Chapter Sixty Two: Picking Up the Pieces

"So how much longer do ya think they're gonna be?"

While Twilight, Spike, Vegito and Tapion were off stopping the Sirens, everypony else had been patiently waiting in the castle. Obviously they could've left at any point, but they had each decided to stay. They wanted to be there when their friends emerged, to welcome them home and hear about their journey. That and because they had yet to fully explore the castle, and wanted to wait for the others before doing so. At one point they wondered if the four of them would return, but those thoughts didn't last long. With Vegito around there was no way the Sirens could win, not to mention Twilight was great with magic.

Pinkie Pie looked up from her board game with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. "Beats me, all I know is we're gonna need to have a huge party to celebrate!"

"Perhaps we should wait a bit before throwing a party, who knows if they'll even be in the mood to celebrate." Rarity stated.

"I just hope everything went okay." Fluttershy added.

Rainbow waved her hoof dismissively. "Relax Fluttershy, I'm sure everything went fine. When have any of our friends ever let us down?"

Several moments later Twilight, Spike, Vegito and Tapion emerged from the portal, and they were instantly swarmed by their friends.

"Hey girls!" Twilight greeted as she hugged her friends tightly.

"How'd it go? Did ya beat those nasty Sirens?" Pinkie Pie questioned.

Spike approached the group hug. "Oh yeah, we took care of business."

Tapion nodded. "It took some doing, but those girls won't be causing any more trouble."

While that was good news the five Ponies who had stayed behind noticed Vegito was eerily quiet, which was surprising. They then noticed the shape he was in, which meant a fierce battle had no doubt taken place. Ordinarily he would be gloating about the victory, yet he wasn't saying a word. He also seemed very lost in thought, almost troubled. Clearly there had been more going on than just the Sirens, but they weren't sure what exactly... and judging by the look on his face they weren't sure they wanted to know.

And yet Rainbow Dash just had to know, but she knew to be careful when asking. "So, Vegito, how was the trip on your end?"

Vegito sighed. "...I don't want to talk about it."

Rainbow was taken aback by that response.

A silence followed after that statement, and after several moments Tapion spoke up. "I think I should be going, but I'll be sure to come back and visit."

Everypony waved goodbye as Tapion took his leave.

Twilight realized there was an air of awkwardness in the room, and figured she would try and clear it away. "So... what do you say we all take a tour of the castle?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Rarity smiled.

"Seems only right we do it together." Applejack added.

"And then afterword we can throw that party I was talking about! It'll be tons of fun, right Vegito? Vegito?"

They all glanced around and noticed Vegito was gone.

Appearing in a grassy field in the outskirts of Ponyville, Vegito reached into his pocket and retrieved his ship. After throwing the capsule to the ground his ship appeared, and he quickly went inside and shut the door behind him. Once inside he let out a very deep sigh, all the while going to grab a Senzu Bean. After that whole ordeal he needed a little time to himself, as his mind was in a frantic state at the moment. After restoring himself he went to take a nice long shower, letting hot water wash over him as he tried to clear his mind.

His body shivered as his mind went back to that horrible moment, and tears started forming at the thought. Never before had a victory felt so hollow, and he couldn't believe he had let it end up the way it did. His love of battle had cost two misguided teenagers their lives, and while he had to stop them he could've done a better job at it. Admittedly Vegito had been angered beforehand by the whole Battle of the Bands debacle, although if he had known what a pain it would end up being he would've just smashed the Sirens' necklaces right from the start. Of course he didn't do that, and with all of that pent up aggression it only made sense to really draw out the fight.

Now he was regretting that decision, and that look of pure devastation on Twilight's face would be ingrained in his mind for a good while. Vegito knew all too well the pain of loss, and he had made one of his best friends go through that pain. Obviously he had no relation to that Twilight, but she was pretty much the same as his the Twilight he knew in every aspect. Although it seemed like that Twilight had been isolated from her peers not by choice, but because... well... he wasn't really sure, either way her life clearly had been hard. He quickly realized just how important Sunset had been to her, and why it hurt so much for her to leave the second time.

Vegito banged his fist against the wall, all the while letting out a scream. Part of him wanted to just move on, rationalizing that what he had done was necessary. Yet another part was berating himself for being so stupid. There was no changing the past, Vegito realized that, but it was hard to simply let it go. How could he live with himself knowing he killed two of his friends? How could he look Twilight and Sunset in the eye, without thinking about what he had done to them. He let out another scream before taking a deep breath.

After a few minutes he was done with his shower, and after drying himself off he quickly put on a fresh set of clothes. Once ready he placed two fingers to his forehead and vanished, needing to go and clear his head. He arrived in a grassy field on a nice sunny day, although he wasn't in Equestria. Vegito felt leaving the planet would be best, as having little distractions would help in his meditation. And while his friends most likely wanted him around to explore the castle as a group, he wasn't up to it at the moment.

Instead he needed a nice quiet place to clear his troubled thoughts, and from what he could tell there wasn't anyone in the nearby area. Vegito sighed once again before sitting on the ground, getting into a meditative position. He then closed his eyes and inhaled, and then exhaled. He repeated that for a good long while, all the while trying to focus on the peacefulness around him. It reminded Vegito of when he was helping Fluttershy overcome her fear of crowds, and how he had taken her to a similar meadow to ease her mind. Well now he was doing the same for himself, and he badly needed it.

'Sorry I'm not there with you guys... I hope I'm mot missing anything important.'

After Vegito's sudden departure Twilight had told her friends that he just needed some alone time, as that encounter had been more rough than he thought. Twilight neglected to mention who he had been fighting, but she didn't really want to bring it up. She figured Vegito would probably do that anyway, when he was ready of course. Naturally they all understood, and decided then was a good time to explore the castle. At some point they would check up on Vegito, but for now they would respect his need for privacy.

The seven of them then took a good look around the place, and they were amazed by just how massive it was. There were plenty of rooms, all of which were pretty much empty. As they toured Twilight felt a little overwhelmed, as it appeared much larger on the inside than the outside. Not to mention she had lost her old home, which she had just remembered happened not too long ago. It was certainly going to take a while to adjust, but maybe she could find ways to spruce it up or something.

Twilight pushed those thoughts aside as she and her friends came back around to the throne room, as she declared it, and went to sit in the chair with her Cutie Mark on it. "I still can't believe I have a castle now."

"I can't believe we spent all of that time cleaning up that old castle in the Everfree Forest for nothing." Rainbow noted while also taking a seat.

"It wasn't for nothing, Rainbow Dash. That 'old castle' really did need a good sprucing up." Rarity said, having already found a comfortable sitting position in her chair.

"Besides, ah'm sure somepony will be able ta make good use out of it." Applejack added as she climbed into her own.

Pinkie Pie smiled brightly as she jumped into her chair. "Not to mention we got sucked into Spike's comic book and had a super fun adventure!"

Fluttershy thought back to that day, frowned slightly, and then flew up into her chair. "It was pretty scary, and then I turned into a huge monster."

As they each took a seat the marks on each of their chairs began glowing, although nopony noticed at first. Once they were all sitting the marks were shining brighter, and now they were all aware of what was happening. A light then shone down from each mark, with each beam of light hitting a certain spot on the floor. Crystals then spread out from each chair, their paths converging in the middle. As the crystals converged a platform began to rise up, and did so with a bright flash of light. Once everything settled a huge map of Equestria was revealed, almost like a hologram.

"Whoa!"

Spike, who had been silent for a while, excitedly ran up to the map. "This is so cool, you can see all of Equestria!"

As they all stared the Cutie Marks on the Ponies began to glow, and an image of each of their Marks flew up into the air. They swirled around one another as they touched down on the map. Once on the map the Cutie Marks began moving, and ended up settling in a more remote part of Equestria. It was all a little confusing at first, and Twilight was currently trying to figure it all out.

"But if this is Ponyville, why are our cutie marks over there?" Fluttershy questioned.

"I don't know. But it seems like the map wants us to find out. The Tree, the chest, this castle, and now the map. How can we not follow it?"

"You're right Twilight, and I know Vegito would be thinking the same thing!" Rainbow Dash declared.

"Ah guess we're all goin', the map seems ta want each of us over there."

Rarity nodded in agreement. "Indeed, although it appears we'll have quite a journey ahead of us."

"Should we go tell Vegito where we're going so he won't worry?" Fluttershy asked.

"It sounded like he needed space, and besides as a team the six of us are unstoppable!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Not to mention that sweet power up you got Twilight." Spike added.

"Well it wasn't really a power up, although I can feel a noticeable difference to before Old Kai's ritual. At any rate Pinkie Pie is right, whatever is waiting for us out there we'll face it together!"

"I'd offer to join, but Big Mac and I have big plans for the weekend." Spike said with a smirk.

Twilight merely smiled. "Alright girls, it's time for us to go."

After making last minute preparations the six of them were ready to go, and while ordinarily they would take the train Twilight wanted to try and teleport them all there. She had never tried such a long distance jump with so many Ponies, but now that she was no longer suppressing herself she figured now was a good time to try it. And so after studying the map for several moments, in order to get a feel for her location, Twilight was ready. Her horn quickly began glowing, with the aura around her horn getting bigger every second.

Suddenly the six of them vanished, and then they appeared in a rather barren area. In the distance was a small, and simple looking, village. Twilight was grateful that her spell had worked, and also impressed with herself. Her magic had been growing stronger since she moved to Ponyville, and with nothing holding her back she was utilizing her full potential. She certainly wasn't going to brag about it, especially considering what happened with Tirek, but it was something she made note of.

"The map lead us to that village. Rainbow, can you sense anything unusual or dangerous?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to remember what Vegito had taught her. "Hm... well I'm only sensing Ponies down there, but something feels off about them."

"What do ya mean by off?" Applejack questioned.

"I'm not sure how to describe it, but they feel... weird. Actually, there is somepony who's normal. In fact they're pretty powerful, not as powerful as you Twilight, but still way better than average."

Rarity put a hoof to her chin in thought. "So what do you girls make of that?"

"It sounds pretty creepy to me." Fluttershy admitted.

"There's only one way to find out for sure what's going on." Twilight said as she began heading toward the village.

And so they all followed Twilight to their destination, and as they did they got a closer look at its inhabitants. Right away they could all tell something was amiss, as everypony had big, creepy smiles. Not just that their Cutie Marks were all the same, that being an equal sign. That was unheard of, and it made them even more curious as to what was going on. In spite of the creepiness the Ponies did welcome them, but it still felt a little off-putting. Ordinarily Fluttershy would've took comfort in such a welcome, but considering what she knew about sensing she had a feeling Rainbow was right.

Suddenly a light blue Unicorn, with a bluish-gray mane approached them. "Welcome! Pardon my forwardness, but are you an Alicorn?"

"That's right. I'm Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship." Twilight introduced.

"Well, you've certainly come to the right place for friendship."

A white Earth Pony with a light blue mane then joined the conversation. "What brings you to town?"

"We're not entirely sure." Twilight answered.

"I see. Well, all are welcome here in our little village. My name is Double Diamond, and this is Party Favor."

"Howdy, Double Diamond. I'm Applejack, and this here's Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash."

"And you all have your own unique cutie marks."' Double Diamond noted.

Twilight noticed more of the villagers had rallied around them, but ignored it for the moment. "If you don't mind, has there been any sort of... trouble here, lately?"

"Trouble? Why, I don't think we've ever had trouble in our little village." Double Diamond answered.

"It's true. You'll see. Hm." Party Favor agreed.

"Perhaps you'd care to speak to our founder Starlight Glimmer." Double Diamond said as they led the group of six to Starlight.

Along the way Rainbow moved closer to Twilight, and also brought her back a bit as to be more quiet. "Starlight Glimmer must be the odd one out I felt earlier, the one who was normal."

Twilight merely nodded, letting that bit of information sink in. As she continued walking she realized that Starlight's house wasn't in line with the others, which may not have meant much but it was still worth noting. She also began to wonder what they meant by founder, and if it were in a good way or a bad way. Of course everypony had bright smiling faces, but as she and her friends had discussed it wasn't normal. Regardless she would just have to wait until actually meeting Starlight, and when doing so Twilight would keep a close eye on her.

Eventually Double Diamond and Party Favor reached the house, and they both knocked on the door. "Starlight, we have some new visitors."

After a few moments of waiting a heliotrope Unicorn emerged, with a warming smile upon her face. Her mane was dark-purple, with both a light-purple and teal streak running through it. Her smile while inviting wasn't nearly as creepy as the rest of the villagers', and overall she seemed a little more normal. The strange, or not so strange thing, was that her Cutie Mark was also an equal sign. In that case she should've felt the same as everypony else, but according to Rainbow she did not.

"Welcome! I'm so pleased to have you here."

"This is Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle." Double Diamond said.

"Forgive my bluntness, but I'm assuming it's Princess Twilight Sparkle? We don't get many Alicorns around here." Starlight noted.

"Yes, but "Twilight" is fine." Twilight answered.

Starlight stared at Twilight for a few more seconds before her smile grew even bigger. "So! How did you hear of our little village?"

"It's kind of a long story. Let's just say we found it on a map." Twilight explained.

"Technically, it's a Tree-chest-castle-map!" Pinkie clarified.

"Well, however you found us, we're happy to have you! We're happy to have anypony who wants to experience true friendship for the first time."

Applejack quirked a brow. "Say what?"

"Oh, indeed. That's what's so unique about our village, you see. Around here, we don't flaunt our special talents because we don't have any special talents to flaunt."

"So that must be why you all have the same Cutie Marks." Twilight noted, all the while her eyes started narrowing.

Starlight smiled. "Perhaps it would be easier to understand if I gave you a tour of-"

Everypony gasped as they saw a magenta colored aura envelope Starlight, all the while Twilight's horn was glowing brightly.

"Forgive my bluntness, but I'm assuming this true friendship is all a lie. We had a feeling something was strange about this village, and I think you're behind it all. I don't what you did to these Ponies, but it stops here. I know you're not like the rest of them. They all lack special talents but I bet you don't, do you Starlight Glimmer?"

As Starlight was trapped Rainbow went over and touched her Cutie Mark, and to the surprise of everypony it was a fake. Some sort of ink or paint could clearly be seen on Rainbow's hoof, not to mention there was a gap in the equal sign where the hoof had made contact. Rainbow went to wipe away the rest of it, revealing Starlight's actual Cutie Mark underneath. A smirk came to Rainbow's face upon revealing the truth, as it meant her sensing had actually been accurate.

At that point Starlight had all eyes upon her, and she was running out of options. Her big secret had been blown wide open, and it wouldn't be long before the whole village heard the news. Her anger was rising, and it was all directed toward Twilight Sparkle and her friends. How did they find out what she doing so fast, it just didn't make any sense. As much as she wanted to get her revenge she was outnumbered, so she went with the only sensible option. Her horn soon started emitting a light-bluish glow, which soon enveloped her entire body. Not a moment later there was a bright flash, and Starlight had vanished.

Twilight had been surprised at both Starlight's power and ingenuity, but quickly regained her composure. "Rainbow can you sense her nearby?"

"Nope, she must have teleported far away."

"I just can't believe it..." Double Diamond muttered.

"Why would Starlight lie to us like that?" Party Favor wondered aloud.

Twilight then turned to the two Ponies. "How exactly did you all end up like this anyway."

Double Diamond put a hoof to his chin. "Well I remember crashing my skies not too far from here, and that's where I met Starlight. She told me what she told you, and that Cutie Marks made friendship impossible. She also said that she could remove my Cutie Mark, which would make me experience true happiness. It all sounded so good, and I guess all it took was one Pony to make others consider doing the same. Soon enough everypony who came gave up their special talent, and we've all be living in our happy sameness ever since."

"So how do you remove a Cutie Mark anyway?"

"The Staff of Sameness." Party Favor answered.

Rainbow quirked a brow. "So she used some staff to remove your Cutie Marks forever?"

"Oh they're not gone forever, she locked them in a nearby vault." Double Diamond explained.

"And you all agreed to have your Cutie Marks taken?" Rarity questioned.

"Some did, and those that didn't were kept sealed away in a room. Starlight would keep them there for an entire day, and if you weren't ready to accept the new lifestyle you were locked away for another day."

Fluttershy gasped. "That sounds horrible."

Party Favor frowned. "Yeah... looking back it kind of was..."

Vegito had been meditating for a good long while, he didn't know exactly how long, but it had been helping somewhat. He didn't feel like crying, yet there was still a pain there. Obviously he knew it would take much longer for the pain to start going away, but he had hoped for a more speedy recovery. As he continued his breathing he wondered how his friends were doing. He assumed they were still in the castle, as with Rarity there the tour was probably going slowly. Vegito let out a sigh, as his thoughts went back to his friends.

After several more moments Vegito stood up, all the while placing two fingers to his forehead. He wasn't quite ready to head back to Equestria, but he grew tired of meditating. As much as he didn't want to admit it would help to talk to someone, and although his friends were experts at that sort of thing he had someone else in mind. He had been meaning to pay them a visit anyway, and now seemed like the best time to do so. It took a few moments to track them down, and once he did he teleported over to them.

Vegito found himself on the outskirts of a nearby city, on a completely different planet, in a whole other part of the galaxy. Judging by the sun shining it was still day time, and the person he wanted to visit would most likely be awake. There were quite a lot of people in the nearby area according to his senses, but he didn't dwell on them for too long. He turned around and faced a medium sized house, and slowly went up to the door. Vegito stood there a moment, a bit of hesitation taking over him.

Vegito then shook his head before knocking on the door, and it wasn't long before someone opened it.

"Hi how can I... Vegito?"

"Hey Tarble, long time no see."

It had been a little while since Tarble had seen his brother, and while happy to see him he needed a moment to take it in. "It's good to see you, although I must say I'm a little surprised."

Vegito sighed. "Sorry I haven't visited before this, I've been meaning to but..."

Right away Tarble noticed something was off about his brother. "Is everything alright?"

"That's actually why I came over here, I needed to talk to someone and I don't really want to go to my friends."

Tarble was taken aback by that response, as he hadn't expected another Saiyan to be so open. "Oh, of course. We were just about to have some dinner, why don't you join us?"

A small smile crept onto Vegito's face. "Thanks Tarble."

Gure walked into the room and noticed Vegtio, whom she remembered from her visit to Equestria, and waved kindly at him.

As he entered the house Vegito waved back. "Good to see you again Gure. As I was saying to Tarble, I'm sorry for not visiting until now."

"It's alright. We might have made a little too much food tonight, want to join us?"

Vegito's smile grew a little brighter as he nodded.

News of Starlight Glimmer's lie had quickly spread through the town, and although hesitant to believe it at first several Ponies had seen her Cutie Mark. If it had just been the outsiders they might have brushed off the claim, but the fact that Double Diamond and Party Favor were also witnesses meant it wasn't a lie. Also the fact that Starlight had vanished was another big clue, and even some of the townsponies had seen the flashing light from the teleportation spell. And so everything they had been told was a lie, and they had all been played for fools.

After having exposed Starlight, Twilight and her friends were now being led to the vault. "How are you two holding up?"

Double Diamond let out a sigh. "Okay... I mean it was good for the truth to come out, but I'm still hurt by Starlight's betrayal."

"I can't even imagine how hard it must have been to give up your Cutie Marks." Fluttershy noted.

"Starlight made her way of life sound so good, and everypony who had accepted it seemed so happy." Party Favor said.

"But what about your friends and families back home?" Pinkie questioned.

Party Favor frowned. "I guess it's been a while for some of us, but at this point we're all pretty much like a family... not an ideal family, but still."

Applejack looked over at him. "Now that y'all know the truth, what are y'all gonna do?"

"I'm not sure, but once we all have our Cutie Marks back we can talk it over with everypony." Double Diamond said.

They soon reached the vault, which had been hidden away in a far off cave. Twilight and her friends gasped at the sight of all of those Cutie Marks, as it was weird seeing so many in one place. Those Cutie Marks were trapped in a wall, protected by some sort of magic force field. In the center of the cave was a pedestal, with a wooden staff resting upon it.

"Well this is it."

Twilight's attention was then drawn to the center of the room. "What's that?"

"The Staff of Sameness, it was what Starlight used to take our Cutie Marks." Party Favor explained.

"Apparently it belonged to somepony named Mage Meadowbrook."

"Looks like a plain old stick to me." Pinkie Pie noted as she stared intently at it.

Twilight was also staring at it, and quickly realized Pinkie was right. "Well that's another lie to add to the list. Mage Meadowbrook didn't have a staff, or if she had one it was never brought up in any of the books about her. So it must have been her own magic removing your Cutie Marks. I have to say Starlight certainly is powerful, but I can't help but wonder why she went through with all of this."

Double Diamond shrugged. "She kept saying everypony would be happier without their Cutie Marks, and she probably wanted to try and coerce all of Equestria into joining."

"So if she wanted everypony ta join her then why lie?" Applejack wondered.

"And if life truly is better off without a Cutie Mark then why didn't she part with hers?" Rarity added.

"Too bad she left, otherwise we could've asked her." Fluttershy lamented.

"I'm still working on my sensing, and I can only stretch it so far. Starlight could be anywhere in the world, and we have no idea where she is." Rainbow noted.

"We'll have to track her down later, right now we need to open the vault and get everypony their Cutie Marks back." Twilight said as she slowly approached the back wall.

That was when a rainbow-colored energy sphere went flying toward the vault, courtesy of Rainbow Dash. Her attack struck the force field that kept the Cutie Marks captive, which quickly started to break apart. In a matter of moments the barrier was gone, and all of the Cutie Marks flew away from the wall. One by one the Ponies of the village were getting their Cutie Marks back, and found themselves returned to normal. It had been a long time for some, but everypony could agree that it was nice having them back.

Inside the cave both Double Diamond and Party Favor had gotten their Cutie Marks, and for the first time in a while they were smiling genuinely.

"Now those are smiles!" Pinkie Pie commented.

"Wow... I forgot what it felt like, to have a Cutie Mark." Party Favor noted.

"I know, it feels... great."

Twilight then turned to the pair. "You know you don't have to be exactly the same to get along. True friends will stick together, even if they don't always see eye to eye. Starlight couldn't see that for some reason, but you can all learn from your mistakes."

Double Diamond nodded. "I think everypony in the village would agree, but I guess we'll just have to discuss where to go now."

A smile graced Twilight's face. "Sounds good."

They all then exited the cave and headed back toward the village, on their way to decide what was to come of their longtime home. Double Diamond and Party Favor were admittedly a little nervous, as they weren't sure how everypony would feel. They had all gotten along so well because they had all been the same, but those relationships had been forged on a lie. Now everypony had their Cutie Marks back, as well as knowing the truth. It just wasn't going to be the same as before, if they even decided to stay together that is.

Several moments later they reached the village, and sure everypony was standing around gawking at their returned Cutie Marks. "Alright everypony listen up, we've got a big decision to make."

"We all know by now that Starlight tricked us, and now that she's not calling the shots anymore we're free to do what we want." Double Diamond continued.

"Well I for one want to stay here, with all of you." A Pegasus named Night Glider said.

Sugar Belle, a Unicorn, nodded. "This is a chance to get to know each other for real, and also you'll get to try muffins that aren't terrible!"

"Exactly, not to mention you'll get a chance to experience true friendship." Twilight added.

"Sugar Belle and Princess Twilight are right, and Party Favor and I agree. So all those in favor of sticking together, and getting to know one another for real, say aye."

"Aye!"

Party Favor smiled. "It's settled, we'll all stay here!"

The whole village erupted with cheers, and everypony was smiling.

"I said it back at the vault and I'm gonna say it again, those are real smiles!" Pinkie Pie noted.

That was when the six of them noticed their Cutie Marks were flashing, much like earlier in the castle.

"I'll never get used to that." Applejack said.

"I think it's divine." Rarity said.

Fluttershy then turned to Twilight. "Does that mean that the map is calling us somewhere else?"

Twilight merely smiled. "I have a feeling it means our work here is done."

"Looks like you were right, Twilight. The map did have a reason for sendin' us here. We brought real friendship to these here ponies. Guess that's why you're the Princess of Friendship."

"But the map didn't send me. It sent us. You're a part of me, all of you. And there's no doubt you're a part of my mission to spread friendship too."

"And what about Starlight?" Rainbow questioned.

"We have no idea where she went, and since Vegito didn't meet her he wouldn't know what to search for."

Rarity quirked a brow. "So what do you suggest we do?"

"She'll find out where we live sooner or later, so we'll just have to keep an eye out around town every now and then." Twilight said.

"I'll be sure to work more the whole sensing thing, and if I feel Starlight around I'll let you girls know right away!" Rainbow promised.

"Yeah, and if she tries to mess with one of us she'll have to mess with all of us!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Twilight's smile grew brighter. "You know it, now come on, I'll take us home."

Vegito took another bite of bread before taking a sip of his water. He had been very appreciative of Tarble and Gure, as they had so graciously shared their meal with him. They often made a large portion, since Tarble was a Saiyan and ate a lot in spite of not training much, and were happy to have some company. Vegito's mood was improving, not just from the food but being around family. It was nice dining with his brother and sister-in-law, and he made a mental note to try and visit more often.

"Mmm, I have to say, this is really tasty!"

Gure smiled. "Thank you, it's one of our favorite meals to make."

"Yeah I can see why you like it." Vegito noted in-between bites.

"I don't mean to be rude, but earlier you said you wanted to talk about something."

Vegito set down his fork and sighed. "Yeah..."

They noticed him trembling lightly, in addition to his hesitation to speak.

"...So basically a parallel world that's linked to Equestria, but everyone there is human and their version of Equestria is more of a modern society. It was sort of surreal seeing my friends in that form, and just how different their world was. I had already been there once before, having traveled with Twilight and Spike to catch a renegade Unicorn named Sunset Shimmer, but we had to go back a second time. Near the end of the trip I got to meet the Twilight and Sunset of that world, who had been turned into murderous Cyborgs. Their source of power came from me, when I had shown off my Super Saiyan power the previous trip. Naturally I was the only one who could stop them, and for a while I was enjoying the fight... but then..."

"I'm guessing unlike Abo and Cado they weren't going to give up." Tarble said, noticing how hard his brother was trying to keep his composure.

Unfortunately Vegito was having trouble keeping it together. "Why did I have to fight them, I should've gone full power and knocked them out! I should've been thinking of ways to help them, instead I chose to draw out the battle for as long as possible. And then when I have the upper hand I just keep fighting! I sent Sunset Shimmer to her death, and then had to watch Twilight start loosing it, only to then beg for me to end her life too! What the hell kind of friend am I?!"

For the first time ever Tarble saw his brother crying, and although initially caught off guard he quickly went over to reassure him.

Gure had already gone and grabbed some tissues and set them on the table next to Vegito, and with that done she was ready to keep listening and being supportive.

Vegito felt his brother's hand touch his shoulder, and upon seeing the nearby tissues he grabbed one and began wiping away the tears. "I'm sorry, it's just..."

"I'll bet you've never really had to fight anyone close to you, at least not to the death?" Tarble asked in a low tone.

"Some of my enemies became friends after being beaten, I guess this time it was the other way around."

"They weren't your real friends though, just the alternate versions of them." Tarble reminded.

Vegito clenched his fists. "I know, but dammit it's still not a good enough answer! They were teenagers for Celestia's sake! It didn't have to end that way, and yet I let it happen."

While Tarble wanted nothing more than to support his brother he was unsure what to say, and so he decided to pull Vegito in for a hug. There was no hesitation on the return, which was also a little surprising. Then again, from what he heard of Equestria it was the norm, so it quickly made more sense to Tarble. Regardless of that though, he was content on giving Vegito all the time he needed.

Several moments later Vegito released his brother. "Thanks Tarble, I needed that."

"I honestly never thought I'd hug my brother, but here we are."

"Yeah, I guess I have my new friends to thank for that." Vegito said with a small chuckle. "Say... how about you and I have a little spar?"

That sudden turn had caught Tarble off guard. "You want to fight me?"

"It'll just be a little sparing, to test your skills."

"You should know I'm not the best fighter, and I'm certainly nowhere near your level." Tarble frowned.

Vegito placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "That's why I'm gonna train you. I know you don't care for fighting but that doesn't mean you can't learn it, and besides, if another threat shows up you'll be more prepared to deal with it."

"That is a good point, but I'm still a little nervous."

"Hey don't worry about it, I won't be too hard on you. Trust me I've trained some of my friends back home, and I haven't yelled at them unless absolutely necessary."

Tarble still felt uneasy, but he knew that sparing would help clear his brother's head. "Alright then, I guess we should get started."

After having helped those villagers see what real friendship was, Twilight had teleported herself and her friends back to Ponyville. They appeared just outside of the castle, and despite not having been gone for that long it felt good to be home. Since Rainbow couldn't feel Vegito around, they figured he was still being alone. They weren't too worried though, as they knew he would show up sooner or later. Thankfully they hadn't needed his help with the village, and hopefully they won't need it if Starlight Glimmer ever reappeared.

"Now that we're home, we can finally have that party I was talking about!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Shouldn't we wait for Vegito to show up first?" Rainbow Dash questioned.

"Ah wonder how he's doin'?"

Fluttershy frowned. "I just hope he's feeling okay."

"Something truly awful must have happened to effect Vegito this way." Rarity noted.

"Well when he gets back we'll be there to give him lots of hugs and support... unless he needs more space, then we will respect his wishes and meet up at a later date to party." Pinkie added.

As her friends had been talking Twilight's attention had been drawn to her castle, and she was hit with a sudden wave of unease. Ever since she moved to Ponyville she had taken up residence in the library, a small but quaint little place that had become her home. Now that the library was gone she had no choice but to move in to the castle, but that didn't seem so easy. She wasn't used to living in such a large and extravagant place; even her home back in Canterlot hadn't been that big. It was going to be a big adjustment.

Applejack noticed Twilight deep in thought. "You alright sugarcube?"

"To be honest, I'm a little worried about my new life in the castle."

"What's there to worry about darling? Your new home is absolutely gorgeous!"

"That may be true, but I've lived in the library for so long. We've had so many good times there. I can't speak for Spike, but I don't know if I'm ready for this."

"I would be scared to move into a new place also, especially if it was a large castle." Fluttershy added.

Rainbow Dash then placed a hoof around Twilight. "Hey don't worry about it, I'll bet in no time at all you'll be feeling right at home inside that new castle. Just fill it with a bunch of books and you'll be fine."

An idea, and smile, then came to Pinkie Pie. "Yeah we could totally decorate your new home, make it perfect for Princess Twilight Sparkle to live in! The rest of us will help out in any way we can, right girls?"

Everypony else nodded in agreement.

"Well that does sound pretty fun, and there are plenty of rooms to decorate... alright, let's do it!"

"Alright, let's do this!"

Tarble had led his brother to a more open part of the planet, with not much life around. It made for a great place to train, although Tarble was feeling unsure about the whole thing. Of course he was willing to do it for his brother, but the idea of fighting with him was a little daunting. Even though Vegito had promised to take it easy Tarble was still nervous, but he also knew that it was the only way to improve himself. And so for the sake of himself, Gure, and his whole planet, he would follow his brother's teachings.

Standing across from his brother, Vegito was just glad to be doing something to clear his mind. "I want to see what you've learned on your own, so don't hold anything back."

With a slow nod Tarble readied himself, trying to remember the correct fighting stance. Several moments later he dashed forward, roaring loudly as he did so. His fist made contact with Vegito's right forearm, and did nothing but produce a loud boom. A silence followed which was only interrupted by a breeze, and once it passed Tarble went in to strike again. Obviously any punch or kick he threw was either blocked or dodged, but he still persisted anyway. Ordinarily Tarble would be discouraged by how the fight was going, but there were no stakes and it was only a test of ability.

Vegito suddenly ascended high into the air, beckoning his brother to follow. He noticed Tarble was following his trail, albeit at a slower pace. As he flew backward Vegito aimed his palms downward, and he fired off several small energy blasts. He watched his brother stop mid-flight and ready himself, and started swatting away the blasts. That was when Vegito made his move, and in an instant he was now directly in front of Tarble. Faster than his brother could react Vegito threw a punch, hitting Tarble in the gut and stunning him. He then thrust his left hand forward, unleashing a kiai which sent Tarble flying backward.

Not a moment later Vegito vanished, and he appeared far ahead of Tarble's flight path. He had a feeling his brother would have trouble regaining control, and was ready to exploit that. That was when Tarble spun himself around, all the while firing off an energy blast. Vegito was impressed by that maneuver, and swatted the oncoming blast away with a smile. He then dashed forward and hit Tarble with a light punch, completely stopping his momentum. Another punch sent Tarble to the ground, with the impact of his body leaving behind a crater.

As Tarble struggled to get up Vegito appeared in front of him, and when he saw his brother offering a hand he gladly took it. That was when Vegito's smile turned into a smirk, which instantly had Tarble worried. The grip on his hand tightened, and he was promptly hoisted up into the air. Before he could react he was punched in the gut, multiple times. Each hit was more painful than the last, and the only reprieve came from Vegito switching to the face. After landing several blows Vegito hurled his brother across the sky, only to fire an energy blast afterward.

That energy sphere hit with a loud boom, creating a thick cloud of smoke in the sky. Falling from within the cloud was Tarble, who's limp body was falling slowly down to the ground. Vegito watched for only a few moments before flying over to his brother, but instead of helping he attacked once again. He drove his knee straight into Tarble's spine, making him yell out in pain. Vegito then cupped his hands together and slammed them down onto his brother's head, sending him crashing into the ground.

Several moments passed before Vegito descended onto the ground, now standing over Tarble. His brother was in bad shape, and was certainly not going to be fighting anymore. That was when Vegito reached into his pocket and grabbed a Senzu Bean, the one he had offered to Twilight. He obviously didn't think about that and merely fed it to his brother, and after a few seconds Tarble managed to swallow it and he found his strength returning. Vegito smiled as he helped his brother up for real.

"So how was that?"

"Better than I expected, of course there's still plenty of room for improvement. That's also why I beat you up so badly, as I'm sure you remember we grow stronger after recovering from severe injury."

Tarble did indeed feel stronger, which he conveyed by flexing his fingers back and forth. "Yes, that will certainly help."

"Don't worry, it won't be long before you're fighting like a true warrior. Also I'm curious, can you become a Super Saiyan?"

"No... I'm sorry, but I can't." Tarble admitted sadly.

Vegito smirked as he placed a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder. "We'll work on that, you just need the right motivation."

In response Tarble nodded. "Well I'm ready to keep training if you are."

"Of course I am, but before we spar again we're going to start with a light workout... give me five hundred push-ups!"

"Five hundred?! You said it was going to be a light workout!"

"Come on, five hundred is nothing. Trust me it may seem daunting, but soon enough it'll become a routine."

As much as he didn't want to admit it his brother had a point, so with a reluctant sigh Tarble got down on his hands and started his workout. Admittedly he had never really worked out much, but had read a few books on the subject. Luckily he had someone training him, as there was only so much he could do on his own. What made it even better was that his trainer was his brother, and that Vegito knew what he was doing. Hence why he was complying with Vegito's instructions, as it was sure to lead to great results.

Vegito watched with satisfaction. "Good, keep up that pace. I'll be right back."

Tarble didn't respond, being too caught up in his exercise.

Upon placing two fingers to his forehead Vegito vanished, and he appeared inside his ship back in Equestria. A quick search with his senses told him he was alone, and so he quickly exited his ship and pushed the button on the side. After picked up the tiny capsule Vegito teleported back to his brother, all the while wondering if Rainbow had noticed his sudden appearance. He arrived in the same spot he had departed from, making it seem like he hadn't even left at all. He noticed Tarble still going at it, which made Vegito smirk.

'That's good, keep focusing on the task at hand.'

It would be several minutes until Tarble finished, and after his last push-up he got to his feet. "You know, I thought I would feel more worn out, but I actually feel good enough to keep going."

"That's the spirit! Oh and I hope you don't mind if I stay here for a few days, to make sure you'll be good to train on your own."

"Of course, you're more than welcome to stay with Gure and I."

Vegito smiled. "Thanks, but I brought my ship so I'll just sleep in that."

Tarble nodded. "Hey, Vegito... thanks for helping train me, and for not ridiculing me."

"No problem. Now then, let's resume."

Author's Note:

I decided to do things a little different this time around, seeing as how the events played out. The original concept was much closer to how the episode actually plays out, but given how we ended off I decided to build off that as well as everything Twilight and Rainbow have learned. I'm gonna try and shake things up a little more in terms of how the overarching MLP story goes, in addition to any other Dragon Ball related plot lines that may or may not be coming at some point, Thank you for reading!