"Trixie?! What…?! How…?!" Twilight had never been so confused in her life. Before her stood Trixie, donning the hood of the ponies who'd taken the fillies away. And, though she'd promised to stay with Fluttershy, she was here and not there.
“Allow me to explain, Twilight.” Trixie said as she stepped away from the unconscious ponies and toward her friends. “I left Ponyville a few days after you came here. And before you ask: I didn’t leave your wife alone. I asked Pinkie and Cutie to look after her after making them pinky promise to not to tell anypony that I came here to help you. You don’t have to worry about her, Twilight, she's surrounded by friends and by Pincess Celestia’s guards, led by Pinkie’s husband. You needed my help more.”
“Thanks, Trixie… You came all the way here to help us… Risking your life again…”
“You taught me about friendship, Twilight. You must stop underestimating me. I’m willing to do anything for my friends, even if it means risking my life every once in a while. The first time I did it was to clear my name… But I'm now doing it for you.”
“We appreciate that, Trixie,” Applejack barely managed to smile friend despite the pain in her broken leg. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were next to her while the rest of the rescued foals were a few steps behind. Some wore blank expressions, others cried into their forelegs, and a few were walking around comforting their friends. “But, how did you enter the castle?”
“That was pretty easy, Applejack. This organization is very stupid! You just say ‘I hate fillyfoolers’ and you’re in! But to be more convincing, I had to be my old self… I have to say, I don’t miss it. But they weren’t as ignorant as I'd initially thought, seeing as how they wouldn’t let new recruits enter the cells. Because of that, I never could see the foals.”
“Bein’ your old self was enough to get you in? You're very brave to infiltrate the F.R.O., but why didn’t you join the Brotherhoof instead?” the farmer pony asked with just a hint of accusation.
“I only learned of them after I'd entered this order; I was told to be cautious of the Brotherhoof. But from the inside, I was able to get information that you may be interested in hearing.”
“Does it has to do with Aurora? We didn’t find her in the cells.” Twilight asked, leaning toward Trixie with interest.
“Actually, it does! Before the attack on the castle, one of the leaders took her to a cell closer to their personal room. And I know their names!"
“Please tell me!” If Twilight wasn't close to Trixie yet, she was now. If the circumstances had been different, it would've been considered an invasion of privacy.
“Night Light and Twilight Velvet.” When she heard those names, Twilight gasped and fell back onto her flank. Her mouth resembled an 'O' at this point, and her eyebrows furrowed. "Is there something wrong, Twilight?" Trixie questioned, wondering what could have caused this sudden change in her friend's demeanor. Applejack was the one who answered, her voice shaking.
“The leaders... They're her parents.”
“What?!” Trixie was shocked to find out this new information. “How is that even possible? I thought that since you never mentioned them, they were dead!”
“They are to me.” Twilight firmly said, recovering her voice. She stood up again, but her head was hung low and her eyes were averted. “Two years ago, they came to Ponyville and tried to destroy my relationship with Fluttershy… And they almost managed to do it. That night I told them that I didn’t want to see them again. A month after getting married with Fluttershy, I received a letter from Princess Celestia saying that they left Equestria. And two years ago this city was taken over by two mysterious ponies... How did I not see this coming?!” She stomped her hoof into the ground.
“But your dad isn’t bad, Twilight!” The three older mares were surprised to hear Apple Bloom speak up.
“What makes you say that, Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked in confusion.
“He… He visited us while we were here. He talked to us and gave us food. He told us his name and that he was related to you, and that he regrets what he was doin', but couldn’t get out… We saw him this mornin’, but he didn’t tell us who he was until today, but later, that mean mare came and took Aurora away!”
“It must have been when the siege started!” Twilight frowned. “She saw that the Brotherhoof was approaching and she must have known that I was coming along since we were spotted the day we first arrived here!”
“She won’t get away with this!” Applejack snorted as she suddenly stood up, but the pain radiating from her broken leg was too much to ignore. She collapsed with a grimace.
“Sis!”
“You aren't coming, Applejack. Go to the roof with the foals!” Twilight ordered strictly.
“No way, Twilight; I won’t let you do this alone!”
“You have no choice, Applejack. You can’t fight under these conditions!” Twilight turned and addressed Trixie, “Take her to the roof along with the foals; pegasi will come and take them to safety. If somepony asks, tell them you know us.” Twilight then levitated the now awake Trotting Paradise to Trixie’s back.
“What are you going to do?” The blue Unicorn asked, worry laced in her tone.
“...I’m going to pay my mother a visit.”
“Without help?”
“Yes, Trixie… This is something I have to do alone.”
Trixie sighed. “As you wish… Do you know how to get there?”
“I've memorized a map of the castle. Please, help Applejack stand up and leave.” Trixie wasn’t convinced, but after seeing the determination in Twilight's expression, she decided it was best to just do as she was told. She headed to where Applejack lay and helped her up before leading everypony upstairs.
After they were out of sight, Twilight turned and she went through the left door. She trotted down the corridor until she happened upon a cross, where she turned right. At the end of this hallway, there was a spiral staircase and a door on the next level. Twilight made her way up silently and peeked into the keyhole. When she deemed it safe, the Unicorn continued through another corridor. When she took another turn, she found herself face to face with two guards and a hooded pony. Behind them, an iron door stood suspiciously. Twilight recognized the voice of the hooded pony as he spoke.
“Why are you here?” asked none other than Night Light. Twilight didn’t answer at first, taking a moment to analyze the situation. She couldn’t risk attacking if Aurora or any other ponies were behind the door since she could hurt them. Besides, even if she could dispatch these three ponies, there could be more guards within the cell. The two ponies beside Night Light were Unicorns as well, so if she attacked one of them, her father and the other guard would be able to easily overpower her. Plus, she didn’t know how strong her father's magic was. She sighed.
“You know why I’m here; I came for my daughter. I’m taking her back home, where she has a family who loves her. Now step away or I'll have to hurt you!”
Night Light placed a hoof on his chin before speaking again. “...Do you love her?”
Twilight looked at him confused. “O-of course I love her! My wife and I gave her a home when nopony else would. We made her wish come true: to be loved… I can’t say the same about you, creating this order to destroy love and take away happiness from families…” She wiped a tear that fell from her eye. “I’ll say this one more time: get out of my way!” There were a few seconds of silence in which Twilight glanced from pony to pony until Night Light made a move. He removed his hood and, without a second to waste, he began to charge a spell. Twilight was prepared to cast a shield, but the stallion didn’t aim at her--he rounded on his surprised guards and stunned them. The bookworm pony eyed at him as he approached her.
“Your daughter is in there. Take her and leave before it’s too late!” Night Light whispered before leaving the way Twilight had come. The lavender Unicorn watched him until she heard the door closing behind him. At first, she contemplated this strange turn of events. but then, she remembered what Apple Bloom told her. Twilight then trotted toward the iron door and used her magic to open it.
“Mom!” exclaimed Aurora at once.
“Aury!” But Aurora wasn’t alone. She was being held by Twilight Velvet so tightly that it almost appeared as if she was strangling her.
“I gave you the opportunity to correct your mistakes, but you didn’t listen! I won’t let this filly to be the victim of your bad choices!” Twilight’s mother said before using magic to destroy the wall behind her. The explosion shook the entire room and clouded Twilight's vision, forcing her to wait for the smoke to clear. When the dust disappeared, Twilight ran through the hole to pursue her mother. When she made it out, she found herself on a tower. Pegasi were flying above her, carrying the rescued foals to safety.
“Twilight Sparkle, this filly needs a normal family. If you really love her, leave!”
Twilight recognized her mother’s voice and turned to where it'd come from. She found her mother smiling manically in the middle of a lined team of hooded ponies. “Where is Aurora?!” Twilight demanded angrily.
“Safe, for the moment.” Velvet replied, glancing at the door behind her meaningfully before looking back at Twilight.
“If you so much as scratch her…!”
“I’m doing this to protect her! Do you think I want to see her suffering from all the harm you're causing her?!” Twilight Velvet was furious, speaking with disgust.
“I would never hurt her!”
“But you will!”
“What do you mean?!”
“I know what I’m talking about! My father died from disease when I was a filly, and my mother… ‘fell in love’ with another mare. But she didn’t ‘love' my mother, of course not! While they were together, my mother only suffered. She was hit and insulted by her, but she still wanted to be with her, until one day that mare abandoned her for another. My mother couldn’t stand it, so she killed herself, leaving me on the streets. I don’t want the same to happen to her!” She pointed to the door behind her and the hooded ponies.
“Look, mother, I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m not like grandmother. I’m not going to abandon Aurora, and neither will my wife! We really love each other and our daughter!”
“Your marriage is bound to fail! You will eventually hurt her and I’m not going to let you do that!” As she spoke, Velvet’s horn started to glow with a dark aura. She cast a spell on all of the hooded ponies and stole their magic, leaving them unconscious. “I've learned a few tricks. I knew you would try and take her! Let’s see how well Princess Celestia has trained you!” She launched a spell at Twilight almost before she could react. It was moving so fast that Twilight was barely able to cast a barrier when it hit her, but it did little to protect her. The spell broke through the shield and threw her a few meters back. Twilight didn’t have time to recover before she was hit by another spell that sent her flying backwards. Velvet approachedto her daughter and continued kept casting spells, showing absolutely no mercy. Twilight tried to defend herself with another barrier, but it was broken just as quickly as the last.
"She's out of control!" Twilight said to no one in particular.
“Come on, you haven’t even attacked yet!” the white Unicorn taunted, not giving Twilight a chance to rebel. She was totally overwhelmed by the dark magic her mother was casting one after the other. Velvet was enjoying watching her daughter suffer. With tears streaming down her face, Twilight finally decided to fight back. Counter-attacking her mother’s spells, she began to stand up. Then, when she'd momentarily stunned Velvet, she cast a more powerful spell that hit Velvet and thrust her into the door behind her. Twilight was bleeding from her nose and one of her hooves, but she didn't notice. All she could feel was an uncontrollable rage she never thought she would ever feel.
“You raised me! I became Princess Celestia’s faithful student thanks to your support, I improved my magic, and I got married! You're supposed to be proud, not trying to kill me!” Twilight screamed through her teeth in a vain attempt to alleviate some of her anger.
“Proud? For raising a fillyfooler? I've never been so ashamed! It doesn’t matter what you did, you blew it away the moment you decided to be a fillyfooler and marry a dirty mare!”
“You've crossed the line!” Twilight was breathing furiously. “You can call me a fillyfooler, you can hurt me, but you WON’T insult the kindest pony in all of Equestria!” Twilight’s horn was glowing brighter and brighter as she spoke, angry tears still trailing down her muzzle as she casted the strongest spell she could on her mother, but Velvet countered. Both spells collided with enough power to knock an unsuspecting pony off their hooves they produced winds strong enough to cut through Twilight's skin.
“We both know what will happen if one of us stops!” the white Unicorn shouted over the howling wind, but her evil tone still carried over. Twilight kept concentrating, trying to ignore her jeering comment but heard it anyway. She did know what would happen if she got tired before her 'sweet' mother.
She would die instantly.
"I can’t lose now; Aurora and Fluttershy need me! I can’t leave them like this…!" Twilight kept repeating to herself in the hopes it would help her stand her ground. But she was already starting to feel exhaustion wash over her. Unfortunately, her mother didn’t seem to be getting tired in the least. The dark magic she'd acquired and the power she'd stolen from her followers had made her incredibly strong. Twilight’s magic was starting to weaken under the strain, and Velvet’s magic was nearing her. She didn’t see a way out of this.
I’m sorry, Fluttershy… Aurora… I've failed you… A tear of sadness trickled down from Twilight’s eye. She wasn’t ready to die--there were so many things she wanted to do with her life, so many years she wished to spend with her friends and family. Twilight could not keep up with Velvet's magical endurance any longer. Her magic faded out of existence. But just as the fatal spell was about to reach her, a powerful shield surrounded her. It reflected the spell into the sky, almost hitting a Pegasus from the Brotherhoof. Twilight had her eyes closed, ready to accept her inevitable fate, but when she realized she hadn't felt any pain she opened her eyes and saw the magical barrier protecting her. That was when she noticed her mother on the other side, furious, staring at something behind Twilight. The bookworm pony looked behind her and saw the pony responsible for saving her life: Night Light.
“...I couldn’t just leave you alone, knowing how much stronger your mother had gotten!” He seriously said.
“Night Light, what do you think you’re doing?!” Twilight Velvet was livid.
“You've taken this too far, Velvet! I don’t think our daughter is a bad mother--just look at her! She travelled to the other side of the world just to save her daughter! I saw honesty in her eyes as she told me what she was doing here and I believe her.”
“Don’t be an idiot, Night Light, she will never be a good mother as long as she’s married to another mare!” the white Unicorn said, glaring at her husband with contempt.
“You're the one who is being an idiot! I'm sorry for telling you this, but I've made my decision and I will stand up for our daughter and granddaughter!” the blue stallion stated firmly as he stepped in front of Twilight.
“Very well. Today, I’m becoming a widow!” Velvet's horn was enveloped in a dark aura once again, signaling that she was about to cast a spell. She smiled with an evil expression as she released it at Night Light, but both her husband and daughter dodged it. Night Light attacked Velvet with a spell too, but she dodged it. The blue stallion charged at his wife as he sent a barrage of spells at her, but he either missed or Velvet dodged them. Soon Night Light had reached her, but Velvet didn’t move. She blocked him with her body. Their faces were inches away.
“I don’t recognize you anymore… Where’s the sweet mare I once fell in love with?” Night Light asked with sadness despite his angry expression. The white Unicorn didn’t answer. She pushed her husband aside instead. Night Light lost his balance and fell, but surprisingly Velvet didn’t attack him as he stood up. She just kept staring at him with contempt. “That’s enough!” Night Light yelled as he prepared to attack her one last time.
“Dad, no!” Twilight tried to stop him, but it was too late. He attacked her with a powerful spell that Velvet didn't even try to dodge. Instead, she casted a magical mirror in front of her, which reflected the spell back at Night Light. They were too close to each other and the spell was fast, leaving him with no time to evade it. He was sent flying backwards by the power of the spell and landed a few meters back, bleeding badly. Twilight watched in horror as her father tried, and failed, to get back up. His wounds looked serious. Velvet laughed maniacally. Twilight turned to her mother, her blood boiling with anger, and charged against her. It was such a surprise that Twilight had managed to pin her down before her mother could react. Velvet's horn started to glow, Twilight was faster. She casted a stronger spell at Velvet’s horn, who cried out in pain. Twilight released her moments later and stepped aside. Her mother tried to attack her, but for some reason her magic wasn’t working. The fatigue long past due returned to her and she was too weak to move. Her eyes had returned to normal.
“What... What have you done to me…?” the white Unicorn could barely manage to speak.
“I blocked your magic. You won’t be able to use it to harm anypony else anymore.” Knowing that her mother was too weak to move, she quickly trotted towards her father.
“Dad, You're…”
“Don’t worry about me… You shouldn’t... After what I have done…” Night Light began, but was cut off by his daughter.
“Looking after Aurora and saving my life? I’m getting you out of here, alongside Aurora… Your granddaughter…” Twilight gave her father a warm smile. “Thanks… Dad…” In that moment, Trixie and Applejack appeared from the stairs.
“What the hay happened ‘ere?” Applejack asked after seeing the demolition.
“Applejack? Trixie, I told you to get her out of here!”
“I tried, but she refused to leave without you and Aurora! I couldn’t convince her to leave with Apple Bloom and the others.”
“Applejack, you should be at the hospital right now…!”
“Don’t worry ‘bout me, sugarcube, I’ll be fine! So… You… did you…? You know…” Applejack wondered aloud as she looked Velvet over closely. The mare had her eyes closed, but was quick to snap.
“I’m still alive, fillyfooler!” Applejack stepped back, returning to where Trixie was.
“No, I didn’t…" Twilight replied, ignoring Velvet. "She might've lost her mind, but she’s still my mother… I've blocked her magic. Princess Celestia will decide what to do with her. Could you girls help my father? He’s…” Twilight sadly glanced over at her dad, unable to finish.
“Yes, of course!” Trixie said as both she and Applejack approached Night Light.
“He needs medical assistance. Take him to the Brotherhoof's base of operations; they have surgeons. Also, alert a couple of brothers to take my mother… I’ll get my daughter back. We're all going to be back to Ponyville tonight!” Both Trixie and Applejack nodded and helped Night Light downstairs, doing their best to avoid his injuries. As soon as they were out of sight, Twilight turned and approached the door that her mother was protecting. Twilight destroyed the lock with her magic and opened the door. Inside she found a blue filly with a blond mane. Aurora's back was facing her, and it was clear by her shaking that she was crying.
“Aury?” The filly stopped moving and slowly turned to see her mother.
“Mom?” Aurora called. She then stood up and galloped towards her mother, hugging her.. “Mom! I knew that you would come, I just knew it!”
“Sorry for taking so long… I’m so glad you’re okay...”
“I missed you, and Mommy too… Where is she?”
“She’s waiting for us back at Ponyville. Ready to see her again?”
Aurora nodded excitedly. “Yes, yes!”
Twilight put her on her back. “Here we go!” she said as she walked past her mother. Members of the Brotherhoof were already taking her.
“I love you, Mom…” The blue filly hugged Twilight’s neck.
“I love you too, Aury…”
***
“Good job, everypony! The castle has been taken and the dictators fallen! Damashooves can once again be free from tyranny, thanks to the help of our newest members!” Every single member of the Brotherhoof, even the ones that were injured, were listening to Iron Strong’s speech at the front of the castle. Next to him was Twilight (with Aurora still on her back), a bandaged Applejack, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Trixie and Night Light, whose wounds were treated as best as they could be. Iron Strong looked at Twilight. For the first time since she'd met him, he seemed genuinely happy. His eyes twinkled and a lopsided grin adorned his face. “Anything you want to add?”
“Yes.” Twilight said, stepping forward. “We all had something to do with this success. Everypony helped to free the foals and end this madness! I intend on taking my mother to Princess Celestia, who will judge her for her actions here. As for my father…” She looked at Night Light and nodded. The stallion cleared his throat and did his best to walk over to where his daughter stood.
“First of all, I want to apologize for all the trouble I have caused… I’m willing to accept any kind of punishment you want to give me. But if you let me, I'll help you rebuild this city to how it was before--and even better. I will not be returning to my old home. I wouldn’t feel right, but I won’t stay here if all of you don’t want me to.” There was silence for a few moments before Iron Strong spoke again.
“Let us decide. Who thinks that we should let him stay and not receive any kind of punishment?” Everypony raised their hoof. Some ponies in wheelchairs did their best to show their agreement with whatever limb was left uninjured. “Who thinks that we should kick him out of Damashooves?” Not a single pony raised their hoof. “It’s decided then. You're staying and will help us rebuild the city!” Iron Strong smiled at Night Light.
“But, I don’t deserve this…” the blue stallion frowned.
Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder. “You’ve been forgiven, Dad… Mom was mostly the one responsible for this, and she doesn’t even regret her actions. You still have a heart.” Twilight beamed at him.
“Thanks, Twilight. I’ll do anything to redeem myself... Starting with Damashooves.”
“You may not come back, but we can still visit you, right, Aury?”
“Yes! I want to see you again, Grandpa!”
“That’s very kind of you, thank…” he was cut off by a tight hug from Twilight. Many ponies cheered at that.
“I’m going to miss you, Dad…”
“The heroes of Damashooves, everypony!” Iron Strong exclaimed and the Brotherhoof's cheers escalated in volume. Twilight broke the hug and spoke to the Brotherhoof one last time.
“Thank you, everypony, but we have to leave! If you ever need us, don’t hesitate to call us!”
“We will… May you return safely to your homes.” Iron Strong bowed to the mares.
“Thanks… We will not forget your kindness, Iron Strong…” Twilight turned to her friends. “I don’t know about you, but I just want to go back to Ponyville now.”
“Ah’m down for that!” Applejack said, smiling.
“Nothing would make me happier.” Trixie commented, also smiling.
Twilight looked to Aurora on her back and saw her sleeping. “Poor little thing, she’s so tired… Let’s go to the train station!” Her friends nodded in reply. They began their trek back to the train station, the loud celebrations of the Brotherhoof resonating behind them. Applejack was escorted by Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, and everypony was happy to be going back to their normal lives.