//------------------------------//
// Return to Equestria 
// Story: Terror in Equestria 8:  A New Threat 
// by StormLuna 
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The Return of LaurFa's Powers

It was a calm day as Brevity and everypony else who had escaped Twilight's wrath were leading ponies who were evolving from their larger equine kin to what would be their new homelands.  Most of them had no clue where they were leading them but given that the world was a carbon copy of the one they fled from, Brevity and LaurFa knew exactly where to lead them, although they had different plans this time.  Unlike it was last time, they had no plans on having individual places, with the exception of Alicorn Island and Cloudsdale, being populated by one race of ponies. 

Something in the sky caught all the ponies' attention.  A beam of reddish-white energy shot down and began to encircle LaurFa.  As it began to enter her she began to increase in size and she began to feel like she did over 5,000 years ago.  Once the light had subsided she looked up and with a smile on her face she exclaimed, "They're back everypony!  My powers are back!" 

Everypony who knew her began to celebrate and then LaurFa realized something, something had to have happened to Twilight for her to get her energy back.  She turned to Brevity and asked, "Sister, do you think something happened to Twilight?  Do you think she might have died since I got my powers back?"

Brevity replied, "Brevity is not sure about that dear sister but perhaps we should all check it out.  Just like I teleported us here, I can teleport us back."  

Luna asked, "Brevity, will it just be the two of you or could the rest of us join you?"

Brevity turned to those who joined her and asked, "What about the rest of you?  Would you want to join Brevity, LaurFa and Luna in seeing what happened?"

Everypony began to cheer that they would but would soon be met with sighs of concerns from the ponies that they were leading to their new homelands and two of those who fled decided to stay behind.  General Dark Night said, "Don't worry everypony, I shall stay here and we will wait for those who wish to return to return." 

General Lightning storm added, "So will I." 

The rest of the regular hoof soldiers who escaped from Twilight's wrath added, "As will we." 

Brevity replied, "Good."  She turned to those who would join her and continued, "Gather around Brevity so that we may return to Equestria."

Everypony that decided to return gathered around Brevity and her horn began to glow a bright pink and a ball of pinkish-yellow energy surrounded them all as she began to recite the proper spell to return, 

"To the old world we shall go even if it is just for a brief while or so
Whether it be simply for what happened for us to see or if it is this world some wish to flee
Now the time for us to go has come and a brief stay is what awaits some." 

Brevity's horn glowed brighter and then in a blinding flash of light they all disappeared.  This confused some of the ponies that were being led to their new lands.  Dark Night could sense their confusion and concern and said, "Don't worry, I know some of them will likely return." 

A Pegasus asked, "Which ones?"

Dark Night replied, "Well Brevity for sure and most likely Colgate.  I'm not sure about the others though."

A unicorn asked, "So what do we do now?  Do we wait here until they return or do we continue on our journey?"

Dark Night replied, "We shall wait here for their return.  This is likely where Brevity, Colgate and any others who choose to do so will return." 





Return to Equestria

In Ponyville things seemed to be going on normally until everypony saw a yellowish-pink ball of energy appear in the sky.  Most everypony looked at the sight in awe and wonder but two ponies knew exactly what was happening, Galaxia and Cosmos.  Cosmos gasped, "Galaxia, they're returning, they're returning!" 

Once the ball broke numerous ponies emerged from it, many of who were from Ponyville.  As the ponies landed the first ones to rush and greet them were Galaxia and Cosmos.  Both rushed to LaurFa and given that Galaxia was always closer to her, she was the first to say anything, "LaurFa, you're back!  I'm so happy to see you!" 

LaurFa embraced her and replied, "I'm glad to see you too Galaxia."  She paused for a minute and asked, "Galaxia, Cosmos, what happened to the dark goddess?  Was Twilight Sparkle slain?"

Galaxia pointed her hoof at White Magick and replied, "No, King White Magick wound up cleansing her of the evil that had corrupted her." 

LaurFa's jaw dropped open.  It had been over 10,000 years since she last saw him and she wondered why he would be in Ponyville and not in his own realm.  She approached him and asked, "King White Magick, is that you?"

White Magick turned to her and saw that it was the pony who threatened to purge him and his kind.  While he wanted to simply smite her from the face of the planet he knew that with him being in front of so many that it would be best to hold his anger.  He calmly replied, "Yes LaurFa, it is me."

LaurFa got in his face and asked, "What are you doing in Equestria?  What happened to your kind wanting your own space?"

White Magick replied, "Oh let's just say that before I cleansed Twilight of the evil that corrupted her that she and some of her soldiers invaded my territory so I had to make sure that she wouldn't do that again." 

LaurFa was shocked that he was able to cleanse her.  She asked, "Cleansed her?  Did you write new magic to cleanse her or something?"

White Magick couldn't help but laugh, "New magic?  The rite of cleansing is one of the absolute oldest spells in the history of Ponykind.  I used it on many, many foes before you ever came to this continent."

When LaurFa heard that he had kept a spell from her, she became angry.  She yelled, "You kept a spell from me when I demanded them from you?  You....."

White Magick interrupted, "Listen LaurFa, the type of magic involved in using that spell is something that only I could ever use.  A pony has to have pure white magic to cast it."  He took a closer look at LaurFa and continued, "Besides, you should be glad I cleansed her given that she has enslaved you in the past and it was just now that you got your energy back from her, wasn't it?"

LaurFa stood there at first in shock and then a smile developed on her face, "Wait a minute, so Galaxia wasn't lying when she said it was you who cleansed Twilight?"

White Magick replied, "No, she wasn't.  It wasn't just her that I cleansed.  I cleansed King Sombra and Queen Chrysalis as well." 

LaurFa was shocked when he said this.  She realized that because of him, that the world would likely be free of evil from that point forward.  She went to embrace him and said, "I'm sorry for my initial angry reaction to you withholding a spell from me.  I want to thank you for cleansing evil from this world entirely." 

White Magick replied, "Well thanks but I am not sure if I cleansed it entirely.  There could still be ancient evils lurking, evils from well before you arrived may still exist.  All we can hope for is that they will remain locked away in the deep, dark places of the world forever." 

Despite LaurFa not having arrived in what would become Equestria until after the fall of Ponyland, she had a feeling as to what he was talking about.  She asked, "I take it you mean the city of Tambelon and Grogar?"

White Magick replied, "Yes, I am."  He saw other ponies beginning to head their way and continued, "I think it would be best if we don't discuss such ancient evils around the others, besides all the ponies here think that Ponyland is just a myth." 





While White Magick and LaurFa were talking, Applejack and Fluttershy approached Twilight.  The first thing that both of them noticed was that the pony they saw was not the Twilight they went to war against, it was the Twilight from before she was corrupted.  Applejack rushed to her and said, "It's so good to see you sugar cube!" 

Fluttershy added, "Twilight, it's so good to have you back."

Twilight embraced the two and replied, "It's good to see you too girls!"

When Twilight's friends heard their other friends and engaged in a group hug.  Rarity was the first to say anything, "Applejack, Fluttershy darlings, it's so good to see you again!"

Rainbow added, "Just like old times, the six of us together as true friends!" 

Despite knowing that she remembered nothing from her time being corrupted, everything still seemed so odd to Twilight.  She said, "I know I don't remember anything from when I was corrupted and it has been ages since we were together as real friends but it seems like it was just yesterday." 

Soon it would be more than just her old friends that would join her, it would also be the cutie mark crusaders and the rest of the Apple Family.  It was at that moment that Twilight took a closer look at them and noticed that they were something they were not on the day Chrysalis corrupted her.  She noticed that they were all Alicorns.  She gasped, "Girls, how in Equestria did you all become Alicorns?"

Applejack replied, "Well you needed us to all be Alicorns to aid you in getting this ancient relic so you transformed us."

Granny Smith added, "And it was Supreme Commander Colgate who transformed the girls, Big Mac and myself into Alicorns."

Twilight gasped, "Supreme Commander Colgate?"

Colgate heard Twilight's voice and immediately charged over.  She immediately lit up her horn, prepared to punish Twilight in one way or another and everypony saw this.  Before she could say anything Applejack yelled, "Colgate stop!  Twilight's not evil anymore."  

With her horn still glowing and her eyes shining blue, Colgate began to look over her.  The first thing she noticed was that Twilight's eyes were no longer green, they were how they were prior to her corruption.  She lowered her guard and asked, "Twilight, is that you?"

Twilight replied, "Yes, it is."  She took a look at Colgate and noticed that she too was an Alicorn.  She asked, "Colgate, how did you become an Alicorn and why were your eyes shining blue?"  She also noticed that even after her eyes stopped shining, that where her eyes would be white that they were a bit blue.  She continued, "And what the hay happened to your eyes?  Why are the whites of them blue?"

Colgate replied, "Well they are like that because I cast a strong enough spell that I became a goddess."

Twilight gasped, "A goddess, how does a powerful spell make you one?"

Colgate replied, "You should know, you cast a powerful dark spell that made you a....."

Applejack interrupted, "Colgate, she remembers nothing from the time of her corruption."  She leaned over and whispered, "And don't bring up anything about her being a dark goddess, alright?"

Colgate whispered, "My lips are sealed." 

Twilight saw so many other ponies around and then something hit her, the rest of her family.  She asked, "Where is my family?  Where are mom and dad?  Where are Shining Armor and Cadence?"

Rarity replied, "Twilight darling, your parents passed long ago and I think it would be best if Celestia told you what happened to Shining Armor and Cadence."

Twilight began to cry, "They're dead aren't they?"

Colgate, despite never being the type to care for physical touch embraced Twilight and said, "I'm sorry Twilight, they are."

Twilight continued to look around and asked, "And where is Spike?"  Her pupils shrank as she continued, "He's dead too, isn't he?"

Rarity did her best to try and not react to Twilight's bringing up Spike since she was the one who killed him in a past war but Twilight noticed her looking down and asked, "Rarity, you know what happened to him, don't you?  What happened to him?"

Her friends gave her one of those looks that pretty much said to let Celestia tell her but she broke, "Twilight, I'm sorry but I had to kill him in a past war."

Twilight grabbed Rarity in her aura and yelled, "You did what?  You killed Spike?"  Her yell became more angry as she continued, "Spike adored you and you killed him?"

Fluttershy interrupted, "Twilight, he had grown up entirely and was helping you in an attempt to retake the world.  He had burned Ponyville to the ground and injured me." 

Rarity added, "And if I hadn't brought him down, he would have not only killed and ate Fluttershy, but me as well!" 

Twilight was in a state of shock as she could not believe what she was hearing.  She replied, "Spike would never do that!..."

Colgate interrupted, "Twilight, at that time Spike was no longer the Spike you knew when he was a baby.  He was very aggressive and was bound and determined to aid you in retaking the world for your own." 

Twilight shook her head and yelled, "I don't get it!  Why would I have taken the whole world for my own and then tried to retake it?"

Colgate replied, "Twilight, you were corrupted and you wanted the whole world as your own."  She took a deep breath and continued, "Twilight, I think once you have your bearings more together that everypony can sit down with you and discuss it but for now, just relax."





Sisterly Reunion

While everypony else was talking, Celestia and Sombra had returned from their walk and immediately Luna saw her sister and ran to her, "Sister, it is so good to see you again!"

Celestia embraced her and replied, "It's good to see you too Luna!" 

Luna glanced to her side and saw a pony that she had not seen in eons, King Sombra but it was not the Sombra that she last remembered, it was the Sombra that she first encountered.  She asked, "King Sombra, is it really you?"

Sombra replied, "Yes Princess Luna, it is me." 

Despite him seeming friendly and having his old appearance restored, Luna believed that perhaps he was playing tricks and pretending to be nice.  She yelled, "Sister, he is playing tricks on you!  He only looks nice but I can tell he is still evil!" 

Luna lit her horn up brightly ready to strike when she heard a male voice yell, "STOP!" 

Luna looked back but kept her horn lit up.  Luna couldn't help but be curious as to who the white stallion was that approached them.  He said, "Princess Luna, don't attack him.  He is indeed nice now." 

Luna asked, "Who are you and how do you know he is really nice now?"

White Magick replied, "Because I used the ancient rite of cleansing on him."  He pointed off to the left towards Chrysalis and continued, "And I used it on Chrysalis as well." 

Luna's jaw dropped open.  Never did she imagine that two of the most evil villains in the history of Equestria would actually be able to be cleansed of their evil.  She turned to White Magick and asked, "Besides Twilight, Chrysalis and Sombra, you weren't able to cleanse any other evil creatures of their evil were you?"

White Magick replied, "Unfortunately no because these two were the only ones besides Twilight that were here to cleanse." 

Luna turned back to Celestia and Sombra and asked, "So I take it you two have been catching up?"

Sombra replied, "Yes we have." 

Celestia added, "I do hope that we can become friends again like we used to be." 

Luna knew of the crush that her and Sombra had on one another so many millennia ago and chuckled, "Yeah, friendship, sure sister, whatever you say." 





Decision Time

After everypony had been talking for a while Brevity decided that she wanted to go soon but was curious as to what everypony's decision would be as to whether any of them would return with her or not.   She raised her voice and yelled, "Everypony, Brevity needs your attention." 

Everypony stopped with their conversations and the first to say anything was White Magick.  He asked, "I mean no disrespect but who are you?"

Brevity replied, "Brevity is the second Creator Goddess, she is LaurFa's sister." 

White Magick asked, "LaurFa, why did she not come with you when you discovered this continent?  Why did she not come with you when you arrived in what would become Equestria?"

LaurFa replied, "It's a long story, we can discuss this later." 

White Magick nodded as Brevity began, "As many of thee know it has been one thousand years since Twilight Sparkle retook the world as her own but it appears as though something has happened to release Twilight from her evil." 

White Magick interrupted, "It was my cleansing her of her evil that brought the old Twilight back to us." 

Brevity simply nodded and continued, "Yes....well, now that Twilight is freed from her evil, Brevity is wondering if anypony who departed with her so long ago wishes to stay here or if they wish to return with Brevity to the new world she is establishing." 

While most everypony knew exactly what was going on, Twilight was completely oblivious.  She asked, "Return to a new world?  What are you talking about?"

Celestia nudged Twilight and replied, "Twilight, that is something we can discuss later." 

The first to respond to Brevity was Colgate, "Brevity, since I will have a nation to lead once it is founded, I will be returning with you." 

Brevity then turned to the Apple Family awaiting a response from them.  Applejack said, "Brevity your Majesty, since Twilight is good again Ah think Ah'll remain here and revive the farm." 

Granny Smith added, "I will stay here as well.  What about you Big Mac?"

Big Mac added, "Eeyep!" 

She then turned to Fluttershy who replied, "Your Majesty, since Twilight is good now I think I'll stay as well." 

In unison the Cutie Mark Crusaders added, "We will stay as well." 

Luna added, "Brevity, while I know I would have a leadership role in our new world, I wish to stay here to be with my sister."  She turned to Celestia and continued, "Besides, I have been parted from her for far too long." 

LaurFa also added, "Sister, I know we both had big plans for that world but I believe I will remain here and resume my duties on Alicorn Island." 

Brevity turned to Colgate and asked, "Supreme Commander Colgate, are thou certain thou wishes to return to the new world since everypony else who left is staying here?"

Colgate replied, "Yes your Majesty, I do wish to return with you.  I have these wings and for many, many years I had a leadership role and once we get our Equestria founded, I plan on ruling over it." 

Brevity looked out into the crowd and asked, "Dost anypony else wish to have a leadership role in the new world?"

Brevity was greeted with silence so she turned to Colgate and continued, "Well Colgate, Brevity supposes it will be up to us to establish and rule the new world." 

Colgate replied, "Brevity, out of the ponies we are leading to their new lands, I see some who would make great leaders."

Brevity gave her a smile and ordered, "Colgate, stand by us so we may return to our world." 

LaurFa yelled, "Brevity wait, aren't you two going to stay even for a little while longer?"

Brevity replied, "No sister, we have many, many ponies awaiting our return so we may continue to lead them to their new homelands." 

Once again Brevity's horn began to glow again and as she recited the proper spell, her and Colgate were encircled in a pinkish-yellow ball and then disappeared.  For one pony, like everything had been recently, this was so confusing to Twilight.  She turned to LaurFa and asked, "LaurFa, I know I only knew you while I was corrupted but I was wondering if you would help me understand everything more since you have been around for so long." 

LaurFa replied, "Of course I can Twilight!"   She looked around at everypony who was present and continued, "Well we do have leadership across some parts of our world but there are some places that will need leadership in this world with everything that has happened." 

Twilight asked, "What about Equestria?  Who will rule Equestria?"

LaurFa replied, "Twilight, it will likely be Celestia but there are many places in the world that have no leadership" she pointed towards White Magick and added, "and I think somepony should be given a leadership role somewhere given what he has done for our world."  She turned back to Twilight and finished, "But I think it would be best if everypony who has had some sort of leadership role in this world discuss this in a meeting.  For now, let's just relax though.  We have all been through enough for one day." 

Twilight agreed and did her best to enjoy herself but she knew that she would not be able to relax entirely until she found out about everything that happened while she was corrupted nor would she be able to relax until she knew what she was going to do regarding a place to live.