//------------------------------//
// A New Start... A New Ending(Epilogue) 
// Story: Twilight Daylight 
// by thedarktome 
//------------------------------//

It's been five months since Twilight "Arcadia Nova" Sparkle took the throne nearly five hundred miles away west in Psera, the land of Pegasi. Three months since the green of Equestria started to shine again. Three weeks without a word from Celestia's favorite pony. The same one sitting in a picture frame on the edge of her sunlit desk.

Court hadn't begun yet, allowing Princess Celestia the ample time to prepare and go over what she didn't last night. Today was Thursday, the second busiest court date of the week. Ponies tended to put off important things until the last minute, leaving her with lines in the halls. But the castle doors were shut. And so was her office.

A timid hoof knocked politely on her door's opposite side, ripping her thoughts away from today's future and back to the present. "Enter!" She bellowed.

The door was pushed open by a Guard who bowed her way. "You have a request your highness," he said.

"A request?" Celestia rarely receives requests. Most of the time they're just demands. And if not that then comments. She stood up from behind her desk and made her way to the door with a steeled face. "From whom?"

"The nation of Psera. Queen Arcadia Nova wishes to speak with you at your earliest convenience, today if possible. A representative stopped by and delivered this message." The guard reached underneath his wing and held out an envelope with his teeth.

Celestia grabbed it with her magic and pulled it up to her face. It was just a standard envelope like they have here. Just with a golden outline. She ripped open the side of the envelope and slipped out the letter quizzically. Then unfolded and read it to herself. "Alright... Okay... I'm available right now. Is the portal still open?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Lead the way, please."


~✶~


The Castle of the Gods was mum. Her large halls deserted save for the Elite Guards doing patrols on all floors and standing stoically. No business was happening today. Not much anyway. Today was a much calmer day. Madun had a meeting with an organization in Lavender, and Arcadia had some work she needed to catch up on in her new office.

The COTG held so many rooms that a small percentage of them were abandoned. So many to choose from but only one held what Queen Arcadia needed. There was an older room behind the throne room she decided to put to good use. Big enough to hold all of her books and a garden in the front. The entrance to the room was sealed by two tall violet-painted wooden doors embossed with her cutie mark. Beyond that was her office. A room practically filled with pure magic.

The hard floors were replaced with the greenest grass. The chairs in front of her desk were huge mushrooms with small stems. Vines crawled up from the grass and onto the many bookcases making up the room. And an artificial sun rotated in the middle of it all. The sunlight basked the form of Twilight into a much brighter color of violet.

Her eyes were trained on the document in front of her, reading one out of the stack of reports on the left side of her desk. It was the same size as the stack of finished documents on the right. Three inches high. She had to focus. She had to concentrate. She had to... See what the tiny hoof poking at the back of her right rear hoof wanted.

Arcadia smiled and used her magic to pick Fresh Dawn up and bring her into sight. She wasn't really used to magic yet. So she started wiggling her hooves around in her little diaper and calling out, "Wah!! Waah, waah!"

Arcadia giggled and levitated her into her hooves while her magic grabbed the pen she was holding previously. She signed her name along the bottom of the bar and printed it. Then shot the document over to the right and sat Fresh Dawn on her desk to stare into her violet eyes. Fresh Dawn delivered a toothless smile and tried to stand. But her hooves weren't exactly ready for standing yet. So she could only crawl forward and place her hooves on her mother's face.

Arcadia smiled and nuzzled her belly to light push her on her back. Then blew a raspberry into it, making her squeal in laughter. "Who's my filly? Huh? Is it you?"

Fresh Dawn squealed through another raspberry. Then used her rear hooves to push her mother's muzzle away. Twilight still could hardly believe she got her most wanted wish. A filly with the pony she loved the most. Fresh Dawn was her pride and joy. Already trying to stand on her own. Yeah not going to happen just yet. Continue to crawl, my filly. You're not ready to step into life on your own yet.

Arcadia used her magic to pull her close to her chest and hold her when the door was knocked upon. Clearing her throat she ordered, "Enter! Who could that be, huh?" She nuzzled Dawn's mane while the filly poked at her chin.

It was pushed open by a single mare secretary who bowed her way. "Princess Celestia is here to see you, Queen Arcadia."

"Send her in." Twilight made a mental note to get the secretaries communication devices at their assigned spots to save them time. Walking up here from the first floor must have been taxing.

The Secretary bowed and moved to the side, allowing Princess Celestia in. Then closed the doors back when she was. The moment she spotted her, Fresh Dawn pointed and cheered loud and proud. Celestia approached one of the mushrooms with a genuine smile. "She's excited to see me," she assumed.

Arcadia stood up and walked around the desk with Dawn in a hoof. Smiling, she replied, "She hasn't seen you in a while. It's been a bit of time since we've seen each other. Let alone Dawn. How are you, Celestia?"

They shared a hug and kisses on the cheeks before she replied. "Oh, same ol', same ol', Queen Arcadia. I trust your first day as Queen was pleasant?"

Pleasant? Puh. Arcadia raised Dawn up so Celestia could grab her like Dawn desperately wanted. Then walked back behind her desk answering, "I was nervous. So much that I was studying like a mad mare the night before. Madun reassured me and I did fairly well. I kept my smile up, despite sitting on the throne for many hours. Tomorrow I have to head to the lab for some diagnostic work. Then back to the throne room. Now..."

Arcadia sat down in her seat and cast the room in a one-way spell. No noise would escape it. All of it would be contained. She crossed her hooves on top of the desk and got serious. "About why I called you here. Primarily speaking about your recent shortage."

Celestia nodded gracefully while Fresh Dawn played with her flowing mane. She stated, "I figured that's what you wanted to talk about. Otherwise you would have sent for me in the afternoon."

"Correct. So my labs have their theories about how it happened. A chemical was released into the air and caused the eradication of metals not safely stored away. Well I have my own. Magic."

Celestia was clearly confused. She smoothed Fresh Dawn's mane and repeated, "Magic? As in somepony... Cursed our metals?"

Twilight's nod confirmed it. "Yes. As in somepony made your metals... Rust to pieces. S3 was right about one thing. Something was released into the air. But it wasn't a chemical. It was magic. In the past few months, I went over the recorded history of Equestria's chemical compounds. There's not a chemical in Equestria that can eat through metal like that alone. They would have to be boosted through magic. Which means..."

"It was deliberate," Celestia muttered. Her eyes were wide with realization. "So... The entirety of Equestria was targeted."

"Yes. But whatever spell they used was a big one that covered the land for miles around. The spell is certainly draining, it would take a while for them to strike again. I'm not sure how long since I have no idea what spell was used, but just to be safe, keep an eye out on everything that you believe may be suspicious. Whoever they were was strong enough to use a single spell to rust your metals at a quick pace. Let alone without revealing themselves. They're powerful and intelligent."

Celestia hummed and looked down into Fresh Dawn's wondrous eyes. "What do you think I should do?"

Fresh Dawn stared at her for a moment with no idea what she was saying. Therefore her innocence took over. She called out, "Muuuuhhhh!" Then stuck her hoof in her mouth.

Celestia smiled with Twilight and reduced her decision, "She said, 'relax and watch.' Great decision!"

Twilight giggled and stated, "Madun and I are waiting for the day when she lets out her first word. And... We made a bet on what she'd say."

Celestia smirked and reluctantly asked, "What exactly was this bet's outcome?"

Arcadia waved her over and leaned in to whisper something in her ear. As time progressed, Celestia's eyes widened and she grew a blush. Then darted back and teased, "O-Oh! How unladylike of you, Queen Arcadia. What would Rarity say?" At her shrug the two of them laughed. Fresh Dawn didn't get it, so she just started crying. "Uh oh! Here you go, Twilight."

Arcadia used her magic to pull Fresh Dawn out of Celestia's hooves into her own. Then pulled her up against her chest so she could start making her bed. She immediately quieted down and began the process of brushing her face up against Arcadia's fur to puff it up. But that didn't deter the seriousness of the conversation

"Is there any notable things happening overseas?" Arcadia inquired. Being in the know about issues other than Psera's was Twilight's niche.

Celestia hummed and answered, "Well... We're expecting an inquiry from the other nations. During the shortage we sent out letters to others asking for assistance and received nothing."

"Yes, Mount Aris is not abundant in metal that actually supports the lifestyle of Equestria. And Saddle Arabia is mostly stone. They use more conservative materials. Wood and rock." Arcadia stood up with a sleeping Fresh Dawn. Celestia mirrored her stance and proceeded for the door with her. "The day they use steel is the day the world goes boom."

Using her magic, Arcadia pushed the doors open for them and proceeded out into the halls. The Guards closed their doors behind them and watched them depart, but did not follow. A rather significant change among Psera's security force.

Celestia sighed and observed the humongous halls of her castle. Fresh Dawn was oblivious to the life she had inherited when she was born. Sleeping innocently in Arcadia's hoof.

She was led upstairs when Arcadia said, "Apart from Molten's view, this Castle has amazing sweet spots. Great views of Psera. I'll show you." At the top of the stairs were a pair of doors bearing Queen Arcadia's cutie mark. Using her magic, she pushed them open and let in the light of the sun and Psera's majesty.

Arcadia walked out onto the castle's roof and let the sun bathe her and her party's body in light and heat. It stirred Dawn lightly but she didn't wake. As a matter of fact, she still snored. Celestia and Twilight approached the stone ledge and took a seat. They stared upon the grand and futuristic land around them swimming in gold and technology. One of the skyscrapers had one whole side of the building running with an animated advertisement. Something about the sky or whatever.

Celestia used her wing and pulled Arcadia into a light hug. Then nuzzled her cheek, expressing much love and gratitude. "I am very proud of you, my student," she whispered.

Twilight glanced at her in the left corner of her eye and smiled in pride. This wasn't the first time Celestia said she was proud of her in a lifetime. As a matter of fact, she was sure this was around the twentieth time.

But those words held a new meaning this moment. Unlike the other times when Twilight unlocked a spell, figured out an extremely challenging issue or saved Equestria, this was by far the biggest. Not only did she save Equestria this time around. But she restored a continent many times larger than their own, became the go-to pony in a land without magic, defended its shores, found her first true love, and had a filly. All in a year and a half.

The pride here was momentous.

Arcadia leaned over and nuzzled Princess Celestia's chest in return. "Thank you," she whispered. Then the two shared a hug with Fresh Dawn in between them. Being hugged by the Legendary Queen Arcadia Nova was the equivalent of being hugged by—in the eyes of a Pseratep—a god. Like you were being hugged by Narmeelah.

"Mama!" Arcadia and Celestia's eyes flew open at the voice. Did she... Arcadia pulled back and hefted Dawn up to face her. She was sucking on her hoof and kicking her rears but her eyes were on her mother's.

Arcadia whispered, "Mala Markeeno, Dawn?"

Dawn pulled her hoof out of her mouth and repeated, "Mama! Mama!"

Her first word. Fresh Veola Dawn just spoke her first words! Arcadia squealed in glee and planted kisses all over her daughter's face. "Ohhh, my baby's first word was mama!! Ohhh, I'm so proud of you sweetheart!"

"Mamamamamamama!" Twilight pulled her in and nuzzled Dawn's head of red hair.

"Oh wait until your father hears of this! You just spoke your first word! Did you hear her, Celestia? My baby's first word, my baby's first word was momma!"

Celestia was grinning too. She's seen a lot in her lifetime. But the pride of a mother after her daughter's first words was a beautiful sight. Celestia nodded greatly and answered, "Yes, I did! Oh, great job, Dawn! What are you going to say next?"

"Bubba, momma, bubba!"

Twilight was literally skipping in place at the moment. "Ohhh, wait until you start walking on your own! Grandma is going to shower you with presents, both of them."

"Bubba bubba bah!"

After a moment of glee, Arcadia calmed down and lightly pulled Dawn back in. By instinct, she wrapped her tiny innocent hooves around Arcadia's neck and held on tight. "I'm proud of you, baby. What are you going to do next? Save the world?"