Author's Note

The first chapter (not counting the prologue) that takes place in Ponyville.

This one happens simultaneously with the events of Peas Hitting Knees.
Next chapter will be happening simultaneously with the events of Hidden Talents.

Intermission: Without Twilight

"Uuuuggggh!"

It had been an hour after Twilight's banishment, and Applejack was cross for Twilight and furious at the princesses. How dare they banish her friend for murder, a thing she would never do? And to make matters worse, almost everypony was against Twilight.

And now there she was, sleeping on her bed to try and calm herself down, trying to ignore the glares she received from Big Macintosh and Granny Smith. Even Winona ran off the second she saw her owner.

Applejack then noticed that she never saw Apple Bloom, her younger sister pass by. She knew that there was school that day, so her sister and her crusading friends couldn't show up for the trial. She hoped that they thought Twilight was innocent.

"Hello, ah'm home!"

Applejack jumped in surprise. She heard Apple Bloom's cheerful voice.

"Where's mah sister?"

"Hello, ah'm home!"

Apple Bloom opened the door to the barn, a cheerful look on her face. She saw Big Macintosh and Granny Smith wave at her and hug her, however, she then noticed her sister was missing.

"Where's mah sister?"

Her grandmother and big brother's faces became serious.

"Apple Bloom, we have a lot to tell ya."

"Eeyup."

"Have you heard about Twilight getting banished?"

"I have. I can't believe Twilight would do something like that,"

"She calls herself the Element of Magic? More like the Element of Betrayal!"

Rarity heard all the chatter and grumbled as she walked through Ponyville. Everypony she saw was talking about Twilight's banishment and how they thought she tried to murder Derpy. Rarity knew better though. She knew Twilight would never do something like that.

Just then she saw a small line at Sugarcube Corner, with several ponies she recognized, such as her younger sister Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Flitter, Cloudchaser, and the dragon who had a crush on her, Spike.

"Hello, Rarity!" said Rainbow Dash. "Pinkie and the Cakes are making a fundraiser to free Twilight from her banishment. We're here to buy as many cake products as we can to save Twilight."

"Well, that's nice of these darlings," said Rarity, "I just hope there are more ponies who believe Twilight's innocence."

"Well, the crusaders all agreed Twilight would never do such a thing," said Spike, "and I also noticed that Flitter and Cloudchaser are in the line up to buy cakes."

"We couldn't show up at the court due to flying practice," said Cloudchaser.

"But we disagree with almost everypony!" finished Flitter, "Twilight's innocent whether they like it or not!"

"Did you try convincing everypony?" asked Fluttershy. "I tried and I got called a baby for it."

"Those darlings didn't listen to me and tried to throw rocks at me!" grumbled Rarity.

"I was nearly pushed off a cloud!" yelled Rainbow Dash.

"Me and Scootaloo were ignored," said Sweetie Belle.

"I was ignored too," said Spike.

"They threatened to embarrass us in front of everypony on the next day of flying practice," said Cloudchaser.

"Out of the way, bubs." shouted two ponies known as "Surf" and "Turf". They were the same ones who had bullied Fluttershy before when she was trying to buy asparagus.

"Not again," groaned Rarity to herself.

"Move back, you're in our personal space!" yelled "Turf".

The Cakes and Pinkie saw the two ponies cut in front of everypony else and push them out of the way, but before Mrs. Cake could scold them, Pound Cake threw a toy block at "Surf"'s head!

"Ow!" she yelled, as Pound Cake laughed. Pumpkin Cake also saw the bruise on "Surf", and laughed as well. But "Surf" wasn't laughing. She lunged at Pumpkin Cake, but tripped over some more toy blocks the baby twins had left on the floor, and fell so hard that she startled Mr. Cake, who was holding a cake on a plate in his mouth. He was so startled he dropped the cake onto "Surf"'s hair!

"My hair!" wailed "Surf", whose hooves were trying to get all the cake off. "You two shall be sued by my dad! Come on, Turf! We're leaving this abomination!"

"Same here!" yelled "Turf", who tried to throw a rock at Mrs. Cake, but she dodged and the rock hit a wall instead.

"Rude," muttered Mrs. Cake to herself.

"Are ya two kidding me?!"

Big Macintosh and Granny Smith jumped back at Apple Bloom's outburst.

"Ya two seriously think Twilight would do such a thing?! And to ignore Applejack for having a different view of things?!"

"Look, Bloom," said Granny Smith, "She tried to murder a pegasus!"

"But this ain't usual for Twilight to do such a thing!" yelled Apple Bloom. "Pinkie told me something about a doppelganger of Twilight being around, and now that ah learned Derpy nearly got murdered, ah think it's safe to say that Twilight has a doppelganger of her roaming around!"

"Don't talk back to us, young lady!" scolded Granny Smith.

"Ah have the right to talk back to ya two right now!" yelled Apple Bloom. "Ya two should be shamed of yersel-"

"You should be ashamed of yerself, talking back to yer grandmother and me like that. We don't want to talk to ya right now. So, you're grounded, and take yer Twilight-defending stance somewhere else and just GO AWAY!"

Apple Bloom's expression during her older brother's rant, was now one of sadness, tears in her eyes, but then she became angry again.

"Fine then! So ah'm grounded and ah have to stay upstairs most of the time. At least ah have a sister ah can talk to up there!" and then the filly stomped off upstairs.

"Hello, welcome to Sugarcube Corner," said Pinkie Pie, "what would you like to order today?"

Spike looked at Pinkie and smiled sadly.

"I'm in a bit of a rough spot, Pinkie." said Spike, "Have you heard anything from Twilight?" The question made Pinkie's hair deflate. She sadly shook her head, and Spike sighed sadly. He had hoped that Pinkie might have used her Pinkie Sense to confirm Twilight's state.

"No, I'm really sorry, Spike, but I really haven't. My Pinkie Sense hasn't even done anything to hint that Twilight is alive and well. We'll just have to wait and see." Pinkie said sadly. Spike nodded in understanding. He had expected that this might have been the response he'd get, but he was still hopeful for his adoptive sister.

Spike pulled out some bits and handed them to Pinkie. "I'll take a gem-filled cupcake," he said, and Pinkie nodded. She rushed to make everything done. As Spike got the cupcake in his hand, he smiled sadly at Pinkie who also smiled sadly at him. He left the building, hoping that wherever Twilight was, she'd be okay.

Applejack was sitting in her bed that night. She was having a hard time, and after all the commotion that she heard downstairs, she was worried for her sister. Suddenly, she heard some groaning, and then her sister entered the room looking just as disheveled.

"Apple Bloom!" asked Applejack, walking over to her sister, "What are ya doin' up?"

"Ah was gonna ask you the same thing," said Apple Bloom.

"Ah can't sleep," said Applejack, as she laid down on her bed, "Mah gears are turnin' in mah head about what happened today!"

"Yeah..." yawned Apple Bloom, as she laid down on the bed as well, "Twilight got banished for something she didn't do, Pinkie told me about a possible doppelganger roaming around, and yer grandmother and brother grounded me."

"Ya had it bad?" asked Applejack, "They ignored me for the rest of the day, all because ah tried to tell them Twilight was innocent! Ah'm just so mad right now!" She then heard her sister snoring and cuddling next to her, which diminished all of Applejack's anger. She then smiled.

"Love ya, sugarcube."

And then the two sisters snuggled and slept with each other that night.