(Slight trigger warning. There is a very... violent and blood scene about half way into the story, indicated by ***. Skip it if you dislike blood, violence, and sweet, sweet revenge) (Also, I am putting the music that I best think fits with the fight scene in the authors notes, just incase you want something awesome to listen to)

Twilight groaned. Her head and side stung quite a bit. She remembered the branch, and the lightning. But after that, nothing. She felt like she should be more panicked by the fact that she was struck by FREAKING LIGHTNING, but she currently lacked the brain power to freak out. That, and it hurt surprisingly less than she thought it should. She’d worry about that later. As she moved slightly, she could feel a weight on her horn, sides, and hooves. It didn't take her long to realize that they were probably restraints.

She heard a voice mutter something before a door slammed shut. Twilight ignored that for now and just tried to focus on figuring out where she was. The ground was hard and cold, implying that she was inside, and the fact that she couldn't smell trees indicated that she was no longer in the forest. She could also smell a bit of mold, so chances are she was in a dungeon cell.

Again.

Her ear twitched as she heard the sound of a door opening, followed by heavy hoof steps and the bang of the door closing once again. The bang was so loud it caused her ears to fold downwards in instinct.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” came a smug, satisfied voice, catching Twilight’s attention. “A little upstart who thinks she can rise above her position of dirt beneath my hooves.”

“That sounds familiar,” Twilight muttered, keeping her eyes closed. “But where’s the sound of buildings being smashed?”
Twilight didn’t know where the snark had come from, but she regretted it as a strong leg swiftly kicked her in the stomach, making the pain in her side erupt. Her eyes flew open and she found herself face-to-face with the enraged face of Thorn.

Part of her was terrified. Scratch that, she was paralyzed by fear. Seeing the villain of many of the villagers’ stories in front of her was horrifying. She wanted to struggle to her knees and beg for mercy, but then she remembered what Rainbow had said.

Take my advice, if you’re ever captured by an alicorn, don’t let them see your weaknesses. Stand tall, even if you’re chained to the floor, and act like you’re the one in control, because the moment they see a weakness, they’ll exploit it.

She swallowed the lump of terror in her throat and stared into Thorn’s red eyes.

“Weren’t you taller?” Twilight asked from her position on the ground. Thorn intensified her glare.

“Someone in your position may be wise to keep her mouth shut,” Thorn growled.

“I’ve been awake for less than a minute. I don’t exactly know my position, especially since the only thing I can see is your face,” Twilight said.

She wasn’t lying. Thorn was so close, she couldn’t see anything else. Thorn just snorted before straightening up.

Twilight quickly gathered her bearings as she sat up. She was in a small stone room, empty except for a small hole in the floor in the corner. There were no windows, and the door was heavily reinforced. She was once again wearing wing restraints, hoof cuffs, and a full horn inhibitor, as she expected.

“I have been waiting to get my hooves on you,” Thorn hissed, smiling viciously. “I still owe you for Canterlot. TWICE!”

“Twice? What was the second time?”

“When that blasted element NEARLY BROKE MY HORN!” Thorn yelled. Twilight blinked and looked up. True to her word, her horn was still covered in small cracks, though none looked too serious.

“How is that MY fault?” Twilight asked. “That’s like saying I wanted this thing stuck to my neck. And shouldn’t I be on my way to Canterlot? I’m pretty sure the Queen wants me and—”

She was silenced by Thorn kicking her in the gut again, causing her to double over and wheeze.

“Don’t talk to me like you’re my equal. You’re still nothing but a peasant acting like a god. You have no right to the powers you have!”

“And you do?” Twilight coughed out. Thorn just snorted.

“I was born an alicorn, you peasant! You just became one out of shear luck! Even my children who aren’t alicorns should be grateful that I let them be more than just common dribble! I came to that wrenched forest to find my two ungrateful brats, but finding you was an unexpected surprise,” she said, smirking viciously. “But a welcome one.”

“I take it the Queen doesn’t know?”

“Of course not, you twit! She gave all of us the means to capture you, but I plan on… playing with you for a long, long time.” Thorn laughed, the wicked smile never leaving her face. “To make sure you know just how big of a mistake you have made in crossing me.”

Twilight had to swallow again. ‘Stand tall,’ she thought. ‘I have to be in control.’ She took a deep breath and raised one eyebrow. “And when she finds out? I really don’t think the Queen will be happy. Plus, didn’t the element blast you last time?”

“That’s why I’ll just get my butlers to do it. Some of them need to be replaced soon anyway. You’d best be prepared. I have quite the surprise waiting for you tomorrow.”

“Will there be cake?” Twilight asked, only to be slapped across the face. With that, Thorn left, slamming the door behind her, and only then did Twilight let herself groan. Lying there on the floor until she stopped hurting sounded good, but she but she couldn’t help but giggle a little. She hadn’t brought out this much sass in…she couldn’t actually remember when.

‘I think Rainbow would be proud of me,’ she thought. She sighed.

She was captured, locked up, and was at Thorn’s mercy, but it didn’t seem like Thorn had found the village, so that was good. Flash, Spike, the foals…they were still safe. Even if she was here, at least they weren’t.

That was a very brave thing you did. It seems I was right about you.

Twilight startled and tried to cry out as the smooth female voice sounded in her head. But her own voice never came out. Her eyes widening, she tried speaking, but no noise came out.

It would be best if we were not heard. Simply think what you want to say, and I will hear it.

“Who are you? WHAT are you!? WHY ARE YOU IN MY HEAD?!” Twilight frantically thought.

Look down.

Twilight blinked and looked down. The Element of Magic, still in the dark purple torc, was glowing softly. Twilight then realized she no longer in pain. Her injuries were glowing pink, just like the element.

“No.”

Yes. I am the Element of Magic. You may call me…Magi.

“I…that…HUH!?!?!?!?”

You didn’t think my siblings and I were simply rocks, did you? Or weapons? No, we are fully sentient. We are…or were, guardians, working with the alicorns to help protect the world.

“But WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY ANYTHING UNTIL NOW!?”

Because I was…sick.

Twilight blinked. “Sick?” How could a gem, even a sentient guardian gem, be sick?

I spent these last three thousand years trapped in the Miasma. I…had to seal myself in a stasis bubble to keep myself from being destroyed. But it wasn’t perfect. The damage you saw when I was first revealed was partly from when the cloud first attacked, partly from the Miasma left behind when it was destroyed. While your flare in the audience chamber healed most of my surface damage, there was still some internal damage that I had to fix with more precision.

These last few weeks, I have been passively absorbing your excess magic to heal myself. I had originally planed to heal myself entirely with your first flare, but the damage was too great. Although I would have still absorbed your magic even if I had been fully healed.

“Why?”

While your body's change to that of an alicorn was rather quick, your magic takes a longer time to adjust to the presence of three magical sources compared to only one. This in turn would have normally led to a series of flares as the three magic types merged in your body, and would only stop once they became one. This is why you can still feel them as three types of magic rather than one. They have yet to join fully and form true alicorn magic. However, the reason you haven’t been having flares is because I have been absorbing the unstable magic and helping speed the merging process along.

“But the night terror—”

Was out of my control. I did what I could, but your magic was tainted by your nightmare. I couldn’t absorb it. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.

“But in the assembly hall. What did you do?” Twilight asked, still remembering the immense pain she was in.

The element was silent.

“Magi?”

Have you ever wondered why, after so many years, I have only appeared now? Why I happened to latch onto you, and not somepony else?

“I…I’ve actually been so distracted with just learning how to cope with my…changes, that I’d actually forgotten. The only time I thought about it was when I first woke up.” Twilight thought sheepishly.

Magi actually chuckled. I noticed. But the question still stands.

“I...don’t know. Why me? There are thousands of ponies left. Maybe not as many as before the cloud, but…why did you pick me? And why now? If you had just waited, the Queen could have used you and—”

No, she couldn’t.

“Huh?” Twilight asked, taken aback by the element’s response.

The Queen was wrong. She can’t heal Equestria with us.

“Why not?”

Because she is only one pony. At the very minimum, two ponies of incredible power are needed to use the elements, and even then, they must not only split the energy between themselves, but each one must also hold three attributes so that they may each use three individual elements.

“Attributes?”

Laughter. Loyalty. Generosity. Kindness. Honesty. Magic. These are the six attributes needed in this world. If a pony, or any sentient creature, is able to represent one of these attributes, that being can then wield the element that matches said attribute. Most creatures only hold one attribute, if they hold one at all, meaning that they can wield only one element. While it is possible for two creatures to us the elements by themselves, each one then must have three attributes so that they can then wield three elements. This not even counting the power needed to wield three elements simultaneously. There is also the fact that me and my siblings are actually the strongest when each of us has our own bearer, but I digress.

“And the Queen can’t use you?” Twilight asked, trying to understand everything the element was telling her.

Even if she were to contain any attributes, which she doesn’t, we can still judge those who would attempt to use us, and lock out those we deem to have misjudged reasoning. The queen can’t use any of us. Especially me. I…I am unique. There is something…extra that is needed to use me.

“And out of everyone in the world, I have it?” Twilight asked, feeling a bit skeptical.

There was a long pause.

No.

“But then why—”

You, out of everyone in the world, are the only one I can sense that has the potential to wield me.

“The potential?”

You can’t use me yet. At least, not fully. Your attribute in magic has given you access to part of my power, and since I cannot sense any darkness in your heart, I have given you my approval, granting you a few more abilities you do not yet know of. But in order to use all of my power, you need to reach your full potential.

Twilight took a breath as she shook her head, glad she was sitting down. “And how do I unlock this potential?”

I can’t tell you that.

“Oh come on! You made me into a bucking alicorn, and you can’t tell me how or why?!” Twilight practically screamed in her head.

The how is magic. As for why, I never said I couldn’t tell you why. So please, take a deep breath, and let me explain.

Twilight snorted, but did as she was told.

Thank you. When the cloud was destroyed, I was flung the shortest distance, landing only about a thousand feet from…our mother. The Tree of Harmony. I…felt her fade away. We all did. But I had no time to mourn as the Miasma formed and set about attacking me. I cast the stasis spell to keep myself isolated from it. In essence, it trapped me in a bubble where no time would pass. But at the same time, I left a way to…to stay in the loop, as you might say. Every fifty years, the part of the spell that stopped time would vanish, allowing me to peek out and scan the world, searching for a potential bearer.

Since I am the embodiment of magic, I would use my ability’s to observe the creatures of the world through their magic. It was not a perfect method, and it did not tell me very much, but it did let me see if anyone currently alive had even a chance of wielding me. After a few days of scanning the magic of the world inhabitance, I would re activate the portion of the spell that stopped time for me, then try again fifty years later.

My siblings would talk to me as well, but one after another they were found and locked away, leaving me in silence about two thousand years ago. But I continued to search, to look for someone, anyone who could wield me. But then, in the last cycle, I felt you. You were in Canterlot, under duress as your father was beaten. You were, intentionally or not, calling out to me. Your magic…it matched mine. You had the ability to interact with me, the potential to use me at my full power, to unlock your full potential, and you were the only one who could do so in almost three thousand years.

So I responded.

I sent the smallest portion of my power to you, giving you a small burst that was just big enough to trigger your natural magic. That’s what stated your flare, what allowed your magic to reveal itself, and what triggered your cutie mark’s formation. The fact that your cutie mark is an image of me confirmed to me that you would be the one to one day wield me.

This time, I did not reactivate the temporal part of my shield spell. I left that small portion of my magic inside you, and sent a message to my siblings. Even if they were locked away, we are still connected on a deeper level. This wasn't a vocal message like it would have been if they were free, but more of a… visceral message. It is hard to send, so we only use it in cases of emergency. They know that it is time to find their bearers, and it will take more than some anti-magic box to stop them.

“So in the assembly hall…” Twilight said, putting the pieces together.

I triggered your flare. Again, I’m sorry it was so painful, my dear, but I had no choice. I had used almost all of my energy to hold off the Miasma until I was discovered, even subtly letting off magic to attract the seekers to my position. I was weak, so in order to escape, I used that small portion of my magic inside you to trigger a massive, uncontrolled flare, then used the excess magic to heal myself, as well as give you the gift we gave ponies so long ago. The reason you were unconscious for so long was you needed to recover, as it took more energy than I thought to heal myself.

“Wait. Gift?”

Alicorns only exist because our mother made them. She gifted ponies of the ancient past with immortality and strength after they showed they were worthy. There were some who did not receive the gift due to darkness in their hearts, but eventually all of ponykind became alicorns. This was nearly twenty thousand years ago, well beyond recorded history. When the cloud attacked, it stole these gifts, and reverted the ponies back to their old forms.

“But wouldn’t some of the alicorns remember that since they’re immortal? And if that’s true, why are they so evil NOW?” Twilight’s head was starting to hurt.

Perhaps immortal is the wrong word. Their immortality only applies in the fact that time cannot kill them. Disease, injury, mental degradation, magical poisoning, all can still end an alicorn. None of the original alicorns our mother created survived up to the cloud attack.
As for their evil tendencies, that is because of the loss of the Tree of Harmony. Even thousands of years after the alicorns’ creation, they were still connected to her. She could watch over them from a distance, and help guide them to the right path. She would never force a change in their minds, but she would show them why they might be wrong, and help guide them back to the path of light. Think of it like the nagging of your conscience, telling you that your doing something wrong.

The loss of her leadership combined with the fact that alicorns were the only ones who could make living in the ruined Equestria possible meant that the depowered ponies would naturally turn to them for leadership. Much of their land and wealth actually comes from your ancestors who gave it to them in the past with the hopes that they would use it to return Equestria to the way it once was. Unfortunately, this dependence, and the idea that only alicorns could save Equestria, led to many developing power fantasies, thinking that might makes right, and that any action they take is justified because it keeps them in power, and ensures that ponykind will survive, if barely.

“Ok, but still, why make me an alicorn? And why now, in the middle of everything that is going on? And why can’t you tell me how to unlock this…potential?”

A few reasons. First, to put you on even footing with the other alicorns. Like it or not, they will continue to hunt you, and when you find my siblings, you will need to confront them. You may think you’re outmatched, but if you work with others, you will only need to neutralize the alicorns. I can handle the rest.

“What do you mean by ‘handle the rest’?” she asked nervously.

You’ll see tomorrow. The second reason I transformed you was so you can handle my magic. My magic is stronger than the other elements. Even if you can’t use it now, and even if you could eventually wield it as a unicorn, I thought it best to skip that hurdle, even if it added a few more in its place. Which brings me to my final reason. I did it to test you.

“Test me?”

In order to unlock your full potential, you will need to overcome numerous challenges, many of which you cannot do alone. You have already shown your adaptability in learning your new magics, and by befriending ponies despite your new form. I don’t know what challenges await you exactly, as each of my bearers before the cloud attacked had different ones to overcome, but rest assured you are already well on your way.

“But why are you stuck to my neck if I can’t even use you?”

Three reasons. First, I knew some of the others might not take kindly to your form, and so I did it to protect you while you were unconscious. Second, like i mentioned before, was so I could help you adjust to your body's changes, or at least that was the plan originally. Third, with the world in the state it is, I did not want to risk us becoming separated. I have been looking for someone like you for three thousand years, and I did not want to lose you after waiting for so long.

“Ok, I guess. But you still didn’t tell me why you can’t tell me about this potential thing,” She said, more and more questions filling her mind.

I can’t tell you because it is not something that can be explained, and because there is no one way to unlock it. Telling you one way would make you focus on that one path, thus blocking you from many others. The end point may be the same, but the road to that end point is your own.

“But how will I even know when I’ve unlocked the potential?”

You will know. The feeling will be unmistakable, and you will see things in a new light.

Twilight was silent for a time as she tried to process all the information. She still had so many questions. She would need a checklist just to remember them all, and then a checklist for each of the categories they might fall into to keep them organized. But out of all of them, there was one question that bugged her more than the others.

“What’s going to happen tomorrow? Thorn mentioned a surprise, and you mentioned that you would handle her. But how are you going to do that, especially since there’s no way I can ‘neutralize’ her when I’m like this! I’m virtually helpless, not to mention the fact that I’m all alone here.”

Are you so certain?

“Yes. It’s not like anyone will come for me. Flash and Spike should be asleep for a few more days with how much energy I put into that spell, and I doubt anyone else will risk themselves for me. I am an alicorn after all, and all of them have been hurt by alicorns.”

A little faith can go a long way, Magi said, before falling silent for a few seconds. You should get some rest. One way or another, I have a feeling that tomorrow will be an important day.

And with that, the element stopped glowing, and Twilight could feel her voice return. She still had so many questions. What was this potential Magi kept talking about? If she needed to unlock it, did that mean she needed to get the other elements too? And if so, who would wield them if she couldn’t do it alone? Would Flash and Spike ever forgive her for what she had done?

Her mind still buzzing, she closed her eyes and lay down on the stone floor. Sleep came far easier than she would have thought possible, but a subtle glow from the element suggested that she may have had some help.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next morning, or at least, what Twilight assumed to be morning since she had no way to tell time, she was awoken by two Butlers. Neither spoke a word as they pulled her to her hooves and led her through the dungeon. As they walked, Twilight could feel her fear being to climb with every step she took. Magi remained silent, and this only served to make her even more anxious. She tried to think of what she could do once she was outside, but a lack of knowing what Thorn had planned made it difficult for her to focus on any one plan of action.

All was quiet in the dungeon, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as when she emerged outside, coming out a door on the side of Thorn’s mansion and moving towards the center of town. The air was filled with so much tension you could cut it with a knife. Every pony under Thorn must have been there, yet it was still dead silent. Nopony spoke, heck, it didn’t even sound like anypony was breathing. Twilight gulped slightly as the butlers led her onto a raised platform in front of the crowd. Thorn was standing above her, smirking as Twilight was forced onto her knees.
They placed more cuffs around her legs, and her head was locked in a large metal collar that was fastened onto her horn restraint, so tight it kept her from moving. Thorn then rotated the restraint so Twilight’s horn was pressed against the wooden platform, and Twilight’s head rolled with it, so she was left looking at the crowd from an uncomfortable sideways angle.

If she didn't feel it before, Twilight now felt completely helpless.

The crowd looked back in fear and confusion. No one dared to move.

“Some of you may recognize this little brat,” Thorn spoke in a cocky and condescending tone. “She once tried to rise above her position by injuring me, an act that was foolishly allowed by the ignorant Queen. Now, twelve years later, she has done so again. She has stolen the power belonging to real alicorns in an attempt to raise her own standing. She…”

She just loves to here herself talk, doesn’t she?


“Not now!”

“And as such,” Thorn said, grinning manically, “I am personally going to take away what she does not deserve. Her horn and her wings!”
She teleported in a massive axe and handing it to her Butlers, who took the handle in their magic and positioned it on the base of Twilight’s horn.

“Oh buck, oh buckohbuckOHBUCKOHBUCK!” Twilight thought as she tried to struggle, but it was impossible for her to move.

Your horn can regrow, you know. It’s part of being an alicorn.

“NOT HELPING! THAT JUST MEANS SHE CAN DO IT AGAIN! AREN’T YOU SUPPOSED TO PROTECT ME!? DO SOMETHING!!!”

No need. Look at the roof in front of you.

Twilight, in her panicked state, barely had the control to mover her eyes so she was looking up, but what she saw stopped her in shock. Pinkie Pie was standing on the roof, looking down at her. She was still smiling, and when she met Twilight’s eyes, she winked. Twilight didn’t have time to ponder further as she saw the big axe lift, preparing to come down on her horn. Twilight shut her eyes as the axe swung, expecting an unimaginable pain to follow.

But it never came.

Instead, she heard two soft thumps followed by a loud metal clang. Prying her eyes open, she looked up at her horn. Two knives, one yellow and one blue, were lodged deep in the wooden platform. The hilts were interlocked, forming an X, with Twilight’s horn safely blocked in the lower half and the axe caught in the top half.

Twilight, Thorn, and the rest of the audience were so stunned that no one could react in time as a third knife, this one red, buried itself straight into Thorn’s horn. Thorn screamed, startling her Butlers so badly that their magic cut out, causing them to release the axe handle.

Then all Tartarus broke loose.

“NOW!” Flash yelled, jumping over Pinkie and off the roof. He hit the small switch on his wing blades, deploying them. With a powerful thrust of his wings, his weapons glowed bright blue, firing two lightning bolts across the square and knocking Thorn’s stunned Butlers off the stage. Thorn stumbled from the aftershock of the blast and the pain still clouding her mind, before she was smashed in the side by a charging Rainbow Dash.

From all around the square, ponies from the village appeared and attacked. Thorn’s Butlers were taken off guard and were slow to respond, giving the village ponies plenty of time to separate them. Thorn’s ponies either ran to the houses to hide, or, in a few cases, joined the village ponies. Pinkie just smiled manically as she pulled a bright blue spear from her mane.

“Let’s heroically punch them IN THE FACE!” she screamed before diving right off the roof and into the battle.

“Somepony make sure she doesn’t hurt herself!” Applejack yelled, bucking a Butler through a nearby wall.

“On it,” Big Mac said, chasing after the bouncing pink mare, who was currently holding off ten Butlers at once by waving the spear around with her mane. Flash, meanwhile, flew down to the still shocked Twilight and kicked the axe away from her head.

“What are you DOING HERE!?” she yelled. “That spell should have kept you asleep for a few DAYS!”

“Second Sight had a cure,” Flash said as he landed. “And you are in serious trouble, missy. I have half a mind to keep you locked up and just carry you back to the village so you don’t do something this crazy again. You fighting alicorns alone is the last thing we want.”

“But we DO need her to fight Thorn,” Lightning said, landing nearby and looking over at where said alicorn was currently trying to fight Rainbow Dash. However, a combination of Rainbow’s speed, her ability to recall her knives, and the fact that Thorn couldn’t concentrate enough to use magic of any kind meant the ex-pegasus currently had the upper hoof. “Well, maybe.”

“You’re still in trouble,” Flash said as he pulled a lock-picking kit out of his pocket and began working on the locks holding Twilight down. “Just be glad I had enough sense to leave Spike asleep, otherwise he would probably be here helping me.”

“But why are YOU here!?” Twilight exclaimed. “The whole point of me doing this was so Thorn WOULDN’T KNOW YOU EXISTED!”

“Blame Rainbow,” Thunder said, landing nearby and coming to help Flash. Thankfully, it seemed that the villagers had the Butlers more than a little distracted, so no one was coming to stop them on the stage yet. “That crazy mare refused to leave you behind after she learned what you did. She felt that leaving you here would be betraying a friend and village savior. She’s loyal, I’ll give her that.”

“If a bit hard-headed,” Lightning said as Thunder broke the lock on Twilight’s wings just as Flash unlocked the neck and horn restraints, allowing Twilight to stand up and stretch.

See? Faith.

Twilight tried to avoid rolling her eyes as she looked around. By now, at least half of the Butlers were incapacitated, leaving the others completely outnumbered and outmatched. She wanted to go help, but was immediately distracted by a pained cry from Thorn.

***

Rainbow had managed to get on Thorn’s back, and was currently riding the alicorn as she bucked around, trying to throw the rainbow-maned mare off. To stay on, Rainbow had taken the green knife in her right hoof and had dug it into Thorn’s wing joint, making the red alicorn howl.

Rainbow growled as she pulled the orange knife. “Like torture, do you? Like maiming us do you?!” she yelled, plunging the orange knife into the joint, joining the first blade and prompting another scream of pain. Rainbow pulled out purple knife with her teeth. “Le’s se hw du lik it!” she yelled around the knife, thrusting her head forward and driving the third knife into Thorn’s wing.

Then she twisted!

Thorn screamed bloody murder as Rainbow literally ripped her wing off. Her horn, despite the damage, erupted, throwing Rainbow off of her and embedding the blue pony in a wooden wall. The wave of uncontrolled magic tore through the square, knocking ponies over and causing nearby houses to shudder.

As the energy faded, Thorn, now bleeding profusely, grabbed a nearby flaming piece of wood from a magic attack and jammed it into the injury, cauterizing the wound.

She screeched again, lit her horn, and fired a beam of uncontrolled magic. She didn’t see where it was going.

She no longer cared.

***

“Rainbow!” Twilight cried, running up to the battered mare. She quickly used her magic to pull her out of the wall and lay her down on the ground.

“Hey Twi. Ow,” Rainbow muttered as she tried to sit up. “How’d I do?”

“I think you just pissed her off,” Flash muttered, glancing at the raging alicorn who was now missing a wing.

“Cool. Ow. That was therapeutic. Ow.”

“We need to stop her before she destroys the entire town!” Applejack cried, dodging another wild explosion as she ran over. By now, Thorn was whipping up a miniature windstorm as uncontrolled magic leaked out of her injured horn. Applejack, Flash, and Twilight grabbed Rainbow Dash and pulled her behind a building as another beam of energy tore by.

“How?” Twilight asked.

“Maybe we can use this?” Flash asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow as he held up the magic restraint that had been on Twilight. “That was the whole plan in the first place. Though someone needs to get in close.”

“I can…OW!”

Rainbow tried to stand up, only for Fluttershy to fly down from the rooftops and force her down again. Angel Bunny was on her back, carrying her first aid kit.

“No way, missy,” the yellow pegasus said firmly. “You’re not moving until I say you can. Now hold still.”

“I can do it,” Flash said, rolling his eyes as Rainbow began to protest. “But not when she’s like this. I doubt I could even get close enough to use a plunder bomb with the way she’s acting.”

“How many do you have left?”

“Just one, and I doubt it’ll work. With all the wind she’s whipping up, it could just blow the bomb’s powder everywhere, and that would be bad.”

“Ya don’t say,” Applejack deadpanned. “So you got a different plan, I presume?”

“Yes, but I don’t like it,” he said. “Twilight, I hate to ask this, but…can you fight her? She’s unstable, injured, and not thinking clearly. If you can just knock her out or even distract her for long enough, I might be able to get the restraint on her.”

“I thought you wanted to prevent me from fighting alicorns?” Twilight asked, a hint of sass in her voice.

“I don’t want you fighting them ALONE,” Flash stressed. He sighed. “I may be your bodyguard, but even I know I can’t stop you. I forgot that yesterday, and I made a horrible mistake. I’m sorry. But while I may not be able to stop you, that doesn’t mean I can’t HELP you. And right now, we need to work together to stop her. Ok?”

Twilight peeked out from behind their house, just in time to see Shield Bearer push another pony out of the way of a stray beam of magic. She pulled her head back and turned to Flash.

“Ok,” she said, nodding. She gulped. “She’s only a power-crazy alicorn who is mad enough to keep fighting with a damaged horn. No pressure.”

“That’s the spirit,” Flash laughed.

“You’ve got this,” Rainbow added, smirking up at the alicorn.

Twilight took a deep breath, opened her wings, and flew up from behind the building. As she crested the roof, she saw Thorn fire another beam of raw magic, collapsing part of a nearby house and nearly crushing her own Butlers. Twilight knew she couldn’t do much up close, but Rainbow had given her an advantage – Thorn couldn’t fly.

Staying out of range of the miniature dust devil Thorn was creating, Twilight began with a simple kinetic spell. The beam hit Thorn right in the side and sent her flying towards the edge of the village.

It did not, however, stop her.

Glaring up at Twilight with bloodshot eyes, Thorn screamed in rage and fired a beam of magic at Twilight. Twilight dropped a few feet to dodge and followed up with an ice spell. Thorn didn’t bother dodging, instead fired another beam that smashed Twilight’s ice jet and exploded inches from Twilight’s face. The purple alicorn squealed, composed herself, and grabbed a few chunks of debris with her telekinesis. The heavy weight made her move slowly, but Thorn still didn’t have enough time to cast another spell before the rocks came flying at her.

Thorn’s horn lit up even brighter, causing a few bolts of lightning to fire out of the injury as she raised a shield to block the attack. She fired another blast of magic, singeing the end of Twilight’s tail. The force of the spell caused Twilight to momentarily lose her balance, but she recovered in time to dodge the next attack.

Getting an idea, Twilight lit her horn and teleported behind Thorn, folded her wings so that she fell to the ground, and fired a lightning spell. The electricity impacted Thorn, causing her muscles to spasm so badly she fell to her knees. She didn’t have time to respond as Twilight teleported again and appeared to Thorn’s left to fire off another lightning spell. She was about to go for a third teleport when Thorn’s eyes glowed.

“ENOUGH!”

The red alicorn unleashed another wave of magic, throwing Twilight away from her. Getting back to her hooves and coughing up dust, Twilight turned to look at the approaching alicorn. Thorn was surrounded by a corona of red magic, her eyes white, and her mane blowing in the wind.

However, before she could utter a single word, a rolling pin flew out of nowhere and smacked the psychotic alicorn right across the face, finally knocking her unconscious. The magic died and the village was suddenly so quiet you could hear a pin drop. From out behind a building, Second Sight stepped out.

“I,” she said, smiling broadly. “Have been waiting. For fifty-two years. To do that. And I must say, IT! WAS! WORTH IT!” She let loose a very satisfied sigh. “Oh, and you might want to put that restraint on now before she wakes up,” she added, looking over at Flash who was currently hovering nearby and staring with a slack-jawed expression.

“And that’s why we’re afraid of that rolling pin,” Pinkie said, hopping over and picking Twilight’s jaw up off the ground with a loud click. The noise snapped the alicorn out of her shock and she shook her head in disbelief.

“How did that actually work?” Twilight asked as Flash flew over and attached the full horn restraint to the unconscious alicorn. Thunder and Lightning rushed forward with the restraints Twilight had worn earlier. By now, both the village ponies and Thorn’s ponies were all coming out of hiding to see the downed alicorn.

Second Sight walked forward and picked up the rolling pin, revealing the glowing symbols on the underside. “Runes, dearie,” she said. “They convert magical energy into forward momentum, making it travel faster through the air to deliver one heck of a knock out blow. Quite impressive, if I do say so myself.”

Her giggling was interrupted as another old mare with a black coat, white mane, golden eyes, and a feather duster cutie mark tackled her to the ground.

“Second!”

“Dusty!” Second Sight cried, returning the hug and smiling ruefully up at her old friend. “Don’t you know it’s rude to tackle blind ponies?”

“Oh shush, you’re not blind and you know it,” Feather Duster said, laughing as she helped her friend up and embraced her for real. As they hugged, Twilight saw some of Thorn’s ponies look around the crowd. Many seemed to relax, as though they finally realized that the villagers were not their enemies.

“So, who’s your friend?” Feather Duster asked, looking at Twilight a bit warily. Twilight gave her a nervous grin, and Second Sight just smiled.

“Don’t worry about Twilight. She’s that little filly that threw Thorn through twelve buildings a few years back. She’s cool.”

“Though not so little any more,” Twilight said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

Feather Duster blinked before giggling. “Huh, no wonder Thorn was so mad at her. Speaking of whom,” she said, looking over at the now fully bound alicorn who appeared to be slowly regaining consciousness. “What are you gonna do about her?”

“I’ll handle that,” Applejack said, pulling her katana and beginning to walk towards the downed alicorn. Twilight’s eyes widened and before she had really thought out a plan, she had teleported between Thorn and Applejack, startling her and the rest of the ponies nearby.

“Wait!” Twilight cried out. “You can’t!”

“Are you plum crazy?” Applejack asked, looking at Twilight as if she was insane. “This is THORN! You know, the pony responsible for more than HALF the horror stories we have?”

“But look at her now,” Twilight said gesturing to the beaten alicorn. “It’s over. She’s lost. She can’t hurt anypony anymore.”

“And we should make sure she can’t,” Applejack said, glaring at Twilight.

“But what about your no-killing rule?”

“That only applies to Butlers, soldiers, and you. But SHE doesn’t get such a mercy.”

“Applejack,” Fluttershy gasped, running over to join Twilight. “Killing is wrong, even for somepony like Thorn. We don’t need to go any further.”

“I’m…kinda with Fluttershy on this one,” a now bandaged Rainbow said, limping into view. Her back leg was in a cast and her barrel and head were bandaged. “We got her, and if we let her live, then she can spend the rest of eternity knowing that she lost to the ponies who she used to suppress. Plus, her wing will grow back eventually, so then maybe…”

“Rainbow! Don’t you dare finish that thought!” Fluttershy cried in shock, glaring at the ex-pegasus. Rainbow flinched before lowering her head.

“Right. Sorry,” she muttered.

Twilight shook her head. “The point IS, we don’t need to kill her. She’s helpless right now, and killing her would just be excessive.
"

“Hehehe.” Thorn’s weak chuckle drew all their attention to her. “Big talk…coming from a murderer,” she hissed, sneering as Twilight froze.

Flash’s eyes widened.

“Oh buck,” he whispered, running towards Twilight.

“We could still bind her mouth to shut her up though, right Twi?” Rainbow asked. When she didn’t get a response, she looked at the purple alicorn in confusion. “Twi?” Twilight was pale, she looked like she was trying to respond, but no words came out. Her breathing was becoming shallower and shallower.

“Oh, what’s wrong?” Thorn taunted, coughing. “You think I don’t know what happened to…to Gleaming Dagger? I know, murderer.” She smirked as Twilight’s legs began to tremble.

“Murder and self defense are two completely different things,” Flash said, reaching the panicking alicorn and draping a wing around her.

“What are y’all going on about?” Applejack asked, her voice unsure.

“Oh, she never told you?” Thorn smirked. “Never told you how she—“

A bomb smacked her in the face, forming green slime that covered her mouth, finally silencing her.

“Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, looking at the alicorn in concern. Twilight didn’t respond. Her eyes were still locked on Thorn’s. Her world was falling to pieces. She couldn’t talk, she couldn’t breathe. The memories, the guilt, the pain, the fear, it was too much. She—

“Twilight,” Second Sight said, getting the alicorn’s attention. Twilight blinked. The blind mare had stepped in front of her, blocking Thorn from her view. Reaching up, Second Sight undid the knot holding the cloth over her eyes. As it fell away, Twilight was greeted with an amazing sight.

Two golden spheres looked back at her, glowing brightly. Each had a green iris and a pupil, but the corneas were constantly shifting as magic wove around in the eye socket. It was fascinating to look at, but yet incredibly unnerving.

“Take it from me, dearie,” Second Sight said, breaking the silence that her eyes had wrought over the crowd. “Nothing good ever comes from holding things in.” She gently brushed the scar on Twilight’s neck, causing the purple alicorn to shiver. “You need to let it out eventually. I can’t force you to, but trust me, you’ll feel infinitely better when you do.”

And with that, she stood back and retied the cloth to her face, eliminating the golden glow once again. Twilight sat there for about a minute before she spoke up.

“R-Rainbow?” she asked, speaking quietly as she reached up to the scar on her neck. She didn’t turn to face the crowd, instead keeping her sight on Thorn.

“Yeah, Twi?”

“D-Do you remember how you said I-I only had one story? O-One moment of hardship after I l-left Thorn?”

Rainbow nodded.

“I-I don’t have one. I-I have two. The second one i-is the reason I have night terrors.” Twilight snuggled closer into Flash’s wing for comfort.

“A-A few month’s after I hatched Spike, I-I woke up one night to him crying. I was s-still lying down and w-was about to get up and comfort him, w-when I heard him cry out in pain, a-and I heard his basket crash on the wall on the other side of the room.”

Twilight was crying. Her mind was telling her to stop, to bury the memories deep down, but she refused and pushed onwards.

“T-That startled me to f-full alertness and I s-sat up in less than a s-second. A-And I saw t-that I wasn’t alone. A-A Butler was in my room, l-levitating a knife with his horn. H-He wasn’t one of Lady Celestia’s. T-The moment I saw h-his red eyes, h-he lunged at me, g-going right for my neck with his knife. I-I-I didn’t h-have full control o-over my m-magic, so w-when he lunged, I-I panicked. H-H-His knife g-got close enough t-to leave a s-scar. T-Then I lost control.”

Twilight took a shuddering breath. “H-He was flung through f-four walls. H-His body was unrecognizable. B-But his head… it…it s-stayed with me.” She choked out, prompting a gasp from Fluttershy and a few other ponies, while many had wide eyes. “I-It got s-stuck one a s-s-support beam in the f-first wall. H-He looked s-so terrified, and h-h-he just kept s-staring at me w-with those l-lifeless e-eyes.”

“The eyes,” Fluttershy whispered, now tearing up herself. “Y-You kept saying that they were judging you.”

“A-And maybe they are,” Twilight said. She was still crying, but her breathing was starting to become steadier. There was an ache in her chest that had nothing to do with physical pain, but part of her still felt relieved to finally say all of this out loud. “B-But that’s why I-I can’t let you kill Thorn. E-Even if she sent the Butler, w-what would killing her accomplish? I-It wouldn’t bring him back, i-it wouldn’t undo the damage she’s caused. I-It won’t change the fact t-that I k-k-killed him. W-When would it end? W-When would the killing end?

“I-If I learned anything that night, i-it was that killing is wrong. I-I get that sometimes there might not be any o-other way, a-and maybe one day I-I’ll need to do it again, but doing it needlessly? N-No, I-I refuse to let that happen.”

“Ah understand how ya feel, Twilight,” Applejack said, her voice soft and conflicted and sorrow in her eyes. “Ah really do. But what are we supposed to do with her? We can’t just let her go, she knows we exist, even if she doesn’t know where we’re from. And the moment she’s free, she’ll go back to torturing ponies. We can’t take her with us because we don’t have the room or any way of blocking her earth pony magic. The only reason we even have her now is because she exhausted herself.”

“I-I don’t know, ok?” Twilight almost yelled. “But killing her won’t solve anything. She sent that Butler to kill me, so his death is just as much on her as it is me, but killing her will just make us as bad as she is. But we’re not monsters! There has to be another way!”

She swallowed hard, blinking away the last of her tears. “There just has to be.”

There is.

Twilight jumped as her mouth moved and spoke in a voice not her own. Or at least, she tried to. Her body didn’t respond. The voice of Magi sounded in her head.

I’ll give you control back in a few minutes, my dear. Right now, it’s time I showed you just what I can do.

“Twilight?” Flash asked in concern. He had jumped back when a smooth, ancient voice sounded from Twilight’s mouth, and now the Element of Magic around her neck was glowing rather brightly. “You ok?”

“That’s not Twilight,” Second Sight said, awed.

Indeed, Magi said, having Twilight stand up and open her eyes. The ponies nearby gasped. Twilight’s eyes were glowing pink, the magic so bright it streamed from the corners and wrapped around her head. The glow matched that of the Element of Magic.

You may call me…Magi.

“Where’s Twilight?” Flash growled, getting into a combat stance. Magi just chuckled.

You needn’t fear for your charge. Magi made Twilight smile at Flash, but it certainly wasn’t Twilight’s usual smile. It was completely serene and confident, and looked odd on Twilight’s face. She is still here, and I will be giving her control back once I finish. She turned to Thorn, her face becoming hard. Right now, I have a bone to pick with this monstrosity.

She approached the downed alicorn, who, for the first time, looked just a small bit afraid. Still gagged and bound, she was helpless as tendrils of magic lashed out of the element and lifted the alicorn into the air.

You alicorns have strayed far from what our mother intended for you, Magi practically growled. You have not fulfilled your role as guardians and protectors. As such, all of you shall face judgment. No exceptions.

Two of the strands struck Thorn’s head, sinking into it without causing any physical damage. Thorn began to struggle and the restraints and gag fell away, but she couldn’t move.

Don’t resist. I will be judging you based on the entirety of your life. Resisting will only bring pain. Thorn ignored her and continued to try and escape, which made tears start to fall down her face. After about five minutes, Magi spoke again. Your verdict has been reached. You are judged to be…

GUILTY

The strands became dark red, and more strands struck Thorn’s body, keeping her in place. Thorn’s mouth was open in silent pain, but the magic held her so tightly she could no longer struggle. Magi lifted Twilight’s right hoof, and a clear orb appeared out of nowhere.

You are nothing more than a slave driver. You treat all ponies, even other alicorns, as if they are beneath you. You have no empathy, no understanding of their struggles. You are a monster, one unfit to wield the gift you posses.

As Magi spoke, three strands of magic began to flow out of Thorn’s body. From her horn came a purple stream. From her wing and her side where a wing used to be came a light blue one. And from her hooves came a green one. The streams flowed towards the orb in Twilight’s hoof, pouring into it.

So I am taking it back.

All the ponies watched in shock as Thorn’s horn slowly became grey, then crumbled into dust. Her wing followed the same fate. Slowly, her body shrank until she was shorter than Rainbow Dash. And still the magic kept pouring out of her.

After a minute, it was over, and lying before them was an earth pony with a red coat, a no-longer-magically-flowing black mane, red eyes, and no cutie mark.

“W-what have you done?!” Thorn cried in shock as she stumbled to her hooves, looking around in pure terror.

I have removed your gift. My mother created alicorns as a gift to ponies, so it’s only just that I remove said gift from one who has no right in wielding it.

“Y-You’ll pay! Y-You hear me!? I-I’ll get you for this!” Thorn cried. She started towards Magi on legs as unsteady as a newborns when a Butler with a light green coat and a two-tone orange mane flew down from a nearby roof, grabbed Thorn, and flew away faster than anyone could react.

Let her go, Magi said in a tone that brooked no argument as the two ponies disappeared. She will serve as a warning to the rest of the alicorns. All of them will be judged one way or another. It’s only a matter of time.

With that, she turned around to face the crowd. Many of them had looks of shock, some of terror, and some of elation. Magi smiled.

Rainbow Dash, she said in a much gentler tone. Please step forward. Rainbow blinked and looked left and right in fear, but all the ponies nearby except for Fluttershy backed away from her.

“I’ll…um…pass, if that’s ok with you.” Rainbow said nervously, only to disappear and reappear right in front of Magi, who chuckled.

You have no reason to fear, Rainbow, Magi spoke, forming a shield around them and using levitation to hold the now panicking Rainbow Dash still. You are not in trouble. Far from it, actually. As she spoke, the orb containing Thorn’s magic began to glow. Despite what Thorn has done to you, you were willing to risk your life to save Twilight, an alicorn, even if it cost you your own. You would have done so with or without the others here with you, showing that you possess an astounding amount of loyalty.

Magi smiled brightly. It’s time that loyalty is rewarded.

With that last word, two streams of light blue magic emerged from the orb. Using Twilight’s horn, Magi removed Rainbow’s armor, or what was left of it, and her bandages, leaving the ex-pegasus completely exposed. Without hesitation, the two streams of magic began to flow into Rainbow’s sides, right where her wings used to be.

Rainbow gasped. The ponies outside looked on in fear. However, Rainbow’s face didn’t contort into pain, but instead became one of pleasure. To everypony’s shock, the scared tissue on her sides and her injuries from the fight began to rapidly heal. Even her broken leg was straightened out and mended. As the magic continues to flow into her, there was a slight tearing sound. Fluttershy gasped as two pointed bones broke through where Rainbow’s stubs used to be. They grew rapidly, extending and forming more bones, until they resembled the structure of—

“Wings,” Rainbow breathed, her eyes closed in bliss. As soon as the bones finished growing, muscle began to sprout along the bones, followed by skin and fur. Then came the feathers, growing out rapidly until they reached the proper length. With a final small shock wave, the magic flow stopped and Rainbow dropped, landing on her hooves. Magi dispersed the shield. The orb vanished in a strand of pink magic, flowing back into the element.

“M-My wings,” Rainbow whispered, opening her eyes and looking in awe at the restored appendages. Everypony else was too stunted to move.

Exactly as they should be, Magi said, catching the pegasus’s attention. She smiled. You know what to do.

Rainbow blinked, and then her eyes went wide. She smirked.

“Awwww yeah,” she said before opening her wings to their maximum length and blasting skyward as quickly as she could. Twilight, who had been silently watching in awe as Magi used her body, finally gathered her wits enough to speak up.

“What is she doing?”

Magi smiled. Igniting the fires of hope.

Twilight was about to ask what she meant, but she didn’t need to.

BOOOOM!!!

A massive rainbow explosion blasted across the sky, knocking back everypony’s manes and causing everyone to stare in shock at the bright explosion in wonder. For Twilight, it stirred in her the memories of hatching Spike. The fear of failing Celestia’s test, the sense of accomplishment she felt when she passed, the sense of responsibility placed before her as she was entrusted with his care. It was one of her happiest memories, and it filled her with hope. This might be a weird time to think of these memories, but she was too amazed to really care.

“A SONIC RAINBOOM! YAAAAY!” Fluttershy screamed in excitement, jumping up and down excitedly.

On a far away rock farm, a stallion with a brown curly mane looked up in wonder at the massive rainbow, remembering its effect on his idol all those years ago.

In Cloudsdale, two pegasi dashed out of their home to see the explosion, recognizing it and hoping that somehow they weren’t dreaming.

In the distant desert, a mare with a broken horn looked up and saw the wonder of nature, realizing it was too soon to give up her quest for equality.

In the crystal empire, a single guard looked up and saw the rainbow, feeling the love that radiated around him as it lit up the city in dazzling colors.

In a prison cell on an alicorn’s property, a pegasus looked out the barred window and wondered just what he was seeing, feeling memories of a certain filly surface in his mind.

In Canterlot, Sunset Shimmer looked up at the rainbow in wonder, pondering just what it was that it meant.

Near her, the Queen looked up as she felt something in her chest, something she hadn’t felt in many, many years.

Hope.

Be ready Twilight, Magi said as she returned Twilight control of her body. The battle may be won, but the rebellion has just begun.

END OF ACT 1

Author's Note

And THAT is how you end an arc in a story. Explain some things, have an epic confrontation, shake things up, then set up the next act.

Also, you should be able to guess who four of the five ponies are in that last bit (only 4 of 5 as the one of them is an OC, so there no way you know about them unless your my editor). Each of them will play a key role in the next act, and boy oh boy are we in for a wild ride.

I will be taking a break from writing for a bit (only because I am starting a new job and getting into the habit of that) but this story is not going on hiatus. I will continue to work on it and I promise I will do my best to start the next act in a few weeks. Until then, thank you for everyone who has liked this story so far, as their support has motivated me to write far more than I normally do

Also, here's that song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR54declpAA (not sure if it will link or not, but oh well)

Next time: Act 1 interlude, the untold stories