Returning with Purpose

The Corrupter was driven out, prevented from entering this world. Aurora Nova, Element of Purpose, had seen to that along with the other five Elements.

Everyone's cutie marks had been returned as Nova released her power again.

Twilight had eagerly awaited the return of what had been taken from her, but to no avail.

A connection broken couldn't be returned so easily. The Elements were connected to the pony they truly belonged to now.

Nova had explained that whoever control of the Elements passed on to next, as they had passed to them from Celesta, would have an Element of Magic again. But for Twilight, no more.

Sitting on a balcony of her palace in the pre-dawn light, Princess Twilight considered what this meant for her. She had her cutie mark back, just the same as it was. Which meant that her purpose in life supposedly hadn't changed. If she wasn't the Element of Magic then, what was she?

Her friends had done their best to comfort her once they realized what had happened. They were resentful to Nova, but Twilight had asked them not to blame her. She'd done what needed to be done for Equestria.

It had been weeks now, and she was starting to get use to the empty place where the connection the Elements used to be. The connection to her friends. But that was something magic, wasn't it? Not something emotional. Her friends were as much her friends now as they'd been before. She smiled a little thinking of the lengths they'd gone to trying to prove that to her after what happened.

She looked at her cutie mark again. Magic. Not an Element, but still a symbol of magic. Magic was still her destiny. She stood and approached the edge of the balcony. The sun was rising. It hadn't been her place to control the Elements, that was someone else's destiny. But so what? So what if someone could do something she couldn't? She couldn't be the best at everything.

Her cutie mark. Yes, she was destined for greatness. But not because of a strange power granted to her. She would be great because she knew magic better than anyone. She would be... no, she is more skilled than any unicorn or alicorn she'd met. She had worked hard for that. She had studied and practiced and experimented and solved enigmas too complex for even Starswirl or Celestia. She hadn't used the Elements to accomplish those things, she'd done them by skill alone.

She looked at the rising sun. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, not an Element of Harmony, but great in my own way. I will *earn my destiny. I have earned my place as a great magic user, and if I live long enough I will earn my place as the greatest magic user of this age.*