Twilight wasn't sure if it was her big heart, or other reasons, but it ended up taking a few days to extricate herself and her friends from Stalliongrad. The city had been about ready to explode, but things had calmed a little when the food arrived. That is to say the city was instead a day away from exploding, rather than it being imminent. As long as it kept a day away, Twilight was fine with that.

That also meant that right now, as she walked from Stalliongrad back to High Rock, her friends in tow along with the Wonderbolts, a couple hundred thestrals, and a miserable Viscount with the shakes, she was quite happy. She was free, and it never felt so good.

Of course she knew the feeling was only temporary, as there would be plenty to do at High Rock. Top of that list was reuniting with Celestia, which Luna was excited about, but Twilight less so. It was only her determination to not think about it that was sparing her from the gut wrenching uncertainty she felt about it the rest of the time. Instead she shifted the harness for the wagon they were using to transport the Viscount into a more comfortable position, and listened to the chatter of her friends.

"Ice cream," Fleur said with finality. "I really think it's something I should've partaken in more of, so as soon as I get back to Canterlot, I'm going out for ice cream. Well, after I get through the awkwardness of saying hello to Fancy Pants after being gone for so long. Especially with the souvenir I brought back," she added, nudging the filly. "How about you Octavia?"

"As much as I want to say a fun answer, I suspect the truth would be I'm going to hug Vinyl and cry for a few hours like a weepy, snotty parasite. Then I might remember to introduce Summer. Then I'm going to play my cello, and look into my government funded therapy, right Twilight?"

"Yes Octavia; therapy for everypony."

"Good. So what will you be doing Twilight?"

"Much the same as you Octavia, only I'll be doing it to five ponies at once, which will be a challenge, but I'll manage." Twilight sighed and looked away, "Honestly though, I'm not really sure. No offence to Celestia, or you Luna, but I'm not exactly looking to jump back into princess duties just yet."

"Understandable," said Luna. "I wish I could say you could have all the time you want, but with Celestia here and Cadence about to become a mother, I'll be responsible for Equestria, and I might require a little help now and then. Nothing too much, and no public appearances. Especially not until the diplomatic blowback from us being here settles down."

"If it ever does," Twilight grumbled.

"It shall. As they say, a week is a long time in politics." Twilight rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. "How about you filly? What are you going to do?"

The filly shrugged lazily, which was quite the feat for a pony while they were walking. "Go out for ice cream apparently. Maybe grow my wings back. Get used to having a name since I'm not allowed to just be 'the filly' in Equestria. I swear, if anypony laughs at me for not having wings when my name's Swift Wings, they're gonna get a black eye. Maybe two, and a bite mark somewhere delicate."

"Atta girl," Fleur said cheerfully. "What about you Summer?" she asked the pegasus that was lounging atop the wagon, enjoying the feeling immensely. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to keep helping ponies, like that Grammaw pony said. Maybe meet a nice mare if I'm lucky. I'm not going to plan too far ahead though."

"Why not?"

"Because I've got a whole life ahead of me now. No point in rushing through it, right? Mostly I'm thinking of things I want to do before I leave this place for good."

"Such as?"

Summer held a hoof up to her lips in a shushing gesture, then pointed down at the wagon and grinned. "I have a few things I'd like to get off my chest before I leave."

"There's a sound proofing spell on the wagon," said Fleur. "You can say what you want."

"Oh."

"So does nopony care what I'm going to do?" Shadow asked with a lazy grin as she drifted overhead.

"Alright then," Twilight said with begrudged amusement, "What are you going to do?"

"I have no idea! Seriously, I know so little about Equestria it's almost embarrassing."

"I thought you were all joining the Night guard?" said Octavia, glancing at Luna for confirmation.

"Well sure, but I think we deserve a little time off to settle in to our new home, am I right?" Shadow blushed, "I mean, is that alright, mistress?"

"Of course it is," Luna laughed. "I have a lot to organise before you can join, as well as fears to alleviate since ponies are likely to think silly things like I'm going to stage a coup by expanding my Night guard so rapidly. You can all have a few weeks to relax, settle in, and explore your new home."

"...!" Shadow shouted excitedly, except it was so high pitched only the other thestrals could understand it. To everypony else it was a painful squeal that made them cringe. "Heh, sorry." She flapped languidly over to where Spitfire and Soarin were flying, "How about you guys?"

The two Wonderbolts glanced at each other, "Checking on Fleetfoot is probably the first thing," Spitfire replied. "Then I'm going to see if this Rainbow Dash is all she's cracked up to be," she added, smirking at Twilight.

"She is, I can assure you."

"I hope so, because it seems unfair to put our replacements back on reserve. So with the princesses permission of course, I was hoping to expand the Wonderbolts roster by a few ponies?"

"I'm afraid the Wonderbolts falls under Celestia's jurisdiction," Luna informed the Captain. "However, I can assure you she'll be saying yes," she added with a wink.

"Then I'll be sure to thank her," Spitfire replied with a cheeky grin. "Anyway, other than that, we were hoping to have a little leave ourselves. Again, with the princesses permission."

"Of course you can," Twilight and Luna said together, before laughing. The laughter died though, as the highest point of High Rock keep crept over the horizon.

"Too bad we're not actually home yet," Twilight sighed.

Twilight slipped the harness off and almost collapsed. Pulling the wagon up the ramps had been more of a test of endurance than she had really wanted at that point, but it was over and now she could die quietly for a moment while others sorted things out.

"Shadow, could you escort the Viscount to his new accommodations please."

There was a short silence before Shadow replied.

"You mean the dungeons right?"

Luna sighed irritably, "Yes, the dungeons."

"Absolutely, mistress."

Twilight pulled herself to her hooves, her legs no longer feeling like they were made entirely of jelly, and made her way around to the back of the wagon. She sat patiently as Luna tried to persuade the Viscount to move.

"I'm not moving," he said stubbornly. "You have no right to imprison me."

"We have every right, your Grace," Luna said patiently. "You are the deposed and disgraced leader of a failed nation that was responsible for the torture, mistreatment, and enslavement of thousands upon thousands of ponies over its history. You should be thankful we're giving you the opportunity to walk to the dungeons, rather than be dragged."

"I am the Duke of Mareitania, and you will release me this instant!"

"I-" Luna sighed and shook her head, "I don't have time for this. You're a fool, Viscount, and if you wish to act like one, we shall treat you like one. Shadow, get him out of there."

"Yes ma'am!" Shadow darted into the wagon, and with a swift kick, sent the Viscount flying out to land on the ground with a squawk.

"Ah!" The Viscount flopped onto his belly and glared at Shadow. "You will pay for this mistreatment!"

"Is this guy for real?" Shadow sniggered. "Would you prefer we treat you like you treated your prisoners? Because I can start heating up the irons right now if you want?"

"That won't be necessary," a voice said calmly.

The Viscount narrowed his eyes at the newcomer and growled, "You."

Ivory smiled at the Viscount, "Hello Francis."

"You will address me by my title wench!"

"Very well. Hello Mr Francis." Ivory's smile grew wider at the Viscount's indignation. "Please stop acting like a child and get up, you're embarrassing yourself."

"I am the Duke of Mareitania, and I will be addressed as such!"

"Actually, as of eleven o'clock yesterday morning, Mareitania has no Duke, duchy, or Viscount. In the eyes of the global community we are now the Republic of Mareitania." Ivory smiled smugly at the Viscount, "So all that makes you Francis, is a criminal, and criminals deserve to be locked up. Take him away Shadow."

"You're not my boss, but I'll let you off this time." Shadow grinned at the Viscount, making sure to show off her fangs, "Get moving Francis, or I'll give you perforations somewhere squishy."

"Y-you can't do this!"

"We already have," Ivory purred. She kept watching as the Viscount was eventually dragged off by a group of thestrals, howling and screaming promises of vengeance the entire way. "The denial is strong in that one," Ivory commented cheerfully. "I'm guessing Stalliongrad went well?"

Twilight's eyes flicked to Luna, who gave Twilight a similar look, then turned back to Ivory. "There were a few hiccups, but yes, we won, and the war is over. And I've already relinquished command to Snowbright."

"Then it's really done," Ivory breathed; "Mareitania is free. I know there'll likely be something a bit more formal later, but..." Ivory dropped into a bow in front of Twilight, "Thank you, all of you, for what you've done for Mareitania, and for my part, what you did for me. Thank you all so much."

"Eh, no biggy," the filly said happily.

"What she said," Twilight said with a blush. She gestured for Ivory to rise, "I hope you're also going to show your appreciation to all the ponies that fought against the duchy, including those who-" Twilight had to stop and swallow the lump in her throat before finishing her sentence, "-including those who gave their lives."

"Of course. I know this isn't what you meant, but we've made plans to have a memorial erected in the centre of the courtyard here, at the place where the duchy truly ended."

"What about the one in Puddingarde?" Octavia asked.

"We've decided to keep Puddingarde active in its current role as a military training ground, and we thought it might be nice to keep the memorial where it is to inspire all the ponies that train there. Unless you have any objections to that?"

Twilight looked to the others, but they either shrugged or shook their heads. "I don't think we do. I think it's a nice idea to leave it where it is, where this all began. Anyway, you said that as of yesterday, Mareitania was a republic?"

"It's one of the first things Princess Celestia helped us make official."

Luna perked up, "Celestia's here already?"

"She arrived the day before yesterday actually, and I have to say, she is a pony that knows how to get things done. She's in the throne room if you want to see her?"

"Yes please."

"Then follow me."

They dutifully followed after Ivory, taking the time to look around since she wasn't rushing. Twilight was surprised to see that beyond the essential repairs, not much else had been done to the keep. "Why haven't you repaired this place yet?"

"Hmm? Oh, we thought the money it would take to get this place back to its former 'glory' would be better spent elsewhere. This place is in no danger of falling apart, and the rest of the country still needs a lot of repair work, and we don't want to appear... What's the word-"

"Ducal?" Fleur suggested.

"Hah! No, but good enough. We don't want to appear ducal by looking out for our own interests first. So, first we're going to repair the damage the war caused everywhere else, then we're going to start investing money into improving the infrastructure of the country, like really getting the education system up running, and improving transport links, and starting the law enforcement thing Twilight thought of. It could be years until we get this place fully repaired."

"I'm sure it's best that way," Luna said.

"We thought so too. And so did Princess Celestia. Speaking of..." Ivory pushed open the doors to the throne room, revealing a relatively moderate storm of activity, but a storm nonetheless. At its centre, sat at a table in front of the still shattered throne, flanked by two royal guards, was Celestia, quill in magic as she wrote out paper after paper.

The room fell silent in the presence of the newcomers, and only then did Celestia look up to see what was happening. A broad smile crossed her face as they made their way towards her. They stopped at the other side of the table, and Fleur and Octavia dropped into bows, Summer and the filly hesitantly doing the same. Luna did a quick bow, maintaining the illusion she was merely a servant of Celestia, not her sister and equal. As for Twilight, she felt sick.

Celestia stood, her smile shrinking a little, but not vanishing. "Please, there's no need to bow to me here. Rise, all of you."

"It is a pleasure to see you again Princess," Luna said with a forced formality. "I trust your journey here wasn't too bad?"

"Nothing worth complaining about compared to your time here. It does seem my work will be cut out for me now I'm here though. You've created some very ambitious plans Twilight."

"They're all things that need to be done," Twilight replied stiffly.

"Quite so." Celestia cleared her throat, "If it's not a problem, I'd like to have some privacy for Selene, Twilight, and myself for a little bit. We'll be back soon." Celestia led the way out through the door into dining room, Luna following eagerly behind. Twilight was considerably less eager, dragging her hooves as she thought about what she was going to say to the mare who threw her into this situation, woefully unprepared for everything that had happened.

A few gentle words and a smile from Celestia ushered away those few ponies lingering in the dining room, and they were soon alone. A crazed grin split Luna's face, and she ran up to Celestia and embraced the far larger mare. "It is wonderful to see you sister."

"And you Luna. I'd forgotten how lonely the halls of Canterlot castle were without you." They held the hug for a few moments, then released. Celestia looked at Twilight, and started walking towards her to embrace her too, but Twilight did something she didn't expect. She took a step back. "Twilight?"

Twilight stared impassively at Celestia's hurt expression, and then saw the disappointment in Luna's, but there was understanding too. They both knew that if Celestia couldn't understand Twilight's reticence, then she really wasn't trying hard enough. Thankfully she did.

"I'm sorry Twilight, I really am. I can understand that you're angry with me, and that you might even hate me, and-"

"I don't hate you," Twilight interrupted, "but I am angry. There was so much you could have told me, so much more you could've done to prepare me- No, not just me. Us. At the very least you could've told me about my immortality before I died!"

"I know Twilight, and I really am sorry. I really wasn't lying when I said I didn't know much about Mareitania, but that's no excuse for leaving you so unprepared. The fact that you managed to succeed against all of that truly is testament to the pony you are."

"And what? Are you about to tell me you're proud of me? Well done? Good work my faithful puppet?"

"No!" Celestia didn't say anything for a moment while Twilight glared daggers at her. "Thank you Twilight," she said at last. "Thank you for fixing the mistakes I failed to fix myself."

Twilight sat hard and closed her eyes. Hearing Celestia say thank you like that wasn't what she was expecting, and hearing it said so sincerely stole half her anger away, which only annoyed her in other ways. Trust Celestia to know exactly what to say. It left Twilight with the feeling that she was again being manipulated.

"You're welcome," Twilight replied after a long silence. Honestly she wanted to tell Celestia off using the quite large vocabulary of swear words she'd developed during her time here, but she knew it'd only be a short lived catharsis, and she'd only feel bad about it after. "So, what now?"

Celestia sighed, "Now... Now it's just us three, I think there's something we need to discuss."

"Faust," said Luna, getting a nod from Celestia.

"Oh no," said Twilight, backing away further. "I meant it when I said I was leaving that to you two. I have absolutely no reason to think she'd want to see me again after I left her in that cell. That and her desire to see all of us and Equestria destroyed really makes me think she's bad news."

"I know Twilight, but as a princess of Equestria it is part of your duty to-"

"To what? Get dragged back into your problems? It was your guilt that led me here, not being a princess, and now you want me to help you with Faust because you can't accept that she's your mother?"

"Faust is a threat to the entire world Twilight!" Celestia said loudly, showing her desperation. "You know that!"

"I do, which is why I was hoping you might have put some time into thinking how to solve that while I was fighting a war for you."

"Twilight!" Luna shouted, upset at her hostility towards Celestia.

"No Luna, she's right. I should have been thinking more on how to fix this while you were gone, but truthfully I have no idea how."

"Then maybe talking to her would be a good place to start," said Twilight. "I'm sure seeing you would help since you're the-uh..." Twilight glanced at Luna, unable to finish her sentence.

"Since Celestia's the child Faust wanted?" Luna said for her. "I'm not made of glass Twilight; you can say these things around me."

"Sorry." Twilight looked Celestia in the eyes, "Go see Faust, and then decide what to do."

Celestia nodded morosely, "I suppose so. You can say no Twilight, but would you please come with me? Both of you?"

"Of course sister," said Luna, while Twilight was considerably more reluctant.

"Ok, but I'm only going to the bottom of the stairs, and I'm staying out of sight. I'm sure seeing me as well as Luna would only make her more hostile."

"I understand, and thank you."

The dungeons were quiet, save for the distant shouting of the Viscount, who seemed determined to shout his way out of his predicament. Who he was shouting at was open to debate though since he was the only pony around until the three alicorns entered the dungeons, and even then they avoided him.

Luna led the way, her horn glowing as she tried to detect her enchantments that were obscuring the entrance to where Faust was imprisoned. She found them, and waved a hoof back and forth through the illusionary wall. "Here it is. Are you ready sister?"

"I don't think I'll ever be ready for this. However, there's no time like the present." Celestia took a deep breath and stepped through the illusion, her golden shoes tapping quietly on the stone. Luna followed her, transforming back into her true form once she knew she was out of sight. Twilight brought up the rear, head low as she remembered the circumstances that led to finding Faust in the first place. She really wished she hadn't discovered the ancient alicorn, even if it were better this way than anypony else finding her. She stopped at the bottom, out of sight, and listened carefully in case she were needed.

Golden light bled off Celestia's horn as she made her way to Faust's cell, her magic illuminating every inch of the cut stone passage before her, and overpowering the faint blue glow coming from the cell at the far end. A face appeared in the window, cutting off the blue light, and Celestia almost stopped, suddenly afraid of what might come next.

"Celestia?" The word was said in a tiny voice, but it was filled with emotion. "Is that- Is that really you?"

Celestia swallowed her fear and finished the journey to the cell door, seeing the gaunt mare within through the cell door. "Hello, mother."

"It really is you," Faust gasped. Her eyes roved over Celestia, who stood patiently throughout. "You've grown so tall. You were only a few days old when I last saw you, and so tiny..." Faust's eyes narrowed, and she grew angry, "Before she took you away from me! Before she made you hers!"

"Platinum didn't make me anypony's; I'm my own mare."

"Don't lie to me. Tell me, do you rule as she taught you?"

"Only because there are few other beneficial ways to rule," Celestia replied evenly. She had wanted to say that Platinum wasn't a bad pony, but she was in the company of two ponies that would not only disagree, but of which one was considerable proof of how good Platinum really wasn't.

"You can't even see it can you? You can't see how she's moulded you into what she wanted." Faust backed away and paced around her cell, "It's almost like looking at Platinum herself. And why are you here, Luna? Don't think I can't see you lurking in Celestia's shadow."

"Story of my life," Luna said to herself. "I'm here supporting my sister," she said louder, enjoying the aggravation saying that caused Faust. Or at least that's what she was going for. Faust simply snorted and continued pacing.

"Cruel child, just like your father."

"How would you know since you aren't my mother, apparently."

"Luna, stop antagonising her." Celestia raised an eyebrow at Luna, and held it until the smaller mare broke eye contact away. She turned back to Faust and tried to smile, "Faust. Mother. I'm sure you're already aware of this, but Platinum is gone. She died over fourteen hundred years ago."

"And yet she lives on, in you, in..." Faust glared at Luna, unwilling to say her name, "Your apprentice too is moulded by her through you. Your entire country is a mockery built in her image! The entire world has been changed by her, and deviated further from the plan-"

"What is the plan?" Celestia asked quickly.

"The plan? The plan is perfection. The plan is the world as it should be, all living in perfect harmony. In my ignorance I allowed the world to deviate from the plan, allowed the creatures of the world to forge their own paths. This is the price I pay for that weakness."

"And who created this plan?" Luna asked. "You?"

"I did."

"And who are you to decide how the world should be. There's plenty of harmony without you forcing it upon us."

"Is that what you think? Has this country not been through the throes of a civil war? How is that harmony? Sounds more like chaos to me, and chaos should be stamped out wherever it is found."

"With the Duke gone Mareitania will find harmony," Celestia said calmly. "As true a harmony as you could give it."

"You think harmony is something so simple as ponies getting along? You show your foolishness Celestia. You've allowed Platinum to addle your brain with her lies." Faust looked sad for a moment, then turned away, "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For not fighting harder for you. For letting you fall to this foolishness. I failed you. I failed the world."

Celestia looked to her sister, who shrugged back, clearly no more sure of what to think than Celestia was. The problem was for Celestia though, was that she saw a mare who spent one thousand five hundred thinking about what she could have done differently, and arrived at the wrong conclusion. She wasn't likely to have her mind changed in the couple of months Celestia had available. And how was Faust to be stopped from being a serious threat if she didn't think she was wrong?

Perhaps asking was a good place to start.

"You must understand Fau- Mother, that you told Twilight of your desire to see Equestria burn. That's the only reason we haven't released you. If you would give up this notion that the world needs correcting, we could seriously think about giving you a chance at a new life."

"It's you who doesn't understand, and you never will. I don't want to see Equestria and the world burn. I want to see the world reborn as it should be-"

"Like a phoenix from the ashes?" Luna interrupted. "Burn the old world away to create your new one?"

Faust looked calmly at Luna, "If need be."

"And you're willing to see ponies and more suffer just to see your vision brought to life?"

"None would need to suffer if you didn't feel the need to resist."

Luna growled under her breath, her limit at dealing with this rapidly approaching. "And how would this change be brought about should we resist?"

"The same way change is so often brought about."

"At the tip of a spear, or the edge of a blade..." Luna sighed and turned away, her head low as she walked away. "Do what you will with her sister, I have heard enough of this insanity."

"Luna..." Celestia watched Luna until she turned out of sight, then sighed wearily. She turned to find Faust watching her through the cell door, her eyes cold. "Why are you doing this? Really? Is this truly a desire to set the world right? Or is it a poor justification for the revenge you said it was to Twilight?"

"I shall tell you no lies Celestia. It is both. If you had sense you would join me-"

"No." Faust jerked back like she'd been slapped. "I have nurtured my little ponies for over a thousand years, and made Equestria into beacon of harmony for the rest of the world. Nopony threatens what I have built. Not even you." For a short moment Celestia saw she could see a trace of sadness in Faust's eyes, but it was soon hidden away again. "That said, I refuse to believe you truly think this is the only way. Your hatred for Platinum is more than justified, but are you really willing to punish the whole world for the actions of one long dead pony?"

"If the world was as it should be, this would never have happened to me. I will ensure it never does again."

"And it won't!" Celestia shouted desperately. "Please, give up this vengeance you so need against a mare who won't even know you sought it. Come with me back to Equestria and let me show you the world you want to force to change. Let me show you how much better it is than the one you left when you were forced into this cell. Let me show you how unnecessary your vengeance is."

Faust closed her eyes and sighed, turning away to sit in the corner of her cell, showing Celestia the full extent of what the time spent in the cell had done to her. "You truly are Platinum's daughter to try to preserve her legacy so fervently." Faust shook her head sadly, "Leave me or release me Celestia, but do not give me false hopes."

Celestia stood there in the quiet darkness, completely at a loss. Trying to change Faust's mind was one thing, but trying to change it when Faust wouldn't even listen was another. "I'm not giving up on you," she said before turning and making her way back to her fellow princesses. She brushed past Luna and Twilight, who were both stood fidgeting on their hooves, and made her way back up the steps until she was back in the main dungeons. Then she stopped and took a deep breath of the marginally fresher breath.

"So what do you intend if you're not giving up on her?" Luna asked as she and Twilight caught up.

"I don't know," Celestia admitted quietly.

"What about the Elements?" said Twilight. "Would they help her?"

"I don't think so Twilight. The Elements can cleanse a soul of darkness, and right great wrongs, but they cannot force a pony to change their mind. And her magic..." Celestia looked imploringly at Luna, "Couldn't you feel it?"

Luna nodded, "It was pure and good, even leeched from her body by those bands she wears. There's no darkness in her to rid her of."

Twilight's sight switched back and forth between Celestia and Luna as she failed to grasp the implications of what they were saying. "Meaning?"

"Meaning the Elements might not have an effect on her," Luna explained. "Our greatest weapon against threats might in fact be completely useless against her. We should instead think of alternative methods to deal with her should a-uh...situation arise."

"So what do we do then?"

Luna grinned faintly at Twilight, "'We' says the pony who insisted she wanted nothing to do with it."

"And I don't, but I'd rather stop Faust before my head gets put on a chopping block. Not that that would actually kill me permanently, but you know what I mean."

"I'll try talking to her," Celestia said with a trace of weariness, like she suspected her efforts wouldn't amount to much. "No offence Luna, but I might make better progress without you pushing her buttons."

"None taken," Luna replied lightly. "If that should also fail though..."

"Then I don't know. I shall have to think about it." Celestia's heart sank at the blatant lie, but she didn't have it in her to tell Twilight that there was no way to remove Faust from High Rock without being seen, and Mareitania was too politically fragile and easily manipulated to have their Lady return at a time where even the leaders of the country craved leadership. If she couldn't convince Faust to give up her vengeance, there was little else to do except keep her locked away until a time where Mareitania would survive her return. It would only be for a fraction of the time Faust had already been locked away, but Celestia knew well enough that Twilight wouldn't approve. The look Luna gave her at least told her Luna thought the same.

"Okay then," Twilight said slowly, suspecting that there was something she wasn't being told. "Here's hoping she comes around then. Now if there's nothing you want from me, I'm going to go see Trixie and tell her the news."

Celestia faked a smile at Twilight, "Of course Twilight. We shall likely be in the throne room if you need us." She held the smile until Twilight was gone, whereupon it quickly morphed into a frown. "I hate lying to her. She deserves far better from us."

"Have you not considered telling the council of Faust's existence? Of the threat she poses to Mareitania as well as Equestria?"

"Of course I have, but even if we can trust them to not release her, can we trust them to keep her a secret? Can we trust their replacements should they get voted out? Eventually word might get out to ponies who would be very problematic knowing that Faust is locked up here."

"You speak of the church?" Celestia nodded. "Then why not try to sneak her out of the country and take her to Equestria?"

"Because our magic won't affect her while she wears those bands, making that very difficult. Even then, where would we hold her? We have nowhere capable of containing her power, and I doubt even Tartarus could hold her for long outside that cell. No Luna, we cannot move her, not until we're able to hold her somewhere."

"So you're willing to lock her up here for what? Another hundred years?"

Celestia looked down at the floor, "If it kept the world safe I would keep her here forever. Heavens knows I don't want to. But if that is what it took..."

"So a thousand years on the moon was a mercy by your standards?"

Celestia gasped like she'd been slapped, "Luna! You don't mean that!"

"Don't I? When does her suffering outweigh the world Celestia? Because an eternity locked in that cell sounds like a heavy price to keep the world safe, and I don't even like her." Luna shrugged, "Besides, I imagine the mountain would wear away first."

"Fifty years maximum Luna. Hopefully less, by which we shall be more than prepared to move her somewhere secure."

Celestia waited tentatively as Luna thought it over and eventually nodded. "Very well. Honestly though, it shouldn't take that long to devise a method of holding her, especially with Twilight's help because we will be telling her once she's up to the task."

"Of course."

"Good." Luna smirked suddenly, "So how come I didn't get to discuss the length of my banishment to the moon?"

"Beg pardon Luna, but you weren't exactly at your most approachable, or reasonable at the time." Celestia bit her bottom lip, "I also had no idea the Elements would do that."

"Oh come on Celestia, you know the Elements love their thousand year punishments. Sombra, Discord, me. It was practically a habit for them when they were in our hooves. By the by, who came up with 'the stars shall aid in her escape?' Very dramatic."

"Starswirl did actually."

"So he's had a go at prophecy as well? Will wonders never cease."

"Actually he mapped the path of the stars out and saw that they would be obscured by the moon on the thousandth year. The stars will aid in her escape bit came after. A lot after actually, since it was already over a hundred years after your banishment when he found it out."

Luna tittered playfully, "And that is why I put no faith in prophets and prophecy."

Twilight knocked timidly at the door to Trixie's room, "Trixie? Can I come in?"

"Are we really doing this again Twilight? You know I can't stop you, and you know you'll come in anyway if I say no."

Twilight sighed and pushed the door open, "I'm just being polite."

"Or are you afraid of catching me doing one of the few activities available to me besides crying, sleeping, and reading terrible history books."

Twilight walked over to where Trixie was sat in the corner, the fetters joining her knees together barely visible. "What's the other activity?"

Trixie blinked once, then twice. "Wow, you really are determined to maintain your innocence in some ways aren't you. Anyway, since you're here I'm guessing you won and the war's over, so we can all go back home as great big heroes."

"You look about as heroic as I feel."

"Then I better ask how heroic you feel, since I'm feeling pretty damn heroic myself."

"On a scale of one to ten? Probably banana."

Trixie sucked on her teeth, "That's pretty bad. Did something happen in Stalliongrad?"

"Nothing more than usual. We beat them back, and they surrendered, so we won. Nothing more, nothing less. Well, apart from our idiot attempt to kidnap the Viscount." Twilight shook her head and shrugged, "I don't know. I'm probably just being silly."

"Probably."

"Anyway, how are you Trixie?"

"Oh, same old same old. I would practice my magic, but I have an inhibitor on the broken stump of my horn, so I'm doubly fucked there."

"Do you-" Twilight looked down and fiddled with her hooves, unwilling to ask the question, and especially unwilling to look Trixie in the eye while asking it. "Do you still want to kill yourself?"

Trixie shrugged, "I honestly don't know. Right now, talking to you I'm not thinking about it, but if I think about my parents, or the Duke, I get so angry, but I can't do anything about it Twilight, and it hurts. It hurts so bad." Trixie turned her head away from Twilight and leant against the wall, "What do you do with that much rage? I know what I'd normally do, but I don't want to do that because I tried to kill you last time, and it's not like I can do that every time I get pissed off, so I'm stuck with just being angry."

"And the dark magic?"

"Still there, like I can feel it waiting for me to give in and use it again, and heavens help me Twilight, I want to, even though the thought of doing so makes me sick. To have all that power, and to have it taken away... It makes losing the Alicorn Amulet feel like child's play in comparison."

"I'm not going to bother tell you my preference on the issue, since I bet you already know it."

"Don't worry, Trixie's going to be a good girl." Twilight's heart leapt at hearing Trixie refer to herself in the third person. Something she hadn't done in weeks. She must have showed it too because Trixie started looking at her funny. "Was it something I said?"

"You could say that."

"I don't know? Did I?"

"You sure did."

"Fuck you so much Twilight."

"Not for all the tea in Canterlot."

"I'm starting to question who the crazy one is here."

"You're not crazy Trixie. We've all been changed by our time here, but that doesn't make us crazy."

"Says the mare that feels banana."

"Are you sure you want to go down there alone?" Octavia asked Summer as they stood at the entrance to the dungeons, along with Ivory, who shared the same concerns as Octavia.

"I'm sure," Summer replied without hesitation. "I want what I say to him to be all my own words. Besides, I've been looking forwards to this."

Ivory pressed a hoof to Summer's side, "As long as you're sure. We'll both stay right here, so all you'll have to do is shout if you need us."

"Okay, okay. Honestly, you two seem more worried about this than I am. All I'm going to do is say my piece, then leave."

"Considering what he did to you," said Octavia, "I think we're allowed to be worried."

"And I'm telling you I'll be fine." Summer smiled confidently at them, "There's nothing he could say or do that could bring me down now. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of stuff to rub in the Viscount's face."

Summer held her head high as she flounced past Ivory and Octavia, and kept it high as she trotted all the way down the stairs to the dungeons, where not even the dark, dank atmosphere could lower it. She kept it high as she walked up to the Viscount's cell, and tried to raise it even higher as she very brightly said "Hi."

The Viscount raised his head, narrowed his eyes, and in a voice made hoarse from shouting, said "You."

"Yep, except this time it's you in a cage, which I much prefer since you actually deserve to be in one. The only way this could get better for me is if a stallion came along and made you his plaything. I don't think I'm going to have that wish come true, but I'll take what I've got so far."

"And what? Now you've come to rub that in my face?"

"I would, and I'm going to. Let's face it though, if we lost, and this were the other way around, you'd be doing exactly the same to me. Eventually anyway. I imagine you'd be too busy training your new pet alicorn to bother with me at first."

The Viscount grinned nastily, "You know your master too well my pet."

"Which would only make it all the more delicious when Princess Celestia came flying in to tear you and your country apart to get Twilight back, meaning you would lose anyway." Summer smiled as the Viscount lost his, "Your problem is that you're far too short-sighted Francis, as well as being a horrible sadistic pervert."

"You will call me by my title, pet."

"Oh? What title is that? You're not the duke since there's no more duchy. Heck, you're not even the viscount anymore, you're just plain old Francis. A nothing and a nopony like I was, and like every pegasus was forced to be, except unlike you we have a chance to become somepony. And we will too, to spite you, to spite the Duke, and to spite this whole damn country that treated us as disposable!"

The Viscount smiled cruelly and clapped his hooves together slowly, "My, that was a pretty speech. Too bad you're forgetting that for all the things you think you can be, you'll still be nothing more than a filthy pegasus, born to serve your betters."

"Like I'm going to accept a tribalists opinion on that," Summer replied cheerfully, "and frankly, of the two of us, you're going to be a lot more filthy than me because you're trapped in here, and I can bathe every day if I want, because I'm free, and you're not." Summer turned and pressed her rear against the bars of the Viscount's cell, raising her tail to expose herself entirely as she gave him a sultry gaze. "Take a good long look, Francis, because this is the only bit of mare you're going to see for a long, long time. Assuming they don't execute you that is, because it's the last bit of mare you'll ever see again in that case."

The Viscount chuckled, the sound echoing around the dungeons, "You think yourself better than me now, but you doing this makes you no better than I am. You might think yourself free, but you'll always be mine, no matter how much you deny it." His amusement died as Summer giggled at him.

"Ponies in cells really aren't intimidating you know, and Pearl was a lot better at getting under ponies skins. I'm not like you. Never was, never will be. Instead, you're now like I was; a nopony stuck in a cage. Try to make the best of it Francis. I learnt to reset dislocated wings while I was stuck in a cage. A very useful skill at times. Toodles."

Summer kept her tail high as she bounced away, and she didn't even flinch as the Viscount slammed his hooves against his cell door and shouted after her.

"You think you've won, but you'll pay for this! All of you will! You don't even know what I'll unleash on you!"

Summer paid it no mind as she trotted back up the stairs into the keep proper. As they said, Octavia and Ivory were waiting for her, and both seemed a little confused by her upbeat nature. "How'd it go?" Octavia asked after a moment.

Summer inhaled a deep breath and smiled as she released it, "It was everything I ever dreamed of."

Author's Notes:

And one step closer to the end. Hopefully I can get the rest done easily enough, especially since I've managed to fuck my left arm by playing with balloons with my niece. Yes, I hurt myself playing with balloons. Who the fucking hell does that?