“Are you sure we should do this?” Trixie bemoaned, standing at the front gate of the halfway house she had been staying at prior to discovering the support group.

“You said yourself that you prefer staying at the club,” Starlight said, having accompanied her to the location.

It had been one day since she had told her story to the others in the group, having been declared somewhat of a hero by them all for the small acts she described to them. The morning after, Starlight and Sunset inquired about her extended stay at their facilities, and Trixie admitted that she just felt more comfortable there than anywhere else. The two mares, showing their usual understanding nature, saw nothing wrong with that and offered to allow Trixie to stay there as long as she wished.

The only catch, if you could call it that, was that she would have to officially resign from the mare home she had run away from. They explained it would serve a dual purpose of providing closure for herself, and informing those in charge that she would no longer be taking up residence there. Trixie knew they were right on both points, but she didn’t exactly like the idea of going back to a place where so many ponies didn’t like her.

Of course, that was why Starlight was present with her, to provide support during this troubling task. If somepony she felt safe with was close by, then perhaps it wouldn’t be so hard for Trixie to face those who looked down on her.

“Ready to go in?” Starlight asked her fellow unicorn after standing in front of the gate for a few minutes.

“As ready as I’m gonna be…” Trixie muttered, realizing that just standing there wasn’t doing anypony any good. With a deep breath, she opened the gate protecting those behind it from the outside world.

They headed straight to the building at the center of the brick wall enclosure, letting nothing deter them from their destination. Trixie noticed a few of the residents spotting her as she passed them. None of them tried to approach her though, keeping to themselves or going to others to whisper about her sudden appearance after being gone for days.

So this is what I get after my disappearing act, Trixie thought to herself, taking note of the reactions from other mares. But why would they treat me any differently than before? It’s not like they even liked me.

The feeling of not having a single friend in this place, or even a single mare who could show enough concern for her to at least see if she was okay after being away for so long, reaffirmed the thoughts she had about leaving this place for good. For the longest time she believed she wasn’t wanted, and this only confirmed that feeling further. The only friendly person in this whole place was Starlight, and that was just because she came with her.

The two unicorn’s made their way through the front doors of the mare home, and started their search for Ms. Harshwhinny, the pony who ran the place. They headed to the direction of Harshwhinny’s living quarters, and luckily stumbled upon her before making it there. Or more so, she stumbled upon them, as Trixie’s arrival made for quick news through the facility, and she was searching for them as they were trying to find her.

“Miss Lunamoon!” called the earth mare the moment she spotted the familiar blue unicorn, “Where have you been for the past three days?!” Harshwhinny marched herself right up to Trixie, stopping in front of her with a heavy planting of her hoof on the wood floor beneath them, before scanning her eyes all over the recently missing mare.

“You’ll have to forgive Trixie,” Starlight said, seeing how upset both of the other mares were, “My organization extended her an open invitation to stay at our local building, and she decided to accept our offer. It was our fault that she didn’t show up sooner and made you worry.”

Harshwhinny had heard that Trixie had arrived with another mare alongside her, but with the unicorn’s track record of getting along with others, she had a hard time believing it until she saw it for herself. Giving Starlight her own investigative scan, the earth mare saw the black ascot around her neck.

“Ah, I’ve heard of your organization before,” Harshwhinny said, coming off as annoyed, “‘Mares for a Better Equestria’, I believe.”

“That’s right,” Starlight said with a bright smile.

“And I suppose you lured Miss Lunamoon into your ranks as well, then?” Harshwhinny continued, “Officially, your group acts as a help group for mares and stallions alike to assist with emotional turmoil and stress, but we have been warned before about your aggressive tactics when it comes to recruiting new members.”

Aggressive tactics? Trixie thought to herself, not recalling her introduction to the group as anything she would consider aggressive.

“I promise you that any such rumors are only spread by those who have personal issues with our leader and her ideas,” Starlight replied, keeping her pleasant demeanor, “It’s not like we could force anyone to join a support group unwillingly, and Trixie herself could attest that we never made her do anything she didn’t want to.”

Harshwhinny looked at Trixie with crossed arms and judging eyes, ones that demanded an honest answer from the mare. Trixie was intimidated by that glare, and for a moment, she couldn’t tell the earth mare that she had done everything of her own accord, but then she felt Starlight’s hand slip into her own and clasp it firmly.

This gave Trixie the strength to stand up to Harshwhinny. “I went to the meetings myself, and decided to stay a few nights there because they let me. They didn’t force me into anything.”

Harshwhinny’s composure broke instantly as she felt the calm anger behind Trixie’s voice. “I didn’t mean to imply that they forced you. Maybe what I meant was that I’ve heard these mares like to pressure ponies into joining their cause.”

“I wasn’t pressured either,” said Trixie, quickly denouncing any such idea that she was coerced, “I was handed a flyer, and I made a choice that this was something I needed.”

Harshwhinny, seeing that her words of caution were not getting anywhere, relented. “Okay, I’m sorry I made such an accusation to begin with. The important thing is that you’re safe and you’re back. Honestly, after what I heard about you at the work sight, I was worried that you’d ran away for good.”

“I think that Trixie is a little stronger than that.” Starlight interjected, “But you might know that if you gotten to know her more.”

Trixie shook her head, she was done with this conversation. Miss Harshwhinny, along with all the mares in this group home, had all the time in Equestria to get to know her, but never even bothered to try from Trixie’s perspective. Now they would not get another chance to change that.

“I’m not staying here anymore,” Trixie blurted out, the first thing to come to her mind.

“What?” asked Harshwhinny, shocked at what the blue unicorn said suddenly.

“You said that I was ‘safe and back’. Well, I'm safe, but I only came back to get my things and tell you that I’m leaving.”

“But… why?” Harshwhinny questioned, not seeing any place else that Trixie could go with Equestria in the state it was in.

“Because I was offered a place to stay,” Trixie said with confidence, “And I know that the mares here hate me.”

“Trixie,” Harshwhinny said, the other mare’s words breaking her from the usual tone of superiority. She almost sounded hurt by what the unicorn said. “We don’t hate you.”

“Bullshit,” Trixie replied quick and with the bluntness of a hammer against brick. “I know that the others just see me as a burden, or want to say I’m worthless even when I’m trying to help. And you, you do nothing but scold me every chance you get. I'd think you’d be happy to be rid of a pony who annoys you so much.”

Before Harshwhinny’s eyes, Trixie started to slowly turn to tears in the middle of her list of sins the other mares of the group home were so gracious to make for her. The earth mare was at a loss with how to deal with this, as being comforting was not really her forte. She was more about keeping things orderly, and scrutinizing things to assure they were going along as intended. If anything, her usual stern demeanor was counterproductive in a situation like this.

“Excuse me,” Starlight said to Harshwhinny, seeing that the conversation broke down once Trixie started talking about her supposed faults, ones she must have believed to some extent to warrant her reaction, “But can I ask you a question?”

With things the way they were, Harshwhinny had very little presence to deny anything from anyone. With a simple nod, she accepted whatever it was Trixie’s associate had to say.

“Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but were you possibly a purple collar during the fall?”

A unified “Huh?” came from both Trixie and Harshwhinny when they heard the question, as it seemed to come out of nowhere, had little relevance as to what was going on, and there was little reason for Starlight to assume such a thing to begin with, or so they believed.

“Well I noticed that you carry yourself very well… for a mare who surely experienced the horrors of the Fall.” Starlight said, sure in her reasoning, “When I talk to mares, either on the street or in our group, I tend to see trends among them. They usually show strong signs of negative, and in some cases, near debilitating emotions, such as anger, sorrow, or apathy to the world around them. You don’t really seem to be that way, though. You carry an air of confidence and command that one wouldn’t assume a victim of the caribou would have.”

“Hmmm,” Harshwhinny murmured to herself as she looked away slightly, not yet ready to respond.

“It is the telltale sign of a pony who had their memories of the Fall removed,” Starlight went on to explain, “Where they tend to act as if none of that terrible year ever happened to them, because to them, it didn’t. But so far, the only mares who the Equestrian Committee have permitted to have the memory erasure spell used on are purple collars, as removing the bad memories from their minds is a quick fix to the mental damage they were afflicted with.”

Harshwhinny was surprised the pink unicorn was able to discern such things simply based on personality traits. She was correct, too, with Harshwhinny having undergone the experience of ‘purpling’, as the caribou called it, tortured until her mind broke and she was left a cock-craving husk of her former self. The only way to revert her back from a mindless fuck puppet was to eliminate the events that turned her that way from her mind, which in turn left her with little memory of the Fall in general.

Most of what she did know was told to her by those who cured her, and while it was shocking to learn that for the past year, you had been crawling on all fours, wagging your ass at any dick that passed your way, and licking up discarded cum remnants off the floor, it didn’t have the same impact as having been through all that first hand. In fact, the very reason she was given charge of the mare home was because she didn’t remember any of that horrid experience, that she was much more stable than the average mare who did, and that she was acknowledged to be a responsible and dedicated individual before Equestria fell under caribou control.

Honestly, it was more stunning to Harshwhinny that such a thing could be figured out by somepony who hardly knew her. However, she wasn’t about to let this unnerve her. “Yes, I was a purple collar, but what does that have to do with this?”

“I believe, and you’ll have to forgive me for saying this, that without your memories of the Fall, you really aren’t fit to help a mare such as Trixie,” said Starlight, getting to the point of her deductions, “You are a respectable and admirable mare, but the trauma Trixie has endured is not something that can be understood by a bystander.”

“A bystander?” Harshwhinny questioned in offense, “I was raped and tortured by the caribou just like any other pony in Equestria.”

“That might be true, and the torture they inflicted on you drove you mad, but your lack of recollection sets you apart from those who endured the fall without losing their minds. How can you say that you’re equal to a mare like Trixie when you don’t bare the same mental scars? As presumptuous as it might sound, only a black collar can understand the suffering of another black collar. Black collars like the ones in our group.”

Harshwhinny did not like the happy tone this unicorn kept at all times as she ‘explained’ why the earth mare was not fit to help a mare like Trixie, but she couldn’t help but admit that, throughout the rebuilding of Equestria, she had felt somewhat like an alien entity. She knew what had happened, the tragedy that befell ponykind, but it was hard to stay in the mindset that was needed for this. At the very least, Starlight might have been correct when it came to Trixie herself, who showed little signs of recovery in the hostile atmosphere the mare home had become for her.

“Look, Trixie… If you really don’t feel comfortable here anymore, then it’s far from me to try and keep you here against your will,” Harshwhinny said, relenting to the unicorn’s desire to leave, “But know that if you ever find yourself in need of a place to stay, you are always welcome to come back.”

“...Thank you,” Trixie replied, not really feeling all that thankful for the offer. It came off as Harshwhinny just trying to be polite, but it would only make things move along smoother to return the gesture, “Now if you’ll excuse us, me and Starlight are going to get my things and leave.”

Harshwhinny didn’t interfere any further, stepping aside so the two unicorns could make their way to the sleeping quarters. The only other thing she said before leaving Trixie to her own devices was, “Good luck with this group of yours. I hope it can give you what we could not.”

The two unicorn’s headed to Trixie’s former living quarters unimpeded after the conversation, with no mare daring to approach them as they went about their way. It wasn’t because they knew what was going on, or who Starlight was, but that Trixie was painfully right about their feelings towards her. Most just stayed away from the blue unicorn as she did what she did, figuring that at worst things were just returning to the status quo.

This went so far as several of her former housemates leaving the sleeping area when she entered, not wanting to get wrapped up with her by any means. That worked well for Trixie, as it gave her the ability to get her things without much hassle, what little there was to get.

Starlight followed her companion to the foot of her bed, where a small foot locker sat awaiting their arrival. There was one such container at the foot of every bed in the room, to allow those staying at the home to keep any personal effects they might have salvaged or claimed from their enslavement. Opening her own, Trixie was reminded of how little it was that she actually had to her name.

Inside were several outfits, duplicates of the plain purple dress she was currently wearing. They were all donations, distributed around Equestria by those in charge of things at the time to mares in much need of the simple luxury of clothing. Trixie took each out one by one, and stacked them in Starlight’s arms along with several sets of blue and yellow undergarments.

Looking over the pile of clothes in her arms, Starlight spotted one more article of clothing inside the locker, and said to Trixie, “I can probably hold that too, if you want me too.”

Trixie looked at the object in question, not sure on what she wanted to do with it. It was a hat, an incomplete replica of the magician’s hat she wore up until it was taken away and torn to shreads by the caribou. She had used some of the clothing donated to her, a few dresses and undergarments she saw as extra, to remake it, trying to forge something to remind herself of better times. Eventually though, one of the other mares learned that she had destroyed perfectly good clothing for the sake of a vanity item, becoming appalled that the unicorn would do such a thing. The rumor spread so fast that soon after, every other mare in the house had learned of it, and each was likewise scrutinizing of her wasteful act, until Trixie was shamed into not completing it. Just looking at the thing brought up memories of scornful gazes to her, and thus she decided to brush it aside in order to grab a hair brush.

“Or… we can leave it here. It’s up to you.” Starlight said after watching Trixie’s disheartened display with the item. She knew that if left behind, odds were that it would be thrown out if they didn’t take it, but perhaps that was what Trixie wanted done with it.

“Hey,” Trixie started, shifting the conversation to something else, “What exactly is your group’s stance on purple collars?”

“Purple collars?” Starlight asked, “Why do you ask?”

“You said that Harshwhinny was a purple collar,” Trixie answered, grabbing a hand mirror, “But also that you didn’t trust her to handle a mare with my problems. Are we not suppose to respect them?”

“No, no,” Starlight objected in her usual cheerful tone, “You took that the wrong way. I didn’t mean any disrespect to her. If anything, she’s a victim just like any other mare. But a mare with no memory of the Fall has no means to truly empathize with a Fall victim. They might want to, but the lack of personal experience will always separate them from a pony like yourself.”

Trixie didn’t know if that was very sound logic being displayed by Starlight, but then again Harshwhinny really didn’t seem well suited for aiding her through the recovery from the trauma she had suffered.

“Though I would also say, purple collars were not all created equally either…” Starlight added, the inflections in her voice for once turning a bit more solemn then usual.

“What do you mean?” Trixie asked, taking a few candy bars she had been hoarding out of the locker to join with her other items.

“Well unlike blanks, who were ponies punished for rebelling, purple collars were created when a mare became mentally damaged. That sort of thing wasn’t exclusive to only black collar mares, as some red collars would succumb to madness too if pushed too hard. Some masters would go as far as to purple their slaves on purpose, enjoying the idea of owning a sex-crazed slave. Unfortunately, there is no telling if a de-purpled mare was a red or black collar during the Fall, at least not without the caribou’s records.”

“I see…” Trixie said under her breath, now wondering if Harshwhinny was really the victim of rape she claimed she was, or actually had been a caribou supporter - not that Harshwhinny herself would know the answer to that question. “So it’s possible that some red collars have gotten away with their betrayal this way.”

“I’m afraid so,” Starlight replied, “At least a few would have had to of, but the general public will never know who those individuals are.”

Trixie clenched her hand, accidentally smashing a candy bar she was holding between her fingers. The news was irritating, to say the least. There were mares out there who willfully became slaves and assisted in the torture of other mares, who were now living out there lives as free mares who would never be punished for what they did.

“It’s a shame, but Equestria’s policies at the moment are to assume innocents unless there is definitive proof of guilt.” Starlight went on to explain, “A de-purpled mare cannot be questioned or interrogated to determine the reasons they became a red collar, and with three of the princesses setting precedence for mares to claim brainwashing, it is impossible to say who was a traitor and those who used the status of a red collar to disguise their rebellious acts, if any at all.”

The explanation was one that Trixie believed few mares would want to hear, the part about the princesses being turned into an excuse was the most disturbing part of it all. No pony liked the idea of Celestia having caused others to aid those that caused suffering, willing to accept the provided statements of her brainwashing via the caribou’s Crystal Cock. Here though, that excuse for the former leader of Equestria’s time as a red collar was being used to protect those who truly harmed Equestria, and it was hard to disassociate how vile it was to protect those traitors from the matriarch providing them with a convenient excuse.

Be that as it may, there was nothing Trixie could do about it but be impotently angry. Angry at the kingdom she lived in, the princesses she was ruled by, and herself, as they all seemed to lack the ability to do anything right. In a huff, she gathered up the rest of her things, taking the incomplete hat she had intended to discard, and stuffing all remaining small items within it. With rage replacing depression, the foot locker was emptied out much more quickly, and barely another minute passed before Trixie was ready to leave. With a fully stuffed piece of unfinished headwear clenched in her hand, Trixie headed back towards the mare home’s exit, with Starlight making a brisk walk to follow behind her.

“I’m sorry if I said something upsetting,” Starlight apologized.

“It’s not you,” said Trixie furiously, “It’s everything else. The government and the princesses aren’t helping things, everypony’s too wrapped up in themselves to care for anypony else, and everything just acts as a reminder of how horrible things are right now!”

Trixie said this all loudly as she stormed out of the group home, not caring who heard it. It wasn’t like she was going to be living with these ponies anymore, so why bother to be polite or conscious of their feelings.

“Equestria is not mending well,” Starlight agreed, “And it’s going to need more effort put into it than what the committee’s been doing so far.”

“I’ll say,” Trixie said, looking back at Starlight, “Mares are stuffed together in places like this tighter than a hay bushel, forced to make houses with their own hands if they want to get their own in any reasonable time, and even then, there is a waiting list. And if that wasn’t enough, they don’t give a damn about how these conditions are driving us all mad! If I had to stay another day in this dump, eating the same slop with the same group of people who can’t stand being around me, I’d go nuts!”

Trixie gave her complaints to no pony in particular, while shooting glares at anyone in her vicinity that wasn’t Starlight. The majority treated this outburst like any other time the unicorn acted negatively, showing only disdain if they gave her any reaction at all. A very few though were actually caught off guard by the yelling, as Trixie was more one to mope quietly than to break out in a fit of rage. Some showed visual signs of concern or even pity, but none of them were courageous to try and approach the mare as she was.

“Don’t you all worry,” Trixie said near to tears, knowing that she was making the other mares uncomfortable, but not really caring, “I won’t be around to cause problems anymore. I’m going somewhere else so you all can live in your land of make believe where you think somepony will come and take away all the bad stuff that happened to you. You won’t have me reminding you that things were and still are terrible, and that it’s only going to get worse before it gets better, if it ever does.”

Trixie was projecting, but she wasn’t entirely wrong. Not every mare was the type to go out and help repair Equestria in it’s damaged state. There were in fact those still too stunted by their enslavement to do so much as leave the group home, despite acting if everything was fine. Trixie might have been the only mare present who expressed her pain outwardly, if in a manner that all but crippled her emotionally. Others had their own problems that they just hid better, and those who heard what Trixie had to say felt a small part of the reality hit them like a brick. As the two unicorns took their leave, those few were left contemplating in silence with the thought of things never going back to how they were before the caribou.

“That was-” Starlight started as they made it out the front doors.

“Harsh,” Trixie cut in, still mad, “I know.”

“I was going to say ‘very brave’,” Starlight corrected, “Getting things off your chest is a good thing, and the way you held yourself in the face of all those ponies that judged you was inspiring. Plus, it’s something that a lot of mares here needed to hear, because they're not going to get better in a place like this.”

Trixie had to agree with Starlight. This place never did anything but provide her bad food and poor shelter, and a post-Fall Equestrian female needed more.

“So maybe you got through to a few of them, and they will decide to do something more to help their recovery. From what I saw, you at least got some of them thinking.”

“You think so?” Trixie asked, calming down a little after hearing that. She personally didn’t feel like her words were that powerful.

“I would like to think so,” Starlight added, “You might not be public speaker material, but you don’t have to be in order to be right.”

Trixie took in Starlight’s words as they made their way to the gate. There was no way anypony in the group home really listened to her, was there? She has assumed that shouting at them was the same as trying to rationalize with a caribou, but what if Starlight was right? And did that even mean anything at all to Trixie? With how she burned this particular bridge, she didn’t feel like reaching one or two mares would make a difference in the long run.

She didn’t make another comment on the matter, just briefly thought about whether or not she was happy that maybe one of her former housemates listened to what she had to say. A brief moment was all she had to think on it though, as when the large metal door in front of her opened, something else behind it wished for her attention.

“Trixie, at last. There you are!” said a striped equine as the gateway opened as far as it could, “I’ve looked for you, both near and far.”

Hearing her name from a source other than Starlight, the blue unicorn came out of her thoughts, and registered that there was a robed zebra standing in her path. It wasn’t instantly, but with a little effort Trixie was able to remember who this pony was.

“Amale,” Trixie said in slight shock as the name came to her, “I didn’t expect to run into you.”

“I’m glad that we could meet today, after the time you’ve been away,” Amale said, letting Trixie know that she knew about the unicorn’s absence, “I came here with more things to give, to improve the quality by which you live.”

Amale quickly opened up a large carrying bag she had, rooting around for things on the spot that she was more than willing to hand off to Trixie. Trixie, on the other hand, was standing there a bit nervously. While she had not directly thought of the zebra since they had first met, she had been taking the anti-arousal pills that she was given by Amale as instructed, and they had been working perfectly. Trixie honestly wanted more of what this zebra had to offer, but she was no longer a resident at this group home, so with that the unicorn believed she would lose access to Amale’s medical miracle cures.

“Ah, I found it, you’re in luck,” the zebra said, pulling out a glass bottle, “Reduction potion, right off the truck.”

Trixie reached for the bottle, but before taking it, she put her hand on the bottle and pushed it lightly back towards the bag, “I can’t accept this.”

“Why Trixie, surely you can. Just take it from my giving hand.”

“No, I mean I can’t take it because I don’t live here anymore. I’ve don’t feel this place is for me, and I know they wouldn’t want you helping me if I’m not a part of this place.”

Amale blinked a few times, a bit confused. “I do not think you understand. I’m not under this house’s command. My service is a charity, to help you mares is my duty. As long as you are in my reach, this vow I made, I will not breech.”

It was Trixie’s turn to be confused, as the zebra once more attempted to hand her the potion. It was so awkward that Starlight, who had been watching from the sidelines, had to step in.

“Trixie, the zebra here are not part of Equestria’s recovery efforts,” Starlight explained, “They are working with, and have the cooperation of, the Equestrian Committee of Ponies, but they are their own force working to heal the physical damage caused by the caribou. If this mare is trying to help you, then you don’t have to reject her just because you’re moving out of the group home.”

“Really?” Trixie questioned, assuming all of the charity functions for Equestria were operating as one, “Well if it isn’t going to cause any trouble.” Trixie took the bottle and drunk it’s contents quickly.

“I’m glad to see that you have learned, there’s no trouble as far as I’m concerned.”

It didn’t take long for the potion to take effect, and Trixie’s breast shrunk a little bit more back toward their original size. Now there was enough room in the chest area of her dress that the fabric could move away from her flesh. A few more doses and she might be forced to get new clothing, which was a good thing.

“Thank you for continuing to help my friend here,” Starlight said, personally happy that the zebra all wanted to help out anypony in need, just like their organization, “Actually, we are heading back to where Trixie will be staying from now on. Would you like to come along?”

“It would be good to know where she’ll stay, so when I can help, I can find my way.”

Taking Amale’s rhyme as a yes, the three headed back to town, making the couple of unicorns look a little odd with a softly smiling zebra girl following behind them every step of the way. Starlight hardly seemed to care, but Trixie was a bit more self-conscious as a few eyes passed their way. Despite mild embarrassment felt by one of their members, the group made the trip uneventfully.

“So this will be your brand new place,” Amale said, looking at the support group building from the front, “It seems quite nice, with lots of space.”

“Well you’re not wrong,” Trixie replied, thinking about her room and how she’d be able to crash there whenever she pleased now, “And I’ve met a whole bunch of ponies here actually willing to help me with my problems.”

“Well do not think of me too sappy,” said Amale, “But I’m just glad that you are happy.”

“Me too,” Starlight said as she opened the front door, “Come inside. I’ll show you exactly where she will be staying.”

“I’m afraid I have to leave, for there are more mares who are in need.” Amale declined, “But Trixie, I wish for you the best, and hope your troubles will be put to rest.”

The zebra gave Trixie a light hug, of which the unicorn with her hands full had no means to resist, before heading off to hand out her tribal medicines to others in need. The two unicorns watched her walk away for a little bit, then went inside to get things set up for Trixie’s stay.

“Oh, you’re both back already.” said Sunset Shimmer, the two mares encountering her as they got close to Trixie’s room. She was sitting on a folding chair right next to it’s door, reading a magazine while waiting for their return. “That didn’t take long at all.”

“There wasn’t a lot I needed to pick up,” Trixie admitted, everything she owned on display within her and Starlight’s hands. Had she owned a duffle bag, she probably could have carried it all by herself.

“Then that just means we’ll have to get you new things to call your own,” Sunset said, noting that between the two other unicorns, there was nearly nothing worth actually going to retrieve. “It’s not fair that the caribou took everything you owned from you, and I know most of what you told us about can never be replaced. We can start rebuilding your life into something better than before though, and I hope that what I’m about to give you will be something you treasure from this day forward.”

Getting up from her chair, Sunset reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a black piece of cloth. Trixie recognized it immediately as the same kind of cloth Sunset and Starlight used for their ascots.

“I have decided that it is time I inducted new members into our group.” said Sunset, looking Trixie straight in the eyes, “Mares who reflect our ideals and wish for a better Equestria to be built over the destruction the caribou caused. I think that you are such a mare.”

“B-But, how can you think I represent your ideas,” Trixie said, surprised that she was being offered a spot as one of their actual members, and not just a participant of their group therapy sessions, “After all I told you. When I’m the reason-”

Sunset put a finger to Trixie’s lips, and softly ‘ssshhhh’ed her, “You did cause something terrible, but you also did a lot of good during the Fall. If you truly feel guilty about what you said, then I see no better way for you to make up for it than working for our group.”

Trixie could feel herself tremble a little, her legs suddenly not feeling as strong as they should be. She really didn’t have much faith in her abilities, but here was a mare willing to put trust in her, despite so many others believing she was worthless, perhaps rightfully so. What could Sunset see in her? Why would she want to have a mare who only depended on others as one of her members?

“At the very least give it a try. I think that you’ll find it much easier than you think.”

Trixie agreed that at least trying to do some good was worth attempting. Sunset’s offer at redemption was too much to pass up on mere doubt alone. “Ok… but if you regret it later-”

“I don’t think I will.” Sunset said, cutting off any self deprecating thing Trixie was about to say, “Now hold still. I want to make sure you look perfect the first time you put this on.”

The fiery maned mare wrapped the piece of cloth around the neck of her fellow unicorn, and tied it tightly in a simple, but firm knot. The feel of it around her neck instantly reminded the blue mare of her slave collar, but the soft material and lack of constant pain allowed her to push those thoughts deep down within her. She had to think about what this cloth truly stood for, which for now was the faith Sunset was putting in her.

“There you go. Now you look like a proud, strong survivor of the Fall.” Sunset said once done, clearly happy with her handy work.

Starlight, stepping out of Trixie’s room after depositing her clothes on her bed, choosing to be efficient in this moment, spotted the black fabric around Trixie’s neck and gave a smile herself. “You look wonderful with that on.”

“Does it really look that good?” Trixie said, nervously putting a hand into her mane.

“Of course it does.” Sunset confirmed.

“Oh! This calls for a celebration!” Starlight said excitedly, “I’m making sundaes!” With that, the pink mare ran off in the direction of the kitchen.

Seeing her partner run off, Sunset shook her head and gave a short laugh. “How eager she is to please. Anyways, you probably shouldn’t keep her waiting. Put your things away, and while we eat I’ll talk about your first assignment.”

“An assignment?!” Trixie said, surprised that she would receive any kind of responsibility so soon.

“It’s nothing big, and you’ll have others helping you. Tomorrow we are going to hand out ascots to all the members of your support group, and the day after that we are all heading to Canterlot.”

“Canterlot?” Trixie asked, slipping into her room. “What’s happening there.”

“Like I said, nothing big. Just a little assembly that I want us all to be a part of, involving somepony I believe you are familiar with.”

“Who’s that?”

“No one important, just a pony named Twilight Sparkle.”

Sunset walked off as she said that, and as she did, Trixie dropped everything she had to the floor. Out of every pony in Equestria, if there was one that she didn’t think she could bare facing again, it was that purple alicorn.

Author's Notes:

So... been a while since I put something insightful in one of these. No reason to change that now XP. I kid, I kid, but I guess I just don't have too many connections myself to the events happening in these current chapters.

I do have a certain connection with Trixie, in that I was myself raped at one point in my life, but to be honest it happened when I was really young and I hardly bother thinking on the matter anymore. That part of my life really doesn't phase me, so I'm not the emotional mess Trixie or most other mares would be after experiencing a year long rape session. So I suppose the only other thing I sorta share with her was a time when I wanted to run away from everything.

You see, I did not have a stable home growing up. I lived with a single parent, my mother, who was constantly getting new boyfriends, occasionally marrying one of them only to break off the marriage later, and constantly losing their current home because they "forgot" to pay rent that month, or decided that as long as they were paying rent they could do whatever they pleased with the property. This led to her eventually acquiring 6 different pitbulls and putting them under one roof.

She wasn't fighting them or anything that cruel and stupid. No, she got them in order to breed them and make money off selling the puppies. Problem is that not only were they at each other's throats over their perceived territory, but my mother simply didn't take care of them herself. She pretty much just pushed them onto whoever was there, rarely feeding or taking them out if she didn't have to.

One day, after she tried to inflict one of the dogs on me for reasons I don't remember, I got fed up and refused. In response, my gracious caregiver said I was kicked out of the house. In my anger, I gladly accepted this invitation to leave, not really knowing where I was going to go. I had no other immediate family, no friends that I could stay the night at. To be honest, my immediate plan was to stay under a nearby bridge cause I was around 18 with no job and had no idea what to do.

That plan lasted all of an hour, before I wandered around a bit, spending a little time with some of those relatives I wasn't going to be allowed to stay with, before heading back to my mother's house and breaking in while she was gone. I didn't try to hide in the house though. I made myself known as soon as she returned, but i wasn't going to let her take advantage of me by making me her slave to take care a bunch of giant dogs that she couldn't handle and could tear me apart if they felt inclined (I actually have a bite mark on each of my hands from times they actually managed to get me in the middle of their fights). Before I could even say any of that though, she informed me about how terrible things were for her because she was just informed she was getting evicted, and she had no clue where she would go next. Terrific, we went through all this effort and trouble, just to end up homeless slightly further down the line anyways.

That time did give me an opportunity to set up a place to go though, and after what might have been 5 years of depending on people who barely knew me, I finally found my break that eventually led to me getting a permanent home. In that time I was able to get a collage degree, and even my first job working as a cashier. From there things have been "less terrible", but I can hardly forget about all those awful moments brought about by this woman's poor decisions.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I do know what it is like to be thrust into a situation beyond your control, to have nothing to depend on but people who only seem to want to take advantage of your circumstances, and wanting to run away despite there really being no other options. It's bad, and I would hope that no one ever have to go through what I did at that time. If not for a few kind people, and even more not so kind people, I probably would have been under that bridge till I died of exposure (Thank god it was still fall).

I can't really think of the lesson I want to convey with all this, except maybe you should try to distance yourself from shitty people as soon as possible, and find people who are actively trying to make your life better, though it can sometimes be hard to differentiate those two groups from one another.

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Take care.