Later that week, the group had been escorted back to Canterlot. Aurora, Discord, and Screwball all waited at the gates as the others went in. Fluttershy and Spike noticed their absence though as they walked on. “Discord? Aren’t you coming?” Fluttershy asked in her soft voice. “Screwball?”

Discord looked from his daughter to his best friend. Then he looked at his youngest sister who just smiled at him and pointed with her hoof. She wanted them to go in. “Well… yes, we’re coming Fluttershy, but I’m going to need help getting Screwball to understand how to act around the other ponies… if you don’t mind helping me that is?” He asked shyly. Aurora just smiled as the three continued on with the others.

She had already explained a set of plans for Sombra to live with his siblings, and for how to reintroduce Astra, but Luna had noticed how she hadn’t suggested any ideas on how to reintroduce herself. If there was one thing that Luna understood, it was the feeling of neglect and uselessness. She herself stopped as she looked at Spike go back to talk to Aurora.

“What are you going to do now? There’s no one back in the valley for you to take care of… Stella and Diana have both gone to rule the Nightmare kingdom and try and make it better. I’ve been with Twilight… and Astra’s back here now… what will you do?” Spike looked at his adoptive mother nervously. “You… you won’t disappear again, will you?” Luna listened carefully for an answer as to where her twin would go, if only to be certain she was okay.

Within the past week, they had all learned just what she had been up to since a few years before her disappearance. Aurora had taken on the disguise of a unicorn named “Hope”, which eventually became her real name. She had gone and fought among the ranks like a common solder, as a healer, helping the common pony to keep strength and hope against their foes. As Hope, she had rallied an army around her, though for a time they did not know she was a princess. When she was revealed as a princess, she was annoyed at anyone who had even tried to treat her like her siblings. Somepony had gone and told Discord though. Discord only knew that she was disobeying Sombra’s order for her to remain in the castle. She gave Discord some suggestions on how to use his chaotic powers to help out and was glad to find that he would listen to her. Celestia, Astra, and Luna had been together at another camp until Astra had been captured, then it was just Celestia and Luna. Aurora had felt crushed that her own twin had been accepted for the fight while she had been left behind as though she was a weakened foal. As she had amassed her army, she had made sure that they all knew how to heal others in some way or another, making them “Hope’s Healers”.

“I won’t be far this time… I think that it’s time for me to stop hiding from everyone, yes, but… Equestria has enough princesses as it is… I’ve been told that one of the healers could use a hoof in her corner of Equestria. Something about it being hazard filled and yet ponies can’t seem to stay away.” Aurora nuzzled Spike one last time and nodded him off towards the others. “I’ll see you soon, Spike. I promise.” She then looked at Luna. “Equestria needs you and Astra more than it needs me. I think I always knew that Luna, but… well I guess it always made me wonder what my own purpose was. I’m still trying to figure it out. Sombra was right… Discord was right… I’m still just a powerless little filly… but one day, I’ll make something of myself. In the meantime… don’t go and get banished to the moon again, or I’m going to bring you back myself.” Aurora smiled as she started off away from the city. “You won’t want me to be the one to bring you back, because I won’t be nice about it.” Aurora chuckled. She knew better than to stay in a place that wasn’t ready for her.

Aurora walked off in her dusty unicorn form with her dirty cloak covering her wings. She was no princess, she was a healer, she was Hope Healer.

Author's Note

Yeah, I know, another short chapter... I'm thinking of doing a series around this one to explain everyone's thoughts through this whole thing, or at least their reactions to Hope. I'm also thinking of making a short on Discord's part of the family to explain how he got Screwball and where she's been.