“Well? What do you think?” Rarity asked, eagerly awaiting Twilight’s feedback. She and the purple alicorn were currently standing her room in Pinkie’s house, where a full-body mirror had been set up. Rarity had wanted to bring more (actually, she had wanted to bring everything related to clothes-making that wasn't nailed down), but Applejack had forbidden it. Still, she had more than enough to make Twilight’s new garment and have plenty left over for future outfits (aka, three trunks and an eight-foot cabinet worth of cloth and sewing materials).

“It’s very nice, Rarity,” Twilight said, looking at the raiment from all angles. It was a hooded purple cloak, trimmed with a darker purple color along the hems. The fabric was rich, but it still felt very light. There were slits along the back for her wings that she could close via magic if she needed to hide them. It fastened around her neck with a simple clasp, but Rarity had added golden cords that tied around a small, star-shaped amethyst. The cords and gem perfectly hid the Element of Magic from view, which was good, because it was still stuck around Twilight’s neck.

“But I’m not sure how well it will last in combat. Also, where did you find an amethyst? I though gems were hard to find ever since The Cloud attacked.”

“Gem finding spell,” Rarity said casually. “Part of my value for that brute I used to work for was my unique ability to find gems. But as for your first question, I asked Second Sight if she knew any magic runes used to make clothing more durable, and she actually had quite a few." Taking the cloak in her magic, she removed it from Twilight to show her the inside. Sure enough, there were runes stitched into the cloth, with small bumps around the outer circles.

“The runes will help protect the cloth from tear, stains, magic damage,” she said, pointing to each rune in turn, “rain, and even will try and deflect some of the SHARPER objects you might come across. I’m not saying it will protect you completely, but it’s better and much lighter than wearing that…mmmm, RUGGED, armor.”

“And these bumps?” Twilight said, trailing a hoof over the runes. Unlike the ones in her room that only activated when she put magic into them, these one looked to have an individual power source. “They’re gems, right? Aligned along the outer circle of the rune to help power it even when I’m not directly putting magic into it? They don’t look like they will hold much magical charge to power the runes though.”

“Ah, but THAT, my dear, is where your unique nature comes into play.”

“My what?”

“Your alicorn-hood, darling. You give off much more magic than any other race by just being an alicorn. This design should, in theory, allow for the gems to absorb your extra magic to stay powered and functioning without you needed to constantly stop and recharge them. If they don’t work, we can always swap them out for larger ones, though I hesitate to do that both for comfort reasons and for the vulnerability it will present to the garment.”

Rarity had a point. Twilight hadn't even felt the gems when she had put the cloak on, and having the gems constantly rubbing against her back might be a bit annoying. As for the runes, she was right there too. If the stitches were damaged in any way that broke the circle, or if the gems powering it were to break, the rune would stop working. Smaller runes needed smaller circles, so making them bigger might make them more vulnerable. Plus, Rarity might have an easier time resowing them should they get damaged.

“Still, thank you, Rarity,” Twilight said as she put the cloak on again. “I promise I’ll pay you back for this one day.” she said as she put the cloak back on.

“No need, darling. This is a thank-you gift, plain and simple. You can pay me back simply by putting it to good use,” she said with a smile before turning towards the door. “Now come along. I need to see how Spike’s new uniform looks, and then I need to speak with Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight nodded and followed Rarity as she walked out of the room.

When they got downstairs, Flash, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Second Sight, and Pinkie were all looking at the couch, but when Twilight turned to look at what they were seeing, she felt her eyes…unfocus. Blinking, she tried looking again, but once again she found that she couldn't seem to see straight. She kept trying until she heard Flash chuckle.

“All right Spike, I think that’s a good enough demonstration. Quit messing with her.” Twilight was about to question what he meant when suddenly she found she could now focus on the couch. Sitting there was a rather proud looking Spike, wearing a new purple and green suit with a golden finish.

“This is awesome!” Spike said, laughing at Twilight’s shocked face.

“Now remember,” Rarity said, “you need to be responsible with this, and remember that this is still just a prototype. Don’t do anything reckless, and remember to be careful, ok, Spikey Wikey?”

“Yes, oh fair Rarity,” Spike said, standing up and bowing.

“I…that…huh?" Twilight asked, still not sure what just happened.

“Just a little rune one of the new Keepers brought in,” Second Sight said with a chuckle. “It’s called the ‘Wallflower’ rune, ironically enough. Since most alicorns pretty much ignore Lady Wall Flower, this rune does the same thing, sorta.”

“It’s supposed to make it harder to notice anything with the rune on it,” Flash explained. “While the effect is noticeable at close range, as you saw, it’s almost impossible to notice at a distance. Our goal is to make it so that our scouts’ clothing can help keep them from being noticed, but Rarity made Spike a new suit as a prototype so he can stay unnoticed if something dangerous is going on.”

“But when would he ever need that?” Twilight asked. “I know the forest is dangerous, but it's not like he’s leaving to go fight the monsters that live here.”

Flash opened his mouth, but Spike cut him off.

“Because I’m coming with you to Lady Wall Flower’s property.”

Flash facehooved.

“Absolutely not!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Absolutely yes!” Spike countered. “I can help, and I’m not just gonna sit around while you’re putting yourself in danger.”

“And the fact that I might be in danger is the exact reason you’re not coming! You’re still so little and I could never live with myself if something happened to you!”

“Well, I couldn’t live with MYSELF if something happened to YOU!” Spike exclaimed. “You’re basically my big sister and hearing about you almost LOSING YOUR HORN terrified me!”

Twilight flinched, her eyes tearing up. Spike took a deep breath.

“Now I know I’m not an adult yet. Heck, I might still be a baby by dragon standards. But I CAN help you, and I refuse to let you go through this alone.” He smirked. “Besides, unlike a foal, I can breath fire and have thick scales to protect me. Combined with this awesome new enchantment, that means I can at least look after myself. And Flash agrees with me, so I’m coming, and that’s final.”

Twilight looked at her Butler for help, but he shrugged causally.

“It was either this, or have him constantly trying to sneak out of the village to follow us. At least this way we can keep an eye on him. Plus, Fluttershy offered to look after him in extreme cases, like if you need to fight another alicorn.”

“But,” Twilight stuttered, growing desperate now, “but-but—”

“Twilight,” Fluttershy said softly. “I don’t like it either. The idea of someone so young near combat terrifies me, but he’s just trying to help you. You remember how he felt after you came back, right?”

Twilight nodded in defeat. After she had returned from Thorn’s, Spike had spent a long time yelling at her, but the two of them had spent an even longer time hugging each other and crying. For the next few days, he had barely let her out of her sight, and as irritating as it was, she couldn’t blame him. She had hurt him, and as much as she hated to admit it, letting him come with her was probably the best way that she could start to put him at ease.

“Ok,” she sighed. “Just, please Spike, be careful. I…I would never forgive myself if you got hurt.”

“Same goes for you,” Spike said, giving her a quick but tight hug before taking his place on her back.

With that dispute solved, everypony moved to begin gathering the last of the things they needed for that night, including lanterns, tools, and in Pinkie’s case, snacks. The plan was to leave the forest at just after sunset so that they could arrive at Lady Wall Flower’s property under the cover of darkness.

Upon arriving at Lady Wall Flower’s estate, Applejack would give her a single chance to surrender, hoping to simply judge her without any actual combat. Considering that they were bringing at least a hundred fighters, they hoped this would be the case. Once they were done, they planned to camp out in her mansion for the night and the next day before returning to the forest. They had back-up plans in case they needed to make a hasty retreat, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

__________________________________________________________________________________

As everypony worked, Rarity quickly moved to Rainbow Dash and after a quick word, the two ran back upstairs.

“What’s up, Rarity?” Rainbow asked, looking at her old friend in confusion.

“Rainbow, are there any ponies staying here that might be skilled in weapons, or possibly magic?” Rarity asked.

“Well, Bronze Sword and Shield Bearer are staying behind to continue training some of the new ponies, but why do you want to know?” Rainbow asked. “I thought you were just going to be working on the scouts’ uniforms.” Rarity had declined to go with the others to Lady Wall Flower’s property, but nopony had actually asked her why. Most just assumed she was staying behind to work on her clothing.

“That is part of my plan, darling, but the fact that those two are training ponies is perfect. I need to start somewhere, and while I doubt I can accomplish much in two days, it should be enough time for me to at least find a weapon I am comfortable with.”

“Huh? You mean you want to know how to fight?”

“You sound surprised, darling.”

“Well, YEAH. When we first met, you were crying over a stain, and now you want to learn how to fight? It just seems a little…”

“Unusual? Out of character? Unbefitting of a lady?”

“Let’s go with the first one.”

“Well, it’s rather simple darling,” Rarity said. “If I’m to accompany you all on your little escapades, I need to know how to defend myself.” Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to speak, but Rarity held up a hoof. “And before you question my sanity about wanting to come with you, let me explain.”

“You are correct — I am certainly not the type of pony that would go off looking for combat. Quite the opposite, really, especially considering how much mud and dirt I would get in my coat and mane, but that’s not the point. I owe you, Twilight, and everypony else in this village a great service for what you did for me, and while I might be able to repay you all with clothing, as is my talent, I refuse to sit back and watch from the sidelines while you all put yourself at risk.

“Now, I doubt I’ll ever be a deadly combatant like you and Applejack, but even if I can help Fluttershy with her medical duties on the field of combat, that would make me feel far better than just sitting around here twiddling my hooves. So as such, I need to learn how to defend myself so that I can be a service rather than a hindrance to you all. Any questions, darling?”

“I…wow, Rarity, I didn't think you felt so strongly about this.” Rainbow said, surprised.

“I had a lot of time to think in that cell, and while a large part of me just wanted to wallow in despair, a much more sensible part of my brain told me to think of what I would do if I ever got out. Since you’ve already taken care of the ‘kick Thorn’s flank’ step, the next step was to try and stop other alicorns. If I need to get my hooves dirty to do so, then so be it. Although I DO hope we can avoid any muddy areas. I DESPISE mud.”

Rainbow shook her head, laughing. “You’re crazy, Rarity. But I can respect you wanting to fight back. Heck, it’s all I’ve wanted to do for years. Head to the training grounds once we leave. Shield Bearer should be holding a training session around that time.” She smirked. “Who knows, maybe one day you’ll even be able to take me on.”

“I’ll consider that a challenge,” Rarity said with a playful grin as the two bumped hooves.

____________________________________________________________________________________

“But Applejack…”

“Applebloom, I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times; you ain’t ready for combat, and you ain’t coming with us.”

“Enope,” Big Mac said in agreement, lifting the small filly by the scruff of her neck out of the supply cart where she and her new friend had been hiding. The girls were small and were almost quiet enough to get away with it, but between their whispering, Applebloom’s big red bow, and Sweetie Belle’s curly pink-and-purple tale sticking out the back of the cart, it hadn’t been too hard to find them. Applejack, Big Mac, and Rarity shook their heads at their sisters’ antics.

“But we can help!” Sweetie Belle protested as Rarity levitated her in her magic and pulled her sister onto her back.

“Now Sweetie, I know you want to do your best to help everypony, but charging into something that is dangerous even for adults is not the way to do it,” Rarity chided. “You two are going to stay with me and Derpy tonight. We’re watching her own daughters as well as Silver Wind and Sturdy Oak so Second Sight can spent time with Feather Duster, which means you’ll have plenty of playmates.”

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom grumbled, trying not to admit that hanging out with the others would probably be a lot of fun. With a good-bye wave, Rarity took the two foals and walked away from the front gate where everypony was gathering. It was sunset, so leaving soon would ensure they would reach the forest edge soon after night fall.

“What was that about?” Spike asked as he, Twilight, Pinkie, Flash, Rainbow, and Fluttershy came over, all looking ready to go. Rainbow was wearing new armor that had slits for her restored wings, and Twilight was wearing her new cloak. Fluttershy was wearing a white coat and a small headband with a reflector on it, all of which was enchanted to protect her, while Pinkie was wearing wooden armor that was painted bright pink. Everyone else was dressed as they normally were for missions.

Applejack just rolled her eyes. “Ma sister wanted to come along, so she tried sneaking into our supply cart for the journey. Didn't realize that not only could we hear her arguing with Sweetie Belle, but that we could also see Sweetie's tail sticking out the back.” She shook her head. “That filly…I love her, but she just can’t seem to understand that I’m trying to protect her.”

“As is usually the case with younger siblings,” Flash said. “Or Twilight when I’m trying to get her to stop reading at three in the morning.”

That earned him a punch in the shoulder from said glaring alicorn and a few laughs from the rest of the ponies. Applejack merely shrugged, but the corner of her mouth seemed to twitch a little.

With all their troops gathered and waiting, Applejack raised her voice to get their attention. “All right, everypony, it’s time to move. Stay together, stay focused, and let’s get this done.” She whistled to the gate keepers, prompting them to open the gate and let the large number of ponies through. There were some cheers as they left, and a few quick good-bye hugs before everypony was over the threshold and the gate closed once again.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash led the group through the forest, while Fluttershy, Pinkie, Twilight, Flash, and Spike followed closely behind. Twilight was curious as to why Pinkie was coming, but the only answer she got from the bouncing, smiling mare was Pinkie saying “I need more baking powder.” At least Twilight knew Pinkie could handle herself should things go bad.

The trip through the forest was exceptionally quiet. None of the timberwolves seemed to want to try their luck against such a large group, and many of the other predators only watched them from the shadows for a while before moving on. The most exciting thing that happened was the ponies pulling out lanterns when it got truly dark.

Upon reaching the edge of the forest, the ponies put their lanterns away and instead relied on the moonlight, which shone brightly against a perfectly clear sky. The beauty of the night sky, however, was the best part of the trek across the fields of Equestria. Everything out in the open looked so bland compared to the forest. Little grass, almost no trees, occasional puffs of dust from the winds — it was a so different from the overgrown forest they inhabited, and Twilight had almost forgotten what it was like out here.

Eventually, the sight of Lady Wall Flower’s property came into view. It was small, as far as estates went, only about half the size of House Shining Star, but there was still plenty of vegetation and housing for all the inhabitants. Normally, Lady Wall Flower kept her property as quiet and unnoticed as she could, but tonight every single light was on and ponies were running frantically all over the grounds. Evidently, the crowd from the forest had been spotted.

“Rainbow, fly up and make sure she doesn’t try and escape.” Applejack said, her expression serious.

“On it,” Rainbow said, taking off at incredible speeds. The group of village ponies readjusted themselves so that the supply carts were in the back, followed by the unicorns, then the earth ponies in the front. The pegesi took off and hovered above, prepared to scatter and cause chaos among the enemy ranks if need be.

Twilight had to wonder if military formations had been a part of Applejack’s Butler training, but she didn't dwell on that for the moment. Mostly because as they approached, the doors to the main mansion opened. There was a wash of shouting from the twenty or so Butlers in the foyer, but they were waved aside as Lady Wall Flower herself stepped out of the house.

She was about as tall as Lady Luna, with a peach colored coat, a flowing tan mane, blue eyes, and a cutie mark of a daisy in a picture frame. She wore a golden ring on her horn, the embedded sapphires sparkling in the light. Her face was expressionless as she walked forward, whereas her Butlers all looked like they desperately wanted to jump in front of her. From the houses nearby, ponies peaked out fearfully, afraid of what was going to happen. Twilight hated the fact that they were so terrified of the villagers.

‘This isn't right,’ she thought.

Everything will be ok, trust me, Magi whispered to her.

After what felt like an eternity, the forest group came to a stop just outside the first row of houses. Lady Wall Flower took another step forward, causing the resistance ponies to prepare themselves. However, Applejack held up her hoof, signaling them to wait. Now that Lady Wall Flower was so close, Twilight realized that she was shaking. She was terrified, no doubt, but still she stood there, facing them down with as much authority as she could muster.

“I surrender,” she said, her tone calm. “I will do what you want. Just spare my ponies, please. They have done absolutely nothing to warrant harm. That’s all I ask.”

There was a long pause as everypony looked at her. Some seemed surprised by her surrender. Others looked unsure if she was being honest.

“Well…That was easy,” Spike whispered, prompting Twilight to shush him. The other rebel ponies lowered their weapons and Rainbow came swooping down from the sky, landing next to Pinkie without a word.

“We ain’t here for them,” Applejack said, her eyes locked on the alicorn and her expression stern. “We’re here for you. Nice to see that at least SOME alicorns have some common sense though.” She snorted. “Twilight, yer—“

“NO!”

A high pitched voice rang out, and a small blue blur dashed around the wall of Butlers behind Lady Wall Flower. The resistance ponies jumped at the sudden movement, but Lady Wall Flower reacted faster. Eyes wide, she turned just in time to catch a small alicorn filly with a deep blue coat, light pink mane, and orange eyes. She had no cutie mark.

“DON’T HURT MOMMY!” the foal cried, clutching the larger alicorn’s chest as she bawled.

“Sunflower,” Wall Flower said, her own eyes misting. “Please go back inside. E-Everything will be ok.”

“But…but…” Sunflower cried, refusing to let go of her mother even as a unicorn stallion with a dark blue coat, red mane, and a vine post as a cutie mark came running up. He also wore a golden ring on his horn, a near-perfect replica of Lady Wall Flower’s.

Twilight watched this scene with horror as a revelation came to her mind.

‘She has a daughter, an ALICORN daughter…but that means… she needs to be judged….’

Not quite.

Twilight felt her body shudder as Magi once again took control. Her eyes once again became glowing orbs as magic wrapped around her head, the element shining brightly enough to catch everypony’s attention. Many of Lady Wall Flower’s ponies looked on in fear, but Wall Flower herself just looked at Twilight’s body with a pleading expression.

“Please…” she begged, her own eyes watering as she hugged Sunflower. “Please, spare my daughter. S-She’s just a filly.”

All alicorns must be judged, Magi said through Twilight’s mouth, causing Lady Wall Flower’s eyes to widen in fear.

However…

Every pony, resistance or not, froze.

While every alicorn must be judged, there is one exception. As Magi spoke she looked at Sunflower, who huddled closer to her parents. Judgement involves looking at the collective memory of an alicorn, centuries worth of memories, to determine their guilt. Sunflower, however, is only seven years old. I don’t need to look at her memories to judge her worth.

Further more, she is unlikely to have done anything worth of judging at this point in her life. Perhaps I may need to judge her many years down the road, but for now… With a flash of Twilight’s horn, a small mark, in the shape of Element of Magic, flashed on Sunflower’s forehead and then vanished. She is innocent of the crimes of the other alicorns, unable to help how she was born. She will not be stripped of her gifts for the foreseeable future. You need not worry for her safety.

A large portion of the tension went out of Lady Wall Flower’s body. “Thank you,” she whispered, giving her daughter one last hug before passing her to her husband, despite Sunflower’s protest. Many of the resistance ponies glanced at each other, but no one seemed to have any problem with this arrangement.

You, however, must face the full judgement, Magi said, her tone brokering no argument.

Lady Wall Flower nodded. “I’m…I’m ready.”

Six strands of magic burst from the Element of Magic, wrapping around the alicorn and lifting her into the air. Her ponies and Butlers cried out in fear and apprehension.

Do not resist. Resisting only brings pain.

Two of the strands entered Lady Wall Flower’s forehead without leaving any physical damage. Lady Wall Flower did as she was told, simply hanging there as she accepted her fate. After about three minutes, Magi spoke again.

A verdict had been reached. You are found to be…

INNOCENT

Everypony’s eyes widened as the magic surrounding Wall Flower became, rather than dark red, a refreshing blue. Slowly, she was lowered to the ground as an image of the Element of Magic appeared on her forehead as well.

Despite the cruelty of your kin, you continue to look after your ponies as if they were your own children. You care for them, listen to them, and do whatever you can to serve them. Even now, you willingly sacrifice yourself to protect those that have sworn to die for you. You could have fled, or thrown every pony you had at us in some vain hope of keeping your gifts, but instead you surrendered them in the hopes that those you look after would be kept safe.

Magi smiled. Of all the alicorns in the world, you are one of the few still worthy enough to deserve the title of alicorn.

Wall Flower sat there, completely in shock until her daughter tackled her in a hug, followed quickly by her husband. She embraced them tightly, almost laughing as she began to cry tears of joy.

‘You COULD HAVE TOLD ME ALICORNS COULD BE INNOCENT!’ Twilight raged in her head.

‘But then Applejack wouldn't have come, and nopony would learn anything.’

‘…You’re infuriating, you know that?’

‘No, I’m Magi. Since when did I ever say my name was ‘infuriating’?’

Twilight could do nothing but growl.

To say that everypony was shocked was like saying Pinkie was not a bad baker. For nearly thirty seconds, every pony on every side was completely speechless. Then, Applejack found her voice.

“WHAT THE HAY WAS THAT!?” she yelled, turning to Magi with her eyes burning. “We brought you here to DEPOWER HER! Not…Not…”

No, Applejack, you brought me here to JUDGE her. And like any REAL judgement, there are those who are innocent, and those who are guilty. It just so happens that Wall Flower was one of the innocent.

Applejack, her face contorted in rage, opened her mouth to argue, but Magi cut her off.

Or perhaps I should act like Thorn? Judging all before me as guilty and punishing them no matter the cost? Even children like Sunflower? Maybe I should just be the monster that replaces the alicorns. Is that what you want?

“Don’t put words in my mouth,” Applejack growled. Behind her, some of the ponies that had shared her looks of outrage seemed taken aback by Magi’s words. Twilight knew from the conversations around the village that depowering the alicorns was the only thing they had thought about since Thorn’s defeat. Hearing the one who depowered Thorn say there was another option appeared to be a bit jarring to them, to say the least.

I’m not putting words in your mouth, Applejack, I’m simply explaining the meaning behind your words to those behind you. While I know many of them would love to see Equestria free of alicorns, the simple fact is that not every alicorn is a monster. I judge based on what I see, and I can clearly see that not every alicorn has strayed from the principles that originally got them their powers.

Besides, you seem to be overlooking one simple thing.

Applejack snorted. “And what’s that.”

Magi smirked. That we may now have a new ally.

“ALLY!?”

“Ally?” Wall Flower asked, looking at at Magi in a way that could only be described as confused apprehension.

Yes, an ally. Tell me, Wall Flower, if you had the chance to fight back against other alicorns like Thorn or Scorching Sun, would you? If you had a chance to help other ponies who are locked away in harsh environments with no hope of escape, would you? I could see from your mind that you have spent many night lying awake, hoping that one day me and my siblings could be found so that Equestria could be healed, and so that the age of alicorn rule would come to an end.

Wall Flower’s eyes widened, and her husband nodded to himself, remembering a few of those night when he himself had stayed up with her.

“I…” Wall Flower said before taking a breath. “I would. I’ve always hated how many of the others have so little regard for their own ponies. I have wanted to stop it, whether through new laws, or…or force. But, I couldn’t. I…I was too afraid. It would be me against Equestria, and I knew my ponies would pay the price.” She shook her head. “Even if I wanted to, there was nothing I could do.”

But now there is, Magi said with a smile. A rebellion is forming, and while Twilight Sparkle may be strong, the truth is that she is only one pony. They will need you, even if most don’t want to admit it. So I ask you, will you join us?

Wall Flower broke eye contact and looked back at her ponies, then at the resistance. Many of her ponies looked hesitant, but even Twilight could see the desire to fight buried deep in their eyes. They knew what less fortunate ponies had to go through, a few of them having escaped thanks to deals Wall Flower made with other alicorns. If Wall Flower told them to fight, they would support her every step of the way. Even her husband looked ready to accept whatever decision she made.

The rebels, on the other hoof, looked… well…mixed, to say the least. A select few looked at her in anger, completely abhorrent to this idea even being brought up. Others looked hesitant, but understanding. They knew they could use all the help they could get, even if it was another alicorn. Still others looked thoughtful, possibly already planing out how she could be of use to the rebellion.

“I’ll do it,” Wall Flower said finally. “I’ll help you. I don’t know how much of an assistance I will be, but I’ll help.”

Magi smiled warmly.

And so the rebellion grows.

With that, the magic of the element cut off, and Twilight stumbled as she once again regained control of her body.

Applejack growled. “Fine. FINE! You want her, then whoop de doo, she’s in, completely ignoring the purpose WE CAME HERE FOR IN THE FIRST PLACE. Big Mac, take care of this. Ah need to cool down.” She stormed off towards the supply carts, likely to get one of the tents they had brought in case of emergencies.

“She…really doesn’t like alicorns, I’m guessing?” Wall Flower asked hesitantly.

“Enope,” Big Mac said, shaking his head. “But Magi was right, we could use the help. To start, you mind if we stay here for the day? Rather not be spotted by soldiers trying to get back so early.”

“I suppose that would be ok,” Wall Flower said, smiling slightly. “I don’t suppose we could talk more in the morning? This has been an…eventful night, to say the least.”

“Morning’s fine,” Big Mac said, nodding. Slowly but surely, Wall Flower’s ponies came out to help the rebels as they set up for the night. Things were tense, as neither side appeared ready to trust the other, but nopony was acting with open hostility. Wall Flower opened her mansion for everypony to use, but there would still be a few ponies using tents, as the mansion was not big enough to hold everypony.

“Sooooo, did Magi never mention that alicorns could be innocent?” Spike asked as he, Twilight, and Flash moved to set up their own tent.

“No, she DID NOT!” Twilight said, glaring angrily at the gem in her torc. “She said if she did tell me, Applejack wouldn't have come, and we wouldn’t have learned that that was the case. She could have told me not to tell Applejack!”

“No offense Twilight, but you’re horrible at hiding the truth, and lying,” Flash said, smirking as Twilight just scowled at him and Spike giggled.

“You are REALLY pushing it tonight, Flash Sentry.”

“Flash Sentry?” Wall Flower called out, her head whipping around to the pegasus Butler so fast she attracted at least ten other ponies.

“Um, yes?” Flash asked in surprise at the sudden attention.

“Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. It’s just…I have a package for you.”

Flash blinked. “A package?”

“Yes,” she said, lighting her horn. A flash of teleportation later, there was a small cylindrical tube hovering in front of her. “It came in a large box addressed to me, but when I opened it, this was all that was inside, along with a note that you would soon arrive to pick it up.” She held out the tube. “I have no idea what’s inside though. It…It won’t open.”

Eying the cylinder suspiciously, Flash accepted it as the nearby ponies all watched in confusion. As soon as his hooves touched the tube, there was a small ‘pop’ and the end came off. Flash raised an eyebrow and tilted the tube to the side, allowing a worn piece of parchment to slide out. His eyes widened as he unrolled it.

“Is that…?” Twilight asked in shock. She could see the parchment as well, and what she saw both confused and surprised her.

That…isn’t possible, Magi said breathlessly.

‘Magi?’

I need to go, Twilight. Rest assured, I believe this is accurate, and I suggest you show it to Applejack as soon as you can. I will be back by tomorrow morning.

Before Twilight could question her further, she felt the connection break, ending her conversation with Magi.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Applejack paced around inside her tent. She was mad, furious, ready to buck a tree right off its stump, and yet she knew there was nothing she could do. Because deep down, she knew that Magi was RIGHT. They could only steal food from Thorn’s property for so long, and she doubted they could get enough crops up and growing by the time it ran out. They could use Twilight to help, but she wasn't exactly sure how reliable that would be, given how the first time the purple alicorn cleaned the land was completely by accident.

Taking a deep breath, Applejack stopped pacing and sat down on her bed mat. She was tired, but didn't feel like sleeping. Reaching beneath the armor around her neck, she pulled out a small necklace. It was a simple, golden apple on a golden thread, probably the only piece of jewelry in her entire family. Opening the apple, she looked at what was inside.

‘Guess it doesn’t matter either way,’ she thought. ‘So long as SHE isn’t innocent, Magi can do what she pleases.’ She snorted. ‘Not like SHE could ever be innocent anyway.’ Closing the apple, she tucked it back into the depths of her armor and stood up. She needed to find something to do, something to get her mind off this.

As luck would have it, the universe granted her a reprieve when Twilight and Flash both dashed into her tent.

“What in tarnation—?” Applejack shouted, forcing herself not to instantly reach for her katana. Flash held up the old piece of parchment, causing her eyes to widen.

The parchment was a highly detailed map of Equestria. But this map was MOVING. Down to the south of Equestria was a spinning blue gem stone, and above it were two pigs with wings holding a banner that read ‘Element of Laughter.’

“I found that map you wanted,” Flash said, his expression serious as Applejack’s right eye started to twitch.

Deep within the Miasma

The figure blinked. Then blinked again. Then they chuckled.

“Well played, Laughter, well played.”

Author's Note

And so my story grows. What is this mysterious map? Why does it show the location of the Element of Laughter? What's up with Magi? Who is Applejack talking about? Why am I asking YOU all these questions!? Because my girlfriend slash editor is reading this and probably knows all the answers but won't tell you because that would ruin the suspense

Anyway, enjoy our bit of progression, and look forward to next chapter. Why?

Next time: Pinkie's story retold