Civil War of Harmony

by SC_Orion

Chapter 22

Twilight Sparkle

As soon as the train came to a stop I opened the door with my magic and hopped down. I had intended to hop off while the train was in motion, it would've added a little... Flair to it... But, it would have made me a bad influence on anypony who was watching. Not that there were a lot of ponies watching. The train station was mostly deserted. Which was a good thing, I really didn't want to explain what we were doing and where we were.

I stepped to the right and turned to watch each member of my team disembark from the train. Ace hopped off first, then helped Soarin down. Soarin winced but otherwise made it alright. After them, Lightning Strike, and Jagged Wing followed. Each of them nodded at me and quickly stood into a formation across from me, waiting for my order to be dismissed. I ruffled my wings, a little uncomfortable with the fact they were waiting, but I pushed the thought aside. Rainbow slowly flew out of the train car and then glanced around and landed beside me. She looked a little uncomfortable for some reason, but I filed the thought away to deal with later. Storm hopped off last, then quickly made her way to the end of the line that had formed across from me.

I looked over each wonderbolt and felt a smile growing across my muzzle. We were safe. We made it back, the first time I had actually been in battle, the first time I had killed... I swallowed and forced a smile and then nodded my head. "Dismissed. Please take the rest of the day off. I will have somepony find you if I need you." I ordered. The wonderbolts all saluted, then became less rigid, and then they casually walked about for a bit, talking to each other, while they made their way in the general direction of Ponyville.

Ace looked at Soarin, who was leaning on him slightly. I grimaced and turned to Rainbow. "Glad to be back?" I asked.

Rainbow nodded heavily. "Yeah, you have no idea how stuffy it was in that dungeon, being there for weeks." I felt a stab of guilt strike my heart, knowing I, and solely I, was responsible for her imprisonment, but I forced a smile anyway. "It feels great to stretch my wings again," she continued

"Yeah..." I agreed. "I couldn't imagine being locked up like that for a couple weeks... Let alone longer." My mind briefly wandered to how I would deal with Princess Celestia or Princess Luna if we captured them... Keeping them in a Dungeon was questionable for practicality, they were strong enough and had enough magic to make it very dangerous, if not impossible to hold either of them as a prisoner. And then... there was me. I shifted my weight, I did not want to think about what would happen if... If either of them captured me. Right now it... I didn't think it would be that bad... But after the war actually got underway...

"Twilight?" Rainbow asked.

I blinked and realized that I had started looking at the floor. I looked up and met her gaze. "Yes?" I asked, once more forcing myself to sound okay. I didn't think Rainbow bought it, she shifted her head to the right and looked me over cautiously, but said nothing about it.

"Are you doing okay Twilight?" Soarin asked, concern filling his voice. "I know that was hard, and I know you've never really done anything like that before."

I turned to face Soarin and Ace. "I'm... Fine. It was hard but..." I turned to Rainbow and smiled. "I'm just glad you're okay. I... I would not have forgiven myself if anything bad had happened to you..." I did not want to go there, nor ever think about something bad happening to one of my friends... Especially if I ended up being the one responsible for it... I shook my head. 'Don't think like that, she's safe... She's not hurt, and we rescued her.' I told myself. It helped... But only a little. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and brought my hoof to my chest, then exhaled and extended my arm out. I really owed my sister-in-law a lot for teaching me that, it really helped. Most of the time... I grimaced and opened my eyes. "If I had to do it again, I would in a heartbeat." If given the choice between one of my friends or one of Celestia or Luna's soldiers, I'd choose my friends... My ponies over theirs. I found the thought of thinking of my friends as my ponies very... Different. It was exciting, disturbing and... I couldn't quite put a hoof on it. I shook my head and looked back at Soarin and Ace. "Right well... You two have the day off, and I should probably get back in with Spitfire, and tell her we're back."

"Do not be so hard on self, Princess," Ace commented as he and Soarin turned around. "It not good."

"Right..." I replied with a weak smile. I watched them leave, and after they were gone it left Rainbow and myself alone. I blew air out of my mouth, then turned to her. "We should probably go tell the girls you're home too."

"Yeah," Rainbow said. "It'll be nice to see them again..."

I shifted my weight. "Listen... If you need some time or something, you can take as much time off as you need... I know that-"

"No, Princess," Rainbow said firmly. I ruffled my wings as she cut me off and used my title. It still made me uncomfortable for any of my friends to call me by my title, but there was a certain welcome familiarity in it with her. I smiled. "I'm supposed to protect you," she continued.

I nodded, accepting that I couldn't change her resolve. If I was being honest, it made me happy that she was committed to protecting me... However, I didn't want her to be hurt because of that... I would never forgive myself if Rainbow or one of my friends were killed protecting or fighting for me. Already Rainbow had been captured, and it could have been a lot worse than it had been... I frowned as a thought came to me. 'Princess Celestia... She... She didn't try to use my friendship with her against me... Did she?' No. No, she wouldn't have... I've known her for years... She wouldn't do something like... Like that.

I must have spaced out again because Rainbow was once again looking at me with concern. "Right well... I would like to stop by the castle first and tell General Spitfire we're back, then we can go get the rest of the girls." I said. I turned towards the ramp and started walking towards it. Rainbow followed closely behind me, then I slowed, and she started walking beside me. I paused when I reached the ramp and turned to her. "I really am happy you're safe... I... I was worried about you. All of us were..."

Rainbow smiled brashly. "Hey, you've got nothing to worry about! I'm Rainbow Dash, nothing's gonna stop me or keep me down!"

I smiled and started walking again. Despite knowing what she said to be true, in the back of my mind a small, soft voice said otherwise. I ignored it and spread my wings, then jumped into the air and flew up higher. Flying would allow us to avoid more ponies that I didn't want to deal with. And there was also the fact that Spitfire would like to be one of the first ponies to know we were back. She wouldn't blame me if I told my friends first, but she did need to know. As we flew back to the castle, I kept looking over at Rainbow, who flew by my side. She kept looking around, both in the air and on the ground, taking note of everything and checking for danger.

---

I slowed as I approached the door to Spitfire's office, as usual, the door was closed. I raised a hoof and gently knocked on the crystalline door, then opened it with my magic. Spitfire sat behind her desk, which came as no surprise. However, my attention was drawn to Fleetfoot standing just in front of the desk, but off to the side a little. Both Spitfire and Fleetfoot turned to me as I entered, and I felt a little awkward about disrupting whatever they were doing, but I pushed it aside. "We're back," I said. "The mission was successful."

Spitfire sat back in her chair and nodded. The pegasus looked happy to hear that. "That's good," she said. "Is she doing alright? I'd hate to see such a promising pegasus suffer from trauma from being captured..." she said sincerely.

I nodded. "She says she's alright. Physically she's fine, she lost a little weight, but nothing major. I checked over her with my magic." I paused, realizing I was approaching a more delicate subject. "I'm... More concerned about her mentally and emotionally. She doesn't seem to be..." I pursed my lips, unsure how to describe it. "She's... Still acting as brash as ever, but something like that has to leave a mark."

Spitfire nodded grimly. "You two are close... Just... keep an eye on her. Hopefully, it's nothing major. Knowing her, she'd recover quickly after she gets back into a routine."

"Yeah..." I nodded absently, hoping she was right. "I'll keep an eye on her." And I would. She was around me a lot, and unless she wanted to quit, which, knowing her, she wouldn't, it'd likely stay that way for... A while... I frowned, realizing I had never really thought about how long she would hold that position. I shook my head and told myself I would deal with it later.

"If I may ask," Fleetfoot started. I turned to her and nodded. "Where is the captain now?"

"Taking a well deserved hot shower," I answered.

"Ah." Fleetfoot nodded. "I imagine she's happy about that."

"You shouldn't be wandering around without an escort, especially now that you've led an attack against Princess Celestia." Spitfire chided firmly, yet gently. I gave her a half smile but nodded. "You'll also be happy to know your kingdom didn't fall apart while you were gone."

I smiled. "That's good," I said.

"But," Spitfire started. I immediately winced, dreading whatever would come next. "there is something we need to discuss... It can wait until later, though. It's not urgent, and you probably want to spend some time with your friends right about now."

I nodded. "Yeah..." I shook my head. then turned around, intending to leave. I paused and looked back to them. "Some of the soldiers we fought... Well, most of them... They were new recruits." I said. I didn't really feel like talking about that, but I felt I needed to tell her that. It was important information. "They were barely adults," I added.

"That information could prove valuable..." Spitfire nodded to herself absently. Her gaze shifted to one of the papers on her desk, and she pulled it over to herself. Her eyes skimmed over the paper, then she looked back at me. "I'll debrief with Lieutenant Soarin and the rest of the team tomorrow."

I looked her over for a moment, then nodded to myself and turned around. "Alright... I'll leave you two to it..." I opened the door with my magic, then strode out of the room with not a single more word being passed between us. I glanced to my right and then to my left, and closed the door behind me. I took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. I was glad Rainbow was safe. I was glad to be back too. I was glad that night was over, even if I felt a slight thrill from it... I sighed, while nopony I led was hurt more than Soarin, and thankfully he wasn't injured that badly, it weighed heavily on my mind. I was expected to lead my ponies, and to protect them, both in peace and in war... My ponies in the heat of battle would need more protection than the ones who slept safely at home because of the ones who fought to keep them safe... I would definitely be engaging in more battles like that. And that knowledge both thrilled and terrified me. I sighed. 'I need more advantages... I can't match Celestia or Luna's forces in numbers... With most of my soldiers being pegasi, and controlling Cloudsdale, I can use the weather to my advantage, but ten thousand soldiers isn't a lot...' Well, relatively speaking. Ten thousand soldiers was a lot, but it wasn't enough to win unless I had some serious advantages.

I needed to devise some plans.

I lifted my arm and then started walking down the hallway, heading to the dining room. Yes, I needed to make plans, but it could wait a few days... After all, I was fighting for my friends. I slowed slightly as concern about telling them about the rescue mission I lead... I did not want to lie to them... 'I'll just leave out some of the details...' I told myself. They didn't need to know all of the details... It wasn't a lie, just... Omitting things that they didn't need to know. Like killing a defenseless mare. Who was under the influence of my dark magic. Yes. They did not need to know that. Nopony really did.

Thinking about that again left my mouth dry. 'I couldn't have spared her, it would have ended badly.' I told myself. It made me feel a little better, but I still didn't like it. If I had to do last night over, though, I would do it all again in a heartbeat to save one of my friends.

---

Lazy, set back and relaxed. That is how I would have described the gathering with my friends earlier. They were all glad to see her back, and I was glad to see all of them in one place again. The party, despite being very short notice, was wonderful. Pinkie outdid herself again. Though we seven were the only ones there. Pinkie apparently decided to keep it a private party for just us at Sugarcube Corner, which I was grateful for. I loved the pink mare to death, but sometimes...

I shook my head and turned my attention back to the crystal I held in my magic. I couldn't help but trace over the outline of the gem with my eyes. I raised a hoof and gently lowered the crystal into my hoof, then set it down on the table and levitated my regalia off the table. It looked so bland without the jewel set in it. I shook my head then turned my attention to the pile of unsorted crystals to my right. I set my regalia aside and took the mass of crystals in my magic. The pile of crystals was a roughly spherical mass with a radius as large as my head, including my horn, and a little daunting if I was being honest. I took a deep breath and cast my spell. After half a minute the mass of crystals had been separated into a pile of waste and four and a half pristine gems identical to the one in my regalia. I frowned as I looked at the half gem, then shook my head and set it aside in the waste pile.

I set two of the gems down, then dropped the other two in my hooves. The gems were cold to the touch, despite the intense magic that forged them just moments ago. Mass producing the gems could prove more expensive than I originally expected. I groaned at that realization. 'How do I balance the need to save lives with the cost of keeping them safe?' With enough resources, I could definitely give each soldier I had one of these crystals, but I couldn't afford that. My kingdom was doing good, but not that good.

I sighed. Perhaps I was thinking about it wrong? The crystals were identical to the Element of Magic. I frowned. In retrospect, that might not have been a good idea. Especially if I planned on mass producing them. I pursed my lips, then took the four gems in my magic and spent the next five minutes modifying my spell. I cast the spell, and the gems were rearranged into five gems, each three-fourths the original size. After some quick mental calculations and thinking, I found myself scowling.

I vaporized the crystals with a quick spell, then added it to the mass of waste material. With another quick spell, I pulled the Element of Harmony, the Twilight Gem, the Void crystal, and the other gem I had made to myself. I looked over the four gems, thinking to myself, 'It's amazing how easily plans can be ruined and changed.'

That particular plan in mind, the one of equipping each of my soldiers with a crystal identical to the Element of Magic, now that I thought about it, was a terrible plan. Having thousands of crystals identical to the Element of Magic sounded like a bad idea. Not to mention the expense. No, I would have to substitute a simpler crystal design, one which could be more easily created. It wouldn't be able to hold as much magic, but it would have to do.

I brought my hooves to my temples and massaged them gently. 'Why does this have to be so difficult?' I asked myself. I looked between the four crystals. I could tell the difference between them, but it was more difficult to tell the difference between the Element of Magic and the crystal beside it that had no glow to it. I looked between the two crystals for several seconds, then stopped on the fake Element of Magic. I levitated it in my magic, and decomposed it, then added it to the mass of crystal waste. I sighed and looked between the three remaining gems, each one with untold power and potential, each one with the ability to fit in my regalia. Each one I could use.

I sighed. I looked to the Void Crystal and then teleported it away, leaving my regalia's crystal and the Element of Magic. I teleported the latter away a few seconds later, then placed the Twilight Crystal back in my regalia, and put the regalia back around my neck. I did not notice how much I missed having it there until it was back on my chest. I brought a hoof to the crystal and touched it, the feeling of warmth that flooded through my body brought a smile to my face.

After a few seconds, I put my hoof back down, and then teleported a quill and a lot of paper to me. I set the paper down on the table and set the quill down beside it, then glanced over to the pile of waste crystal, and grasped it in my magic. I looked over the awkward crystalline mass, then went to work on designing a new spell. I made notes as I went, and occasionally scratched out ones that were incorrect. After a few minutes, I had a crystal that looked like the Element of Magic, if all four of its side arms were cut off. I only made the one, and it was for experimentation. I stared at the gem for several seconds and realized I was getting tired. A glance out the window told me why. The sun was a fourth of the way past the horizon. I almost asked why the sun was setting so soon, but I remembered that I spent most of the day riding a train back from Canterlot. The lack of sleep the previous night and the lateness of the day weighed my mind down. 'I could use a break... I can take another look at this tomorrow, maybe I'm missing something.' I pursed my lips, sighed, and stood up.

"Finally!" Rainbow exclaimed. She startled me. She had been so quiet I forgot she was there. "Are you done now?" Impatience permeated her voice. I ignored it, considering she had been very patient and had not interrupted me once.

After my heart rate calmed down, I turned around and faced her. I nodded. "For tonight, yes." I glanced back to the desk, then teleported the mess away and left the shard behind. I turned back to Rainbow. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah... Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

I tilted my head away from her. "You were locked in that dungeon for a while, Rainbow. You've been awfully quiet today."

"I just don't have anything to say, Princess," Rainbow replied with a shrug.

That was... Believable. I looked over her features and I found my gaze drawn to the light purple armor she wore. 'Rarity would make a big deal out of my calling it light purple...' I noted. I let myself admire the sight for a few seconds. It had been a while since I had seen her in it, and I had forgotten how good it looked on her. I shook the thought aside and met her eyes, "If you ever want to talk about it... I'll listen." I said. She smiled and nodded. "You'd do the same for me if I wanted to talk about how I feel like I'm losing my mind because of this."

Rainbow frowned at me. "You don't act like you're losing your mind..."

"Yes. Well." I said, buying myself time to think of something to say. "I'm... Good at hiding it..." I said tentatively. "Ponies are counting on me to lead them and keep them safe..." I shook my head at Rainbow's concerned expression. "Besides!" The memory of what I did the previous night flashed through my mind, and I felt even more tired than before. The floor suddenly looked very interesting, and I found my gaze drawn to it. "I'm dealing with it..." 'Dealing with it, or pushing it off until later?' I grimaced at the stray thought. I had to admit, I was curious why I had not freaked out more than I had already. Especially with as stressful as last night was. But maybe it was a good thing and nothing to worry about? If I was getting over my breakdowns, that was a good thing. I was less likely to screw up under pressure or something. Which would be good the next time I found myself in the heat of battle... I wouldn't hesitate as much... I hoped.

"That's good..." Rainbow replied somewhat hesitantly. If she suspected I lied, she didn't say anything about it, to which I was grateful. I wasn't ready to talk about it yet. "So what now?"

I licked my lips. Now that I wasn't occupying myself with research or magic, I found myself too mentally drained for anything too intensive. I was tired, yes, but I didn't want to go to bed yet. I... Wasn't looking forwards to the nightmares that would inevitably come after I closed my eyes... I still did not like the idea of Princess Luna invading my mind while I slept... I didn't think she would do anything malicious, but I didn't want to risk it. Maybe fresh air would help. It was evening and the sun was setting, but it wasn't too cold for a walk outside or anything like that yet. I grimaced as I thought about fall and winter. I would need to make preparations for the two less pleasant seasons soon. The thought of waging war in winter, unprepared was... Well, I found my mouth dry. At least I didn't have to deal with the logistics of armies of several ten thousands of ponies like Princess Celestia or Princess Luna. I considered myself lucky there, even if it meant I was severely outnumbered. Oh well. "I think I'll go for a walk," I answered.

"Lead the way, Princess," Rainbow replied.

I rolled my eyes at that, and she stepped to the side as I walked towards the door. "You should just go do whatever. I'll be fine." I opened the door with my magic, and I thought I saw Rainbow rustle her feathers out of the corner of my eye, but I wasn't sure.

"General Spitfire wouldn't be very happy if I left you unprotected..." Rainbow hesitantly countered.

"Then I'll go see if Sergeant Bolt is busy," I said a bit forcefully. Not that I didn't appreciate her company, but she could stand to take it easy considering that... Well... "If Spitfire gets after you just tell her I ordered you to take it easy," I said dully. "Besides, it's not like you could follow me if I didn't want you to."

I heard her shift her weight. "Alright... Just be safe. Goodnight, Princess."

"Goodnight," I replied, then stepped out of the door and nodded at the guard watching the room as he bowed his head to me. I walked down the hallway a short distance before I paused and powered up a teleportation spell, and teleported outside the castle. Spitfire wouldn't be happy that I took a walk without an escort, and neither would Rainbow, but honestly, I could take care of myself. Then again... I sighed, I didn't want to worry them. I turned to one of the nearby guards. "Please come with me," I ordered.

The guard looked at his partner, then looked back to me and tentatively stepped forwards. "Yes, Princess," he said.

I smiled at him, then turned around and took a deep breath of the evening air. I closed my eyes and exhaled, already feeling the stress I felt melt away. I opened my eyes and started walking down the road heading to the Ponyville Research and Development Center. The structure was looking quite nice. In just a few days it would be filled with ponies performing all sorts of experiments. That thought made me giddy, and I couldn't help but rub my hooves together at the thought.

I frowned as I heard a noise... It sounded like a rapid clicking of some kind... Somehow it sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. The noise was quiet, and it sounded like it was a little ways away, coming from somewhere around the lab. I squinted my eyes and looked around, the sun was starting to fade, making it harder to see at a distance. I turned to my escort, "Did you hear that?" I asked.

He frowned and shook his head. "No, Princess."

I frowned and turned back towards the source of the noise. "Must be my imagination..." I trailed off as I thought I heard the sound again. I shook my head and looked over the facility once more, then turned around. It was probably just a bird or something. As we started walking again, this time away from the facility, the evening once more became quiet, broken only by our hoofsteps.

We walked around Ponyville for a good thirty minutes before I decided it was time to head back to the castle. My escort didn't say much, not that I expected him to, and the peace and quiet were very enjoyable. It definitely helped me wind down after a long day. And after last night. I shook my head and stepped inside my room, then closed the door behind me with my hoof. After the door closed, the room was bathed in darkness. The shut windows and closed balcony door prevented any light seeping into the room. Some ponies might have found it creepy, but I knew my room like the back of my hoof, but that didn't stop me from activating my horn, filling the room with the subtle lavender glow of my magic.

I walked over to my bed, and levitated the tiara off of my head and set it down on the table next to me. I looked away from the bed and into the mirror across the room. After a few seconds, I shook my head and pulled the covers back with my magic, and quickly slid onto my bed and pulled the covers up around me. After I was comfortable, I cast the spell to keep Luna out of my mind, and then let the glow of my horn die and closed my eyes.

Author's Note:

Special thanks to Skydrake for pre-reading and feedback!

Comments

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

How expensive would it be to give each of her troops a gem with enough magic to make a sheild that could withstand a hit or two? THey would increase durablity for her troops.

[That Wasp At Your Picnic]

Where's Spike been??