Twilight groaned as she collapsed onto the cloud in front of her. She didn't know why there was a cloud in her room at Pinkie’s house, but she was far too exhausted to care. She felt the cloud dip slightly as a pony sat down next to her and draped a wing over her.

“Maybe you should take tomorrow off,” Flash suggested, smiling down at the alicorn who groaned in response.

“How I wish I could,” she replied, not lifting her face out of the cloud. To say the last week had been hectic was like saying Pinkie was a little bit strange. Overnight, almost everypony from Thorn’s property had come with them to the Everfree Forest. The only ones who had not were the Butlers, save for a few of the new recruits that wanted to be with their families again, and the really cruel ponies. The problem started when they had to pick up everything they could in under an hour, load up any carts they could find, and retreat to the safety of the forest canopy.

While Rainbow’s Sonic Rainboom might have been beautiful, it was also like a big glowing sign saying ‘HERE WE ARE! COME AND SEE THIS AMAZING THING WE DID!’ As such, Applejack had given them at most an hour to grab everypony and go before somepony less friendly showed up. Good thing too, as less than ten minutes after they cleared out, a scout had reported that the property was swarming with guards from Cloudsdale. They had cut it very close.

Another problem was the fact that their population in the forest was now about twice as big as it had been, meaning there weren't enough houses, food, or weapons for everypony. Thankfully, all of Thorn’s ponies were plenty willing to help out after Twilight had done for them. Keeping watch while the walls were taken down and built farther away was simple with so many eyes, and new houses sprung up like wings under the work so many hooves. Even food turned out not to be much of an issue, as plenty of ponies were willing to sneak back to Thorn’s old property and steal food left there under the cover of night.

The problem was that out of everypony in the village, Twilight was the best at organizing. Period. After getting scolded by Flash, and then some more by Spike, she had been assigned to make sure everything was running correctly. She assigned guards to night and day watches, decided who would train whom and for how long, directed where houses could best be placed to maximize the number without everypony feeling cramped, made sure enough food was being gathered, etc, etc, etc.

This wasn't helped by the fact that she now had a massive fan base. Everypony in the village was praising her, and some just wouldn't understand that she DIDN'T HAVE TIME FOR AUTOGRAPHS! Some of them were even insisting that they should march for Canterlot to take down the Queen, but thankfully Applejack had shot that idea down, saying they needed to make sure her little stunt with depowering Thorn was repeatable. While things were thankfully calming down on the organization side, it was because more projects were being completed, which meant less ponies needed to work. And THIS meant they had more time to bug her and worship the ground she walked on.

How she wished she could have just stayed a Keeper.

There was also the problem of her new ‘healing’ ability. When she had begun thinking of healing all the ponies who had been hurt, Magi had informed her that she was limited in how many ponies she could heal using Thorn’s taken magic. She could only heal five ponies of each race for each alicorn she judged, or maybe more if she healed foals. While she had elected to save enough of the taken magic to heal at least one pony from each race in case of emergencies, the rest of it she decided to use to help the injured ponies of the village. The only problem was that when word got out that she couldn't heal everypony, there had been massive arguments over who should be healed. In the end, Applejack had come to the rescue again and said that she should heal the ponies with the worst injuries first, such as Second Sight. Her declaration was accepted with some grumbling and sadness, but accepted none the less.

Though Second Sight was the first one Twilight wanted to heal, the old mare had actually refused. She said that the younger generation deserved to be given the chance to live unhindered. She was used to her blindness, and wouldn't have it any other way. Feather Duster said she hadn't changed at all.

On the plus side, there was a surprising lack of activity from the Queen or any of the other alicorns. While some of the Cloudsdale pegasi had remained at Thorn’s property, many had actually returned to the floating city and left Thorn’s property virtually unguarded. What’s more, they only left after the Butlers and cruel ponies that the resistance had left behind were escorted off the property, leaving the entire place virtually empty.

Not only that, but the Queen’s solders had made no effort to enter the forest, and while Applejack didn't have anypony in Canterlot, they had noticed from the forest boarders that the Queen's soldiers had been leaving the city with unusual haste before breaking into small groups and traveling to who-knows-where. Manehattan had similarly been deploying all of it’s soldiers, but like Canterlot’s forces, they never even approached the forest. Cloudsdale on the other hoof was consolidating its forces in the floating city, but even then they had made no indication that they were even remotely interested in the forest. No fly overs, no probing of it’s boarders, nothing.

It was like they weren’t even a threat.

Twilight’s train of thought was interrupted by a soft aroma wafting to her nostrils. Jasmine tea — her favorite. She raised her head enough to look for the source. Standing in the doorway was a white unicorn with a purple mane, dark blue eyes, and three light blue gems as a cutie mark. She was the newest resident in the Pie Home, the recently-healed unicorn that had helped Rainbow escape those twelve years ago.

“I thought you might enjoy a little something to help you relax,” Rarity said, passing the tea cup to Twilight with her light blue magic. Twilight took a deep whiff of the tea and sighed.

“Thank you, Rarity,” Twilight said with a slight smile. Rarity was extremely grateful for what Twilight had done for her, but unlike most of the others, the unicorn respected Twilight’s wishes to not go overboard with praises. Her younger sister was similarly grateful, but she spent most of her time hanging out with Applebloom and Dinky. Both of them still thanked Twilight quite a bit more than the alicorn would have liked, but that wasn’t surprising, given the state she was in when they found Rarity in…

Ten minutes after the Sonic Rainboom…

“Rainbow, slow down!” Twilight yelled, huffing as she tried to keep up with the pegasus in front of her. The two of them were flying through the dungeon in Thorn’s house as the rebels broke ponies out of their cells. Many were weak and required help getting out, but Rainbow was ignoring them for now.

“No time,” she yelled. “We need to find Rarity!” Immediately after the Rainboom, everypony had been running around like crazy to grab everything they could, but Rainbow had focused solely on searching for the unicorn. However, they had received some bad news. Three weeks ago, she had been tried by Thorn, much like Rainbow, and locked away in the dungeon. As such, Rainbow had immediately grabbed Twilight around her middle and charged for the dungeon, leaving Flash and most of the other ponies behind.

“Can we at least slow down?” Twilight panted. While Rainbow might be completely refreshed, Twilight was still exhausted from the battle with Thorn.

“After we find her and help her!” Rainbow said, still flying from cell to cell until she came to a stop in the middle of the hallway. “Rarity! Yell if you can hear me!”

“Hmm?” a soft voice called from a nearby cell. “Who’s there? It better not be you again, Wandering Eye.”

“What? No, no! It’s me, Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow yelled, dashing to the cell where the voice came from.

“Rainbow! But…but what are you doing here? Thorn—”

“Is gone. She won’t be a problem ever again. I’ll explain later, but we need to get you out!” She yanked on the door handle, but Twilight just rolled her eyes and fired a small bolt of magic, frying the lock and and pulling the door open.

Inside, Rarity looked worse for wear, to say the least. Her mane was disheveled and her coat was filthy. She had her fore hooves strapped to the wall via metal bands, leaving her in a permanent upright position. Twilight wasted no time shattering the metal bands with a flash of her horn, causing Rarity to flop unceremoniously into Rainbow’s forelegs as the pegasus dashed forward to catch her.

“Rainbow?” Rarity asked quietly. “Am I hallucinating, or…is that an alicorn with you? Also, do you…have wings? I thought…”

“Don’t worry, she’s with us, and yeah, she…she healed me,” Rainbow said, sending a grateful smile at Twilight.

“H-Heal you…but how…a-and can s-she” she muttered. Lifting a weak hoof, she brushed back her disheveled mane, causing Rainbow to gasp and for Twilight to shiver uncomfortably. There on Rarity’s head was a flat stub, just like what Second Sight had. The wound had yet to be healed, and not only did the stub appear to have burn marks, likely from a touch used to stop the bleeding, but it appeared that the wound was infected as well. It was far worse that anything Second Sight had mentioned.

“Rarity…” Rainbow muttered, horrified. “What…what happened?”

“Blanket’s…” Rarity muttered, her hoof falling away. “I…I was using the…discarded cloth from the…dresses Thorn wanted to…to make blankets for the other ponies… Thorn, she… thought I was a thief… when the cloth would have…just been thrown away otherwise…I just…wanted… to… help…” And with that, her head lulled and her eyes closed.

“Rarity? RARITY!” Rainbow yelled, getting no response from the unicorn. “Twilight! Can you do to her what you did to me!?”

“Ummm… I…I think so,” Twilight said in a rush. ‘Magi?’ she thought

I can assist you, the element replied. To begin, simply imagine that orb that you saw me use. Imagine it settling on your hoof.

Twilight closed her eyes and held out her right forehoof, and sure enough, the orb floated out of the element and came to a rest on it.

Good. Now I will take care of the rest.

The Element of Magic began to glow, and a stream of purple magic flowed out of the gem and towards Rarity. Rainbow held her in place as the magic connected with the horn stub, only backing off when the unicorn began to lift off the dungeon floor. The magic swirled around Rarity, and her eyes remained closed as a serene look overcame her face.

Slowly but surely, her horn began to extend and take shape. As it grew, a coil of magic combed through her mane and tail, smoothing it until it bounced in elegant curls. When her horn had reached pointy perfection, the power abated, but not before it swept down Rarity’s body, removing the filth of the cell from her coat.

Rarity opened her eyes, blinking as the orb vanished back into the Element of Magic. She looked up at her horn, then her tail and mane, then her horn again.

“WahahahahahHAHAHAHA!” she shrieked in excitement. “My horn! My mane! My…my… EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” She danced around excitedly before lunging at Twilight, tackling her in a full-body hug. “THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!”

“You’re…welcome,” Twilight coughed out, trying to breathe as the now-healed unicorn did her best to crush her throat.

“Aw yeah!” Rainbow yelled, hoof-pumping in midair. “Now that’s what I’m talking about! Rarity is back in action. And so am I, hehehe. Hmmmm… I wonder who we should heal next… OH! WAIT! I ALMOST FORGOT! Rarity, I know it took me a while to come back for you, but how would you like to join the resistance?

“I would LOVE TO!” Rarity exclaimed fiercely, not relinquishing her hold on Twilight’s throat.

“Awesome! Oh, um but before we do that, we need to go. Thorn might be gone, but chances are guards are coming. We need to leave as soon as possible.”

“You’re right!” Rarity squealed, releasing a slightly blue Twilight from her death grip. “I need to get my cloth and needles and gems and—” She let out a huge gasp. “Sweetie Belle! I need to find my sister! I’M COMING SWEETIE BELLE!”

And with that, Rarity dashed out of the cells at speeds that almost matched Rainbow Dash.

Also, using the magic to heal others magnifies emotions for a small amount of time, in case you haven't guessed that. Though don’t ask me why, as I never actually figured it out myself.

‘I’ve noticed,’ Twilight thought as she rubbed her neck. Hopefully, this wouldn't become a theme.

Back at the present…

“Think nothing of it, darling,” Rarity said with a smile. “I heard you yelling outside and then when you came in looking so haggard, I thought you could use a pick-me-up.”

“You’re so thoughtful, Rarity,” Spike said dreamily from the doorway. After yelling at Twilight and then hugging her like there was no tomorrow, Spike had finally noticed their newest house member. And it was clear to everypony that he was hopelessly in love at first sight. It was harmless though, or at least, Twilight hoped it would be.

“Why, thank you, Spike.”

“Yelling?” Flash asked in surprise. He had been helping Spike and Rarity make new bedding for the village ponies, as well as making a few more bombs, and so had left Twilight alone for the day. The only thing he knew was that she had come lethargically up the stairs while he was putting away his alchemy equipment and walked by without so much as a hello. “What was it this time?”

“The Keepers wanted me to sign the books they brought, rather than donating them to the library,” Twilight grumbled. “Books should be for reading, not part of their obsession with me.” She groaned and faceclouded. “Can I go back to when everyone was still suspicious of me?”

“Nope,” Flash said, smiling as he rubbed her back. “You’re a celebrity now, no way around it. But don’t worry. Things should clam down soon.”

“But Applejack wants to go after another alicorn tomorrow. And when I ‘judge’ her, I’m just gonna add more fuel to the fire. I don't even know if we should be going for her at all!”

“Why not?” Spike asked.

“Because Applejack told me we are going after Lady Wall Flower. She was one of Celestia’s friends, and she has the smallest house of any alicorn in Equestria. At most, she only has one hundred ponies.”

“Is she kind, or like Thorn?” Rarity asked, earning a deadpan stare from Flash. “What?”

“She’s one of CELESTIA’S friends,” Flash said.

“Ah, point taken.”

“Has Magi offered any advice?” Flash asked.

“No. She just told me to wait for the judgement and to trust her,” Twilight said glumly.

“She was right about trusting her at Thorn’s property wasn't she?”

“She also is the reason I’m in this mess in the first place. And the reason the Queen wants to lock me away for the rest of my life.”

I can hear you, you know.

‘I know,’ Twilight thought. ‘Still your fault.’

I think you need to get some sleep. Trust me, this will work out.

‘And how do you know? What if things go horribly wrong?’

Trust me as the twenty-thousand-year-old magic artifact that is currently stuck to your neck.

‘That does not inspire confidence. At all.’ Twilight sighed as she felt Magi go silent. It was hard to explain, but she could tell if Magi wanted to talk to her and if the element wanted to be left alone. Unfortunately, talking with Magi would usually lead to her losing the ability to react to certain stimuli, which is why, when she blinked, she jumped, as Pinkie was suddenly a few inches away from her face.

“Please stop doing that,” Twilight sighed.

“Sorry,” Pinkie said. “I just came to let you know dinner was ready, but you were talking to Magi which I could tell because she was glowing and you didn't react when I booped you and—”

“I think she gets it, dear,” Rarity said, gently pushing Pinkie away so Twilight had some breathing room. This wasn't the first time Twilight had spoken with Magi, so no one thought it was unusual for her to cease responding to them. “Now then, dinner anyone?”

Twilight’s stomach grumbled in agreement, causing her to blush and for Flash to pat her with her wing reassuringly and smirk.

Later that night…

Twilight whimpered as the heavy chains bore down on her. She was in Thorn’s dungeon, her horn gone and her wings shredded. Thorn stood over her, laughing. Everything hurt. She was trapped, helpless, lost. She—

“ENOUGH!”

A powerful, regal voice rang out, evaporating the scene. Twilight blinked. She was freed, untouched, and Thorn was nowhere in sight. She was now in Lady Celestia and Lady Luna’s study, though the walls were covered in a myriad of moving pictures she hadn’t seen before.

But that voice… She turned and gasped excitedly.

“Lady Luna!” she cried, dashing forward and hugging the large, dark blue alicorn as she materialized. Luna just smiled and returned the young alicorn’s hug.

“Twilight Sparkle. It is good to see you,” Luna said. “I’m sorry I haven’t been available to talk to you until now, but things have been…busy… since your escape.” She broke the hug and looked at Twilight.

“Busy?”

“The Queen sent more soldiers to investigate our property when you escaped. She couldn’t find you, obviously, but she has still be vigorously searching for you since your escape. At least, she was.”

“She was? As in she no longer is? What happened?”

“It began earlier this week, and while I had to wait until I left Canterlot so that the Queen could not detect what I was doing, is part of the reason I chose now to contact you now…”

The day after the sonic rainboom…

“Y-You can’t be serious,” the depowered Thorn stammered, staring up at the Queen in fear. She was wearing a metal tracking collar, chained to the center of the alicorns' auditorium. Her Butler had brought her to Canterlot after their escape, and upon discovering her, the Queen had called for a meeting of all of Equestria’s alicorns.

To say the alicorns had freaked out upon discovering Thorn’s judgment, and the fact they may all face a similar fate, was an understatement. Even Thorn’s sister, who was usually cold and aloof, seemed rather unsettled by the news. The Queen, however, had not been moved. Before addressing the issue of Twilight, however, she first had to address the issue of Thorn.

“Because of you and your grudge, not only has the Element of Magic once again escaped our grasp, but the pony wearing it now has a sizable force to help defend her,” she growled. “We had a chance to end this nonsense, but because of your obsession with petty revenge, we lost it. As such, not only do you no longer have any authority, you will be spending the rest of your pitiful life in a cell at the lowest lever of the dungeon.” The Queen huffed. “As for your Butlers, they will be transferred to either here, Cloudsdale, or Manehattan, depending on their species. And to make sure they do not try and free you, each of them will wear a collar that will allow me or my guard captain to keep track of their movement and actions. They no longer serve you.”

“But—“

“Don't argue. As far as I’m concerned, you got what you deserved,” the Queen said, nodding to two guards. They nodded and moved to unhook Thorn’s chains from the floor before leading her away. The ex-alicorn did not resist. However, before she could get to the large doors of the exit, they burst open as a haggard pony wearing rainbow-colored robes rushed in.

Everypony’s eyes widened. They knew that rainbow-colored robes were only worn by those who had been tasked to guard the Elements of Harmony, and that the ponies wearing them were usually very strong. The only thing was, almost no pony ever saw them — they almost never left the hidden sanctuaries where the elements were kept.

“MY QUEEN! THE ELEMENT OF HONESTY! IT’S—“

Back in the present…

“It’s gone!?” Twilight asked, shocked.

Luna nodded. “Indeed. And not from an outside force. From what the guards said, the element reacted all on its own, similar to how yours did back in the audience chamber. When the anti-magic case broke, the guardian said there was a flash, and then entire sanctuary, as well as the element, just vanished. And not just Honesty. Reports rapidly came in from the other sanctuaries indicating that all of the elements are gone.”

“All of them?” Twilight breathed. “Is that why the Queen isn't coming for me?”

“Indeed,” Luna said. “Her forces, as well as those from Manehattan, are now spreading out in a effort to find the other elements. As far as we can guess, the Queen is ignoring you for now because she knows roughly where you are after what you did to Thorn. She may come for you once the other elements are found, but right now she would rather find the elements that aren't defended by a few hundred ponies in the middle of the most dangerous place in Equestria.”

“That’s good, at least,” Twilight said, nodding. If she had time, then she could try and come up with a plan.

“I must ask, though, Twilight,” Luna said. “What has happened after your escape? Celestia is happy you got away, of course, but she has been stressing herself over your safety, even if she doesn't show it. Especially after what Thorn apparently tried to do. Hearing what you have gone through may put her at ease.”

“I’m… not so sure about that,” Twilight said hesitantly. “Especially after…”

“After what?”

Twilight took a deep breath and began to tell Luna what had happened since she had escaped. She told her about meeting Applejack and the other ponies of the village. Of their distrust and her magically mishaps. When she got to her sacrifice for the village, Luna praised her for her selflessness, scolded her for her recklessness, and let her continue. When Twilight told her of the ‘punishment’ Thorn had for her, Luna paled, but was relieved when she heard of the rescue Flash and the others performed. When Twilight mentioned Magi and what she did to Thorn, Luna looked uncertain.

“And she said all of us were to be judged?” Luna asked.

Twilight nodded. “I…I’m sorry, my lady, but yes. I…I think it even means that…that one day…”

Luna hugged Twilight reassuringly. “Do not fret on that now, Twilight. Our day of judgement may come, but I for one will accept it no matter the outcome.”

“But you haven't done anything wrong!”

“But many alicorns have. If losing my alicornhood is what is needed for the ponies of Equestria to be free, then I will accept it. But we have bigger things to worry about at this moment, specifically about the elements.” Twilight’s ears perked up. “With the elements missing once again, and possibly healed in the same way yours is, your first goal should be to find them before the Queen.”

“But how?” Twilight asked. “I’ve been so busy in the forest helping things get settled, I have no idea where to even begin. I don't even know where the sanctuaries were before the elements disappeared, let alone where they could be now.”

“I’m afraid I haven’t the faintest idea either,” Luna said sadly. “But don’t give up hope. My sister and I will be calling in favors from other alicorns we know, and we hope that we will at least be able to give you a starting point in your search.”

“But what do I do until then?” Twilight asked.

“Whatever you think is best. I would suggest you avoid attracting unwanted attention, however.”

“That might be hard…” Twilight said nervously. When Luna looked at her questioningly, Twilight told her about Applejack’s plan for Wall Flower.

“No…” Luna breathed, looking at Twilight with a faint hope that she might be lying.

You are still worrying too much. Magi said, causing both alicorns to jump in surprise and turn towards the voice. A large, glowing version of the Element of Magic was hovering next to their heads.

“Magi!? What are you… HOW!?”

I have access to your thoughts, remember? What is a dream but a collection of thoughts?

“Fascinating,” Luna said, looking in shock at the floating element. “I have never met another entity able to enter the dreams of others. And to think that the element are sentient… that just makes locking them away ever worse. But the power… even here, it is immense…”

I will take that as a compliment. Now as for Lady Wall Flower, I told you not to worry, Twilight. We do need to go to her next, and things will work out. Trust me.

“But…”

Trust. Me. Please?

“I…ok,” Twilight sighed.

Thank you.

“May I ask why you insist in going to Wall Flower?” Luna asked. “She isn't like Thorn, so I don’t see why stripping her of her power is necessary.”

Speak with Twilight tomorrow. Everything will be clear then.

And with that, Magi disappeared from the dream realm. The two alicorns looked at each other.

“Is she… it IS a she, right?” Luna asked. Twilight nodded. “Is she always this vague?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Twilight sighed. “I’d much rather just be told what she’s up to rather than playing the waiting game.”

“At least you won’t have to wait long,” Luna said. “Celestia and I have been waiting centuries for a chance like this.”

“Huh?”

“I know that this is unlikely to occur, given the leadership qualities your rebellion leaders have,” Luna began, “but if you need anything Twilight, ANYTHING, come to us. We will do whatever we can to help you bring an end to the alicorn’s rule.”

“But then you might lose your alicornhood, and if there are no alicorns, who will keep Equestria livable!? They NEED you to keep the land clear of that tainted magic!”

“So you learned about that? Quite impressive. Regardless, this is why you must find the elements. If you can find them and use them to heal Equestria, then the alicorn’s hold over the common pony will significantly weaken. And even if you don’t know where to begin, you have an entire group of ponies with you who are willing to help, and they come from all across Equestria. Who knows? Perhaps one of them can give us a hint as to where to begin our search.”

“Maybe,” Twilight said, nodding. “I’ll ask Applejack. Even if no pony knows where to begin, we can maybe send out scouts to try and find some information. I just hope she’s willing to listen…”

Then next morning…

“Nope.”

“But Applejack—“

“Nuh uh. Not happening,” Applejack said, turning away from the deflating Twilight. She, Twilight, Flash, Pinkie, Rarity, Spike, Second Sight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and a few others were currently in Applejack’s house, which was currently serving as their command center…of a sorts. “We still got too much work here at home. We ain’t got time to go off looking for some magic rocks.”

“But if the Queen gets them—“ Twilight argued.

“She probably ain’t got a clue about where their hiddin', and neither do we. Right now, helping Thorn’s old ponies and taking out Lady Wall Flower are our top priorities.”

“Can’t you send a few scouts to look around?” Flash asked. “I’m willing to bet that the Queen’s troops are so busy looking for the elements that they won’t notice a stealthy pony or two looking around.”

“I’m with Flash,” Rainbow said from above them. Ever since she got her wings back, she spent more time hovering in the air than standing on the ground. “It’s not like we need everypony here right now. Yeah, things were hectic for a while, but they’re finally calming down. And if the other elements do what Twilight’s does, it could really speed up the whole ‘depower all the alicorns’ thing.”

“She has a point,” Rarity said. “And the quicker we get rid of those ruffians, the better. No offense, Twilight. There are good alicorns like yourself out there, I’m sure, but the majority are horrid.”

“None taken,” Twilight said, well aware of the statistics.

“I, um, also agree,” Fluttershy said, “at least, if that’s ok.”

“Me five,” Pinkie said.

Applejack sighed and turned to look back at the group. “Look. I say maybe, and that’s a BIG maybe, after we get rid of Wall Flower, we can start sendin’ A FEW scouts out to look for the elements. But right now we need ta focus on making sure our boarder is secure and that an alicorn doesn’t try to just come marchin’ in here to ‘reclaim’ lost ponies.

“I know for a fact the Queen won’t care, so long as she gets Twilight, and remember that Thorn does have a sister who might come looking for us just to spite Thorn by beating the ponies she lost to.”

Everypony shivered at the reminder. Thorn’s sister, Lady Rose, was bad, but no one really knew HOW bad. That was mostly, however, because no pony ever escaped her property, seeing as it was located up near the frozen north. All they knew was that Thorn and her never had any contact with one another, and that was it. Twilight didn't even know what she looked like, despite the fact that she had been to multiple alicorn gatherings before the incident with the Element of Magic.

“So in order to make sure that doesn't happen,” Applejack continued, “we need to not only secure the forest and build defenses, but we need to go after more alicorns so that the others know that if they come for us, they’ll just meet the same fate.”

“What if we knew where the elements were?” Second Sight asked, smiling mysteriously. Applejack snorted.

“Unless y’all have a magic map that can lead us to the elements, we’re gonna continue going after alicorns.”

“Who knows?” Second Sight said with a shrug. “Maybe Lady Wall Flower has a magic map for us.”

“Yeah, and pigs can fly…”

Deep within the miasma…

“I might just have to try that out later…” an old, shaky voice said, before breaking down into a coughing fit. “Might be fun.”

Behind the voice, there were two slow flash’s of light.

“Oh hush, I promised I would be good, and I will. Doesn’t mean I can’t have a bit of fun. Plus, she’s practically asking for it.”

Author's Note

'Victor, are you still alive?' 'YES, I'm still alive.' (Taken from the old cartoon, 'The Secret Show.' My name's not Victor)

But Yes, I am back and writing once again, but please don't expect me to release content weekly. I now have a job, so while I will try to write every night, it may take me a bit longer to get things out. So sorry about that in advance.

In other news, while I know some people will think that Thorn having a sister is coming out of nowhere, it was actually mentioned back in the Prologue. As as I hopefully made clear, the reason she hasn't been mentioned since is because she is never in contact with Thorn. Why is she never in contact? Spoilers, that's why.

But yes, next chapter we have a judgement, and then things will really get rolling. So enjoy the chapter and I'll see you all next time