//------------------------------//
// Chapter Thirteen - A Dream Comes True, Redux 
// Story: Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon Team up to Save Everyone 
// by Codex Ex Equus 
//------------------------------//

The red-eye clacked on towards Ponyville and points beyond, gliding lazily but steadily along the tracks. Aside from a bare staff, most of the ponies on board had long ago bedded down in the sleeper cars, sleeping through the night until the train reached its destination.

Most of them. 

A shadow slid silently into one of the rooms, carefully skirting the magical wards that had been placed around its door. Inside, it paused for a moment, inspecting the surroundings. The room was lavishly appointed, but not to an extreme, with thick plush carpet and well polished hardwood accents. A unicorn and a pegasus slept in bunks on opposite sides of the room, one of them snoring rather noticeably—the female, the shadow noted with a snicker to itself.

There were closets on either side of the room as well. Both had similar protection spells as the door to the room, but only one of them glowed so brightly that the shadow flinched away. It slid a bit closer after a moment, carefully studying the closet… then moved to the less protected one.

You can have your own room, Nightmare. Look at all the protections on this closet, Nightmare, thought Nightmare Moon as she sized up the closet before her, and snickered to herself again. You were always so predictable, Celestia. These protections were still powerful in their own right, a complex layering of wards and alarms that would require skill and delicacy to thread through.

Except Celestia had apparently forgotten that Nightmare had gained all of the powers of Princess of the Night when Luna had been turned to stone. There was plenty of darkness and shadows among the cracks in the walls and floorboards for Nightmare to ooze her way inside the closet without ever coming close to its protections.

She slid the upper part of her body out of the shadowy puddle, grinning as she reached out with a hoof and pulled the heavy case that rested on the floor of the closet towards herself. Glass clinked as it moved, its contents bumping against each other.

Not one to take things for granted, she carefully opened the pack, inspecting what was inside. The Element Vessels gleamed, the darkness of the closet as bright as day to Nightmare Moon, and her grin widened.

As she moved to close the case, the gems shifted once again. There was another clinking sound as one of the Elements fell against her hoof… and that was all.

Nightmare blinked, staring at the Elements with wide eyes. She lifted her hoof, causing the Element to move slightly, but otherwise there was no reaction at all. One by one, she touched all the Elements, finally giving the gem that represent the Element of Magic a long stroke that was almost a caress. 

Taking her hoof back out of the case, she stared at the Elements for a long, long time.

Finally, she closed the case, carefully moved it back to its original position, and slipped back through the shadows into her own cabin.







"—and while I don't know what your troops look like, I assume they're all big and scary and mean."

Fluttershy let out a little gulp, but continued. "But the Yaks are really big too, and really hard to stop, and I don't think they'd like it if we got invaded. We're friends, and they'd come to defend us, and they'd probably go through your infantry like bulls in a china shop. Even though bulls are actually really gentle souls most of the time and I don't think they'd do anything to hurt all that poor, defenseless china. But, um, it's a saying that emphasizes how much damage they can do.

"I suppose you could always stay up in those airships you say you have, and the yaks couldn't reach you there. But we're friends with the dragons, and the griffins, and even the changelings now, along with our own pegasi and batpony forces, and, oh! The things they would do to you up there! I-I don't even want to think about it, but if you attacked us, well, we wouldn't really have any other choice except to send them…"

A blue blur passed by the frosted-glass conference room doors, then zipped back, and Rainbow Dash stuck her head in. Her Rainbow-Powered mane seemed more under control now, done up in a thick braid, but zooming about Canterlot Castle was making the bands holding it in place work overtime.

"Yo, Fluttershy!" she called out urgently. "Come on, we need to go! We've got a, um, 'code stone free', if you catch my drift!"

She flew away again, and Fluttershy turned back to the foreign delegation she'd been addressing.

"Oh my! Sorry about this, b-but I really have to go. Please, think about what I said. And feel free to help yourself to any of the refreshments before you leave. Thank you, it was a pleasure meeting you."

With a cheerful smile and wave, Fluttershy trotted from the room.

"So, ya want me ta call in the fleet?" asked Grubber, reaching across the table and pulling an entire tin of pie towards himself.

"Are you insane?!" cried Tempest Shadow, turning towards him with her mouth gaping. "Did you hear what she said they'd do to us? And she's supposed to be the nice one!"

The broken-horned unicorn wrapped her hooves around herself, shivering. "However angry the Storm King gets over our 'failure' here, I'd rather deal with him than anything that pony just described. I'm sure we can find the power he wants somewhere else. Somewhere far, far away."







"You know, I've never actually been here," said Shining Armor in a hushed tone.

The Tree of Harmony sparkled brightly in the dark cave, gentle shafts of light emanating from its branches. The path leading up to its trunk was wide and flat, but still Shining Armor took his time, walking slowly. Celestia could appreciate that; The cave was like a cathedral, tall and empty, seeming to exude a sense of reverence.

"I still remember the first time Luna and I came here," she replied in an equally quiet voice. "We had come seeking a weapon, but what we found was more of a tool that could fix problems. Admittedly, the way it fixed problems tended to be by locking them away for a thousand years until Twilight could deal with them, but it worked."

She walked up to the Tree, Shining Armor having stopped several paces back both out of respect and wariness.

"Are you sure you know what to do?" he asked.

"Of course. The Tree just wants to help us. So the simplest thing we can do… is ask."

She opened the case, lifting the six Element vessels in her magic. Holding them in front of herself, she took a step towards the tree and raised her voice.

"Please help us," she called out. "I know you know what happened, and what we went through to retrieve these artifacts. So please… please help us."

A gentle, musical hum filled the cavern, as the Tree's glow intensified. The six gemstones on the Tree flashed once, then began to blink faster and faster. One by one, each shot out a beam of light, striking an Element and sending colored light spilling across the cavern. Finally, the last gem on the Tree, the one shaped like Twilight's Cutie Mark, fired a beam into the central gemstone. There was one last high pitched note from the Tree, and light filled the cavern.

When it faded, each of the Elements in front of Celestia held a small ball of colored light that pulsed slowly. Celestia looked down at the gems and smiled, then began to pack them away again in the case.

"Thank you," she said softly. The Tree seemed to sparkle brighter for a moment, and with a nod of her head Celestia turned away.

"That's all?" asked Shining Armor, joining her by her side as she walked back along the path.

"That's all," confirmed Celestia. "The Tree only lends us its power. Using it is up to us."

They emerged from the cave, seeing Nightmare Moon up on the edge of the canyon, sitting and waiting patiently. She had, most likely wisely, decided that was as close as she should get to the Tree of Harmony.

Celestia looked up at her and smiled widely. "So, come on. Let's go use it."

"You're still thinking of using the Elements on Nightmare, aren't you?" asked Shining Armor, refusing to follow as Celestia took a step along the path towards the cliff.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, Celestia, and you know I've changed my mind." Shining Armor took a step closer. "She saved us, Celestia. She put everything she was at risk to protect Equestria. If she hadn't, it would have been gone by the time you came back."

"And so… what? That absolves her for everything she did to me? Everything she did and tried to do to Equestria?" Celestia took a step towards him as well, towering over him."And how does it stop her from doing what she wants to do to me and my sister, and Equestria?"

"It doesn't," replied Shining Armor quietly. "But… it should give her another chance. A chance to be better, the way she proved she can be when she protected us."

"Explain how giving her that chance will stop her from destroying everything you and I have both sworn to protect, Captain. Because that's what you want to risk."

"It will stop her the same way Luna's love will stop Queen Chrysalis trying to destroy my life again," snarled Shining Armor, his ferocity making Celestia take a step back. "Do you think I really trust her? Do you think I want that… that monster marrying a Princess of Equestria and becoming part of our family?

"Because I don't… but I'm willing to give her a chance."

Celestia glared down at him with all of her Princessly fury, but he was resolute, his face stone. Finally, she let out a snort.

"I refuse to give her another chance," she said, turning her furious gaze to the canyon edge where Nightmare sat far above them. "But what we're doing here is too important to risk wasting the Elements on a distraction. So freeing our family will be my first priority. After that… I'll do things my own way."

There was a sigh from behind her.

"I thought you'd say that. I suppose it's too much to ask you to forgive her already. Especially with the way she's been acting. But hopefully, I can change your mind."

"You're welcome to try," replied Celestia curtly, and they began making their way up the path.








"Oh, yeah, nobody help me," grunted Spike, pushing the handcart forward. On it lay the stone form of Cadance, unceremoniously resting face down. There had been some objections to that undignified position, but it had proved to be the most stable position for transporting her. "It's not like I'm just a small dragon trying to push around Princesses and Queens. This is no trouble at all for me."

He went ignored by the ponies gathered in front of Twilight's castle, as they admired the Elements Celestia had brought out to display.

"They're so lovely," cooed Rarity, watching the small balls of light inside each Element pulse and glow. "I wish I could incorporate something like that into one of my dresses."

"HuuuuuunnNNNHH!" Pinkie let out a loud gasp, vibrating in excitement despite the large bags under her eyes that several sleepless days and nights of nonstop Rainbow-Powered partying had left. "That would be great! And it gives me a great idea for party decorations!"

For a moment, she flickered. "I was right! They were amazing!"

"You're sure we can trust these things?" Applejack gave one a tap with her hoof. Its glow brightened briefly, and it let out a sound like a chime. "I mean, Tree of Harmony and all, I get it, but you did get them from a changeling hive."

Her eyes narrowed, and she stared daggers at the statue of Chrysalis. "And I know what them critters can be like, let me tell you."

"Yes, I'm sure of it. Among other things, we… we lost Ka-klack retrieving these." Celestia bowed her head briefly. "I have complete faith in the changelings, and in these Elements."

"Ah." Applejack coughed and shuffled nervously. "I'm sorry. I didn't… I didn't know."

"The poor little thing," sniffed Fluttershy, tears running down her face.

"What color balloons do you think he wants for his 'Thank you for dying for us' party?" asked Pinkie excitedly. "Ooh, we should tell Chrysalis to have him come back pink! I have some yellow and blue balloons that would go great with pink, plus then we'd match!"

"Pinkie Pie, what are you…" Celestia started to say, brow furrowed in confusion as she attempted the perilous task of following Pinkie's thoughts.

"I knew I should have gone with," said Rainbow Dash mournfully from her other side. "If I'd been there—"

"If you'd been there, you'd be a pile of ash, along with that little bug," interrupted Nightmare Moon gleefully, sliding up to the group. They glared at her, and she smiled back. "But don't worry, you might still get the chance if you try to get between those two."

She gestured at the tableau Spike was finishing setting up in front of the castle. He'd managed to get all the statues out and upright, even putting them in the positions they'd originally been in—which put Twilight and Chrysalis at each other's throats.

"Sparkle is going to fry that big bug when she gets free. Or maybe the bug will blast her. Either way, should be fun to watch!"

"Hmm. Good point," admitted Celestia grudgingly. "Oh Spike! Would you mind moving the statues? Put them far apart. And not facing each other, either. Thank you." Angry grumbling and green flames greeted her request, but she'd already turned back to the group.

"Speaking of not trusting ponies…" Applejack let her sentence trail off into an angry silence.

"Oh, come now, Applepony." Nightmare rubbed a hoof on Applejack's head, an action that would have gotten her bucked to the Crystal Empire if her body hadn't simply burst into a shadowy mist upon impact before quickly reforming. "I was the hero of this story! If I hadn't been there, Celestia's version of me would have burned this kingdom to the ground before she got her act together. Isn't that right, dear sister?"

The five ponies turned to Celestia, who looked back with a face full of innocence.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Nightmare Moon."

"What–you–but—" Nightmare glared at her in fury, then suddenly threw her head back with a laugh. "That's more like it! Now you're getting it." She pranced away, to harass Spike as he moved the statues.

"That must have made for a delightful trip," said Rarity dryly.

Celestia sighed. "It was… taxing. But we found these Elements. And they took care of her twice before, so hopefully third time's the charm."

"Speaking of that, how do we turn these things on?" Rainbow Dash began poking one of the Elements repeatedly, causing it to respond with a series of chimes that, against all logic, began to sound more and more annoyed. "I mean, usually we just get them together and they go."

"I'm… not sure, actually," Celestia said with a frown. "As you said, they normally tend to activate themselves. I'd assumed you five would wield them, perhaps with me as the Element of Magic, but they don't seem to be doing anything."

She glanced around the open field next to Twilight's castle. Spike, sweating, had finally gotten all the statues set up well apart from each other. Now he stood near the group, next to Shining Armor, and was warily eyeing Nightmare Moon as she lounged languidly upon thin air.

Celestia looked back down at where the Elements rested upon the grass. "Okay, all good to go!" she said cheerily. The Elements responded by laying on the ground like several gem-shaped pieces of glass. "Um… please?"

"Ooh! Maybe they need a song?" asked Pinkie excitedly.

"No singing," snapped Nightmare Moon.

"Well… if we did start singing…" Fluttershy ventured.

"No!"

"The Elements only worked when all of us were around, right?" asked Applejack. "And these Elements probably need different ponies to use them, since Twilight's a statue. So maybe whoever supposed to use them just ain't here?"

"Well, I assumed we were the ones who were supposed to use them, or even just me alone as before, and they'd activate when we got them together with the statues," Celestia replied. "But if not us, then who—"

The Elements suddenly shook in place, their glow brightening. One, the largest, leapt up to float in the air before them.

"Ah, there we go!" exclaimed Celestia. "The first is the Element of Magic, and Friendship. And it goes to…"

She trailed off, as the Element shot over their heads. Turning, they followed its flight, watching as it swept down and slowed to start rotating about the black figure that was trotting up the road to the castle.

"It goes to a changeling who maybe learned a few things about friendship," said Ka-klack with a smile. "Sorry I'm late, I was—"

"Ka-klack!" Celestia raced over, sweeping the changeling up in an exoskeletoncrushing hug. The Element, blocked from orbiting Ka-klack, bumped against her shoulder, chiming in annoyance. "You're okay! How… how…"

"The hive never dies, Celestia." He gave her a perplexed look. "You didn't remember that I can just spawn in a new body? Wait, is that why you didn't stop to pick me up in Appleloosa—"

"AHAHAHAHAHA!" Nightmare Moon began rolling around in the grass, chortling whenever she managed to draw enough breath. "H-He was your friend… and… and y-you thought h-he was dead! You all forgot he was as immortal as us… a-and you… you…" She trailed off, only able to pound a hoof on the ground as she giggled hysterically.

"Wow," said Applejack, watching Nightmare's display with a slack jaw.

"That's not funny ha-ha," Pinkie said with a large frown. "That's more like funny awwwww."

"She knew the whole time, didn't she," Celestia growled, her teeth clenched and grinding. Shining Armor gulped, more afraid of Celestia than he was upset at Nightmare, but he nodded.

"I'm going to—" Celestia's voice started to build into a shout, only to be interrupted by Ka-klack.

"Ha!" he said, pointing at Nightmare. "That is rather amusing. Not surprising, considering how much she shares with Luna."

"What—oh. Hello, Chrysalis."

"Hello. I'm glad to see you've found a way to free us, even if you did have to corrupt Ka-klack to get it done. Now—" She stopped with a yelp, as the Element orbiting her borrowed body sent a shock into her flank. "Hey, you're supposed to be helping me! Stop it!"

The Element continued zapping her until she lit up her horn and surrounded it with a bright green orb of energy.

"Hmph. Annoying little things." She turned back to Celestia, the orb shaking violently as more and more sparks struck it. "I'm not sure how much time I have left in the hivemind, so… hey, maybe free my body so I can go back into it? You know, if that's not too much trouble. Please try not to ruin any more of my changelings while you're at it, if you would."

Chrysalis disappeared, along with the sparks, and once again Ka-klack was looking back at her. He gave her an embarrassed smile and shrugged, and she smiled back before turning to face the statues again.

"But… thank you for everything."

Celestia looked back. Ka-klack was blushing a bright green, and his voice had been distinctly feminine. 

"And if you ever tell anyone I said that, I'll have three full legions of changelings in Canterlot within the hour."

"Aww," cooed Celestia, making the changeling's cheeks puff out in anger as she let out an angry snort. "Don't worry, I won't. And you know what? I kind of like you too."

That got an angry hiss from the Queen, and Ka-klack reappeared once more. Side by side, they walked back to the gathering of ponies

"Well, we still have the rest of the Elements to hand out," said Celestia brightly, inspecting the gems. "Let's see, next looks to be"

Sparkling light ran along the Elements, flashing in a quickly accelerating sequence. Two, blue and red, flashed brighter than the rest. There was a pause, and then they leapt up into the air, spinning in place slowly. Motes of light fell from them, drifting gently downwards before fading away.

"Ah, the Elements of Laughter and Loyalty," Celestia said as she inspected the gems. "And these go to—hey! NO! Get back here! Don't you dare—!"

Heedless of Celestia's objections, the two Elements swept through the air in a gentle arc. They passed over the heads of Twilight's friends, Shining Armor, and even Spike before coming to a stop. They paused, hovering in the air for a long, drawn out moment, then, slowly, almost hesitantly, they floated down to spin around a wide-eyed Nightmare Moon.

"For… me?"

Nightmare looked at the two Elements that had chosen her, biting her lip. Faintly, she could hear Celestia ranting in the background, but that was unimportant compared to what was right before her. She glanced back and forth between the Elements as they rotated about her, then finally hung her head.

"I can't do this," she said quietly, speaking to the Elements. "You know that. We both want Equestria to prosper and its ponies to be happy, but… our methods are too different. It's possible that, maybe, your way is better... but I'm not going to change my mind."

Soft chiming emanated from the Elements, smooth and calming. It was a kind of music, and she listened to it like it was, her head tilted to one side. Finally, she sighed. 

"Alright, well, if you want to stick around me for this then so be it. I do want these ponies freed, so we're on the same side as far as that goes. Afterwards, though… well, let's just say we'll be going our separate ways." 

She reached out a hoof. "I accept your offer," she said, trying to shake hooves with one of the elements. For her attempt, she received a shock.

"Hey!" she yelped, drawing her hoof back. "I thought we had a truce here!"

She glared at the Elements, then let out a snort. "I don't care what you think, we're doing this!" 

She slammed her hoof onto the blue Element. It buzzed angrily and sent so much electricity into her that her mane lit up, but she kept it there nonetheless.

"Ha!" she shouted in triumph, the stars in her mane blinking on and off like Hearth's Warming decorations. "You see this, Celestia? The Elements, at least, can acknowledge my heroism!"

"This is completely unbelievable," growled Celestia. "How, in what universe, in what way whatsoever, can Nightmare Moon wield two of the Elements of Harmony?"

"She did stay to defend us, and Equestria, when Daybreaker attacked," pointed out Shining Armor. "Even after Daybreaker threatened to do… that really awful thing you said you wouldn't do. She put her life, and her very being, at risk for Equestria. That sounds like the kind of thing someone who deserves the Element of Loyalty would do."

"And the Element of Laughter, of all things?!"

"I have to admit, her laugh is rather fetching," said Rarity, then coughed into a hoof, her cheeks slightly pink. "I mean, from a purely objective point of view, of course."

"And she does like jokes… I guess," said Pinkie Pie, frowning. "Though the jokes she likes are more like ones about clowns catching on fire, instead of throwing pies or spraying ponies with seltzer."

Celestia continued to glare at Nightmare Moon, who had started preening her wings and basking in the light of the Elements rotating around her.

"Fine," snapped Celestia finally. "I refuse to accept or acknowledge this, but the important thing is to free our friends. So—let's just do this."

Another Element lit up, throwing bright pink rays of light in every direction as it rose up into the air.

"Oh, the Element of Kindness." Celestia rolled her eyes, feigning looking around the open area before Twilight's castle. "Anyone see Tirek? This one's probably for him."

With a short hop, the Element settled down and began rotating around Shining Armor.

"Well… that does make sense, I suppose." Celestia let out a frustrated sigh. "Sorry if I'm being a bit touchy. I just wasn't expecting… that to happen."

"Well, normally I wouldn't forgive you, but as I am now the temporary Element of Kindness, I have no choice." Shining Armor put a hoof to his chest and bowed, which got a snort of laughter out of Celestia.

"I think you make a wonderful Element of Kindness," declared Fluttershy. "After all, you're a guard, and you protect everyone." 

"Even me." Nightmare's voice was so quiet and restrained it took everyone a moment to realize who had spoken. "He used his shield to protect me so many times during all these adventures we went on. Even after everything I've done, he didn't treat me different from any other pony. He was like a knight in shining armor."

She paused as a thought struck her. "Do you think that's where they got his name from? It would make sense that—"

"Hey!" Pinkie suddenly popped up in front of Nightmare, causing the alicorn to recoil in surprise. "You might be borrowing my Element, but breaking the fourth wall is my thing, so back off, sister!"

"I… what?" Nightmare Moon looked to the other ponies for help in her confusion. "I was just wondering why his parents chose that name…"

"Uh-huh. His parents. Suuuuuure that's who you were talking about." Pinkie started to back away, then suddenly held up a hoof, pointing at her eyes and then at Nightmare Moon. "I'll be watching you…"

"You know, he was always kind to me, too," said Ka-klack once Pinkie had slipped back into the group, "and he even helped Chrysalis when she was trying to find the pony that turned out to be Luna. Even though he had more than enough reasons to be anything but kind to us."

"It is a good fit, indeed," declared Celestia, then looked down as the last two Elements lit up. "And now for the last two…"

These two Elements barely moved, twinkling upwards to spiral down and around Celestia in a shower of light.

"To me," she said, with a satisfied smile. "Honesty and Generosity."

"Was it honesty when you lied to the other ponies about Daybreaker?" heckled Nightmare Moon. "And as far as generosity goes, the only thing generous about you is your rear end!"

"No, the generosity comes from my having put up with you as much as I have without taking off your head!" shot back Celestia, then yelped as a spark from one of the Elements struck her on the cutie mark. "Oh, come on! Me too?!"

"Hahahaha!" Pointing and laughing, Nightmare Moon started rolling around on the ground, heedless of the flurry of shocks striking her as well. "It's nice to finally see you get what you deserve."

"You all need to learn a little bit about kindness, like me," said Shining Armor with a sniff. "You'll notice I'm the only one who hasn't been shocked."

"Technically I wasn't shocked either," pointed out Ka-klack, then rubbed his backside. "Though I'm still sore…"

"Quick, we'd better use the Elements before Shining Armor's delicate hiney gets hurt too!" chortled Nightmare.

"That was one time and Cadance said she—I mean, yes, we're ready to go, we should free them," said Shining Armor, changing subjects rapidly mid-sentence.

They spread out in a square, Celestia next to Twilight's statue, Shining Armor next to Cadance's, and Ka-klack next to the entwined statues of Luna and Chrysalis. Nightmare Moon took the open corner of the square, standing off by herself. Twilight's five friends and Spike retreated to a safe distance, watching from the castle doors.

The four temporary Element Bearers looked at each other, then as one closed their eyes. The Elements began to spin faster and faster, their glow becoming so bright it nearly hurt the eyes of the observing ponies. Suddenly, they stopped, freezing in midair in front of the pony wielding them. There was a cracking sound, and then all six Elements shattered.

The power inside them surged forward like a living thing, colliding in the center of the square formed by the four ponies. The multicolored ball of energy spun and swirled, before collapsing rapidly into a single point. Then it exploded, filling the field, for a brief moment, with a feeling of perfect peace, tranquility and harmony.

But only for a brief moment.

"Twilight, please, you need to listen—"

"Beloved, please, calm down so we can explain to her—"

"—you try anything, anything, Sparkle, and I'll blaah grrgle brrla."

"—and after I've ripped out your spine, I'll—!"

Twilight stopped, staggering slightly to the side and shaking her head. She blinked a few times, looking around. She'd just been getting ready to defend Ponyville from Queen Chrysalis, and now… there was an empty field in front of her?

"Twilight?" She turned her head, as Celestia moved slowly into her field of vision from the side. "It's okay, Twilight, everything's okay."

"It's not…" Twilight trailed off, then her eyes narrowed. She lowered her head, pointing her horn at Celestia. "You. You're not the Princess. I don't know what you just did, but I'm done falling for you tricks."

"Twilight, I promise I'm not Chrysalis. Look, she's standing right behind you."

"Ha! I'm not that gullible!"

"Fine." Celestia let out a sigh. "Remember when you managed to sneak into the restricted section of the Royal Library and got ahold of the Poninomicon, and accidentally used spell number sixty-three to turn yourself into a—"

"Okay, okay, it's you!" Red-faced, Twilight gulped. "N-no need to bring that up. Ever again. Even if it's an emergency."

She looked around. "Um, but… what happened? Queen Chrysalis appeared, and… oh no, she hypnotized Shining Armor again! And Cadance and Luna! Princess Celestia, we need to—"

"It's okay, Twilight, it's all okay," said Celestia soothingly. "She didn't brainwash them. They were telling the truth, and so was she."

"B-but that means—"

"Yes. She's marrying my sister." Celestia nodded. 

Twilight blinked. Then she blinked a few more times, and then put a hoof to her head.

"I-I feel weird," she said, giving her head a slow shake. "Did I have some kind of breakdown? Because my whole body is sore, especially my head, and… and I think I just heard you say that Queen Chrysalis is marrying Princess Luna."

"It's true, Twilight. She's… well, I won't say changed, or different than we thought, but there's actually a decent pony—or changeling, rather—underneath everything we've seen. Far, far underneath, but Luna manages to bring it out.

Celestia let out a little cough. "As for the sore body, well… you kind of overreacted when you saw Chrysalis, activated your Rainbow Power, and accidentally turned all four of you to stone."

"What?!"

"But it's okay! The changelings helped us find some vessels that could hold the power of Harmony, and we went all over Equestria to find them and had all kinds of adventures and it was so much fun!" Celestia let out a little giggle, prancing in place a bit, then stopped and put a hoof to her mouth. "Oh my. Sorry about that. But, well, it's been a long time since I last went on a quest. It turns out I actually missed it quite a bit."

"All the death and destruction can be an inconvenience, but I know how much fun going on adventures to save Equestria can be." Twilight gave Celestia an understanding smile, then a look of concern grew on her face. "Oh no… how long were we…?"

"Only about a week," Celestia hurriedly assured her.

"Whew." Twilight wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead, then looked up at Celestia with a wide smile. "And… you saved us? I hope it wasn't too much trouble."

"Of course not. You know I… I'd do anything for you."

Celestia looked away, blushing, then looked down with a gasp as Twilight's forelegs wrapped as far around her body as they could go.

"Thank you," said Twilight, looking up at her, then giggled. "After all the times I've had you thank me for saving you and Equestria, it feels nice to do it back for once."

"Yes, well, I also think it feels nice," replied Celestia, her face now beet-red. She draped a hoof over Twilight's back, returning the hug. "And you're welcome."

They separated, Twilight moving back a step, and Celestia looked her over with a concerned eye. The small alicorn looked perfectly fine—completely normal, aside from the excessively long mane that now had a yellow stripe running through it, and colored wingtips.

"You, ah, might want to go meet with your friends," she suggested gently. "With you as a statue, they weren't able to turn off the Rainbow Power. I understand that some of them have become quite… weary of it."

"What? Oh geez." Twilight looked down at herself for the first time, realizing what shape her body was in. "I didn't even think of that. Yes, let's go do that."

They turned, making their way across the field to where the others were gathered. Twilight slowed when she spotted Chrysalis, who was currently rocking back and forth and shaking in front of a concerned Luna, but she stayed on her path to her friends. Celestia, however, veered off to check on the Queen.

"Is she… alright?" Celestia asked, after sharing a quick hug with Luna and Cadance.

"Gxblt brff juuust f-fine ne ne," replied the changeling, her head twisting to one side and jerking up and down as a holed hoof made a gesture that might have been a wave of greeting. "Never jdlllf had to reinintegrate w-with a body like this bbefore fore. It's a lllot harder than gggrowing from an egg gg."

"Shining Armor and Ka-klack explained to us about the hivemind," said Luna, giving Celestia a small smile. "And that you were the one to save us."

"Please, sister, you don't really think I'd leave you as a statue, do you?" Celestia sniffed dismissively. "Laying around, cluttering up the place… not to mention the way you looked. The art critics would have eaten me alive."

"You can act tough all you want," said Luna, punching Celestia lightly on the shoulder. Then she pulled her into a tight hug. "But I know you care. Thank you."

"Of course, Luna." Celestia squeezed her back. "You know I couldn't leave you like that. I can't lose you again. Besides, you've got a wedding to be at, right?"

"That's right!" said Luna happily, then cocked her head to the side questioningly. "I don't recall hearing such enthusiasm from you before. Did something happen…?"

"Well, let's just say I've gotten to know the changelings, and their Queen, a little bit better over the past few days." Celestia smiled down at Luna. "I don't quite see what you see in Chrysalis… but I do like some of what I've seen."

"Oh, don't worry, we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other better over the coming years," said Chrysalis, climbing to her hooves. "After all—"

She attempted to fly over to the two, but her control over her body was still incomplete. Only one wing started buzzing rapidly, sending her cartwheeling to the side. Luna was there in a flash, catching her before she could smash into the ground and gently lowering her into a sitting position.

"Perhaps you need more time to rest, beloved?" asked Luna gently.

"Hmmph." Chrysalis pouted for a moment, then looked over at Luna with lowered eyelids. "You know, some love might help me recover faster…"

"Thou needest not even ask," cooed Luna, nuzzling against the changeling's neck.

"Hello, ma'am," said Ka-klack, walking up hesitantly on Chrysalis's other side. "It's good to have you back…"

"Good to have me out of your head you mean, you little traitor?" replied Chrysalis, shooting him a sharp sidelong glance.

"I-I, um—"

"You did good," she said quietly, turning to face forward and stare down at the grass beneath her hooves. "I think you may have gotten closer to the ponies than is good for you, but I suppose I'm not one to talk about that."

She snuggled against Luna, letting out a soft sigh.

"And we're going to need to get closer to them anyway, in the time to come. How would you like to be an ambassador to the ponies? Learn about them, help our people to find their place in this world we're a part of now?"

"Ooh…" Ka-klack trailed off, looking away. "I, uh, appreciate the honor, my Queen, but my duties lie in the hive—"

"Oh, no, I understand. All those kind ponies and all that horrible friendship they want to spread. What kind of changeling would want to be around that?" asked Chrysalis innocently.

"Um, when you put it that way—"

"Besides, you're not really fit for the job. I think I'll send Maxilla instead."

"What?! No offense ma'am, Maxilla is a wonderful guard for the hive, but the bug is an oaf! I asked him what friendship was once and he said it was an 'old, old Equestrian ship'. He thought it was a literal ship! We're a hivemind, how did he manage that?!"

"Well, then I suppose you're the bug for the job after all, eh?"

"Of course I—" Ka-klack stopped and hung his head. "I never had a choice, did I?"

"Of course not, you fool," snapped Chrysalis. "You seem to have forgotten how the hive's hierarchy works. Ponies are nice, and they can be your friends, but I am your Queen above all else. And your number one task as ambassador will be to find a way to make sure the rest of my changelings don't make the same mistakes you have."

"Oh." Ka-klack gulped. "Goodie."

"Well, everyone else seems to have found their loves," said Cadance, redirecting Celestia's attention. The Princess of Love was standing with the foreleg of a beaming Shining Armor draped protectively over her back. "How about you?"

"I-I'm working on it, I promise!" Celestia replied defensively.

"Good." Cadance moved forward, her face darkening. "Because if all of this happened for nothing, if you abandon the love you deserve after putting us through this, you can't even imagine the kind of hell I will put you through."

Celestia opened her mouth to reply, thought better of it, and simply nodded quickly and began backing away. As she did, there was a burst of light from where Twilight and her friends were standing. It faded, showing them back to their normal selves.

"Whew. Nothin' against the Rainbow Power, but I'm glad that's done with," said Applejack, adjusting her hat.

Rainbow Dash leapt into the air, spiraling and looping around the group. "Aww yeah, flying freely again! Getting rid of that mane makes me feel like I just dropped ten pounds of weight!"

"Speak for yourself," Rarity pouted, adjusting her own mane with a hoof. "I didn't even get to try half the styles I wanted to."

There was a sudden explosion of noise from Fluttershy, as, chirping and chittering, a flood of squirrels, mice, sparrows, robins, a snake or two, a possum, and a very confused eagle burst from her downsized mane and fled in all directions. 

"Oh my," she said sadly, watching them go. "I hope they can find another home."

"Wheee, that was so much fun!" cried Pinkie, dancing around the group. "I threw so many parties and everyone loved them and I didn't sleep for a week and we should do it again, can we do it again, let's do it again!"

She went up on the tips of her forehooves as she finished, then fell forward onto her face and began snoring.

"We should probably get her to a bed," said Fluttershy, poking Pinkie on the flank a few time with her hoof.

"Nah, I've seen her sleep in weirder places," said Rainbow Dash, shrugging. "Like, I found her hanging upside down in her closet once. Said she was practicing in case she ever became a batpony. She's fine here."

"Well, we're all back to normal," announced Twilight happily, trotting back over to Celestia. "We're free thanks to you, the Rainbow Power is back where it belongs, and everyone's going to live happily ever after. It's all wrapped up and done with."

"That's right," said Celestia, nodding frantically. "Alllllll done."

"Ahem?"

"Ooh, except I still don't know everything that happened!" squealed Twilight, clapping her hooves. "Please, tell us about your adventures! What was the changeling hive like? Where did you find these temporary Elements of Harmony? I want details!"

"Ah, well, if you insist," chuckled Celestia, patting the ground for the smaller alicorn to sit.

"Ahem!"

"It all started when I invited you to a picnic," began Celestia. "A completely platonic picnic, between friends who were once student and mentor."

"Ahem!"

"But, of course, you hadn't—"

"Ahem!"

"—known that Queen Chrysalis would—"

"AHEM!"

"—be joining us, and—

"AHEM!"

"Are you alright Cadance?" asked Twilight, leaning over to give her a concerned look. "Do you need a glass of water or something?"

"Oh, no, thank you, Twilight dear," replied Cadance sweetly. "But I think Celestia has something she wants to ask you. No, something she needs to ask you, right now, if she knows what's good for her."

"What?" Twilight turned to Celestia, facing questioning. "You have a question for me, Celestia?"

"I… I—" 

It was too much. She couldn't do it, not right now, not without time to rest and reflect. Say, a year. Maybe two. Celestia looked around desperately, trying to find some way to escape.

Over there, Twilight's friends would let her… wait, why was there a demon from Tartarus in their group—oh Gods, that's Rarity. She knew exactly what Celestia was thinking. But surely Celestia could avoid one little pony, even if they looked like the spawn of hell, right? Except all of Rarity's other friends seemed to be drawing around her, determined looks on their faces, ready to give her their support… she couldn't outrun Rainbow Dash, Applejack might be strong enough to rival even an alicorn, and the Gods only knew what Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy would do if they got their hooves on her.

She turned to the other side. Luna also clearly knew what her sister was thinking, and she had a look of sheer delight on her face, her wings quivering in anticipation. No good going that way; Luna was just itching for a chance to pounce. And besides, next to her was Chrysalis, who, now full of Luna's love, was nearly bursting with power. The only thing more humiliating than being captured by Luna would be being brought down by the Queen. Again. And Chrysalis wouldn't be nice about it, either; her face was a collage of pointy fangs, eager, cruel eyes and razor sharp horn edges.

Then the only other option was—holy crap, Cadance looks worse than Chrysalis.

Celestia swung back, to Twilight's earnest, curious face.

She's so beautiful, thought Celestia, stunned once more by the revelation. Look at her, just waiting for me. So eager to hear what I have to ask, so ready to learn about the world. Why would I ever want to pass up on the chance to have her be so much more to me than she already is?

Celestia took a deep breath.

"Yes, I do have a question, Twilight," she said, managing a smile that was, just barely, steady. "But… it's kind of a private question. A personal one. Do you mind if maybe we…"

She gestured at the open field, and Twilight nodded eagerly. 

"Of course," she said, getting to her hooves. "We'll just be a minute, everyone."

Celestia watched her start to trot away, then got up as well, starting to follow.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Cadance's voice came from behind her.

"What—" Celestia turned, to get hit full on in the face by the wrapped book she had intended to give to Twilight as a present.

"Ow!" Fumbling with her hooves, Celestia finally just caught the book in her magic.

"Careful!" she cried, holding a hoof to her injured snout. "You could damage the book! And that hurt!"

"It'll hurt a lot more if you try to run," snarled Cadance. "So you'd better ask her!"

"I will, I will," said Celestia petulantly, trotting away.

She slowed as she neared Twilight, who was waiting patiently with an expectant look on her face. I can do this, thought Celestia to herself, taking a deep breath. I mean, just look at her. She's practically in awe, she worships you… that's going to be a problem. We can't build a healthy relationship on that. Maybe if I give her some time… no! Ask her now. You can just… take it slow for a while. Cadance surely has plenty of advice, as does Chrysalis. Actually, scratch that. A megalomaniacal queen probably isn't the best pony to ask about curbing someone's worship of you.

She opened her mouth to pour out her feelings, and all her thoughts immediately fled.

"Hi!" she said brightly, waving at Twilight.

"Hi?" said Twilight, waving back.

"Boy, it sure is a nice day out today, isn't it?"

"Um, yes." Twilight quirked an eyebrow upward. "Is that what you wanted to ask me?"

"Yes. No!" Celestia spent a moment in full on panic. "I do have something I want to ask you, b-but first… here. I brought you a present."

She moved the wrapped book out from behind herself, presenting it to Twilight. The small alicorn took it with glee, immediately knowing what it was from its shape.

"You got me a book?" she asked, all smiles. "I feel like I should be upset that everypony thinks all I ever want as a gift is books, but I'm not because all I ever want as a gift is books!"

"Well, this is a very special book," said Celestia, the smile on her face growing nervous. "Because I have something very special to ask you, something that makes this a very special occasion."

"Oh?" Twilight looked up at Celestia, but she simply nodded down at the book.

"Open it."

Twilight tore open the brown wrapping eagerly, revealing the book. A Treatise on Harmony was embossed on top of the cover in gilded letters, with the name Starswirl the Bearded underneath in a flowing font. Front and center on the cover was an faded illustration of a large pointed gem, surrounded by five smaller gems.

"Oh." Twilight looked at the book. Her face didn't quite fall, but it took on a puzzled expression. "Um, Starswirl's A Treatise on Harmony. I already have a few copies of this, but, um, it's nice… wait…"

She opened the book, flipping through a few pages.

"Is this the first edition?! But it's impossible to find a copy of this still intact! I didn't even think there were any!"

"I-I found it," said Celestia, red-faced. "For you."

"I… Celestia, I can't take this." Twilight held the book up to Celestia, shaking her head. "This is… this is just far too valuable for me to accept as a gift. It belongs in a museum or something, anyway! The Royal Archives at the least!"

"No." Celestia pushed the book back. "I got it for you, Twilight. Because, I just… I just want you to know how I feel about you. How much I care about you."

"I care about you too, Celestia, but I don't go around finding priceless artifacts for you!"

"I don't mean it like that, Twilight. I… I really like you, is what I'm saying, and… and…"

"I also like you, but again, I—"

"That's not what I mean, Twilight," said Celestia desperately. "I just… you mean so much to me. You've grown up into such a wonderful pony, one who I'm proud to associate with… I just want to do that more. Associate with you, that is."

"Uh…"

"No, that's not right!" Celestia stamped a hoof in frustration. "Twilight, you saved my sister from the darkness that lurked inside her, you brought her back to me after she'd been gone so long. You've saved my kingdom countless times. Everything you've done has been so amazing—"

"It's all because of the help of my friends," said Twilight proudly. "With them on my side, I—"

"No! You're not listening, you're not hearing what I'm trying to say." Celestia groaned. "And I'm not saying it right! Twilight, I really like you… and…"

"I know you like me," said Twilight, starting to grow concerned. "And I said I like you too. You're one of my closest friends."

"But I don't want to be your friend!" cried Celestia, and saw Twilight recoil. "No! Not like that! What I'm saying is, I want to be your friend. Your really close friend, who is also a mare, and we can be friends who are mares together—"

"I don't know what you're saying, Celestia!"

"Twilight, I… you…"

The frustration was too much, and something finally broke in Celestia's head.

She reared up onto her hind legs as her wings unfolded from her back, her hair flowing about her head. The sun shone behind her, highlighting her in its soft glow like the ancient Goddess she was as she pointed down at Twilight with one hoof.

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" she boomed, "AS THE SOVEREIGN RULER OF EQUESTRIA, I WOULD HEREBY LIKE TO DECLARE MY INTENTION TO COURT YOU!" 

Celestia held the pose for a moment, panting, then slowly dropped back down to all four hooves, wings rustling nervously. Twilight stared at her, face slack. Dimly, the sounds of cheering and hoof stomping coming from their distant audience.

"Celestia…" said Twilight, comprehension dawning on her face. "Are you saying… are you asking me out on a date?"

"Yes," Celestia replied simply, nodding her head.

Twilight stared at Celestia, her mouth slowly falling open as her eyes widened. Finally, with a flash of magenta magic, she disappeared, leaving the book to tumble through the air towards the ground.







Where had she gone wrong?

Over and over Celestia asked herself that question. She pondered it, meditated on it, dissected it, inspected it, and reassembled it. It consumed her every moment, her every thought. She looked at it forwards, backwards, sideways and upside down… but no matter how hard she looked she never found the answer.

Had she come on too strong? The Royal Canterlot voice may have been a touch too much. Or had she not been strong enough? Perhaps all her hesitation when it came time to ask had made Twilight feel as though she wasn't truly committed. Or had they simply been doomed from the start? Too familiar to each other, Celestia too much of a motherly authority figure, Twilight too much of an faithful student and adoring subject?

She at least had time to ponder these questions and try to find an answer. Not that she noticed; time became an uncertain thing to her, ephemeral and untouchable, like her lost love. She hardly noticed its passage anymore, the moments flitting away like falling leaves in the first storm of autumn, each one as dead as her heart.

Finally, she understood the pain Luna and Nightmare Moon had spoken of in their poems. Perhaps she would take up poetry herself. It would be a fitting way to pass the endless amount of time she would now be spending alone, putting her sorrow and anguish down on paper where, hopefully, it would burden her no more.

Perhaps one day she could find it in herself to love again, even if that light would never shine as brightly as it had for Twilight. But that day wouldn't come for decades, perhaps even centuries. And it had been so long already. How long exactly she couldn't say. The seconds and hours and days all seemed to blur into one another, just one long streak of crushing loneliness.

And then, with a popping sound and a flash of magenta light, Twilight appeared before her once more, catching the book before it could hit the ground.

"Oh, geez, I can't believe I almost dropped a book! And this book of all books!" Carefully, Twilight set the book down on the paper it had been wrapped in. "I'm really sorry, Princess Celestia, please don't think this means I don't appreciate your gift."

With a popping sound, she disappeared again.

Then, not even two seconds later, she reappeared.

"Although, you did give the book to me, so it's only right if I take it, right?" she said, scooping the book up in a hoof. Before Celestia could respond, she teleported away again.

Staring at the spot where Twilight had stood, Celestia's ears drooped. Her lips started to tremble, and she took in a shaky breath, and then Twilight reappeared once more.

"And I do really appreciate the gift, Princess Celestia!" she said enthusiastically. "Really, I mean, how could I not? You picked something out with care, and it shows that you really care, and I really care about you too, and I'm saying the word 'care' too much now, and, um, that'sallIwantedtosaybye!"

She disappeared. Celestia felt herself wilting, she felt her heart wanting to wallow in sadness, but the far more rational and cynical part of her brain told her to wait. And a second later Twilight reappeared again.

"Oh, and I should probably tell you—"

"Twilight, please!" interrupted Celestia, stopping the pony with a hoof on her shoulder. "I-I don't care what you say, yes or no, I'll accept it and I promise nothing will change, but please, please just give me an answer!"

"Princess Celestia…" Twilight stared up at her, her eyes moving back and forth minutely as she scanned Celestia's face. "You've been my closest friend for nearly my entire life. Whenever I made a mistake, whenever I needed help, you were there for me. You weren't just my teacher, you were a guide that helped me see where I should go in life. Because of you, I became a Princess. My friends mean so much to me… but you're the one who introduced me to them. Outside of my family, I can't think of a single pony who cares about me as much as you do… or one who means as much to me.

"And even aside from all that, you're Princess Celestia! You're the wisest pony in all the land, you raise the sun everyday and you guide us all. And, well, you're obviously the most beautiful pony there is. I mean, that's not even a competition. What kind of pony would say no to you?"

Celestia felt her heart stop. There was a slight ringing in her ears, but other than that the entire world seemed to have gone silent. "So… you mean…"

"Yes, Princess Celestia!" cried Twilight, smiling widely, her eyes bright.

They crashed together, embracing tighty. Twilight nuzzled up against Celestia's neck, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a happy sigh. Celestia buried her face in the top of Twilight's head, breathing in the scent of Twilight's mane as she felt tears start to leak from her eyes in sheer joy. 

After a moment they each moved back, staring into each other's faces, both their eyes wet with tears.

"I was so afraid you'd say no," said Celestia softly, brow furrowed in concern. "I thought we had somehow become too close of friends to ever be anything more, o-or that you just wouldn't think of me that way, that you couldn't think of me like that…"

"Of course I can, Princess." Twilight reached out a hoof, laying it on Celestia's shoulder. "You're the most wonderful pony in Equestria."

She looked away, blushing. "And, um, I've kind of had a crush on you ever since I was a teenager."

Celestia giggled. "I know. Shining Armor told us."

"Oh he did, did he?" Twilight's eyes narrowed, then suddenly went wide and her ears flattened. "What do you mean he told 'us'? D-Does everypony know what we're talking about over here?"

As if on cue, there was burst of light and noise as fireworks started going off over the castle, followed by the sounds of loud cheering, hoof stomping and noisemakers being blown. Even from this distance, a bit of confetti drifted over.

"That would be a yes," chuckled Celestia. "All of us coming from Canterlot knew, of course. They had… helped me with a few things, including working through some of my reservations about even asking you. Your friends found out afterwards, when we were trying to work out what had happened when you were turned to stone."

"Well, so much for my hope that we could have some peace while trying to work on our new relationship," Twilight said, the corner of her mouth quirking up in a crooked little smile.

"With your friends, did you really think that would happen?" Celestia held out her hoof, and Twilight took it, beaming giddily. "No sense in putting it off, I suppose. Let's head back to them."

They stopped part way back to the group, looking down at their hooves.

"I'm holding hooves with my marefriend, Princess Celestia,", said Twilight, sounding slightly dazed, with a huge smile on her face.

"And I'm holding hooves with my marefriend, Twilight Sparkle," said Celestia, a similar expression on her face.

They shared a giddy giggle, moving closer each other and trotting on.

"Well—" said Celestia as they came to a halt, and then jumped aside as Twilight's friends, led by Rarity and Pinkie, dogpiled the purple alicorn.

"Congratulations!"

"Congratulations from me too, Auntie," said Cadance, walking up beside her with Shining Armor at her side. "Aren't you glad you went through with it now?"

"She said yes, Cadance," Celestia said, a large grin on her face.

"We know, Celestia," chuckled Cadance.

Celestia turned to Shining Armor. "She said yes, Shining Armor."

"Yes, Celestia, we heard." He gave her a faux-stern look. "This is the part where I say you'll be sorry if you break my sister's heart… but there's a few problems with that. Number one, I know you'd never do that. Number two, threatening you would be a violation of my guard's oath. And number three… you'd buck me through a mountain if I ever actually did try anything. But still… treat her right."

"As if I could do anything else," replied Celestia, smiling gently.

"I am also glad to see you finally follow your heart," Luna said. Queen Chrysalis still was still leaning up against her as they walked over to join the group, though whether that was from weakness or affection was anyone's guess. "How does a joint wedding sound?"

"No no no!" cried Celestia, blushing. "I… I love her, b-but we haven't even gone on a single date yet even, and…"

"Give her time, my dear," interrupted Chrysalis. "She's a bit of a stranger to love, after all."

Celestia gave the changeling a dirty look, but Chrysalis just closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. 

"I must say, the love between these two is simply… intoxicating. I never expected it to be this strong." She gazed at Celestia from under lowered eyelids, licking her lips slowly. "How would the two of you like to visit my hive again, for… dinner? I promise, the days and weeks will just fly by."

"Would that be due to us being in pods while we're sucked dry?" asked Celestia dryly, receiving her answer in the form of the Queen batting her eyelashes innocently while avoiding eye contact. "I thought so. Pass."

"Sorry about that, you know how my friends can go a bit overboard," said Twilight, freed from the pile of ponies. She moved over to Celestia, snuggling up against her side as both beamed happily. "I'm still a bit embarrassed you all found out so soon—before me, even!—but with all the well-wishes you've given us, and the, um, help after what happened… well, I just want to say thanks to everypony. And to Chrysalis. I guess."

"Why, thank you as well, Sparkle," purred Chrysalis. "After all, it's not everyday we get to enjoy the wonderful experience of being a lawn ornament."

"Be nice," hissed Celestia and Luna simultaneously.

Twilight and Chrysalis glared at each other for several uncomfortable moments. Finally, Chrysalis took a deep breath.

"I suppose I shall have to be the bigger mare here," she said with a sigh as she brushed the stray lock of hair out of her eyes. "Sparkle, the love you and Celestia share is a wonderful sight to behold. It is truly delicious. I mean, delectable. I mean… delightful."

"You did that on purpose," said Twilight accusingly, only to be shushed by Celestia. She pouted for a moment, then finally let out a sigh of her own. "Okay… Chrysalis… you and Luna do look really nice together. If you truly make each other happy, then… good for you. I'm glad."

"That's more like it!" said Cadance happily, prancing around the group. "Now come on, biiiiig group hug! Everybody get in here! Don't think I didn't see you turn into a bush, Ka-klack!"

There was grumbling, but all the ponies gingerly embraced enough to satisfy Cadance's demands for a hug. 

Two black forelegs wrapped around Celestia and Twilight, squeezing them tightly. 

"Hooray, everybody's in love!" declared Nightmare Moon, the large grin on her face showing off her pointed teeth to terrifying effect. "What a wonderful happy ending!"

Slowly, Twilight, Cadance and Luna turned to look at her.

"What?"







"Alright, I think that's the last of the fires put out," panted Applejack, as she walked into the throne room of Twilight's castle.


The End