Chapter 5: Heart Ache

Aurora was first out of the truck, letting her steely gaze sweep over the sight in front of her as the Vanguard and Radiant team disembarked behind her. Sweet Apple Acres had grown over the past few years, the Apple family deciding to expand with the assistance of the new townspeople that had decided to move from Canterlot. Although it wasn't all in the family like it used to be considering they sent so much food to Stonehearth they needed the help. But now… The orchard was smoking, and one of the nearby barns was still burning a bit. The sounds of screams reached them, and the barking noises of dogs. Aurora simply scowled. There was no time or place for hesitation. "Vanguard! ON ME!"

The Vanguard quickly formed up on her, Stonekin at the front and Wulfen to the flanks. The formations had been tried, tested, and drilled into them countless times and the entire squad moved like one living thing. The only one out of place was Aleron—he was busy watching his sister command with pride on his face.

Her battle cry didn't go unnoticed, for the nearest dogs turned to face them. The merge with the humanoid world had changed them as well—they had more human looking features but with canine ears and tails. Unlike the Wulfen who were more wolf than human, the dogs seemingly were the reverse. Didn't help their intelligence in any way. "It's a silver eyed one! Get her!"

Aurora didn't even pause, reaching up to tie her hair back. It was like a signal—Aurora never fought with her hair down, and her soldiers knew their leader well. The Vanguard moved to flank her, the Wulfen drawing weapons while the Stonekin readied their earth manipulation magic. They were outnumbered, but not a single one looked the slightest bit concerned. As a dozen or so Dogs charged forward, Stonehearth's Princess of War whistled once sharply. There were several quiet noises, and then half the group of dogs dropped with crossbow bolts in their necks. Harrier and her Pathfinders appeared almost out of nowhere, repeater crossbows already reloaded and firing. Aurora made a sharp motion forward and the Wulfen charged, leaping into the dogs and tearing into them with blade and claw. The group was wiped out without trouble. "Clear, Princess," Harrier called, cocking her crossbow.

The sky haired girl sighed. "Quartz, take part of the squad and start searching the orchard. I want Pathfinders picking off outliers, and I'm taking the rest to the main house. We need to make sure Applejack and her family are okay."

The named Stonekin nodded, holding up a hand and waving it in a circle to pull part of the group to follow her. Ancè moved up beside her sister, hand at her throat. In her hands was a charm that looked like a bloodied ribbon. It was glowing a deep purple color. "Golden Grove is still okay, as far as I can tell. They haven't… you know."

"Good." Aurora said with a nod, drawing her sword and heading in the direction of the main house. "If they're anywhere, they're there."

Her sister nodded, turning to the other three medics. "Two with the sweep team, one with me."

Aurora watched her orders being carried out, noting her brother's amused look from behind them. She turned to ask him what was up, but he shook his head and gestured forward. She stared at him for a second, before nodding and turning back to the farm. "Right. Let's go! Phalanx on me!"

The Stonekin had expanded their repertoire of techniques since the siege of Canterlot, and Aurora had made sure the Vanguard was always innovating even in the thick of things. Her Stonekin stomped the earth, tearing discs of rock out of the ground to serve as shields. The Wulfen with their spears formed a second rank, while the Pathfinders and Radiant Team brought up the rear.

With their leader at the head of the formation, the Vanguard pushed into the farm. The farmhouse the Apple family lived in was under siege by a platoon of dogs, a group of brutes using a makeshift battering ram to try and knock down the front door. Aurora kept walking, but she did cast a glance back at her brother. Aleron stepped up, hand raised and magic gathering in his palm. He cocked his arm back before throwing the condensed ball of magic like a fast ball. It impacted the house above the dogs, taking their attention for a moment. "Ha! Stupid Pony missed!" The group turned to face Aurora's force, hefting weapons and forming up.

"Wasn't meant for you," Aleron said, gesturing to the house. The dogs gave him confused looks before glancing back at the house. The entire building was now covered in a semitransparent gray barrier. "Greater Prevent Trespassers. You learn interesting spells living with someone who can actually classify as a Cleric."

"Get the Ponies!" One of the bigger dogs declared, pointing his spear.

"Vanguard," Aurora called, voice like cold wind slicing through the air. She pointed forwards. "Parapet."

The Stonekin stepped forward, twisting their fingers into the dirt before throwing up large slabs of stone like tall rectangular shields. Each stone tower shield had space between it, letting them see their attackers through the gaps. The Pathfinders rushed forwards and dropped to kneeling positions and loosed more bolts into the charging dogs. A few with shields moved forward to protect their comrades, absorbing the bolts. "Swap!" Harrier called.

The Pathfinders spun away just as the dogs reached the wall, the other members of the Vanguard taking their places with spears and swords. Using the large stone slabs as shields, they struck the charging dogs from the safety of their impromptu barricade. The front line of the dogs smashed against the wall and were broken, but the next to come slowly began trying to surround them. But that gave the Wulfen priority. The wolves fell upon their simpler cousins, the sheer ferocity of their attack making them panic and lose their momentum.

Then Aurora leapt into the fight.

The Princess of War jumped to the top of the stone barricade, blade drawn and her silver eyes aglow with fury. The dogs only had a moment to look up at her in surprise before she was down among them, dragon-forged blade cleaving through the shoddier materials of the dogs and into the body of the first brute with one swing. She swept through the disorganized mob like a dancer, never in one place long enough to be retaliated against. As she fought, Aleron took precise shots of magic bolts to hit any dog that even looked as though they would try to attack his twin. He wasn't hesitant to kill—it wouldn't be the first time, after all.

Between them and the rest of the Vanguard, the skirmish was a short—albeit bloody—affair. Aurora pulled her stained sword free of the last dying dog and let her eyes wander back to her forces. Ancè and the other member of the medic team were already working, addressing the few wounds the Vanguard had suffered. The Pathfinders were checking the perimeter, some tasked to check the bodies of the fallen. She flicked her blade clean of blood and sheathed it, turning her gaze to the orchard at large. "This was hardly a raiding force to be worried about," Aurora muttered when Aleron joined her. The sky haired girl looked deep in thought, chewing on her thumb. "But why Sweet Apple Acres? Yeah we get food from here, but with the farmlands around the gentle slope…"

"Hm?"

"Oh, you remember Sycamora? She helped some Stonekin set up farms on the reverse side of the mountain. That way we can provide for all the people in the city without relying on just this farm."

"I see…"

"So that's why I'm confused. If the Dogs wanted to affect Stonehearth, why not go after our own farms? Unless they just figured this was an easier target…"

Aleron looked towards the house, mentally letting go of the barrier spell. "We should check on the Apple family."

"…Right. Echo! Bury the dead—I don't want the Apples seeing them when they come out. Miss Fluttershy is super squeamish."

"You got it, boss!" The Stonekin called out.

Aurora met gazes with her sister, who nodded shortly. The violet haired girl turned to the other medic. "Mayfly, I'm going inside with my siblings. Will you be fine?"

"Of course, ma'am," the unicorn replied with a small smile.

Ancè joined Aurora and Aleron, and together the trio went up to the door. Aurora grabbed the handle and tried to push it, only to meet resistance. "…Huh? Locked?"

"The dogs were trying to break the door down," Aleron pointed out flatly. "If I know enough about Applejack, they probably barricaded the door."

"Oh. Right. True. Um…" She knocked as hard as she dared on the battered door. "Hey, it's me, Aurora! Miss Applejack? Mr. Mac? Goldie?"

There was no movement at first. The three at the door shared a short worried look, but then a soft voice caught their attention. "U-Um… Aurora…? That's… you're outside?"

"That's Miss Fluttershy," Ancè murmured in surprise. "Miss Applejack isn't home?"

Aurora leaned close to the door. "Yes, it's me Miss Fluttershy. Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

"I… I'm fine. Golden Grove is with me too. Jackie and Bramley are in Appleloosa helping Braeburn…"

"That's okay. Could you move whatever's blocking the door? We've run the dogs off, so you don't need to hide in there anymore."

"Oh… okay…" There was a bit of shuffling, and then the sound of several large objects being shifted. "Oh, um… there's a lot…" Aurora rolled her eyes while Ancè let out a little giggle and Aleron sighed. A few moments passed, and then there was the sound of the door unlocking. It creaked and cracked a bit as it opened, revealing a head of pink hair and two demure blue eyes. "Hello…oh! Hello Aleron, I didn't know you were home."

"Just got back the other day," Aleron clarified as Fluttershy opened the door fully. The quiet veterinarian was tall, slender, and buxom, only seemingly becoming more attractive with age. Her hair fell in a single waterfall from her head to her knees, only held somewhat tame by a gold colored hair tie near the end. "Good to see you're okay."

"Is that Aleron?" A younger voice asked. The trio of Winter children unconsciously tensed—considering Cori's current standing with Fluttershy and Applejack's adopted daughter, none of them were really sure how they'd react to seeing her. Fluttershy stepped aside to let a brown furred blonde come forward. Golden Grove's eyes went wide, seeing the trio standing in front of her in battle attire. The young pegasus reached up to wrap a hand around the black half heart emblem around her neck. "Oh… and Ancè and Aurora."

"Hello Goldie," Ancè offered stiffly, yet politely.

"Hey," Aurora greeted her, suddenly looking off towards the orchard.

Aleron glanced at his twin, realizing that since both of his sisters had been around when Goldie and Cori had broken up, both would not be completely comfortable in this situation. Fluttershy glanced between them all, apparently not certain as to what was going on. "Um…"

"Princess!" One on the Wulfen loped over, thankfully interrupting the conversation. "We put out the fire in the barn. Seems one of the workers knocked over a lantern in their panic—the dogs didn't set it."

Aurora nodded. "And the workers?"

"All accounted for, according to the manager."

"Good. Get them checked over by the Radiant Team. Miss Fluttershy, could you tell us what happened?"

Fluttershy blinked. "Oh. Hm… well, I was inside when everything happened. I didn't know anything was wrong until Goldie ran inside and started pushing things in front of the doors."

"I saw the dogs open a tunnel," Goldie offered softly. "I… sorta panicked. I should have helped all the others instead of running…"

"You did fine, Goldie," Aurora pointed out. "It was good you protected your mother. A messenger made it to Stonehearth, so it worked out."

"Thank goodness…"

"On that note…" Aurora turned to Fluttershy, who despite being the oldest present, stood up a bit straighter at the young Princess's gaze. Aleron suppressed a chuckle—while he had gotten his mother's looks and mannerisms, Aurora took more after their father the older she got. "I'm going to send a messenger back to Stonehearth and have a squad of Shapers assigned to defend the farm. I know Miss Applejack will be against it…"

Fluttershy shook her head. "I'll speak with Applejack. Surely having her wife and daughter assaulted in their own home will make her see reason."

The three Winter children looked surprised at the statement. "I… feel as though you've had this talk with her before?" Aleron asked warily.

The former Element of Kindness had an unusual hardness in her eyes. "I asked Jackie if we could move closer to Stonehearth numerous times, but she always said no. She didn't want to leave her family's lands. But this should be a wakeup call for us—we're not as safe as we used to be here."

Aurora nodded shortly. "If it's fine with you, we could take you back with us to Stonehearth. I could leave a Shaper here to let Applejack know when she comes back."

"Thank you very much, Aurora. I think that would be fine." Fluttershy turned to her daughter, a small smile on her face. "Are you alright with that, Goldie?"

The other half of the Element of Kindness blinked once before nodding. "Oh, uh… yeah. I guess that's fine…"

They were interrupted by a Stonekin this time, a bit of worry on the Shaper's face. "Er… Princess, we have a problem."

"Be specific and quick," Aurora replied, not unkindly as she turned to the messenger. "What is it?"

"The Dogs weren't just raiding the farm. We found remnants of… some strange equipment near a mutated tree."

Fluttershy gasped. "M-Mutated? What do you mean?"

"They seemed to have… implanted a crystal into the tree. I can't explain better than that, Ma'am."

"Guess we need to take a look," Aurora said, shooting a glance at her brother. He nodded in the affirmative, and she clapped her hands together. "Right then! Harrier!"

The Pathfinder leader came over, crossbow still out and ready. "You called, Princess?"

Aurora nodded, looking around at her forces. "…Secure the orchard, a complete perimeter. We should be safe from dogs for the moment, but I want to be doubly sure."

"A step ahead, Princess," Harrier pointed out with a smile. "I've secured the orchard, and the rest of the Vanguard is taking positions near the mutated tree. And I already have a team to take Miss Fluttershy and Miss Golden Grove back to Wolf Peak."

"…Stop doing my job, Harrier," Aurora said, although the smile on her face was nothing short of amused.

Harrier grinned. "I am supposed to think several steps ahead, My Lady."

"Get to work, damn it." Harrier nodded and walked off, while Aurora turned to her siblings. "Wanna go see a mutated tree?"

Aleron shrugged. "Not the worst invitation I've gotten in a while."

"I suppose I should go as well then," Ancè said with an exaggerated sigh. She smirked when her siblings looked her way. "What? Maybe you get a splinter or something—don't look at me like that Aleron, I know how silly it sounds."

"No need to explain," Aleron said with a roll of his eyes. His twin instead brightened up and grabbed Ancè's hand.

"Come on then! Let's go see what a mutated tree looks like!" She led them away, a few Vanguard members showing up to escort Fluttershy and Golden Grove away. Aleron cast a glance backwards and caught the younger pegasus's eye. She looked worried. He gave her a slight smile before following after his sisters. It was up to Cori to deal with her when she got to Wolf Peak.

It didn't take long for them to find the waiting members of the Vanguard, on standby further in the orchard. The main attraction was the apple tree in the middle of the group, although it wasn't an apple tree any more. The bark was interspersed with glowing green veins all connected up to a large cluster of bright green crystals that seemed to almost pulse with eldritch light. Because of whatever influence the crystal was having, the tree was warped and twisted and weeping green ooze. "Oh, ew," Aurora muttered, face scrunching up at the sight. "Nasty."

"Even the apples are… sick," Quartz murmured, the Stonekin looking up at the sickly green apples hanging from the branches. One picked that moment to fall, hitting the ground and splitting open with a disgusting splat. It wept green ooze that was quickly buried in stone by the Shaper. She took a healthy step away. "…Very sick."

"That color never makes me feel easy," Ancè murmured, keeping her distance even as her brother and sister moved closer. "I'd suggest not touching it, you two."

Aurora nodded, stopping a healthy distance away. Aleron did move closer, mouth moving as he cast several detection spells over the area. "…What do you think, Al? You're our magical expert here."

"Considering this thing gives me the same feeling as Dark Magic, I'm very worried," Al pointed out, frowning. "…We need to isolate this. As much as I know Applejack's going to be upset about this, we need to cut this tree down."

"Leave it to us, Prince," a pair of Wulfen came over, axes in hand. "We'll cut it down."

Aleron nodded, and then glanced over at Aurora. "Ro, could you maybe put a null zone around this tree? It might be enough to keep it from harming anyone while we remove it. It won't affect the Wulfen, so they can cut it down."

Aurora nodded, her horn lighting up slightly with the anti-color of Null Magic. A sort of grayish zone formed around the tree, as if the color was draining from the mutated plant. When she gave the signal, the two Wulfen moved in and started to cut the tree down, taking care to avoid hitting the green veins. Between the two of them, it didn't take long before the tree was chopped down. At Aleron's instruction, the Stonekin sealed the tree in a stone coffin for transport. "That should be good enough," Aurora remarked, watching as the Stonekin tested the seals on the coffin so that nothing could get out.

"Just to be safe, medical checkups for everyone touching this thing when we get home," Ancè stated, folding her arms. She gave Aleron a critical look. "And you have to help Cori when we get back—no jumping into research on this thing. Let Aunt Luna take a look at it."

Aleron sighed, but gave her a small smile. "Right, right. But what about the equipment they found?"

"Over here," a Pathfinder called out, gesturing to a small pile of what looked like measuring devices. When the three Winter children got closer, she continued. "Looks like they were measuring something with all of this stuff."

"Looks like magical sensors of a kind," Aleron said, picking up a square like box with crystal lights set in the face. "…Although how the Dogs have crystal tech is beyond me."

"Maybe a Crystal Pony moved to the Dog lands and taught someone?" Ancè offered. When Aleron glanced back at her, she shrugged. "Or it's stolen."

"Both equally likely, but nothing we can determine from just this," Aurora pointed out, arms folded. She glanced around at the members of the Vanguard still present. "…For now, we're going back to Stonehearth. We'll learn nothing else standing around speculating. Let's make sure this place is secure and head home." Fists went to chests in the Stonehearth salute, and the Vanguard started picking up everything the Dogs had left behind. Weapons and armor would be melted down and the bodies would be buried randomly around the orchard. Aurora turned to her siblings, finding both of them looking at her with warm smile. "H-huh? W-What is it? Something on my face?"

"Just noticing something," Ancè said with a little giggle. She shared a short look with Aleron before laughing a bit more freely. "You're the only one out of all of us that takes so much after Father."

Aurora blinked, before blushing slightly. "W-What? Really? I do?"

Aleron chuckled. "Terribly so. Cadance reminded me almost weekly how much I reminded her of Mom."

"And I'm always told I look like and act like my own mother," Ancè said with a smile. "And yes, Bibi and I didn't have our father around early, but even Rose takes more after Aunt Sunset."

"…I mean…" Aurora scratched her cheek with a finger, thinking. "…Is it a bad thing?"

Ancè shook her head, stepping forward to take Aurora's hand gently. "Not at all, Ro. If anything, it's reassuring."

"Really?"

"Yes. You go so far for the rest of us, just like Father does for his herd and Stonehearth in general. You stepped up to lead where the rest of us were unsure. If being like our father made you this way, then never feel like it is a bad thing."

Aurora smiled widely, hugging the slightly shorter girl tightly. "Thanks for that, Ancè."

"Of course, dear. If I've gotten anything from my mother, it's how to remind those close to me just how much they matter."

"Nah. You got her looks too."

"Oh stop!"

The two of them devolved into giggling, while Aleron simply smirked and shook his head. "Girls, honestly…" He muttered, getting up and turning away. No sooner had he done so, than both his sisters were beside him, grabbing his arms and pulling close to him. "Hey, what—?"

"That goes for you too, mister," Aurora said, almost chidingly.

Ancè nodded. "Exactly!"

"Oy. Come on you two…" Aleron sighed. "Let's just go home, okay? Considering Harrier does Ro's job for her, Golden Grove and Miss Fluttershy are probably already back in Stonehearth."

Aurora pouted. "Hey, I do my job just fine, thank you!"

"When you want to. Considering our dear sister is no doubt freaking out…" His sisters looked at him in confusion for a moment before Aleron's horn lit up and they were suddenly back in Stonehearth. "…It may be prudent to get home sooner rather than later."

"Oh! I didn't think you'd do that," Ancè admitted, letting him go and glancing around. "Hm… It is unfortunate I never got the hang of teleporting. It is rather useful."

"I can only go short range," Aurora said, letting go of Aleron and putting a hand on her hip. "But we always said Al was the magical prodigy."

Aleron chuckled. "Remember all the mom comparisons? She does use magic far more than dad."

"Point," Aurora agreed, before squeaking in surprise. "Mom!"

Her brother raised an eyebrow at her remark, opening his mouth to respond just in time for a dark blue wing to pull him back into his mother's embrace. "Huh? M-Mom!?"

"Hello, my little one," Luna said, hugging him tightly. The Lady of the Wolves was clad in a rather elegant dress compared to her more casual clothes she had begun wearing after the Siege. A lot of the native Equestrians had been shocked and (in the case of many males) happy that their usually aloof Princess was seen in more skirts and flattering dresses around the city. She'd stopped focusing on being 'regal' and just being 'pretty' at Tyr's and Rarity's suggestion. Luna in elegant and formal clothes meant a special occasion, however. She let out a sigh, turning Aleron around to look at his face. "I heard about the attack. Are you alright?"

Aleron chuckled—his mother was no doubt going to worry over him for a while considering how long he'd been apart from her. "I'm fine, mom. They didn't even get close."

Luna smiled gently, before turning her gaze to Ancè. "And you, my dear?"

Ancè smiled back, tossing her hair. "I was far from the fighting, but Aleron made it a point to make sure I was safe."

Aleron chuckled nervously as the three women looked at him. "You noticed?"

"I'm a unicorn as well, my dear brother. I'd notice if you were casting spells on me."

"Fair enough…" Despite not being the biological mother of over half of Tyr's children, Luna treated each as if they were her own flesh and blood. Though…

"Hey! No worry over me?" Aurora asked, folding her arms.

Luna gave her daughter a slightly bored look. "My dearest, you are built like Stonehearth—it would take more than just dogs to hurt you."

"…I mean, you're not wrong…"

"I worry over you anyway." The Lady of the Wolves rolled her eyes before letting Aleron go. "Regardless, what has you home so soon? Was the attack that insignificant?"

"It was, kinda," Aurora admitted. "Can we walk and talk? We need to find Cori."

Luna frowned at that, folding her arms. "If you're looking for your sister, you won't have to search far. She's in one of the meeting rooms your father normally uses. I do believe she's hiding from Golden Grove."

"So Harrier's group did beat us back," Ancè said, shooting Aurora an amused smirk. "Where's Miss Fluttershy?"

"With four of her five friends at the moment," Luna said, nodding. "Vibrant Spark and Evening Star arrived with them, however. Seems the moment Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle learned of their friend's predicament, they came with all speed to check on her."

"And now there's three of the people we really didn't want to see in one place," Aurora muttered, scratching her head.

Luna gave her children critical looks, just the tiniest bit of reproach in her eyes. "Your father told me what happened Dusk, Dawn. I cannot say I am wholly happy with the outcome." Both twins winced at the tone their mother took, sharing a quick glance. Neither wanted their mother upset at them—Luna's disappointment was very well known to be sharp. Luna wasn't finished—but the look in her eyes softened. "…But I know you two better than many. You're going to handle this well, I know it. Cordelia however is another story."

"We should get going then," Aleron said, looking up to the castle.

"I'll leave you to it," Luna said, wings opening in preparation for flight. "I need to meet your father for dinner."

"Have fun!" Aurora called out as their mother took off into the air. They all watched her fly away for a moment, before turning to face the castle. "So… let's go find our panicking Changeling."

Although she said it like it might take a while, they found the meeting room Cori was pacing in very quickly. She was so focused on her own thoughts that the three of them were standing there for about a minute without her noticing. Finally, Aleron cleared his throat. "O-Oh! Hey guys…how did it go?"

"Dogs are routed," Aurora said, walking over to her sister and patting her shoulder. "And apparently they're mutating trees now."

"Oh, that's certainly not good," Cori said, frowning. "What was wrong with it?"

"Later," Aleron said, folding his arms. "We need to go talk to Golden Grove."

Cori paled at the suggestion. "W-What? Why?"

"Because the crystals used on those trees was dark magic. Something that we need the Elements for. Unified elements, to be precise." Aleron sighed. "And since we have two Elements of Kindness…"

His sister stared at him for a moment, before shaking her head quickly. "N-No, I can't… not right now. I can't face her. I won't know what to say!"

Ancè sighed, shaking her head. Her siblings looked towards her, noting the sharp gaze coming from the young hairdresser. "This coming from Cordelia Winter, daughter of the Spymaster of Stonehearth?"

"I can't just go talk to my ex like nothing happened," Cori pointed out harshly, frowning at her.

"It's been two years."

"Two years where I haven't spoken to her!"

"And here is your chance to do so," Ancè replied, not unkindly. She reached out to take one of Cori's hands in hers. "Darling, I know you. You're an Empath, for Etro's sake. You feel emotions twice as hard as the rest of us. You might say you are over the breakup, but we know you aren't. You need to do this."

"No, I…" Cori faltered a bit, before shaking her head. "…I don't know what I would say."

"Then support us," Ancè said finally, squeezing her hand. "Or at least Aurora and Aleron."

"Because of the hitting Vibrant thing?" Cori asked. "Or Aurora attacking Vibrant outside Ponyville?"

Aurora sighed, running a hand down her face. "Ugh. Of course you already know about it. But yes, we need to talk to them. All of them—and preferably now."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Aleron asked, folding his arms. "I'm sure all of us except Ancè here are not in their good graces."

"I haven't done anything!" Jubilee complained, frowning at him and folding her arms. "Why would Goldie and the others be mad at me?"

Aleron shook his head. "Guilt by association, Jubilee. They'll probably assume you're wait how did you even do that."

The other Winter children stared at their happy sibling in complete terror. "…Jubilee, that is extremely unsettling," Cori remarked, eyes wide. "Please. We asked you not to do that."

"I think the fact that you do it so much easier than mom is the worst part," Ancè said irritably, grabbing her sister's cheeks and pulling. Jubilee squeaked in surprise, whining softly as her sister chastised her. "You know we don't like you doing that, especially without making a sound. Cori's already on edge, and that's not helping matters!"

"Sowwy," Jubilee mumbled once Ancè let go of her cheeks. She rubbed them with barely hidden tears in her eyes. "But I don't want Cori to feel like she's in this alone. We're a family, and family sticks together!"

Her siblings shared a short look between them all. Despite how different they all were in their likes and dislikes, they were close knit as siblings. Mainly because of the maxim their father had instilled in them all: The Strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the Strength of the Wolf is the Pack. "We stick together," Aurora said with a shrug. "Thick and thin."

"Honestly," Ancè sighed and shook her head. "As if we have to even think about it. We all go or none of us do."

The five of them stood silent for a moment, and then they all turned to look at Cori. It was obvious she was the deciding factor here. The young Changeling frowned at the attention, before letting out a groan. "…Fine. I'll… I'll try. But considering all the emotions that will be going on in the room, I might not be really stable…"

"Then focus on me!" Jubilee said happily. "I'm not upset with anybody, and no one is upset with me! And I'm happy!"

Cori gave Jubilee a skeptical look, but nodded. "Okay, I guess. Let's get this bad decision over with."

"We'll be fine!" Aurora assured her, heading towards the door. She grinned back at her siblings. "We're together, so we'll be perfectly okay!"

As a group, they left the small meeting room to head towards where their 'friends' were waiting. It was only down the hall, and as they got closer to the door, they could hear voices from inside. They could hear Vibrant's voice, along with Evie's. Obviously they were talking to Goldie. "Here goes," Cori murmured under her breath.

Aurora led the way inside, the conversation happening between the three young adults in the room coming to a stop as they came inside. Vibrant stood up from the chair he'd been sitting on, while Golden Grove and Evening Star simply sat up straighter. For a moment, there was a tense stand-off. Then Vibrant spoke up. "Wasn't expecting you guys to come barging in."

"And now we see who has the least patience," Aleron said dryly.

"Why you…!" Vibrant began, but Evie stood up and held out a hand to him.

"Let it go, Vi." She turned her violet eyes on Aleron. "Don't provoke him."

Aleron folded his arms, adopting the most disinterested look possible. "I'll make no promises."

Evie turned her pleading eyes to Aurora, who sighed. "We just came to check on—"

"Goldie!" Jubilee was suddenly across the room, snatching up a very surprised Goldie in a tight hug. "You're okay!"

"Huh!? Jubilee? But… yeah, I'm okay," Goldie remarked, still rather confused. Her eyes gazed around the room until they met Cori's, where they widened a bit. "Cordelia…?"

"H-Hey Goldie," Cori offered, waving slightly. "Glad to… see you're okay."

"Yeah, I…" She looked away. "I didn't think you'd be that worried."

That got Jubilee to let go, the pink haired girl pulling away to about arm's length. But neither the Changeling or the Pegasus broke their focus. Cori's eyes tightened with pain, but she kept her emotions contained. "I… of course I would be worried…"

"Considering how we haven't spoken in forever, I would think you hardly even thought about me."

There was such bitterness in her voice that everyone was taken aback. But the Winter family empath was only caught off guard for a moment before her own repressed anger and sadness surged to the fore. "You make it sound like I was avoiding you."

"I never saw you around the farm," Goldie snapped, frowning at the Changeling.

"It cuts both ways. You haven't been anywhere near Stonehearth either."

"And you'd know? Oh, I guess you've had Changelings watching me, huh?"

Cori looked taken aback, before narrowing her eyes. "I don't have Changelings stalking you! Why would I?"

"I dunno," Vibrant muttered, sitting back down in his chair. "Maybe cause you're still bitter Goldie dropped you for someone who isn't going to ignore her?"

The words hung in the air for a long moment, Cori's eyes wide at the remark. But it wasn't her that responded. It was Ancè. "You of all people shouldn't be talking, Vibrant Spark," she said icily, moving to put a comforting hand on Cori's shoulder. "Or should I recount how many times you've spoken to me since I turned you down two years ago?"

Aleron turned to his sister in shock just as the white haired pegasus jumped back up to his feet. "Vibrant asked you out?"

"Two years ago," Vibrant asserted, shooting Evie a sidelong glance. "I was… well, I figured why not…"

"Or you knew Aurora wouldn't give you the time of day," Ancè said with a shrug.

"We didn't come here to start a fight," Evie said, trying to get the situation under control. "We came because we heard about the attack, and were concerned about Golden Grove."

"That's the same reason we came by," Aurora pointed out, finally speaking after this whole time.

"Well, it was appreciated," Goldie said softly, shaking free of Jubilee and turning away. "…Thanks for helping me and my mom."

"…Of course."

"So I guess that's it then," Aleron murmured.

Vibrant sat down heavily. He gave Aleron the dirtiest look he could. "Yeah, that's it. You guys came in and said your piece. You can go now."

"You…!" Ancè began, but Jubilee got up and stood between her and Vibrant.

"What is the matter with all of you!?" The pink haired girl demanded, looking around the room. No one met her gaze except Aurora and Aleron, neither twin flinching. "We were all friends once, right? What changed? It's like… Aleron left and we all just drifted apart or something…!"

No one replied to her, each keeping their silence for different reasons. Finally, Cori spoke up softly. "…I should go," She said hurriedly, nearly running out of the room.

"C-Coco!" Jubilee called after her, but she vanished out into the hall and was gone before anyone could stop her. "…She's gone…"

"Might be for the best," Vibrant remarked quietly. "As if things weren't tense enough…"

"Sorry you're finding Stonehearth so disagreeable," Aleron replied dryly.

"You're one to talk. You practically ran away from home after you asked Evie out."

Aleron's eyes narrowed. "Ran away?"

"That was a year later," Jubilee shot back, frowning. Vibrant seemed a bit surprised that the current Element of Laughter had snapped at him. "Al left to study dark magic so he could understand it, not because Evie turned him down!"

"Though I can see how you could come to that conclusion," Aleron continued, meeting Vibrant's challenging gaze with his own. "Seeing as you probably didn't think twice about hitting on her after I left."

"Not like you owned her!"

"Neither of you 'own' me," Evie snapped irritably. "And both of you need to stop! Why is it every time you're in the same room you do this?"

"He keeps acting so smug!"

Aleron raised an eyebrow but didn't respond. "Honestly, you two can't get along for some reason!" Evie continued, looking between them.

"If Aleron wants to be a jerk every time I see him, I'm gonna call him out on it," Vibrant said, glaring at the male unicorn. "Just cause his dad's famous doesn't mean I have to treat him like royalty or something."

"Vi, that's not—!"

"Anyway, he's doing his best to make it a problem every time I see him. It's like he wants to—!"

"You're the one who mouths off every time," Aleron pointed out flatly.

"That's enough!" Goldie stood up quickly. "I didn't… look. I just don't want to spend all my time here trying to avoid painful memories! You two fighting isn't making things better!"

"Then maybe you should stay at the Castle of Friendship." All eyes went to Aurora, finally speaking after a long period of silence. Her silver eyes were hard, and focused on Goldie. She'd listened long enough—there was no progress being made here. With Sherry in Horizon, it fell to her as the oldest Winter child to make a stand. "If you're so afraid of dredging up painful memories, then perhaps being in Stonehearth at all would be a bad idea."

Evie, Vibrant and Goldie stared at her for a long moment, all confused. "Are you… are you kicking us out?" The Element of Magic asked slowly.

"If Goldie thinks her being here is a bad idea, it would be better if she left."

"That's kicking us out!"

Vibrant stepped up, matching Aurora's steely gaze with his own. "Your parents wouldn't—!"

"My parents told me to look out for my sisters," Aurora cut him off sharply, not backing down. "To look out for my brother. And this is my home. My family. My blood. If I think it's in our best interest that you weren't here, then I'll see you happily off to wherever you think you'll be comfortable."

Evie gaped. "I… Ancè, Jubilee, you're just going to stand there and let her do this?"

Jubilee looked sad, but she did move slightly over to join her siblings. "…Cori comes first. She's my sister, Evie."

"You must understand," Ancè continued, shaking her head. "We are your friends still, but we worry over our family first."

"But kicking us out!?" Evie continued.

Aurora's eyes sharpened. "I am asking you politely to leave."

Vibrant took one more step forward. "And if we choose not to?"

"Then you'll be escorted out."

"…Sounds like a threat."

"No, this is. Back up or I toss you out the window." It came out like a growl, and everything about Aurora's stance radiated danger.

"Vibrant, stop picking a fight with our friends!" Evie snapped.

"Friends? This isn't how friends act!" Vibrant said, not backing away. "In two days I've been attacked by both Aleron AND Aurora, and you expect me to just act like nothing happened?"

"We talked about this!"

"Yeah, and I told you I don't think we're really friends with them anymore. Aurora kicking us out of Stonehearth proves that much."

"Look," Ancè said, moving closer to the two. "We all need to just have a moment to calm down before we do something we regret."

Vibrant snorted. "Tell that to Aurora. I say one thing and she drags me off a cloud."

Aurora grit her teeth. "One. More. Word, Vibrant Spark, and you'll see just how much anger I've been keeping in."

The white Pegasus stared at her for a long minute, before reaching up to poke her in the shoulder. "I dare you."

"Ro, wait—!" Ancè began, but she was too late.

Aurora's left hand snapped up, grabbing Vibrant's wrist and pulling backwards. Her other hand shot forward and impacted him squarely in the stomach, knocking all the wind out of him and crumpling him to the floor in one move. It was over so quickly that even Aleron was stunned. But to the surprise of many of them, she didn't keep going. Instead, she turned her cold gaze on Evie. "…You should take Vibrant and Goldie home with you. I have to see to my sister."

Evie glanced from the groaning Vibrant to Aurora. The Princess of War had spoken and that was the last word on the matter. "I… yes, I should. Sorry we… sorry."

"We should all take some days to calm down and cool off," Aurora said softly, shaking her head. She glanced over at Goldie, before turning to the door. The Pegasus flinched as though struck, but Aurora's voice was more sad than anything else. "…But I don't want to leave things like this for too long. Explain things to Vibrant, and when Bramley gets back maybe we can all sit down and… talk about this."

Without another word, the Princess of War left the room. Her siblings stared after her in surprise before hurrying out into the hall to follow. "Aurora!" Ancè called, trying to hurry even in her heels. "Aurora, wait!"

"I need to go talk to Aunt Chrys," Aurora said, not stopping. "Ancè, Jubilee could you—"

"This is not the time to give orders, Aurora!" Ancè snapped, making the other girl stop. Jubilee and Aleron stopped as well, sharing a look with each other. Ancè stepped forward once more. "I thought you were going to check on Cori!"

"I…" Aurora struggled for words for a moment, before shaking her head. "…I can't right now. It shouldn't be me."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I can't talk to Cori right now without wanting to do… something. I'm angry, and I really don't know why, and I can't try to comfort Cori when I'm angry. It won't help her."

Ancè opened her mouth to retort, but Aleron cut her off. "Ro's got a point. Cori's emotions are in flux, and feeling strong ones from us will only worsen her mood. It'll probably be better if Jubilee goes to comfort Cori. She can keep her mind off things."

"…I understand, but that doesn't mean we have to act so clinical about it—!" Ancè began, only for Aurora to turn rapidly towards her. The young hairdresser paused when she saw the tears in Aurora's eyes. "A-Aurora?"

"My heart hurts," Aurora murmured, shaking her head. "I shouldn't have pushed Cori to confront Goldie. And now she hurts more because of it, and I can't fix it the only way I know how. Evie and Vibrant and Goldie are supposed to be our friends, but I don't even want to talk to them at all!"

They all fell into silence. None of them really knew how to respond to the pain in Aurora's voice. Except Aleron. He walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "…Hey, Ro. Why don't you go looking for Passion instead?" He offered.

Aurora looked his way, confusion on her face. "What? Why would I go talk to Passion right now?"

"Because Passion talks with her fists," Aleron responded, smiling gently. "Go ask her to spar with you, and work out your anger. Jubilee can go give Cori the biggest of all hugs, and I'm going to talk to Logic. She might have some kind of insight into this whole thing."

"…I guess that's a good idea."

Ancè sighed. "…Why are we all on edge like this?"

"Our emotions are running high because Al is home," Jubilee said thoughtfully. Her siblings looked at her in surprise. "What? We were all super happy to have him home, and we're all a little bit Changeling, right? So we're mushing all our emotions together and making them even more potent than normal. Normally Cori can handle that, but since everything is all topsy turvy with Goldie, she's way more sensitive than normal."

More silence. "…Jubilee… what?"

Jubilee grinned. "I'm the emotional core of the team!"

"…That's… I see that working oddly enough."

"Honestly…" Aurora chuckled, finally smiling as well. "Okay. I'm gonna go get knocked around a bit by someone infinitely more powerful than me. Once I'm clearheaded and conscious, I wanna hug Cori too."

"I will commence with the hugging posthaste!" Jubilee said, before literally skipping off.

Ancè sighed and shook her head. "I wonder how we get anything done sometimes… I'll be going with her. Cori deserves at least one calm person with her if Jubilee is there…"

She followed after. Aleron let out a sigh, before Aurora grabbed his hand. "Hm? Something bothering you?"

"Nothing," She murmured. "Just wanted to say I love you."

"Oy. No getting sappy on me, 'Princess of War'."

"You're one to talk, 'Cursebreaker'."

They stayed like that for a moment, before bursting into laughter. "You're ridiculous. But that's why you're my favorite twin. Come on—I'll help you find Passion before I go looking for Logic."

"Kay. Wait! I'm your only twin!"

"That's the point."

–x–