Card sighed happily, putting the quill down as the ink all dried. He shut the book lightly, smiling to himself. After Arries Lune had helped him edit the story, everything had gone much faster. There had been a few hiccups whenever life interrupted – such as the birth of his child, Bubble Trick, - But finally, the tale of his coming to adulthood was complete.

Card glanced around the room he sat in, a study of sorts. It had once been his room, before he had asked Lily to marry him. After that, Card had become a family man, having a daughter with Lily and living in a family suite in the Inn. He had chosen to transform the room into his own sanctuary. He had already cleaned out his old cave (though he visited from time to time to make sure there were enough books for some little foal later in life). The room had lost its bed in favor of a writing desk. Shelves had been added for numerous books, as well as a small shelf near the ceiling, filled with masks of all shapes and sizes. They had become his collection over the years.

Card couldn’t help but linger on one mask as his eyes swept over them all. A purely black mask, turning grey from the amount of dust on it. It had been sitting on the shelf for quite some time now… Card had once made a promise to himself, before he started writing his story. He remembered his vow as clear as day. “Once you finish this tale,” he said to himself, remembering his own words, “You’ll tell the two ponies it concerns the most…” His eyes strayed to the scar on his hoof, three swirls interconnected. Hot would probably enjoy a tale of his adventures as a boy… But what of the other swirl?

Gingerly, Card brought the mask down with shadows. He let it rest in his hoof, feeling its power once more. Long ago, he had longed for the power inside and had wanted to never take it off. Now, for some reason… He knew he could contain its power now. With a single exhale of breath, Card slipped on the mask. He gasped as the mask turned white, the power all flooding into him. His eyes turned black as they always did, but this time something was different. His outfit did not form around him, and no shadows were beyond his control. Somepony else was helping along.

“So little Trick… You finally figured out how to talk to me.”

Card smiled, shutting his eyes as he heard the voice in his mind. As he shut his eyes, he could imagine clearly the voice which spoke. “Hello… Valkyrie.”

“Please, Trick. Call me Card~”

“I find it strange to refer to myself in the third person~”

Valkyrie laughed, a purer sound than Card had ever heard from him when he was alive. “Very well then. I was called Valkyrie for so long before. It should hardly matter now.”

Card smiled. “You seem so much happier, Valkyrie… Tell me something.” The pony Card saw in his mind’s eye tilted his head slightly, obviously curious. “Were you ready to die?”

Valkyrie smiled back at Card, chuckling to himself. “In so many ways, yes, and in so many ways, never.” It was Cards turn to be curious. “I was ready to end all of the pain and suffering, Card. I was dying, I knew… and, by Celestia’s name, did it hurt. I was ready for the pain to end… but at the time, I wasn’t ready for the sacrifice I had to make to end it then and there.”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you notice how long it took for me to reach you, even after the collar broke?” Card nodded. “That wasn’t because of any delay from magic or pain… That was from my own thoughts and actions. I was terrified, not to die… but to be set free.” Card was even more confused now. “I can see you don’t get it… By allowing myself to die for YOU, Card, I became a martyr. A hero. I… thought that, because of what I was planning, I would lose everything. I would lose my life, powers, and even the ability to properly kick Discord’s behind for trapping me. I didn’t want to lose all of that…”

“But you would’ve lost it anyways… You were dying before the battle…”

“Yes, I was. But… I knew of something else. I knew that if I killed Discord, I would gain all of HIS power, and become the God of Chaos.” Card’s eyes widened, realizing now what Valkyrie had thought. “Yes, you see it now. I wanted to kill Discord that day… but you reminded me of something.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Right after Hot died. I had been watching, waiting for my time to strike Discord… I am ashamed to say I was not as torn up by his death as you were. I saw it as another needless death in a bitter war, and that was all. However… You broke free from his spell when your brother died. You call him a brother, though you are not related… And I realized, you loved him. You loved somepony… that was something I could never do as a villain…”

“So… You saw what I had… and realized, maybe being a villain isn’t all it’s cut out to be?”

“That, and I really wanted you to live on to kill that monster.“

Card chuckled. “I only wished to ask that, and tell you of a story I wrote.”

“Yes, yes, I know all about it. Don’t think just because I’m sitting on a shelf collecting dust, I don’t peek over the edge a little and glance at you working. I think you exaggerated your change a little bit.”

“I wrote all I recalled~”

“Yeah yeah, save it for the awards ceremony.”

Card laughed as his hoof went back to his mask. “I suppose I should leave you be now. Hot needs to be told as well~”

“Alright, Card. One last thing for me.”

Card raised an eyebrow, but nodded as he heard what Valkyrie suggested. “I can easily do that. In the author’s note, perhaps?”
“That’s fine. Just make sure everyone reads it. I want them to know.”

“Don’t worry, Valkyrie. What you said will be read, word for word.” With that, Card took off the mask, breathing deeply as he felt his rise in power drain. The mask turned black once more and Card smiled. He placed it on his desk and opened the book once more, dipping the quill into the inkwell. One final note needed to be added.

Author's Notes:

The Words Of Valkyrie:
"I'm not sure if any of you care... but back in my world, I was much like Card. I turned to darkness, however... I went down a dark path of sadness and pain, and tried to find pleasure in it. Don't make the mistake I did. Find the light again... Even if it means following a star.
After all... That's what I did. I followed a star through the dimensions and ended up where I am today. Happy... and among friends.
Thank you for reading our story, us three. It means more to us than you can ever imagine. Farewell, all those who read this... Farewell."