//------------------------------// // Chapter 33 // Story: War in Equestria: The Tale of Bright Blade // by Michael_Ravencroft //------------------------------// Chapter 33: An Unlikely Savior ***4 days ago – Enemy Base*** Twilight felt unusually weak, and her body ached all over. She was lying on something uncomfortably hard, with faint dripping sounds in the background, echoing around her. "Wake up…" said a voice. Twilight groggily opened her eyes; she scanned the room, her head drifting from one side to the next. It was dank, and dimly lit, the room looked like it was carved out from rock. Twilight began to rise, her legs were shaky, but still she managed to stand. Her senses were quickly returning to her, allowing her to take in more detail as her eyes adjusted to the light. The room was indeed carved from rock, but to her left were rows of bars, and a padlocked door. Where…where am I? I-I remember fighting with Trixie, our spells clashed, and then I got hit with her spell…So why…? "I'm so happy you've awoken," said the unknown voice. "Who's there, why am I in a dungeon cell, show yourself!" Twilight ordered. A figure began to stir in the shadows, the figure trotted closer. To Twilight's great surprise, it was Princess Celestia! "Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student…" "Princess Celestia! Not that I'm not glad to see you your Highness, but why am I in here, what happened!?" "Because, Twilight, you went on a rampage and nearly destroyed your allies and your friend! Trixie managed to knock you out and killed Bright Blade right after," stated the Princess, her tone cold. "What…!? No that can't be true, Trixie – Trixie wouldn't do that, it was an accident!" "The first time maybe, but not the second time, she was duly punished for treason and murder. However Twilight, your punishment has yet to start…" "My-my punishment…?" Twilight asked puzzled, her mind blown from what her teacher had told her. "Yes, for not clearing your duel with me before hoof, and agreeing to such ridiculous terms during wartime! I've decided to put you here in a cage, a perfect place for a wild mare like yourself." Twilight's eyes were wide, with tears starting to stream down them. "Do not worry my prized pupil, I will personally see to your rehabilitation. The fun part will be breaking you down, only then can we enjoy the thrill of remolding you, you'll thank me someday Twilight!" "What – this can't be happening – it's a bad dream – YES! That's what it is, a bad dream, I –!" As Twilight was starting to panic she noticed something, Princess Celestia's eyes shifted, for just a brief second, showing dark green slit cat-eyes. "You're not the Princess! I hope you had a good laugh, Queen Chrysalis!" The fake Princess Celestia began to laugh whole heartedly as the body of the royal alicorn was stripped away, and revealed the insect/equine form of the Changeling Queen. "Oh well, I was hoping you were going to buy it, it would've been so much fun to torture you thinking it was actually Celestia!" Chrysalis said. "Let's see if you think this is funny!" Twilight willed her magical power into her horn, but for some odd reason, she couldn't connect to it. "What's happening, why can't I use – Oh no, where is it!?" Twilight placed a hoof on her head and felt around, unfortunately there was no sign of her Element of Magic tiara. "Hmm, you mean this?" Queen Chrysalis levitated a small wooden box, wrapped in a green magical aura. The lid of the box opened up, inside was Twilight's tiara, its usual magical glow was somewhat diminished. "This might look like an ordinary box, but it was made to suppress your Element's power, compliments of lord Tikara. The same goes for your cell, the bars emit a magic damping field, tailored specifically to you!" Well that explains why I feel so weak, thought Twilight. The lavender mare then grunted in frustration and began to pace around the cell, her mind was quickly at work trying to decipher a way out of the current situation. "So, why am I still alive!? I'd figured you want to kill me, in fact, in my current state now would be the best time to do that?" "Don't worry Twilight Sparkle, I will have my time to play with you, have no doubts about that." Chrysalis's face began to twist into a sadistic, evil smile, as she contemplated such things. "But for now I need you alive, and apparently so does lord Tikara…Now hold still!" "What the –!?" Before Twilight could react, Chrysalis fired a beam from her horn. It struck Twilight and surrounded her in its evil glow. A tingling feeling ran throughout her body, Twilight was afraid, wondering if Chrysalis was trying to enact a torture curse, or a delayed kill spell. After a minute the glow zapped back to Chrysalis, a blinding flash of light filled the room, making Twilight shut her eyes. Twilight slowly opened her eyes and gasped at what she saw. "You have got to be kidding me!?" Queen Chrysalis had transformed herself into Twilight; she scanned her new form, looking between herself and the original. Making sure that nothing was amiss. "Excellent, lord Tikara's power is magnificent," said Chrysalis, in Twilight's voice. "Phfft, please, you don't actually think that's going to work!?" asked Twilight, un-amused by Chrysalis's impersonation. "Oh I'm well aware of your fort's Anti-Changeling defenses, which is why I had the foresight to ask lord Tikara to augment my powers!" Twilight suddenly tensed up, remembering what the dark alicorn had done for Trixie, which could only mean whatever he did for Chrysalis was probably going to be twice as bad. "I've learned from my mistakes Twilight Sparkle. Thanks to him, I can now copy – not only a pony's appearance – but even their memories, their quirks, their annoying feelings, and, most importantly, their aura…" Chrysalis allowed Twilight a moment to let that sink in, as well as the implications. "No…that's impossible!" "Is it, does this sound familiar? Ahem. The clock is ticking Twilight! CLOCK. IS. TICKING!" Chrysalis then imitated Twilight's "freak out" appearance, the same face she made when Twilight thought she was going to be tardy. "I even know about all those embarrassing moments you had with your older brother Shining Armor…Oh my, don't want Cadance knowing about that little incident now do we," said Chrysalis with a sly smile. Twilight noticeably cringed, wondering exactly what memory she was sifting through. She felt violated, having somepony rifle through her memories, and taking pleasure in knowing every embarrassing and or disturbing detail about her life. "ENOUGH! So you know some secrets about me, my friends will be able to tell the difference!" "You weren't listening, were you? It's not just your memories, but your mannerisms, emotions; as far as anypony is concerned I am Twilight Sparkle!" Chrysalis took a moment to think, another sly smile arched across her face. "Hold on what's this…ah the colt, Bright Blade. It would seem that lord Tikara was right about him, oh this is going to be delicious!" "What was he right about!? What does Tikara Balak know about Bright Blade," asked Twilight. "Heh-Heh, if you live long enough, maybe lord Tikara will fill you in. I'll be seeing you Twilight Sparkle, enjoy the accommodations." Queen Chrysalis laughed as she exited the dungeon, leaving Twilight alone. With nothing but the box with her Element tiara, and her worries about what the ruler of the Changelings would do to her friends, and to Bright Blade. ***Present Day – Enemy Base – Dungeons*** Four days had passed since Twilight was left to rot in the enemy's dungeon, four days that Queen Chrysalis has had to wreak havoc with her life. Every once in a while a Changeling drone would come with food, nothing special just some hay, enough to keep her alive. Twilight had never felt so helpless in her life, here she was mere feet away from her tiara, and the only thing standing in her way was some magic canceling prison bars. However, this time in the cell did allow her to think over the events of the war. As well as offer her time to sort out her feelings towards Bright Blade, which in the end led her in a complete circle right back to where she started. Today was a little different; the Changeling drone responsible for bringing her food was late, Twilight didn't know whether to take that as a good or bad sign. "Probably going to start starving me to death," said Twilight. Just then she heard something, a rumbling, and felt slight tremors. Twilight quickly rose to her hooves; she couldn't sense anything while inside the cell, so it was impossible to determine what was going on. Suddenly, within the shadows, a large explosion burst forth. The door that the Changeling drone would come in and out of was completely blown away! Twilight ducked behind a large rock that was in her cell, using it for cover. She peered from behind the rock, cautiously. Her jaw dropped as she saw who had caused the explosion. "I don't – that's impossible! Mare-Do-Well!?" Indeed it was her, the masked superhero, Mare-Do-Well! With her long black cape and cowl, purple hat and suit, and sky blue eyes. The mysterious mare trotted carefully, and looked around before continuing forward. She stopped about a foot away from the bars, inspecting them. Twilight was shaking her head in disbelief; there was no logical way this could be happening. This – this is impossible! I mean, Mare-Do-Well is saving me!? But Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, AJ, and I are Mare-Do-Well! The only one who knows who her secret identity is Rainbow Dash! Mare-Do-Well seemed to have figured out something, she took a few steps and assumed a stance. Her hat levitated off her head, revealing a cowl wrapped horn. "Stand back," she said. Twilight ducked behind the rock without hesitation. A magenta aura blazed to life from her horn and shot forth at the padlock on the cell door. The bars shined as runic markings floated about, after a few seconds all the runes were destroyed in a surge of magical light. The padlock fell off, and the door hinged open with an irritating creaking sound. Twilight felt like a haze had been lifted from her mind and soul, now able to feel mana once again. She cautiously stepped from behind the rock, eyeing her rescuer suspiciously. "Thank you, Mare-Do-Well, for freeing me." Mare-Do-Well fired another beam of magic, this time at the box containing Twilight's tiara. The box sprung open showing its contents, free of whatever spell that was placed upon it. The masked hero then returned her hat atop her head. "We need to leave, now." Twilight didn't recognize her voice. It was feminine, but slightly gruff. In any case, Twilight levitated her tiara back to its place atop her head. Almost instantly her Elemental Armor incased her in its protective power. Twilight could already sense her magical powers returning, but still, she was cut off from the power for a while, it was going to take time before she could pull off any powerful spells. A fact she knew well. Twilight then followed Mare-Do-Well, the two of them strolling through the halls of Tikara Balak's secret base. The whole time Twilight tried to discern who she was. "Rarity…?" Mare-Do-Well shook her head. "Amethyst Star…?" Another shake of the head. "Moondancer…? Lyra…?" Again, another no, which even Twilight had to admit, she was grasping at straws with those last two. "We need to get you outside, once we've done that you can teleport away from this place," said Mare-Do-Well. "I'm gaining back some of my magic, so I could teleport us out of here now," offered Twilight. "No, the base has a Teleportation Canceller spell placed on it. All those who are not allied with Tikara Balak cannot escape from here, by any magical means. So we will have to travel outside the base if we wish to escape." The hallway was filled with snarls and roars, Mare-Do-Well and Twilight stopped in their tracks. Three lumbering beasts started to block their path. Their arms were huge and beefy, with razor sharp claws that dug into the rock like a hot knife through butter. Their eyes were black, with red dots in the center. All three of them wore diamond studded collars, and raggedy vests. Their mouths were filled with gnarled fangs, ready to tear into their pony hides. As beastly as they were, Twilight vaguely recognized them. "Tikara Balak even corrupted the Diamond Dogs! They were bad, but they didn't deserve this!" "Tikara Balak has a way of…manipulating others to get what he wants, stand aside Twilight Sparkle," ordered Mare-Do-Well. The lead Diamond Dog, once called Rover, stalked towards them. His mouth salivating, growling with anticipation for the kill, Mare-Do-Well attacked. Her hat flew off as she fired a powerful magic bolt at Rover; the Diamond Dog brought up its strong forearms and blocked the attack. The other two Diamond Dogs, Spot and Fido, ran past Rover and lunged for the masked mare. Mare-Do-Well disappeared in a flash of magenta light, teleporting herself behind the corrupted beasts. Mare-Do-Well summoned ropes of magical light, wrapping around the Diamond Dog's forearms and necks. With a quick slash of their claws, the beasts were freed, leering at the one who dared to restrain them. Twilight, unable to stand back and just watch, fired a strong magic bolt that pierced straight through Spot's head. The, relatively, small Diamond Dog fell to the ground with a thud, a small hole in his head, evidence of Twilight's precision shot. Fido roared upon seeing his fellow Diamond Dog killed, he turned around and started running for Twilight. The lavender mare tried to fire another bolt, but she couldn't, inadvertently jumping the gun and setting her mana recovery back. "TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" Mare-Do-Well teleported herself between Fido and Twilight, just as the Diamond Dog's claws swiped. The deadly sharp claws slashed against Mare-Do-Well's cowl, ripping it apart and sending her falling to the ground. Twilight gasped and her eye twitched as the identity of Mare-Do-Well was revealed. "TRIXIE!?" The azure unicorn got up and turned her head to Twilight, her silver mane now flowing out, and her fierce violet eyes locked with her rival's. "Talk later, fight now," even though it was Trixie speaking, her voice still sounded different. Trixie returned her attention to Fido, the huge hound was ready to finish what he had started, but Trixie was too. A magic circle appeared in front of Trixie with a runic symbol in the center. "Archaía téchni̱:̱ Kýma Astrapí̱!" Lightning surged forth from the circle, electrifying Fido. Electrical crackling, along with the pungent smell of ozone and burning fur, filled the hallway. In a matter of seconds Fido fell to the ground, twitching, but very much dead. The last Diamond Dog, Rover raked his claws against the ground, squaring off with Trixie. "Archaía téchni̱:̱ Skorpiós Kentrí, dipló pyrovolismó!" The Scorpio magical circle formed, instead of one needle, the circle fired two long violet needles. The magic needles hit home, one in Rovers heart and the last in his head, the last Diamond Dog then toppled over as the needles dispersed into violet colored particles. Trixie took a deep breath and then a long exhale, calming herself, the azure mare glanced over at Twilight giving her an indifferent smile. "Come, Twilight Sparkle," Trixie's voice took on its original tone, "we must press forward…" The two of them trotted along in silence, carefully making their way through the network of tunnels that made up Tikara Balak's secret base. Twilight had a million questions storming her head among them two echoed loudly, why was Trixie dressed as Mare-Do-Well and why had she come to her rescue? "Ahem, thank you Trixie," said Twilight. "Do not thank Trixie just yet; we have yet to make it out of this place." "Trixie, don't take this the wrong way, but why are you dressed like that? The only ones who have that outfit are Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and –" "You, more specifically, in your house in the upstairs closet, tucked away in a box where nopony can see it," interrupted Trixie. Twilight stopped in her tracks, another mystery having been added to the pile. "How do you know – Okay what happened after I was sent here by you, are you betraying Tikara Balak!?" Trixie sighed heavily; there was no getting around it. "Trixie did not transport you here, in fact, she had thought you dead." That seemed to confuse Twilight. "When Trixie used her spell, and saw that you were gone, she panicked…Your companion, Bright Blade, retaliated and tried to kill Trixie!" She stopped and brought Twilight close to the wall, Trixie then peered around the corner of the next corridor; there was no sign of Daemoni or Changeling sentries. They continued on as Trixie spoke again. "Trixie had to use a teleportation spell; unfortunately, Trixie was caught in the blast for a few seconds. But nonetheless Trixie was able to get away; Trixie didn't care where she was sent, just anywhere but there…" "Wait you didn't intend for me to be put in that cell," asked Twilight. "Trixie is getting to that. Anyway, Trixie was knocked out when she teleported, and when she awoke Trixie found herself in a library. It didn't take Trixie long to figure out that it was your dwelling place, Trixie must say, it was quite nice…" The silver maned unicorn hung her head, prompting Twilight to wonder what was wrong. "Trixie decided to hide herself inside, to heal herself and regain her strength. Trixie-Trixie couldn't believe what she had done, Trixie wanted to win at all costs, but not at the cost of your life Twilight Sparkle. Believe what you will, but Trixie had no intention of sending you here." "You thought I was dead – wait everypony thinks I'm dead!?" Twilight took a moment to calm herself, dreading to wonder how her friends and family were handling such news. "But weren't you the one trying to become the Greatest Magician in Equestria, wouldn't it help you if I were out of the way?" "Hmph, Trixie wanted you to live Twilight Sparkle, to have you suffer the same humiliation as Trixie did when we first met, how does killing you serve that purpose, well Twilight Sparkle!?" Trixie turned her head to the left, staring at Twilight. "There was something odd when Trixie cast the spell, something that Trixie felt, but couldn't put her hoof on, so Trixie took the liberty of using your books to find this out." "So what did you find out," asked Twilight curious. With a furrowed brow Trixie growled. "Trixie had been tricked! The spell that Trixie was taught was supposed to empower her, allow for one last push to make the spell that much stronger. But somehow Tikara Balak had layered another spell within that one, a kind of encrypted teleportation spell, made to send you here! Needless to say Trixie was furious!" "I knew Tikara Balak had strong magical abilities, but I never knew he could do something like that!? Well that explains how I got here, but that still doesn't explain why you're dressed like that or how you found this place," said Twilight. They stopped for a rest in an empty room; Trixie cast a spell upon the door to prevent any sound from escaping, and to keep any passersby from entering. "Twilight Sparkle…" "Trixie, you don't have to use my full name, just Twilight is fine." That seemed to take Trixie by surprise, but regardless Trixie did as she asked. "Twilight then, this may be hard for you to hear. Ponyville was attacked during your incarceration, many lives were lost…" "WHAT, that's impossible!? Fort Avalon is the first line of defense! They would've had to get past all the UEA forces in order to get to Ponyville!" At that moment a horrible thought entered the lavender mare's mind. "Don't tell me the fort was…?" "No, it was not destroyed. The Daemoni horde was slipped behind the lines thanks to Discord's power. When Trixie heard the commotion outside she rushed to leave, but could not risk being seen. So Trixie searched around your home and found this costume, upon dawning the costume Trixie then proceeded to leave. Along the way Trixie spotted some fillies, three in fact, trying to flee with two foals in tow." Twilight seemed to get even more worried upon hearing that bit of news. Fearing the worst, she asked, "Tell me, did one of those fillies have a red mane and pink bow?" "Yes, now that Trixie thinks about it, there was one," answered Trixie. "What…what happened to them…?" "Trixie saved them, at least when she first saw them. Your friends, in the end, came to save them and your town." Oh thank Celestia, thought Twilight. "Twilight, there's something else that you must know, something that awaits you upon your return," said Trixie grimily. "What exactly…?" "Queen Chrysalis." Twilight tensed, remembering that the Changeling Queen had taken on her appearance and was doing, Celesita knows what. "She has effectively fooled everypony into thinking she is you. But that is not the worst of it…" "Really, the Queen of evil is masquerading as me and is probably wrecking my life and scheming to hurt my friends, what can be worse than that!?" "Chrysalis has revealed Bright Blade's identity as being a Construct created by Tikara Balak," said Trixie. Twilight blinked at that statement, too stunned to speak. It just couldn't be true, could it? It-it does make sense, in a way…Transforming into an alicorn, his ability to use Excellion, his lost memories – everything! But still… "I refuse to believe that Trixie, there's no way any of that is true! Bright Blade's – Bright Blade's a good colt, he's brave, strong, and selfless in battle! You yourself saw to what lengths he's willing to protect somepony he cares for!" "Twilight, Chrysalis showed them your journal, in the throne room, in front of all your friends, and the Princesses." Twilight felt like she just got smacked in the face by a pile of bricks. "No…She couldn't have – that means that…!" "I saw what was written in that journal Twilight, Trixie has to say, even I am now suspicious of him, and his intentions." "Wait, I've seen the throne room in Fort Avalon. How in the hay did you find all this out," asked Twilight trying desperately to find some way to discredit what Trixie had said. "Trixie learned quite a few spells while perusing through your library texts, while I was not there physically I was there mentally. By casting a 'Roaming Eye' spell, I was able to see what was happening, undetected and unnoticed. Apparently all the memories you and your friends had of him were fake, but somehow the Princesses knew this before hoof." Twilight hung her head low. I suspected as much, the spell Celestia and I performed at the altar of Epona…That must've been the cause. "And Bright Blade, what happened to him…?" "He ran away." Twilight's head shot up, an expression of worry plain on her face. "It seemed like the colt was heartbroken, in the midst of despair, he shot through the roof and flew off for parts unknown." Trixie noticed that Twilight was beginning to curse Chrysalis for putting him through that. "That is why I have come, not just to make sure I can have a rematch, but to put things right!" Twilight's ears perked up and beamed a confident smile at the azure mare. "Then what are we waiting for!? Let's move out!" With renewed vigor, Twilight and Trixie made their way through the rest of the tunnels. Trixie led the way the entire time, impressing Twilight with her navigational skills, even in this dismal place. The duo was nearing the Grand Hall, trotting stealthy side-by-side. "By the way Trixie, how did you find this place," asked Twilight. Trixie gave her a smug grin. "Trixie planted a locator spell within this place, unknown to Tikara Balak! Once Trixie had defeated you, Trixie was planning on delivering the location of his secret base to the Princesses herself." "So you were acting as a double agent?" "For the most part, Trixie may want to defeat you Twilight, but I'm not so lost that I would betray my homeland," said Trixie with a sense of pride. Trixie and Twilight had now entered the Grand Hall, more tunnel entryways spread out in every direction. Trixie took a moment and flared up her horn, making sure of which tunnel led to the way out. As Twilight waited her eyes fell upon the giant ornate doors, they had ancient runic writing on them, much like the ones she saw in the underground chamber of Epona's altar. As Twilight got closer she could feel the amount of dark magic oozing from the door, as well as something else. Something that made Twilight's Element Armor react, as if warning her that there was something truly evil behind these doors. "Trixie…What's behind these doors," she asked. Trixie glanced over at what Twilight was asking about, and with a disdain filled grunt she answered. "That is Tikara Balak's Sanctuary; none of his generals have been in there, not even Trixie. Celestia knows what he's doing in there, but Trixie believes it is something evil, perhaps the reason for this war." "Well you're not far off in that assumption." Suddenly the room was filled with a powerful oppressive dark aura. Twilight, in her weakened state, struggled to stay standing, Trixie on the other hoof seemed alright, probably somewhat immune after being around such a force for a while. Then in a flash of black magical light, Tikara Balak appeared before the unicorn mares, his gleaming yellow eyes fixed on them. "Tikara Balak…" said Trixie. "Trixie Lulamoon, and here I thought you were dead." "I guess you trained Trixie a little too well!" "Indeed I may have…" Tikara's shining eyes fell upon the armored lavender mare. "Twilight Sparkle, leaving so soon, was our hospitality not to your liking," he asked sarcastically. "I'd have more hospitality from an apple tree," retorted Twilight. Tikara Balak chuckled a bit. "You two aren't really about to leave, the main event is soon upon us, and you two would have perfect front row seats!" Twilight's mind tried to think of multiple scenarios in which she and Trixie could escape. None of them ended in their favor. Twilight couldn't stand this, they were so close to escaping and now… Twilight Sparkle… Twilight perked up, she thought she had heard Trixie's voice, but the azure mare was still in a staring contest with her former "master." Twilight Sparkle you have to do as Trixie says. Trixie, are you speaking to me telepathically!? I didn't know such a thing was possible, only exceptionally strong magic users have ever –! FOCUS! Twilight snapped out of her self-induced excitement. To your left is the tunnel that will lead you outside, when Trixie tells you to, run! Run as fast as you can and don't look back! Trixie what about you!? Don't tell me that you're going to –!? Do not think that Trixie is going to sacrifice herself for you Twilight Sparkle! Trixie is only providing you with a distraction! I plan on challenging you again, so don't you dare think I'm going to die here Twilight! Trixie you realize that you didn't talk in third person in that last sentence. Just get ready! "So 'master,' you deceived Trixie, teaching her a spell that would send her opponent straight into your clutches, Trixie must say, she is not pleased!" "Are you not, it was entirely your choice whether or not to use that spell. I merely suggested that you use it." "Is that so, then allow Trixie to use another spell you taught her! Archaía téchni̱:̱ Orgí̱ tou Yperío̱na!" Trixie's body was enveloped in a powerful magenta sphere of magical energy. The sphere then fired a stream of power, straight at Tikara Balak. The dark alicorn made no attempt to dodge it, he only let the energy pour over him, allowing himself to be consumed by the attack. "TWILIGHT RUN NOW!" Twilight hesitated, logically she knew that she had to run or else the two of them would be killed. But still she was reluctant to leave Trixie alone to fight against such a powerful opponent. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? GO NOW!" With tears in her eyes Twilight ran down the tunnel Trixie had pointed out! She ran and ran, as the echoing sounds of Trixie's fight with Tikara Balak resounded through the tunnel network. Soon Twilight spotted something up ahead, a flickering light. The lavender mare doubled her speed and pushed forward as the sounds of battle faded behind her. Twilight closed her eyes as she ran through the blinding light. After he eyes adjusted she gasped at the sight. The land was barren; a few dead trees marked the land as a once fertile place. The skies above were thick with black clouds, a few gaps showing a waxing crescent moon. "This is…the place Princess Celestia told me about, the place where the Daemoni were sealed, the Nevermore Plains!" Twilight shook her head, she had to stay focused. The armored unicorn galloped at top speed once again, putting as much distance between her and the underground base. Twilight could now feel her magic returning more quickly than before. Twilight summoned her magic and tapped into the Mana Network. In a flash of purple magical light she was gone, off to rectify the damage Chrysalis had done! Trixie, disguised as Mare-Do-Well, freed her rival and stayed behind to allow Twilight to escape! But will Twilight be able to convince her friends that it's really her, and what is Bright Blade planning to do about his identity!? The answers to all these and more will be revealed…in the next chapter!