Once they got inside the palace, the Equestrians stared awkwardly at Twilight who stared awkwardly back at them with Tempest, the Harmony Guard and Grubber at her side. Then suddenly it was broken by Twilight magically pulling them into a hug while rambling:
“I am so sorry about what happened at the rehearsal! I hope you can all forgive me, especially you Shining and Cadence. I am so sorry for leaving without telling anypony and how I almost ruined your wedding. Spike, I so missed you and everybody else. I hope you have been washing behind your ears......”
The Equestrians took a moment to relax as they all hugged Twilight back with Spike especially happy in how she addressed him specifically (though embarrassing how she had done so). Anymore discussion could wait but at the moment, they finally had their friend back.
“Wow, so sappy and all that.” Commented Grubber out loud and everyone gave a stare at him. “Sorry, did I ruin an emotional moment?” Grubber asked sheepishly as Tempest shook her head at him.
“We will be here if you need us your majesty, I will let you have your moment with your friends.” Tempest told Twilight with a bow as Twilight gave a slight nod to her with a smile. It felt odd to Equestrians as Twilight was silently acknowledging a friend and not her captain of the guard.
“So Twilight, have you been in a lot of places since you ran away?” Pinkie shouted with a big smile to shaking heads of the Equestrians but Twilight smiled. She definitely missed Pinkie being Pinkie.
“Well before I met Tempest and formed the Harmony Kingdom, the first adventure I had got on took me through this magic portal to this land without magic...” Twilight began to explain as Pinkie chimed in. It was just when the others were anxious to hear about what she was up to.
“Ooh, did you meet a meanie and different versions of us but formed the power of friendship to make her a good guy. There they would have their own spin off which included us being big meanies to the former big meanie due to contrived circumstances set up by the CMC?” Pinkie chimed in again as everybody blinked.
Even for Pinkie standards, that last bit seemed like a stretch. Though for the other four elements it struck them the idea of them turning on a friend and being a jerk due to contrived circumstances... it made them silently groan.........
“No, I can’t say that happened Pinkie...” Twilight responded to much disappointment and shock from Pinkie.
“Though the land without magic I went to did involve redemption for bad guys, but it was a cursed place connected to this forest where all magic came at a price.” Twilight explained with a shrug as everybody tilted their heads.
Just what had Twilight been up to?
“But can we please address the elephant in the room?” Spike asked pointing to Twilight’s wings. Before anybody could respond there was a squeal of delight as they then looked to an elephant that had been cleaning the palace.
“Finally, I had been here since day one and that was the first time someone even noticed me!” the elephant cried tears of joy as he then went back to work.
Their eyes widened and they blinked but Grubber just sighed.
“Look, I asked the land of the elephants that we conquered to send someone to clean the palace. I thought that it might have gotten dirty in the thousand years since it was banished. Better watch your step also as to help explore the palace; I invited the pony who could shrink himself that’s an old friend of mine...” Grubber explained as everybody shook their heads weirded out.
“Okay seriously, you had to go all the way for that joke just to pad things out. This is the level of comedy writing that the readers have to tolerate. Plus I get more to do than just be an Ariel copy of the Deadpool copy....” Princess Skystar muttered as Pinkie Pie got angry. She was seconds away from ranting that breaking the 4th wall was her thing.
“Now we got that uncomfortable interruption away, can we please ask how and where you got those wings Twilight dear. I didn’t think becoming an alicorn was possible?” Rarity questioned already looking over Twilight’s wings and mentally going over the dresses she would make for Twilight now.
“It’s a bit of a long story Rarity....” Twilight muttered letting Rarity marvel at her wings for a bit.
“They are nice egghead but you might have to tell us once we bring you back to Ponyville. Plus get you settled back in the library.” Rainbow Dash said flying in to take a look at Twilight’s wings. Twilight’s eyes widened as she straightened at what Rainbow Dash had just said.
“Rainbow Dash, I am not going back to Equestria. Maybe to visit and catch up to everypony but I am not moving back.” Twilight told her in an apologetic tone which caused the Equestrians to jump as it had never registered to them in all this time that Twilight might not want to come back to them.
“WHAT? We have been looking for you for a long time and you say you are not coming back? Why the hay not?” Rainbow Dash demanded getting in Twilight’s face. Tempest then went to work pulling Rainbow Dash’s tail away. Twilight then raised a hoof to Tempest, silently telling her that she can handle this.
Tempest gave a nod as Twilight faced Rainbow Dash and the others and explained “sorry, I know everypony we knew in Equestria misses me but I am in no position to come back. I am the Queen of the Harmony Kingdom and we had just finished annexing the last of the Storm King’s former territory. So that’s the lands south of Equestria that is counting on me to be their monarch and leader.”
“We just got you back and no way are we losing you just so that you can continue playing queen...” Rainbow Dash shouted as there were gasps from Spike, Fluttershy, Rarity and Cadence. They could all tell things would get worst.
“Playing? PLAYING? Do you think I have been playing a foal’s game all this time Rainbow Dash? I certainly was not playing when I have been fighting to overthrow tyrants so I could free their lands from the oppression they faced!” Twilight fired back her horn lighting up with the rage that was now building up.
Skystar and Grubber then wisely decided to let them be as they went to check on the Crystal Ponies outside.
“About that Twiley.” Shining said speaking up and Cadance was praying to every deity she could think of that Shining would not make this worst. “I think its best that if we took you back to Equestria away from this Kingdom. A lot of important ponies are being scared by this so called Kingdom and I am worried they might come after you if it gets out that you are the figurehead. I don’t think blame you but I think the company you keep might be influencing you negatively.” Shining softly told Twilight with a glance at Tempest who was getting angry.
“He is putting his hoove into his mouth so far that the ankle is almost there!!!” Cadance screamed in her head ready to step in but Shining continued.
“Including whatever spell you used against Sombra. I know you mean well but that kind of magic is dangerous.........” Shining continued on but Twilight exploded.
“So ponies think of MY kingdom as a threat just because we are doing our best to do what it takes to liberate the territories of a tyrant? Just because we use whatever it takes to fight against the empire of a mad king? The Storm King apparently was able to building his kingdom for years unopposed but only when we are undoing it plus saving other kingdoms while we are at it, we are the villains?” Twilight shouted out furiously making Shining step back in fear.
Shining was about to speak only for Cadance to get in his face and snarled uncharacteristically “You...... Have said.......... ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!” Shining gulped as it finally dawned on him that he has finally screwed up his reconciliation with his beloved sister.
Cadance then put on her best sisterly look as she faced Twilight who was calming down upon looking at her. She was letting go of her anger when Cadance pulled her into a hug.
“Sorry about that Twilight, I know he is a complete dunderhead, but he let his worry and fear for your saftey cloud his judgement with what little he knows of your Kingdom. Out context to whatever you were actually doing, he just jumped to conclusions. He has just been scared for your saftey just as I was. It’s nice finally getting to see you since the last time I had seen you was before you moved to Ponyville.” Cadance told Twilight softly. Then suddenly a light bulb clicked in Twilight’s head as she got up and faced Cadance in confusion.
“What do you mean? I saw you plenty of times in the wedding preparations and the rehearsal was when we last spoke. You know when I accused you of being evil?” Twilight asked growing suspicious as she saw the Equestrians’ now were looking nervous and guilty.
“Twilight, that was not Cadance. That was the Changeling Queen pretending to be Cadance. The threat that had infiltrated Equestria and taken Cadance prisoner to impersonate her. We beat her in the end but you were right..... kind of.... Cadance was not herself or rather the fake Cadance was but nopony noticed....” Spike spoke up thinking it was not use trying to postpone the inevitable.
Twilight had her mouth open as she was trying to process this information. All these nights she thought of how guilty and cowardly she was to accuse Cadance of being evil but she had been onto something.
“I............. need time to myself.....” Twilight muttered looking like she was going to break down. She turned to Tempest and told her “sorry Tempest but i am going to palace bedrooms, nopony is to disturb me please........”
Tempest gave a salute and sympathetic look in her eye as Twilight flew up the palace stairs. Rainbow Dash went to chase her but Tempest caught her in a force field and told her harshly “I believe you heard the queen!”
“I can’t believe you two idiots! We could have eased all this out and settled this peacefully but NNOOO you two idiots had to ruin everything! That was our best chance to reconcile and we could have gone over concerns about her kingdom later but you turned off your brains! I am so...... peeved!” shouted Fluttershy using her Stare on both Shining and Dash.
It left a stunned silence and nopony was more surprised than her.
That had been one of the most uncharacteristic sentences that she had ever said in her entire life.
Just when they thought things could not get more complicated.....
Skystar and Grubber went through the front doors and shut it. They then faced Tempest who told her “Sorry but we have a situation, the Crystal Ponies are insisting to see their new queen to thank her for defeating Sombra...”