The train. For most in Equestria, it was seen as the absolute height of transportation, a veritable marvel of technology, bringing ponies together and letting them see the world in a way that was simply impossible before its creation, unless they were pegasi of course. Whenever Twilight was on board one of those enormous machines, she could never help but look on in awe at the construction, the intricacies of the steam engines. As a scientist at heart, it always thrilled her to be near one, and it often helped to be a highlight of any journey she undertook. Today, by contrast, even that seemed to be far from her mind, as she sat in utter silence in her seat, staring out of the window as the countryside beyond rolled on by. Slowly, she turned her head, looking upon the rest of the carriage, and saw, as she already knew, that it was almost completely empty. No Fluttershy. No Pinkie Pie. No Applejack. No Rarity. And no Rainbow Dash. The only person who was sharing this journey with her was her son, Spike, who was busy looking on with interest at the views outside the window. She afforded him a small smile, but it was a short-lived one, as her mind couldn't stay away from the memories of everything that had happened recently. Her friends had turned from her, now knowing the things she'd done, and she had not seen them since that night. Deep down, she wondered if she ever would.

As one might expect, it was a saddening thought, but, as soon as the young dragon before her started to look in her direction, she put on a small smile for his benefit. But, one look at her made it clear that she was forcing it, and so Spike, always thinking of her, moved over to sit beside her, placing a single clawed hand upon her hoof. It was a comforting moment, and one that Twilight appreciated greatly, leading to her planting a gentle kiss upon her son's forehead. If nothing else, she still had him, and that wasn't nothing. But, mere moments later, she noticed that Spike's eyes turned to the window yet again, as his expression suddenly lit up. Turning to join his gaze, Twilight understood why, as the countryside now seemed to give way to more familiar landscapes. Gone were the simple green fields and farmlands, and instead replaced by plains that were, on occasion, dotted with bright and beautiful crystals. A smile formed upon her face as she realised what was going on, and so she and Spike both hopped off their seat and began to make their way towards the exit of the carriage. They each grabbed hold of a nearby railing to steady themselves as the train began it's inevitable slowing down, which took place moments afterwards, and after that, the doors before them slid open, finally revealing their destination; the Crystal Empire.

This magnificent city, once lost for a thousand years, still managed to impress with its beauty, from its tall and magnificent central palace, to the simple way that the sun shone off the crystalline buildings all around. Smiling at this sight, Twilight and Spike began to depart the train, as did a number of other ponies from subsequent carriages. But, as soon as the two of them were safely on the platform, Spike looked up to his adopted mother and spoke to her in a soft tone.

"Um...Mom? Are you okay?"

Twilight looked to him, seeing the concern on his face, and gave him another small smile.

"Thank you for asking, Spike. I'm fine. I just think...it might be for the best if Ponyville is just...rid of me for a few days."

Looking away from him, the young alicorn suddenly gained a more serious look.

"Besides...I think I could really do with having some family with me right now."

Spike nodded at that, understanding her words well. But, as he considered that he began to look past her, and then gained a look of surprise before speaking up again.

"Er...you may not have to wait much longer for that."

Raising an eyebrow, Twilight turned to him, only to finally notice where he was looking, which prompted her to look in the same direction. Her eyes widened with surprise as she saw that, there, on the other side of the station, was a procession of the guards of the Crystal Empire. Many of the civilian crystal ponies got out of their way, especially once they noticed who was at their head; Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armour. Twilight smiled at the sight of her brother and sister-in-law, and so walked over to greet them, with Spike not far behind her. As soon as they were close enough, Twilight and Shining rushed forward, embracing each other warmly. After everything she'd been through recently, this was something she was sorely in need of, and so let out a contented sigh. Eventually, the two siblings parted form one another, and moments later, it was then Cadence's turn to hug her. About a minute after that, the two mares parted, and Shining gave a silent command to his guards to disperse slightly and give them some space, which they did with a typical salute. After they finally had the platform to themselves, Shining looked to his sister, his affectionate expression giving way to concern.

"Twily...are...are you okay?"

The young alicorn looked to him, and knew immediately what was going on through his mind, leading to her letting out a deep sigh.

"I'm fine, brother. I'm just...sorry I had to tell you about all that in a letter."

But, contrary to how Twilight might have assumed he'd react, Shining just put on a warm smile and nodded at her.

"Don't worry about it. Although...I will confess that, had Princess Celestia not been visiting Cadence and me at the time to confirm what was in those letters...I might have questioned your sanity a little."

The two chuckled together a little before Shining continued speaking.

"Still...after everything you've been through, it's my honour to give you some sort of reprieve from it. Besides, from what I understand...I owe you thanks for saving mine and Cadence's wedding...and a lot more besides that."

Although she smiled at first after being told that, the moment was all-too brief for the young alicorn, as she looked away from her brother somewhat.

"And...everything else?"

There was a moment of uncertainty after Twilight's words, though Shining knew full well what she was talking about. After giving the matter a great deal of thought, he put on a warm smile for her, placing a hoof upon her shoulder and gaining her attention.

"You're my sister. It's going to take a lot for me to ever turn by back on you...and those things...just aren't enough for that."

In this moment, Twilight smiled in an appreciative manner, clearly thanking whatever force was up there that her brother was still with her after this. After this pleasant moment between them, the older stallion gestured with his head, silently inviting her to walk alongside them. Twilight nodded at that, and within moments, the four of them were off, flanked by their accompanying guards. As they made their way down the street, many of the other crystal ponies began to stare at them, not just because their prince and princess were there, but also that there now apparently seemed to be a fourth alicorn around that they didn't know about. All the way, Twilight did her best to ignore the stares, though Cadence noticed her discomfort immediately.

"I imagine this must be difficult for you, getting this much attention?"

But Twilight simply shook her head.

"Not really. I mean...I do remember what it was like."

A moment of silence passed before Cadence gained a look of understanding, after which she let out a somewhat nervous laugh.

"Ah...yes...silly me."

It was a moment that gave Twilight cause to smile, which she silently thanked a great deal. However, the moment was fleeting, as her mind then turned to more important matters.

"I’m guessing Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are already here?"

This time, it was Shining who nodded in response.

"Yes. I wish I could say that we had more time to spend with you, sister...but...the summit of Equestrian royalty cannot be delayed."

Twilight nodded in response at that.

"I understand, Shining. I wouldn't ask you to put it off just for my sake."

In the silence that followed, the elder stallion glanced sideways to his sister, seeming somewhat nervous about the thought that now grew in his mind.

"You know...since you are technically an alicorn, you could..."

But Twilight, perhaps already having suspected what her brother's offer would be, shook her head a little before turning to him.

"Thank you for the offer, Shining...but I'm no princess. I can't take that role...at least not yet."

In that moment, when Twilight looked away from him, Shining stared at her, seeing the discomfort that was plastered all over her face as that topic no doubt rattled around in her head. Immediately, he felt a wave of guilt wash over himself for having brought the matter up, and so, in typical big brother fashion, tried to remedy the situation by turning to happier topics of discussion.

"Still...to think that my sister is an alicorn now. What would Mom say?"

Twilight let out a groan and slapped her forehead with her hoof with that thought.

"Ugh! Don't even joke about that! Chances are she's probably tearing all of Ponyville apart trying to find me and take pictures."

That remark, understandably, earned her many a laugh from her companions, even a few of the guards, though a single stern glance from Shining shut up the latter fairly quickly afterwards. Still, the moment of levity was something that Twilight needed, as she felt at least some of the tension and discomfort leave her, for the time being anyway. And it was here that the four of them and their guards began to approach the enormous central palace of the city, which still left Twilight awe-struck every time she saw it. However, as she began to slow down on her approach to it, a new thought began to come to mind for her. She turned her head, looking at each of the ones who walked alongside her, before letting out another deep sigh, gaining their attention. It took a moment, but she finally managed to get her words together.

"I, er...should probably tell you something. Wanting to be close to my family at the moment was not the...only reason I needed to come here."

That got their attention instantly, and for a moment, they seemed somewhat confused by her words. However, it wasn't long after that when understanding dawned on them, as Shining, Cadence and Spike gave each other concerned looks. They knew exactly the kind of thing she was referring to, which then prompted Shining to take a step closer to his sister before speaking to her in a somewhat more authoritarian voice.

"Twilight? Do I need to...you know?"

He raised a hoof, gesturing to the guards that accompanied them, and from that, Twilight knew what he was planning. But, she simply raised her hoof and placing it carefully upon his shoulder.

"No, there's no need for that. I promise you, I already have a plan in place."

Silence fell between the two siblings, as Shining looked into his sister's eyes, and saw nothing but honesty and confidence there. If nothing else, she believed that she could handle what was coming, whatever that was. So, reluctantly, he let out a sigh, giving a nod as his expression softened, and leading to Twilight smiling in a loving way towards him. With that point now established, they began to make their way once more towards the palace, and as soon as they reached its front gates, the guards that had been accompanying them began to take their regular positions beside the long stairway up to it. Once inside, Twilight and Spike looked in with amazement at the still-beautiful interior of the place, even though they had seen it many times by this point. The young alicorn turned, looking upon her brother and sister-in-law, who began to give her silent gestures. Instinctively, she knew what they meant, as that summit of theirs no doubt required their attention. Smiling, she gave a nod, granting them silent permission to leave her for the time being. After a final smile and a hug from both of them, the royal couple made their way off, leaving Twilight and Spike to make their own way to the room that had been prepared for them. It took a while, what with the size of this palace and all, but eventually, they found it, and started to settle in.

As Spike began to unpack his things from his suitcase, he looked over to his mother, who used her magic to levitate her saddle-bags, which she'd been carrying on her back this whole time, over to a nearby dressing table. He watched with interest as he saw her levitate another object out from within them, wherein his eyes widened with shock as he finally noticed what she had brought with her; her crown, the Element of Magic. Now shining brightly, as it was always meant to, and free of the corruption that once tainted it, Twilight smiled warmly at seeing it as it was always meant to be, before gently placing it upon her desk. But, her smile faded, as she closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Spike watched with interest as Equestria's newest alicorn began to cast some sort of spell, bathing the crown in a magical aura. It was strange to see, but that magic soon faded, with Twilight now looking upon the crown with a satisfied expression. Slowly, the young dragon walked up to her, gaining her attention.

"Um...Mom? This thing that's going to happen soon...are we gonna be okay?"

Twilight looked to him and put on that warm and motherly smile she'd become so good at lately, before patting him gently upon his head.

"Don't worry Spike. Everything will be fine. Let's just get some sleep."

Turning, Spike looked out of the nearby window, seeing the sun set beyond the horizon, and nodded at his mother's words. He moved away from her, getting into the small bed that had been prepared beside Twilight's much larger one. Seeing her son get comfortable before drifting into a peaceful sleep brought a smile to Twilight’s face, after which she made her way to her own bed and got in. Before doing so, however, she stretched out her wings and furled them, smiling at the knowledge that her wings wouldn't be interfering with her sleep this time. So, after climbing into the bed, Twilight gave her crown another look, using her magic to levitate it over to the small table beside her, before turning to the window. As she gazed out at the orange hue the sky was becoming, she couldn't help but let out a brief giggle.

"A sunset before Sunset...how appropriate."