eating it, personally individualized by the respective plate and diner. Given Gustave's physical state, Trixie and Gilda were not only responsible for feeding those within their hut, but the entire camp, so they were sure to make plenty for everyone.

Hope looked into the mixture, marveling at the radiance of Trixie's culinary elixir. "Wow..." She smiled, watching the fond memories of her and her parents play out on the liquid's surface, only to start to frown, her ears lowering.

Trixie noticed, and became concerned. "What's the matter?"

"I don't want to eat it..." the filly murmured sadly.

"Why? Is there something wrong? Do you feel sick? Are you not hungry?"

She shook her head.

"What is it?"

Hope looked closer at the moving images of her and her parents. "I don't want them to go away... I want to keep seeing them... If I eat it, it'll be gone," she lamented.

The unicorn sympathized with her. "... Well... Just look at it like... Seeing those things there is how you'll know that it's going to be good for you... It has your fondest memories in there, and it'll be easier to keep them in your heart forever if you take them in... It'll keep all the bad feelings out, and the good feelings in... Just like your lachrylus... Besides, you'll get to see them again... You will when I let you revisit your memories before bedtime, remember?"

The earth pony seemed further saddened upon the mention of her missing necklace, but found Trixie's explanation to be comforting. She nodded. "Okay..." She smiled at her hero. "I'm ready to eat it, then..."

Trixie smiled. "Good... But you'll have to wait just a little longer... It'll be ready soon, then we can eat..."

Hope took in a deep breath of the sauce's scent, licking her lips in anticipation. "This is going to be so good! I love cheese so much!"

Gilda cocked an eyebrow. "Really?" she chimed, surprised by her enthusiasm.

The filly nodded eagerly. "Yeah!" She blushed as her ears lowered.

The griffon tilted her head curiously. "Why so embarrassed?"

Hope's eyes met the ground as she pawed a forehoof on it. A moment later, she looked back at Gilda, biting her lip as she shrugged. "... When my parents were still alive, and we lived in Jennet, sometimes I'd get bored, and, well... Try to make new stuff to eat..."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"... Peanut butter and cheese sandwiches," the filly murmured quickly.

Gustave scoffed as he turned his head away, starting to chuckle. "Eww, Hope, that sounds so gross!"

"It's actually really good, if you try it," she insisted sincerely.

Gilda raised her eyebrows, interested in Hope's strange culinary creativity. "So, what else would you make?"

"... Orange milk..."

Trixie's ears perked. "What's orange milk?"

Hope shuffled bashfully again. "That's when you fill a glass half full of milk and half full of orange soda and stir it with a spoon..."

Gustave kept laughing as he recoiled once more. "Stop, Hope, you're going to make me sick!" he joked.

Hope and Gilda laughed along with him. Moments later, as they resumed focusing on making their meal, Trixie couldn't help but crack a smile. She chuckled under her breath, trying to hide it, only to fail.

"What is it?" Hope asked, smiling.

Trixie closed her eyes and shook her head. "When I was a filly, I, um... I'd try to think of ways to travel to the moon, so I could meet Luna and thank her for the sweet dreams she gave me, and, uh..." she snickered. "You know that old pony's tale about the moon being made out of cheese?... I thought I could enchant some rats so they could fly, and that I could train them to pull a sleigh and fly me up there..." she covered her muzzle with a hoof, barely stifling her laughter, finding the fillyhood memory rather silly.

The others immediately started laughing again, imagining a younger Trixie trying to convince the rats to take her to the moon.

The next morning, the survivors ate breakfast together outside of their huts, conversing with one another about how they were, and what they wanted to do as soon as all of them were well enough to leave. The only ones missing were Renard and Roul; some of them were concerned that they weren't amongst them by now, and Adia said that she would organize a search for them if they didn't show up soon.

Suddenly, Renard quickly stumbled out of his hut, falling onto the ground as if he'd been pushed. As his fellow survivors gasped and looked curiously, Roul stormed out of the hut before any of the others could come to his aid.

"You sick freak! Get up!" the elderly griffon shouted as he grabbed the burnt doctor by the neck and forced him back onto his feet.

"I've seen some pretty twisted crap around here ever since we started staying here, with what we're forced to go through and what those dragons do, but this... This is worse than anything that's happened so far!" he continued to shout.

Adia promptly stood up, looking confrontational. "Roul! What is the meaning of this?!?"

"I'll tell you! This traitor here is not what he appears to be! He's been using all of us this whole time!"

The leader looked to Renard out of concern. "Is this true?..."

The doctor was speechless, but he looked away in shame.

"He doesn't have to tell you a damn thing, because I'll show you!" Roul shouted. He ripped off some of Renard's bandages, revealing a sight that made the witnesses gasp. Underneath them was a black, chitinous, shell-like exoskeleton -- seen only in portions of his body here and there, cracked and caked with blackened blood.

"He's a changeling!" The elderly griffon continued to yell. "He feeds off of the love of others! This is why we've all felt so sick! So weak! He gained our trust in order to get close enough to us so he could make us his prey, pretending to be our doctor!" His talon grabbed Roul's face, forcing him to look him in the eye. "I used to wonder why you'd never let us change some of your bandages, or why you'd keep to yourself so much, but now I know! You're not even a real doctor, are you?!? I bet you don't even have a wife and child! You've lied to us about everything!"

"Those were not all lies!" Renard shouted in despair. "I am a changeling, not a griffon, and I did hide that from you all -- and I'm sorry, that was wrong," he panted breathlessly. "But, that was the only thing I lied about, I swear!... But I am a doctor, and I do have a family... I'm a changeling doctor, with a changeling family..."

The other survivors were confused by this all, unsure what to think. Trixie was, too, and she noticed the hesitance and mixed emotions of the others. So, she fought for the strength to read Renard's thoughts, just for a moment.

"He's telling the truth!" she exclaimed.

"How do you know?!?" Roul snarled.

"I just do," Trixie insisted.

Adia grimaced, trying to determine whether or not Renard was truly a threat to them. Being around him for a longer time than any of the others, she knew that even if he was a changeling or did some kind of harm, he at least made up for it in providing vital treatment for his entire stay at the camp.

"Renard, please finish explaining yourself," she insisted.

The doctor sighed. "Like I said, everything else I ever told you was the truth... My home was attacked by dragons, and I sent my family off to safety... I got separated from them when I was burnt -- I thought I was going to die... But, when I found out about Adia and her camp, I thought that I could store enough love for me to sustain myself, and to bring to my wife and child, so I could keep providing for them... So, I disguised myself as a griffon to fit in... I thought if you knew I was a changeling, you would drive me out, or kill me," he lamented.

"And yes, I did feed off of all of you... But only enough to keep me going... A little bit at a time, just enough so that you'd only be slightly uncomfortable, and not seriously sick or hurt... But, I've been very weak... I needed to stay alive... So every now and again, I would take just a little extra more, to keep my strength up... It kept increasing, and I fought to keep myself moderated... I figured, as soon as I could go, I'd never feed on any of you again...

"I tried to help, as much as I could, but I'm used to treating other changelings, not griffons or ponies... There was only so much I could do, but I gave it everything that I had... I tried to never ask for anything in return, since I was already taking something discreetly, and I felt bad enough for that... I would have just turned into an unscathed griffon, or tried to use my shapeshifting to confuse the dragons to help you more, but I've been so badly hurt that some parts of my true form are always exposed, no matter what... Aside from the burns, that's why I kept the bandages on, and only changed some parts myself..."

Renard looked at all of the fellow survivors remorsefully. "I'm sorry for everything I've done, and if you can't forgive me, I understand... If you want me to leave, I'll do it without a fight... All I ask is that you please spare me, so that I might be with my family again... I couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least try to make it back to them and help them..."

Trixie used enough of her magic to keep up with his confession, verifying his honesty. She sighed. "It's all true," she confirmed, stepping out closer to him, in the center of it all. Pointing her hoof at Renard, she continued, "Renard may have done something to hurt us, but he's at least made an effort to atone for his actions. He even regrets it, and is willing to put himself and even his family at risk just for our benefit. But just because we've found out about his dark secret and how it's affected our survival doesn't mean we should condemn him for it.

"None of us are perfect. We don't want to admit it, but some of us have flaws that have weighed down the group as well. Still, we accepted each other for those things and pressed on despite them anyways. Griffon, pony, changeling -- Hell, it doesn't matter what we are, we're all in this together, and we shouldn't leave anyone behind."

Roul continued to hold Renard firmly, scowling, but he slowly frowned and loosened his grip, eventually setting the doctor free as he hung his head in shame.

Adia hesitated, and then nodded. "Trixie's right. Renard's few mistakes don't erase all the good he's done for us. We should let him stay, and besides, now that we know he's a changeling, we'll be able to help each other easier since there won't be any deception and we'll know what to expect."

Renard sighed out of relief. "Oh, thank you so much," he said gratefully. "My family will appreciate what you've done for me."

Later, Trixie noticed that Roul was off in the distance by himself. He merely sat on a large rock, looking at the atmosphere of the rest of the canyon far beyond them, seeming despondent. The showmare frowned, not needing to read his thoughts to understand he was feeling guilty and ashamed about victimizing Renard earlier. She hesitated, briefly surveying the rest of the camp to make sure no one else needed her help first, before she cautiously decided to approach him.

The audible clop of her hooves approaching on the rocky ground betrayed her presence; she couldn't tell if Roul either didn't hear her, or didn't care.

"... Roul?... Roul..."

"What do you want?" he grumbled.

"... I wanted to come check and see if you're okay... It... Doesn't seem like it..."

The old griffon hung his head and sighed. "Of course it isn't... I screwed up again..."

Trixie felt puzzled. "... Again?... What do you mean?..."

"Oh, forget you, kid!" he suddenly exclaimed, glaring at her. "Don't pretend like you can't see it... Everyone knows I'm dead weight here..."

Her ears lowered. "Come on... That's not true..."

"The hell it isn't," he spat bitterly. "I'm as old as dirt. I can't fly. I try to get all pumped up to work harder and skip meals to preserve our rations, and I'm still a drain on our resources. At least that Tristan kid is a decent fellow. I don't even have that going for me."

The unicorn shook her head. "I don't understand what makes you feel this way... No one else here thinks those things about you..."

The elder paused for a moment, closing his eyes. "... Believe me, if you knew more about what kind of garbage I was, you would..." he held his face in his talons. "For the longest time, I was a beast, and a fool, before I came here... I know that Gilda told you all about me, except for those parts. I'd hoped I'd never have to tell anyone. But, it doesn't really look like that matters anymore, so, what the hell..." he sighed. "Okay, where to start?" he clapped his talons together once, looking up at the sky.

"So, I was one of the many griffons where I came from who made a living impersonating the famous actor and musician, Cyrano. He was my whole world... Ever since I was a small child, I looked up to him. I adored him. I wanted to be him. Hence, my... Trying so hard to do that... To be as quick and deft on my wings and feet as he was, to handle a sword and a guitar like he did... To look like him, to sing like him... I was determined to become the best of the second best, the closest there could get to being the real thing. Only, I didn't realize how bad that actually was until I got there."

He hung his head again.

"Word got around that I was his spitting image, a ghost of his past... Cyrano, twenty years younger... And that word reached the real deal. I wanted to use that clout to finally get to meet my hero in person... To get to work with him, and tell him all about how much he meant everything to me... All those nights I'd lie awake as a child, thinking about how one day I'd strive to be that brave, charismatic, virtuous and honorable... To enact those same swashbuckling tales on stages everywhere, to pass them down from my generation to the next..."

Roul started to laugh bitterly. "The day I finally got to meet him, I was so excited... I'd never looked forward to anything more than that... I haven't since... But it was a big, fat lie. The mother of all disappointments. On stage, he was this legendary, fantastic, heroic figure, right out of a fairy tale... But in real life, he was an immoral hypocrite. A decadent, drunken, dishonest lout, who would use everyone he could, manipulate them with his reputation, made harlots out of other men's wives and challenged griffons to duels just for looking at him wrong... They either wound up in the hospital, or the morgue. And he got away with all of it, just because of who he was. Because of the role he was playing."

The griffon clenched his talons into fists. "I was shocked... Outraged... Heartbroken... If I knew all that time that my childhood hero was a filthy crook and a total monster, I would have lived my whole life differently. But it was all wasted on trying to fill shoes that were never even real in the first place. He told me to scram, that he didn't need some stupid kid who believed in all that junk he was selling for anything... The guy I worked my whole life to meet, who I wanted to do nothing for but honor him, and he threw it all back in my face... I hated him for all of it... And so, I started to use my similar appearance to start framing him for things. I exposed his dirty deeds by acting them out in the open, in public, where he would never dare to show his real self."

He squinted his eyes shut. "At first, I did it purely out of spite... But, over time, I really became him. I started to be as greedy and selfish as he was, drinking and stealing and fighting and screaming. The worst part... The scariest part... Is that, for a while, I was completely aware of all this, and I was completely okay with it. It was who I wanted to be. This pure jerk, right down to the bone... The worst thing I ever did in his name was to swindle all these bits from his fans in the name of a charity, only to secretly use most of it for bottomless drinks at the bar for years in a row, along with all kinds of drugs and women and other stupid crap..."

Roul paused for a moment, finding that finally confessing these decades' worth of shame was taking it's toll on his composure. He briefly choked back a sob before he continued. "I hated that old man so much, I wanted nothing to do with him anymore... I was never going to forgive him for letting me down the way he did... For making me turn into this awful thing, for making me look in the mirror and think about nothing but how much I hated myself every night for years and years... I never expected him to say sorry, and even if he was going to, I was never going to accept it... But, then, he actually did it..."

He started to openly cry, no longer holding any of it back. "He said that pushing me away all that time ago was the worst mistake he ever made... He let himself become a complete liar because he never believed he could be even a fraction as good as the heroes he portrayed in all those plays, and it drove him to ruin... He admitted he had all the proof he needed to know it was true when I finally met him, but he refused to accept it and told me off... He took full responsibility for his role in helping me become the same kind of monster as him, and he was sorry from the bottom of his heart..."

Roul sniffled, shaking uncontrollably. He slowly started to hold still, only to shake his head and then look up at the sky, his eyes bloodshot from crying so hard. "And I still didn't forgive him... Not even when he poured his soul out to me, and begged me to accept his apology... And then, he died... The doctors said he had a broken heart, and just, gave up on life... Succumbed early to his old age and his terrible shape, because he had nothing left to hold on to... If only I hadn't hurt him the way that he hurt me... If only I gave him the same chance I wanted him to give me all those years ago... We could have made peace..."

He covered his face with his talons again. "None of that sank in until after his funeral... When I was all alone with myself, with nothing but all those thoughts and regrets to keep me company... I don't know how many more years he would have had if I just forgave him, but we both would have felt so much better if only I didn't do what I did... I tried to go somewhere to be a recluse, only for the dragons to come and destroy the town... So, that's why I came here and tried to help. And I screwed that up, too."

The griffon suddenly got off of the rock and stood up. "I got my wings eaten and became more disabled than I already was just by trying to defend Fiona, which I failed at. I keep pushing myself to the point where I'm more of a burden than a help to you all. And when I discovered Renard, the doctor who saved my life, was a changeling, I thought he was trying to use or kill us all, and I hurt and scared him. So, that's why I'm leaving the camp. It's better off that way for all of you. I'm just a useless old man who needs to die, out there in the wilderness, with the predators and the dragons. It's about time I finally kick the bucket and quit being a drain on everyone." He turned his back on the young mare, and started to walk away.

"Roul, please, don't!" Trixie exclaimed. "You're way too hard on yourself... You don't realize how much you've done for all of us..." he took her talon in his forehoof, and pulled him closer so that he was looking into her eyes. "Do you remember all those wagons we've been making for the past few months? The ones we're going to use to get out of here? Who spent the most time working on those?"

Roul looked away sadly, realizing she was talking about him.

"Who helps me protect the children when all the other adults are tending to other things? Who stays back at the huts or the wagons to watch them by himself, without anyone else's help when we're all elsewhere? Who has never given up on improving the quality of life in our camp, no matter how tired and unhealthy he feels?"

The griffon closed his eyes. "Who terrorized the doctor who was just trying to help his family? Who saved his life?"

Trixie sighed. "You didn't know what was going on. It was good that you were worried. Maybe you could have gone about it differently, but things might have even been worse if you didn't act on it at all. At the very least, it showed that you cared about our group and our safety. Even Renard already said that he forgives you for what happened, and the rest of us understood the situation -- some of us were worried about the same things you were when you told us about it. All of us have made mistakes -- some of us have made very many, including ones we'd like more than anything to take back. None of us are perfect, and that's why we all need each other," she explained.

He forced himself to look at her.

"You're useful, Roul. More than I can even begin to describe." she gently caressed his face with a forehoof. "... When I was a filly, something my dad told me he liked about me was that no matter what I was doing, I tried my best, and I had only the best intentions... I've tried to keep doing that ever since... You've been doing that, the whole time that you've been here... This place wouldn't be the same without you. You're needed here."

She placed both forehooves on his talon now, shaking her head softly. "I can't stop you, and I can understand why you'd want to do this. Why you feel this way. But... Please, please stay. We would miss you if you go. We wouldn't be able to survive as well as we could. It's just like Adia said -- we're all looking out for each other here."

Roul sighed as he looked away. He held completely still, deep in thought, fighting to challenge his doubts with everything that Trixie had reminded him of. Finally, he nodded.

"Okay."

That night, Trixie was putting Hope to bed the way that she usually did.

Pulling the covers over the filly, she was interrupted with "Trixie, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Hope."

"I was wanting to know if tonight could be different... If I could tell you a story, this time."

The showmare was surprised by this request, but decided there would be no harm in humoring her. "Sure, Hope." She sat down beside her best fan, waiting for her to tell her tale.

Hope smiled. "Okay... Well... Once upon a time, in Hoofington, the ponies living there were, um... Running short on this special, enchanted metal they needed... It was, like, this really important part of their lives, that they absolutely needed, and, they weren't sure where they could get any more, except for in this really dangerous cave that they never went into, because they knew that it wasn't safe... But, the miners decided that there was no other way to get it, so they absolutely had to go in this cave... And, when they went inside, they found out that an Ursa Major was sleeping inside there, and they woke it up... It got really angry, and chased them out, all the way back to Hoofington...

"Everyone there got really scared... The Ursa started to destroy all kinds of things... And it seemed like the only way any of them would be safe would be to run and hide at the carnival... Their safety was in the same place they always went to in order to have fun and relax when they were tired from the day... They thought it was only a matter of time until the Ursa went there, too, and destroyed it and all of them, but they didn't know that Trixie The Magician was visiting the town, doing shows... She found out what was going on, and promised everyone there that she would stop the Ursa and help them fix everything...

"So, Trixie confronted the Ursa Major, and she found out that it was only upset because the miners woke it up, and it just wanted to go back to sleep and be left alone... So, she used her magic to lull the Ursa to sleep with this beautiful song, and sent it back into it's cave in the Everfree Forest... Then, she cast spells to fix all the damage the Ursa caused, and helped them get the enchanted metal without bothering the Ursa or waking it up... And, she went back to Hoofington, and performed her show at the carnival, and made everyone happy... The End..."

Trixie felt warmhearted. "That was a very nice story!" she praised Hope. "... Why did you have me stop an Ursa Major?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Because that's what you do with all my sadness, pain, and fear. No matter how bad it is, you make all of it go away."

The showmare blushed modestly, bowing her head. "I'm not powerful enough to stop an Ursa Major, though... I can't even protect us from the dragons... I'm not even a magician, just an illusionist... All I can do is make someone think that something is there or isn't there, that's all..."

"But, that's what makes you powerful! If you can change how people think, you can change their whole life!... If you really wanted to, you could make them do whatever you wanted them to..."

Trixie perked in alarm. "But, I wouldn't do that, that's wrong! I'd only use my magic to help people, not control them or hurt them!"

"Exactly! And that's what makes you a great person!" Hope chimed. "You're not just 'Trixie The Magician', you're, you're... You're 'The Great And Powerful Trixie'!"

The unicorn smiled, deeply touched. "... That's a very nice name... Do you think I should start using that in my shows?"

The filly nodded eagerly. "Yes!"

Trixie chuckled. "Okay, then..." She playfully tousled Hope's mane. "The Great And Powerful Trixie, and her number one assistant, the wonderful Hope Dreamcatcher... I like it..."

Hope giggled. "Me too!"

The showmare nodded. "We'll start introducing ourselves that way in our shows... But first, you need to get some sleep... It's getting pretty late... Okay?"

"Okay."

The unicorn kissed her fan's forehead. "Goodnight, Hope."

As she stood up and turned, starting to leave, she was stopped again. "Trixie?"

"Yes, Hope?"

"... I love you..."

The showmare felt her heart skip a beat. Tears started to well up in her eyelids, but she wiped them away. She smiled back at the filly. "I love you, too, Hope." Next Chapter: 9. Hearth's Warming Eve Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 3 Minutes