On the outskirts of Ponyville, Twilight and her friends (along with Spike) all regrouped. To say the invasion had caught them off guard would be an understatement. All of them were quite shaken up and still in a state of shock, trying to process all that had happened.
"That was... horrible!" Fluttershy shuddered and shook. "We weren't prepared at all!"
"And to think, that's just an appetizer," Applejack commented with concern. "If things were that bad with just that Tempest pony, the Storm King must be at least ten times worse."
Rainbow Dash tried to wave a hoof and dismiss the concerns. "Big deal! We've taken on monsters like that at least half a dozen times or so, and we've always won in the end. This will be no different, right?" When she saw that no one was backing her up, her bravado faded as she starting frantically buzzing around and asking. "Right?! Tell me I'm right!"
But Twilight could only shake her head from side to side in disapproval. "How could this have happened? Why did it have to happen now of all times?" She looked down at the ground in shame. "Everypony was in danger, because of me! If I hadn't put on this festival, the other princesses wouldn't have been captured. All our friends wouldn't be at the mercy of an invading army."
Rarity simply sighed unhappily. "Well, there's no way we can go back in time and undo what's been done. There's only one thing we can do."
Pinkie Pie began to perk up as she excitedly exclaimed! "Ah yeah! It's time to use the Elements of Harmony again! They'll be just the thing to send the bad guys packing and get the festival back on track!"
Fluttershy gulped and swallowed hard. "But you're forgetting one thing: The elements are deep in the Everfree Forest, and that's all the way on the other side of town from where we are."
Pinkie's happy mood faded as the realization settled in. "Oh yeah. That's... gonna be a while," Still, she tried to put on a brave face. "But it'll all be worth it when we have the Elements of Harmony and can drive that army away. And if that Storm King meanie shows his face, we'll send him packing too!"
Twilight wasn't convinced. "We've never used the Elements of Harmony to defeat an entire army before. It took a different kind of magic to do that. The best they've done is turn villains to stone or banish them. I don't know if they'd have enoguh power to handle someone who wants the magic of all the alicorns."
Rarity then inquired of the alicorn princess. "So, just what are we supposed to do, Twilight? We very well can't stand around here and do nothing! Not when everypony's counting on us to come back and save them!" A firey look came into her eyes as she vowed! "And we will save them, no matter what it takes!"
"Yeah! Now you're talking!" Rainbow Dash chimed in, then turned to Twilight. "So, what's our plan? If we're not going to use the Elements of Harmony, then what are we gonna use? It's gotta be something!"
With all eyes now focused on her, Twilight shut her eyes in silent contemplation. She needed to think hard about this. The stakes couldn't be higher if they tried. The Storm King's army hadn't come after her and her friends yet, but she suspected that would change before long. She needed to come up with a plan, and she needed to come up with it now.
So the young alicorn started pacing back and forth, thinking in her mind. Suddenly, it came to her! Something she remembered overhearing Princess Celestia saying! Just like that, the young alicorn felt confident that she knew what needed to be done. She opened her eyes as they brimmed with confidence.
"Twilight?" Spike nervously asked.
Twilight took a deep breath and smiled. "We need help, far more help than the Elements of Harmony can give us. And we can't stay here. The Storm King's army is sure to come after us if we do. What we need is to assemble an army of our own, one strong enough to repel the invaders. That's why I think it's best if we all split up. Each of you will go off on your own to talk to some of the allies we've made with other kingdoms, other countries," She put a hoof down, firmly vowing. "They can help us!"
Spike then saw fit to question. "And what about me, Twilight?"
"You're going to be sticking with me, Spike," Twilight insisted as she then explained. "I overheard Princess Celestia telling Princess Luna to flee south and seek help from Novo, queen of the hippo-"
"Queen of the hippos?" Fluttershy questioned.
Twilight shook her head from side to side. "No, not that. But I'm not sure what Princess Celestia meant to say, she was interrupted before she could finish."
Applejack shot a quirked brow at her princess friend. "Then why seek her out? Sounds to me like we have no idea who she is or what she even looks like. Do we even know for sure she still exists? Somethin' might have happened to her."
"Which is why I think it best if only Spike and I go off to find her," Twilight informed her friends. "We'd have to travel beyond Equestria's borders. And there's no telling what sort of danger we might encounter down there. But I'm thoroughly convinced this queen knows something about the Storm King. That has to be why Princess Celestia would want anypony to seek Novo out."
But Applejack stomped a hoof down and snorted. "There's no way we're lettin' you go off by yourself, sugarcube! Not in a million years! Even if Spike goes with ya, we'd never be able to live with ourselves if anythin' happened to ya because we weren't there for you! If you're goin' south, so are we!"
The young alicorn protested. "No, Spike and I must go alone! It's for the best! I'm sure we'll be fine."
Rainbow Dash immediately swooped down in front of Twilight. "I'm with Applejack on this one! No way in hay are we letting you rush into danger without us! Either we're all going, or we're not going anywhere!"
"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. "Besides, a trip beyond Equestria sounds fun! Who knows what exciting new locations we'll see or what new friends we might make?"
"Like it or not, Twilight," Fluttershy spoke up as she and Rarity trotted over. "We're not taking no for an answer. So please, let us go with you."
Reluctantly, Twilight found herself unable to disagree with her friends. She sighed and relented. "Oh, alright. I suppose if you're all this determined to come along with me, there's nothing I can say or do to stop you."
"Hooray!" Twilight's friends all cheered in unison!
The studious alicorn raised up a hoof. "But don't expect it to be all sunshine and rainbows. I don't know much about the lands south of Equestria, but I can't imagine they'll be very friendly. We'll have to be careful."
"Don't worry, Twilight," Fluttershy reassuringly spoke up. "As long as we're all together, we'll be fine."
Just like that, the disagreement was settled. The friends were now setting off on a journey to lands unknown, seeking out a queen they had never heard of before.
As the group of eight trotted off toward the horizon, Twilight Sparkle opted to take one last look at the town of Ponyville. Something swelled up inside of her as she thought of all her friends, all the other creatures, and even her family, all of whom had been captured because of her. Silenty, she vowed. "I will save you all! I promise!"