Crystal Palace, twelve hours after the Ponyville Incident
Shining Armor paced back and forth in his office. He glanced at the royal missive that had showed up just a half hour ago and frowned. It commanded him to find and bring in public enemy number one, as was his duty. The problem was that he doubted that public enemy number one deserved to even get so much as a slap on the fetlock or a stern talking to. He knew his little sister, and he had a good idea of what had happened, so now he had a dilemma. He could attempt to stop this, though the more personal letter he had received at the same time left no doubt that not even the Princesses themselves could overrule this particular law, and it would most likely end up as nothing more than a delay tactic. Useful in and of itself, but ultimately would lead to the same end result.
He could refuse and throw the missive back in the Princesses face, thus ensuring that he would be dishonorably discharged and lose his dream position, not to mention that he would be potentially facing treason charges. The problem there was that somepony else would immediately take his place and go hunting Twilight in his stead, thus accomplishing nothing. A third, and most unsettling possibility would be for him to do his duty and go find Twilight to bring her to "justice" and a noose, though that possibility made him sick to his stomach. This was his sister, his Twily. He hated even thinking about having to do that.
Perhaps he could find a fourth option. One that didn't involve his betrayal of someone he cared about, be it Cadance by ending up in prison indefinitely, or Twilight. Cadance would understand, of course, but that wouldn't keep her company at night or comfort her when she was unable to visit him in his cell. Neither was an option. He would have to find another way, but until then, he would have to play the role of Twilight herself. He would have to spend an inordinate amount of time studying inane details that might maybe come in handy at some point in the hypothetical future. After all, who could blame him for being as prepared as possible when going to face a Blood Mage. And if it took a few days, so be it. He grinned as he grabbed his helmet and headed to the library, he would start on that Silver Wing book Cadance had so enjoyed. It should be insightful.
Carousel Boutique, Twenty-four hours after the Ponyville Incident
The Boutique was mostly in ruins, the top floor had collapsed, but the main lobby was still intact enough to hold a top secret meeting. Injuries were still present on four of the five poinies, but all had healed enough for reasonable travel, thanks to the slow healing started by the blood magic. Rainbow still had her wing in a cast, and Applejack still had a limp, but they were overall healed. The unicorn among them checked the windows and doors with her magic, and then licked her lips, "I assume everypony has the supplies that I requested from them?"
Applejack nodded and held up her saddlebags, "Got plenty'a food for the trip. More than it looks, actually. Twi made these for long delivery trips, so they hold more than they should, so long as it fits through the openin. Figured it appropriate I use it when she needed help."
Rainbow nodded to the scrolls on the table, "The weather station had maps from all over, and I got the weather patterns for everywhere that I could without it getting suspicious. I think Raindrops figured me out, cause she went and got a couple maps out of her personal collection and 'left them out', stared me right in the eye, then left. Weirded me out, but she had some real obscure maps from other countries. I think she had the same idea as you, Rares, cause there's like four of the Badlands."
Fluttershy spoke up from her seat, "I was able to get a few bits of my medical kits from my… from where my house was, but not much. I asked Nurse Redheart, but she said that she couldn't spare any, since the hospital had the same problem and there were so many injured ponies around."
Pinky stomped her hoof triumphantly, "I've already got my chain of friends working to make sure that everypony is talking about Twilight Sparkle the hero! Cheese and Trixie should be able to get that message around almost by themselves!"
Rarity nodded, satisfied, "Excellent, and no worries, Fluttershy, dear. You lost a lot yesterday, I'm simply glad you're alright, and that you were able to regain even a little bit. I have some friends putting forward stalling tactics for the trial, should they find Twilight before we do. Now, everypony gather their things. Rainbow, Applejack, you two let us carry your bags for you so you can heal faster. We'll need Rainbow in the air ASAP, and Applejack will be able to walk faster once the magic finishes with your leg. Now, let's go save our friend!"
Appleoosa, Two Days after the Ponyville Incident.
Twilight trudged forlornly down the path towards the desert. It had been a long trip, but trains and public commute had been out of the question. Strangely enough, she seemed to be keeping ahead of the news, for the most part. Either that, or Celestia had opted to avoid the panic that openly hunting down a former princess for the ultimate crime would no doubt cause, which was… reasonable. In any case, it meant that she had been able to keep a somewhat low profile, if only because she had stopped to borrow a cloak from Zecora to hide herself, amongst a few other supplies the Badlands wouldn't easily give her.
The Alicorn sighed deeply, Appleoosa was the last refuge before the Badlands, and it would be the place she would most likely find the work of her brother for the first time. Dodge Junction would have less chance of recognizing her if she had made it her last stop, but she also had heard that it was a popular place for criminals to stop through and had boosted its guard presence. Besides, stopping by to get some apple pie before going out into the most inhospitable and backstabbing place on the entire planet wasn't too much to ask, was it?
As she walked into sight of the first buildings, she pulled her cloak down a little further, trying to appear to be guarding against the windblown sands from the immense flatness beyond. Unfortunately, her clever and not at all obvious ploy was seen through by the watchpony at the gate, "Woah there! Show yer face!" Twilight swallowed, she could potentially run, but this was a town full of Earth Ponies that were conditioned by living in this harsh environment. She was still low on magic, having run completely dry before and not getting a chance for more than a cursory nap while she was sure she was hidden added up to almost no chance of a recharge, so flying any real distance or teleporting without blood magic was out.
"Hey! Did'ja hear me? Drop the hood!" The Alicorn sighed and did as instructed, hoping that word hadn't gotten this far yet. "Twilight? That you?" She looked up to see a familiar face, Braeburn, Applejacks cousin. She nodded nervously, the jig was up! She was going to get arrested! He laughed, "Come on in! Good to see a friendly face! Dumplin, you keep watch while I go welcome Twi back, ya hear?" He hopped down and held out his hoof, "I hear congratulations are in order, Princess, though I guess that it's comin a mite late, eh?"
Twilight took the offered hoof with a wary smile, "I'm still the same old Twilight, not really all that much different. Mainly I can grow my own feather dusters now."
Braeburn laughed as he turned and lead the Alicorn back into the town, "Good to see you're still humble around us common folk! How's AJ and them? Haven't had a chance to talk to em since the reunion. They still workin hard?"
Twilight cringed a bit, remembering that she hadn't had a chance to check on the farmers before she had fled, "They're doing all right." I hope, she added silently.
"So what brings you around these parts? Come to sample some nice pie? Catch up with old friends?"
Twilight licked her lips, she had practiced the lie countless times, but it still made her nervous, "I'm just heading out to the Badlands for some scientific research. I'm investigating some of the native creatures out there. They survive in such harsh conditions that they may hold secrets to allowing ponies to do the same, and the plant life may hold the same secret for farmers out here." She figured Braeburn would appreciate that last bit, at least. It would give him a bit to be excited for. The best part was that it wasn't entirely a lie, as she did plan to use her time in the Badlands for good. Maybe she could earn a pardon if she cured some fatal illness, but she doubted it.
The Earth Pony perked up a bit, "Oh, that'd be nice, make the orchard grow easier. Maybe make a few more apples, so we can have some extra surpluss."
They were interrupted by a loud gasp as they turned a corner, the two ponies looked to see a small, bright red Pegasus filly staring with wide, wondering eyes, "It's… You're a Princess…"
Twilight flinched internally, the more of a stir she caused, the more she would be remembered when the guards finally got around here. Outwardly, however, she simply smiled and nodded, picking up her Princessy Mannerisms a bit, "That I am. And who are you, little one?"
The little filly just turned slightly redder as she wilted shyly, but Braeburn chuckled and answered, "This here's Candy Apple. Not even outta school yet, and she's already makin some'a the best candy coatin ya ever did taste." The filly sunk even lower, much to the amusement of the older ponies.
Twilight smiled down at the little Pegasus, "Would you like to come with us, Candy Apple? We were just going to get something to eat. Maybe you know somewhere good?" The filly nodded excitedly and ran off, forcing the two adults to jog after her in their chuckles. Twilight couldn't help but think that this was a wonderful last memory of the civilized world.