//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: A Failure To Plan // by Aquaman //------------------------------// “And…” Celestia sipped her tea, eyeing Luna over the rim of the cup. “And what?” “You know what,” Luna grumbled back. “That’s absolutely not what happened.” “How do you know?” Celestia replied with a languid blink. “You weren’t here for it.” “I was there for that part,” Luna shot back. “And that part didn’t end that way. Nor did it involve any of those other mares… in fact, who is Moondancer anyway? You never even answered your own question!” Celestia shrugged. “One of Twilight’s old friends. Before she came to Ponyville and met her new ones.” “Which, according to you, she never did.” “Oh, she did.” Celestia set her tea down, deliberately avoiding eye contact with her sister. “Eventually.” Luna scoffed in a way that Celestia knew meant she was rolling her eyes as well. “So much for that epiphany with Minuette, huh?” “Oh, don’t think so little of me, sister. Nopony got hurt, and nopony even remembers that they could have been.” “Right,” Luna groused. “Because you erased all their memories again?” “I most certainly did not!” came Celestia’s indignant reply. She paused to sip her tea, watching for Luna to do the same before continuing. “As a matter of fact, I went back in time.” A simple shielding spell was enough to deflect most of the scalding hot liquid Luna spewed Celestia’s way. “You did what?” Luna sputtered once her mouth was empty enough to speak. “It’s like I said,” Celestia casually explained. “I couldn’t force Twilight to do something she doesn’t want to do. All I did was… nudge her in the right direction.” “By doing what, precisely?” Celestia shrugged again. “Commandeering the Elements of Harmony, digging up Star Swirl’s unfinished timewalking spell, discovering the only way for it to work was to channel the combined energies of the elements into said spell, proceeding to actually do that, going back to the day I first met Twilight, and making sure my past self gave her a personal copy of Predictions and Prophecies after she passed her entrance exam.” Oddly enough, that answer was less terrible than Luna seemed to be expecting. “That… that’s it?” she asked. “No meddling, no mind wipes?” Celestia shook her head. “Just a book. And that was all it took. When I came back to the present, Twilight had already skipped Moondancer’s party, gone to Ponyville, and restored the Elements of Harmony with the help of her five new best friends.” She finished her tea with a slightly overbearing slurp. “Exactly as planned.” Now it was Luna’s turn to sigh. “Sister, do you have… any idea how badly that could’ve ended? And what about Moondancer? Whatever happened to her?” “Well, it didn’t end badly, and that’s what’s important. And I’m sure Moondancer’s fine,” Celestia replied with a wave of her hoof. “She had four other best friends. They’re probably doing great even without Twilight.” Luna seemed ready to argue the point, but evidently thought better of it after another sip of tea. “I suppose it’s all in the past now anyway,” she muttered. “Tell me you at least safely disposed of Star Swirl’s spell.” “Oh, of course,” Celestia said. “I left it in a mountain cave in the middle of nowhere, miles from civilization. And even if somepony does find it, it only goes back to that one day anyway, and it requires the power of all six Elements to even function at all—which, if I’m correct, are currently buried beneath the brand-new castle Twilight grew herself after defeating Tirek last week. So, yes, it’s very much taken care of.” “You didn’t destroy it, though?” Luna said. “That seems–" “Luna, please,” Celestia said, pouring herself a fresh cup of tea. As she set the pot back down, she thought she caught a glimpse out the throne room window of a train departing Ponyville—perhaps carrying Twilight and her friends off to another mission from that magical map of Equestria she’d acquired along with her castle. “Trust me, it’s fine,” Celestia finished with a smile. “Everything is under control.”