Canterlot Central Hospital
April 16th

It almost felt wrong, to be back in the fresh air and natural light of the world after everything they had been through in the dark tunnels of the west. Each member of Task Force Harmony felt as though their time in the Barrier Mountains had lasted for a small eternity with no way of knowing how time passed. Once Luna had brought everypony back to Canterlot however, they learned exactly how long their mission had taken. Three days. Three days of blood, pain, war, and ultimately, triumph.

Operation Hive Hunt had been deemed a success beyond all expectations. The changelings that had remained a significant threat to Equestria for over twenty years had not only been located but crippled, a number of ponies that hadn't even been picked up on had been recovered, paving the way for locating their doppelgangers and hopefully removing the changeling presence from Equestria for good. In addition, the team's reports had indicated the possibility that there was more to the changeling race than their past interactions had indicated, a chance to bring over fourteen hundred years of enmity to a peaceful conclusion. Even for the best of the best, this outcome was above and beyond the call of duty.

Of course, it had not come without some cost.

"This...Ugh, this is no fun." Aurora muttered to himself as he reached from his hospital bed for the glass of water on his bedside. It was just out of easy reach and he really had to strain for it. Under any other circumstance he would just bring it over in his magic.

That wasn't an option right now. It had taken this long for the doctors to be sure that he hadn't done himself any long term damage from magical exhaustion. They still weren't letting him use any magic whatsoever while he recovered. He was with the best doctors in Equestria though, hopefully it wouldn't be long before he could take the bandages for his burned cheek off and he could go home. At least they had confirmed it wouldn't scar like the burn on his throat had.

"At least you're allowed to get up. It's infinitely worse when you're confined to the bed." Rainbow Dash replied as she trotted over and passed the glass over to him. They both knew she was the lucky one among them to be standing here. the doctors had said that even with Healing Wave's temporary measures she probably would have succumbed to her injuries within hours. As it was, a blood transfusion and the attention of the most talented doctors had undone the worst of her ailments and aside from looking exhausted from the bruise treatments and keeping her chest fur messy to hide the scar, she almost seemed back to normal.

"Speaking from experience?" He asked, nodding his thanks and taking a drink, savouring having constant access to the basics many ponies took for granted again.

"Yeah. On the plus side, I was able to put that time to good use in the end. I really got into the Daring Do books over those few days."

"I always liked that series. Daring Do and the Razor of Dreams was my favourite," Aurora replied as soon as he lowered his glass. Rainbow grinned at that while trying, and failing, to stifle her laughter. "What?"

"Sorry, just thinking how an old friend of mine might react to you saying that."

"I'm guessing they're one of those hardliner fanatics about a certain book or aspect?" He asked, leaning back against his pillow.

"The hardest." She replied. The two of them shared a laugh at the thought, both feeling better than they both had the time and were able to do so. Just being able to relax like this, spending a little time without the weight of the world on their shoulders, was doing just as much good for their wellbeing as any medical attention. Right now it helped that they had the ward to themselves for now, the rest of the team already discharged.

For a minute after their laugher died down, they simply shared a contented silence. The sun was filtering through a row of skylights above them, bathing the ward in a gentle midmorning glow. Though the windows behind each bed weren't catching the sun, Aurora was able to look back at his and take in the vibrant colours of the royal gardens that were just within view from this floor. It was a peaceful area, the whole setup giving off a vibe that your problems couldn't affect you while within this room. Eventually, Rainbow moved over to a visitor chair beside Aurora's bed and sat down, stretching her wings as she did.

"So, kid," She said as she got settled, watching as he got comfortable again and looked back at her. "I kind of missed the whole thing with the changeling you met. Ymir right? From what the others told me though, I really respect you sticking with her like that."

"You do?" Aurora asked in surprise, watching Rainbow grin and nod.

"Yeah, but I'd like to hear your side of things. Nopony knows how to tell a story better than the one who lived it."

As Aurora retold everything that had happened to him since the two of them had been separated, Rainbow leaned back and listened, taking in everything and thinking about his actions. The one thing she respected above anything else was that he had actually made the effort to make peaceful contact in the first place. Even as one of the ponies closest to the princess of friendship herself, she doubted that she would have been able to do the same in his hooves. After what had happened in Canterlot, she would have put the number of ponies who would even consider it in single digits. Yet he had tried. Despite the suffering both his parents had gone through at their hooves, he had tried and he had succeeded.

The support and loyalty had been mutual too, even when they had no reason to believe it would be. She had protected him from the changeling patrols and he had protected her from Flash Sentry. She knew just how important those kind of bonds were and why the two hadn't left each others side until the moment Ymir was struck down during the battle. By the time Aurora mentioned the last time he'd seen her was being dragged away by a changeling Thorax had referred to as Lanne, he had hunched up slightly and his voice was wavering, not enjoying the memories. Rainbow shifted her chair so she could rest her front half on the bed and looked him in the eye, trying to look reassuring to the shaken unicorn.

"I think that Twilight would be proud of what you've accomplished," She commented, smiling as he realised just what his aunt would think of what he'd done. "Considering you had no idea about Thorax and the rest of the changelings, that you were able to be such friends with Ymir is actually pretty incredible. I'm pretty sure somepony, or, some changeling, will find a way to let you know if she's alright too. For all we know, the next pony through that door is going to be a changeling trying to tell you just that."

"Hmmm...." Aurora glanced over toward the door for a moment. Rainbow realised what he was thinking just in time and placed a hoof on his horn before he could try his sensory magic. "Awww. When did you become so unfair?"

"Is that how you respond to a pony who outranks you?" Rainbow asked, though she was smirking slightly as she said it, just trying to take his mind off it.

"Sorry. When did you become so unfair, ma'am." He replied, getting out of the bed and stretching. Before he could make a follow up comment. The door to the ward door opened and the rest of the team entered.

Cipher was the first to step in, looking at the two of them with no small sense of pride. Water Flare followed, her chest bandaged up and trying to keep off her left foreleg. Even with the help of the changelings, it still remained uncertain if she would ever get full use of her leg back. Bulwark was the third to arrive, in better shape despite still wearing bandages on his forelegs and around his barrel. Compared to the others, Healing Wave looked like she hadn't taken a scratch, only needing a good night's sleep to be back to normal. Flash Sentry was the last one in and though he looked alright, a closer look showed his wings were ragged and missing quite a few feathers.

Following them in was none other than Princess Luna, though she was in her usual princess attire instead of her commander's armour. Both Rainbow Dash and Aurora bowed to her immediately, though she quickly motioned for them to stand again.

"I'm glad to see you both alive," Luna said once they had risen, sounding like she had been holding back her words for longer than she would have liked. "After I had sent you to the mountain, I feared that I was putting too much upon you all, sending seven ponies against a possible hive of changelings. That you all overcame both the challenges you faced and my poor judgement to made it back, is a testament to your wills, strengths, and care for each other."

"Don't blame yourself, your highness. Nopony had any way of truly knowing what would happen," Cipher said as he moved to her side. "Besides, the ponies you sent were the perfect ones for the job. Not just for finding the changelings, but changing the world."

"This is true..." Luna looked round before casting a bubble of silence around herself and the team. "Yesterday, my sister received a letter from an unknown kingdom to the west. It began by apologising for not stopping Queen Chrysalis and how her actions damaged our impressions of her homeland and her kind. It also credited each of you for your parts in bringing her to justice and said that she would be punished most severely for the crimes she committed against our home and hers. It ended by saying that it hoped that our countries may be able to open peaceful relations one day soon and was signed by a 'King Thorax of Outlani'. I presume this is the leader of the non-hostile changelings mentioned in your report?"

"Yes ma'am," Flare replied quickly. "As the pony who's spent the most time with Thorax's changelings, I can confirm that they never tried to drain us of our love and have never had any need to."

"Indeed..." Luna glanced down at the earth pony's bad leg before looking back at the others. "Colonel, I did say I would let you have the honours for this part."

"Thank you, princess," Cipher said as he looked at the others, his smile widening. "Princess Luna has decided that each of us is to be awarded the Star of Harmony for our actions and bravery at Mount Silvat. In addition, Bulwark, Healing Wave, Aurora and Water Flare, each of you are being put forward for promotions."

The team let out a round of cheers at the news. The Star of Harmony was the Equestria Defence Force's highest honour, named after the elements that had saved their homeland time and time again. The fact that every one of them had been deemed worthy of it was no small feat.

"It's an honour." Rainbow said once everypony calmed down, speaking for them all.

"Indeed," Luna replied, smiling softly and ceasing her magic, the bubble of silence fading around them before she reached under her left wing and pulled out a letter she had tucked there. "Now, as your princess instead of your commander, as I was passing through the hospital I noticed this was addressed to you, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow took the letter with curiosity and opened it up, reading through quickly. Before anypony could ask what it was about, she gave a happy whinny and ran out the room. Healing Wave looked down at the letter, dropped by Rainbow in her excitement, and picked it up in her magic, chuckling softly as she read through.

"A request to meet from one of her friends," She commented. "I don't blame her for being so excited after all this time. I'd say I'd like to do the same but, you know."

"How about you use this time to make some more friends?" Flash asked her, giving a reassuring smile. "It's not like you haven't made six already?"

"Yeah, good point." Wave replied, smiling back.

"You've all earned such time," Luna said, stepping aside. "Though Equestria may need to call upon you again one day. For now though, each of you may return to your homes, spend time with your families, loved ones and those that you care for. Take as long as you need. Task Force Harmony, dismissed."

As the team started talking among themselves and making plans for just what they planned to do, Luna took Aurora to one side, looking slightly more serious.

"There was something else in the letter, a message explicitly said to be for the crystal prince," She told him, keeping her voice hushed. "Thorax wrote that you would understand its meaning."

"Oh? Okay..." Aurora replied, looking wary.

"It simply said 'Home is beautiful'. Does that mean anything to you?"

Luna watched as Aurora looked away, staying silent and expressionless. For several seconds, neither of them made a sound. Then, a quiet sniff could be heard. Aurora looked back up again, blinking back a visible tear in his eyes, a wave of relief crossing his face.

"Yes...Thank you."

Author's Note

And that is finally that. While the reception for this story has been more...Muted in comparison to my previous works (I blame the Flash Sentry tag ), it's been a major learning experience for my writing so I'm still calling it a win. I want to thank every one of you who gave this a chance, all those who faved or commented, even those two of you who hung around long enough to downvote.

My next story, Fractured Crystals, ~~has already been largely written up and will be posted once I can afford some cover art~~ is up and ready for viewing. See you then everyone, and thank you again!