Chapter 14:
Reunion
A few days later, back at Hakuna Matata Forest, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were walking and dancing around but Twilight wasn't with them. Apparently, she was taking a nap somewhere in the forest and her friends have decided to leave her be. While they were dancing around, the Mane 5 were singing a song called 'The Alicorn Sleeps Tonight' with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie singing in a familiar bass to the song with Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash joining in…
Rarity: Oh, in Equestria, our beautiful Equestria…
The Alicorn Sleeps Tonight!
Applejack: In Equestria, our majestic Equestria…
The Alicorn sleeps to…
It was then Pinkie noticed a large peach that had fallen to the ground and started to roll away in front of her path. As the peach started to roll away into the bushes, Pinkie, being Pinkie, stopped singing and started to follow it out of sight, which didn't go unnoticed by Fluttershy as she stopped singing too and started to follow the pink earth pony, trying to keep her out of trouble, leaving Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack as they continued singing, unaware that the two ponies are no longer with them.
"We can't hear you, Fluttershy and Pinkie, back us up!" Rainbow Dash said as she, Applejack, and Rarity sang the following line in full and good falsettos…
Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash: A-WEEEE-ee-EE-ee-ba-Pum-ba-way!
That's when Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash noticed the others still weren't singing. Pinkie and Fluttershy were no longer singing. And when the three remaining ponies looked back, they finally realized that Pinkie and Fluttershy weren't with them.
"Pinkie Pie?" Applejack asked.
"Fluttershy?" Rarity added, wondering where the two have gone.
"Girls?" Rainbow finished, turning her head left and right. Where had their friends gone? They hoped that they hadn't got into any trouble.
Pinkie Pie has followed the rolling peach further away from the others while humming 'The Alicorn Sleeps Tonight' with Fluttershy following behind her. The two were too far away to hear their friends calling them. Pinkie kept following the peach until the fruit rolled into the bushes.
Pinkie drops into a hunter crouch and attempts to sneak up on it like a cougar sneaking up on a deer fawn. Pretending the peach sensed her, Pinkie hid behind a tree and waited until the peach went back into the bushes. Licking her chops, Pinkie followed it and went into the bushes herself.
Fluttershy was about to follow after her when she heard the sound of flapping wings and could've sworn a pair of shadows had flown over her. But she only knew two of the real flyers.
"Rainbow? Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, looking up into the sky, knowing they were the only ones around here who could fly.
Fluttershy looked around the sky for any sign of her two friends or whatever else was out there. But she saw no one but empty blue skies and white clouds. Taking one more look, Fluttershy shrugged, thinking it was just her imagination, and continued following Pinkie.
Once Fluttershy has caught up, she sees that Pinkie Pie has caught up with the peach that stopped at a log and eyed at it with a hungry look. But when Pinkie was about to eat the peach and Fluttershy was about to ask for her to share, a shadow looming over them caught their attention. Above them, flying under the glare of the sunlight, Pinkie and Fluttershy saw a shadowy figure in the air. At first, they thought it could be Twilight out for a fly, but there was something different about her.
Pinkie and Fluttershy squinted their eyes to get a better look and saw the figure was getting closer to them and had bright blue eyes, horror came to their faces as the two ponies realized that it wasn't Twilight at all!
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" They screamed as diving down was a brilliant gamboge Alicorn stallion with a moderate sapphire blue mane and tail, vivid cornflower blue eyes, and his cutie mark is a blue shield with a yellow lightning bolt.
Freaking out and stumbling back in terror, Pinkie and Fluttershy turned and ran away as fast as they could with the stallion chasing behind them in pursuit into the forest. Fluttershy and Pinkie were probably running faster than they ever have gone before, for the first time in their lives actually. But the Alicorn stallion was a lot faster than they thought.
"HELP!" The two cried going as fast as their wings and hooves could carry them, as the stallion fired an electric yellow beam of magic at them.
Nearby, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity heard the sound of their friends screaming, "Fluttershy? Pinkie?" They said before running and flying to where they heard them.
Elsewhere in the forest, Twilight was sleeping under a tree, when she heard the sound of Pinkie screaming, "HELP TWILIGHT! HHHEEELLLPPP!".
Twilight's head shot up and whipped around in alarm when she heard Fluttershy's cries of distress as well, "HE'S AFTER US!".
Twilight quickly rose to her hooves, "Girls?!" That was all she said before she ran like the wind! Whatever was endangering her friends she would protect them from it.
Fluttershy and Pinkie have been running, jumping, and flying over, under, around, and through trees all over the forest, trying to lose the Stallion, but no matter what they did, they just couldn't shake him.
"Pinkie! Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash called, as she flew quickly through the underbrush with Applejack and Rarity in pursuit of Fluttershy and Pinkie's aids.
"Hold on darlings, we're coming!" Rarity shouted as she and Applejack quickly ran behind Rainbow.
Fluttershy and Pinkie flew and jumped through the bushes but then Fluttershy flew under a large arched root at the same time Pinkie tried to run under it and both got stuck.
"Pinkie! Fluttershy!" Rainbow said as she came to a halt to see Fluttershy and Pinkie struggle to free themselves.
"Whoa, Sugarcubes, calm down! What's going on?" Applejack asked as she and Rarity arrived on the scene.
"HE'S GONNA FRY US!" Pinkie and Fluttershy screamed in terror so loudly it blew the three friends' manes back.
"He?" Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash asked, looking at each other, before looking at the panicking duo, "Who's 'he'?".
Fluttershy and Pinkie frantically turned around and pointed behind them, "HIM!" They shouted as Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow looked over the root and saw the Alicorn Stallion flying towards them at full speed and with fury. And all the friends became terrified.
"OH, HIM!" Applejack realized.
"OH, MY STARS!" Rarity cried.
"Whoa! Quick! AJ, Rarity! Help me push 'em out!" Rainbow said to Applejack and Rarity as the two ponies nodded quickly and they jumped down and started pushing Pinkie and Fluttershy from under the root in an attempt to get them free.
They pushed and pushed as hard as they could, but the earth pony and pegasus just didn't seem to budge.
"Hurry! We gotta get out of here before that Stallion catches-" Rarity said before she, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash glanced back to see the Alicorn Stallion was at point-blank range of them.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" They screamed while holding onto each other in terror as the Stallion began to close in on them, ready to pounce.
But at the last minute, Twilight jumped over her friends with righteous fury, "Get away from them!" She shouted before the Stallion screeched to a surprised halt and was tackled down at full force. The two Alicorns flew up into the air and started, clashing horns and blasting each other with their magic.
"Don't worry, girls we're here for ya…" Applejack said to Pinkie and Fluttershy, trying to calm them down.
"...Yes darlings, everything's gonna be okay," Rarity added rubbing Fluttershy's flank soothingly, as the two stuck mares tried to see what was going on behind them. Relieved to see Twilight was there.
Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity looked at the battle as Twilight was able to dodge the Stallions' magic.
"Get him, Twilight! Jab him in the head!" Rainbow cheered, as Twilight and the stallion circled each other snarling before charging at each other again, though Twilight had never fought before, she was giving a good account of herself.
"Go for his jugular! The jugular!" Rainbow Dash cheered again, doing some mock punches.
Rarity turned back around to look at Fluttershy and Pinkie, "See? I told you girls Twilight would come in handy someday," Rarity said smugly, as Applejack just rolled her eyes at Rarity taking all the credit of Pinkie's idea of taking in Twilight.
When Pinkie first suggested in taking in Twilight as their friend/ protector, Rainbow Dash thought that was the stupidest idea at first. But after Rarity has given it some thought, she thinks it's genius. And it looks like their long-term investment has finally paid off.
Back at the battle, Twilight pounced onto the Stallion and tried to tackle him to the ground as they rolled across the ground. But it ended when the Alicorn Stallion flipped Twilight onto her back and pinned her down to the ground with a loud thump in a very familiar way.
Twilight was startled by the Stallion counterattack. But then Twilight's expression turned from anger to surprise. The way this Stallion flipped and pinned her down, she knew only one pony who could use that technique…
Twilight looked up at the Stallion, who was snorting and glaring at her angrily, in sudden recognition and then she finally saw his eyes, coat, and mane were very familiar, "Fl-Flash?" Twilight asked in disbelief.
The Alicorn Stallion's anger turned to surprise and confusion. He immediately got off her and backed away as Twilight got back up and walked closer to him.
"Is...is it really you?" Twilight asked with a smile.
Flash merely raised a brow, did he know this mare? Because there was something familiar about her.
"Who...are you?" He asked in confusion.
"Flash, it's me. Twilight," Twilight answered, still holding her smile.
Flash's eyes widened for a moment before he leaned in closer. It did look like Twilight. Could it be? He almost refused to hope.
"Twilight?" Flash asked as Twilight nodded with an excited smile.
Flash was silent for a moment looking closer at the Alicorn mare before him as realization dawned on his face and an excited smile of his own appeared on his face.
"Whoa!" Flash cheered as he and Twilight hugged and spun each other around with joy at being reunited for the first time.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity had their jaws dropped in bafflement as they glanced at each other in shock and confusion. What was going on here?
Twilight and Flash broke their hug and ran around each other joyously.
"How did you…Who…Wow!" Flash said in excitement.
"How did you…Where did you come from?!" Twilight asked at the same time, practically tripping over her words in excitement.
"This is so cool…It's great to see you!" Flash said.
"It's great to see you too!" Twilight said.
"Hey, what's going on here?!" Rainbow Dash asked, confused and disappointed, flying over to the two Alicorns while Rarity and Applejack worked to try and free Fluttershy and Pinkie. But Twilight and Flash were too busy talking to each other to take much notice of her.
"Twilight, what are you doing here?!" Flash asked Twilight.
"What do you mean 'What am I doing here?' What are you doing here?!" Twilight replied, pointing to herself and then to Flash with one of her wings.
Frustrated with being talked over, Rainbow Dash got between them and shouted, "HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!".
This time it got the two Alicorns' attention as they looked down at her as if they were noticing her for the first time.
"Rainbow Dash, this is Flash Sentry. He's my best friend!" Twilight said, introducing Rainbow to Flash before she turned to Flash. She was not really thinking about her choice of words. "And Flash this is… THIS IS AMAZING!" She cheered nuzzling her foalhood friend.
"Wait, hold on, friend?!" Rainbow Dash asked, thoroughly confused and a little angry while crossing her arms.
"Yeah! Hey, Rarity, Pinkie, AJ, and Fluttershy! Come over here!" Twilight said, looking over her shoulder and calling the others over as Rarity and Applejack were finally able to managed to get Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy unstuck from under the root and they headed on over, wanting to meet the newcomer.
But before anything could be said, another shadow fell over them. The group looked up and behind them, they saw descending down from the sky was a pink alicorn mare a bit taller than Twilight with a pink, purple, and yellow mane, gold regalia, purple eyes, wings with faded purple endings, and a crystal heart cutie mark.
"Flash there you are!" The mare said as she walked over to him, not seeing Twilight who had a shocked look on her face, "I can't believe you took off on me like that! We need to stay together, this is a strange land!".
Flash made a sheepish smile and shrugged, "Sorry Cadance, but it was worth it! Look who I found!" He said, pointing his wing to Twilight.
The mare looked at her and squinted her eyes for a moment before she gasped in realization with a hoof to her mouth, "It, can't be! T-Twily?!" She whispered.
Twilight made a teary smile and trotted over to the mare, her other old friend, and introduced herself to her the only way she knew how,
"Sunshine, Sunshine," She started, doing a little prance as the mare's smile reappeared on her muzzle and sang along with her.
"Ladybugs awake!" They said crouching down and playing peek-a-boo, before they sat up and played patty-cake, "Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" They finished standing back up and shaking their tails to each other. Before they both made a weepy laugh and hugged each other tightly while Flash and the girls just smiled, though the latters were a little weirded out by the dance/little filly-hoof shake they did.
"Ooh, Twilight it is you! I-I thought you were…" Cadance cheered, hugging her little sister figure.
Twilight nodded, nuzzling Cadance's neck, "It's good to see you too, Cadance,".
"Ahem!" A fake cough sounded, causing the two to turn to Rarity, looking at them deadpanned, "Forgive me for spoiling your little reunion, but I believe some introductions would be nice?" She requested.
Twilight's eyes snapped in realization, "Oh right! Flash, Cadance, meet Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie, Rainbow, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity meet Flash Sentry and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza," Twilight said, introducing Flash and Cadance to her friends as Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie approach.
"Princess?!" The girls shouted in unison, looking at Cadance in surprise and shock.
Cadance chuckled, "Yes, but please just call me Cadance,".
"Well howdy there, Partners," Applejack greeted, tilting her hat.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Fluttershy went next with her angelic smile.
"Any friends of Twilight are friends of mine," Pinkie greeted with a happy smile.
"Please make your acquaintance, darlings," Rarity said with a bow.
"The pleasure's all ours," Flash said with a smile.
"Well, how do you do - Whoa! Whoa! Okay, timeout and let me get this straight," Rainbow said, about to introduce herself until she halted the meet and greet, trying to get up to speed and remembering something.
"You know him and he knows you and so does she. But he wants to fry us," Rainbow Dash said slowly, pointing to Twilight, Cadance, Flash, and the rest of the girls, respectively.
"And everypony's okay with this? DID I MISS SOMETHING?!" Rainbow Dash screamed and flapped her wings in exasperation.
"Whoa, relax, Rainbow Dash," Twilight said as Rainbow panted.
"Twilight, wait until everyone finds out you've been here all this time!" Flash said in excitement as Twilight turned her attention to him.
"And your father…What will he think?" Cadance asked, remembering something more important.
That sentence brought back Twilight's memory of when her mother died, and Chrysalis said, "Oh, what will your father think?".
That comment had disturbed Twilight as her expression had now changed to a bothered one. But she had misunderstood what Flash and Cadance had said. She thought they were talking about their disapproval over what she had done. Not that anypony was missing her.
Twilight never liked talking about her family in front of her friends. She felt that this is a personal thing she needed to deal with, and she didn't want to get laughed at by Rainbow Dash again. For some time now, Twilight has come to terms with one conclusion. Her family is better off without her. But now that Flash and Cadance knew that she was alive, it would only be a matter of time until her family found out
"He doesn't have to know. Nopony has to know," Twilight claimed in distress, but keeping her face neutral.
"Well, of course, they do. Everypony thinks you're dead," Flash countered with a smile.
"Wait, they do?" Twilight asked, in honest surprise from hearing the news that came from Flash.
"Yeah, Chrysalis told us about the stampede," Cadance replied, as she and Flash looked down sadly.
"She did? Well…What else did she tell you?" Twilight asked, starting to see something was odd here. She thought her third aunt had told the whole kingdom about her crime and banishment but instead told them she was dead.
"What else matters, Twilight is that you're alive!" Flash claims as he was just happy to see his old friend again.
Then he and Cadance meanwhile had another realization, as a smile appeared on Cadance's face.
"And that means…You're the Queen!" Cadance announced as Twilight looked shocked.
"Queen?!" Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow, and Fluttershy said in unison surprise and disbelief. Rarity mumbled in shock and awe before she wobbled and fainted as Applejack caught her.
Rainbow however just scoffed being skeptical, "Pffft, Sweet cheeks. Have you two got your ponies crossed," Rainbow Dash said to Cadance approaching them while leaning on Flash.
"A Queen?!" Pinkie whispered in awe when she realized her best friend was an actual queen as Twilight looked confusedly at the pink pony as she belly crawled over to her and bowed to her.
"Your majesty! I gravel at your hooves," Pinkie said humbly as she noisily kissed Twilight's foreleg, causing the Alicorn to pull her hoof away in embarrassment.
"Pinkie, stop it!" Twilight said, annoyed and disgusted as Rarity, who had recovered from her fainting, trotted over to her shaking her head.
"Pinkie Pie, it's not gravel. It's groveled," Rarity corrected the pink Earth Pony.
"And don't do it anyway, since Twilight's no Queen," Rainbow Dash added as she laughed at the idea of Twilight being royalty.
"Wait, are ya, Twi?" Applejack asked, turning her attention to Twilight.
"What? No!" Twilight replied quickly.
"Twilight?!" Flash and Cadance gasped, feeling kinda shocked.
Twilight then turned to them, "No! I'm NOT the Queen. I mean, maybe I was gonna be, but…that was a long time ago," She explained as she stands up and started walking away from the group, not wanting to think about it.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hang on, let us get this straight…" Rainbow Dash said, waving her hooves.
"Yeah. I mean…You're a Queen?" Applejack asked, still coming to grips with it.
"And you never told us before?" Pinkie Pie asked in disbelief.
"Well, um…that does explain the different foods she mentioned when we first met her." Fluttershy remarked.
"Yes. But look, I'm still the same Twilight," Twilight reassured as she turned to them with a smile.
"Yes, but a Twilight with great and high power!" Rarity proclaimed with enthusiasm. Being friends with royalty could be very beneficial to them.
"Could you girls excuse Me and Twilight for a few minutes?" Flash asked, smiling at them nervously and patiently.
Cadance, being the Princess/Alicorn Of Love, could sense what Flash wanted and simply smiled, "Oh, sure, we don't mind, don't we ladies?" She answered, turning to the Mane 5 with a smile.
"Hey, whatever this guy has to say to our girl, he can say it in front of us. Right, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked, tapping Fluttershy on the shoulder before turning to Twilight.
Twilight glanced to the side before looking back at Rainbow a bit sheepishly, "Hmmm, why don't you girls show Cadance around the forest?" Twilight asked with an apologetic smile.
Rainbow Dash stares at Twilight in consternation and is aghast by this but she resigns with a defeated expression and her wings held up, "It starts. You think you know a mare," She grumbled before she walked off into the forests nearby.
"It's alright with us, Sugarcube," Applejack said with an assuring smile before following behind Rainbow Dash.
"Very well, come along your majesty, we shall show you our little corner of heaven." Rarity said as she and Applejack started walking off into the nearby forest after Rainbow Dash.
"Be back before sunset, Twilight," Fluttershy said as she followed after the three with Pinkie giving a smile and wave to them and bouncing after them into the forests.
Cadance gave Twilight one last hug and nuzzle before she turned to Flash and mouthed, "Good Luck" before she followed The Mane 5 into the forest, leaving Twilight and Flash alone.
Author's Note: Well, here she is, the 14th chapter of THE ALICORN QUEEN and boy this one is full of surprises for everyone.
At the start, The Mane 5 were taking a stroll through the forest, searching some fruit to eat, while singing 'The Alicorn Sleeps Tonight'. But then suddenly out of nowhere, they were attacked by an unknown Alicorn Stallion. Luckily for the Mane 5, Twilight came to their rescue and fought the stallion. Of course, the fight didn't last long because the stallion somehow flipped Twilight and pinned her to the ground.
That when Twilight began to realize that the Stallion was actually her foalhood friend, Flash Sentry. And he wasn't alone, he brought along another friend of Twilight, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, aka, Cadance.
After some introduction was made between them, Flash and Cadance told Twilight that they and everyone at their home thought she was dead because Chrysalis told them about the stampede. This has got Twilight a bit confused but what was more surprising to her was that since Flash and Cadance have found her alive and grown-up, it only means one thing...
Twilight is now the true Queen of the kingdom.
Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie were quite shocked and surprised and so was Rainbow Dash, of course, she was finding it ridiculous at first. Either way, The Mane 5 were still coming to grip at how Twilight was actually a queen and never told them before.
Flash asked the girls if they could excuse him and Twilight for a few minutes, which Cadance agrees rather easily since she sensed what Flash want. Rainbow Dash , however, was being a bit skeptical at first but resigned when Twilight asked her friends to give Cadance a tour around the forest, leaving the two Alicorns alone.