Long ago, Nostrildamus had been granted the power to see the future and alter time so that the Powers That Be, the cosmic guardians of all that was and ever shall be, could ensure that regardless of any calamities, at least one timeline would always remain intact with the least amount of temporal alterations.  For millennia he had fulfilled this duty from within the Timeless Sanctuary - his home located in a realm where time did not transpire - endlessly writing out the visions of the future he saw on a never-ending scroll, as well as in sets of four verses called quatrains. The ancient Earth pony wore dark brown robes which concealed his cutie mark of a crystal ball and a quill. His blonde mane and violet coat were spattered with ink stains.

When Fizzle Hooves and Trixie arrived, Nostrildamus found himself suddenly unable to react as an intense fear overcame him. He was staring in horror at the grinning pink unicorn that suddenly appeared on his desk when an intense pain wracked his body. For the first time in thousands of years, he had somehow not seen something coming. It was both terrifying and a great relief. His mind was racing as he slumped forward onto the desk. He knew this unicorn, he could feel it, but from what, and why couldn't he remember? Had the Powers That Be forsaken him? As his life ebbed away, he could no longer concentrate and his vision began to dim. Still staring at the grinning unicorn, with his last breath he whispered, "How wonderful..."

As soon as she was confident that Nostrildamus lay dead at her hooves, Fizzle Hooves teleported herself and Trixie back to the foyer of her tower. "Well done, little one. You have passed this trial."

Trixie began to sob. A life was a life, even if it was an evil warlock's, and she had stolen his. Fizzle Hooves hugged her and gently stroked her mane. "There, there, Trixie. He was a very bad pony, Equestria, nay, the world, is a better place thanks to you."

"I feel awful inside.. I know you said he was an evil pony, but..." Trixie cried.

Fizzle Hooves' horn began to glow and a bottle of wine and a glass appeared in her magical grasp. She guided Trixie over to a fluffy chair and sat her down. "I know it is hard, Trixie, but believe me, you did the right thing. Here, this will help you deal with what you are feeling."

The wine was sweet, but there was something off about it. Trixie was no expert in wines however, and paid it no heed, greedily draining the bottle in hopes of alleviating the turmoil inside her mind. The room began to spin and she collapsed and stared vacantly at the grinning visage of Fizzle Hooves standing over her as her vision darkened.

Trixie awoke next to a roaring fire, lying against Fizzle Hooves on a comfy sofa. Fizzle Hooves had apparently moved her into the archmage's private study. Trixie had never seen the room before. A large oaken desk stood in one corner of the room, covered in piles of scrolls. Two large scroll cabinets flanked the desk, and a series of short bookshelves sectioned off that part of the room into it's own sort of cubicle. The other side of the room featured a large, antiquated map of the world hung on the wall. Below the map were a variety of scrying instruments including a crystal ball. A piece of parchment with a painting of Trixie's cutie mark was pinned to the center of the map. Trixie's gaze drifted to the large fireplace she had been sat in front of and narrowed her eyes at the strange statues on the mantle. There were three statues there, each of strange, goat-like beings with evil expressions on their wolfish faces. Trixie shuddered and snuggled closer to Fizzle Hooves.

Fizzle Hooves looked upon Trixie and smiled. "Feeling better?"

Trixie nodded. "Yes, thank you." She felt strange, could sense that something was not right, but the guilt was gone.

Trixie felt her stomach knot as the ornamented container was summoned once more. Marelinn appeared again. The alicorn knelt before Trixie. "Hail, Trixie! Conqueror of Darkheart! Hero of Travincolt!"

Trixie hung her head and looked at the floor. "I just did what I had to do to pass my final trial. There was nothing heroic about it."

Marelinn rose and stretched out her wings before Trixie. "We had been trying to defeat Darkheart for years, Trixie, to no avail. Your victory was indeed an act of heroism, even if you do not see it as such. You are so special, Trixie. I am glad to have met you. It is with great pride that I reward you with your final spell."

Marelinn shrunk down and summoned Trixie's cutie mark over the container. Trixie half-heartedly poked her horn into the image. When Fizzle Hooves presented the final tablet to her, Trixie just glanced at it and set it off to the side. Fizzle Hooves felt a pang of remorse, but forced herself to steel her resolve.

"There is one final test, Trixie. Do you trust me?" Fizzle Hooves asked.

Trixie frowned. "But I thought you said-"

Fizzle Hooves put her hoof over Trixie's mouth. "Shh... I truly do like you, you know. There is something about you, I can't quite place my hoof on it, but I enjoy it, something I haven't felt in a long, long, time... You are like the daughter I never had. It was no mere coincidence or stroke of luck that I sought you out, Trixie. I had a vision. In it, I was fleeing through a dark forest. I could not see my pursuers, but I could feel their breath on my flank. I tripped, and I sensed them closing in for the kill. My heart was racing and suddenly, the canopy above was torn asunder by a bright light that shined down upon me. I heard horrible screams as my stalkers were obliterated by this light. I looked up in wonder and I saw a giant image in the dark sky."

Fizzle Hooves nodded towards the painting on the map. "It was your cutie mark, Trixie. I knew I had to train you at once, but I could have never imagined the true purpose why I received that vision. Your destiny is far greater than that of matron of your magic school, Trixie. I am about to share something with you that I have never shared with anypony before. I had thought I would take this secret to my grave. As you have noticed, I am all that remains of the great Travincolt mages. I am the last of my breed, the sole survivor. We were once a proud mage clan, one of the best in Equestria. Hundreds of students walked these empty halls. But those were happier times, so long, long ago..."

Fizzle Hooves poured another glass of wine for Trixie. Her horn began to glow, and a life-like illusion formed in the fire. Canterlot was under attack by griffons. Trixie became transfixed by the illusion as Fizzle Hooves began to weave her tale. "Tell me, what is left to believe in when you are betrayed by your own? When all that you are, all that you have done, is buried beneath lies and deceit? Betrayed. Forgotten. Abandoned. The only thing that keeps me alive is my thirst for vengeance. They must be stopped, Trixie. Celestia. Luna. Star Swirl. All. Must. Die."

Trixie tilted her head in shock. "Wha..." She fell silent as Fizzle Hooves nuzzled her.

A tear fell down Fizzle Hooves' cheek as she stared at the illusions in the fire. Illusory dragons, phoenix, sailing ships, all beautifully animated, formed in the skies over Canterlot. "My father was a magician, just like yours, Trixie. During the griffon siege, his magic filled the air with magnificent illusions. To us ponies, they were symbols of hope. To the griffons, they were symbols of defiance. Even now, his illusions still haunt me..."

Fizzle Hooves wiped at her tears and looked away. "The griffons slit his throat while he slept."

Trixie shivered as the illusion showed a frozen wasteland. Robed unicorns marched across the field as pegasi battled griffons in the skies above.

Fizzle Hooves continued, "My fellow wizards from Travincolt and I had been recruited to help bring the fight back to the griffons. We had fought through the most bitter winters the griffons could throw at us, finally forcing them all the way back to their fortress at Mount Talon. We were no strangers to cold, but even now, the blood in my veins chills when I think back to the events of that day. On this day, we had been tasked with intercepting and destroying a shipment of the griffons' new super weapon: a toxin that annihilated the victim's very magic. It was... horrible, but the griffons were growing desperate."

The illusion showed a younger Fizzle Hooves hugging another unicorn as they prepared for battle. "We were the best and brightest unicorns of our generation, and we had been hoof-picked to lead the assault on the griffons' toxin transport. Windsong the Undaunted was one of the bravest ponies I have ever known. She roomed with me here at Travincolt, and was one of the most talented unicorns I have met. She could perform any trick, any spell, with mere moments of study. Oh, how we envied her... She had fought by my side from the siege of Canterlot to the fall of Griffonton. The wounds she sustained ensuring our victory should have earned her a hero's welcome in Canterlot, but Celestia had little need for heroes."

A bearded unicorn with a charcoal coat and white hair walked by the two embracing mares and scowled. "Celestia had ordered Star Swirl the Bearded to command our operation. As I looked into his eyes, I saw all the evils of our ancient tribe's bloody past still burning strong. At that moment, every fiber of my being yearned to put an end to his wretched life. Some ponies truly do not deserve to live, but I was a foal then and did nothing. Together, we all brought down the griffon's transport as it passed by our ambush. To see all of our spells lancing out in the wintry sky must have been beautiful, and horrifying."

The illusion showed a chaotic battle between the unicorns and the griffons on board the downed airship. The unicorns fought their way into the ship's holds and began celebrating. "We had found what we were looking for. The griffons' weapon of magic destruction now belonged to Equestria and would soon be destroyed. Or so we thought."

The illusion showed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna enter the hold, flanked by squads of their royal guards, looks of scorn on their faces. "Our victory was to be short lived. Celestia wanted to see the effects of the poison first-hoof. It was also an opportunity to remove a thorn in her side. It was a betrayal I should have foreseen."

The royal guards forced the Travincolt ponies into cargo holds. The griffons' poison gas then was pumped in as the terrified unicorns kicked and screamed against the doors. The young Fizzle Hooves watched in horror as the poison ravaged her friends' bodies in the neighboring hold. As unicorns, magic was a major part of their being, and the griffons' poison left them as burnt out husks. Fizzle Hooves' voice became a whisper, "Windsong the Undaunted was a hero. She deserved a hero's death. She died for nothing, like an animal."

As the guards began to administer the poison to Fizzle Hooves' hold, the airship began to shake and the illusionary ponies looked around nervously. "As I watched my closest friend die, it became clear we were not the only ones seeking the weapon. The griffons circled like vultures. Of course, Celestia, Luna, and Star Swirl scattered like rats, leaving us to contend with the griffons."

In the illusion, griffons swarmed into the hold and a fierce battle waged between the remaining royal guards and the griffons. In the confusion, Fizzle Hooves' cargo hold was broken open and she joined the fight, fighting with a seething fury. Griffons... ponies... all fell before her. She fought her way to the deck and leaped overboard. She focused her magic, focused her rage, and engulfed the transport in a massive, fiery explosion.

"I had destroyed the poison shipment and kept it from the talons of the griffons, but I was a foal to think it was over. It was only after I returned to Travincolt that I learned of Celestia's true intentions. She wishes to control all magic. To take from us what is rightfully ours. She will die before she gives up on obtaining the griffons' poison."

Fizzle Hooves leaned in close to Trixie and whispered in her ear, her voice dripping with venom, "Trixie, listen to me. We are running out of time, my friend. Celestia has located an alchemist that knows the formula for the poison. You must decide. Decide what you think is worth fighting for. If they succeed, your magic school will never become a reality. They would control all magic, deny us our birthright. Celestia... Luna... Star Swirl... These... ponies, must die."

Trixie's mind was reeling. She thought to herself This had to be a trick, right? Celestia and Luna, evil? Star Swirl the Bearded, too? As she thought of it, she became convinced Fizzle Hooves told the truth. It was hard to believe. She looked at her empty wine glass. How much had she drank? She didn't know. The flames dazzled her and she looked away, looked at the face of her master. The caring smile of her master was replaced with a smirk as Trixie slipped into unconsciousness.

Trixie awoke in her bed. The archmage still lay next to her, that smug smirk on her face. Trixie didn't feel concerned or frightened, she just... was. She could sense that some time had passed since that night by the fire, but she couldn't remember. She saw fragments, brief glimpses of events, but they faded away as rapidly as they came. She heard whispers in her mind. She couldn't understand what they were saying, but she could make out three distinct voices. When she focused on them, she found her thoughts roaming to the statues on Fizzle Hooves' mantle, and then to Celestia, Luna, and Star Swirl.

Fizzle Hooves caressed her mane. "It is time, Trixie. Tonight is your last challenge, the final test. When you succeed, you will become a legend. Ponies for generations to come will whisper your name in hushed tones. Shelves will be filled with tomes about your deeds. You will be a hero to our tribe. Should you fail, your name will still go down in history, but remember that history is written by the victors. I have confidence in you, my friend. You are the Lightbringer reborn, and it is your light that will save our tribe - save all magic! - from the darkness that Celestia wishes to enshroud us with."

Her will no longer her own, Trixie autonomously said, "They all must die."

Fizzle Hooves leaned in and nuzzled Trixie's neck. "We are like sisters, Trixie. We are the same."