Twilight has been waiting patiently on the station, Cadence didn’t come as she had her princess work to do. However, she promised to greet her friends later when they come back. Twilight also was supposed to tell Rainbow, that her things are still in the Empire and that she should say when she is flying back to Equestria and not disappear without a word.

Four guards were standing guarding her, while the station was prepared for the Elements coming, there was a red carpet on the floor so that her friends might feel appreciated. Truly unnecessary details that stop simple ponies from using their necessary space. There were flowers, vines, different kinds of plants around to satisfy Fluttershy. Again as if they just couldn’t let them look like normal ponies.

The vines were wrapped around the wooden support for the roof. It wasn’t the best greeting site ever, but at least her friends don’t come with the Crystal Empires train that would be of better use if it slammed itself at full speed into a mountain and made a hole. It’s made of Crystal so it wouldn’t break.

It bothered her, what Sauron said. It bugged her, it bit her. She felt weird, she felt betrayed, she felt alone again just as she has lost Spike. She can’t go to him for a visit, as the dragons are very tense when it comes to ponies. The tries to reform pony-Dragon relations went too far, and the Dragons want to regress the “ponification” of their land and culture.

When did she receive the message? After Sauron has left, she adjusted his flames so that whatever message he burns will go to her rather than Celestia. That way she and he could have small chats by sending each other’s messages through this system. The Dragon Lands are on a brink of a civil war and he needs to stop contacts with ponies.

Celestia doesn’t know of this, she left Dragon matters to her, she is a minister of foreign affairs. She is the new face of Equestrian diplomacy. Many dragons have been “loose” so to say, many went somewhere, perhaps as an protests and stopped paying taxes. Taxes in Dragon land are different, they involve taking ten to twenty percent of what a dragon has caught hunting. Or dug, some Dragons dig gems, gold, silver, or any other ore and make money, tolls, armor, and swords.

Mints work differently, a Dragon may offer his own made coins to the mint in exchange for food or something different. These coins will be taken, and on them the Dragons will curve out the current Dragon Lord’s portrait and behind it add the emblem of the Dragon lands. The Dragon lands were supposed to adapt new laws regarding economy, to be at least somewhat familiar to the rest of the world.

It was her idea, Spike wasn’t too good at being a ruler. He was more of a speaker and was serving as the voice of Ember. He wasn’t bad, he also had as the consort of her Majesty Ember the right to propose his own reforms that the council of elder Dragons could approve of. If the changes weren’t big and they included minor amendments then Ember could approve it without the council.

What the Dragon's call “ponification” in reality is just modernization and adaptation to have friendly relationship with the ponies. She can’t allow ponies, to beaten, bullied, used even as slaves at some points because the dragons deem them as worse. It’s something that has to change, Embers father is neutral in that matter.

Spike and Ember both pushed for social benefits in the Dragon lands. The Dragons liked the idea, but of course in order to keep the benefits you had to have sources from which you could maintain them. Which is one of the reasons the tax was put on Dragons. The education of young dragons was dire, they learned at homes, not in schools. This had to change and Twilight asked Spike to set up a ministry of Education.

Public schools have been set up, pony teachers and even Griffin teachers volunteered to teach the young dragons. Many Dragon teachers and professors that finished their education in Manehattan disagreed with the idea, as it would require the hiring of state officials in order to run the ministry. It would require more money to build these schools.

Another reason for why the tax has been set up, not to mention foreign investment that were in most cases destroyed. Dragons didn’t want to allow their ores to be mined by others. There was an edict that promised the protection of such mines, the Dragons almost started a rebellion. If not for Ember telling them that the mines would give every pinch of what they mine to their Homeland.

Dragons were very resistant to damage and diseases. There was no need for now for the dragons to have public hospitals and clinics. Private Clinics and Hospitals were doing fine for hundreds of years. There was a need for the Dragons to do build census bureau's and count births and deaths. The Dragons assumed there is at least a one hundred thousand of Dragons in the world. From which forty thousand are in the Dragon land.

Poor infrastructure, Dragons may fly but not every dragon is able to fly with tons of gems, they use wagons to transport ores and gems. There are almost no roads, only paths made by the travelers. Dragons need to learn also to call the roads a name, Caves are spread all across the Dragon Land with areas that have fifty or a hundred caves near each other are called cities.

The Dragons need to also get their independent Dragons back to their homeland. These Dragons may not identify as a citizen of Dragon Land, but they definitely will seek support if anything happens to them, therefore its not fair. Some Dragons live a nomadic life, and she has nothing against it, however these Dragons if they want it or not, have to obey their Dragon Lord.

In a way, thanks to Spike being Embers lover, she has control over the Dragons in some degree, she can, if needed. Even make the Dragons support Equestria. Of course she would never try to do it, if the situation wouldn’t require her to do so. She only wants to help and make the Dragons great and powerful. The Pony-Dragon alliance can be extremely profitable for both countries.

She doesn’t understand the antipathy towards any reform Ember is doing, she is a dragoness and therefore she is seen as weaker. Sexism in the Dragon Land has its roots, and it will be very hard to get rid of especially since the Dragons live thousands of years. Her Reforms aim for the future, Twilight only wants Ember to be remembered as a good ruler who made the Dragons lands modernized and tolerant. Rather than old, with nothing more to offer the dangerous paths, full of volcanoes and fires ready to devour every non-dragon.

The trail of smoke coming in could be seen in a distance, her friends are probably going to arrive in just a minute now. She is more than happy to see them again, every moment spent with her friends is a moment she will never forget. Especially now after some sad words said by Sauron. She didn’t take it very personally but it still hurt.

While Twilight was waiting, she felt that something will happen today, she doesn’t know why but she feels this day will be different, that this day will be very brutal and vile. She doesn’t know why, something tells her that, she also feels lighter that Sauron is gone. Weird, as if something heavy was put off her back.

Twilight is no one to judge others, but he seems to by just standing near, look so great and so dominating. He looks so, powerful, that the air she breathes becomes warmer and denser, harder to breath with. That standing in the near of him is also tiring. Every one of his words is louder than any other sound around, even if a bee decides to fly near her ear, his voice is louder the bees wings.

His words are also sometimes hypnotizing, when he makes a lot of fair points or wants her to remember something, she falls for these words. She is wrapped around his finger and she listens to everything he has to say. When he said it was just an observation and nothing more, simple fact stating. He told her this, so, incredibly slowly, and at the same time she didn’t have much time to think about the words he said as he started with another subject.

His very words seemed as if they had the power to manipulate the whole world to his liking. While everything that lives, can speak or has conscious was under these words, was their slave of some sort. She never thought of anything like that, but this made her think. Was he doing something to her mind?

He wouldn’t dare, he wouldn’t dare to try and play with her like with a toy. He isn’t so stupid to risk her a princess of a foreign country be angry at him. Especially since he is dependent on their help that can get him back to his own world from which he came from. The concept of other worlds still made her crazy.

New Kingdoms, civilizations and new friends she could meet. Everything would be possible if she could with Sauron’s and the Princesses help open a portal to that world. Maybe some of the shards from the mirror Sunset Shimmer used to transport herself in to alternative dimension of Equestria could help achieving this?

It definitely could help them breaking the wall between worlds. Sauron doesn’t know of the mirror, but he could for sure be interested in it and its power. She doesn’t know much about the alternative dimension Sunset Shimmer lived in, but she is sure it had to do with some strange entities. Princess Celestia herself didn’t know what.

Anything might come to use, she was very saddened when the mirror was destroyed by Sunset, she barely got to know her, either way. There were no records of what is behind the mirror and nopony tried to enter inside to see what is on the other side.

As Twilight thought, the train got closer, to the point you could hear the sound of the train moving on the trails. Twilight shook her head and stopped her thinking, for the first time since she went towards the Griffin Empire. The train was moving in closer, the engine driver tooted to indicate the train is coming.

There were of course other ponies but they were dissallowed to enter the area where the elements will stand on. One fifth of the station was reserved for the elements. Twilight thought it was unnecessary, her friends are normal ponies, there is no need for such rude behavior towards others, but of course what can she do. The empires officials that are seen almost every time nowhere in the castle requested it to be so.

The train started to slow down, and it got closer, Twilight had to live through the torture of it starting to using its brakes to loose speed. The giant metal pink colored machine eventually was getting way closer and it moved very slowly, turtle speed slowly. Twilight could see ponies waving towards in the train compartments, of course she waved back with a smile she trained long to achieve.

Eventually the elements trains compartment came, it was dark, and was made by Canterlotian experts to be as comfortable as on can hope for. The outside looked decently, it had big windows, large doors for the elements to exit with. The glass windows made it so that ponies outside saw nothing that as inside, the glass just looked black.

The train stopped with the compartment right in front of Twilight. Twilight looked at the wooden doors, made from oak wood from the Everfree forest, one of the most hardest from wood there is. The guards beside her went towards the doors and opened them pulling the brass handles. The first pony to come out was of course Rainbow Dash, who dashed forwards.

“Long time no see?” She asked her and gave Twilight a quick hug.

“Every second is like a year when it comes to your absence!” Twilight said.

“Now ain’t this my, Twili?” Twilight heard the familiar to her dialect.

It was Applejack who came outside next, she was almost in front of her, behind her was Rarity and Fluttershy. The two hugged deeply, Applejack didn’t see Twilight for a long time now, and she really wanted to see her again. It’s one of her best friends after all.

“I’m so happy to see you!”

“Me too! It’s been long since Ah got my holiday, it’ll be nice to spend some time together again.”

Applejack pulled her bag with her, that had her cutie mark on both sides and stepped to the side for Rarity to come next. Pinkie Pie was behind her happily hopping around waiting for her friend to finish exchanging smiles with Twilight before she comes.

“Darling! I missed you so much! Come here let me hug you.”

Twilight and Rarity embraced each other, with Rarity kissing her on both her right and left cheek like a old grandma does to her grandchildren. The smooches were soft and juicy, leaving a small mark on her cheeks. Twilight blushed a little, and got dirty with Rarity’s white powder she has to whiten her fur.

When they stopped they looked each other into their eyes, Rarity narrowed her yes, and she looked like she just drunk lemon juice and cringed. She looked at her friend and Twilight tried to know why Rarity is looking at her like that. To be serious she looked a little ridiculous with that expression. Like an bad aunt that came to spank every foal she sees for bad behavior.

“You don’t use that special cream after bath for your fur to be nice and soft like the hair of a little filly don’t you!”

Twilight smiled embarrassed “No…”

Rarity looked away and crossed her hoofs. “You need to work on yourself, and find yourself a good pony!”

“Rarity I don’t think that’s necessary-” Twilight tried to reason, but with Rarity she was powerless, even as an Alicorn.

“Necessary, If I can’t find myself somepony, then at least I can help you find somepony.”

Applejack was snickering together with Rainbow Dash behind of her from the scene that was happening. Pinkie Pie did her tenth circle around herself and her axis trying new styles of hopping around from boredom. While Fluttershy was looking at the vines and flowers that were ripped from the ground and now we're dying without a drop of water.

“Rarity I’m very thankful for you caring, but there is no need for that for now.” Twilight said embarrassed, as the guards heard everything, she added quietly “Maybe we’ll talk about my private life, somewhere else?”

“Alright, however I’m excited meeting him.” She said raising her eyebrows up and down.

“He’s out with shining for a little trip to see the camp.” Twilight said and Rarity’s mood saddened a little, she joined the two mares behind Twilight.

Fluttershy wanted to approach Twilight and say something, while taking a breath in but Pinkie Pie moved in and prohibited any of her contact to be made with Twilight. Pinkie Pie hugged the lavender Princess very tightly, to the point Twilights bones could be heard cracking. Twilight wasn’t even able to say hello.

“Twilight! I missed you so much!” Pinkie rubbed herself against her fur on her chest.

“I missed… you too… Pinkie Pie.” Was everything what Twilight could say, while smiling.

When Pinkie Pie let go of her, she almost fell but she regained her balance, surprisingly her back didn’t hurt like it did before. Pinkie Pie hopped away leaving Twilight only Fluttershy to greet and that was it. She and her friends could go towards the palace and talk about different things in the end talking about Sauron whom her friends were interested in.

“Twilight,” Said Fluttershy, gently hugging her, using less force then a bunny, “I’m so happy to see you.” Twilight hugged Fluttershy back.

“I’m happy to see you too, I thought Discord wouldn’t let you come?”

“He’s not like that, of course after you talk to him.”

“Well Twilight, where’s your brother?” Applejack asked.

Twilight turned to her friend, while their Luggage was taken by a porter. Twilight together with Fluttershy went forwards in order so that nopony but they could hear what she was about to say.

“He and Shining are away, Shining managed to invite him to the training camp in the forest. So that he may learn a few things about the Empires Military.”

“What!?” Rainbow Dash shouted. “You allow him to just simply walk there and see everything?”

“Rainbow! There’s almost nothing there! Only cadets walk out of there, and the highest possible rank to achieve is the rank of a private.” Twilight said.

“Still, it’s not a good idea to just allow him to go there.” Rainbow said, angry.

“Rainbow, there’s nothing wrong with allowing him to see anything, it’s even better he can do something. He has nothing in the Empire, he knows nothing about the Empire and us ponies. You know why.” Twilight said, annoyed by Rainbows Sauron-Phobia.

Rainbow didn’t say a word more, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity looked at each other wondering what Twilight meant exactly by these words. Twilight took a breath in and looked at her friends with a friendly look. A little blush appeared on her cheeks, she didn’t want to say it, but she didn’t find anything wrong about that.

“I really am happy that to know we can again be together like in the old days.” She said.

“Twilight, seas, hills, mountains and forests will never break our friendship apart.” Applejack said.

“We can be thousands of kilometers away from each other, and our bond will never break because of how stretched it will become.” Rarity added.

“We will party like never before!” Pinkie Pie said out loud.

“The old days, as you said. Are always present.” Rainbow pushed in her own sentence into the crowd.

Fluttershy just nodded to every one of those statements.

“That’s nice to hear, really appreciate to hear that.”

Before any one of them knew, PinkiePie group hugged them by getting every one of them in her arms, the elements couldn’t breathe. PinkiePie had impressive amounts of strength in her hoofs. Every one of them wondered where did she gain so much strength? She isn’t working like Applejack on the farm, she isn’t weight lifting. Then again, PinkiePie was a giant mystery.

“Group hug!” She said.

When PinkiePie let them go she again was bunny hopping around them. Twilight let out a small laughter, it was indeed like in the old days. Too bad that the elements have to gather just when he has appeared, he might think it is a act of aggression towards him. He knows about the power of the elements, thanks to tales of them defeating villains.

“Anyway’s lets go to the Palace, Cadence couldn’t come outside because of her injury. She’s probably waiting for us impatiently.” Twilight said in her librarian voice.

The ponies stood up and looked at her with confused looks.

“What in Tarnation happened?” Asked Applejack.

“Is a very long story, I will tell you on our way towards the Palace.”

Twilight wanted to go but Rainbow stopped her. “Wait a minute, when I was here she was fine, what could have happened in two days?”

“It’s very unbelievable what happened, believe me I still doubt that what I saw was real.”

Rainbow Shook her friend “But what exactly happened?” She got pulled by Rarity to the ground.

“Rainbow Dash! What’s wrong with you! Since that Sauron arrived you’re acting crazy!”

“I support that.” Applejack said rising her hoof in the back.

Twilight got into the conversation. “Wait, what do you know about him?”

“Not much, will we know is that he is scary, wears spiky armor I won’t like. That he’s a giant that can turn into a small blond bipedal creature with spiky ears.” Rarity said, counting on her hoof what she said.

“That he was fightin’ Discord. That he is a bad non-pony that deserves to be in stone.” Applejack added.

Twilight got confused. “Who told you he’s bad?” Twilight asked, concerned who told such things to her friends.

Applejack and Rarity pointed at Rainbow Dash who just smiled. Twilight frowned at her friend. Sauron wasn’t bad, she could say he is just weird, and maybe sometimes creepy but he has his own reasons for being who he is. He has been in war for decades from what she knows, he has lost many subjects, he has lost much and felt much pain.

“Rainbow Dash, he is not bad, and evil. It's better if I told you the truth in the Palace.”

“Why not here Sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

“It’s a secret, and a very important topic.” Twilight said, slightly lowering her voice.

“A very important, you won’t believe until he himself will tell you.” Fluttershy who was silent all the time added, only strengthening the seriousness of Twilights statement.

Pinkie Pie even got interested and begin to listen to all this, while eating popcorn she has mysteriously gotten from somepony. The ponies finally exited the train station and found themselves on the way towards the city, that as always, was blinding them with sunlight that reflected from the surface of the Crystal homes.

The ponies were currently getting on the paths to the city, while passing the gate that meant they found themselves in the borders of the city. Fun fact, Cadence planned on rebuilding it and placing a powerful shield on the gate so that a small rock wall might be built around the city. However the pans were scrapped due to Celestia’s word.

“How was the journey?” Twilight asked.

“Pretty good, for the most part, without counting the last ten minutes or so.” Applejack said looking at Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.

“Oh come on Applejack, you liked it!” Pinkie Pie said appearing in front of her with her hoof going down her chest.

“Uhh, no.” She sated imply.

Pinkie Pie saddened and started to walk slowly forwards with her mane touching the ground. Rainbow Dash seemed to ignore Applejacks comment and fled above her friends like a bird ready to drop some bombs on statues. Rarity was simply walking beside Fluttershy and observing the snow as it melted away slowly.

“Twilight, why is there snow around the city?”

Twilight stopped and turned around to wait for her friends to approach her. “I think it's time to tell you what happened yesterday.”

Her friends looked at each other with worried expression, Twilight continued to go forwards and she started to describe the day, or the night. She mentioned herself asking Sauron if he wanted to test his strength against her and he agreed. This is how she overloaded her horn and landed in the hospital wing for a few hours.

“Wait, this Sauron is an powerful mage?” Rarity asked.

“Yes, he is more then powerful, he is extremely powerful and also wise. Although in matters I normally do to interest myself with.” Twilight said.

She got back to the story, she said how she woke up in the night, and she stood up. She tried to look or some doctors but she was alone. She felt extremely cold and she didn’t like that. Her friends already suspected what happened at the time, but they let her continue. Twilight described how she ran in the hallways and about her injuries she has inflicted upon herself. How she can’t move anything heavy and cast powerful spells for some time.

She said how she looked out the window and the storm was above the city. How it froze everything around the city and left nothing behind but ice and destruction. How frostbite was about to be the main problems of the ponies in a minute. She ran, she galloped towards Cadence and that she met her and she got to know the painful truth. The truth that the Crystal Heart was stolen.

“What?!?!” PinkiePie yelled.

“How is this possible?!” Rainbow asked.

“Isn’t the Empire a safe place for the Heart?” Applejack added.

“How could have his happened?” Rarity asked next.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy said, still quietly.

“Everypony please, I know that these are very unbelievable news to you, but I myself do not know who and why stole the Heart. All I know is that it was found again.”

“The Heart was upgraded by Discord to keep the storm away even if it wasn’t active. So why didn’t the storm disappear when the Heart was found? Where was it found anyway?” Rainbow asked.

“I didn’t ask Cadence, but it had to be somewhere outside of the city.” Twilight answered her friend Rainbow Dash.

“Well, what happened next?” Applejack asked.

The Elements continued to go forward, they were really close to reach the crystal homes and find themselves in the city already, the poster from the station probably was already in the city giving the luggage to ponies in the Palace.

“That wasn’t as breathtaking as what Sauron was able to do, you didn’t see the damage he caused to the storm. He obliterated a wide chunk of the storm with one mighty attack he later constructed again with my help. It was a powerful attack that managed to do what Luna and Celestia weren’t able to achieve!”

The ponies gasped, Rainbow Dash almost fell on the ground from the shock. This had to be a lie, there is no pony,o r non-pony. Especially not Sauron that are more powerful than the Princesses. What Twilight was saying had to be a lie, she had to see something wrong and what she saw wasn’t as great as she thinks it was.

“It’s impossible, nopony is stronger than the Princesses!”

“Our laws of magic may not apply to his Rainbow Dash! Therefore he achieved what he did. Meaning he could do much more or less in different situations!”

“Still, this doesn’t mean he can achieve what the Princess couldn’t. Maybe if they tried the same thing, they would succeeded. What did he even do in the first place?” She asked and flew in front of her.

Twilight stopped. “He explained to me that the attack needs to be one. The attack was an elemental attack that magically very heavy and could be ranked as a A+ or even a S leveled spell in my books.”

“He just fired such an spell with ease.” Rarity said shocked.

“With great ease, he didn’t even look like he bothered with maintaining it, he is a very skilled mage.” Twilight noted. “The spell contained, even needed dark magic in order to work.” She said very slowly.

“Whoa! Hold on a sec’ you allowed him to use dark magic in the Empire?” Applejack asked, almost speechless.

“He promised he wouldn’t do anything bad and that he could control it-“ Twilight was cut off.

“You can’t trust him, he could have used it against you!”

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight yelled. “Please stop cutting me off, and listen to the end!”

Rainbow obeyed Twilight and landed on the ground, she looked away and Twilight could finally continue her speech. Fluttershy was the only one that was behaving right now. Together with Pinkie Pie to most surprise. The two waited for what Twilight was about to say.

“He did as he promised, he controlled the spell, it was an powerful spell that caused some of the ground to shatter under its power, but that is normal for most spells higher than level A.” She said calmly. “The answer to his problems, was that he needed light, and darkness together. It surprised me he can manipulate the elements so well, as if he was a master of crafting magic…

…I thought about it, the answer were layers, he needed to make it whole by making the attack from layers and not mixing everything in it. He did so, makig the spell shaped like a spear spear and a Giant Explosion vanished a very big part of the Storm. Hurting it for good and making it weaker if it will ever return.”

While mentioning this event, she remembered he called her clever. She felt special. She felt better, she felt warm and finally she felt loved from a person she never met, something she didn’t receive because she is herself. Most Love from foreigners comes from the fact who she as a Princess and Element, and not from her, from Twilight Sparkle.

“Twilight? You there?” Applejack asked, waving her hoof in front of the princess of friendship.

“Yes, yes! I’m here.”

“You doze off for a moment.” Fluttershy said and approached her friend putting her hoof on her forehead. “You’re really warm, and a little red. Is everything alright Twilight?”

“That’s nothing, I’m fine there’s nothing to worry about.” Twilight assured them all.

“Are you sure?” Pinkie Pie asked concerned. “If you will be sick we won't’ be able to throw you a , ‘good old days that are always present’ party.” She said sadly.

“No there really is no problem, perhaps It's because of my horn, its injury could cause me to have a fever if anything. As Alicorn this doesn’t really affect me and my strength.”

“Well if you say so.” Applejack commented. “You’re the clever one from all of us.”

Twilights ears moved when she heard one important word.

“Could you repeat that please?”

“I said that you are a clever pony. You’re the one who was responsible for all studies and research.”

Twilight looked into the distance as the one word echoed in her mind. She didn’t know why but it didn’t held the same power, when Sauron said it, it felt differently. It felt better, she felt better, she felt happier. She blinked, but for her an minute was just passing by, where once Applejack stood, now stood he, in the Empire, in the cold, in the ice. Around her buildings, hugged in ice, while wind destroyed everything, he stood.

Before her, he stood, in his dark black noble vesture, probably from Mordor, with his right sleeve burned revealing his arms muscles. He wasn’t ripped like someponies, he had the body and the right properties to be satisfying.

He looked at her, he smiled and he said, In his sweet, voice, that didn’t sound loud or quiet, it was perfect.

“You’re a smart pony, Princess Twilight.” His voice hypnotizing, and so floral.

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