Fallen Generosity: Chapter 2: Confliction

Gift: Pony POV Series: Fallen Generosity
By Kendell2
Chapter 2
Requested by (Name Withheld)
Note: This is based on the story Pony POV Series: Epilogue Alternate by Saphroneth. No ill will is intended towards that story or its author, in fact this in intended to be a birthday gift to him.

Rainbow Dash slammed a hoof into the wall of the airship after Trixie, Shining Armor, and Cadence had needed to be the bearers of bad news. “Oh come on!”

Applejack patted her on the back. “Ah know, but it IS Rarity we're talkin' about here...ugh, who am Ah kiddin'? What the Tartarus got inta that dragon? This ain't like 'em! He's too smart fer this kinda stunt!”

Fluttershy mere set off to the side crying a little bit while Pinkie Pie comforted her.

Twilight was in shaking. “Spike...you big idiot...why would you...” she looked on the verge of tears.

Cadence put a wing across her back. “Twilight...I'm sure he'll be fine...”

“But what if he isn't?” the lavender unicorn asked, pinning her ears back. “I finally got him...no, he finally got ME back and then...this...”

Shining Armor put a hoof on his little sister's back. “Don't worry sis, we'll think of something.”

The poor mare hugged her brother and Cadence.

Trixie opened her mouth to speak but closed it just a quickly. She kept trying for several moments, then gave a frustrated sigh. “...I...I think I'm going to go talk to Alabaster...I'll be right back...”

With that she teleported out of sight.

“Trixie where are you-”

“Let her go, Twilight,” Cadence said. “Trixie has grown a lot, but this is the first time she's been through something like this...don't forget that friendship is something I had to teach her, good student or not this is all new to her. Give her a moment to think while we plan a bit more.”

---

(Typical cowardly Trixie.)

Trixie isn't a coward. She's a very brave pony.

(Brave? Trixie can't be brave. She's just an opportunist who let Cadence do all the work for her and took all the credit for it.)

That's not true. Trixie saved us all.

(Then why is she running away when trouble is staring her in the face?)

Because...she's like I was when this mess started...new to friendship...new to all of this. She's wise, she's humble...but she's still got her faults, and....and I can't hate her for them, especially the ones she shares with me.

(Mark my words, Twilight, trusting in Trixie is a foolish mistake. One that you'll live to regret.)

---

“Hello?”

Alabaster turned, looking to Trixie. “Hello Trixie, good news?”

Twilight gave a sigh of frustration. “No, I am afraid it is quite the opposite of good news...Spike has disappeared, Shining Armor says he has flown off...and from the looks of things has headed towards Rarity...”

Alabaster frowned. “...That is bad news...but that's not all that's bothering you, is it?”

The Alicorn sighed. “Am I so transparent?”

Alabaster shook his head. “Not usually, that's how I could tell so easily...bit for your thoughts?”

Trixie chuckled. “...Keep the bit, I planned on telling you for free anyway...”

“Well, I'm listening,” the Griffin said, giving a kind smile. “Time is something I still have a lot left to give.”

The mare trotted over to the window and gave a sigh. “Thank you...it's just that...Spike doing this...I'm angry with him, yes, very angry. The moment we need him most is the moment he's not there...I looked for him and he wasn't there...”

“Understandable...my grandmother I believe felt similarly about a friend I now know was Rainbow Dash...but I think in this case that anger is more justified.”

“Thank you, but...I know a lot about friendship now...that's part of magic, if I didn't know that, then I wouldn't have these wings...but...I just don't know how I should...”

Alabaster put a claw on Trixie's shoulder. “So you feel a bit overwhelmed?”

Trixie nodded. “...Saving the world from Discord? It...felt so easy. It decidedly wasn't, not by any stretch of the imagination...”

“I know, I was there,” he said good-naturedly.

“Yes, indeed...But between all of us, we didn't argue and fight. We all knew what we had to do, we all knew how we were going to free the others and defeat Discord...And before that? And before Cadence? You were honestly the closest thing I ever had to a friend...and that was less 'friendship' and more 'you performed an act of random kindness' for me...”

“One I sincerely never wish to forget.”

“Neither would I...but this hiccup...It's something new to me...I'm not just angry...I'm...”

“Worried?”

The azure Alicorn gave a sad sigh. “Exactly...I was worried during our challenging Discord...but this...”

“That just means you're a better person,” Alabaster explained. “...Think about me...what did I do that made you see me as a prospective Element of Generosity?”

“Simple...you were willing to invite somepony you had never even met into your home and give them help when she needed it...you cared for somepony else.”

“Exactly...but then you got separated from me...and I worried about you too...Worry is natural, trust me, I've had a lot to worry about with the way the world has been.”

Trixie looked desperate. “...How do you deal with it? How do I help Twilight deal with it?...This is new to me...”

“...Simple, I'll be there for you, you be there for her. We all need a rock to lean on from time to time, and sometimes we need to be the rock. Sometimes that's all there is to it.”

Trixie listened intently, and slowly nodded. “...I think I understand...I suppose I wasn't being very supportive just teleporting out during a crisis, was I?”

“No, but then again I probably wasn't being the most supportive just sitting in this room during one either,” Alabaster admitted. “Maybe we should both be heading to meet with the others?”

Trixie nodded slowly. “That would probably be the best...I'm sorry, Alabaster. I'm older and wiser, but I'm still new to this.”

Alabaster chuckled. “I wouldn't worry too much about it, I'm an old griff and there are lots of things I'm still new to myself.”

---

“So you need me to be Element of Courage?” Alabaster asked as they walked down the walk way to the bridge.

Trixie nodded. “Yes, though now we need to find a new Element of Desire unfortunately...”

“Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find one. After all, you found a complete set of Elements of Harmony fine.”

“...I'm glad you have faith in me, Alabaster. I have much more in myself than I used to, but if this has taught me anything it's that standing as an island is the last thing one should ever do.”

The two walked back into the bridge.

“Trixie!” Twilight yelled, running over to her.

“Sorry for departing so quickly, Twilight,” Trixie replied, giving a frown. “...I just needed a listening ear.”

“Well, ear hole,” Alabaster pointed out. “Don't really have ears.”

Pinkie chuckled. “I like you.”

Cadence cleared her throat, trotting back over. “I'm very glad you talked things out, but we've still got planning we need to do.”

Trixie gave a nod. “...Trixie knows. Alabaster has agreed to be Courage, but we're still missing a desire. We need to either find one or get Spike back.”

“I'm right here.”

The group snapped around, right as a bright, beautiful light ignited in the room. It seemed so perfect that the light from everything else in the room seemed plain in comparison. When it faded (causing most of the ponies to reluctantly miss it), before the group stood a beautiful Alicorn with a flawless white coat. Her mane and tail where flawless purple, but strangely physical instead of composed of energy like most Alicorns. Her eyes sparkled like they were flawless jewels.  But most curious of all was the way she just seemed to literally glow with a beautiful light that made her features somewhat difficult to see, but what could be seen was a picture of beauty.

Next to her was Spike, but Twilight could hardly believe her eyes. The dragon was perfectly built and muscular, his scales looking more like flawless amethyst. He just looked perfect. Even though he'd torn open the ship by manifesting inside of it.

Trixie, Shining Armor, and Cadence all gasped in shock, taking defensive stances. They were facing a Nightmare who was presently taking over the world, it'd be naïve to not be on the defensive. “Rarity?!” Trixie asked, then her heart dropped when she saw Spike. “Oh...that is so not good...”

“It's me, Trixie,” said Charity, trotting forwards. With each step, it seemed like the ship itself changed under her hooves, becoming as flawless and impossibly perfect in appearance as everything else in her influence. “Why have you all been hiding from me? Spikey Wikey had to tell me where I could find you,” she said, not in an egotistic 'resistance is futile' way, but as if she genuinely couldn't understand why they'd hid from her.

“Spike?” Shining Armor asked in shock, eyes widening. “'How could you do this?!”

“Because you guys have no idea what you're missing,” Spike said, as if he was in heaven. Voice completely content. “We were so wrong...”

“Twilight, please talk some sense into Spike!” Trixie begged, not wanting to fight two friends...but got no answer. In fact, Twilight hadn't said one word since the two had teleported in. No one had. The ship had been eerily silent.

Trixie turned her head, finding Twilight standing there. Frozen with a look of admiration on her face, more or less a statue. She turned her head the other way, finding Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie frozen in the exact same fashion. The azure Alicorn looked over her shoulder. “Alabaster...”

The Griffin stood behind her, still as a statue, just like the rest of their friends.

“...Horseapples...”

Cadence panicked and looked to Shining Armor, expecting to find him in the same state...instead, she found him glaring daggers at the Nightmare.

The Nightmare looked at Shining Armor. “Hmm...you're already perfect. It's what you were made to be.”

Shining Armor snarled, not seeming to hear her. “What. Did. You. Do?!” he asked, glaring daggers at her.

“I only shared my joy with them, my paradise,” the Alicorn said, trotting forwards again, more of the ship being transformed by her mere presence. “Can't you see what I'm sharing with everypony, darlings?” she asked, not a bit of malevolence in her tone. Only kindness. “No pain, no disease, no illness. No more poverty. No more 'haves and have nots.' No more loss. Just happiness. Just heaven on earth. Is that so wrong?”

Cadence uncharacteristically snarled. “Don't you dare call heaven!”

“Isn't that what it is? Isn't a perfect place the definition of Heaven?”

“No, My Father IS Heaven. You have no idea what He's REALLY like.”

“I thought your father was named Bright Blood,” said Shining Armor, raising an eyebrow.

“That's my mortal father, and I love him...I miss him.”

“Oh.”

“I love them both...but this isn't Heaven. This is an INSULT to Heaven.”

Charity didn't growl, she didn't burst into anger. She simply gave a sad sigh. “I'm sorry, I was unaware of that. But I meant no offense, Princess Cadence. If anything, this is a tribute to His world.”

Trixie narrowed her eyes. If she were Twilight Sparkle, she'd be trying to reason with the Nightmare before her, but Trixie was Trixie, and sad as it was she didn't know Rarity well enough to reason with her. 'I need to keep her distracted...maybe...'

“I have a question,” said Trixie carefully. “If you truly are perfect...then why can Cadence find anything different between her...Father, and your world? If you are truly perfect, then would not that be an impossibility?”

Charity blinked for a moment, then returned to calm serenity. “I'm certain it's just because she has yet to experience it first hoof. She'll change her mind once she has, I'm sure of it.”

“So I see...” Trixie said, carefully looking for something she might be able to use. Some path out of here so they could regroup. Then having to take a step back to avoid the growing ring of the Nightmare's influence. She saw a window open behind them.

“Now please stop being stubborn,” Generous Perfection replied, offering a hoof. “Please join us in paradise, darlings.”

The Azure Alicorn felt a chill go down her spine as her frozen friend's heads slowly turned to face them, all smiling, but the eyes now pleading. She half expected them to all begin chanting 'join us'. She wasn't sure if them not doing that was more or less terrifying.

Trixie promptly grabbed Shining Armor, sending off an explosion of fireworks. “Cadence, follow me!”

“Wait, Twilight!” Shining Armor yelled in panic, but Trixie was an Alicorn with Earth Pony strength.

Before the three could escape through the window, Spike moved impossibly fast for his size and closed the window, causing them to slam into it hard, it didn't break. Instead, the three had to scuffle backwards from it as the influence began spreading from that direction.

“Ow...Warn me next time we try an escape plan, please?” Shining asked, rubbing his head. “Then I can grab my sister too at least!”

“I thought it would be better to regroup and come back later, I'm more for sneak attacks than full frontal assaults,” Trixie admitted.

“Sorry, but I'd be a bad friend if I let you miss out on this,” Spike said in a completely genuine tone.

Trixie grumbled, rubbing her head from the impact. “And let me guess, perfect glass?”

“Of course, Darlings,” said Charity. “I don't just make creatures perfect, I'm making everything perfect! Oh, Applejack's trees will be so happy when I finally get to helping them!”

Trixie groaned, getting back to her hooves. “Well then...I hate to say this, Rarity, I really do...but...”

Trixie quickly fired a powerful bolt of electricity at Charity without warning, attempting to stun her long enough for them to make it past her and out the hole that Spike had caused arriving inside. Cadence followed suit with a beam of harmonic energy with the same intention, Shining following up behind with a densely packed shield sphere. All three of them knew all they could do was knock the Nightmare out at best, but that's all they needed to do.

Spike quickly intercepted it and blocked it with his scales, but grunted slightly from how powerful a trio of Alicorn and high level unicorn spells intended to stun a Nightmare could be. If he hadn't been 'perfect' at the moment, he'd probably have been hurt despite his dragon hide. “How could you attack Rarity? You really do need her help!”

“Trixie is no happier than you are, Spike,” Trixie replied. “But she who fights and runs away lives to fight another day.”

---

(Coward)

There's a difference between running because you're afraid and running because you know you stand a better chance of winning if you have time to prepare for round two.

---

Charity, on the other hoof, stood in what seemed like shock, her mane or fur not even swaying from the wind Spike had generated by moving so quickly, looking at the smoke rising from where the attack had struck Spike.

“Trixie...you'd fight me?” the Nightmare asked, saying it with an odd mixture of emotions. One surprise, another...pain. Maybe hesitance?

Trixie sighed. “I don't want to fight you, Rarity! You're a friend! But I will if I must! This perfection of yours...it would be my Tartarus!”

Charity took a step back. “Whatever do you mean?”

“How can you insult Rarity like that?!” Spike asked, staying between the two of them.

“I have spent my entire life trying to be something special,” said Trixie, looking profound for a moment. “And I realized...I always was, and now I'm truly unique and special...if you took that away, it'd be Tartarus for me.”

“Well darling, in my world everything is special,” Charity politely corrected.

“...Not the right kind,” Trixie replied, then gave a small, knowing smile. “...Rarity...you don't know what it's like...being a true Alicorn. It's why I've changed so much from what I used to be...I...describing it is like trying to explain the color blue to a blindstallion...but...through the eyes of one, you begin to see that everything is already special in the ways that matter. The right kind of special, the unique kind of special...It's...like feeling the universe's love for you and everything else...But in your world. If everypony was special in the way you're making it...nopony would be.”

Charity actually showed a bit of anger. “I fail to see what's so wrong about that. Ponies being special is unequal, and being unequal means some will always have more than others. And that's not fair. I'm making that fair.”

Shining scratched his head. “...Didn't you just contradict yourself?”

Charity hesitated for a moment. “...I'm perfect, there is no contradiction in me. Everypony will simply be the same kind of special so everything is nice, equal, and perfect.”

Trixie blinked. From all the other worlds she'd seen with her viewing spell...from all the other Nightmares she'd seen...she'd never seen a Nightmare hesitate when called a hypocrite. Become enraged? Certainly. See it as a necessary evil? Maybe...but hesitate to try and consciously resolve it?

Cadence blinked as well. “...You know that doesn't make sense, don't you?” she asked, not in a 'you're wrong' sort of way, but as a genuine question.

Charity looked like she had a headache. “Of course it makes sense, I'm Perfect, it has to...”

Shining Armor put up a shield around the three that somehow managed to hold back the Nightmare's influence. “Well it doesn't to me, then again logic is Twilight's thing...”

Shining Armor gave a sad look at his petrified sister.

Spike growled. “Stop being stubborn and stop confusing Rarity!” he said, punching the shield, but having perfect restraint not to seriously harm Shining, only to break it...the shield still held, but Shining flinched in pain. Spike blinked in confusion, punching the shield again, this time harder. Enough to send Shining to his knees, but the barrier still held.

“STOP!” Rarity shouted in horror, watching Shining getting back up. “Stop fighting...”

Trixie came upon an idea and took a fighting stance. “No, I'm not,” she replied, Rarity shuddering at the determination in her eyes. Not because it scared her...but rather something else.

“And I'm not either,” Cadence continued, horn glowing. “We'll save you somehow, Rarity, but...if we have to fight to last long enough to do that, we will.”

Shining Armor gave a glare. “You're threatening Cadence, you took Twilight, what kind of perfect brother wouldn't be angry at you, Princess Perfect?”

Charity gave a look that was a mix of pain and anger. “You...you leave me no choice...Spike please be a dear and...”

Charity's words died in her throat. She tried to say it again, but the words simply refused to come out. She tried to raise a hoof to point Spike at the barrier...but the hoof wouldn't raise. It seemed to actively resist her attempts to lift it up, as if she was simultaneously trying to raise it and lower it at the same time. “What? Why...why can't I move my leg?”

Spike blinked, turning back to her. “Rarity, what's wrong?”

Trixie gave blink. “Okay, I expected us standing our ground to unbalance her, not this...”

The Nightmare continued struggling against her own body. “Spike...please...break his-stop don't hurt-”

Nightmare Charity was trembling. In fact her very being seemed shuddering as if she was ripping itself apart. “I don't want to...but...everyone needs...this isn't...”

Everycreature in the room just stared in blind shock at a Nightmare, a being of pure, unfiltered extremism devoured by a single trait, was arguing with herself.

As Nightmare Charity turned away, holding her head as if it would split apart at any moment. “I don't want to hurt my friend-But I have to make it all fair!”

Trixie's blood ran cold when the Nightmare's flank came into view in her self conflict.

“R-Rarity?”

“What?!”

“Y-Your Cutie Mark!”

Charity turned her head and her eyes went wide. On her flank were the normal three Diamonds, only with dark blue where light blue normally was, light blue were the dark normally was...except for the top diamond...Dark blue lines and light blue coloring.

(Impossible...)

“But...that...how can...” Nightmare Charity tried to scrub the three 'imperfections' of her Cutie Mark off. “I'm perfect, how can my Cutie Mark be unfinished?! That doesn't make any sen-”

'It hasn't changed, because this isn't the real me, and I know it.'

'And because I'm not a big, what's the word? Meanie who hurts her friends!'

'And because I'm not about to let myself just throw them away'

'And because my flaws are as much of who I am as my successes.

Nightmare Charity's world went black.

To Be Continued...