//------------------------------// // An unexpected visitor // Story: Homecoming // by seeker9709 //------------------------------// Twilight stared into the clear abyss. Clouds were gathering again. The clearing wouldn't last, and the storm would be back. She sat in the middle of the town square, waiting for her opponent to arrive. Behind her was Dasher, a magic chain wrapped around one hoof and connected to Twilight's horn. Twilight's face wore a mask of calmness, but underneath, she was furious. This little interruption could go wrong very quickly. Guards could arrive, and she would have to deal with them. Or the storm could be too heavy to walk through and she would lose a day of traveling. Twilight,” Dasher asked. “WHAT?” she turned to face him, her facade shattering. As she did, the end of her mane smoked, like it would combust. ...Are you... Okay?” As he spoke, Twilight narrowed her eyes. She turned back to where she was looking without answering. But Dasher wouldn't stop. “Twilight, please stop. You're scaring these people. These ponies have done nothing wrong, and you look like you're going to blow up the whole town.” “Stop talking.” “Twilight,” he continued, not listening to her. “The guard doesn't even want to fight; she wants a peaceful meeting. Please, Twilight, don't fight.” “Dasher...” Twilight warned in a booming voice. “Why are you doing this, anyway? There’s no point to fighting now.” “SHUT UP.” Twilight turned and drew one knife. She held it to Dasher's neck as she spoke. “Do not question my motives. You cannot even BEGIN to understand why I do what I do. I'm done with your questions. One more word and I'll cut your throat.” Dasher eyes went wide as the unicorn growled at him. Her voice wasn't shrill or uncontrolled. She seemed still in control, even when she was furious. Twilight's eyes narrowed. “Now, then.” Her knife held itself to Dashers neck. “Do you have anything else to say?” she asked through gritted teeth. “How about we all just calm down?” a voice suggested from behind her. Twilight turned to see a mare with a rainbow colored mane standing a few feet away. Her features held a blank look, like the look of a child walking in on a conversation not of hers. Twilight took in every detail of the mare before her. Rainbow did the same. Rainbow took a cautious step forward, and Twilight jumped into a defensive stance. Rainbow threw her front hooves out in front of her. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. No fighting. I'm here on peaceful terms. My name is Commander Rainbow Dash of the Lunar Guard.” As she spoke, Rainbow drew her weapons and dropped them on the ground. “I just want to talk. I have been sent to bring you to Canterlot for questioning.” Twilight stared at her for a moment before chuckling. She laughed to herself and hung her head. When she lifted her head, she had a warm smile across her face. “That's great. I was already on my way to Canterlot. There's just one problem though.” Her smile disappeared. “You have something of mine, and I want it back.” She fired a blast of magic at Rainbow. Waiting for such an attack, Rainbow dodged it with ease and flew a few stories above Twilight. “Hey,” she yelled down. “If you start this fight, it won't end well for you.” Twilight gave her a disappointed look. “Funny, I was going to tell you the same thing. I'm really busy today, so I can't stay and chat. I'll have to make this quick.” All nine of her knives shot out from under her cloak, embedding themselves into the snow. She gripped them magically and returned her gaze to the commander. She flashed an evil grin. “Let's begin, shall we?” = “Princess, what is this about exactly? I mean, it's not every day you call for a personal meeting, and I can tell this isn't for tea.” Shining Armor and his wife were standing outside Celestia's personal room with the two royal princesses. Shining continued, “And it's even more interesting that we are in your private chambers. What's exactly going on?” The Princess remained silent as they entered her room. The room was a few meters tall and dome shaped. On the ceiling was a painting of the heavenly bodies as they shone across the earth. On one side of the wall was the moon shining down on a winter tundra. The painting was beautiful and elaborate and showed the winter flowers growing from the ice, and the beautiful light show in the sky that was the Aurora. Beautiful constellation shone in the night sky and told the stories of many great ponies. On the other side was the sun, shining down on the fields of the pony workers and bringing light to the world. The sky and clouds were incredibly realistic and seemed to move across the ceiling. “They are.” Celestia called. Shining Armor and Cadence tore their eye away from the paintings towards the princesses, who sat on their haunches on Celestia's large bed. Celestia was smiling warmly and had a twinkle in her eye. “The ceiling is enchanted. The clouds are moving, and so are the sun's rays and the moons beams. The things magic can do…” “Uh-huh,” Shining replied, his mouth still agape towards the ceiling. Her tone grew serious. “But this is not why we are here. Luna has learned something about our... situation. Shining? You have briefed Cadenza, correct?” Shining looked down and pursed his lips. “Yes. She is aware of Twilight.” “Is that what this is about, Aunty?” Cadence had a sad, worried look on her face. She hated bad news. Being an alicorn of emotion, negative feelings made her feel sick. “Yes, Cadence. It is.” Cadence and Shining nudged against each other, hoping to find comfort in each other’s warmth. “Come take a seat.” Celestia gestured towards a spot on the bed next to her for the couple. “Luna will explain everything.” They took a moment to get comfortable before turning to Luna. She cleared her throat. “Before I start, I must have you swear not to tell anyone about the status quo. This information is not to leave this room. I don't want word of the purple mage or whatever ponies come up with spreading around Canterlot. Do I have your word?” Both Shining and Cadence nodded in unison before Shining found his voice and spoke, “Yes, your majesty.” “Good. Now, one of the reasons we thought Miss Sparkle was, well, dead, was because I couldn't find her mind in the dreamscape. I can find anypony’s mind except those who are dead, but she found a way to shield her mind from me. No other pony has done that, not even the great Starswirl, who is easily the most powerful unicorn in history. However, last night, I tried again. I found it. I found her. Or all of her, you could say. “Her mind is splintered. Multiple ideas and emotions make up her mind. There are six. Benevolentia, kindness. Inquio, innocence. These specific emotions are what make up most of Twilight's mind. Deep down, she is still the wonderful little pony we had all known, but she is suppressed, you could say, by the darker emotion. She has more: Saevio, her rage; Judicium, her sense and idea of justice; Vindicta, her sense of Vengeance; and...” Luna took a shaky breath. She didn't want to have to tell her audience about the final being in Twilight's mind. “The final part is a twisted form of Twilight. It makes up the darkness in her mind and is incredibly powerful.” She looked into the eyes of her sister, niece, and nephew. “The being is called Dementis, insanity.” Shining let out a gasp and looked at the floor. A frown played across his lips. “Something intrigued me, though. The being was so powerful it attempted to leech my power, and it would have been successful if Twilight had not intervened.” The three looked into Luna's eyes in shock and surprise. Luna continued. “She used some kind of enchanted spikes and what seemed to be an anti-curse to destroy Dementis. I know that this was the real Twilight. The fragments of her mind treated her like a queen and even called her master. From this, I can assume that this was Twilight. “She didn't seem surprised to see me, though. She regarded me as if I was a slight annoyance. She banished me from her mind, simply saying, ‘You do not belong here.’” 58. Once again, her audience regarded her with looks of shock. “I understand your surprise. Yet another thing that a mortal pony has never been able to do: it took her only a moment to prepare and cast the spell. She must have a massive magic reserve. She is incredibly powerful and is a force to be reckoned with.” 59. The room became silent for a few moments. Shining finally broke the silence, speaking, “Why didn't you tell us about this as soon as you found out?” Luna regarded him with a small frown. “I've been awake for two hours and fifty-six minutes. I passed out after Twilight banished me from her mind. As soon as I awoke, I alerted the guards to find you and Cadenza, and I found Tia.” Celestia blushed for a moment at her pet name before turning to her other family members. “Are you two okay?” Cadence seemed fine, but Shining was clearly taking the news hard. “You said... that... she's fighting... it. That means... there's still hope...right?” Celestia looked to the captain. “Shining, look at me.” She waited until he finally met her gaze. “There is always hope as long as you believe there is. If you give up, only then is all hope lo-” The princess suddenly froze. She closed her eyes in concentration for a moment before quickly turning to Luna. “Do you feel it sister?” Luna concentrated the same way her sister had. A moment later, they both rushed to a balcony at the end of the room. At one end was a staircase leading towards the roof of the palace. The princesses quickly ascended the stairs, Shining and Cadence following closely behind. On the roof was a large round slab of stone. The sisters began circling it, looking out into the distance, trying to find something. A moment later, Celestia spoke up, “THERE. LUNA, I FOUND IT.” Luna sprinted over to Celestia, and they both stared off into the distance. Nothing to be seen for miles. “P-princess Celestia? Are you okay? There isn't anything out there. What do you see?” “Wait just a few moments, Captain Armor. You'll see it too.” The four of them stared into the distance. A few seconds passed until suddenly a massive dome of light appeared miles away in the distance. It was hundreds of miles away but could still be clearly seen. The group stood with mouths agape. “Auntie?” Cadence called in a panicked voice. “What is that?” Celestia swallowed the lump in her throat. “Sol Invictus.” “Unconquered Sun," Luna finished. “The power of the sun, released.” Shining snapped his head towards the princesses. “WHAT!? That's not possible. How much of the sun’s power is that?” Celestia spoke this time. “If I guessed, I would say approximately one-sixth of a percent. The sun is so powerful; even I can barely release its full power. But somepony has released even the smallest amount. Only one pony I can think of has the capability of doing this.” “Twilight Sparkle. That's correct,” a voice called from nowhere. There was a sudden flash, and standing in front of the group was a cyan pegasus. Her rainbow mane was knotted and tangled. Her armor was shredded, like some pony took a can opener to it. She and the armor had deep scorch marks on them. Along her left side was a massive gash in the armor and a deep cut running a few inches down her body. Blood poured from her open wounds, and she spit blood from her mouth. The group stared at her in shock and awe. She stared back, taking huge breaths, and flashed a wide smirk. “Boy, do we have a lot to talk about,” she said, before collapsing at the feet of the night princess.