The Masked Accuser

Chapters

Prologue/canterlot wedding
Laughter/cider squeezy
Generosity/honest lies
Loyalty/last roundup
Magic/returned harmony
Kindness/friendship express

Prologue/canterlot wedding

She didn’t want to admit this to anyone, not even herself, but when the real Cadance entered the altar and ousted the fake, she felt scared. Worried. Regretful. The one time she doubted her student and she was right, though that was just one thought drowned out by bigger thoughts. How she could have been fooled by this imposter? How could she have allowed her to live in the city for who knows how long? How could she have failed something she and the Royal Guard have been preparing for ever since they received the threat? The thoughts loomed in her mind as the Queen made her declaration of an invasion. But... she had to make a stand. She had to make sure she didn’t fail.

And yet... she did. She was defeated. This rarely happened to her, but she was defeated in front of her subjects. The subjects she vowed to protect. And a while after, her faithful student and her friends failed to stop her army as well. All hope seemed lost... Though it seemed that through sheer luck, a miracle sprung out. But the more she thought of it, the more it bugged her. Her entire kingdom, as well as many others, would have been conquered had it not been for Chrysalis not paying attention. Had it not been for Chrysalis underestimating the power of Cadance’s love...

Though... Was that just a coincidence? Was Chrysalis dumb enough to let Shining Armor cast a spell right in front of her? Or perhaps Chrysalis was just planning for that to happen? Was there a plan bigger than just an invasion that she didn’t know about? Was the invasion just an excuse for something to happen? There could be many different reasons why just when all seemed lost did victory shine through and almost all of them convinced Celestia that it wasn’t by fate or luck.

“Sister, is something the matter?” was enough to snap her out of it. Celestia looked towards Luna.

“No. I was just... looking back at how much our Cadance has grown since she became an Alicorn.” Celestia said. She bit her lip as she indeed remembered Cadance when she was younger. Though all she thought was "How could I have been so blind?". Luna gave her an odd look. She then looked at the party in progress.

“Pinkie Pie knows how to throw a party. I heard she livened up the Gala a while ago, and that it was the best Gala by far.” Luna said.

“Yes. It was the best Gala indeed.” Celestia said.

For the rest of the night, things went swimmingly, though there was one sight that Celestia cringed at. As the carriage carrying the married couple trotted off, there were a few ponies trying to catch up to it. At first, she assumed that they wanted the bouquet, but she could have sworn she heard something like “Don’t go! We need you! Who will protect us?”

She shook her head. It must be her imagination. It was getting late anyway. She nodded to Luna and headed off to her chambers to sleep. Hopefully, the day after the wedding would be relaxing.

As soon as Celestia raised the sun, she heard knocking on the door. She opened the door and saw Luna.

“Dearest sister, your student is raising complaints about not being able to leave Canterlot.” Luna said.

“What? I could swear we took down the shields after the Changelings were gone...” Celestia said. She went out of her room and headed to the train station.

Turned out she didn’t need to go that far to see what the problem was, as she saw thousands of ponies standing outside of the castle grounds, chattering. Twilight was just by the doors when she got out, along with her friends and assistant.

“Wh-what is going on here?” Celestia asked.

“I don’t know! I woke up and I saw these ponies blocking the path to the train station!” Twilight said. That’s when one of the ponies in the crowd, a blue Unicorn, got up and pointed to Twilight.

“There she is! Twilight Sparkle! The one who exposed the Changeling! The one who saved us from them!” After the Unicorn announced her, the crowd stomped their hooves and cheered loudly.

“W-what? No! That was Cadance who exposed the Changeling and saved you! Not me!” Twilight tried to elevate her voice so that the crowd could hear her, though it immediately settled down once she spoke..

“But it was you who brought her at the altar! Had you not done that, we wouldn’t be standing here right now!” The pony said.

“Well... there is that... But what is going on here?” Twilight asked.

“We want you to be our princess until Cadance comes back from her honeymoon!” The Unicorn said. Twilight could see some of the crowd nodding their heads. Twilight and Celestia’s expressions briefly matched each other’s. Widen eyes, dropped jaws, and a cocked stare of disbelief. A brief moment, before Celestia’s face changed. Eyes focused, jaws straightened, and speaking in her confident voice.

“Subjects, I appreciate your thankfulness towards Twilight for her actions in finding the real Cadance and saving Canterlot, but I will not let you guys try and make a princess out of someone who clearly isn’t ready. Besides, you have me and Luna to rely on.” Celestia said. The blue Unicorn scrunched her eyes and gave her a cold glare.

“I personally respect you, Celestia, especially with what you’ve done and what you tried to do to protect us, but I don’t feel ready to give half of my trust to someone who wasn’t even there when the attack began.” She said. Celestia gave a sigh.

“She didn’t have enough time to get here. By the time she arrived, the battle was long over.” Celestia said.

“Then surely she would have known about the attack! It’s not like she was oblivious to it! No one would be able to miss something as catastrophic as an invasion!” The Unicorn said. Celestia remembered how Luna jokingly asked if she missed anything, something that probably wouldn’t fly by these ponies. Before Celestia could answer, someone else did the job for her.

“I actually have known about the invasion.” Luna trotted out from the doors. “But like Celestia said, the battle was over by the time I got down there. You try flying from the moon to Canterlot in under an hour.” The crowd of ponies began to chatter amongst themselves. Several of them nodded. Celestia and Luna could read their lips.

“The Queen was pretty strong... I doubt even the Elements would have defeated her...”

“Come to think of it, it did pass by pretty quick.”

“Yeah, we were wrong to judge them...”

Celestia smiled for a bit. It was nice when she and her sister calmly explained to the subjects what was going on. She spoke to them.

“I deeply apologize for what had happened that day, but at least you all understood that the situation was out of our hooves and that it was solved in a pretty quick span of time.” Celestia’s face was less stern now. Another pony, a red Pegasus, flew up and smiled back.

“You do care about us! You do want to protect us!” He said with joy. It was then that one of Twilight’s Pegasus friends glared, flew up to the same altitude, and spoke back to him.

“Yeah, of course they do! What kind of pony went up and decided that they don’t!?” Rainbow Dash asked. The red Pegasus settled back down with a whimper. Silence came as the group heard murmurs and scuttling. The center of the crowd began to part, giving room for one pony to pass by to the front. As the front row of the ponies parted, the Mane Six looked at the pony and memories of pride leading to a fall played in their heads, though Rainbow Dash’s memories were more related to anger-inducing.

The pony wore a purple and dark-blue fedora that covered the top of its head. Its face was obscured in a dark-blue mask with a baby-blue see-through fabric to act as eyes. A purple suit was laid over the body of the pony, with a dark blue cape that fluttered about in the wind. Its hooves were taped up with dark-blue leather straps. At the bottom of its neck was the letter M on a purple background. Rarity had to do a double take. She designed this outfit, but she could swear that she still had that and a few copies back in Ponyville, hidden away in one of her many closets and collecting dust.

“I am the one responsible for this gathering.” The masked pony said, confirming its voice that it was indeed a mare. Twilight fell over trying to tilt her head to get a better look.

“M-Mare Do Well? But... That’s impossible!” Twilight stood up.

“HEY! WHAT KIND OF JOKE IS THIS!?” Rainbow Dash yelled at Mare Do Well. She chuckled.

“This is no joke. I am simply the will of the ponies’ voice, and they have spoken. They feel scared, frightened. They want to know that they can sleep at night, knowing that there’d be no nasty problems happening under their nose. They want to feel protected. Something Celestia, as a Princess, as a ruler, had failed to do. They want Twilight to rule Canterlot temporarily until Cadance comes back. Then she’ll be the new Princess.” Mare Do Well said.

“B-but I don’t want to get rid of Cele-” The red Pegasus tried to protest, but Mare Do Well looked at him. Even without being able to see her eyes, the Pegasus backed down with a single meep.

“We just said that we cared about our subjects, that the situation was out of our hooves and that it was quickly resolved." Celestia said.

"Yes, but I can't help but feel that this could have all been prevented." Mare Do Well said. There was a crowd of murmurs afterwards. Celestia kept the look on her face.

"You’re acting as if the invasion had cost innocent lives.” Celestia said.

“Really?” Mare Do Well simply moved out of the way so that a gray foal could make his way to the front. The murmurs ceased. Most of the crowd muttered, some began to whimper. Celestia herself had no idea what Mare Do Well had planned. Mare Do Well looked to the foal and nodded to him. "Tell them your name, sweetie." She said.

“M-my name i-is C-coal... M-my parents... My... My parents...” Coal’s legs began to shake. The ponies could already tell in his voice that this was not good news. “They... they...” Coal couldn’t take it anymore and slumped to the ground. He hid his face into his hooves and sobbed. Mare Do Well stepped forward as some of the other ponies, including the blue Unicorn, escorted Coal away.

“His parents were killed in the invasion. The only reported casualties so far. I was doing the head count last night while you ponies spent your time focusing on other things. Do you wish to speak of how the situation was resolved without incident? Do you wish to party through the night and neglect your broken kingdom, not knowing that at least one foal’s life was changed for the worst? It may be the best wedding to you, but to poor Coal, it will be nothing but a bad memory that he will be lucky to repress.” Mare Do Well said. A few of the ponies in the crowd began to cry.

“But... Changelings don’t-” Twilight tried to protest, but an orange hoof reached to Twilight’s body. She looked over and saw Applejack, hat hung so low that her eyes aren’t visible, though she could see droplets of water fall from her head to the ground.

“Let ‘er continue...” Applejack muttered. Twilight bit her lip and looked towards Mare Do Well.

“Some ponies in this crowd feel safe with just you and Luna protecting them, Celestia. I can agree to that, but knowing that Coal’s life, as well as the lives of other ponies, is forever changed because of this makes me worry about Canterlot’s safety. And I’m not the only one who thinks that. I only ask that Twilight extends her stay in Canterlot so that the citizens feel safer. Then, once Cadance comes back-” Mare Do Well could have said more, but Celestia spoke up giving the same stern voice she had when she confronted the Changeling Queen.

“Out of the question. You ask for me and my sister to hand over my crown to a pony that isn’t ready to receive it yet. As for Cadance, it will be her and her alone who will decide if she wishes to replace me as Princess.” Celestia said.

“You don’t mind if Cadance becomes our new Princess, but you do if Twilight takes the title for a few days? Why? Many of your subjects, I included, have agreed that she helped save Canterlot from being turned into a feeding ground.” Mare Do Well said.

“Yes. She did help save Canterlot. She was right about the false Cadance, and I shouldn’t have doub-” She realized what she was saying and stopped herself, but it was too late. The ponies began to chatter rapidly, almost in a panic. Celestia looked over to Luna, who now had the face of disbelief. They didn’t know. Luna didn’t know. But now they did.

“What was that? I didn’t quite hear that.” Mare Do Well said. Celestia only had a half-second to breathe. On one hoof, she could actually mean that and the confession fell upon deaf ears. On the other hoof, she was just asking if she could repeat what she just said, knowing full well what it was. Only a half-second before Applejack sobbed.

“Yeah! We shouldn’t ‘ave doubted Twilight! But we just thought dat Cadance was getting’ stressed! We didn’t know she was some bug-pony!” Applejack fell over, continuing to sob as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie tended to her. The chattering increased. Mare Do Well glared at Celestia. She could read her body language. Checkmate, her body said.

“Care to explain to the crowd just what happened during that dress rehearsal?” Mare Do Well said. Celestia glared at Mare Do Well.

How did she know what happened? She thought. She closed her eyes and growled. Luna backed away and shuddered from hearing Celestia’s irritation.

“It was during a dress rehearsal. We were practicing for the wedding when Twilight came in and accused the false Princess of being evil. However, we didn’t believe her at first, since she came off as petty and jealous.” Celestia said. Twilight looked down, as if she was a filly getting scolded by her mother. Celestia opened her mouth and tried to speak some more, but a shout filled the air.

“SHUT UP!” Every pony turned to look at Fluttershy in the air, her wings spread out and eyes glared at the Princess. Her friends were rendered speechless. Only few ponies have seen her like this. Like Applejack, tears fell from her burning eyes too. “She may have been petty. She may have been jealous, but she was also concerned for her brother! She tried to tell us about that imposter many times, but we were too busy with the wedding! For a brief moment, being a bridesmaid was apparently more important than having a strong bond! We should have listened to her concerns! She was right! This like the time Twilight went crazy over the Friendship Reports! HAVE WE LEARNED NOTHING!?” After that shout, there was nothing but silence. No crying, no muttering, not even a breath. Even Mare Do Well was stunned with this. A minute passed and the only sound that came out in that meeting was Fluttershy’s own breathing. She fluttered back to the ground.

“There... That’s what I wanted to say... This whole time... Since the rehearsal. At first, it was just a nagging feeling, but after 'Cadance' revealed herself, it turned into something bigger... I didn’t want to say anything about it because I feared I’d get rejected like Twilight... or be told that it isn’t the time to regret... I didn’t say anything since that day... because if I did... Something would cause me to explode... I... How could I be so cruel to her!? I... I can’t look at you guys the same way!” Fluttershy said. She ran towards the crowd of ponies as the sound of crying passed through them. She ran past Mare Do Well, who simply shook her head and regained her composure.

“Well, that was lovely. You passed off a concern as... what did you say again? Ah yes, ‘petty and jealous’. Jealous towards whom, you may ask? Her brother? How wise for a ruler to disregard a warning like that, from her own student, no less, and accuse her of incest. Thank you for confirming my suspicions, oh 'wise and noble leader'.” Mare Do Well said. She and the crowd saw Celestia's stern face break in front of them. The face she showed instead was one nopony had seen save for a few. Her eyes closed, her lip frowned, and even her hair seemed to flow less. Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth. Soon, she took to the skies and glared down at Mare Do Well.

“That isn’t what she’s trying to say! Stop trying to twist ponies’ words, you prick!” Rainbow Dash shouted at Mare Do Well. Mare Do Well simply chuckled.

“Kindness knew what she did was wrong and bottled up those feelings to avoid her friends’ wrath. What do you feel, Loyalty? Do you feel the same thing as her? Or do you feel nothing from betraying your very Element? What must it feel to go against your Element and leave one of your closest friends for a pony you barely met?” Mare Do Well said.

“WHY YOU!!!” Rainbow Dash had enough. She zoomed towards Mare Do Well. She would have given her a knuckle sandwich if it hadn’t been for her tail being restrained.

“DAHH! STAHP!” Applejack tried to speak with her teeth on her tail.

“Honesty, I appreciate you trying to stop Loyalty from pummeling me, but tell me, did you feel awful for buying a lie? Did you even know it was a lie until it was too late? I’d forgive you if you said yes.” Mare Do Well said to her. Applejack hesitated to speak due to her grapple, but the tears said it all. Pinkie Pie bounced towards Mare Do Well. When she finally stopped, her snout was touching Mare Do Well’s, her eyes bulging out and going right into her own.

“Stop making things so dreary! We were having a good time until you showed up!” Pinkie said. She sounded angry, much like Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, but she still had a fraction of happiness in her voice.

“Laughter, how nice of you to defend your friends... I...” Mare Do Well laughed. It wasn’t a sarcastic laugh, but a full out ‘Pinkie poured flour over herself’ kind of laugh. “I got nothing. I guess you didn’t make your friend smile?” Mare Do Well tilted her head. Pinkie sighed and walked back to the group.

“Mare Do Well, I must ask where you got that outfit from. It simply looks fabulous...” Rarity smirked, as if everything that happened before didn’t.

“Of course it is. You made it after all, though I’ve given the outfit a different purpose... A less... petty purpose.” Mare Do Well said. Rarity’s smirk dropped. She backed away. "What's wrong, Generosity? I thought making clothes was what you pride yourself off of... or am I to expect that's only when you do it to impress royalty?" Celestia’s opened her eyes and looked to Mare Do Well.

“I understand. You ponies don’t realize firsthand the consequences of what you have done. By neglecting the concerns of one pony, for choosing someone’s comfort over the safety of Canterlot, you have caused significant damage. Not just to this kingdom, but to its ponies. You were just too busy celebrating to notice the wounds that these ponies must lick. But I shall show you. Seize them.” Mare Do Well said. The ponies marched towards the castle. The guards readied themselves for a possible attack, though with the two Princesses, they were more or less backup. Luna scowled as light emitted from her horn and her eyes glowing white.

“Get away, thou ungrateful whelps!” Her Royal Canterlot Voice echoed through the crowd. There was a loud thunder crash, causing the crowd of ponies to back away in panic. Some even ran away from the castle. She was about to fire off a blast before one calm voice sounded out.

“Luna.” Celestia said. She stepped forward as Luna settled down. She looked at the crowd, not with scorn, bitterness, or sorrow, but with compromise.

“As I stated, Twilight’s not ready to be a princess. Not yet, anyways. She has much to learn and yet she’s nearly completed her learning.” Celestia said. Twilight looked at her with curiosity.

Just what was she talking about?, she wondered.

“She can’t become one overnight, or any time soon. We need patience. But, if you ponies wish for it to be so, Luna will take my spot as Princess until either Twilight is eligible to become one herself or Cadance returns and decides to rule Canterlot.” Celestia said. The Ponies who supported Celestia in the protest, Twilight and her friends, and even her sister all shouted one large word: "WHAT!?"

“Sister, shouldn’t thou rethink this?” Luna asked. Celestia looked to her.

“Luna, I’ve done a terrible thing yesterday. I’ve let my ponies down, and they are upset and scarred by this. The least I could do is acknowledge their wishes.” Celestia said.

“Noble words for you to say, Celestia. You, at the very least, know the consequences of what you did. Your Bearers, on the other hand, don’t. I shall show them what sort of damage was caused on Canterlot firsthand, and then I shall bring them into a building of my choosing and make sure they understand what they have done.” Mare Do Well said.

“Is that all? Is that all you will do to them?” Celestia looked to Mare Do Well, who gave her a nod. “If I step down right now, would you promise me you’d be merciful on my student’s friends?” Celestia asked.

“Ahhh… You have the soft heart of a mare...” Mare Do Well chuckled, though she straightened up once Luna glared at her. “Yes. I promise they won’t be harmed... physically.” Mare Do Well said, muttering the last part. Soon, Twilight stepped forward.

“Don’t do this to them! Please! They were fooled into leaving me and I could understand why they did so! But I’ve forgiven them! Please don’t harm them!” Twilight said, trying to hold back her tears. Mare Do Well went up to Twilight simply put his hoof on her head and brushed her hair. She looked at her like a parent would to their child.

“Magic... You may have forgiven them, but they haven’t. I haven’t. Not yet. And... perhaps you haven’t forgiven them either...” Mare Do Well said.

“WHAT THE BUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?” Twilight shoved her head off Mare Do Well’s hoof and glared at her. Mare Do Well was briefly fazed before she spoke.

“I can feel it in you. A pony who you hate to the very core. You may have forgiven your friends, but you still feel bitter about something that happened on that day. Who’s to say you haven’t really forgiven them and that there’s some repressed anger towards them for not standing by your side? Or perhaps it’s anger towards your mentor for not helping you see the error of your ways? Is there a pony in your life that you can’t forgive?” Mare Do Well asked.

“I… I…” Twilight muttered. She never thought of that until now. Mare Do Well nodded to the ponies as they grabbed Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie and dragged them off. “No! Wait!” Twilight shouted.

“Give it some thought. I know you have some anger in you, Magic.” Mare Do Well said, walking off with the crowd. Celestia and Luna shared the same glare

“Don’t go back on your word!” Celestia said to Mare Do Well, though he paid no heed. The only ponies left at the castle were the three: Luna, Celestia, and Twilight. Luna growled, proceeded to punch the castle wall with her hoof and chipped the brick.

“I could have easily restrained the crowd and stopped this whole riot.” Luna said.

“Yes, you would have… but what would that prove? It’s like Mare Do Well said. They’re scared and worried about how we rule Canterlot. If we silence them like that, that would only confirm their fears.” Celestia said. She could hear sobs from Twilight. There she thought of something. Maybe she could help her after all. Perhaps there was something wrong to all this… Maybe there might be a miracle to fix this. Celestia went over to Twilight.

“What was that you said before, when that foal came and cried?” She asked.

“That… That…” Twilight fought through the sobs, but as soon as she figured it out, she stood up, her voice cleared of any sadness. “The Changelings couldn’t kill something that would provide food for them! They wouldn’t waste it!” Twilight said.

“And how, pray tell, does that help?” Luna asked.

“Something’s very fishy about all this. I’m gonna try and fix this, Princess. By the end of the day, we’ll be smiling and partying like yesterday!” Twilight said to Celestia.

“I hope you do.” Celestia said, walking off.

“H-hey! Where are you going!?” Twilight asked Celestia.

“I wasn’t lying when I said that I would step down. Mare Do Well was right... Even if the situation was out of my hooves, there was a point where I could have prevented it. I have a lot to think about.” Was all she said before she flew off into the skies. Luna and Twilight were stunned. How could they begin their investigation into Mare Do Well after seeing Celestia depart like that?

A slight cough gave the answer. Twilight turned around and saw the red Pegasus.

“Um… Hi? Don’t suppose you need help?” He asked them.

Laughter/cider squeezy

Spike paced around in circles at the castle halls. The more he paced, the more it looked like he wasn’t even paying attention to where he is. He continually paced and muttered out things like “hope everything is good” or “should have helped her”. He kept this up for a while before he bumped into Luna’s body.

“Oh, Princess! Sorry about that...” Spike said.

“Ah, Spike. You haven’t gone with Twilight?” Luna asked.

“Not really. I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened recently...” Spike said.

“Recently? You mean the wedding?” Luna asked.

“No. I mean the National Dessert Competition. Of course I mean the wedding!” Spike suddenly snapped at Luna, though she wasn’t taken aback. She kept a stoic glare to him. “Sorry,” Spike let out a sigh. “I’ve been thinking so much about this... You ever have that feeling where you just don’t... fit?”

Luna gave him a slight nod. “Yeah... Ever since I got back from the Dragon Migration, I thought I had a sense of belonging. That I was more than just some ‘pet’.” Luna raised an eyebrow. “... Yeah, long story there... But... with the wedding... I just felt like I didn’t belong. Like I didn’t serve any purpose.” Spike said.

“But you must have at least done something.” Luna said.

“No. I didn’t. I didn’t stick up for Twilight when she was ditched by her friends. I didn’t assist in the battle against the Changelings. I didn’t even hold a bachelor party!” Spike threw his arms up in the air at the last item he listed.

“At least you were there. I missed the entire thing. I even missed the wedding.” Luna said.

“Yeah... That does suck... But I was in the same room as the Queen! I wasn’t bounded or brainwashed! I could have roasted her! I could have done something! Anything!” Spike clawed the sides of his head before Luna placed her hoof on Spike’s head.

“You forget that not even Celestia could have defeated her. I hate to belittle you like this, but there wasn’t anything any one of us could have done about what happened.” Luna said.

“Yet why do I feel like something could have been done to prevent that?” Spike said. The two doors heard the doors slowly opening and some small hoof-steps echoing through the hall.

“Hello? Can you two tell me where Rarity is?” Sweetie Belle’s voice cracked around ‘Rarity’. She entered the room and stared at Spike. He noticed small trembles in her legs when she walked, the small cracks in her voice, and her pupils being a little smaller than normal.

Something could have been done to prevent that. Was all Spike could think of when he saw Sweetie Belle.

Mare Do Well placed the Element of Laughter onto Pinkie Pie. Pinkie gave her a glare as the Element glowed brightly.

“As I expected, your Element and Kindness’ Element are the ones that pull the punches.” Mare Do Well said.

“How come you keep referring to us by our Element names?” Pinkie, despite the cold glare, spoke rather normally.

“When you became the Element Bearers, you made a promise to your Element. That promise being that you won’t go against what you stand for. If that promise ever got broken, your Element would cease to function, and only through determination and practicing what you stand for would your Element forgive you. In a sense, you became your Element.” Mare Do Well sighed.

“Which leads me to my next point. You have rarely gone against your Element, Laughter. Your cause is a noble, if silly, one. You could have very well caused the Princess of the Moon to become the Mare in the Moon again, but you’ve made the children smile in the process. You pestered and annoyed a travelling donkey, and in the end you’ve made him smile. You left your friend at the altar, but only to comfort a crying, if fake, princess. Your cause to make ponies smile falls in line with your Element.” She said. The shield dimmed slightly, though only slightly.

“There is one thing that the Element has against you... but it isn’t enough to make it dim like Kindness’.” Mare Do Well said. That’s when Pinkie raised her eyebrow.

“Huh?” She asked.

“Do you recall Cider Season?” Mare Do Well asked.

“Oh yeah! I remember that! Oh man, it was so much fun getting all that cider... It was more fun making that cider!” Pinkie Pie said.

“Do you know that the latter couldn’t have happened without the former?” Mare Do Well asked her.

“Wh-what do you mean?” Pinkie Pie looked confused.

“You buying a ton of cider led to a cider shortage. Yes, while the cider wouldn’t be enough for everypony, your actions helped accelerate it.” Mare Do Well said.

“And... this has to do with me why?” Pinkie asked.

“The shortage caused a certain duo to garner popularity. Enough to make the Apples gamble with their livelihood. That’s what led to you making the cider... And what led to the Apples nearly losing their livelihood... Do you remember?” Mare Do Well said. Pinkie’s mind went blank as she recalled that day the Flim-Flam brothers came to town. How the Apples nearly leaving Ponyville drove every pony to tears. Her legs shook. Suddenly, the weight of her own body wasn’t enough for her legs to support, and she crashed down to the floor with tears in her eyes. However, it wasn’t the audible crash that made Mare Do Well pay attention to the impact she made on Pinkie.

It was the sound of a balloon blowing out air. She saw Pinkie’s mane go from bright and fluffy to dull and straight. Mare Do Well couldn’t help but gave a smirk under the cloth mask.

“Even at your lowest point, you make me smile, Laughter.” Mare Do Well twitched a bit. Pinkie could hear her let out a few “hehs”... Was this funny to her? She got up and punched Mare Do Well in the face. Mare Do Well was knocked her towards her own shield and her impact shattered the shield like glass. That’s when Applejack and Rarity looked towards Pinkie’s hairdo. This wasn’t the first time they saw her like this.

“Pinkie!? Wha- What did she do!?” Applejack asked her.

“Applejack...” Pinkie Pie glared at her. After that, she ran to her and held her tightly. “I’M SO SORRY!” She cried out.

“For what!?” Applejack asked.

“For causing the Flim-Flams to come and take over Sweet Apple Acres and almost causing you to leave and drinking all the cider and-” She went a mile a minute telling Applejack of all the things she was sorry for on that day. That’s when Applejack put her hoof on her back.

“Sugarcube, you didn’t ‘ave anything to do with it! We would ‘ave ran out of cider anyways... There was nothin’ you or I could do about it...” Applejack stroked Pinkie’s back. Her weeps ceased, though her hair remained flattened. Applejack glared at the injured Mare Do Well. The punch from Pinkie caused a slight tear on Mare Do Well’s mask, though much like her outfit, not enough to reveal anything underneath.

“Is makin’ us depressed what gets ya off?!” Applejack asked.

“No... Counting up your crimes is what gets me off. Go now, Laughter. See the consequences of your friends’ actions first hand.” Mare Do Well said.

“...” Pinkie trotted off.

“Wait! Pinkie! Don’t go!” Applejack shouted to her, but she couldn’t hear her.

“I got the easy ones out of the way. Generosity. You’re up next.” Mare Do Well said.

“I won’t let ya continue this!” Applejack ran towards Mare Do Well. Mare Do Well simply lifted her hat and from her horn, she created a wall of green fire in front of Applejack. She tried to back away, though another wall blocked her as well. She was encircled by the fires.

“You’ll come after Generosity. Don’t you worry about that.” Mare Do Well said. She turned to Rarity. “Are you ready?” She asked. Rarity had been mostly quiet the whole time. She got up and glared to Mare Do Well.

“Let’s get it over with.” Rarity said.

Twilight and Blitzkrieg entered one of the districts of Canterlot and the two saw for themselves the desolation of broken buildings, scorched pavement, and hardened green sludge, some of which looked to fit a Pony. Twilight gave a shudder while Blitzkrieg covered her with his wing.

“Relax, Twi. Just stick to the plan.” Blitzkrieg muttered to her. A pony walked by and spotted Twilight. Twilight looked at the green unicorn and recognized her as one of the former bridesmaids before her friends replaced them...

Something inside her twitched though once she thought about that. They were bribed... She shook her head. No! I was acting like a spoiled foal! They would have ditched me regardless!

“Hey! I know you!” The green Unicorn said. “Hey guys! Guess who came over!” As she said that, several ponies trotted out some of the unscathed buildings and chattered amongst themselves.

“Ooooh! It’s Twilight!”

“Has she come to tell us she’s a Princess?”

“I dunno... I don’t like change.” Twilight turned to the pony who gave that comment, Blitzkrieg. As she shot him a glare, Blitzkrieg looked away sheepishly and whistled. Twilight looked to the crowd. Most of them seemed alright, some even smiling, but Twilight looked at their eyes. A few of them were quivering. She picked out one pony in particular to analyze: a yellow pony with poofy orange hair and green eyes. This pony trembled, though they were just small enough to pass off as her standing straight. Her lips shook more than her entire body, and it didn’t help that the eyes looked like they’d leak tears.

She didn’t understand. They seemed so happy at the wedding. Almost all the members in the crowd attended the wedding. They all just seemed... calm. Even then, these were just a small quarter of the mob that formed at the castle. A million thoughts clouded her mind, but she had to focus on the now. Twilight cleared her throat.

“My fellow ponies, even though Celestia stated I’m not ready, I can’t just sit idly by while you ponies worry. Until further notice, I’ll help all of you ponies in any way I can as temporary Princess.” Twilight said. The ponies cheered at her, though some of them actually gave that for a reaction. The carrot-haired pony, for instance, still looked like she was about to break at any moment. She looked to Blitzkrieg, who nodded and motioned his head to the crowd.

“I think the first pony I want to speak to and support first is Coal. I need to focus on the children first, after all. Can I speak to him?” Twilight said. That’s when the blue Unicorn walked out of the crowd to look at Twilight.

“Ah, Princess-” Twilight lifted her hoof.

“Twilight’s fine.”

“Ah, right. Of course. My name is Mindy Reed and I’m the caretaker of Coal. Coal’s... Well, Coal’s a little too traumatized to speak right now.” The Unicorn said.

“I just want to say a few words of support, if that’s okay.” Twilight said. Mindy chuckled a bit.

“Well... Coal’s a little shy and untrusting at the moment... I mean, isn’t everypony?” Mindy said. Twilight shot a glare. “Alright,” Mindy sighed. “Come with me. We’ll chat at my house.” And with that, she trotted down the district. Twilight and Blitzkrieg followed her towards her house. As they passed by an intersecting pathway, Twilight could have sworn she saw Fluttershy... But she needed to find out about Coal and uncover something, anything, to disprove any need for Celestia to step down.

To disprove Mare Do Well.

Fluttershy walked down the district with her Element on her. She ignored the ponies who looked at her with awe and wonder. She ignored the chatter of them hailing her as “the sane one” or “the one who learned her lesson.” She felt just as guilty as her friends. That’s when she saw someone. A small gray foal that was trotting around by himself.

“Coal?” Fluttershy flew towards Coal. Coal looked at the Pegasus streaking towards him and let out a small cry as he ducked and covered. Fluttershy landed a few inches from Coal and covered him with her wing. “Shhh... Don’t cry... Why are you out here by yourself?”

“My... My mummy’s...” Coal shuddered. Fluttershy inched towards Coal and nuzzled him, though she could feel him squirming.

“I know... It’s alright.” She felt Coal trying to force himself off of her.

“G-get off!” Coal began to cry out. Some of the ponies looked towards Fluttershy. “Don’t hurt me like they hurt mummy!” Fluttershy bit the bottom of her lip. How could she have allowed this to happen? How could anyone just allow someone to lose their parents?

Something could have been done to prevent that. That was what was going through her head. “I’m so sorry... I’m sorry for being so weak...” She softly wept. She clutched onto Coal. Eventually, the squirming stopped and she could hear weeping as well.

“Why... why did they hurt her?” Coal said. Fluttershy simply flexed her wing in a patting motion. She sighed. In a way, she was glad that Coal focused more on the Changeling attack than the events preceding it, but she also felt guilty for that feeling.

“I... I wish I knew...” Fluttershy said. That was when she noticed Pinkie Pie. Her walk was slowed down, but the thing she noticed most was her deflated hair and a dull-colored Element of Laughter. “P-Pinkie! What happen-”

“I don’t wanna talk about it...” Pinkie trotted along and observed a building. Considering that they were in the downtown portion of Canterlot, it was hard to say if the building saw better days. All that could be said for sure was that the green sludge was a new addition.

See the consequences of your friends’ actions first hand. Pinkie Pie gritted her teeth. She stopped in her tracks. She continued looking at the building. She wanted to see the consequences. She really did...

But something clouded her mind.

The preparations that she and her friends made once the Queen made her “exit”. The wedding celebration and party... Especially the party. Heck, she even got a good laugh out of Spike. She sniffled.

“Why... Why can’t things just go back to the way they were? Why did that killjoy rain on our parade!?” And broke down into tears. Fluttershy really wanted to comfort her, but she was stuck holding onto Coal.

“...” Fluttershy didn’t want to speak. You’ll just make the situation worse. She thought. Her lips, however, were unable to hold themselves from forming a smile. Wh-why am I smiling!? Fluttershy thought. She has two crying ponies to take care of and she’s smiling about it? Why? She tried to stop, but eventually she figured out why.

“Pinkie...” Fluttershy spoke and grabbed the depressed Pony’s attention.

“Y-yeah?” Pinkie asked. Fluttershy just blurted what she was thinking out.

“Who cares about what that killjoy says? She’s just a huffy-puffy Pony who hides behind a mask.” Fluttershy said.

“H...heh... Yeah.” Pinkie began to smile.

“She might be right about the Changeling attack being preventable, but you were also right. We were having a good time before she showed up!” Fluttershy said. Do you wish to party through the night and neglect your broken kingdom, not knowing that at least one foal’s life was changed for the worst? Fluttershy shook off that thought. She was not focusing on her regret of not speaking up. She was not focusing on the damages that were caused yesterday. Pinkie and Coal were busy thinking of other things. They weren’t upset or regretful about what happened before the invasion, but rather what happened during and after. She did gulp a bit. Mare Do Well raised a good point about not ignoring the pain and anguish of Canterlot’s civilians, but she remembered how nobody was complaining or crying during the wedding and party.

“Yeah! We just gotta sit back and smile!” Pinkie Pie said. In an instant, her hair puffed back and her Element of Laughter glowed bright blue. “Oh! Maybe throw a post-wedding-party party!” She said.

“That’d be wonderful.” She looked to Coal, who stopped his sobs. She could hear a slight breathing. She unfurled her wing and saw that Coal was now sleeping. It may be the best wedding to you, but to poor Coal, it will be nothing but a bad memory that he will be lucky to repress.

Don’t worry. We will make sure he represses it. Fluttershy’s Element also glowed, but in a bright pink color.

Generosity/honest lies

Mare Do Well placed the Element of Generosity on Rarity. It began to glow, albeit dimly. Mare Do Well nodded a few times, stopped to think, then walked over.

“I have nothing. You’re free, Generosity.” Mare Do Well made an opening on the shield and walked through it.

“W-what?! I’m free?” Rarity muttered as Mare Do Well began to open the doors.

“I’ve learned from Laughter that petty grudges made several weeks ago would not make a fitting punishment for a crime that’s nigh-treasonous. Besides, you did try to cut it down the middle, so you’re not a complete jerk.” Mare Do Well said.

“What are you talking about?” Rarity said.

“Besides, I figure the town’s state will be punishment enough considering your tour here. Say hi to Fancy Pants for me.” Mare Do Well said. “After all, you’ve spent so much time with him and the others… perhaps more time than with Twilight.” As soon as she said that, Rarity realized what she was talking about.

“Wait, is this about her bir-” However, she was out of the door when Mare Do Well shut the heavy doors, shutting her out from the room.

“And then there were two...” She turned around to see Applejack glare at her. “Honesty…” Mare Do Well sighed and took off her mask. Applejack saw her face. Her glare shattered and her eyes widened. She blinked for a bit before she glared at her harder, steam coming out of her nostrils now. “We have a lot to talk about.”

“Sweetie Belle, I’m sure everything will be fine.” Spike patted the back of Sweetie Belle’s head with his claws, making sure they don’t stab into her head.

“No… No it won’t!” She sobbed into Spike’s shoulders.

“I don’t understand. I saw you at the reception. You were happy.” Luna said. Sweetie Belle looked to Luna and shook her head.

“No. I wasn’t. I was scared. After Rarity and the others left, the Changelings attacked us and sealed us up. Me and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were lodged into one cocoon where we saw… we saw…” She shuddered.

“Saw what?” Spike asked.

“A Changeling absorbed the love out of a pony… until… until she shrivelled up like a raisin!” She fell to the floor and began to shake. “I… I didn’t want to show my sister I was scared… so I faked it! I faked my happiness!” She said.

“Sweetie Belle, it’s over now. You’re okay and-” Spike tried to comfort Sweetie Belle, but Luna stopped him.

“No. It’s never over. This trauma will come back to haunt her time and time again. Perhaps forever. Trust me, Spike. I know from experience.” She said. Spike sat there and pondered.

Something could have been done to prevent that.

As soon as the Element of Honesty slipped onto Applejack’s neck, it began to glow.

“Alright, start talkin’! And no lyin’!” She said.

“So long as you do the same. I feel like that’d make this conversation a little more simpler.” Mare Do Well said.

“Deal.” She said. Mare Do Well simply stared at the Element of Honesty before she lay on her belly, legs folded.

“Honest-” She froze, sighed, then spoke up. “Applejack… You’ve been… helpful to your family… to your friends… to everyone.” Mare Do Well said.

“Okay, what did I just say about lyin’?” She asked.

“Sure, there was that moment you left for the false Cadance, but you regret it now, yes?” Mare Do Well asked.

“Y-yeah.” She said.

“You were the only pony to apologize to Twilight openly. The only pony to openly admit their mistakes before my interference. Not only that, but almost everything you did was for the benefit of either your family or your friends. Save for that moment in Dodge.” Mare Do Well could see Applejack wince. “But even so, I can’t fault you because I admire you.” She said.

Pinkie Pie blew into a balloon as it grew into a long shaft. She then took the balloon and twisted it around until it became a balloon version of herself. She giggled and bounced, pushing it into the main garden area.

“See, Coal? You don’t have to worry anymore. We’ll have this huge party and that’ll make you feel better.” Fluttershy patted Coal with her wings. Coal didn’t move away like she thought, but rather stood still.

“I don’t want this. I want to go home. I want my mom…” He began to cry. Fluttershy held Coal with her hooves.

“I know… I know…” She said. Fluttershy looked and saw several ponies pass by. They wave to her and walked over.

“Hey, what’s happening?” One of the ponies asked.

“We’re throwing a super big ‘get better, Coal!” party!” Pinkie Pie said. The ponies immediately groan.

“Oh sure, leave the party animal to throw a party to try and cover up the incident.” One of them said. Fluttershy frowned and spoke up.

“This… This isn’t a party for Coal. It’s not even a party.” Fluttershy said. Pinkie Pie was holding a balloon when she said this.

“It’s not?” She let go as the balloon flew out of her hands and all over the area.

“This is a service. To honour those who have possibly died during the invasion. Not only that, but it’s to celebrate our ability to rebuild. We managed to repel the invasion. Not just us and the Princesses, but everypony.” Fluttershy said. She gulped as her eyes looked around, shaking as she thought no one would respond. Then she heard a voice.

“Yeah!” Fluttershy saw a gray Pegasus with yellow eyes fly up. “When my daughters were being attacked by them, I simply fought them away long enough for them to get away. I then held them back until they were defeated by Shining Armor’s shield!” She said. Another pony stepped in. It was a gray Earth Pony, though the coat was slightly more golden colored than the Pegasus.

“I can’t help but admit, me and the DJ had a blast beating up those Changelings.” She said. Fluttershy looked and saw the ponies beginning to talk among themselves. Pinkie could see smiles emerging. She began to smile too.

“Yeah! Let’s honour them!” With that, everyone cheered. While the party didn’t have as much dancing and singing as Pinkie would have liked, she did enjoy the anecdotes the ponies shared. Well, the ones not involving dead ponies at least. She looked over to Fluttershy.

“Wow! You did it! You managed turn the entire mood around!” She said… only to find Fluttershy shivering and blushing.

“Oh thank goodness! You wouldn’t believe how nervous I was!” She said.

“Admire me? You’re just trying to creep me out now.” Applejack said.

“No. I’m just grateful for your existence. You’re the first pony to have made friends with Twilight and actualize her element.” She said.

“Bull. Her brother was the first friend she made.” Applejack said.

“Really? I wouldn’t have noticed. He seemed rather friendly towards her at the rehearsal.” Mare Do Well said.

“You missed the part where she yelled at his fiancé.” Applejack muttered.

“False fiancé.” Mare Do Well smirked. “But don’t worry, after I’m done here, I’ll head for him and make sure he’s sorry for what he had done too. After all, had it not been for him, you wouldn’t have ditched Twilight, correct?” She asked.

“… Yeah…” Applejack then socked Mare Do Well in the jaw. “But if it weren’t for us, Twilight wouldn’t have been taken to the caves!”

“And Cadance wouldn’t have been found. I know how the song and dance goes.” Mare Do Well wiped whatever blood came out of her mouth before she put on her mask again.

“So… If you know our betrayal to the Elements was necessary to save Cadance and Canterlot, why even have this rebellion?” Applejack asked.

“Like I said before, I speak for the ponies. They wanted it. I just wanted-” Applejack socked Mare Do Well in the face again.

“Power! Admit it! The riot, the exposing of Celestia, defaming each and everyone of us, it’s is all just an attempt to taking the throne!” She said.

“If we’re being honest…” Mare Do Well laughed. “Yes. This was all a power grab. But I won’t be the one taking the crown.” She said. “Twilight will. For she will one day be the Princess of Equestria. Protecting it from everything that dares to destroy harmony.”

Twilight entered Mindy’s house and proceeded to sit on a nearby chair.

“So where’s Coal?” Twilight asked. Mindy entered the kitchen and got a few things ready.

“He’ll be around…” She said. “I can answer for you if you’d like.” Mindy said.

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt. You said earlier that you were his guardian, right?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah. I was.” She said.

“Must have been a very quick adoption process considering the fallout of the attack.” Twilight said.

“I was the sister to his mother. During the recovery, I took him in.” Mindy came back with a plate containing cookies.

“Oh… I’m sorry for your loss.” She said.

“Thank you. My family was in the rock farming business. My cutie mark wound up putting me in Canterlot instead of the rock farm.” Mindy said. Twilight looked at her Cutie Mark. It was a pink brain with an open book imprinted on it.

“What is your Cutie Mark? Mind me asking.” She asked.

“I’m able to read minds. Not just with magic. I can tell what someone is thinking just from their motions alone.” Mindy asked.

“Hmm… Could you try me?” Twilight sat comfortable and twiddled her hooves.

“I don’t have to. I already did when I saw you this morning. The way you denied being the saviour. Your disbelief at us wanting you to be our princess. When Celestia confessed her treason, you felt upset.” That’s when Twilight slammed her hoof on the table.

“SHE DIDN’T COMMIT TREASON!” She screamed. She breathed calmly after a moment. “She just made a mistake. Everypony makes mistakes.” Twilight said.

“You make being taken over by Changelings sound like a minor inconvenience.” Mindy glared at Twilight.

“It wasn’t… I’ll admit that. But don’t confuse being fooled for purposefully betraying the kingdom. Understand?” Twilight glared back.

“…Understood.” Mindy said. Twilight sat back down and had a cookie.

“But why?” Applejack asked.

“You saw how Canterlot almost got taken over when Celestia was calling the shots. You saw just how easily Discord and Nightmare Moon were defeated by you and your friends. If I were to choose who’d protect Equestria, I’d pick you six every time… Though I’d be playing bias.” Mare Do Well said. She opened up her shield. “You’re free, Applejack.” She said.

“I’m not leaving Dashie.” Applejack said. “And if ya force me to leave, I’m gonna tell everypony who you are and what you’re really planning!” Mare Do Well sniggered.

“Good point.” She closed the shield. “Besides, I want to continue a bit with our discussion.” She said.

“What’s there to discuss?” Applejack asked.

“Coal…” Mare Do Well said.

“What about him?” Applejack said.

“Well… If I’m to be honest…” Mare Do Well looked out the window.

Rarity trotted through the remains of what used to be the main Canterlot strip mall. What once were delicate fabrics and expensive antiques were now scorched earth and damaged goods. She stopped by a table and looked at an empty area. She could remember the first time she met Fancy Pants. She looked around. Her heart began to pound as she assumed the worst.

She sighed when she remembered taking a photo with him last night. But just thinking of him dead made her sad. She then thought about the other ponies that she had met during her time. As she did, she could imagine them all be dead. Dead at the hooves of the Changelings. She began to tear up. She sat on the table. That’s when she saw a paper on the table.

It was a newspaper. The heading read “Foal Free Press”. She remembered Sweetie Belle telling her that with Diamond Tiara replaced by Featherweight was the best thing that had happened to the press, as they managed to maintain the popularity that the Gabby Gums articles garnered. However, with the thought of Gabby Gums, she was reminded of the time her sister was shut out from society by hypocrites, including herself. This straw broke the camel’s back. She began to cry and weep all over the paper.

“I’m sorrrrry!” She shouted. She continued crying for a minute before they stopped being loud sobs and more silent winces. She looked at the wet paper. That’s when the crying stopped. She was now looking at many things: the picture, the date, and even the headline.

She gasped and took the paper. She had to let the others know of this news.

“I’m sure you were very worried for your sister’s well being.” Twilight said.

“Yes, when I heard the news that the Changelings attacked, I hid in my house and prayed she was safe.” Mindy said.

“How could you have hidden so well when the Changelings attacked almost everywhere?” Twilight asked.

“I… uh...” Mindy said. That’s when Twilight could see Rarity running.

“Hold on.” Twilight went over and opened the window. “Rarity?” Twilight asked. Rarity instantly b-lined towards Mindy’s house and knocked on the door. Twilight went over and opened it. “Rarity, what happened? Why did Mare Do Well set you free?” Twilight asked. That’s when she saw the paper in her mouth.

While the newspaper showed that the local Manehattan orphanage was saved from being demolished, it was just one little pony that she eyed on the article. One pony that she recognized. It was Coal, standing there in a row of twelve other orphaned ponies. The date was another factor. The paper dated a week prior to the wedding.

“What the-” That’s when Mindy ambushed Twilight and smashed her head in with the plate, shattering it and knocking her out in the process.

“You made a foal lie!?” Applejack clenched her teeth, ready to put all four hooves into Mare Do Well’s mouth.

“No… I merely made him remember his life a bit differently. You ponies can sympathize with children and be able to feel empathy towards them. The ponies were bitter about the attack, but they needed that extra push. A crying child was just what they needed.” She said.

“YOU USED HIM!” Applejack tried to punch her, but she managed to paralyze her with her magic.

“I have to adhere to the agreement we set and tell you the truth. It was his mother’s idea, not mine. I just went along with it because it’d be one step closer to making Twilight the Princess of Equestria.” She said.

“Think about her, wouldn’t ya, sugarcube!? She wouldn’t want this position if it’s bought with dishonesty and the dethroning of her mentor!” Applejack begged.

“I have thought about her, dearie. More times than you have thought about her during your stay in Canterlot. But think about this, Applejack. Coal’s parents are still dead, regardless of if they died to Changelings or not. Knowing Twilight, I’d suspect that she got the truth out and poor Mindy will be torn away from her nephew. Who will protect him once the dust settles?” She said as her horn began to glow magenta. Applejack merely looked to her as a tear fell.

“I… don’t know.” Applejack said.

“Let that fill your mind. I do apologize for this, though. I honestly thought that you'd side with me on this.” With that, her horn flashed. Applejack suddenly exploded in a flash of magenta and was teleported out of the chamber. Mare Do Well let down the shields and looked to Rainbow Dash, who was just regaining consciousness.

“It’s just you and me, Loyalty.” Mare Do Well said. Rainbow Dash looked to Mare Do Well with a grin on her face.

“No… It’s just me. Bring it on.” And with that, Rainbow dashed towards Mare Do Well.

Loyalty/last roundup

Twilight’s eyes slowly opened up as she felt her body being restrained. She tried to open her mouth, but even her jaw as shut tight.

“I’m so sorry about this… I really am…” Twilight could hear ringing in her ears, but she could definitely discern the voice of Mindy Reed.

“Mmmmmph…” Twilight murmured.

“I can’t let the truth from coming out. Not when I’ve come this far…” Mindy said. Her eyes began to open more and she saw Rarity in front of her, knocked out and tied up onto a couch.

“MMMMPH!” Twilight’s eyes widened as she tried to get out of the chair that she was tied to.

“Don’t worry. She’s breathing. I’m only gonna hold you here until Mare Do Well comes back and wipe your minds.” She said. Twilight’s horn began to glow as her gag was taken off.

“Why? Why did you lie about Coal’s parents being killed!?” Twilight asked. Mindy’s horn glowed cyan and tried to put the gag back, but Twilight’s magic over powered hers. Suddenly, her horn overheated and gave a small blast, knocking Mindy back to the couch and waking up Rarity in the process. Rarity proceeded to scream, though she had been muffled. Mindy glared at Rarity and levitated the closest thing to her: a pillow.

She then laid the pillow over Rarity’s head and shoved it right onto her face, furthering her muffledness. As soon as Twilight saw what was happening to Rarity, her horn glowed as Mindy was thrown off of Rarity and right into a wall where she crashed against it. A picture frame fell onto the ground and the glass cracked.

Using the knocked out Mindy to her advantage, Twilight untied both herself and Rarity. As the two got off of their seats, they went forward to Mindy…

“Alright, you’re in a whole world of trou-” Twilight stopped as soon as she heard Mindy’s sobbing. She inspected the broken picture closer…

It was a picture of her family. Her sister, her brother-in-law, and their child, Coal. She backed away a bit and winced. She could almost see herself and her own brother in the picture, along with her new in-law.

“I… I wasn’t lying when I said Coal’s my nephew…” She trembled. “They… They didn’t die in the attack… They… They died in an avalanche. Coal survived and was sent to Manehatten’s orphanage… The place was…” She shuddered. “It was so awful! I had to take him from that place.”

“Why then? Why did you make Coal say his parents died in the attack?” Twilight asked.

“Because… Because…” Mindy stood up. “Because somepony needed to know that there had been damage. That you can’t just ignore what had happened and neglect the injured. What was Celestia’s first thoughts when the Changelings were defeated? Were they to immediately survey the area? Take in the injured? Any of that?” She asked. Twilight shook her head.

“N-no… She just said we had a real wedding to prepare.” Twilight said.

“Exactly. We had no time to heal from our wounds. We were expected to dress up in our best outfit and just go to another wedding, expecting it to not have a giant bug invasion at the end of it. No ‘all clear’, no ‘everything will be okay’. None of that. Celestia barely gave a speech regarding how bravely we fought. I bet there were casualties, but Celestia is too much of a coward to acknow-” That’s when Twilight shoved her down with her magic.

“Not another word!” Twilight said.

“Y-you still trust her? Even after she neglected her people? After all that tight security… And how it was all for naught… They were asking questions, Twilight. ‘What was going through Celestia’s head?’ ‘Is she crazy to let this wedding go on even with all this security?’, ‘Were the Elements even informed of this threat?’. After the invasion, most of us were just doubting Celestia. We were ready to attack Cadance if she were sing about her day going so swell.” Twilight’s eyes widened. “We couldn’t trust anyone after the wedding… Not even ourselves…” Mindy began to let out some tears.

Several Unicorns began to fling magic missiles at each other while some Pegasi were delivering flying body slams onto each other. Meanwhile, Mindy and Coal were cowering by a devastated building, hiding behind some hardened sludge made from the invasion.

“Mommy… I’m scared…” Coal whimpered.

“Don’t worry, everything will be… Everything will… be…” Mindy wept. Her body shook as she could only hear the carnage around her. Suddenly, there was a bright purple blast of light. Everyone stopped what they were doing. Mindy looked up and saw a masked mare standing on a roof.

“My fellow ponies! I just casted a spell that would dispel any disguises the Changelings had put up. You all are not Changelings. Stop this infighting this instant.” Mare Do Well said. The ponies began to look at each other and all sighed in relief. Save for one.

“Where have you been…?” Mindy muttered. She then stood up. “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?” Mindy shouted.

“… I’m here now.” Mare Do Well softly said.

“And where were you a couple of hours ago? That Changeling dispelling thing could have saved us a lot of trouble!” Mindy said.

“…” Mare Do Well sighed. “I had placed too much faith in Celestia when I should have doubted her… She gambled with Equestria’s safety one time too many. Who here thinks that Cadance or Twilight would make a better princess than her?” She asked. As if it was instantaneous, more than twelve dozen ponies nodded. “Nightmare Moon, Discord, now the Changelings… Sure, their reigns were brief, but the next one might not be. Tell me, do you all wish for another age of Discord or a world of endless night?!” Mare Do Well asked. All of the ponies shouted:

“NO!” To which Mare Do Well said:

“Then join my cause in overthrowing her…” She said. She then turned to Mindy and teleported straight to her, grabbed her, and then teleported her to the place where the Elements of Harmony were stored.

“I need a voice strong enough to convince those who might not wish to replace Celestia with a more competent princess. A crying child will be strong enough...” Mare Do Well looked over to Coal.

“No… Don’t you hurt him!” Mindy shouted.

“I won’t hurt him… You will. Your talent is to read minds, correct?” She asked.

“Y-yes…” She said.

“I shall amplify it then…” Her horn glowed, soon, Mindy’s glowed the same purple color. “Read Coal’s mind and then give him a memory. His parents dying to the Changelings… That should be enough to get those who are hesitant to take a stand.” Soon, Mindy’s horn began to glow.

“I… I don’t want to…” Mindy whimpered.

“DO YOU WANT EQUESTRIA TO FALL!?” Mare Do Well shouted. Coal began to cry.

“Mommy...” Mindy could only look at the child and shed some tears as well.

“… No.” She then shot a beam into Coal’s mind. Suddenly, Coal could see his parents in front of him, before Changelings attacked and feasted upon them. Blood spouted everywhere and all Coal could remember were the bloodstained fangs of the Changelings. Coal began to scream as Mindy sobbed uncontrollably. “Stop it! S-stop!”

“Finish it! Equestria needs this!” Mare Do Well said. Mindy shed one last tear before her horn flashed. Coal fell down unconsciously as Mindy went to him. “You’re doing Equestria a proud service for this…” He said.

“You… You’re a monster…” Mindy whimpered.

“In order to combat evil, one must be evil…” Mare Do Well said. She then offered her a hoof. “Come, our revolution awaits us…” She said.

“T-that’s horrible!” Twilight said.

“I know… But… Mare Do Well wants us to be free from Celestia’s grasps.” Mindy said.

“This isn’t the way though… Celestia has done nothing but good for us.” Twilight said.

“No… She ignored your claims… She stressed both the bride and groom… She could barely defeat the Queen herself!” Mindy said.

“Yes, but if this Mare Do Well is as bad as you say she is, she might be an even worse Princess.” Twilight said.

“But Twilight, Mare Do Well said that she wanted you to be Princess.” Rarity said.

“Celestia said it herself. I’m not ready yet. Mare Do Well knows this. She might just use my inexperience for a later incident as an excuse to overthrow me next. Then she’ll go after the next Princess until she sits in the throne.” Twilight said.

“If you are able to stop her, then you might be a better Princess than Celestia.” Mindy said. Twilight shook her head.

“Believe me when I say I wouldn’t. I don’t want to sound biased, but Celestia has done nothing but kind things to us. And sure, she makes mistakes, but every pony makes mistakes. Don’t condemn her just because she messed up once…” Twilight said.

“… It isn’t just because of that…” Mindy said.

“I know… but take it from Celestia’s point of view. If she took the time to address the wound the Changelings placed on us, then we’ll forever remember what should have been a happy day as a black stain on our lives.” Twilight said.

“It’s… already a black stain. You can’t fix what has been broken! Trust… Sanity… Lives… You can’t fix any of that with a stupid little party!” Mindy said.

“I know… And maybe Celestia knew that too. But what she could fix is our emotions. The invasion was a terrible thing, yes, but isn’t it better to focus on the better things in life?” Twilight asked.

“… Yeah.” She muttered.

“We won. Isn’t that enough of a reason to celebrate?” Twilight asked. Mindy then shook her head and just sobbed.

“No…” Mindy cried. Twilight turned to Rarity.

“Where are the others?”

“You know where the Elements are? Mare Do Well is holding them up in there.” Rarity said.

“I’m going. Rarity, tend to Mindy.” Twilight then ran off as Rarity patted Mindy on the back.

Rainbow Dash glared at the mysterious Mare Do Well. She gritted her teeth.

“Take off that mask, you don’t need it.” Rainbow Dash said.

“I’m afraid I can’t. I prefer my anonymity. An… Anon-a-miss, if you prefer.” Mare Do Well chuckled. Rainbow Dash then tackled Mare Do Well, glaring at her as she laid on top.

“Stop with the jokes and show your bucking face! What? If I take it off, will you die or something?” She asked.

“It would be extremely shocking…” Mare Do Well said.

“You’re a big mare.” Rainbow Dash said.

“For you.” Mare Do Well said. She then fired a blast at Rainbow Dash, knocking her onto her back before she teleported and got on top of her. “Now then… Let’s go through your moments… I saved the best for last…” Mare Do Well dragged over the Element of Loyalty with her magic. Unlike the other Elements, the Element of Loyalty lacked a bright red, but rather a full on blackish gray color to its lightning bolt gem.

“W-what the!?” Rainbow Dash could only stutter.

“The Element of Loyalty is by far the dimmest of all the Elements save for Magic, for its wielder acted counter to what Loyalty is all about.” Mare Do Well said. She fastened the Element onto Rainbow Dash’s neck. “I have a long list of crimes that need to be listened. Shall I begin?” Mare Do Well asked.

Twilight ran outside of the house over to Blitzkrieg, who was standing outside as if listening to something.

“Blitzkrieg!” Twilight’s shout caused Blitzkrieg to shake his head and look at Twilight.

“Twilight, what is it?” Blitzkrieg asked.

“Mare Do Well! She has my friends trapped in the Chamber of the Elements!” She then got onto Blitzkrieg’s back. “Hurry! Let’s go!” Twilight shouted.

“A-alright!” Blitzkrieg shouted as he flew upwards into the sky, struggling to keep Twilight on him.

“Let’s start with something simple. You remember the cake incident, right?” Mare Do Well said.

“Wow, you’re not gonna live that one down, aren’t ya?” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

“I’m more upset with the implications, rather than the full on context. You betrayed the trust of your friends by lying about not eating the cake.” Mare Do Well said.

“Blah, blah, blah, look, if you’re gonna whine about that, at least bring up how Twilight scolded Pinkie for jumping to conclusions without gathering evidence, then proceeded to call Cadance evil without getting proof.” Rainbow Dash said. Mare Do Well took the back of her hoof and slammed it across Rainbow Dash’s face.

“You speak when spoken to, maggot!” Mare Do Well shouted. “And how about that time you wetted those poor kids with a raincloud out of spite.” Rainbow Dash just looked to Mare Do Well and spat a tooth into her eye, causing her to back away as she tried to get the bloody tooth out off her face.

“Wow, you’re being childish! ‘Oooooh, they eat cake and soak kids! We must overthrow Celestia and put my big fat flank into the throne pronto!’ That’s what you’re sounding like right now!” Rainbow Dash got up.

“I knew you’d be stubborn…” Mare Do Well sighed.

“Well, you wanna hear a real scolding?! You’re unable to let go of petty transgressions and believe them to be the most unforgiveable sin in all of Equestria! So what if I got fooled by the Changelings? So what if I ate a piece of cake and lied about it? So what if I poured some rain all over some kids just because they made me look bad?” That’s when Rainbow Dash stopped.

“… Now you see the truth. You followed a pony you barely met just to further your own fame with the Sonic Rainboom. You ate a piece of cake because you wanted to eat it. And you defended your pride in a very petty way. I would say you’re loyal to yourself, but if that were the case, the Element would have glowed by now. No. It’s Loyalty towards your friends. When you chose them over joining the Shadowbolts, that was true Loyalty.” Mare Do Well said. Rainbow Dash had no retort. No sass. She merely drooped there and looked at Mare Do Well.

“Discord managed to pull a fast one on you by making you choose between two things you were very loyal to. Believe me when I say it was not an easy choice.” Mare Do Well walked towards Rainbow Dash and wiped the blood off the Pegasus’ mouth with her cape. “But then there was that time in Dodge. You left Laughter and Generosity to rot in the desert, even after Honesty stopped running away and agreed to go home with you.” She said.

All Rainbow Dash could do was slump to the ground as her eyes watered up. Mare Do Well merely stroked Rainbow Dash’s back.

“You understand now, do you? You, out of every other pony in your herd, are able to fully grasp your flaw. It’s your pride. It had always been your pride. I chose to hide myself with this costume because I knew it was something important to you and your friends. It was a time when your friends all decided to personally betray you.” Mare Do Well said. Memories began to fill in Rainbow Dash’s head of the time she was a hero of Ponyville and how her friends posed as her. The same emotions also clouded her.

However, now with the new mindset, she began to think about it…

“But a real hero doesn’t brag...”

Rainbow Dash then got up.

“Betray me? No. They just wanted me to swallow my pride… It’s… It’s my biggest flaw, yes. Yes, what they did wasn’t cool, but it’s not like trying to tell me to stop being such a glory hog would fix anything. I’m stubborn, remember?” Rainbow Dash booped her nose right to Mare Do Well’s nose. “And I learned a valuable lesson… One I should have taken to heart when I had the chance. You know what I’m proud of right now? The fact that I have friends who are willing to back me up and knock me down if I get on my high horse.”

Mare Do Well looked to Rainbow Dash as she backed away.

“You think that will change anything? You’re just going to forget! Just like how you forgot to take Twilight’s concerns seriously!” Mare Do Well said.

“So I’ll just have to learn again. And again. And again!” Rainbow Dash trotted towards Mare Do Well. “Because that’s the best part about having friends! They’ll be there to remind you when you’re bucking up!” Her wings began to pop up. “And right now, I’m about to show you how loyal to them I can be!” Rainbow Dash then leaped towards Mare Do Well.

Twilight Sparkle and Blitzkrieg flew towards the Chamber, when suddenly, a window was smashed as Rainbow Dash flew out of it, carrying Mare Do Well.

“What the!?” Twilight shouted. A couple of ponies stopped and gasped, pointing to the two in mid-air. Rainbow Dash pushed Mare Do Well off of her as the latter used her magic to levitate.

“Loyal? HAH! Your Element still isn’t glowing! You’re just trying to get me off your back!” Mare Do Well said.

“Oh shut up! I think it’s obvious that it’s not the Element that makes me loyal! I am Loyalty!” She shouted as she flew towards Mare Do Well. Mare Do Well could see air currents forming around Rainbow Dash, as if they were trying to slow her down. Mare Do Well prepared for the worst as the currents were blown away, creating a rainbow colored shockwave as Rainbow Dash soared towards Mare Do Well at blinding speeds.

Mare Do Well tried to block, but she was severely socked in the head countless times as Rainbow Dash took her all the way to the nearest wall and crashed her into it, making a crater.

“Now… Let’s see who’s behind the mask!” Rainbow Dash then pulled the mask off of Mare Do Well. Her eyes then shrunk. “W-wait, what!?” She gasped. Mare Do Well chuckled.

“Told you it’d be extremely shocking.” With that, Mare Do Well fired a point blank blast in Rainbow Dash’s chest, charring her fur as she fell to the ground.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight cried out as Blitzkrieg flew off, knocking Twilight off of him. Mare Do Well got out of the crater and teleported to about five meters from Rainbow Dash. She slowly went towards her before Blitzkrieg slammed down and landed in front of Mare Do Well.

“Enough!” Blitzkrieg shouted. Mare Do Well paused and saw Blitzkrieg. She also saw Rainbow Dash breathing, but also noticed that, above her chest, was the Element of Loyalty, now blinking red. Her eyes shifted to Blitzkrieg.

“So… That’s why… What are you doing here?” Mare Do Well asked.

“These ponies don’t need to be hurt! They admit that they were fooled! Isn’t that enough?” Blitzkrieg asked.

“Rainbow Dash abandoned her friend for some jerk she never met! That is the complete opposite of Loyalty! You dare defend her!?” She stepped towards Blitzkrieg. Blitzkrieg stiffened up and extended a wing in front of Rainbow Dash.

“Why? Why are you torturing them?” Blitzkrieg asked.

“They failed to save Equestria. It was only by a mere stroke of luck that they won. The next time they won’t be so lucky! I’m making sure that never happens again!” Mare Do Well said.

“By staging a coup?” Blitzkrieg asked.

“If I must! Celestia had neglected her people for far too long! We must take over now! We have protected Equestria since the Age of Discord and I’m not gonna let some irresponsible teens and their foolish princess toss Equestria’s future into the bin!” Mare Do Well said. She then chuckled. “But of course, it’s fitting how you blindly follow Celestia. After all… It does fit your name.” Mare Do Well then fired at Rainbow Dash. Blitzkrieg jumped in front of Rainbow Dash and was hit in the back.

“Gaaaah!” Blitzkrieg cried out. His body then began to glow red. Rainbow Dash woke up only to see Blitzkrieg look to her, smile, and then fade away into a ball of red light before flying into the Element of Loyalty. As it entered, it glowed brightly. Twilight Sparkle finally arrived to Rainbow Dash’s side and looked to Mare Do Well, only to drop her jaw.

It was herself. The exact same build, the exact same hair, even the same Cutie Mark… Except her coat was more magenta than purple, the same being the case for her eyes. Mare Do Well also had the same base color of hair, a dark blue bordering on black, but her highlights were instead a bright blue and gold.

“W-who are you?!” Twilight asked. “Are you a-” Mare Do Well shook her head.

“No… I am… How do I best put this? Ah yes, I am your bitterness personified. I am Equestria’s last line of defense. I’m pretty sure you could piece this together, but I forgive you if you’re too dumb to recognize me… I am Magic incarnate.” She said.

“Magic? Like…” Twilight’s eyes then widened. “Like the Element of Magic?!” She asked.

“In the flesh…” Magic smiled. She then trotted over to Twilight. “So… Will you accept being the Princess of Equestria and guide us through to protect the realm from harm?” Magic asked. Twilight shook her head.

“N-no! Why would you even betray Celestia like this!? She used to be your Bearer too, you know!” Twilight said.

“Used to be. Now she’s just a former shell of who she once was, escaping from the burden of being a ruler through silly games and dances. You, on the other hand, are perfect to protecting Equestria. You saved it three times already…” Magic said.

“No! I know what you did to Coal!” Twilight said as several ponies began to gather. “You forced his aunt to manipulate his memory and make it look like the Changelings killed his parents so you could garner sympathy!” Twilight said. The ponies began to murmur amongst themselves, especially after looking at Magic. Magic glared at Twilight, then teleported to her.

“I had so much faith in you… You dare doubt me? Very well. Fillies and gentlecolts! I shall now preform the final judgement on the Element Bearers!” Magic said as her horn glowed hot pink. The two were surrounded in a bubble, and then suddenly…

POP!

The two vanished as the bubble popped.

Magic/returned harmony

POP!

Twilight and Magic soon appeared in a large cave. Twilight shook her head and backed away. Her mouth went agape as she saw a large crystal tree. Thorny vines wrapped themselves around the tree before Magic’s horn glowed and burned the vines down. It still didn’t fix the dull luster that the tree presented.

“W-what is this?” Twilight asked.

“This is the Tree of Harmony. Of which we were born from to fulfil a grand purpose. Protection from the forces of evil.” Magic said.

“We… You mean the Elements of Harmony?” Twilight asked.

“Yes. Each one needs to be attuned to the perfect pony to be fully utilized. And yet… the choices you made for the five Elements were… lacking.”

“They’re my friends!” As Twilight said that, Magic stamped her foot.

“Friends!? Does a friend leave you to cry after you get disowned by your brother? Does a friend ignore your concerns and pass it off as you being jealous for your brother!? Does a friend not care if you’re mysteriously missing from the wedding?!” Each time, Magic’s horn began to spark with magic. “DO THEY!?” It was more akin to a volcano than it was a horn.

“I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to get me to turn away from my friends.” Twilight said.

“No… I’m trying to force you to realize that your friends are nothing more than parasites. Remember the very first day after defeating Nightmare Moon? How they all clamoured for that extra ticket?” Magic asked her.

“It was merely a test from Celestia.” Twilight retorted.

“Do you not resent the old windbag for what she did, though? She knew you had six important friends and she only bothered to send two. And that’s where you see their true sides… All of them wishing to be your plus one only to use it to bolster their own desires.”

“Yeah, but they didn’t get what they wanted. It was only with all of us that we managed to make it the best night ever.” Twilight said.

“Even so, the same thing happened with the wedding. They all used Cadance’s importance to bolster their successes. They were all so wrapped up in their stupid little fantasies that they didn’t even realize there was a threat looming overhead. Only you managed to figure it out. You managed to expose Cadance… and yet… they rejected you. They resented you. When you went to the altar to expose her, you were shunned. Your friends would rather pretend to not be your friends if it means getting what they want.”

“It’s not going to work.” Twilight said.

“Stop ignoring the issue! Your friends are jerks!” Magic shot a bolt at Twilight’s feet, though she didn’t flinch.

“They have their off days, yes… But don’t forget that I have my off days too!” She fired back. “Remember how I screwed up during the Winter Wrap-Up when I tried to help!?”

“Remember how Applejack yelled at you and didn’t apologize for it!?” Magic shot a magic missile at Twilight, who teleported behind Magic.

“How about the time I got upset at Pinkie over her Pinkie Sense?” Twilight just rammed into Magic.

“How about the time she didn’t bother to explain how she was gonna solve the Parasprite problem!?” Magic created aural wings as she grabbed Twilight and flew up into the air.

“What about when I accidentally brainwashed the entire town and had them get obsessed over a doll just for a friendship lesson!?” Twilight used her hind hooves to pound against the cavern ceiling and push Magic back to the ground.

“What about when your friends laughed at you, only to realize you might end up being sent away!? Or how about the lesson they conveniently forgot when it came time to remember it!?” With that, Magic created a large aural recreation of her horn that drilled into the ground, damaging some seeds of which the thorny vines were sprouting from.

“YOU’RE MISSING THE POINT!” Twilight shouted as she blasted out a powerful magic spell that lit up the hole they made and incinerated the seeds that were growing. Magic’s body was flown up into the air and fell limply. Magic struggled to get up as Twilight levitated out of the hole. “You want to call out my friends for the mistakes they made, then I should be no exception. I must have made more disastrous mistakes than any of my friends combined. I’m not perfect. My friends aren’t perfect. We all make mistakes. That doesn’t mean that you get the right to torture us and hold those mistakes over our heads. We can learn from them.”

“I’m… trying to make sure… you don’t destroy Equestria with your foolishness! You ponies only won on a fluke… but… what if… what if the next threats result in Equestria in shambles? I may not be able to see the future, but I am able to detect the magic within all creatures… and right now, there are a couple of powerful creatures still lurking around. Some are about to have their seal unlocked, others roam around Equestria… one of them just so happens to be a pony like you… What if they are the next threats to Equestria?” Magic asked.

“… Then we will face them head on. We may make mistakes, but at the very least, we’ll improve from them. We will save Equestria, don’t worry about that… but… we’ll learn to save it without you.” Twilight’s horn lit up as the center of the tree began to open.

“W-what are you doing?!” Magic asked.

“You said it yourself. You and the other Elements came from here. It’s only natural that you’re able to be placed back in.” Twilight said.

“You’re making a mistake! You need me!” Magic said.

“No. If anything, I don’t deserve you.” As she said that, Magic was silenced.

“W-what?!” Magic muttered.

“You asked me who was the one pony I couldn’t forgive. And I found her… It’s me. I can’t help but admit that there are some days where I wished I never met my friends. I think that’s what had led to you being… you. All that resentment and bitterness… It corrupted you. I do have repressed anger and I worry that you are the reflection of that. There are mistakes I have made too… I almost killed Cadance in my anger. I shouldn’t replace Celestia as a Princess… Especially with how neurotic I can be. Especially with how angry I can get. I’m… not ready for you… I’m sorry.” Twilight shed a tear as Magic screamed.

“YOU CAN’T DO THIS! I AM THE LAST HOPE EQUESTRIA HAS!” Those were the last words Magic said before she turned into the Element of Magic and placed inside the heart of the tree. The tree’s trunk closed and sealed the Element.

“And you will be… Just not the one we need right now.” Twilight sighed. Before she left the cave, she noticed a flower began to sprout from the ground. As the flower bloomed, she noticed a large hexagonal crystal chest with six keyholes. Twilight levitated it and took it into her possession as she teleported back.

Twilight reappeared at the hall of the Elements. There, she set down the box and approached the still stunned Rainbow Dash. She looked at her and hugged her. Applejack soon rushed into the hall.

“Alright, now I’m really gonna… Wait, where is she?” Applejack asked.

“It’s over… Mare Do Well is gone.” Twilight softly said to her.

“… Whoo-ee, that’s a relief.” There was a pause before Applejack spoke up. “But… what about Coal?” Applejack asked her. Twilight thought about what happened to Mindy and Coal.

“I… don’t know.” Twilight frowned. That’s when Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Mindy, and Coal came to them.

“Oh… Twilight! You’re here…” Fluttershy smiled.

“What’s goin’ on?” Applejack asked.

“You… might wanna come outside for this one.” Mindy said.

The ponies came out and saw the entire town full of ponies wearing black. All of them had either flowers or portraits of ponies. Some even began to sang hymns. They all stood outside the hall of Elements.

“W-what’s this?” Twilight asked.

“I dunno, but they were forming up when I was runnin’.” Applejack said.

“It was Fluttershy’s idea. I wanted it to be a party, but she thought it’d work a lot better if it was more subdued.” Pinkie Pie said. The ponies looked up to Twilight, though she saw from their teary eyes that they weren’t looking to her for guidance. They looked to her for solace. Twilight’s lips quivered as she saw Spike comforting Sweetie Belle in the middle of the crowd. Rarity couldn’t help but shed a few tears. Twilight inhaled and stepped forward.

“My fellow ponies… Yesterday, our friendship and unity were attacked by a coward who chose to hide behind a smiling face. She turned friends against each other and shattered our peace. Although we won, I look among you and I feel like we’ve lost in a way. We lost friends and family to this attack and, in a way, we’ve forever lost our inner peace.” Octavia and Vinyl embraced one another.

“Many of you worried that Changelings would attack again. Many of you suspected each other to be Changelings. Some of you could no longer trust Celestia or even the Bearers of the Elements. But I am here to say that if we let ourselves break down like this, then the queen of the Changelings will have won.” Derpy patted her kids on the head.

“We allowed ourselves to be so traumatized from this event that we let a vigilante say what was best for us…” Twilight looked to Rarity as she took the papers that showed Coal when he was at the Manehatten Orphanage. “Case in point. Coal’s parents were killed in an avalanche, not by Changelings. Mare Do Well twisted the tale to take advantage of our pain.” As Twilight said that, Mindy broke down into tears and ran off. Coal tried to follow, but Applejack held him before she herself shed a tear.

“We shouldn’t cry about the scars that were placed on us… but we shouldn’t pretend they don’t exist. This event is burned into our memories. The images will play out in our dreams for years to come. No amount of parties, songs, or dances will clear it of that. That doesn’t mean we need to dread it. Instead, we should reflect on it. It should serve as a reminder to how resilient we are.” Bon Bon finished redressing a bandage that covered up a wound on Lyra’s back.

“We should honor those who have fallen. We should count our blessings. And we should take precautions to ensure this doesn’t happen again. This should not be viewed as a tragedy. This should be viewed as what it was: a wedding. Some of you might wish for us to bring retribution to the Changelings, but I say we shouldn’t. It would only mean that their attack impacted us so deeply, that we would wish for revenge. We’re above that. Friendship is the tenant of which we should stand by. One day, there will be a Changeling who wishes not to hurt us, but to be our friends. To let this event scar us and view the Changelings as monsters is to deny that for other creatures…” Spike patted Sweetie Belle on the back as she hugged him. She then kissed him on the cheek.

“I wish for you all to join me in remembering those who may have lost their lives during the Changeling attack. The resolve of Equestria is being tested. Make no mistake. We will show everyone that we can pass this test.” After Twilight finished her speech, everyone applauded. She trotted away as Rainbow Dash followed. The two got away from prying eyes as Rainbow Dash spoke up.

“Yo, Twi… That was a nice speech… Y-you sure you don’t wanna be a Princess?” She asked.

“… No. Let’s not mince words here, I don’t think I’d be perfect princess material… And… to be honest…” Twilight blushed. “I kinda like Celestia being a Princess.” That’s when Twilight saw Luna appear from the hall. “O-oh! Princess Luna… Y-you wouldn’t happen to know if Celestia’s gotten back, right?” Twilight asked.

“… Afraid not. Celestia’s effectively gone into exile. However, she’s still moving the sun. I’ve seen my sister use that spell enough times to get a feel of her magic whenever she does it but relying only on trace uses of magic would be a wild goose chase.” As she said that, Twilight frowned. “Besides, I’m needed here… There are a lot of ponies who have had nightmares from the ordeal. Let’s just say I have an ability that allows me to help them out.” She then placed a hoof on Twilight’s back. “Perhaps you should take Celestia’s place as Princess for a bit. As you said, Equestria is wounded… But time heals all wounds.” Twilight looked away.

“… No. I don’t deserve it. I… I have more problems with myself than I can hope to fix.” That’s when Rainbow Dash put a comforting wing over her.

“We’ll face them… together.” Rainbow Dash smiled as Pinkie and Fluttershy came in to comfort Twilight as well. Twilight smiled and hugged them back.

“Mindy!” Mindy wiped her tears as she turned away from the statues in the garden to look at Applejack. “Look, I know what you did was wrong, but you can’t be wallowin’ like this. Coal needs ya.”

“… No. He doesn’t. I allowed for him to get his mind scrambled by Mare Do Well… I’ve scarred him.” Mindy said.

“I know… but… you’re all he has.” Applejack said.

“No… I shouldn’t be with him… I… I still resent Celestia for what happened… I… I don’t want that stain to ruin him. If he lived with me, I… I worry that my anger will rub off on him. I don’t want him to grow bitter. He’s too kind for that sort of life.” Mindy crumpled down and cried. Applejack just looked at her and sighed.

“… I’ll take him.” Applejack said.

“W-what?” Mindy asked.

“I thought about it… Inside, I knew that this might be a likely outcome. If you want, I can have Coal live with me until you feel confident that you’ll raise him to the best of your ability.” Applejack said.

“Y-you’d do that?” Mindy asked.

“… Yeah, I would.” Mindy looked around before she hugged Applejack.

“T-thank you…” Mindy softly cried as Applejack just stared at one statue in particular: the statue of Discord. She noticed something off about it. “S-something wrong?” Mindy asked.

“N-no… Nothing.” Applejack just trotted off with Mindy following. Applejack couldn’t take her mind off the statue though. There were a few miniscule cracks. Cracks that weren’t there when they took the statue back to Celestia. She couldn’t help but hear granite slowly being torn apart, followed by a sinister chortle.

“R-rarity! I’m fine!” Sweetie Belle squeaked as Rarity hugged her. The two, along with Spike, rested at a hotel in Canterlot. Rarity had some memories, as this was the place where she resided during her stay at Canterlot.

“I know, but Spike told me all about your unfortunate run in! I can’t help but feel sorry for you!” She continually kissed Sweetie Belle on the cheek as Spike just looked out into the sun. He sighed. He still thought about what he could have done. In fact, there were many things he could have done, and not just that one event… Deep down, he felt as though he was just a dumb dragon…

Suddenly, Spike felt sick. How can this be? He never ate anything… Unless…

Spike ran out of the hotel room.

“Spiky-Wikey?” Rarity asked.

Twilight returned to her home and sighed. Before she could open the door, however, Spike ran to her, his mouth full.

“Spike? What’s up?” Spike hurled out flames as he took the scroll that would materialize from it.

“Twilight! It’s Celestia!” Twilight immediately took the scroll from Spike’s hands and read it.

My faithful student,

I thank you for resolving the matter, but as you may have known, I still feel guilty for the turn of events that transpired. As such, I have gone for an extended vacation while I sort out my feelings. I’ll do what I can to protect Equestria from outside threats. In the meantime, if you still feel unconfident to be a Princess, then I have an assignment for you that may help you decide.

There’s a reason the train goes all the way to the Frozen North. It is because a thousand years ago, there existed an empire that has been since locked away by an evil unicorn. In about three months’ time, the empire will appear once again, but with it, so too will the unicorn. Shining Armor and Cadance are already informed about it, so you may wish to coordinate with them on what to do. You have three months to prepare for this. Do not think of this as a test. Think of this as an adventure…

Your teacher,

Princess Celestia.

Twilight’s eyes widened as she looked to Spike. Magic was right after all.

There were dangers out there in Equestria…

The End…

Kindness/friendship express

Luna stood outside, overseeing the part of Canterlot that wasn't destroyed by the invasion through the window. The sun moved closer towards the west. She had a sigh of relief. At least Celestia was still doing her job. She heard trotting. She turned around and saw Twilight.

"Believe me when I say that I thought the invasion was nothing more than a simple scare when I came to the party." Luna sighed.

"Don't worry. I do believe you. I doubt anyone expected an invasion that massive." Twilight said.

"But I only checked this part of Canterlot. I never saw the other sections. I never inspected on any injured Ponies... Maybe I could have done something like supported the ponies while you all had your celebrations." Luna said.

"Luna, please stop beating yourself up over this... I'm sure every other pony, your sister included, didn't stop to think about Canterlot's state of condition." Twilight said.

"But I should have done something about it. One of the duties to being a Princess is to protect their people from catastrophes like this, and if it did happen, support them and have them move on. Not let them riot about and call for dethroning." Luna said.

"I know what happened with Celestia was hard... I'm still shocked from it too, but as soon as Blitzkrieg and I figured out a way to-" Twilight said.

"Who's Blitzkrieg?" Luna asked. On cue, the red Pegasus poked out of the door to their room.

"Erm... Hi? Eheh..." He said.

"An odd name..." Luna stared at Blitzkrieg for a short while. She signed and walked away. "At the very least, we should be thankful that the denizens aren't actually rioting and are merely just displeased with the circumstances. Still, I hope you can find a way to fix this, Twilight Sparkle." Luna said.

The four ponies followed Mare Do Well and his followers through one of the districts of Canterlot. Its streets charred with the impact of the Changeling Soldiers. Rainbow Dash gave a dirty glare towards Mare Do Well, Applejack looked to the ground, her hat obscuring her eyes, Pinkie Pie simply trotting and not giving her signature bounce. Rarity had it worse, closing her eyes and holding her breath as all around them were hardened green sludge that smelled like a swamp as they hung on the buildings, lampposts and other objects. She shivered a bit, knowing that the place she visited and integrated herself in the community so long ago is now in ruins, with fears of some members of the high society being injured or worse.

“Behold Canterlot. While you enjoyed the rosy and flowery imagery at the castle and nearby residency, a good chunk of the citizens and I had to settle for this.” Mare Do Well said. Every moment presented another passing thought for Rainbow Dash that begged her to beat up Mare Do Well. She had to take her mind off it, lest she actually does that and adds red to the sickly green and black around them. That’s when she recognized the place.

“Wait… This was where we fought… Where are you taking us!?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Observant… I like that.” Mare Do Well approached the door to a large building and opened it. “Behold, the Chamber of the Elements.” Inside was where all four ponies, as well as Mare Do Well's own ponies, looked in shock. The roof was full of holes, several of the decorations were ruined and even some had the green sludge on it. The carpet was ruined with burns. But most of all, the doorway to the Elements of Harmony was broken down. Their jaws dropped from the sheer desolation of it. They only had a few moments to notice the place before they got captured before, but now they could see it all in great detail. The ponies that followed gave out several gasps.

“I know, lovely place. It was lovelier before the Changelings showed up. Don’t worry, the Elements are intact… mostly intact.” Mare Do Well said, walking into the building.

“Whatcha mean mostly?” Applejack asked. Mare Do Well went further into the building, right to the room where the Elements were held. Her hat levitated off as a horn on her head glowed a faint magenta color. She walked to the ponies, the chest containing the Elements bathed in the same magenta light. The chest opened and the Elements had nary a scratch on them.

“As you can see, they didn’t damage the Elements. The only damage it had was… well… Do we have Kindness here?” Mare Do Well asked. Fluttershy emerged from the crowd and nodded. She levitated the Element of Kindness onto Fluttershy’s neck, securing it in place. “Try getting it to glow. A simple one would do.” Mare Do Well said to her. She gulped and closed her eyes. After a while, the butterfly jewel on the Element started to glow pink, though only dimly. Mare Do Well smiled behind her mask.

“Perfect. It is as I predicted.” Mare Do Well said. The glowing stopped.

“I’m sorry… but… um… what was the point of that?” Fluttershy asked.

“You ponies were chosen to bear the Elements of Harmony because of two things. One, you have bonds with the Element of Magic, the core Element that binds the others together and becomes a fierce weapon. And two, because you closely represented those Elements. However, it’s possible to perform an action that is counter to the Element’s concept. Do you recall the time when Discord was freed?” Mare Do Well asked.

“Hey, how do you know that?” Pinkie asked. Rarity looked towards Mare Do Well.

And how did you know about the Mare Do Well incident? Rarity thought, as if she was asking Mare Do Well herself.

“I… have my connections. But you must have recalled what happened on that day when you tried to confront Discord.” Mare Do Well said.

“Y-yeah… He made us all bitter jerks.” Applejack said.

“No. He reversed your personality’s core element. The honest become liars, the generous become greedy, the kind become cruel, the laughing become the cynic, and the loyal become traitors. Definitely not Element material. A dark day for ponykind, I tell you.” Mare Do Well said.

“So, what are you getting at, punk!?” Rainbow Dash called out to Mare Do Well.

“I’m saying that the Elements wouldn’t have worked even if you got your hooves on them because some of you acted against your Element with one little action. Heck, you might have done it on multiple occasions.” Mare Do Well said. Some of the ponies dropped their jaws from the revelation, save for Applejack, who from the looks of her eyes, figured it out when she placed the Element on Fluttershy.

“What?” Rarity muttered.

“The Elements wouldn’t have defeated the Queen... Not because of how powerful she was, but because of how the Elements were powered. That’s why I brought you here. That glow showed that, while Fluttershy was cruel to Twilight, she was staying true to her Element when she went to the fake, since she was trying to be kind to her. Or perhaps she regretted her actions and the Element responded to that. The Elements have minds of their own. Some forgive easily, others are harsh. I’m going to make good on the promise I made to Celestia. There will be punishment, but not by my hooves...” Mare Do Well said. She gave the ponies time to ponder about that. Some were quaking in their hooves. She looked to the crowd, who were beginning to gossip amongst themselves. She could read their lips.

"What is she talking about?"

"Isn't she supposed to show them the consequences of their actions?"

"What's this talk about the Elements?"

“Go now, I do not wish to make this punishment a public one. What happens now will be between me and the Element Bearers.” Mare Do Well said to the crowd. They dispersed and as they did, Mare Do Well closed the door. She looked to Fluttershy.

“Your Element glowed faintly. It forgave you for what you did, Kindness, but there was a time where you weren’t so kind.” Mare Do Well said to Fluttershy.

“Oh... You... You mean the time when Iron Will came into town and-” Mare Do Well interrupted Fluttershy.

“No. It forgave you for that as well. It acknowledged the moment you regretted yelling at your friends and what you did to redeem yourself.” Mare Do Well said.

“How do you know?” Fluttershy asked.

“...” Mare Do Well stayed silent. She spoke up a moment after when she saw the ponies glare at her. “Do you remember a time you and your friends transported those desserts for the National Dessert Competition?” Fluttershy nodded. “That is why the Element glows dimly.” Mare Do Well said.

“But... I apologized and everything!” Fluttershy said.

“But did you learn your lesson, Kindness? Did you learn to not take advantage of other ponies’ trusts, including your own friends? Apologizing is one thing, learning from it is another.” Mare Do Well said.

“I... I... I didn’t... I didn’t know I was taking advantage...” Fluttershy looked down to the ground. got down and started to sob a bit. Rainbow Dash flew up to the ceiling, high enough for Applejack to not be able to restrain her.

“Alright, you jerk! No one makes Fluttershy cry on my watch!” Rainbow Dash swooped down to Mare Do Well. She flew fast. She remembered the harsh memories of what happened when the Mare Do Well appeared in Ponyville. The strain of being outmatched by her in everything, even flying. The complete and utter betrayal she experienced when that pony was revealed to be her friends. That moment in particular unleashed a plethora of emotions. Anger. Resentment. Depression.

“But a real hero doesn’t brag...” She remembered each and every single moment as she swooped towards the Mare Do Well standing before them now. The ponies could see a rainbow emerge from behind her.

“BRAG THIS, YOU BUCKER!” She shouted at her. In a moment, there was a magenta flash. Rainbow Dash was violently pushed away from Mare Do Well with a force much stronger and faster than her own. She was knocked back so far that she managed to make a dent in the wall that caught her fall. She fell to the floor, scathed from the blast and impact but otherwise alright. Mare Do Well silently set her hat back on as the others, Fluttershy included, rush to her.

“Loyalty, I’ll deal with you later. Right now, you have to wait.” Mare Do Well said, not even bothering to look at the damage she put onto her.

“Are you alright, Dashie? Please... Please speak to me!” Fluttershy struggled to find whatever bandaging material she could find. She soon ripped a piece of carpet that was fringed from the invasion, brought the strip to Rainbow Dash and wrapped it around one of her hind legs. She stood up and looked at Mare Do Well.

“How could you?!” Fluttershy stared towards Mare Do Well with tears in her eyes. Mare Do Well turned around and saw her. “You may step on me like a doormat, but when you attack my friends...” Mare Do Well’s eyes focused on her Element. Its glow becoming brighter and brighter until it was around the same shade that it had when used to defeat Discord. “You’ve crossed the line.” Fluttershy growled as her Element shot out butterflies towards Mare Do Well. She didn’t have time to react.

The butterflies knocked her back with just as much force as her own blast. However, it took only two hits from the Element before Mare Do Well put up a shield to block the others. Mare Do Well got onto the ground. Her clothes were tattered, though not ripped enough to expose her coat or mane to the ponies. Her legs trembled as they tried to keep her up.

“You’re free to go, Kindness. You have managed to reinforce what you stand for by tending to your friend. The rest of you are to remain here while I test you out one by one... privately. We’ll start with you next, Laughter. I have a strong feeling that you’ll be the next to go.” Mare Do Well said.

“Ya think we’ll letcha do this ta us!?” Applejack told her.

“Yes. For this is your punishment for nearly letting Canterlot be conquered. For letting the friends you care about down.” Mare Do Well said.

“Then why are ya bringin’ up an unrelated incident then!? And didn’tcha tell Celestia thatcha be merciful?” Applejack asked.

“Yes. I promised her that you won’t come to any physical harm. Rainbow Dash however necessitated a means for... self defense.” Mare Do Well said.

“PHYSICAL!?” Applejack asked.

“Yes. Emotional and mental harm, however, is fair game. Your head won’t be chopped off, but your will may be broken. For your punishment will be done by your own Elements. You shall be put through a trial by fire, recalling the moments you went against your Element as you struggle to learn from your mistakes and better yourself. You haven’t simply hurt Canterlot or the citizens yesterday. And in the next few hours, you’ll know exactly what I mean.” Mare Do Well said. She looked to the ponies as they stood their ground, glaring at her in defiance. Under her mask, she gave a disappointed sigh.

She saw Fluttershy refusing to move from her spot and instead focusing on healing Rainbow Dash. Off came her hat. Fluttershy glowed magenta and was violently tossed out of the room. The doors then slam shut. CLUNK! The doors locked. The Element of Laughter was the next to fly out of the chest. Mare Do Well walked to Pinkie Pie. She tried to walk straight despite her injured legs giving way every now and then.

“Let’s move onto you...” She said. Before Applejack or Rarity could do anything to stop her, Mare Do Well created a shield that pushed the two away. Mare Do Well and Pinkie exchanged glares. “I shall be your hair-straighter for this session.” She said with a smirk under her mask.

“Where do we start first?” The red Pegasus asked Twilight, who was sitting out on the castle balcony.

“I’m not sure. The story that Coal spoke of is the first step towards unraveling the truth... But how are we gonna find him?” Twilight asked.

“I... might make a suggestion.” The Pegasus said. Twilight looked at Blitzkrieg’s Cutie Mark.

“Huh...” Twilight said. Blitzkrieg looked to her.

“Uh...” Blitzkrieg’s eyes frantically wandered from place to place.

“Woah, woah, no need to be frightened... Are you sensitive to people looking at your Cutie Mark?” Twilight asked.

“Not really... Just... Eheh... It’s not that... It’s just... Uh... Oh, right! Suggestion!” Blitzkrieg snapped to a determined state. “A majority of Canterlot are against Celestia, right? And they’re vouching for you to take over as Princess, right?” Blitzkrieg asked.

“Uh... yeah, but Celestia said Luna would take over.” Twilight said.

“Think about it. If you declare yourself Princess, they’ll respect you. I saw their desperations to name you and Cadance Princesses. They’re willing to trust you more than the real Princesses. Maybe enough to-” By that point, Twilight knew what he was gonna say.

“Tell me about Coal! Right?” Twilight asked.

“Exactly! They could point to where Coal is and have us talk with him!” Blitzkrieg said.

“This might be a good idea... But... Celestia said I’m not ready yet... I... I didn’t even know she was grooming me to be a Princess... Ooooh... this made that dress rehearsal incident all the more stupider... How could I be a Princess if I just barge in without proper evidence!?” Twilight spun around in circles and hyperventilated. Blitzkrieg heard some sobs in-between. He placed his hoof on Twilight’s head and stopped her. He looked at her bloodshot eyes and soaked cheeks.

“Twilight, don’t beat yourself up. What’s done is done. Yes, it feels bad, but you shouldn’t have those sad times outweigh the happy times. Think about how happy you were with the wedding.” Blitzkrieg said.

“But... How can I when I know that while we celebrated, ponies were suffering major losses?” Twilight asked.

“Had you not fought for it, those losses would have been worse than even you can fathom.” Blitzkrieg said.

“But we lost! The only reason why we’re standing here and not imprisoned by the Queen is because of Cadance and my brother!” Twilight said.

“Did you contribute nothing? What about when you and Cadance expose the false Cadance? One of the citizens even stated that you contributed heavily towards saving Canterlot. I have faith in you and believe you’d make as good a Princess as Celestia herself. If you declared yourself a Princess, even if it’s just a ruse to procure information, I’ll follow you. Even if you go to deepest depths of Tartarus, I will follow you to there and back.” Blitzkrieg said. Twilight blushed and looked into his light blue eyes.

“But... you barely know me...” Twilight said.

“Maybe... Maybe I do know you. Who’s to say? I want to help you here.” Blitzkrieg said.

“... Really?” Twilight asked.

“Yes.” Blitzkrieg said.

“... They trust me enough, so maybe I don’t need to declare myself a Princess just yet... I’ll talk to them and see what I get.” Twilight said.

“I’ll come with you.” Blitzkrieg said. There was a brief pause. “For protection.”

“Thanks.” Twilight gave a smile. It wasn’t sheepish or even warm. It was just a brief indicator of hope in her. The two galloped off to the streets. As they galloped, Twilight began to think of Blitzkrieg’s Cutie Mark: a simplistic yet blazing golden thunder bolt. She couldn’t help but feel some familiarity.