Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity all were listening to the conversation between Twilight and Stella, holding out on doing anything to see what would happen. Rainbow's injury had been patched up in the time the two alicorns had been away, she still couldn't fly but it was a sufficient temporary solution. Fluttershy had helped enough birds with broken wings to assist a pegasus. Standing near each other, they were ready to spring into action if things picked up again, though instructed to look after their own safety more than the results of the fight.
Stella's face still bore her shocked expression. She had remained silent for a few seconds, and Twilight had stood there, waiting for a proper reaction. Finally, Stella burst into laughter, throwing her head back behind her shield as her chest shook. "Oh, please," she said as she calmed down. "You must be really desperate to try something like this. What are you even trying to accomplish? What other tricks do you have that you think I won't see?" She looked at the ground in front of herself. "More mines?"
Twilight's expression turned to sadness, but she didn't move, and so neither did her friends. "I'm serious," she said quietly, drawing Stella's attention again. "But I guess you really can't see that, can you?" She sighed, and looked to the side for a moment, towards faint lights in the distance. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice too low for Stella to hear her.
Stella gave a snort, then her horn lit differently as she checked the path between her and Twilight. Finding nothing, she settled her eyes square on the other mare. "Well. What are you waiting for? Keep fighting. We've established I'm not falling for your tactics." Twilight didn't move, and Stella was visibly annoyed. "Oh, fine. If you want me to make the first move that badly." A blast shot out of her horn towards Twilight, a sphere of energy about as big as her head. It hit Twilight square in the chest, and the alicorn fell back on the ground, breathing harshly.
Twilight's friends tensed up and almost reacted to that, but as Twilight was still conscious and still not doing anything they held themselves, some better than others. Rainbow had to place a hoof around Rarity's horn to snuff it out, and Pinkie put one over Fluttershy's shoulder, though that was for comforting her too.
Stella looked at the scene, incredulous. "Get up and fight me, you idiot. You really must have hit that tower head first. What are you waiting for? Do something!"
Twilight only gave her the decency of pushing herself up to a sitting position again. Her crown was left on the ground, sliding off as she straightened herself. She looked at Stella again, coughed as she opened her mouth, then spoke again. "Just promise me. I believe in you. I believe you can be better, you can choose what's right." She made no other motion or sound.