10 - A Single Act of Disloyalty
“I’m the reason we went back to war.” The words hung in the air, casting a pall over the cell block. Twilight thought she felt the typical unpleasant chill in the air drop a few degrees towards outright cold.
Twilight sat on her haunches, putting a hoof against the bars. “How can that be true?” she asked. “Were you with the Shield of Harmony?” she asked.
Fluttershy shook her head. “No, of course not. I was there when they came up with the name, though.” She sniffled. After a few seconds, she added, “It was all Applejack’s idea, you know. She came up with it after we…well, you probably wouldn’t know about that. There was a really mean pony named Nightmare Moon, and we helped the Acting Princess seal her back inside her prison. She wasn’t the Acting Princess then, of course; it was still a couple moons before the war started.”
Twilight smiled fondly. “It would be her idea, wouldn’t it?” For as long as she’d known her, Applejack had always been proactive about trying to lend a hoof around Ponyville. If she heard of anypony in trouble, she was right there with her hat and her lasso, throwing herself into whatever needed doing.
Fluttershy nodded. “It was a miracle that we even managed to obtain the Elements for Twilight, and even with all of them, she was only barely able to fend off Nightmare Moon. Applejack said that we had be ready if something like that happens again. Rarity came up with the name; I think she was joking, but Rainbow Dash loved it and it wound up sticking. Everypony wanted to do it, but I said no.”
“What about m--” Twilight caught herself. “Twilight. What did Twilight think of all this?”
“Oh, she hated it as soon as she found out. She was completely against the idea. But that wasn’t until weeks later.”
Twilight blinked. “She wasn’t with you when you were talking about it?”
“Why would she be there?” Fluttershy asked, raising an eyebrow. “She went back to Canterlot as soon as the crisis was over. She slept at the library sometimes when she had business in the area, but we didn’t see her very often until the war.”
“She didn’t stay in Ponyville?” Twilight let her vision drift away, feeling a rush of memories strike her heart. She recalled sunny days spent at Sweet Apple Acres. The smell and taste of fresh-baked cupcakes from Sugar Cube Corner. Jogging at a brisk pace through freshly falling leaves, waiting for her moment. A birthday in Canterlot with ponies who loved her.
“She did what she came to do,” Fluttershy replied. “Why would she stay?”
Twilight opened her snout to answer, but the pain in her heart seized her voice. “You got a bright future ahead of you.” The words came unbidden from the corner of her mind, and she found she had nothing to say.
Fluttershy sniffled again before moving on. “After the war started, I spoke with Nurse Redheart and Doctor Horse, and we agreed that somepony needed to stay in the field to help out injured ponies and other creatures that might be caught in all that fighting. My cottage seemed perfect. It was right next to the Everfree Forest, so we could escape into the woods if the changelings came for us.”
“Did they?” Twilight asked.
“Only in a manner of speaking.”
A warm wind blew through a busy campsite, resting beside a peaceful creek. Where a gentle, green meadow had once been, there now stood several brown tents dotting the landscape. The creek provided easy access to water for dozens of ponies and woodland creatures displaced by nearby fighting. At the top of a nearby hill, a large cottage had been converted into a medical station that six ponies spent their days dashing in and out of.
It was at one of these tents that Fluttershy found herself that morning. “Keep the icepack on it,” she urged a pony with a white coat. Bon Bon, she believed her name was, but it was difficult to keep track with so many ponies coming in and out. “Make sure your leg stays elevated. I’ll be back in a couple hours.”
Fluttershy stepped out of the tent and wiped her brow. Rumor had it the changelings had raided Appleoosa recently. She could expect to see an influx of wounded travelers in a few days if common trends panned out. Ponies in need of aid and unable to make the trek to Manehattan or Las Pegasus were sure to turn up here, and her team would need to be ready to receive them.
She stepped over to a picnic table the team had dragged over to the campsite to have a seat. Five minutes was all she needed, and then she’d be ready to check on her next patient. Just five minutes and--
“Fluttershy!” Apparently five minutes was asking too much. Well, that was life in wartime, wasn’t it? She glanced up the hill to see Nurse Redheart racing towards her at a hungry cougar’s pace.
“What is it?” Fluttershy asked, rising from her rest.
“It’s a…we’ve got an inbound…uh….” Nurse Redheart skidded to a stop, waving her foreleg frantically. “You need to see this!” With that, she raced off back towards the cottage.
Curiously, Fluttershy followed. She’d never seen Nurse Redheart in such a state, dashing frantically about in a tizzy. What could possibly….
Oh?
Oh.
As she crested the hill, it became immediately apparent what the matter was. A changeling stood before the front door to the cottage, supporting another changeling that leaned up against them. The second changeling seemed barely conscious and Fluttershy could make out a terrible scrape in their exposed right side. The first changeling kept one of the second’s forelegs over their back to keep their companion upright.
Doctor Horse and Doctor Scope stood protectively between the changelings and the cottage, seemingly conversing with the two. As Fluttershy approached, she could hear the conscious changeling pleading with the doctors.
“Please,” the changeling begged. “My cousin needs help or he won’t make it through the night.”
“This is a trick,” Doctor Scope accused. “Why would a changeling come here?”
“Where else would we go?” the changeling asked.
“Surely there must be some changeling hospital that would take you,” Doctor Horse replied. “Why come here?”
“You think the queen cares what happens to us?” the changeling asked. “We’re disposable to her. This clinic’s the only chance my cousin has. I’ll do anything.” The doctors hesitated, glancing between themselves. After a few seconds, the changeling added, “Clinic Everfree will take anyone. Pony, bear, squirrel, it doesn’t matter. That’s what everyone says. That kindness is all I’m asking for. Please, my cousin won’t make it without you.”
Fluttershy could feel the weight of this decision bearing down on her. She wanted to turn the changelings away. She wanted somepony to come take them from her so that she wouldn’t have to worry about them. She wanted to protect herself and her patients from the threat that these invading creatures posed. She, as much as her colleagues, wanted to say no.
But even in these dark times, Fluttershy believed in the principles of Harmony that Equestria was founded on. This clinic rose from that vision. It was her home, her dream, and an extension of her life’s work. She had stated from the beginning that her clinic would be neutral ground. No wars, no fighting, and no predation would be accepted inside the boundaries of Clinic Everfree. It was a safe place for creatures of all shapes and colors, both pony and otherwise.
“I don’t know,” Doctor Horse said. He glanced over at the side of the cottage, spotting Fluttershy watching from a distance.
Steeling herself, Fluttershy made up her mind. “I do,” she said on approach. “Doctor Scope, get a gurney. There’s an open tent in the third camp that we can use.” As requested, the doctor disappeared into the cottage.
“Are you sure about this?” Nurse Redheart hissed.
“Not even a little bit,” Fluttershy admitted.
“What if they start feeding on the camp?”
“Then we’ll need to have enough love for our patients to go around.” Once the doctor returned with the gurney, she helped lay the barely conscious changeling upon it. Per routine, Nurse Redheart and Doctor Horse disappeared down the hill, carrying the patient to safety.
“Thank you,” the remaining changeling said. Fluttershy could see a single tear in his eye and knew immediately that she’d done the right thing. Gratitude was difficult to fake.
“We’ll do what we can,” she told him. “What’s your name?”
“Thorax. My name is Thorax.”
“I’m Fluttershy.” It took her a second to work up the nerve, but she took a few tentative steps towards Thorax and offered her hoof. “Welcome to Clinic Everfree, Thorax.”
“There you go,” Fluttershy said, pressing the end of the gauze bandage into itself. It wasn’t perfect, she noted, but it should keep the splint in place as long as her patient could be persuaded not to do anything reckless.
That’s going to be the hard part.
“How much longer do I need to have this stupid thing on?” Rainbow Dash asked. She fidgeted in place, shifting restlessly from side to side. Her left wing lay unfurled across a table, where Fluttershy had just finished applying the new splint.
She reflexively tried to pull her wing back, but Fluttershy put a small amount of pressure down on the joint to discourage that behavior. “That depends on whether we can keep you out of trouble,” Fluttershy scolded. “You need bed rest, not drills or whatever you’re doing now. I don’t want to have to re-set your bone a third time.”
“So, what? Like, a day of no exercise?”
“Three weeks, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said sternly. “Three weeks of bed rest, and then you come back here and we’ll see how it looks.
Rainbow Dash blanched at the order. “…right, funny, but how long are we really talking? Three days? Four?”
“I mean it. You took some terrible hits from Tirek. Your body needs time to heal.” Fluttershy glanced over Rainbow Dash’s cerulean hide. Though her skin and ribs had healed up, scars in varying shapes and sizes covered of her sides. A chunk of her tail had been scraped off, leaving an incomplete rainbow absent its purple, cerulean, and green stripes.
Rainbow Dash scoffed as she always did. “Please. I’ve been through worse.”
“Oh, you have not,” Fluttershy replied fimly. “You haven’t, Rainbow Dash. You keep saying that, but you haven’t. You’re lucky to even be alive right now, and you need to start listening to me if you want to stay that way.”
But true to form, Rainbow Dash replied with a roll of her eye. “Fine. Bed rest. Whatever. What about this?” She lifted a hoof to her face. Most of the intensive scar tissue from her lip up to her ear was concealed by the large, black patch that ran over her left eye. “How long until this gets better?”
“I’ve told you--”
“Right, I know. ‘Get used to the eyepatch, Rainbow Dash.’ But, I mean, everything heals up eventually, right?”
“Your eye is gone, Rainbow Dash. I’m sorry.”
Rainbow Dash was silent for a few seconds. Then, more forcefully, she said, “But I need it to fly. It’s no big deal while my wing’s still busted, but I’m going to need it back pretty soon. Have you ever tried flying with one eye?”
“You’re going to have to get used to it. We did everything we could. We saved your life. I’m sorry we couldn’t save your eye.”
Rainbow Dash shook her head. “No, you don’t understand. I need it. Is there medicine I can take or--”
“It’s not going to happen!” Fluttershy said angrily. Her hoof pressed down too hard on the injured wing bone, eliciting a wince of pain from Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy gasped, putting a hoof to her lips. “Excuse me,” she said, then quickly retreated from the tent. She marched straight off towards one of the picnic tables in the middle of the camp’s rest area.
Behind her, Rainbow Dash called out, “Wait, come back! You didn’t give me a timeframe for my eye!”
Fluttershy plopped down at the table and rested her head on her forelegs. It took only a few seconds for her to start feeling guilty about how she’d handled that situation. Doctor Horse had told her a few times that her bedside manner needed some work. She’d tried, certainly, but it was just so much easier talking to the animals than it was with ponies.
“Hi, Harry,” she said sadly, watching a large brown bear with its left paw in a sling waddle by.
“Nyarf,” was Harry’s response. He wasn’t feeling well, so she’d let him have that. He could be surly at times, but he really was a sweetheart when you got to know him. Besides, she was in no mood to press the issue.
“Rough session?” a friendly voice asked from ahead of her. She looked up to see Thorax dressed in his typical nursing scrubs.
It had been over a year since Thorax had joined them, and he’d taken to the work with an enthusiasm that greatly outmatched his ability. His adversity to many natural fluids made it difficult to find a place for him, but he was surprisingly kind and even charming for a changeling. If anything, he had the opposite problem that Fluttershy had; he couldn’t operate to save a life, literally, but once ponies got over the initial shock of seeing him, he was easy to get along with.
“Yes and no,” Fluttershy answered. “It’s Rainbow Dash again. Nothing I say gets through to her. It’s like she’s not even listening to me.”
“Should I try to talk to her?”
Fluttershy looked across the table at her friend’s goofy smile. His big opal eyes beamed with enthusiasm and his wings fluttered anxiously. But his sharp fangs and black chitin remained as unmistakable as ever. “That probably wouldn’t be a good idea,” she concluded.
Thorax’s wings fell flat against his back. “Oh. No, I guess you’re right,” he said. Fluttershy couldn’t miss the dejection in his voice.
“If it was any other Shieldmare, I’d tell you to go ahead,” she added. “But you know how Rainbow Dash can be. Seeing a changeling isn’t going to make her less stubborn. It could just make her hostile, and we don’t need that right now.”
“She seems nice to me,” Thorax argued. “Last week, she made up a nickname for me! She called me ‘Roach’. She also asked if I needed to go spin a web somewhere; she doesn’t seem to know a lot about our biology but at least she’s concerned about my needs! That was really thoughtful of her.”
Fluttershy’s features drooped. “Thorax, she was making fun of you. You need to tell me when she says things like that.”
“She was? Are you sure? I didn’t think….” Thorax stopped, looking upwards. “…do you see that?” he asked.
Fluttershy turned, following his gaze. To the north, alongside the distant mountain where Canterlot once stood, a small speck in the sky grew slowly larger. “What is that?” Fluttershy asked, standing up at the table. Another speck appeared in the sky beside it, followed by a third and then a fourth. Within seconds, there were six of the objects headed towards Clinic Everfree.
“My goodness,” Nurse Redheart said from behind Fluttershy. She, too, fixed her eyes to the sky to watch the approach. In moments, a bright yellow gleam became visible in the armor of the pegasi. Pairs of pegasi pulled carriages painted over in dark purple. “A royal convoy?” the nurse asked, raising a hoof to block out the midday sun.
Fluttershy felt a chill begin to prickle on the back of her neck. She’d tended a Royal Guardpony here or there, but the Royal forces generally had their own medical facilities. It was rare to see even a single Guardpony out here, let alone a dozen. And who could they be bringing in those carts?
“Thorax, how many changelings do we have in the clinic?” she asked.
“Uh, counting me?” Thorax did a quick bit of mental counting. “Four.”
“Are they mobile?”
“Well, Mandible has a broken foreleg, but we’ve already got the cast on him. Why?”
“I want you to take them up to the cottage. Get them into the cellar, and you stay down there with them.”
Thorax blinked. “Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know,” Fluttershy answered gravely. “But I have an awful feeling about this.”
As the convoy drew closer, Fluttershy could see the details more clearly. Loaded on the back of each carriage was an iron cage.
Fluttershy stood with Nurse Redheart in front of the cottage, watching the convoy make its final descent. The Royal Guard landed just across the land bridge that ran over the babbling brook in front of her home, and Fluttershy could see ponies beginning to unload. Each carriage brought three Guardponies in addition to those who’d pulled the carriages; it almost looked like an invasion force preparing for battle.
But that wasn’t the surprising part. What shocked her most was the front carriage. Twilight Sparkle herself, the Acting Princess of Equestria as of a couple moons ago, had come in person to deliver whatever purpose they were on. Beside her, Acting Princess Rarity dismounted from the carriage, followed shortly by a large white stallion that she thought was probably Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor.
“The entire Royal Family is here,” Nurse Redheart whispered. “The entire family.”
Fluttershy nervously raised a hoof, resting it just under her neck to try and slow the beating of her heart. “That’s a lot of Guardponies,” she observed, watching the ever-growing contingent fall in line before the Royals.
Nurse Redheart bounced nervously from one hoof to another, jittering in Fluttershy’s ear. “This is about the changelings,” she hissed. “I told you this would happen!”
“It’s okay,” Fluttershy said, trying desperately not to let her friend’s fears compound her own. “We’ll get through this.”
“It’s not okay!” The nurse gestured to the carriages. “They brought cages, Fluttershy. Those might be for us. We need to tell them everything.”
“You want to give her Thorax?” Fluttershy was shocked by the suggestion.
“I don’t want to do anything, but we can’t run a clinic out of a dungeon. You said we should start taking changelings. This is where it got us. We have to fix this, and I only see one way to do that.”
“What about the patients?” Fluttershy asked. “We have three changeling patients. They’re here because they trust us. They’re counting on what we’re supposed to believe in: care for any of Equestria’s creatures, large or small. Would you give them away too?”
Nurse Redheart had no answer to that, just as Fluttershy knew she wouldn’t. She might have complained about the changelings initially, but her compassion and care for her patients knew no boundaries, changeling or not. She couldn’t reconcile her fear of the impending events with her desire to help, just as Fluttershy herself couldn’t.
“You should head up to the cottage,” Fluttershy suggested. “I can speak with the Princesses.”
“Are you sure?”
“No.” Fluttershy shivered, watching the Guardponies. They’d formed into a rectangle and had just saluted Shining Armor. Now the Princesses made their way towards the land bridge, with the Royal Guard marching in lockstep behind them. “I’d rather help Doctor Horse reattach a severed nerve again than have this conversation. But somepony has to. It was my decision, so I’ll do this.”
“Be careful,” Nurse Redheart urged. She gave Fluttershy a quick hug, then trotted up the hill towards the cottage. Fluttershy shivered in place, watching the parade of Royal Guardponies fan out across the field. She wished she was even half as confident as she’d sounded just then. But she meant what she said. This responsibility fell on her and she’d see it out, come what may.
What was the worst that could happen?
Twilight Sparkle and Rarity crossed the land bridge together, each with a golden crown gleaming upon her head. Their crowns had six points decorated by a single amethyst in the centermost piece and two rubies, one on either side. They shone with fresh polish, as if they’d never seen a day’s wear.
Rarity smiled from ear to ear, carrying her head high on the approach. She made eye contact with Fluttershy and walked straight and proud. By contrast, Twilight seemed a nervous wreck. Her eyes darted across the field and to the Everfree treeline. She looked up at the cottage, studying it, before snapping her focus away at the slightest movement. Her movements were low and careful but meaningful, like a hungry predator prowling for its target.
A little purple dragon who Fluttershy only vaguely recognized jogged beside Rarity, caught up in some conversation with her. He gestured emphatically with his claws, causing her to giggle. Twilight’s face, however, remained serious and focused, prompting the dragon to roll his eyes and say something else that Fluttershy couldn’t make out.
Shining Armor stayed back with the troops. He marched back and forth in front of the platoon, barking something at them, but Fluttershy couldn’t make out his words from this distance. As she watched, one orange Guardpony lost his footing and fell sideways into another, knocking the pair of them over. Shining Armor was on top of him in an instant, dragging him out of formation and screaming at the rest of the troops.
When the princesses came close, the little dragon leapt out before them. “Introducing their royal majesties, Acting Princess Twilight Sparkle and Acting Princess Rarity!” He gave a low bow, then backed away to Twilight’s side.
“Good afternoon, your highnesses,” Fluttershy said cheerfully, casting a greeting bowing to her regal guests.
“Thank you, it’s good to see you again,” Rarity replied politely. “Oh, it has been quite some time, hasn’t it? How have you been?”
“I’ve been well,” Fluttershy replied. “Thank you for asking. How is life in the Crystal Empire?”
“It’s been quite an ordeal these past weeks. There is much to do and less time every day, it seems. Of course, you know my dearest, her royal highness.”
Fluttershy suddenly became acutely aware that Twilight had not only fixed her gaze to her, but was actively studying her face. “Do we know each other?” Twilight asked curiously. “You look familiar.”
“We met when you came to town for the Summer Sun Festival,” Fluttershy explained. “I found the Element of Kindness for you to help you defeat Nightmare Moon.”
“With the magic of delegating,” the dragon muttered quietly. Fluttershy shot him a confused glance; now that the attention was away from him, he’d settled for leaning up against a rock and his earlier eagerness had faded.
Rarity stepped in beside Fluttershy, beaming brightly at her wife. “Fluttershy is a proud civil servant with many years of service to Equestria,” she stated. “Between the help she gave us during that whole dreadful Nightmare Moon debacle and then the years of medical care she and her staff provided during the war, Equestria owes her a debt it can never repay.”
“They aren’t my staff,” Fluttershy corrected. “We’re a co-op.”
“…The years of medical care she and her co-op provided,” Rarity amended.
“The magic of cursory research,” the dragon muttered.
“Right, good work,” Twilight said quickly. She looked up at the cottage and asked, “This is your clinic?”
Fluttershy shook her head. “Oh, no, we could never take on so many ponies in this tiny space. We have the clinic around the back. Here, let me show you.” Fluttershy trotted down a well-worn hoof path, circling around the small hill that her cottage rest upon. Behind her, the princesses followed, and she keenly noticed the soldiers marching in their wake a moderate distance away.
Fluttershy brought the princesses to an upraised mound just behind the cottage, from which they could see the meadow stretching out into the distance. Over a hundred tents were pitched across the grassy field. Fluttershy always found it easy to get lost in the sea of canvas from here; it was a nice place to stand and think. “Your highnesses, welcome to Clinic Everfree,” she said proudly, surveilling her life’s work.
“This is it?” Twilight asked skeptically.
Before Fluttershy could process Twilight’s rudeness, Rarity stated, “We’re all very impressed with the work you’ve done here, Fluttershy.”
“Right,” Twilight added. “That. You, uh… you helped a lot of ponies, I’m sure. Of course, we’re building the highest-quality facilities in the Crystal Empire to provide medical care for ponies but perhaps all of this dirt has some benefit that I’m just not seeing.”
“Maybe it doesn’t look like much,” Fluttershy admitted. The Acting Princess’s words cut straight through her, as though a knife had been driven into her confidence. “Still, we’ve been operating for a couple years now. We’re hoping to move to a more polished facility when the Reconstruction begins.”
“Reconstruction?” Twilight asked.
“Well, with the war over, I’m sure many of the ponies who had to leave are going to want to come back to Ponyville. While we’re rebuilding the town, I thought that maybe we could spend some time building up the clinic. We could get a stable for ponies and maybe a spring--”
“Let me stop you there,” Twilight said dismissively. “We’re not rebuilding anything until Equestria is safe. There are too many variables right now, and the Royal Guard is stretched thin enough trying to safeguard the cities we still have.”
“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said quietly. “I must have misunderstood. I thought the war was over.”
Twilight looked out over the medical tents. She fixed her gaze in the distance, not looking at any part of the meadow itself as she spoke. “As long as Chrysalis is still out there, Equestria will never be safe. The war may be over, but we’re still under threat from changelings.” Her eyes turned sideways suddenly, looking sharply at Fluttershy. “But you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
As she spoke, Shining Armor emerged from the cottage with two of his soldiers. Between them, a small group of nurses and doctors stuck close to each other, nervously eying the escort they’d been given. At the rear of the group, Fluttershy saw that orange Guardpony from earlier, who wore a proud smile on his face. Upon noticing her watching him, he gave a small wave, then sheepishly stopped after a stern glare from Shining Armor.
“What are they doing?” Fluttershy asked
The only reply that Twilight gave her was a direct, “Follow me,” as she started across the hill towards where the clinic staff were taken.
In the meadow below, Fluttershy saw the rest of the Royal Guard descend upon the campsite, rifling through the tents and extracting their occupants. “What is this?!” she demanded of Rarity. “What are they doing with my patients?!” Ahead of her, Nurse Redheart and Doctor Scope both moved to try and get down the hill, but Shining Armor stepped quickly in front of them. His horn glowed, urging them to get back in line.
Was…was that a threat? Did the Captain of the Royal Guard just threaten her colleagues?
“I’m sure this must all seem terribly inconvenient,” Rarity said quickly, walking beside Fluttershy. “But I assure you, Acting Princess Twilight has only your best interests at heart, darling. Just be patient with us and before long, this whole ugly ordeal will be over. Please, if you would go stand with the others, we can get this all sorted out.”
Fluttershy wanted to argue. In the pit of her stomach, she wanted to scream at the Guardponies below to get away from her patients. She watched a pony with a cast on his right hind leg limping helplessly to one of the several lines of ponies being created around the camp. Two members of the Royal Guard took notice, but neither helped him. It was Rainbow Dash who came up beside him and put a hoof over her shoulder, helping him walk.
The glare that Rainbow Dash gave the two Guardponies who’d stood and watched could cleave stone.
Yes, Fluttershy wanted to argue. She believed in the principles of Harmony and she couldn’t see how this behavior from the Royal Guard connected to them. But she also respected the authority of the crown and knew that there had to be a reason for this.
Glancing up at Shining Armor, she saw a rage in his eyes barely masked behind his veneer of discipline and professionalism. In the back of her mind, she believed he might actually hurt her if she refused the order. So she complied, taking her place in a lineup with the rest of her colleagues.
Once Fluttershy had taken her place in the line, the little dragon approached. “Oh, this looks good,” he said, earning a sharp glare from Twilight. “No, really. There are all kinds of great reasons to have ponies dragged out of their workplace and lined up in the street. Nothing about this looks totally evil at all. Great start to a new--”
Rarity clapped a hoof over the dragon’s mouth and smiled brightly. “What Spikey-poo is trying to say is that a transition in such extreme times can be tumultuous. He thinks we should be mindful of the optics while Equestria’s still becoming accustomed to the new regime, but that we should still do what we must in order to secure Equestria’s safety in these troubled times.”
Fluttershy couldn’t tell if Twilight had accepted Rarity’s beaming smile or not; she lifted her gaze from Spike and returned her attention to the matter at hand, and that was that. However, the sigh of relief that emanated from Rarity’s snout was unmistakable.
In contrast to Shining Armor’s serious face, the orange guardpony wore an apologetic smile as he crossed in front of the gathered staff. “We’re really sorry for all of this, folks,” he explained. “I know it’s a bit unorthodox, but this is for your safety as much as for the rest of Equestria. We’ve been hearing some rumors here and there, and we just need to make sure there aren’t any changelings hiding out here. But don’t worry about it. If you haven’t done anything wrong, then you’ve got nothing to be afraid of.”
The orange pony looked over to his captain, then quickly shuffled aside. Shining Armor stepped out in front of the group. He gathered energy into his horn for a couple seconds, which glowed dark pink, briefly resembling a wilted rose. Then he released it, and a wave of magic washed over the assembled staff. Fluttershy felt the magic pass through her, felt its weight against her skin and hair, and then it was gone. It traveled twenty feet, then flicked out.
“They’re clean,” Shining Armor reported, looking over to his sister.
Fluttershy saw the orange pony breathe a sigh of relief. “It’s like I said, sir,” he said, addressing the captain with a salute. “Many in the Guard owe their lives to Clinic Everfree. They’re on the up and up.”
“Is that right?” Twilight asked. “Because I’ve heard multiple accounts of changelings coming and going from this place. Shining Armor, go validate the patients.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“We have taken changeling patients from time to time,” Fluttershy explained. “It was never anything more than that, though.” She looked to Nurse Redheart, who shared her confusion.
“Oh, dear,” Rarity said quietly.
“Patients?!” Twilight demanded, turning on Fluttershy. “So you admit it, then? While we’ve been fighting the changelings, you were harboring them?”
Fluttershy took a few steps back, breaking the line as Twilight advanced on her. “We weren’t harboring anything,” she said quickly. “Any creature who needs help, large or small, is welcome at Clinic Everfree. That’s what we do here.” She looked out at the camp again, where three Guardponies gathered around Harry, nervously ushering him to a spot beside a deer and three chipmunks. “If they were hurt, we gave them aid,” she explained.
“How many, Fluttershy?” Twilight demanded. “How many times did you patch up Chrysalis’s forces and send them right back out there so they could burn our towns and….” Twilight drifted off. She stopped advancing, her eyes unfocused. She wasn’t looking at Fluttershy, not truly. Her eyes seemed to flicker back and forth for a few seconds, and then she closed her eyes and wandered away.
“Hey,” Rarity said quietly, carefully approaching Twilight. “I’m on your right,” she whispered. “This is me.” She put a single hoof over Twilight, gently tracing the side of the Acting Princess’s neck. “It’s okay.”
In the meadow below, Shining Armor moved from group to group. Once after another, he cast his spell. With each group of patients, the magic blew through them, harming nopony. Fluttershy was quietly relieved she’d sent the changelings to the basement; hidden as it was, they were safer there than if they’d tried to disguise themselves.
“It will never be okay,” Twilight said quietly, a few seconds later. She opened her eyes again. Fluttershy had never before seen the kind of hatred burning in Twilight’s features as she pulled away from Rarity and slowly turned on her once more. “You did this,” she accused.
The orange pony stepped forward, speaking up. “Permission to speak freely, your highness?” he asked.
“Denied,” Twilight snapped.
“I….” He took her answer as a heavy blow, shaking from the weight of them.
“Maybe we should hear him out,” the dragon insisted.
“Your highness,” the orange pony stammered, earning a sharp glare from his companion. A white guardpony standing at attention with a halberd raised in the air stared daggers into the back of the orange pony’s head as he interrupted. “She’s helped so many--”
“Yes, she has! She’s helped so many changelings, hasn’t she?!” Twilight demanded, advancing on Fluttershy and forcing her to back up again. “She helped them raid Appleoosa and burn it to the ground. She helped them fortify Canterlot, forcing us to bring it down. She helped them burn Ponyville and pillage Las Pegasus. She helped them kill--”
“She stood by the medical oath!” Nurse Redheart shouted suddenly. “We all did. Medicine doesn’t march to war. Mercy doesn’t pick a side. Princess Celestia believed in that and so do we.”
“Princess….” Twilight took the nurse’s words as a slap in the face. Her breathing picked up pace and she slowly peeled herself away from Fluttershy.
“Dearest,” Rarity said carefully. “Perhaps you should take a moment to calm down.”
“Yeah,” the dragon added. “This is getting a little crazy, even for you.”
“You dare,” Twilight whispered, causing Nurse Redheart to shrink back on herself.
“It’s not her fault!” Fluttershy said quickly. “The changelings were my idea. I’ll take responsibility for them.”
Twilight glanced down at the meadow and Fluttershy followed her gaze. Shining Armor continued through the lines of ponies, but was turning up no results. “You want to take responsibility?” Twilight asked. “You can start with where they are. How many changelings are you harboring?!”
“We haven’t seen any since the war ended,” Fluttershy said quickly.
“You’re lying!” In a flash, Twilight shoved Fluttershy, sending her flailing to the ground.
“WHOA!” the dragon shouted, racing over to Fluttershy’s side. Doctor Scope and Doctor Horse made a move as well, but the white guardpony dropped his halberd in front of them.
“Darling,” Rarity said diplomatically. “Perhaps we should calm ourselves. This may be getting a little out of hoof.”
“Where is the Hive?!” Twilight demanded of Fluttershy.
“I-I don’t know,” Fluttershy said honestly.
“Where’s Chrysalis? What’s she planning?!”
“I don’t know!”
“Answer the question!” Twilight screamed at her. From the crack that split her horn vertically, Fluttershy could see an orange energy beginning to glow.
“She said she doesn’t know!” the dragon said, stepping between Fluttershy and Twilight.
“Stay out of this, Spike!” Twilight retorted, telekinetically moving him out of the way. “She’s lying to me and I’m going to get the truth!”
“I’m telling you the truth,” Fluttershy pleaded.
“Then give me the changelings!”
“Darling, listen to me,” Rarity said, coming up beside Twilight. “I want answers too, but you’re losing con--”
“You too?” Twilight asked. In an instant, she shot from aggressive to vulnerable. “You’re taking her side?” she asked.
“I’m not,” Rarity said quietly. “You know I wouldn’t, but I just think--”
“Are you with me?” Twilight asked. The question hung in the air, each word clearly stated and thick with intent.
Rarity shot a look to Fluttershy, then back to Twilight. Then again, as though stuck for an answer. Then, at last, she bowed her head and replied, “Of course, I am, dearest. Of course.” She gave one last apologetic look to Fluttershy, then backed away.
“What?!” The dragon shouted. “Rarity, you have to do something!” His pleas fell on deaf ears. Fluttershy didn’t know if Rarity chose to ignore him or if she simply stopped caring, but she closed her eyes and merely looked away.
Twilight closed her eyes. The veneer of vulnerability faded from her features. “Burn the cottage,” she ordered.
“WHAT?!” A shout of alarm rose from the medical staff.
“Your highness, with all due respect--” the orange guardpony started.
“You can’t do that!” Fluttershy shouted desperately.
“Then give me the changelings!” Twilight screamed, her horn glowing with magic. Fluttershy looked up from her place on the ground, eyes wide with horror. The Acting Princess stood over her, magic burning quietly in the crack of her horn, eyes ablaze with fury.
“This is a safe space,” Fluttershy stated, with tears in her eyes.
“Rarity, say something!” the dragon begged, to no avail.
“Nothing is safe!” Twilight spat back at her. “Not as long as you’re hiding threats to Equestria! Where are the changelings?!”
“This is a safe space,” Fluttershy repeated. In the meadow, a the neat lines of ponies had dispersed into a crowd, steadily gathering to see what was happening. The Royal Guard tried to disperse them, but to no avail. At their head, Shining Armor had ceased his tests and now barked orders at the crowd, which nopony listened to.
“Twilight, you need to calm down!” The dragon cried, dashing between the Acting Princess and Fluttershy once more.
“I made a promise,” Twilght snarled, forcefully pushing past him. The dragon fell down hard, shoved aside by Twilight’s movement. “I will defend Equestria from ANYONE!!!” She cried out, her horn lighting up with magic. “LAST CHANCE, FLUTTERSHY!!!” she screamed at Fluttershy, who quivered in terror from the proclamation.
“TWILIGHT, NO!!!” the dragon screamed back at her.
Ignoring him, Twilight demanded, “Give me the changelings! I won’t ask again!”
Fluttershy wept openly as Twilight towered over her. Her eyes fixed to the Acting Princess’s glowing horn and she was instantly petrified of what would happen to her. She glanced to her colleagues who stood in various states of uncertainty. Nurse Redheart and Doctor Horse were clearly restless, but none would move for fear of Twilight Sparkle.
Her decision. Her responsibility. The weight of it all fell on her. Fluttershy closed her eyes and gave her final answer.
“I refuse.”
She braced herself for whatever horrible magic Twilight would unleash upon her, but the magic never came. Instead, the air exploded with heat and a blood-curdling scream ripped through the air. Fluttershy opened her eyes to see Twilight writhing, a guttural cry of agony echoing forth from her snout. The entire left side of her face and neck had erupted with green flames. She bucked back and forth as the flames scorched.
To her left, the dragon stood, quivering in place. “Twilight, I had to,” he stammered, tears dripping from his eyes. “I had to.”
“Hold her down!” Rarity barked at her three guardponies. The white pony dropped his halberd and raced to action, grabbing onto the Acting Princess and guiding her to the ground, while the black pony took her other side, helping to hold her down. The orange pony stood in place, visibly shaken from the preceding events. “That is an order,” Rarity screamed at the orange pony.
“Y-yes, ma’am.” The orange pony joined his companions, helping to hold down Twilight. Rarity lifted mud from the ground with her magic, packing it to her wife’s neck and face to quench the flames. “I’m here, dearest,” she said soothingly. “I’m here. It’s okay.”
“TWILY!” While Rarity was working to help Twilight, Shining Armor’s shout of horror could be heard from the meadow. He never got the chance to say or do anything else. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, Rainbow Dash leapt up beside him and bucked, slamming her hind legs right into the side of his head. Thrown from the impact, Shining Armor crashed into a nearby tent, collapsing it.
Rainbow Dash screamed something to the assembled crowd and before Fluttershy knew what was happening, Clinic Everfree erupted in violence. A guardpony screaming for order was swiftly silenced by Harry lifting him up and slamming him into another guardpony. Four Shieldmares emerged from the crowd, joining Rainbow Dash’s call to action and backed by an angry mob of injured ponies.
“Get off of me!” Twilight ordered. “I’ll be fine! Arrest them!” Fluttershy froze in place, unsure of what to do as Twilight commanded.
“I’m sorry about this,” the orange pony said to Fluttershy. The white pony advanced on her—
CRACK
A heavy blow to the side of the head sent the guardpony tumbling to the ground. Fluttershy looked up to see Nurse Redheart standing over her, holding gripping the halberd in the crook of her hoof.
“You?” Fluttershy asked.
“The oath is murky about defending others,” Nurse Redheart said hastily. “We’ll call this an ounce of prevention.” She gripped the catatonic little dragon in her teeth and quickly deposited him onto Fluttershy’s back.
“Our friends are clear!” The black guardpony announced. “This way!”
The escape route led through the Everfree Forest, but the treeline was blocked by the violence. Around the other side of the cottage, the only other path was blocked by the carriages and more contingents of guardponies. There was only one choice: the Ponyville ruins.
Along with the black guardpony, the staff raced alongside the meadow and into a small copse of trees that they knew would lead into Pony—
A bolt of orange energy streaked past Fluttershy and struck a tree. The entire trunk exploded, peppering Fluttershy and her staff with bark shrapnel. As the tree began to fall, two changelings emerged from the underbrush, gesturing emphatically for them to follow. The tree crashed down in front of Fluttershy, but she felt the black guardpony behind her, lifting her with his forelegs and letting his rapidly morphing wings carry her over.
Thorax landed with Fluttershy on the other side, prompting a relieved, “Thank you,” from her. In the back of her mind, the damage that Twilight’s concussive bolt had done to the tree shook her. So much raw magic powering a spell of pure destruction. What would have happened if that had struck a pony?
“Who’s our friend?” Thorax asked, glancing at the little dragon.
“S…Spike,” the dragon answered, voice shaking with uncertainty. “My name is Spike.”
It hadn’t taken long for the Royal Guard to regroup and expand through Ponyville, searching for Fluttershy and her companions. The group darted through building ruins and down alleyways to try and avoid pursuit, but the town grew thicker with the Guards’ presence with each passing minute.
“Can you take Spike?” Fluttershy asked Nurse Redheart. “He’s starting to get heavy.”
“Of course.” Nurse Redheart sidled up beside Fluttershy, allowing Spike to change mounts.
“Where are we going?” the little dragon asked. Suspiciously, he added, “It’s not the hive, is it?”
“Of course not,” Fluttershy answered him. “We’re going to a sanctuary. A mutual friend will take care of us until we decide what to do.” She hoped Zecora wouldn’t mind the imposition. The plan had been made during wartime, after all, so it may have expired when the war did. Plus, the changelings were never part of that plan, but she hoped Zecora would understand.
Still, none of that would mean anything if they couldn’t get to the treeline. Sweet Apple Acres would have been easier to hide in, but this was a vegetable farm. Lots of open space and very little room to hide. They’d be visible as soon as they stepped out, and with the sun’s angle, there wouldn’t even be shadows to hide in.
“We can make it if we gallop,” Doctor Scope said. “Full out, no stopping or slowing until we’re in the clear.”
The others agreed, but Fluttershy knew better. With the thickness of the search parties, the Royal Guard would be upon them in seconds. “You’re right,” she said with a smile. She stepped forward, watching for patrols with the doctor. When the crowd seemed thinnest, she urged, “Let’s go.”
In the excitement to make it to the treeline, they would never even notice she wasn’t with them until they were already across. As the group left the alley, she went the other direction, lobbing a small stone towards the patrol nearest to the farm and then galloping as fast as she could back towards the town square.
She darted into an alleyway and ducked through what used to be a small law office. She exited through a hole in the wall and sprinted as fast as her hooves would take her up the steps to Sugarcube Corner. She blew through the door and out the back exit, racing down the hill towards the marketplace. She ducked under one of the stalls, then raced out the side and--
CRASH
Fluttershy slammed straight into the orange Guardpony from before and fell to the ground, skidding along the cobblestones.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” The orange guard said reflexively. “Are you o--Fluttershy?!” He froze, unable to react.
She looked up at him, waiting for the hammer to fall. It never did.
The orange pony glanced about quickly, then whispered. “Go. Just g--”
“Excellent work, Sentry!” Shining Armor raced up beside the orange pony. With one hoof, he held an ice compress against the side of his neck. Fluttershy bitterly noted that it was one of hers. “I was starting to have my doubts, but you came through. Arrest her.”
“I….” The orange pony hesitated again, but under the steely gaze of his superior, he folded. “Yes, sir,” he said, his earlier enthusiasm drained from his voice. He put a hoof under Fluttershy’s foreleg and pulled her to her feet, but she could tell from his shaky movements that the energy wasn’t there.
“This is a good start,” Shining Armor mused. “We’ll find the rest in time, but at least not everypony got away. Bring her this way.”
“Yes, sir,” the orange pony said, just as he had before. He pulled at Fluttershy’s shoulder, forcing her to walk, but once more the energy wasn’t there.
“Don’t look so down, soldier. You’re sure to earn a commendation for bringing her in.”
“Yes, sir.”
In one corner of Bridle Rock, an alicorn princess from another reality stood speechless, listening to Fluttershy conclude her tale. “Fluttershy,” she whispered quietly, leaning against the bars of her friend’s cell – the punishment Fluttershy was given for caring too much. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Fluttershy sobbed. “We’re not friends. You’re only talking to me because Flash told you to.”
“Maybe that was true at first,” Twilight admitted. “But he was right. You don’t belong here, Fluttershy. Flash believes that, and after hearing your story, I believe it too.”
“Don’t you get it?!” Fluttershy demanded, standing up from her bundle. “This is all happening because of me. For over a thousand years, ponies have lived in peace with one another. We’ve survived one disaster after another and we’ve always come through for each other, no matter how bad things have gotten.”
“That wasn’t your fault,” Twilight tried to explain.
“I managed to destroy the Harmony that Equestria is founded on. How monstrous would a pony have to be to do that? We survived the changelings. We survived Nightmare Moon. But we couldn’t survive Fluttershy.”
Twilight fell silent. She had no answer for Fluttershy’s charges. It was true: the Harmony in Equestria had gone through so many disasters and terrors and threats, and it had always come out strong. Ponies raising weapons against ponies was unheard of. A true Equestrian civil war had never happened, not since the nation was founded. No matter what happened, Princess Celestia’s leadership and the spirit of friendship and harmony had always kept them together.
But here and now, in a nation ripped apart by war and with Princess Celestia gone, the unthinkable had truly occurred. This wasn’t an enemy that could be defeated with the Elements of Harmony. Now, more than ever, Equestria needed the Magic of--
“You let this happen to me!” Twilight screamed, horn glowing with rage. Tears fell from her face, staining grass already slick with morning dew. “How could you?!”
No. Maybe it couldn’t be solved. Maybe this was bigger than anything she’d ever even considered before. To end a civil war and bring Equestria back together would surely take more than one pony who didn’t belong here and whose faith in the Magic of Friendship had been waning for over a moon. Maybe there was no answer at all. Could this reality be beyond saving?
“That’s why I belong here,” Fluttershy explained. “I know that what I did was wrong. It must have been, to bring so much pain into Equestria. But it didn’t feel wrong, and I don’t know why that is. So I have to be here until I understand what Acting Princess Twilight is trying to teach me. Maybe then the violence can end.” She hung her head. “Or maybe Sunset Shimmer’s right. Maybe I am just a coward.”
“I don’t think so,” Twilight said honestly. “I don’t know if protecting your changeling friends was right,” she admitted. “It’s not something I’ve ever had to think about.”
“I’m sure it probably doesn’t come up at the Hive much.”
The Hive? What was she—OH. RIGHT. THE HIVE. “Uh, right. Buzz buzz. But I can tell you that making a stand for what you believe in the way you did was the farthest thing from cowardly. It took a lot of courage to stand up to Princess Twilight the way you did.”
“Do you really think that?” Fluttershy asked.
“I do,” Twilight said with a smile. “You’ve given me a lot to think about. I don’t have all the answers right now. But I do know that you are the bravest pony I’ve met since I came here. Right now, I think Equestria needs ponies like you.”
“And what if I get more ponies hurt?” Fluttershy asked. “I still believe in the principles of Harmony, Skitter. They’re what everypony fought for. They’re….” She hesitated for a few seconds. Then, quietly, she continued, “They’re what she died for.”
“Fluttershy, please….”
“I’m sorry, Skitter, but my answer is no. What you and Sunset Shimmer are planning is just going to lead to more violence. There’s enough of that happening in Equestria already, and I’ve already caused enough misery for a lifetime.”
Defeated, Twilight stepped away from the bars. Fluttershy wasn’t changing her answer and she had no idea how to even begin to change her mind. In the end, this conversation had only served as another reminder of how different this reality was. But as she turned to leave, she felt the need to say one last thing.
“Even when times seem at their darkest, you can always find a little light,” she said, looking down the corridor towards the door that led back to her cell block. “A friend said that to me once. It gave me hope when I was feeling crushed by the weight of this world. Maybe you should listen to her sometime.” Without another word, Twilight departed, leaving Fluttershy alone with her regrets.
“Tell Trixie that we’re doing this tomorrow,” Twilight said bluntly. “Just the three of us. Captain Silverpride and his ponies will be so busy trying to keep Shining Armor pleased that they won’t be paying much attention to anything else.”
“You know they lock us in our cells for inspections, don’t you?” Sunset Shimmer asked.
Twilight blinked. She did not, in fact, know that. That complicated matters significantly. “I might have a workaround for that,” she stated. “The biggest obstacle is going to be the front gate. It opens one of three ways. Either you cast a spell, you use a key, or you’re me. The Acting Princess probably never counted on there being two of us.”
“I wouldn’t count on that,” Sunset sneered. “Equestria spent two years fighting an ugly war with the changelings not long ago. If Twilight Sparkle is even half as smart as you think she is, she’d never have left such a glaring hole in her defenses.”
“You might be right,” Twilight admitted. “Still, it’s the best option we’ve got. If it doesn’t work out, then--”
“If it doesn’t work out, we’re both going to be in solitary for a moon.”
“Probably. Are you nervous?”
A predatory grin spread across Sunset Shimmer’s face. “We’re about to take Twilight Sparkle’s greatest achievement and shove it down her throat. I was born to do this.”
With the long day at an end, Twilight retired to her cell to think about what she’d heard. She wondered if Fluttershy could be exaggerating or making up details about what happened. The behavior that had been ascribed to the Acting Princess seemed unnecessarily harsh. She couldn’t even begin to imagine herself acting that way.
She wished she could sit down with herself and ask for her reasons. Why do all this? Why build Bridle Rock? Why imprison Fluttershy? There had to be something that she was missing, she was certain of that much. Some thread that would make this all make sense.
Far across the mountains, the halls of the Crystal Palace echoed with the sound of hooves clicking on crystal flooring. Another tiresome day ended in another sleepless night, as Equestria remained as beset by threats and enemies as ever before.
She’d been forced to hold court again today. She meant to skip it, but Rarity had twisted her hoof. Petty nobleponies and rich aristocrats arguing about petty affairs that meant nothing next to the great dangers lurking around the Empire, waiting for their opportunity to strike. Why couldn’t these ponies just understand how meaningless their bickering was in the face of greater issues?
Twilight wasn’t a diplomat. She wasn’t some fast-talking negotiator. She was about one thing: magic. She swore that her magic would save Equestria, and these ponies were only interrupting that effort. Couldn’t they see that the end of Equestria itself could be upon them at any moment? Were they truly so simple, so stupid, that they couldn’t grasp how their pointless shenanigans were wasting time better spent organizing plans for the Royal Guard’s mobilization and prepping counterattack opportunities for the event of a potential yak invasion?
Why was she the only pony in Equestria who had any sense of priorities?
“Gooooood evening, your highness!” Speaking of.
“Hello, Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said, voice dripping with disdain.
“We had a lovely party today!” Pinkie said, smiling from ear to ear.
“I’m sure. Just like every day.”
Pinkie Pie grinned. “Today it was Twist’s birthday! She thought she was just getting a spiral cake, so I surprised her with a spiral within a spiral! When I turned the knob, it rose from--”
“Is there a point to any of this?” Twilight asked.
“Oh, well, I got to talking to some of the other ponies and everypony’s wondering when we can get started on the Reconstruction? Everypony’s packed in pretty tight here in the Empire and we’re--”
“We leave the Empire when and only when Equestria is safe,” Twilight answered. “I’m not sending ponies out there to be attacked by rogue changelings or Applejack’s marauders.”
“But Manehattan’s doing okay,” Pinkie protested.
“When the forces conspiring to destroy Equestria and everything we stand for are gone,” Twilight reiterated. “Not one second before.” She stormed off without another word, leaving Pinkie Pie behind to interpret her response.
Crossing the threshold into her royal library, Twilight felt a strong sense of relief. Here, in her solitary enrichment chamber, her frustration with the world could find relief. This was her sanctuary where no other pony was permitted to tread. It was where she made her plans, discovered new things, and took many of her meals. It was the one place in all of Equestria that truly understood her.
The library had been filled using several selections of books from the Crystal Empire’s public library along with whatever could be salvaged from the Canterlot ruins. Having plunged down a mountainside, many of the Canterlot books were in a state of disrepair, but Twilight had taken eagerly to the project of fixing them up.
In the center of the room, a round wooden table sat with only a single chair. Nopony else was authorized to even enter Twilight’s library, so there was no pressing need for another. The table was shaped like a ring, with a large opening in the center for the library’s central monument.
Rising fifteen feet into the air, Princess Celestia’s effigy towered over the rest of the chamber. She stood on her hind legs, wings flared and hooves kicking our, looking down across the library’s front. Her body was made from polished marble, while her mane and tail shone with the finest imperial crystal in a variety of hues.
Twilight took a seat under her mentor’s watchful gaze, resting a hoof beside a tome with a red binding. The book was still open to where she’d left it this morning, naturally; after all, the library had no visitors to interfere with her placement with their grubby hooves. “A Unicorn’s Guide to Changeling Magic” was its title, but even after three reads, she was still struggling to grasp the mystery of a changeling who could cast unicorn spells.
But perhaps that would need to be a mystery for another day. The latest field reports sat to the side with her maps, relaying the most recent encounters with Applejack and her militia. It was sure to be filled with the latest sightings for ponies such as Rainbow Dash, Lyra Heartstrings…Spike….
She looked into her reflection in the monument’s mirrored base, as she always did. Her eyes fell on her fractured horn first, as it always did. The horn was the cost she’d paid for Equestria’s safety. It embodied the brave sacrifices that she and her mentor had made for all ponies. It was a constant reminder to be vigilant and strong.
She looked next to the burns across the left side of her face and down her neck. Even with the best medical practitioners in Equestria, her scars had never fully healed. She was to understand they never would. But she could live with that, because it meant she would never forget that one most important truth: trust is the gateway to betrayal. She would vividly remember for the rest of her days the treachery of the one creature in all Equestria she had been foolish enough to call her friend. She would never make that mistake again.
Looking over the scars that symbolized everything she’d learned and everything she’d given to Equestria, she opened her snout as she did every day and reaffirmed her one great purpose.
“I will defend Equestria from anyone.”
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Looking over the scars that symbolized everything she’d learned and everything she’d given to Equestria, she opened her snout as she did every day and reaffirmed her one great purpose.
“I will defend Equestria from anyone.”
Maybe that should include yourself huh.
I'd say Crystal Princess Twilight should take a good hard look in the mirror, but that doesn't seem to have done her any good.
Celestia's death clearly did a number on her, but I guess she, and Equestria at large, were kind of borked from the beginning. Our Twi was on the right track before she started moping again- this is what an Equestria without the Magic of Friendship is like, and hopefully realizing it will help her reaffirm her own devotion to her friends.
8863401
And the first thought I had in my mind was: