That night when midnight had not long passed by and it was now the early hours of the morning, Rainbow Dash lay sleeping peacefully in Twilight's bed, mumbling in her sleep a little as she smiled slightly and soon rolled over to snuggle up closer to her marefriend. However as she moved one of her hooves around to try and reach for Twilight, all she was getting was the feeling of the soft bed sheets against her hoof it seemed.

Stirring in her sleep a little as she moved her hoof around more, searching for her marefriend, however not seeming to feel anything other than the bed sheets, covers and pillows. As her eyes now slowly opened and blinked a couple of times as the pegasus yawned and sat up in the bed, soon finding that Twilight was currently missing from the bed for some reason. Looking around the bedroom as she let her eyes get used to the darkness, before shrugging her shoulders and getting out of bed, leaving out the door a moment later as she first went to the bathroom to see if she could find the Princess there.

However the bathroom door was wide open and the light had been switched off, Dash seeing that Twilight clearly wasn't in there, so she guessed she might as well go downstairs to look for her marefriend instead, unsure of why the Princess would be awake at this time, but figuring that she had just got up for a drink of water or something like that.

But as Dash made her way down the stairs and walked into the main room of the library, the dim glow of a lamp caught her eyes as she turned her head towards the light and sighed when she spotted the mare she had been searching for laying on the floor of the library with a book open in front of her, while a small desk lamp stood beside her providing her with a small light source at the moment.

"What are you doing up this late Twi?" Dash asked as she caused Twilight to take her attention off of her book and look up to see the pegasus walking over to her now as she raised an eyebrow to the Princess, while Twilight just smiled back to her nervously in response.

"Couldn't I ask you the same question?" she asked as Dash just shrugged in reply, shaking her head slightly before she came to lay beside her marefriend, resting her head on her shoulder and nuzzling her as she now looked to the book that the Princess was reading at the moment.

"What are you reading?" she asked not looking all that interested in the book and clearly still feeling tired, while Twilight just smiled slightly to her marefriend before answering her a moment later.

"The History of Ponyville," the Princess simply stated as she caused Dash to widen her eyes a little, and look slightly more awake now, as she looked to the book again and seemed to be trying to pay more attention, even though it was clear to see that she was still having trouble with keeping her eye-lids from closing every so often.

"I didn't know this little town had a book about its history,"

"Well it doesn't have much significant information, but it is interesting at least," Twilight said as she also sighed a little, while not seeming to be all that focused on the book that was currently right in front of her, Dash just smiling as she raised her eyebrow to her marefriend a moment later.

"Oh yeah? Does it mention anything about how the poines of this town like to force pegasi from other visiting towns to leave at all?" she asked causing Twilight to chuckle slightly, as she just shook her head in response.

"Surprisingly enough...no, I'm not even sure why I'm looking to be honest, after all no matter how you look at it, to think that the kind ponies of this towns could actually have threatened to run all those pegasi out of Ponyville, it...it just doesn't sound like them at all," Twilight sighed again as she closed the book in front of her with her magic, as she held her head low and looked like she was quite worn out right now, while Dash just kissed her forehead lightly and smiled to her slightly.

"You think they're actually telling the truth?" she asked as she caused Twilight to think for a few moments it seemed, before she just shrugged her shoulders in reponse.

"I don't what to, but what reason could they have to lie to us about all that? I mean it's hard to believe that all those other pegasi would follow along with Lightning Dust's plans if they didn't have their own reasons for bringing pain and dismay on to those who live in Ponyville," Twilight explained as she couldn't see why the pegasi of Cloudsdale would lie to them, after all they had to have at least some sort of motive for causing all the fear and pain that they had already. Dash seeming to agree as she just nodded her head in reply.

"And although I know some pegasi from my hometown did like to stir up trouble just for the fun of it a lot, however those pegasi weren't the ones that I used to hang around with. In fact they are all probably the kind of pegasi that just kept to themselves most of time...kinda like Lightning did before everything with the feud happened, so to think that they now all seem to hate the ponies in this town so much..." Dash paused as she knew that she had never really met any of the pegasi that were helping Lightning with her plans before, and them always seeming to be the kind of pegasi that never left Cloudsdale much, and yet they still had a strong hatred for the ponies that lived below them somehow.

Dash looking to Twilight as the Princess just nodded a few moments later, "There has to be some reason as to why Lightning Dust and those other pegasi wanted to do of all this, and if what they told us is all a lie, then...what other reason is there? I mean they said that the ponies of this town took everything from them and they were the ones at fault for the feud. You don't think like that right Dash?" Twilight asked as she looked back to Dash and caused her to just slowly shake her head a few moments later.

"While I did notice that some ponies didn't like us coming to visit their town, and true there were accusations and rumors floating around at that time, but I could never see those ponies forcing and threatening us to leave. And yeah when that feud started Cloudsdale lost a lot and many families, friends and relatioships were torn apart, however the pegasi played a big part in that as well, so it wasn't just those who lived in Ponyville that were the problem," Dash stated as she yawned now slightly and leaned more into Twilight, while the Princess just took in everything she said and lay thinking for a moment, wondering just where they should go from here.

'If those pegasi were telling us the truth and the two towns are really as bad as each other when it comes to getting along...then just what should we do? How can we fix all of this?' Twilight questioned to herself as she tried to figure out some kind of plan inside her mind, but as she was a little lost in thought she heard Dash yawning again, as her eyes widened and she glanced to her marefriend, smiling slightly when she saw the pegasus slowly starting to nod off on her shoulder, and caught her attention a moment later.

"Hey Dash, you can go back to bed if you're still tired, after all I only came down here because I couldn't sleep, so- Twilight stated as she didn't really feel all that tired since she had too much on her mind right now, but unlike her she could see that Dash was just barely keeping herself awake at the moment.

However Dash just shaking her head in response as she tried to wake herself up a little and straightened her back, before she shook off her exhaustion, cutting off Twilight a moment later, "No, no, I'm okay, I'll stay down here with you Twi. After all we still have to figure this all out right?" she smiled nervously as Twilight just smiled back to her slightly, before she turned away from Dash and sighed a little, looking like she was lost in thought once again.

"Hey Dash?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think...we can really still do this?" the Princess asked in a nervous, low tone as she turned back to her marefriend after as short pause as Dash widened her eyes a little in response, staying slient for a few moments as it seemed like she was unsure of what exactly she should say in reply, but soon smiling slightly back to Twilight.

"Of course we can Twi, after all we'll always make it through as long as we're together," Dash repiled with a reassuring expression as she leaned into Twilight more and nuzzled into her neck, Twilight just nuzzling her back while she still had an anxious look on her face at the moment.

"B-but how can you be so sure Dash?" she asked in a low tone after a short pause, however not hearing a reply from the pegasus, and so was about to call her name and get her attention, only to turn her head and smile slightly when she noticed that her marefriend had now fallen to sleep while resting her head on her shoulder.

'I guess this time really is too early for her to be awake,' the Princess thought as she lay a light kiss on Dash's forehead, causing the pegasus to smile in her sleep a little, before Twilight just sighed slightly and looked back to the book that was still currently in front of her, narrowing her eyes as she just pushed the book away from her a moment later.

'For the sake of both Ponyville and Couldsdale...I hope you're right Dash,' she thought as she looked to the closed door of the library with a determined expression, before she soon rested her head on her front hooves and cuddled up close to Dash, nuzzling into her as she closed her eyes and wished her mind would go blank to allow herself to get some rest before she and Dash would have to wake up in a few hours and work out just where they were supposed to go from here on out, and what their next move was going to be.

....

Twilight still somehow being able to wake up early in the morning after luckily getting a few hours sleep, soon coaxing Dash to get up too as they both quickly had some breakfast along with Spike, before they left the library and were now making their way into the town of Ponyville together. Dash clearly being a little confused as to what they were doing, and what kind of plan Twilight had figured out without having told her, while they walked around the market in town at the moment in a rather quick pace.

"Twi what are we doing here?"

The pegasus asked as she was being dragged from place to place at the moment, while she looked to Twilight's cheerful expression and wondered just where this energy of her's had all come from considering the fact that the Princess was up half the night with thinking about everything that had happened the day before.

"Well after I finally got some sleep, I thought that since we have now found out more about how this feud started from the pegasi who live up in Cloudsdale, we could also try and do the same with the ponies who live here in Ponyville. After all it will be good to hear both sides of the story," Twilight simply explained as she smiled to Dash and continued to practically drag her through the market in town, while the pegasus just rolled her eyes and sighed slightly, it seeming like Twilight had already made up her mind on what they would be doing today, and not seeing much point in protesting when the Princess was so set on her own plans for this morning.

The two mares spending the late morning and most of the early afternoon going around the town and asking the ponies of Ponyville about the feud and how things were before it started, however as hours passed they reailzed that all they got in reply from the townsfolk was mostly of what they had already heard about before now.

'We were always so welcoming to the pegasi that came from Cloudsdale, and were happy to have them in our little town,' was what they got in reponse, as well as, 'We always just wanted to get along with the pegasi from Cloudsdale, so we don't know why they seem to be so against the idea,' and often some ponies stated that 'It's the pegasi up in Cloudsdale that seem to have a problem with us and want to keep this feud lasting longer for some reason,' all the replies seeming to blend together as they were all roughly the same thing from each different pony from the town, but they still not being any different from what they had both already heard before now.

Dash and Twilight soon deciding to sit down in the shade of a tree, as they both sighed deeply and looked to each other with slightly disappointed expressions on their faces. Thinking they could learn a little more about the feud from the ponies point of view, however that seeming to not be the case unfortunately as they weren't any closer to finding out anything more about how the feud had started than when they had been told by the pegasi that were helping Lightning Dust with her plans the day before.

"Can we go home now Twi?"

Dash asked as she looked to Twilight with a pleading expression, clearly showing that she was tired of all this running around and talking to ponies when it hadn't really even gotten them any further from when they started. The Princess just looking back to her marefriend with a slightly anxious expression as she didn't want to give up just yet, but could see how continuing what they were currently doing most probably wasn't going to get them anywhere, as she lifted her head and looked round the little town of Ponyville, seeing cheerful ponies going about their day-to-day lives, talking to one another happily, and sighed a moment later.

'If you don't count the guards walking round, this town looks so peaceful right now, it's hard to believe that they would be involved in a feud with the neighboring city above them. However it's so different up in Cloudsdale, most of the pegasi up there seem on edge most of the time, and those ones that are helping Lightning Dust...they can't even seem to stand talking or thinking about the ponies living below them at all,' Twilight seemed lost in thought as she hung her head low a few minutes later and just let another heavy sigh leave her lips, catching Dash's attention and causing her to look to her with a slightly concerned expression now.

"Just what are we going to do, Dash?" Twilight asked as she looked worn out at the moment, as Dash just smiled to her slightly and moved to lay closer to the Princess.

"I don't know, but...we'll figure it out," she stated as she nuzzled Twilight, and rested a hoof over her's, causing Twilight to just nod slightly as she nuzzled Dash back and relaxed against her for a few moments now while they both let a silence fall on them, taking in the peaceful feeling that the town of Ponyville often gave off.

The two however not laying in slience for very long it seemed as they were soon approached by a familiar farm pony, as she smiled and greeted them both, "Twilight, Rainbow it's nice to see you two out and about like this, what have you got planned for today?" she asked in a cheerful tone, as both Dash and Twilight turned their attention onto Applejack and looked to her now, them still having quite the worn out expressions it seemed at the moment.

"Hey Applejack, we've just been asking around to see if we can find anything more about how this feud had started between Ponyville and Cloudsdale. But it doesn't look like we are getting very far at all," Dash replied as she sighed deeply and looked away from the farm pony a moment later, while Applejack looked a little confused in response it seemed.

"Well what do you want to know?" she questioned as she looked a little puzzled to what exactly Dash had meant, as Twilight answered her with her own question now in response.

"Well...how did the ponies of this town treat the pegasi from Cloudsdale back before the feud started?"

Applejack seeming to be thinking for a moment or two in response, before she looked back to Twilight and answered her simply, "The pegasi fromClousdale were welcomed into Ponyville by all of the ponies that live here, and the ponies of this town were always kind to them..." Applejack paused as she looked like she was thinking to herself again, while Twilight and Dash just nodded with the same fed up expressions on their faces as before.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what we've been hearing all morning," Dash stated as she rolled her eyes slightly, guessing that Applejack's reply wasn't going to be any different from the other ponies that her and Twilight had talked to this morning. However the farm pony seeming to surprise the other two mares as she continued on a moment later.

"But then again there were the odd few ponies that often liked to spread gossip and rumors around the town," she stated causing Twilight and Dash to both widen their eyes a little in reponse, looking to each other a moment later as they both had noticed that Applejack had said something very different to what they had been hearing all morning, not only that but it was also something that sounded quite similar to what they remembered the pegasi of Cloudsdale had told them yesterday.

"Really?" Twilight asked as she and Dash looked back to Applejack now, waiting to see if she would elaborate more on what she had just said, as the farm pony just nodded in response.

"Yeah, while it's true that those who came from Cloudsdale did cause a lot of trouble for us, I can't really say that all of us from Ponyville were completely innocent in the matter either. And honestly when it comes to this feud both towns just prefer to blame everything on the other while denying that they are at fault in any way," Applejack finished as she shook her head and sighed heavily now, while Dash and Twilight glanced to each other again, before the farm pony changed the subject and caught their attention a moment later.

"Anyway it's not good to focus on the past too much, how are your wings healing Dash?" she asked, causing Dash to look back to her and just shrug her shoulders slightly in response to the earth pony.

"I still can't move them all that much yet, and it'll be a good while before I can start using them again, but I have noticed that they don't hurt too much now," she simply answered as she looked to her wings that still needed to be bandaged up, while Applejack nodded back to her with a smile as she was glad that the pegasus seemed to be recovering rather well at the moment.

"That's good, and with luck you'll be back to flying with them in no time," the farm pony said with an encouraging smile as Dash just nodded in response.

"Yeah, at least that's what I'm hopping for," she replied as she smiled back to Applejack, while Twilight had gone a little quiet at the moment, looking like she was lost in thought as she looked down to the grass and sighed slightly, seeming to be going over everything in her head and still trying to figure out just what her and Dash should do from here.

However soon widing her eyes as an idea seemed to have enterened her mind, but before she could really think about it any more her attention was taken off of her own thoughts as the two pegasi guards that were normally at the front of the library were now coming over to her and the other two mares, causing them all to turn and look to them as they approached the Princess.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle, and Rainbow Dash, we have just heard news from guards who had come to us from Canterlot, and it appears that Princess Celestia would like to see you both," one of the guards stated as Dash and Twilight looked back to him with wondering expressions, as they glanced to each other before looking back to the two guards again.

"Why does the Princess want to see us?" Dash asked only to widen her eyes when the same guard answered her a moment later.

"Well it seems that Lightning Dust has been found and captured,"

He simply replied, causing all three of the mares to look surprised in response as they all widened their eyes and seemed at a loss for words, Twilight and Dash not believing what they had heard at first, however the serious expressions that the two guards were giving them at the moment surly looked like they were telling nothing be the truth right now.

....

Twilight and Dash soon enough making the journey to Canterlot once thay had made a quick stop back at the library, and told Spike about the situation, before they both and the two guards had set off for Canterlot together, as they were now all making their way through Canterlot castle, walking to the throne room where Princess Celestia was currently waiting for them.

The Princess turning to the double doors as she soon heard them being opened and stood up from her throne, while she saw Twilight, Dash and the two guards that she had sent to protect them specifically entering now as she came walking down to greet them all.

"Princess Celetsia, did you really catch Lightning?" Dash asked as she clearly still seemed surprised by this sudden development, as Celestia smiled slightly in response.

"Well not exactly," she stated causing both Twilight and Dash to look to each other, before they turned back to the Princess with questioning expressions, as they looked quite confused right now.

"What do you mean Princess?" Dash asked again as she and Twilight both looked to Celestia for more of an explanation as she replied to them a moment later.

"You see Lightning Dust actually came here and turned herself in," she stated causing Twilight and Dash to widen their eyes once again, as they both looked taken aback and speechless for a moment, before Dash soon spoke up.

"She did what?" the cyan pegasus exclaimed as she clearly was so confused as to what was going on at the moment, and why Lightning Dust would possibly 'turn herself in' as Celestia had said she had when she had been keeping herself hidden until now.

Twilight however not looking as surprised now as she took a deep breath, and looked back to Celestia with a serious expression, catching the Princess's attention a moment later, "Princess Celestia...can we see her?" she asked causing the elder Princess to look a little taken aback, and looking like she was going to deny Twilight's request, until she looked to the lavender mare's determined expression and hesitated slightly.

"Please Princess, we need to see her,"

Twilight stated as that determined expression didn't leave her face, while Dash was at first also surprised by what Twilight was saying right now, but soon enough agreed with her marefriend as she asked Celestia if they could go and see Lightning Dust as well. The elder Princess sighing a few moments later as she finally nodded her head and turned her back to Twilight and Dash now.

"I understand, this way then," she simply said as she gestured for the two mares to follow her, as the two both just looked and nodded to each other before following after the elder Princess and soon being led down to the holding cells below Canterlot castle, Celestia walking Twilight and Dash to the cell that at the moment belonged to Lightning Dust.

Celestia being sure to stay close and keep a watchful eye over the two, as well as having the two guards protecting Twilight and Dash to stay near just in case, as Rainbow Dash and Twilight now walked up to the holding cell and looked through the bars, both of them feeling a little anxious at the moment, before they soon saw a very familiar turquoise, golden maned pegasus walk out of the shadows and come to stand near the bars of her cell, as a ashamed expression now rested on her face.

Twilight and Dash both widening their eyes and trying to keep themselves calm as they looked to the mare behind the bars, Dash biting her bottom lip as she knew losing her composure and making a scene here wouldn't be good for her and Twilight at all, so she just tried to hold back while her anger was already boiling inside of her, and her eyes glaring to the other pegasus.

'This pegasus is most definitely Lighting Dust, but why in Equestria would she turn herself in like this all of a sudden? And just where has she been hiding until now?' Twilight questioned to herself as she too glared to the turquoise mare, looking to Lightning with a determined expression, as she wanted to get to the bottom of just what was happening at the moment, and also maybe getting an idea as to what Lighting Dust was planning right now.

Author's Notes:

And so they meet with Lightning Dust once again.

Thank you ever so much for reading.

KillerChainsaw ;)