It was supposed to be home, but it felt like the farthest thing from.

Twilight and Starswirl, accompanied by a small detachment of four Canterlot E.U.P. guards, silently made their way through the empty halls of the Castle of Friendship, branches and leaves crunching underneath their every step. It looked like an ancient jungle ruin more than anything else. Roots and branches had encroached on everything, as if it had spent centuries abandoned. But since she had returned the armor containing the Elements of Harmony to the Tree underneath the Castle of the Two Sisters, they had nothing to fear from the growth, and it could be cleared away with time.

There was quite an awful lot of things around the nation that would take time to deal with right now.

Her Castle of Friendship was one of the only structurally sound buildings remaining in Ponyville. The Everfree Forest had taken its toll on the town in the weeks it was left abandoned. It was heart-wrenching to see the town like this, but there wasn't a doubt in her mind that Starswirl unleashing the Everfree Forest and making the Storm King respond in a panic with his fleet, saved countless lives. Before she returned to Ponyville with Starswirl, she sent messengers out from Canterlot to spread the word of their hard-fought victory, and that help would be on the way to those that needed it.

Stepping up to the throne room doors, the six ponies pushed together, breaking the vines and slowly opened their way. There, Twilight stood and saw the Cutie Map, and how it was the only thing in the room that the Everfree growth had not touched. The seven thrones had been wrapped and entwined. She had to swallow to keep her emotions from bubbling over when she looked at the six thrones that wouldn't be sat in again. The last time she was in this room, they were all together just before the Friendship Festival.

She and Starswirl slowly walked around the table to the head, to her throne, and lit her horn up, burning away the vines that had overtaken it, and sat down. She fired a single beam of magic at the center of the table, and it flickered to life, the hologram of Equestria and beyond hovering millimeters above the crystal surface.

The alicorn's eyes scanned the map, surveying the clearest picture they would ever get of the destruction the Storm Fleet had caused. Bostrot. Haliflanks. Manehattan. Fillydelphia. Counting the dead would take weeks. Rebuilding would take years.

Thankfully, the northeast coast was where Tempest's rampage had been largely contained; with the Storm King panicking and desperate to hold his prize of Canterlot, and recalling nearly his entire fleet to attempt to burn back the Everfree Forest.

"Well," Twilight began, her quiet, sullen voice easily carrying to the other side of the room. "I think we can clearly see which areas need help the most."

"Your Majesty," The corporal of the E.U.P. squad began. "May I ask when you're planning on returning to Canterlot?"

Twilight's eyes rose from the map to meet the corporal's gaze.

"Who says I'm returning?" She asked, half-annoyed that he would make such an assumption.

"You're the last remaining alicorn princess, and Canterlot has been Equestria's throne for generations."

"Corporal, we've all been through a lot. But please don't assume where I will choose to rule from. If you think my reign will be from where my best friends and mentors were murdered, you are sorely mistaken."

The response had clearly flustered the guard.

"M-My apologies, Princess. I meant no offense."

"Rebuilding efforts in Canterlot are to be prioritized to homes, farms, and businesses. The only thing palace engineers are to do is ensure that roof isn't in danger of collapsing further. Other than that, the throne room is not to be touched for the time being, do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly, Your Majesty." He replied immediately.

"Leave us, Corporal." She concluded.

The stallion gave a crisp salute, and turned and filed out with his squad, leaving the throne room to Starswirl and Twilight, who let out a sigh and slumped back in her throne.

The conjurer was being patient with the Princess of Friendship as best he could; he could tell that she had started to grieve, probably the moment she had finished Tempest off in the Foal Mountains. The only piece of good news she had received in the last couple days was that her mother and father were found unharmed in Canterlot.

"You think looking at these empty thrones is any worse than Celestia looking up at her sister in the moon every night for a millennium?" She asked Starswirl.

"I think that's a question only you can answer, Twilight." He replied.

"I never got the opportunity to ask her how she did it. How she made it through day after day after what she was forced to do to her own sister. Did she view herself as a monster?"

"I'm sure she didn't. She wasn't acting for her sake, but for the sake of everypony that counted on her and her sister. Just like you did what you did for everypony that has been counting on you."

"The last thing I said to them was how I'd be better off without them." The Princess confessed.

"They knew how you truly felt. That's why they came there to help you. Even best friends make mistakes sometimes." The Pillar told her as tears began to silently fall from her eyes.

"The way Tempest looked at me... The way she trembled, the pure, abject fear in her eyes as I stood over her... It was one of the most satisfying things I have ever seen in my life. And yet, at the same time..." Twilight paused, feeling a painful knot in her stomach. "...I never want to make anypony look at me like that ever again." Twilight confessed as she started to cry.

"Twilight..." Starswirl began as he pulled the weeping mare into a warm embrace. "It was never going to be enough. No matter how quickly or slowly you brought them to their ends, no matter how painful you made it... None of it would have lessened the losses you have suffered. The only thing that helps with healing is time, and sometimes not even then. You are a pony, nothing more. It doesn't matter if your magic can barely turn a page in a book, or if you can manipulate the cosmos with a fleeting thought, you are still an imperfect pony with hopes and dreams and fears just like all the rest of us, and you used them to save what we all had left. Nopony can possibly ask any more of you, not even yourself."

Twilight stood on the path in front of her castle, listening to the approaching train from the Crystal Empire. Three days had passed since she and Starswirl had returned to town, and now she felt the time had come to ask for volunteers to return and help rebuild. Shining had gotten their message, and said they'd be departing very early this morning, with instructions to come to the castle when they arrived, but he hadn't exactly mentioned how many were coming back. She supposed she expected them to start trickling in slowly from each direction, but what she saw come around the corner made her heart creep up to her throat.

Marching a dozen ponies wide, with Mayor Mare front and center, was a block of easily 200 ponies coming down the main road. The front row was holding large parade flags; Equestria's National Flag, Ponyville's flag from the Equestria Games, and what caused her tears to spill over, flags embroidered with the cutie marks of the Elements of Harmony, the three Princesses, and even one patterned for Spike. Though they marched through the dilapidation of their homes, their faces were determined and proud as the approached the Princess of Friendship standing in front of her castle.

"Ponyville, halt!" Mayor Mare commanded, grand-marshal-style. "Where do we start, Princess?" She asked, holding the Equestrian flag proudly.

Twilight took a deep breath and smiled at all of them as her tears continued.

"I..." She paused, sniffling, taking a step towards them. "I don't even know where to begin. This town opened me up to the incredible magic that friendship is. I know a lot of us have lost cherished loved ones, and even more of us still are waiting to hear from distant friends and relatives. I know that there are quite a few ponies who are wanting me, expecting me to take my place in Canterlot, but Ponyville helped in so many amazing ways to make me the leader Equestria needs me to be today, and that is a decision I won't even approach until this town is back on its feet. I know... I know that's what my... My friends would have... would have..."

Twilight couldn't find the will to finish her speech as she broke down in front of the crowd, and Mayor Mare firmly staked her flag in the ground, and without a word, came forward and embraced the princess, followed immediately by another, then two more, then three. When the grieving mare was completely surrounded, another layer was started behind that one. It quickly became a group hug two hundred ponies strong, as the twelve flags blew prominently in the morning breeze.

Shining Armor, Sunburst, and Starlight made their way up the steps of the Castle of Friendship, which was looking better and better with each passing day. When Twilight had sent word that the tracks had been cleared of the Everfree growth and repaired, Shining called for volunteer Ponyvillians to return and begin the rebuilding process, after they had abandoned their homes for nearly a month. He was taken aback when not a single one chose to remain in the Crystal Empire. He decided to stay for a few days with Flurry and help set up a considerable encampment behind the castle, as nearly all of the structures in Ponyville weren't safe to inhabit. Word quickly reached Canterlot, and the surviving Ponyvillians from the Friendship Festival immediately made their way down the mountain to help, bringing nearly the entire surviving population together again. With nearly one thousand volunteers ready and able to help with repairing, tearing down, and rebuilding, Shining was ready to put bits down on Ponyville looking as good as new within a year; sadly the same couldn't be said of metropolises like Manehattan and Fillydelphia. But the important thing to remember was that healing was happening across the nation. He was relieved when he heard that his mom and dad were both confirmed safe in Canterlot a week ago.

He knew his little sister was trying her best to put on a brave face for her subjects, but she was still grieving for what she had lost in the attack on Canterlot. It was a hard road, but he hoped it was one she would one day reach the end of.

For now, he was wondering why she had specifically asked to see him, Sunburst, and Starlight, who had been called down from overseeing recovery efforts in Canterlot. When they stepped through the front doors into the main foyer, they saw how improved everything was, with dozens of ponies currently in line for lunch in the dining room; cooking in firepits out in the camp was no longer a necessity once they got the kitchen equipment back up and running in here.

After heading up the stairs, they turned and went down the hall to the throne room, which had been remarkably improved as well. There at her throne, sat Twilight, and in front of her on the table, rested the Bewitching Bell of Grogar, the notches and patterns of it glowing a bright yellow against the dark green surface.

"Hey there, Twiley." Shining greeted, and she looked up from her current paperwork and gave them all a weak smile.

"It's nice to see you all again. Thank you for coming."

"What can we do for you, Twilight?" Starlight asked, as they stood on the opposite side of the table, facing her.

Twilight took a deep breath, then looked at each of them before speaking.

"What I am about to ask each of you, is entirely your own choice. And this is probably the most important question I will ask any of you in my life."

She paused, and motioned to the Bewitching Bell.

"This is entirely too much power for one pony. I did what I had to in order to bring the conflict to a quick and decisive end before we lost even more innocent lives, and it shook me to my core, especially when I blew up half a mountain in anger. I will keep it if I am absolutely forced to, but you are the closest family and friends I have left."

She slowly stood up from her throne, looking each of them in the eye.

"Will you let me share this magic with you? Will you help me take up their mantle? Sunburst, you are wise beyond your years, and your knowledge brought us a beacon of hope when we had little else going for us. Will you take the responsibility of Prince of the Sun?"

The stallion's eyes widened, speechless at the offer, but he gave a determined nod.

"Starlight, you are one of my greatest successes, and dearest friends. You helped me and saved me in my hour of need. Will you watch over the ponies of Equestria as they dream, and become Princess of the Night?"

Swallowing her tears before they spilled over, Starlight nodded.

"I would be honored, Twilight."

Lastly, she turned to her big brother.

"Shining, I hope I'm not being too bold in saying this, but I truly believe if the worst happened as it has, that Cadance would want nothing more than for you to take her place. You are a loving brother and father. Will you take Cadance's place as guardian of the Crystal Heart?"

He smiled proudly at his younger sister.

"Willingly, and proudly." He replied.

Sniffling, tears fell from Twilight's eyes as she smiled proudly at each of them. She took a deep breath, picked up the Bewitching Bell, and stepped up on the table, walking over to them. As she stood in front of them, they each closed their eyes, and prepared. The Princess of Friendship held the bell out towards them, and the bell expelled the magic it held, with light gold, dark blue, and light blue auras of magic flowing over to Sunburst, Starlight, and Shining Armor, respectively. What started as a slight tingling sensation grew to incredible surges, and each of them had to concentrate to stay on their hooves. Each of them began glowing brighter and brighter, and as the last of the magic touched their chests, they exploded in a flash of white light, so bright that Twilight had to take a step back and shield her eyes.

When she saw that enough of the light had died down, she lowered her foreleg from her face, and saw the three of them standing exactly where they had been. Only now, they were astonishingly studying their own, and each others, new pairs of wings.

"Alright, Twiley, one question; how long did it take for you to get used to these? Because, clearly, I have to get used to it faster." He sneered in a tone that could only denote undying sibling rivalry.

Chuckling for the first time in over a month, she jumped down from the table and pulled them all into a group hug.

"Thank you... Thank you all so much." She cried.

Author's Note

I would like that ending to stand as proof that I am not above accepting bribes from Larson.

I knew I could make it work, and honestly, twenty bucks is twenty bucks.

In all seriousness, thanks for reading. I'd like to personally think that Tempest is one of the most poetic deaths I've ever written, but I'll let all of you be the judges of that.

Again, thank you very much for reading!

-Miles