CHAPTER 20: MEANWHILE
"I can't believe sunset shimmer was arrested" fluttershy frowned, "serves that gal' right" rarity said with her head held high, it seemed that only fluttershy and pinkie pie were sad about sunset shimmer, not just twilight's death. "well, I have never met such a ghastly, ill-mannered pony like her" applejack said fancily, rainbow dash said nothing, she was acting more shy than fluttershy, which was all very strange, considering her bombastic personality, come to think of it, fluttershy thought, applejack and rarity weren't acting like themselves either, rarity was even wearing a cowpony hat! And it wasn't beaded, or gem incrusted, or sequined, or anything, it was just a plain, pale purple, cowpony hat. Fluttershy just figured her applejack and rainbow dash were just acting strange from their grief and sorrow. And now that Princess Luna had announced that princess celestia was gravely sick, the whole kingdom was frantic or just plain sad, even pinkie pies normally puffed up and happy mane had deflated to her flat pink mane. "It doesn't make sense, why would sunset shimmer do this to twilight, when twilight did all of that stuff to help her?" fluttershy asked, "maybe because she never needed our help, and it was all a trick so she could get the throne to herself" applejack snapped. fluttershy had a gift for seeing the good in everypony, and she knew that there was good in sunset shimmer, she just had a problem for shutting everypony out, and she knew she didn't deserve to be in prison, "but what if there was another side to the story?" fluttershy asked, "what do you mean sugar pie?" rarity replied, "what if sunset shimmer was possessed by an evil queen monster, who wanted the throne from princess celestia and Luna, and she was trapped in sunset shimmer's other world and needed a way to get back here so she controlled sunset's thoughts and actions leading her to steal twilight's crown but once she was free she took the form of somepony really important, framing sunset shimmer for twilight's death and getting her arrested because this evil queen needs her out of the way for some great and powerful purpose that could change equestria, and if sunset shimmer discovers this power, the queen will be defeated, and NEVER ABLE TO ESCAPE AGAIN!" pinkie pie rambled. Rainbow dash, applejack, and rarity's eyes widened, pinkie pie guessed that much! It was very accurate though, applejack thought. but they didn't know that, "what are we going to do?" fluttershy asked "without twilight, I don't even want to think about what would happen, twilight is the one who brought us together and made us best friends, without her, are we even best friends?" "fluttershy darling, of course we are, we just need some time to move on, and with princess celestia sick, I doubt that she will pull through, we will need a new princess, maybe even a queen?" applejack suggested, fluttershy raised her eyebrow in suspicion, it was not like applejack to lose faith so easily, and since when did applejack call her darling? "anyway, I was thinking of making best friend rock candy necklaces, like we did when my sister Maud was here, and take them to twilight's memorial stone" pinkie pie said to brake the awkward silence. "That would be fine sugar pie, we'll get started right away on them necklaces" rarity agreed, rainbow dash nodded in agreement, she blinked her lavender eyes blankly, rainbow dash was never this silent, ever! And she didn't have lavender eyes, fluttershy thought, rainbow dash's eyes were a warm pink! This was getting weirder and weirder!
Twilight pried at the stones on the walls of the cavern, princess Luna had caused the mines to collapse, hoping it would kill the two ponies inside, but surprisingly, the cavern held its place. she and flash had been trapped in the cave for hours, digging and clipping away stone, but it didn't seem like they were any closer to getting out, pieces of stone chipped off the walls scattered on the floor, one particular heavy and ashy stone landed on spike's tail, "ouch!" he yelped, "oh, sorry spike" twilight apologized as spike tended his sore tail, twilight kicked the heavy stone to the side, when something caught her eye. She lifted the stone with her magenta magic, something underneath the ash and soot was... shimmering! Twilight brushed away the soot and dirt from the stone, it wasn't a stone, it was a shimmering, blue gem! and one that was extremely familiar, it took her a few minutes to figure out where she'd seen it before, then it hit her, sunset shimmer's necklace! It had the same blue gem in the pendant, twilight had read about these types of gems in her books before, it was a harmony gem. The rare blue stone could bring great joy and harmony to whomever possessed them, they would be made into jewelry in ancient equestria, and could bring harmony to one's heart, wait... "that's it!" she exclaimed aloud, "what?" flash asked, "sunset shimmer's amulet, it protects her from dark magic in her heart, put there when she was little, and she wears a pendant with a harmony gem to keep harmony in her heart, that's why she was never entirely evil, because she had a harmony gem around her neck this whole time!" she explained. "oh, so how do we get rid of the dark magic forever?' spike asked, "I don't know anymore, we would need a miracle, the blood moon is in only three days, and if we miss it, then i have no other ideas, she'll be dark forever" twilight sighed, clearly disappointed in herself, flash stopped kicking the stone wall for a moment and went to sit next to twilight. "since when do you, princess twilight, the element of magic, and possibly the greatest friend anyone could ever have, give up?" he asked, this made her smile, "do you know why I didn't want to marry prince blueblood?" twilight asked, changing the subject, "you weren't ready to get married?" he replied, it was part of the reason, but not the reason twilight was thinking of, "well, yes but, it was mostly because I don't love him, and that I like somepony else" she said while blushing. "he's my friend, and I know that you and I haven't been through that much, but it feels like we've been through a lot together" twilight was thinking of the flash that sunset shimmer arrived with, she had been through a lot with him, "but I'm not a prince, I can't give you what blueblood can" flash objected, "I think that you're like this" twilight said as she held up the harmony gem with her hoof, "a blue rock?" he replied questionably, "only on the outside, but something magical within." she smiled warmly, "I'm not in love, but I would like to fall in love in my own time, in my own way, and when I feel it's right" twilight explained, "I know how you feel, I wouldn't want to be thrown into marriage at sixteen either" flash replied. "We'll get out of here, I promise" he vowed, twilight gave him a loving hug, then they went back to kicking and chipping apart the walls of the cavern.