Rarity woke up feeling dirty.

Judging by the dim sliver of light from the draped window, it was early dawn. Rarity glanced around the room, noting with relief that everypony was still asleep. She would be mortified for them to see her drenched with sweat after the amorous night on her once pristine coat.

Rarity had been too exhausted to bother with a proper bath before bed. The cottage’s water system was in desperate need of repairs, so the water would have to be heated up the old-fashioned way. She did at least wash her nethers. A shudder went through the mare’s body as she remembered the icey cold touch of water in her most sensitive place, but it was better than sharing a bed with her innocent sister while her pussy was dripping stallion gunk.

Wincing at the unwelcome mental image, Rarity slipped off the bed, hoping to sneak out again without waking anypony, but luck wasn’t on her side today.

“Good morning, Lady Rarity,” Lotus greeted her from behind. Rarity sharply turned to see Lotus getting up with a mighty yawn. “Do you need anything?”

Rarity forced a polite smile, giving her maid a nod.

“Prepare me a bath, please,” she said. No point in doing it herself after being exposed.

“Right away, Lady...” Lotus began and stumbled when she finally got a good look at her mistress. “...Rarity.”

An intense blush covered her face and she hurried out without speaking another word. Rarity rolled her eyes, following her maid a more leisurely pace. Lotus hasn’t worked for her long enough yet to get comfortable with Rarity’s lifestyle.

An hour and a lot of labor later, Rarity admired herself in the mirror. Her white coat was sparklingly clean and her purple curls were bouncing up and down as she walked. Unfortunately, all of her perfume had been left back at her cottage, but after spending days in the dusty caves, Rarity was content with a simple shampoo. After a few finishing strokes against her fur, Lotus put the brush down.

“All done, Lady Rarity,” she announced, beaming with pride.

“Thank you, darling.”

Rarity turned sideways, examining her sides. The maid did a great job. She could almost forget what had happened in these last few days.

“You must be starving now,” Rarity said, glancing at Lotus. “Let’s go get us some breakfast.”

Lotus nodded happily and the two walked to the kitchen. The house was just waking up. Rarity exchanged greetings with Heavy Steps and Night Light along the way, but neither was the pony she was looking for.

He wasn’t in the kitchen either.

Rarity scrunched her muzzle upon entering. Even now she could smell sex in the room, though it wasn’t that surprising since it had happened mere hours ago. Judging by Lotus’s flaring nostrils and lowered ears, she noticed the smell too. Rarity gave her a wink and the mare blushed as on cue. Rarity snorted.

Twilight Velvet turned to them from the kitchen table where she was chopping some vegetables.

“Good morning, girls. Breakfast is not ready yet, but I would appreciate the help.”

“Oh, I’m sure you don’t want me anywhere near the stove,” Rarity said, putting her hoof to her chest. “I’m a terrible cook.”

Velvet frowned slightly, but Lotus stepped forward.

“I’ll be happy to help you, Miss Velvet,” she said.

Rarity quickly left the two alone, wondering if Lotus was going to gossip about her activities with Velvet. She didn’t really mind – as long as they didn’t involve Midnight, of course – but she would likely have to endure a lecture from Velvet in that case. The mare did not seem to have the highest opinion on Rarity as it was.

Probably because of the way her husband and son were glancing at her sometimes. But that wasn’t her fault, now was it?

Unsurprisingly, Rarity found Midnight in the living room poring over Twilight’s favorite book. The mare herself was nowhere to be seen. Midnight was too engaged to notice Rarity until she loomed over him and cleared her throat a couple of times.

“Oh, Rarity. Hi.”

“Hello, darling,” Rarity nodded in greeting, noticing his sullen voice. “How was your sleep?”

“I barely slept at all,” he answered, looking away as his ears fell. “Was thinking about what happened. I think it was a mistake.”

“Why would you think so?” Rarity asked, frowning.

“It just feels wrong, doing it with someone you don’t love...”

Rarity wasn’t surprised by his answer. She suspected Midnight was the type to feel that way and, if she wasn’t in heat, she wouldn’t have seduced him. Although now that her thoughts weren’t affected by hormones so much, she remembered about all the other available stallions in the house – her rescued guards, Heavy Steps, Twilight’s brother… Rarity was sure she could have wooed any of them if she wanted, but she chose Midnight instead.

She had a thing for teasing ponies and Midnight was such a good target. Maybe combined with her heat it caused her to get carried away… But Rarity wasn’t about to admit it to Midnight when his self-esteem was at the bottom of the ocean already.

“There is nothing wrong with two consenting adults having a good time with each other,” Rarity said instead.

“I guess,” Midnight shrugged, “But I would still prefer someone I love.” He leaned closer to Rarity, lowering his voice to a whisper, “You know who I mean.”

“Indeed,” Rarity nodded with a smile, but then turned serious. “If you want it to go somewhere though, you should tell her.”

“I thought about that, but I don’t think it’s a good idea right now with all that’s going on.”

“I disagree,” Rarity said. “I think it’s better to not have regrets if something bad does happen. You need to act before it’s too late. At least talk about it with her to decide what to do together.”

At that moment Twilight walked into the room and the two fell silent. Midnight eyed her nervously. Luckily, Twilight didn’t seem to notice the abrupt end of their conversation. After exchanging greetings, Rarity left the two alone.

“Please consider what we’ve discussed, Midnight,” she said trotting out of the room.

“What do you think of the book?” Twilight asked, noticing the open tome on the couch as she approached.

“It’s great just like you said,” Midnight answered, staring at her intently.

Twilight levitated the book aside and climbed on the couch in its place. She turned her head to Midnight who kept looking at her. Was there something on her coat? Twilight glanced at her chest, but it was the same smooth fur as always.

“What?” She asked Midnight, slightly annoyed.

“Nothing,” he said, finally looking away. Twilight shrugged and levitated the book in front of her eyes, quickly turning the pages until she had found the one she had stopped at. She couldn’t wait to—

“Twilight,” Midnight interrupted her thoughts. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Talk then,” Twilight said, flicking her tail at that delay.

“I like you.”

Twilight lowered the book to stare at the stallion.

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean,” Midnight said, not averting his gaze. “I… I love you.”

Twilight opened her mouth in shock.

She wasn’t expecting that. Although now that she thought about what had happened with that factor in mind, Midnight’s actions made more sense. He had always been friendly to her at the Academy and he had agreed to help when she had showed up being accused of attempted murder. He had even chosen to risk his life in the caves with her…

And she hadn’t realized that until now. “Oh. I see.”

Midnight’s face fell and Twilight realized her mistake. She wasn’t experienced at romance stuff, but her neutral answer probably wasn’t something a pony wanted to hear after such an admission. She imagined her professor reacting that way after she had explained the solution of a particularly hard magical problem, and she winced.

“Sorry, I mean, you… How do you know?”

Midnight creased his eyebrows in confusion.

“I guess I’ve always known that.” After that, an uncomfortable silence lasted for a whole minute before Midnight continued, “So…”

“Yeah?”

“What are we going to do about that?” Midnight asked, staring at the floor and dropping his ears as if afraid of her answer. “Do… do you even like me that way? Or at all?”

Twilight chewed her lower lip as she thought of what to say. “Of course I like you, at least as a friend, but romantically? I don’t know.” Midnight’s ears fell flat on his head, but Twilight continued. “I mean, I never really thought about relationships, especially in these last few months. I don’t even know how it all works!”

“So is that a no?” Midnight said in an emotionless voice.

“No! Ugh! I mean no to what you just said!” Twilight stopped and took a deep breath. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m willing to find out. If I like you as more than a friend or not, I mean.”

“Really?” Midnight asked with new hope in his voice.

“Of course,” Twilight assured him, raising the tips of her mouth in the barest a smile. “But I think we should wait until after we’ve dealt with Everlight, you know? I don’t think now is a good time for dating.”

Midnight didn’t look happy at Twilight’s words, but at least he didn’t seem as devastated as before.

“Well, I guess that’s reasonable…”

“Thank you for understanding,” Twilight smiled, embracing Midnight in a sudden hug. He returned it a moment later, squeezing her tightly. “Not so tight!”

“Sorry,” Midnight chuckled, stepping back.

“It’s fine,” Twilight said. “Once this whole mess is over, I’d be more than happy to have a date with you and maybe take our relationship to the next level, but for now let’s just be friends. Is that okay with you?”

Midnight nodded.

“Well, now that that’s settled, can we talk about the book?” Twilight sat back on the couch, inviting Midnight to join her. “I’m dying to know what you thought about the Nightmare War, if you got to that part.”

“Well, it sure is different from what the official history says, but it does make more sense...”

Rarity was heading off to the post office for the second time in the last couple of days, expecting it to have the answer to the letter she had sent a day before to her father. She’d had to spend most of her remaining bits to pay for a pegasus courier, and her father would undoubtedly do the same.

In Rarity’s opinion, such urgency was justified.

Silver Armor, one of her guards, was accompanying her on her trip today, despite his minor but numerous injuries. Unbeknownst to him, Pinkie Pie was trailing them at some distance. The truth was, Rarity and the others doubted the guards’ loyalty. After all, they were basically mercenaries, and Rarity was working with Twilight, a wanted criminal with a big price on her head.

Rarity had talked with them, of course, explaining that the mare was innocent, and they had agreed to keep quiet for a sizable bonus to their payment, but as a precaution it had been decided to watch them every time they left the house.

Unlike his charge, Silver was wearing no disguise. He was a simple guard, and the last pony who was able to recognize him was feeding the rodents in the dark alleys all over the city.

Though days had passed since Pinkie had killed the last kidnapper, the memory was still vivid in Rarity’s mind. She felt her coat standing on its end every time Pinkie approached with her unnatural smile. What was worse – the pink mare seemed to enjoy causing that.

Finally, Rarity and her guard had reached the post office. After walking inside and introducing herself under her alias, Rarity was given the letter waiting for her. It was from Sullen Hill, but Rarity knew it as one of her father’s fake names.

Rarity suppressed her desire to read it right away, not wishing to linger at the office for longer than necessary. Putting the letter in her saddlebag, she bid her farewell and headed back to Lucky’s cottage. Still, Rarity was too impatient to wait even that long, so once she saw a nice quiet cafe, she immediately dove inside, claiming a secluded table by the window.

Having ordered Silver and herself a cup of tea with some snacks, Rarity levitated the letter in front of her eyes and finally began to read.

It was mostly what she had expected.

Her mom and dad were happy their daughters were safe and furious at what Everlight had tried to do. He also wrote that this had only proven the necessity for Rarity and her sister to remain hidden. Their own manor, though heavily guarded, was not safe from Everlight, whose assassins had managed to infiltrate the royal palace itself. He was sending two of his personal, trusted guards in addition to Silver and Blazing to find a new place for them to stay in Canterlot. He hadn’t mentioned it specifically, but Rarity still felt guilty for ruining that strategy the last time.

At least Sweetie Belle was unharmed, otherwise Rarity wouldn’t know how to live with herself.

Sighing, Rarity kept reading. The letter advised Twilight and her company to go to Birminghoof as soon as possible. Lord Belle would provide a safe place for them to stay as well as his assistance in dealing with Everlight. A check for a sum of bits for the necessary expenses was attached to the end of the letter.

Finishing the letter, Rarity tucked it away and glanced at Silver Shield, but he was silent as usual, watching the cafe for possible threats. He had barely even touched his tea. He had shown no signs of a possible betrayal so far. Relaxing slightly, Rarity contemplated what she had read as she sipped the surprisingly good tea from her cup.

Cashing the check wouldn’t be a problem. Rarity didn’t even have to go in person – anypony could go in her stead. The real issue was her father’s expectation for her to stay in Canterlot.

That prospect didn’t sit well with her.

Well, her father hadn’t ordered it specifically, so technically she wasn’t disobeying. She was going to leave Sweetie Belle, her maids and the guards here and go with the rest to Birminghoof. It wasn’t like she had been able to protect her sister the last time… she had made it worse even. Rarity’s ears flickered down briefly before a determined expression settled on her face.

She’d be of better use in Birminghoof, working against Everlight directly. Her father may not approve, but the future head of the House would not hide in some hole while the others did all the work for them!

Rarity got up sharply, starting her guard, paid for their tea and trotted away, trying not to think of the dangers her decision was putting herself in.

Later that evening, Twilight and her allies had gathered in the dining room to discuss their strategy.

Twilight felt a little bad for locking Lucky in his own room, but they couldn’t risk him eavesdropping on their plans. Sweetie Belle and the maids weren’t present either, and neither were Rarity’s guards, who had been ordered to watch the house’s surroundings.

As the last pony settled, Twilight cleared her throat.

“As you probably know, Rarity’s father is the head of the powerful House Belle,” Twilight began, receiving some nods and grunts of agreement, “He is also Everlight’s enemy and therefore one of our most important allies. He was reluctant to help us directly, but after learning more about our plan and our success in finding the Alicorn Amulet, he offered to provide a safe place for us in Birminghoof, as well as his assistance in overthrowing Everlight. I intend to accept his offer, but I can’t make decisions for the rest of you. What do you all think, everypony?”

“I think we shouldn’t trust another noble with this,” Pinkie said in a surprisingly solemn voice, glancing at Rarity. “I know plenty of places in Birminghoof for us to hide. This Lord Belle just wants to use us and then get the power for himself. That’s how they work.”

Rarity’s face darkened and she opened her mouth to retort, but Twilight raised her hoof. “Even if that were true, somepony would have to take over after Everlight is dealt with. From what I know of him, Lord Belle would be a much better choice than, say, Prince Blueblood.”

Pinkie narrowed her eyes but then nodded reluctantly.

“I can see your point, I guess. I’ve been wrong about nobles before…”

“It’s in his interests to help us now, but we should not trust him blindly,” Shining Armor noted, ignoring Rarity’s hot glare. “I’ve dealt with plenty of nobleponies in Canterlot as a guard. A bunch of snakes… Most of them wouldn’t hesitate to betray their own mother for their own benefit.”

“My father always keeps his promises,” Rarity retorted with an angry huff. “The nobles who break them would lose all trust among their peers. They would never grow powerful.”

“Not if they keep it a secret,” Shining Armor answered calmly. Rarity turned away with a snort.

“I promise that we’ll be careful,” Twilight said, “But Lord Belle has the means to help us. Even with the Amulet, I can’t just barge into the Royal Palace and cut my way through the guard, looking for Everlight. I don’t want their blood on my hooves. We need to plan out our actions carefully.”

The meeting continued for some time.

A lot of ponies, including Twilight’s parents, were reluctant to trust Lord Belle, but in the end Twilight had managed to convinced them that it was necessary. Even Pinkie Pie had agreed that his help would increase their chances.

“So, when are we leaving Canterlot?” Midnight asked.

“I think we should leave tomorrow,” Twilight answered, eager to finally test the Amulet properly. There would be plenty of time for that on the road. “I’m sick of this place.”

“You’re not the only one,” Rarity muttered.

“I hope you have a plan to get us past the gate guards,” Shining Armor frowned. “Our disguises won’t stand a chance against their examination. And I’d prefer not to fight my former comrades if it can be avoided.”

“Remember when I told you about teleportation?” Twilight asked, smiling when Shining’s eyes widened with understanding. “My horn is feeling much better, so I think I can pull it off with the whole group at once.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Velvet asked in concern. “I don’t want you to overstretch yourself again. You know how dangerous it can be...”

“It won’t happen this time, mom,” Twilight assured her. “I know my limits well by now.” She rubbed her horn slightly as she said that. “Besides, I was being distracted by the diamond dogs trying to eat me when it happened.”

Velvet didn’t look entirely convinced by her argument. “Well, let’s hope no one else will try to eat you again…”

“So, is everypony in favor of this plan?”

“This teleportation spell… Is it hard to learn?” Shining Armor asked instead.

“Well, it’s pretty complicated. Why?”

“I want to learn it so I could help you get us out,” the stallion said. “You don’t have to do it all alone. I think Midnight should learn it too. He was in your group in the Academy, right? He must be a capable one.”

A slight frown appeared on Twilight’s face. “That’s a good idea, but it would take weeks for you to learn it. I don’t want to stay here that long.”

“I see,” Shining nodded, disappointed. “Still, I think it would be a useful spell to know. Can you at least start teaching it?”

“Sure, I can explain the basics to you after this meeting.”

“Can I join too?” Heavy Steps, who’d barely talked so far, asked.

Twilight narrowed her eyes, considering his request. She still hadn’t quite gotten over the fact that this stallion had been the one who had put her in a cell despite her pleas. She’d had to endure a day of torture she would never forget at the hooves of Everlight’s stooges. If Blueblood hadn’t broken her out…

Pinkie Pie had also mentioned Heavy Steps’ original intentions towards her, so Twilight couldn’t help but feel suspicious. Even though the ex-guard claimed he was on Twilight’s side now, he could simply be biding his time… What if he teleported to her while she was sleeping to exact some misguided revenge for “poisoning the king”?

You’re getting paranoid, Twilight, she told herself. I’m sure he just wants to do his part.

“Okay,” she said out loud, keeping her voice neutral.

She noticed that Shining Armor was watching the stallion intently, likely judging his intentions as well. Twilight had told Shining all she knew about Heavy. It made her feel a bit better knowing her big brother was watching her back.

“So, who’s going with us to Birminghoof?” Pinkie asked suddenly.

“Sweetie Belle, the maids and Rarity’s guards are staying, but everypony else is coming with us.”

“That’s still a lotta ponies,” Pinkie said, shaking her head. “What would you think if you saw a bunch of dangerous-looking ponies on the road? They’re gonna think we’re some bandits!”

“We look nothing like bandits.” Rarity scrunched her muzzle. “If anything, they’d assume we’re a group of mercenaries.”

“They may still report us to the local guard.”

“She’s got a point,” Heavy Steps agreed. “Ponies in the country are nervous. We don’t need that risk.”

Twilight sighed.

“Fine. What do you propose then, Pinkie?”

“I dunno,” the pink mare shrugged with a grin. “I’m good at finding plotholes, not at solving them.”

Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Anypony else? Any ideas?”

“I suggest we leave all the civilians behind,” Heavy Steps offered, waving his foreleg at Twilight’s parents. “If we run into trouble, protecting them would be a liability.”

“What?! There’s no way I’m letting Twilight go alone into that vile city again!” Velvet exclaimed, throwing daggers at the stallion with her eyes. Night Light nodded silently in support. “We can take care of ourselves, you know.”

Twilight, on the other hoof, wasn’t so quick to dismiss his proposal. She’d never really wanted to take her parents to Birminghoof, where they’d likely be in more danger than here, and had just been thinking about how to bring it up to them. This presented the perfect opportunity.

“Sorry, mom, dad, but I think he’s right,” Twilight said and the two looked at her in disbelief. “Rarity, is it okay if they stay with your sister?”

“Of course, darling,” Rarity answered immediately. “I’m sure she’d be delighted to have some more company.”

“That’s settled then.”

Twilight’s parents weren’t too happy at that settlement and turned to Shining Armor for support, but he was on Twilight’s side. “Sorry, but you’d really be safer that way.”

They had no choice but to fold under the united front of both of their children.

“What about me?” Spike suddenly asked.

Everypony looked at the corner of the room where he’d been sitting quietly for the whole meeting, surprised. Twilight had forgotten he was even here and, judging by the other’s reactions, she hadn’t been alone in that.

“You can stay with mom and dad,” Twilight said. “I’m sure they won’t mind.”

Mom and dad looked like they very much would, but before they could say anything, Spike continued.

“Can I go to Birminghoof instead? I can help with whatever you’re planning.”

“How?”

“I’m magic resistant and fireproof,” Spike said, spitting a little ball of fire in the air. “And my flame can melt stone.”

“It does sound useful,” Pinkie rubbed her chin, looking at Spike with interest.

“Okay, you’re coming with us then,” Twilight decided. He could easily be hidden in a saddlebag anyway.

Velvet and Night Light sighed in relief.

“Even with fewer ponies, we would still get unwanted attention as a group,” Shining Armor pointed out.

“Then that’s a risk we’re going to take,” Twilight said with a sigh. “I think we—”

Before Twilight finished, the door opened and Silver Armor walked in. Twilight closed her mouth, looking at the guard quizzically.

“We have potential trouble,” he announced calmly, causing everyone to tense up, expecting the worst. “A big wagon pulled by a blue mare has stopped in front of the house. She doesn’t look like a guard, so I would guess she came for Lucky.”

“Are you sure she’s not with the guard?” Night Light asked sharply. “Maybe that’s a prison wagon for us!”

“The guard wouldn’t have been so obvious about it, dad,” Shining objected. “But we should still prepare for the possibility. Mom, dad, Lady Rarity, I suggest you all go to your rooms and prepare your things in case we need to leave quickly. Pinkie and Spike, do whatever, but don’t get in our way. Everypony else, follow me.”

His words put everyone into a frenzy of activity. Twilight caught sight of Pinkie slipping out of the window as she followed her brother to the foyer. Midnight, Heavy Steps and Silver were walking by her side as they approached the front door.

Holding her breath, Twilight peered out of the small window.

There was indeed a wagon standing in front of their cottage, but it didn’t look military. It looked like one of those caravan wagons the circus ponies used to travel. Twilight had seen one years ago when her parents had taken her to a show. This one was colored purple and had signs of wear and tear. One small window on the side had its shuts closed.

Nopony was in sight.

“Where is she?” Twilight asked, eyeing the wagon nervously.

“No idea,” Silver answered. “Maybe she went inside.”

“Right,” Twilight said, taking a few deep breaths. “It makes sense. But what should we do about her? Why is she visiting Lucky?”

“Ponies like him don’t have a mare like that as a friend,” Silver commented, watching the outside through another window. “She could be a relative though. They do look similar.”

Twilight frowned in concern. Relative or not, their little band was in danger of being discovered by that mare. How would she react if she saw a whole bunch of unfamiliar ponies here? Badly, if Twilight had to guess. They couldn’t let that happen. Twilight gulped, looking at her brother, and was slightly assured by his calm expression.

“Get Lucky here, Silver,” he ordered curtly, addressing Silver. “We’ll ask him directly.”

Rarity’s guard nodded and disappeared back into the living room.

“Aren’t you forgetting something, Twi?” Midnight asked after a few minutes of silence. After she looked at him in confusion, he elaborated, “Your disguise.”

Twilight widened her eyes slightly. She had completely forgotten they were still keeping her identity a secret from Lucky. Judging by Shining and Heavy’s sheepish expressions, they had forgotten it as well.

“Thanks for the reminder,” Twilight smiled at her friend.

She hastily cast a color spell on herself, making her fur turn light blue and then tied her mane in a bun. It was good being able to use magic again. With her disguise done, Twilight relaxed and glanced out of the window again.

The mare in the wagon was yet to make a move. Twilight hoped she would just leave, whoever she was, and save them the trouble, but she knew it was foolish to rely on that. Although as Twilight gazed upon her wagon, a stray idea entered her head.

A wagon would be a good way for them to travel. Not only would it hide most of her group from prying eyes in need, they could also load it with supplies to avoid stopping in the settlements along the way. With all the things they had to carry, there was precious little place for food in their saddlebags.

“Got an idea?”

“Yes!” Twilight beamed at Shining and hastily shared her thoughts with her companions.

Just as she was finishing, Silver returned with Lucky in tow. The stallion glared at Twilight, and the mare looked away in shame. Though they had paid him quite a lot, Twilight still felt guilty about taking over his house like that, even if Lucky was an unpleasant drunk.

“Do you know who that belongs to?” Shining asked, pointing at the window.

“That’s my bitch of a daughter!” Lucky answered without even bothering to take a look. “I saw her goddamn wagon from my room. The nerve this girl has to come here...”

Fuming, the stallion moved toward the exit, but Shining Armor blocked his way.

“Where do you think you’re going, old guy?”

“I’ll tell her to fuck off!”

Shining Armor gazed at him, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Twilight could guess his thoughts – she didn’t trust the stallion either. He needed to be supervised.

Twilight took another deep breath to calm her nerves. “I’m coming with you.”

“I can come instead,” Midnight offered.

“A mare would be less suspicious,” Twilight argued. “She’d just assume I’m his housemaid or something.”

Lucky snorted, making Midnight glare at him.

“Good thinking, eh… Dawn,” Shining Armor said, stumbling on her fake name. “If there’s trouble, just wave.” Then he looked at Lucky. “And you’d better keep quiet about the rest of us if you know what’s good for you.”

Lucky grumbled something unkind but nodded in acceptance. Twilight gestured for Lucky to move. Together the two left the cottage and approached the wagon. When they had gotten close, its door finally opened, and a blue unicorn mare in a coned hat stepped out with an unfriendly sneer on her face.

“I told you to stay away from my house,” Lucky snarled. “Get the Tartarus away from here.”

“Well, I’m not in your house,” the mare answered, rolling her eyes. “I can stay here as long as I want.”

“We’ll see about that!” Lucky said, stomping his hoof angrily as his horn glowed.

His daughter’s horn lit up in return, and the two glared at each other, daring the opponent to make the first move. Twilight winced, already regretting coming here. A public fight was the last thing they needed. As a guard, Shining was trained to deal with conflicts, but Twilight had no idea what to do.

“Stop it!” Twilight ordered in her best attempt at a commanding voice, but the two just glared at her angrily.

“Who’s this harlot?” the blue mare asked, looking back at her father. “She’s far too pretty to be your marefriend, you old goat.”

“How dare you!” Lucky exclaimed while Twilight frowned.

“I’m his housemaid,” Twilight said sharply. “I’m not a harlot.”

“Well, you must be pretty desperate to work for him,” Lucky’s daughter glanced at Twilight with pity. “I can’t imagine he’s paying you well.”

“It’s none of your damn business,” Lucky growled. “Leave before I burn your stupid wagon.”

“Over my dead body!”

As they exchanged threats and insults, Twilight stepped back. Lucky’s strategy to make the mare leave wasn’t working, that much was clear. Even worse, the whole situation had already begun to attract some unwanted attention from passer-by.

Twilight had to take action before this escalated any further.

“I said stop it,” Twilight repeated firmly, grabbing both ponies in her magic and giving them a hard shake. Furrowing her brows, Twilight thrust her hoof at the blue mare, making her flinch. “You. Why are you here?”

“Put me down this instant!”

Sighing, Twilight levitated them inside the wagon and a moment later followed them, closing the door behind them. The feat of levitating the two grown ponies had barely caused her any hornache. Releasing her grip on the ponies, Twilight repeated her question.

“Trixie’s here to take what’s hers,” the mare answered almost regally.

“I’ll give you nothing, you little brat,” Lucky said, causing another round of insults, but Twilight’s horn flashed brightly, stopping them mid-word. They eyed her cautiously.

“What exactly do you need?”

“Trixie needs her ancestor’s journal to find the Alicorn Amulet,” she said. Twilight assumed that by Trixie she had meant herself.

“I already gave the journal to her,” Lucky revealed with a smirk, pointing his hoof at Twilight. Twilight winced, and Lucky seemed to have realized his slip. “I mean—”

“What? You gave my journal to a maid?!” Trixie stared at Twilight in a mix of anger and confusion. “Why?!”

“No! Lucky is just kidding,” Twilight denied the accusation with a wide smile. “Right, Lucky?”

“Oh, yeah,” the older stallion quickly bobbed his head, but Trixie looked far from convinced. She lit up her horn, glaring at Twilight in rage.

“Trixie demands her journal back or there will be consequences!”

Twilight considered simply giving her the thing – it was useless to her now anyway – but then she thought of a better idea. Enveloping her horn with her magic, Twilight easily extinguished Trixie’s weaker magic with brute force before addressing the mare.

“What if I offer you a deal instead?”

Trixie’s horn flared in struggle, but Twilight kept her from forming any spells.

“Stop doing that!”

“Not until you’re willing to listen.”

Trixie growled angrily but stopped her futile struggle, nonetheless. If looks could burn, Twilight would be a pile of ash right now. Twilight tried to ignore it, focusing on her next words.

“I’ll give you the journal in exchange for your wagon.”

“I’d never give up my wagon!”

“Then just give me and a couple of my friends a ride to Birminghoof,” Twilight quickly conceded.

Trixie huffed angrily but didn’t say anything as she considered Twilight’s offer.

“Well, I suppose I could do that, if that’s what you want…” Trixie said slowly, “But don’t expect me to pull it all the way. You or your friends would have to take turns. And I want the journal right now.”

Twilight smirked. “Do you take me for a fool? I’ll give you the journal only once we get to the city.”

“Fine,” Trixie said, pursing her lips tightly. “But I’d also need some bits.”

“Do you want that journal or not?”

Twilight imagined she could hear Trixie’s teeth gritting even from the distance, but the mare was smart enough not to argue. It seemed she really did want that journal. Twilight almost felt bad for her, knowing that it was useless now.

“Go back home, Lucky,” Twilight ordered, looking at the stallion intently. She didn’t want him to know any more details than he already did. Lucky complied without complaint, leaving Twilight and Trixie alone in the cramped wagon.

“There’s no way you’re his maid,” Trixie said as a matter of fact. “Who are you?”

“My name is Dawn, and that’s all you need to know,” Twilight answered.

As the mares discussed the finer details of their deal, Twilight wondered if she was doing the right thing. If she gave her the journal and by some miracle Trixie made the same discovery as her, she would go into the dangerous caves and likely perish. And even if she survived, Twilight had already found the Amulet.

Twilight couldn’t do it.

“On second thought, I don’t think our deal is going to work out,” Twilight said, much to Trixie’s shock.

“What?! Why? I thought we had a deal!” She raged, flailing her hooves wildly.

“Sorry, Trixie. It’s for your own good, trust me.”

“Why do you even have the journal in the first place?” Trixie asked and then gasped in realization. “Do you want to find my Amulet for yourself?!”

Twilight nodded.

“I do. There’s no chance I’ll give you the journal. Go away, please.”

“Give me my journal!”

“No.”

Screaming in rage, Trixie tackled Twilight, taking the mare by surprise. She yelped, trying to protect her head from a whirlwind of punches as Trixie pummeled her, demanding the journal. Pulling her hindlegs underneath Trixie, who was lying on top of her, Twilight pushed desperately and managed to throw her off.

Not giving her a chance to recover, Twilight cast a sleeping spell on her. The mare growled as she resisted the magic, slowly rising up from the floor, but Twilight poured more and more power into it until finally Trixie’s eyes rolled up and she dropped, snoring loudly.

Twilight sighed in relief, almost dropping down herself – even though she knew the spell, this was the first time she had actually cast it, and she hadn’t been sure it was going to work. But it was the only spell that had come to her that wouldn’t seriously injure this pony who, after all, was only guilty of showing up at the wrong time.

Even if she was a total madmare.

Twilight rubbed her foreleg and winced. She’d have a lot of bruises tomorrow.

“I should have sent Shining instead...”

Lifting Trixie in her magic, Twilight teleported the two of them to the living room. The short-range jump caused her horn to tingle uncomfortably, but it was nothing compared to what she had experienced before.

“I’m back, everypony,” she announced.

After a sound of rapid hoofsteps, Shining and the others burst into the room. They stopped, looking from Twilight to Trixie’s snoring form in confusion. At least Lucky and Silver weren’t there, Twilight noted, relaxing a bit. Trixie and Lucky may have been on bad terms, but Twilight didn’t want to deal with him if he got mad over her knocking out his daughter. Even if she had attacked first.

“I take it diplomacy has failed?” Shining asked tensely, eyeing Twilight’s battered forelegs.

“You could say that.” Twilight quickly recounted what had happened.

“Well, it could have been worse,” Midnight said, examining their new captive. “Are we going to keep her in the basement until we leave?”

“I think so, yeah. I’ll put both her and Lucky to sleep for a couple of days. That should give us enough time to get away in case they report us to the guard.”

“Using the wagon is a good idea, by the way,” Heavy Steps said, nodding at Twilight with approval. “We can take hers, now that she no longer needs it...”

“Wait, you want to steal her wagon?” Twilight asked incredulously, her ears lowering. She remembered well how Trixie had reacted to the mere suggestion of selling it. She shook her head. “No.”

“The idea is worth considering, Twily. I don’t think we’ll find any alternatives on such a short notice.”

Twilight looked at her brother, shocked that he supported Heavy’s offer.

“We don’t have a set date, you know,” Twilight countered. “We can stay for a few days longer until we find one if we choose so.” “Why wait when we have the darn thing right here?” Heavy Steps waved in the vague direction of the wagon.

Twilight shook her head stubbornly. It was the wrong thing to do, no matter how compelling they had made it sound.

“I agree with Twilight, if anyone’s interested,” Midnight mumbled loud enough for all to hear.

“We’ll leave her some bits as a compensation, if that makes you feel better,” Shining Armor said. “The longer we delay, the worse Equestria gets.”

Twilight grunted affirmatively. That was a good point. It had been barely two months since the regent had all but usurped the throne, and he had already plunged the country into war. It was too late to stop it, but there was no telling what new disaster would be waiting around the corner if Everlight remained in power.

“I suppose,” Twilight said reluctantly. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her emotions. “Fine, we’ll borrow her wagon, but only if we don’t find anything else. Shining, you know the city best. Would you please go look for something?”

“Right now?”

“Of course.”

Shining shrugged and left.

“Let’s get her to the basement,” Heavy offered.

Twilight nodded, and together they carried the unconscious mare downstairs where their previous prisoner used to stay. Twilight felt her ears drooping as she thought about what had happened to him. Had it really been necessary to kill him? Twilight wasn’t certain anymore. Sure, he probably would have killed her without remorse if they had switched places, but that didn’t mean they had to do the same.

No matter what, Twilight was going to make sure that Trixie and her father wouldn’t share his fate.

Rarity’s new guards arrived the next day as expected.

As it turned out, they had arrived the previous evening and had already found a new house to rent. Rarity, Lotus and Sweetie Belle had left with them immediately, accompanied by their old guards, while the others were preparing to leave Canterlot. Twilight’s parents had stayed too, wishing to spend a few more hours with their children.

Since Shining Armor had failed to find another wagon, Twilight had had to agree to borrowing Trixie’s. The mare herself was still in prolonged sleep down in the basement along with her father, who had joined her this morning. Both were going to wake up a day later, no worse for the wear, at least physically. Emotionally, that was another story.

Twilight had left them a note and a bag with enough bits to buy a new wagon, which was generously provided by Rarity – Heavy Steps had thought it would be a waste, but Rarity had taken Twilight’s side. However, Twilight suspected that Trixie wasn’t going to be happy anyway.

“Don’t be nervous, it’s going to be alright,” Twilight said to Aloe, trying to sound reassuring.

The maid was going to be the one to get the wagon past the city’s gate. Out of them all, she was among the precious few who hadn’t been seen at the Academy or wasn’t related to Twilight’s family, so she was going to be their safest bet. Pinkie Pie, who hadn’t been seen without her disguise, had refused the task, claiming that she really hated pulling wagons.

“What if they know it’s not my wagon?” Aloe asked, rubbing her foreleg with another. “What if they ask why I’ve got so many supplies?”

“Oh, they’ll most certainly ask that,” Twilight said, regretting her choice of words a moment later. “Um, I mean we talked about that, remember? You’d tell them that you’ve bought supplies for your village. Simple.”

The wagon was relieved of Trixie’s numerous possessions, which were now stored in the living room, and instead loaded with a week’s worth of supplies for six grown ponies and one baby dragon. They had all agreed it was best if they avoided staying in the towns and villages along the way.

“I’ll do what I can, Miss Sparkle,” Aloe sighed and murmured under her muzzle, “Though this wasn’t in my job description…”

Twilight patted her awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. She couldn’t blame her, not when she herself was busy imagining the countless ways their plan could go wrong.

Everypony was in the living room, talking among each other as they waited for Rarity’s return. Twilight and Aloe weren’t the only ponies who were feeling nervous – the whole room was almost crackling with tension. Shining paced back and forth, his hooves providing a constant, almost mesmerizing series of clicks.

When Rarity finally returned, it was close to the evening. She was alone, save for one of the new guards accompanying her. Twilight was thrilled to see her – the waiting was over! The others seemed just as jubilant. Rarity was even taken aback at such an enthusiastic welcome.

“What took you so long?”

“I was making sure the new place was safe for Sweetie,” she said, vaguely waving her hoof around. “It’s marvelous, though not as spacious as even this cottage. But there’s enough space for Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle, if they don’t mind sharing a room.”

The couple was quick to assure Rarity that they didn’t. Everypony but Shining and Twilight chuckled at that.

“This fine gentlecolt will escort you there right away then,” Rarity said, nodding at the guard. “You should say your goodbyes.”

Velvet and Night Light nodded solemnly.

Rarity and the others went outside, giving Twilight’s family some privacy. Nopony talked at first. Twilight looked at her distressed parents, and her heart clenched. She had assured them that she’d be back, but in truth nothing was guaranteed, and they all knew it. They’d already been through losing her once, and now Twilight was throwing not only herself but also her brother in mortal danger. She didn’t know if there were words to make them feel better.

Velvet broke the silence first.

“Be careful out there, okay? Both of you.”

“Of course, mom,” Twilight assured her, a tingling in her eyes. Shining Armor just nodded.

“I wish I could go with you,” Night Light said, sighing. Velvet put her hoof on his withers, and he nuzzled her foreleg. “But I know I’d just be a liability. I don’t know any powerful magic like you two…”

“Well, that’s why you have us,” Shining said, grinning weakly. “Between the two of us, this regent stands no chance.”

“I hope you’re right,” Velvet smiled in return, but Twilight could see barely hidden concern behind it. Unable to bear it, Twilight approached and embraced both of her parents in a hug. Shining joined them a moment later, enveloping all of them with his long forelegs.

“You be careful too,” Shining said, not breaking the hug yet. “They’ll be looking for you. Try not to leave the house.”

“We’ll be careful,” Velvet assured him, with her husband grunting in agreement.

Twilight was the first to squirm out of the hug. Despite the storm of emotions raging inside her, she managed to keep her voice almost level.

“It’s time to go.”

Having said that, Twilight turned away sharply, hiding her unbidden tears, and trotted outside.

Twilight, Spike, Shining and Heavy were walking through a crowded street, all of them sprouting changed mane and coat colors as they followed the wagon up ahead. Spike had to be squeezed into a saddlebag again, though this time it had been emptied for him to fit inside more comfortably. Despite his size, the little dragon was rather heavy. Shining had offered to carry the saddlebag for her, but Twilight had refused. She was the one who had let Spike come along, so he was her responsibility.

They had decided to split into groups and were moving towards the gate by slightly different routes. Perhaps it had been overly careful of them, but Shining didn’t want to take any risks on such a crucial day. Midnight was leading the second group with Rarity and Pinkie.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but that caused Twilight to sweat even more. It had been going well back at the Academy too until it had all gone to Tartarus. What if the guards stopped them for a random check? It was the first time Twilight had left the house since the whole disaster, so she didn’t know if her little disguise was enough. Her breathing quickened.

Realizing what was happening, Twilight stopped herself from spiraling into panic by sheer force of will. It wasn’t going to help her if something went wrong. In fact, something may go wrong because she panicked and did something stupid.

Soon Aloe had made it to the gate. A few patrols they had met along the way allowed the wagon to pass by unchallenged, but it was too much to hope that the gate guards would be that lax. One of them gestured for Aloe to stop and approached, asking her something.

Twilight craved to hear what they were talking about, but she remembered Shining’s warning. The guard’s armor had some basic charms to alert them if somepony was casting complicated spells in their direct vicinity, so Twilight and the rest just observed them from down the street, hidden by a corner.

One of the guards went to check the insides of the wagon and Twilight got ready to teleport Aloe out in case something went wrong. A few minutes later the guard calmly emerged from the wagon. Twilight exhaled in relief. After exchanging a few more words with Aloe, the guard nodded to his comrades, and they stepped away for the wagon to pass.

Twilight waited for a few more minutes just in case, before telling her companions, “Looks like it worked.”

“No shit, Sparkle,” Heavy muttered, earning a glare from Shining.

“Now let’s find the others,” Twilight added, ignoring them both. “They’re supposed to be here by now.”

They found Midnight and the others waiting on the adjacent street. There weren’t a lot of ponies on the streets that close to the city walls, so Twilight spotted them easily. After making sure no guards were in sight, Twilight approached.

“Everything’s good?” she asked Midnight.

“Everything’s great!” Pinkie answered instead. “I haven’t noticed anypony following us, so we’re good to go.”

“Okay. We should find some seclu—”

“Way ahead of you!” Pinkie interrupted, pointing at the entrance to the alley nearby. “Check this out. It leads to a dead end, so nopony should go there. What do you say?”

Twilight gritted her teeth at the interruption, but the mare was right – it did appear to be a perfect place. Forcing an angry smile, Twilight nodded to Pinkie in thanks and led everypony into the alley.

Despite it still being day, it was pretty gloomy there because of the buildings hiding the sun. Twilight stopped at the very end and turned to face her companions.

“Are you all ready?”

Amidst everypony nodding and voicing their agreement, Twilight noticed one with an unsure expression on his face. The mare looked at him, raising her eyebrows in silent inquiry.

“I hate being a downer, but are you sure in your location?” Midnight asked, slightly lowering his ears. “From what you’ve told me, you need to know it well...”

“I have a good memory,” Twilight assured him as her horn lit up. If she had gotten them on target from under the mountain while being attacked by angry dogs as the ceiling was crumbling over them, this was going to be a piece of cake.

At least that was what Twilight told herself as she checked and rechecked the spell in her mind. Its structure seemed flawless, but without mortal danger looming over them, Twilight still hesitated. Taking a deep breath, Twilight enveloped her companions in her magic and finally released the spell.

An immeasurably small moment later, Twilight’s group materialized on a small meadow near the road where she and Midnight used to practice their battle magic. Trixie’s wagon was already waiting for them on the side of the road as planned.

Their flashy appearance startled the poor Aloe, who neighed fearfully and tried to bolt before Twilight levitated her into the air.

“It’s just us, Aloe,” Rarity told the maid, who stopped struggling and just stared at them.

“S-sorry, Lady Rarity,” Aloe muttered as Twilight lowered her to the ground. “I wasn’t expecting you to just appear out of nowhere.”

“But I warned you that we were going to teleport here,” Twilight said, frowning.

“I didn’t know what that word meant…” Aloe admitted, casting her eyes down. “I don’t know anything about unicorn magic.”

“Ah.” Twilight looked away sheepishly. “Sorry, then.”

It was easy to forget that not everypony in Equestria had received an education like her. Or read a book. Or even knew how to read for that matter. Teleportation wasn’t a widely known concept even among unicorns – Twilight herself had never heard about it in all her years at the Academy. She had first read about the spell in King Hearth’s Royal spellbook. It was an ancient tome with plenty of interesting spells. Unfortunately, she’d had no time back then to memorize more than a few.

“It’s fine, Miss Sparkle, really,” Aloe murmured. “I’m just jumpy after that awful kidnapping.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Aloe,” Rarity said, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Let’s hope the rest of your stay in Canterlot will be more pleasant.”

Aloe nodded.

“Anyway, I need to get you back to the city,” Twilight said. “Will you find your way back on your own?”

“I can always ask for directions,” Aloe answered confidently. Then her ears fell. “Are you going to… teleport me back?”

“Yes. It’d be strange if you walked back through the gate without the wagon.”

Aloe shivered slightly and asked, “It won’t hurt, right?”

“You won’t feel a thing,” Twilight reassured her with a smile. Without warning, Twilight’s horn lit up and both mares disappeared in a burst of light to appear back in the alley. “See?”

Aloe blinked in confusion, looking around at the house walls.

“Is that all?”

“Yep. We’re back in the city. It wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“No… Thank you, Miss Sparkle.” The maid bowed her head slightly.

“You’re welcome,” Twilight smiled. Each time the teleporting came to her more easily. She wondered if she’d be able to get Aloe back to Lucky’s house in one jump without the Amulet, but this wasn’t a good time to test her limits. “Well, I should go now. Bye!”

Having said it, Twilight teleported back to the wagon to the ponies waiting for her. Their escape from Canterlot wasn’t over yet.

Climbing down the mountain road had taken them less than an hour.

Another obstacle was waiting for them down there – the outer gate. But that one would be easy to deal with. Pinkie’s earlier scouting had revealed that it wasn’t as strictly protected as the main one far above. The guards here were pretty lax, letting the ponies leave Canterlot without any problems. They probably reasoned that if the ponies had already passed through their colleagues, why would they waste their time by checking them all over again?

To Twilight’s relief, that proved true with their wagon.

Twilight, Spike, Shining and Rarity hid themselves inside the wagon as the most known among the group as Heavy Steps pulled them all past the second gate. Twilight was tense all the while, keeping her offensive spells at the tip of her horn until they’d gotten far enough.

About ten minutes later the wagon stopped.

“The free ride is over,” Heavy Steps yelled from the outside. “Get out.”

Instead of climbing out like her companions, Twilight teleported directly outside, startling him and Midnight.

“Sorry,” she said with a sheepish smile.

“I’ve gotta learn it too,” Midnight muttered, but Twilight managed to catch it.

“Oh, I just remembered that I haven’t taught you this spell yet!” Twilight exclaimed, remembering her earlier promise. With Trixie and all the preparations, she – and everypony else, it seemed – had totally forgotten about that. “I’ll do that when we stop for the night.”

“I don’t know if you’ll still have the strength after a day of walking,” Heavy Steps said, shaking his head. “But if you do, count me in.”

“Sure.”

Not wishing to linger so close to Canterlot, the group continued down the road. As everypony around her chatted, Twilight was deep in thought. After weeks of struggle, she was finally going back to the capital to put an end to Everlight’s illegitimate regency. The very idea sent her heart trembling. What if she failed? What if she succeeded, but some of her companions died? What if she died, but her friends won without her?

Her fate and the fate of all of Equestria depended on her.

There was no pressure at all.

It's been a goddamn long time, everyone!
But I'm back now. Enjoy the new chapter. Leave your comments down below. Knowing that someone still cares helps me write.
The next chapter won't take as long, that's for sure.