Even though many ponies started the desperate search for the day, Madun stayed behind and looked around Twilight's Sunshine office. The grass, the mushrooms, the flowing river that seemed to have stopped. The artificial Sun floating high above that was making the room cooler suddenly. It all looked so... So wrong without Twilight in it. All of her books were being placed back on their shelves by the unicorns in the room and Rainbow Dash following an order Celestia knew.
Luna could tell Madun was having a tough time. For one he wasn't going anywhere. Standing by the Comm Block on one of Twilight's mushrooms waiting for good news. She knew how that felt. When Starswirl the Bearded disappeared, Luna and Celestia felt like their worlds shattered. He just... Vanished. Without a word. Searching day and night did nothing. At least Twilight and her friends brought him back. But now she was missing.
Luna gave her set of books over to Celestia. Then marched over to Madun eyeing Twilight's desk with his family rubbing his back. "Madun... I know you're worried about Twilight," she whispered. "But everything will get better."
He sighed and faced her with sad eyes to whisper, "I know that, but... I'm worried about Dawn. She has absolutely no idea mommy's missing. And... I don't know how to break it to her. She really looks up to her and... It's going to crush her."
Ahh, foal issues. Luna sighed and sat down in front of him. Then calmly grabbed that big hoof of his to rub and said, "I know how that feels. Through my lifetime, I've had to deliver messages such as this personally to members of Nobility and military. It's not easy, I assure you. For both you and them. But it's always better to just come out and say it."
"Say it?"
"Yeah, like... 'Sweetie... I'm afraid mommy isn't going to be joining us in the future.'"
"What?" All hearts froze and heads slowly swiveled to the doorway. To the little purple filly with confused purple eyes. Fresh Dawn slowly trotted in with a gaze on everything. "Wh... What's going on? Where's mommy? And why are you messing with mommy's books?"
Madam Singe shared a look with President Manamar. Then Fresh Dawn suddenly charged over to them with her long wings dragging the ground, and jabbed her horn straight into Singe's hind leg. Which surprisingly hurt. A lot.
Singe jumped and dropped her books in an attempt to get away from the foal. "Oww! Goodness, child!"
Dawn charged again and went for Manamar this time. Followed by Celestia and any other pony in the room including Sunset and Starlight. "Jeez, kid!"
"Get away from mommy's books!!!" She screamed. "She's going to be really upset she finds!... When she finds out you're messing with her books!"
"Dawn!" Madun ran after Dawn and scooped her up. Then turned her around and scolded, "Stop hurting these ponies or you're going to your room!"
"But dad~!" She pointed an accusing hoof straight at Celestia's face. Actually straight into her muzzle. "They're messing up mommy's books! She's going to be mad when she gets back!"
"You didn't have to stab us about it though, Darling," Rarity corrected. Dawn whipped to her and blew a raspberry childishly. "Ugh! Well I'll be!"
Madun turned her around and growled, "Stop it."
Dawn whimpered, "Daddy... What happened to mommy, why isn't she here protecting her books? Is she in another meeting?"
Madun sighed and set Fresh Dawn back on her hooves. Then lied down so he could tell her face to face. As much as it was going to shatter his heart and hers, she had to know. "Sugar Plum... A lot of ponies will be with us for a very long time. Like Grandma Ice, Aunt Merry, Cousins Lightning and Daisy... Uncle Armor too. Even Drago!"
Dawn giggled and declared with a flap of her wings, "I want Drago to stay! He's really funny!" Spike smiled in the background with watery eyes and a claw stroking Sweetie's back. He felt honored Twilight's daughter liked him too.
Madun laughed with sad humor and slowly died it down. "Yeah... Yeah, but sometimes some ponies have to unexpectedly say goodbye. And we never see them again. They can get really sick and their eyes never open again. They go to sleep and never wake up. Or sometimes they go out and fight for us. To protect us; and they never return."
Fresh Dawn walked closer before Madun said it. "Sugar Plum... I'm afraid mommy may have said her last goodbye to us on your birthday. And with the way things are looking, well... She won't be with us anymore."
It was truly a heart breaking sight when Dawn jumped back and shook her head. "No... No, mommy promised she'd come back. That she'd always be there for me." Dawn held up the necklace around her neck. "She promised she would be back."
"I know sweetie, but sometimes we have to leave to protect the ones we love."
"No... No, mommy's coming back!!" Dawn yelled. She jumped up and stomped all four hooves on the ground with tears bursting down her face, dancing with sadness. "She'd never leave me like this!! She made a promise!!"
"Dawn—"
"NOOOO!!!" She screamed. Then ran out of the room with liquid pain trailing down her cheeks. Her cries tore their hearts and souls to pieces then threw them to the wind. Madun could only sigh and rise back to his hooves.
"Excuse me," he whispered. Then solemnly walked out the door after his distraught daughter. At least the first half of the hard part was over.
Dawn's cries rang loud through the halls as she rushed through the third floor. Head down and eyes closed, she bawled loud with tears racing down her cheeks and off her chin to the red carpet below. Running as fast as her little hooves can carry her. Running away from the truth. Running away from the pain.
Running into someone. She bounced back on her flanks still crying with her hooves out. Flurry Heart gasped and picked her up to hold just like how Twilight taught her long ago. Fresh Dawn instinctively wrapped her hooves around her neck and cried into it. Letting her tears soak Flurry's fur.
"Hey... Hey, what's wrong?" She asked.
Fresh Dawn hiccupped and stammered through her emotions. "D-D-Daddy said that mommy is, that mommy's not coming back!!"
Looks like she just heard. Flurry had a similar reaction and was still trying to hold back her own tears. But she held her little cousin close and allowed her to cry into her coat. She sighed and whispered, "I'm really sorry, Dawn. It'll be better."
Dawn shook her head and tore herself out of Flurry's hooves. Then continued running down the velvet hallway crying. This was a really big change. Flurry herself never had to go through this. But she really really liked Aunt Twilight. Loved Aunt Twilight. Everyone all over the place were doing what they could to find her.
But Fresh Dawn continued running. Running past all the saddened faces plaguing her with reality. Past Gardeen being consoled by Light Pink. Past the soldiers spreading the word that they only had until twelve tomorrow to find the Queen. Or she was really gone.
Fresh Dawn ran past all of them crying. And made a turn for the throne room. She burst through the doors and scared the two soldiers standing guard. Her hooves pounded up the velvet path and pulled her small body up the stairs so she could climb onto her mother's throne.
"I'm going to stay right here!!!" She yelled. "Until she comes back!!!"
The two guards standing at the foot of them glanced at each other. Then back to the doors when Madun calmly strode in and stopped in the doorway. He eyed Fresh Dawn sitting there with her head held high. She wasn't going to get down. So he took a few seconds calmly walking up to the thrones and sat down on his own flanking Twilight's.
"Dawn... I know it's hard—"
Dawn stomped her hoof and interrupted, "Mommy isn't gone! And I'm not going anywhere until she gets back!"
"I know it's hard to accept this. Trust me, I'm keeping back my own sorrow. But... If we don't find your mother's spell library before midnight, then she's gone. And there's a big guarantee she won't be coming back."
Dawn closed her eyes but kept her posture strong. Staying diligent and unmoving. Madun huffed and climbed off his throne with practiced ease so he could make his way over to Twilight's.
"Let's keep her seat warm together, okay?" He reached under her hooves and picked Fresh Dawn up. Then climbed into Arcadia's throne and set Dawn down on his lap. "We're not leaving until she gets back. Okay?"
Dawn crossed her hooves and harrumphed unmoving. Then... They waited. Letting the silence over take them.
Aquata Zero. Docked in Lavender, but silent. In the morning light, her bay doors were open. The flags were flapping and snapping in the wind. The bridge on the rear helm was going through a deep thorough search. The situation room where many discovered the Queen enjoyed Hoofball was being searched in a more lighter manner than her actual office space, which had the carpet ripped up and floors searched. Her drawers were cleared and LiVAMs desperately taken apart. Flashlights danced everywhere in darkened areas. Nothing at all about a spell Reference Number. They checked once, twice, then once more.
Her office in Serl was scanned by the geniuses themselves while the Military Police did the physical work. With zero uplifting results that Madun received.
Celestia and everyone else flew as fast as they could to the Embassy in Cop's Downtown to search there while Sunset and her friends took the harder mission of searching the Downtown library in Cop. They weren't the only ponies volunteering their time. The place was packed with ponies ripping off shelves upon shelves of books and going through them in an hour before moving onto more.
Once again not a single spell. The Lavender office too was as blank as it was busy with personnel. All PDS Obelisks free.
Two PM, no results. Then, they arrived with everything that made the reality even more real. Princess Cadance with a team of Guards arrived back in Cop carrying a specially made glass box they retrieved from the Psera-Equestria Embassy holding Queen Arcadia's crown. And a very thick towel carrying her sword.
They solemnly walked into the castle and made their strides for what they called "holding" in the back of the throne room. A closet with carpeted floors and a single table they placed the box on. Then walked back out and locked the door so they could continue the search.
Rarity couldn't believe when she saw it. None of them could believe it when they saw it. But there it was. The crown of Queen Arcadia Nova. Twilight Sparkle's crown. Nothing was ever found, and Dawn's reserve began to waver. But she sat there on that same spot. Refusing food and anything else until Madun had to force his hoof to take her back to the suite by the afternoon. She needed some food in her, whether she liked it or not.
Now? Now his eyes were trained on the clock in their bedroom sitting on the bedside dresser. Eleven fifty-eight. The small sniffles under him let him know Dawn was still holding onto hope. No matter how out of their grasp the hope was now. She barely wanted to eat and couldn't sleep. The signs of stress for Madun's future.
All eyes were trained on their clocks. Rarity had hers sitting by her window with Sweetie Belle by her side. Eyes on as much of the world of Psera as she could see. And Spike crying silently behind them. Twilight's parents stood with Molten Ice in her well-kept flower garden. Eyes on the PDS Obelisk and all buildings in Cop. Rainbow Dash sitting upon the railing of the Castle's roof with her hooves in her lap. Applejack ataring out her room's window with Applebloom hugging her around the barrel.
Odega and the troops across seas had their eyes trained on the steel slab Queen Arcadia let herself drop into. To save them all.
Then the sound of the eerie bell rang through the air. One... Two... Three...
Celestia slowly squeezed her eyes shut and allowed the tears and sobs to run free. Twilight Velvet buried her face in Night Light's coat and cried with him. Holding each other as hard as they could. Rarity let her face drop down on the window sill and her emotions ruin her makeup. Sweetie turned to Spike and wrapped her hooves around his body, while he pulled her close and kissed the spot under her horn sobbing in terrifying sadness himself.
Odega rotated her colors blue while the soldiers in Equestria took off their helmets in respect. Then the lines on the Mecrah Portal glowed a bright white.
They slowly burned down from the edges towards the center of the Portal where they all made up weird shapes. Triangles, squares, circles. The runes highlighted and slowly disappeared. Followed by the slowly fading lines until the last one reached the middle, and sparkled into a small violet star that finally burned out. Leaving the IN-Port a large slab of unmoving steel in the ground.
It was a hassle getting Fresh Dawn to stop crying. To keep her cries from reaching the castle's inhabitants. But it worked out when she cried herself to sleep in her mountain of toys. Now, Madun could finally shed his own tears in the living room couch holding the family photos of him and Twilight when they were married. Parties, dancing, dates, silly photos. All of them from a photo album she took hours to make.
He couldn't be any happier she made this for them. Of moments he'll never forget.
"Today is a sad day in all of Psera's history. Higher authority has requested all flags to be at half mast for two weeks in honor of the late passing of Queen Twilight 'Arcadia Nova' Sparkle, Saviour of Psera."
A week ago, she had left their lives. A week ago, she had sacrificed herself. The world had stopped turning except for the flags at the very top of Psera's castle snapping in the wind, the crest of Psera lower than it should have been. The silence in her cities were much more quiet than it was used to, especially at this hour. The streets were as abandoned as the sea's surface. The sun provided no warm feeling to the ponies braving the day. But none wanted to face the hours. Some had no choice.
As the King, Madun had to get himself ready and accept it with a tough face. That didn't keep him from placing a small box of tissues in his pocket. The home of Psera's Royalty was the quietest of all inhabitable spaces in the castle. The lights were shut off, but the windows the late Queen provided casted a warm morning glow into the suite's living room and kitchen.
Dawn refused to leave from under her father during these last few days. She stayed with him and he with her. Even when Aunty Merry gave her a hug she darted back under her father, and despite being awake, Fresh Dawn refused to move from her position on her father's bed. Her eyes red and wet, she was curled in a small ball on her parents' comforter wearing the clothes she needed to wear today. Staring at the sheets. Facing away from her father. Facing away from the truth.
He stared at her still form in the mirror. Sighing with chopped breaths. There was no telling what she was thinking. She had become a victim through all of this. He wiped his eyes and stroked his hair back. Then turned his body to the door but kept his eyes on Dawn.
"Come on, Sugar Plum," he whispered. "We'll face this together."
Fresh Dawn huffed and really wanted to say no. To continue waiting. But knew that wasn't an option. Do it for mom.
Fresh Dawn stood up and jumped off the bed out of sight on her father's side. Then trotted into view wearing her tiara correctly and clothed in a black dress with small silver hoofshoes.
Madun lowered himself and allowed her to climb on his back. Then he stood up, cut off the lights, and walked out of their bedroom.
"While we mourn the lives lost in this war, we will never forget the sacrifices made to get us to peace."
The sun high in the sky, Celestia turned from her room's window and faced the one thing she didn't want to face. The entrance to the real world. The door to her room. The weight of Celestia's hooves were as real as the situation beyond it. The disbelieving reality no one on this continent wanted to believe. The foreigners, her friends and family, and the Pserateps.
Twilight's memorial service. According to Madun, every passing of Royalty is already prepared with a memorial service of their crown, the body, and an optional statue.
Queen Arcadia already had a statue in almost all of these cities shortly after they were rebuilt. None of her Equestrian family had ever seen them. But Gardeen said after she was crowned Queen, a statue of "The Saviour of Psera" was carved from marble in the form of some kind of park in Rayray. It didn't take long, about two months. But they were there.
Since there was no body, there was going to be a memorial service and an honoring.
Time to face the music, Celestia thought. Her eyes were glued to the wooden door. Dreading everything beyond it. But she had to do it. She sighed and used her magic to grip the handle. Then pulled the door in with a twist.
The halls were dead silent. More quiet than usual. Not a single voice could be heard. It allowed Celestia to wonder why they were having a memorial service now. It was too early. Did everyone just give up all hope? But she remembered the conversation held with Molten Ice. Twilight was trapped underground inside a black chasm, and sealed inside at twelve midnight. This was a magic thing. Since what Cadance said came true, and that the Mecrah Portal was sealed with absolutely no knowledge or hoofprint of an OUT Port, all Pserateps were fearing the worse. Add that the mages of magic knew nothing about a Mecrah Portal or the spell used to create it...
They all knew the Queen was gone. There was no use trying to fight it. She meant to do this. To seal herself away with Maheera. If she didn't, she would in fact be back by now. This was her plan all along to protect all of them. By sacrificing herself in the process.
Celestia took her steps out into the hall and softly shut the door behind her. Then looked around and whispered, "Will anypony else join me?"
Luna and Cadance's room opened to let them out. Followed by The Element Bearers and their families. Then Novo and her daughter, Virtue Singe, King Chancellor, Consort Snow, President Manamar, Jim Sun, King Haakim and Queen Amira crying into his coat, Queen Farue, and Dragon Lord Ember.
They all stood tall and presentable as could be. But sadness and reluctance quivered behind their eyes of strength. Luna took a deep breath and whispered, "Let's honor her legacy."
The trip down was one they didn't want to take. They knew what they were going to see. And they were all going to be there to see it. They walked past the velvet stairs leading up to the third floor and finally reached the walkway of the foyer, and the mass of ponies below it.
The entire foyer except a path made by the Elite Guard in special celebratory armor were covered by Pserateps. They didn't know how they were going to get in there. Sharing unsure glances and searching for spaces. Until someone tapped Celestia's hoof.
She looked down into the saddened light green eyes of Gardeen Daisy wet with emotion. Light Pink was there beside her with a wing on her back. Providing as much emotional support as possible. "You're her family," she stated. "So you'll be on the front lines by the door. Follow me."
Gardeen turned and led them down the stairwell to the crowded and silent floor below. Without a word, the Pserateps parted and allowed them to walk through the first line right behind the Guards all the way to the doors leading out into the world beyond.
They sat down and observed their surroundings. A majority of these ponies were wearing staff badges. They saw the ponies in lab coats behind Bright Gold near the entrance. All of these ponies were castle employees. Now what were behind those doors into the world beyond?
Rarity sighed and nuzzled into Applejack's coat, grabbing her attention. "You alright, Sugarcube?" She whispered. Rarity shook her head no. So Applejack did what anypony would do. Wrap a hoof around her shoulders and pull her in. And Rarity reciprocated in kind by wrapping her own around Applejack's middle and holding her close.
Celestia looked to them setting an example. Then wrapped a wing around Luna and involuntarily yanked her in too. All of them could use a hoof to hold for what they were about to see.
"SALUTE!!" The yell scared them so bad Novo nearly flared her wings open and hit Celestia in the forehead. But she managed to calm her nerves.
The Guards lining the passageway that would lead to the world outside saluted with one hoof, and hel
d up flags bearing Twilight's Cutie Mark with the other. The path started from the first floor doors leading down to the relaxation areas. They were closed before. But were now slowly being pulled open.
A procession was hidden in that hall. It was definitely going to be a big one.
"FORWARD!!" The soldiers at the very front of the procession carrying more Twilight flags in Violet colored armor stomped their hooves and marched out of the hallway in perfect synchronization. The one doing all the shouting was General Bold Shoulder on the side. Standing tall.
Twelve troops in total carrying flags. Followed by... A rolling ivory casket with purple lining connected to the last two. A glass top allowed those to see the inside. Sunset curled her lips in and focused on the ceiling. She had to stay strong. No matter how many tears shed down her face, she had to stay strong. But she was failing miserably like a majority of the ponies out here. The soldiers soon marched past with the casket rolling soundlessly by.
Inside was the Queen's sword. Clean and shining. And on the very top settled above the pommel was her crown. Celestia witnessed it be put on Twilight's head. The exact same crown from nearly five years ago. Given life by the pony it sat upon. Now taking its last ride to the doors past Celestia. Fluttershy was bawling into Rainbow Dash's coat while the latter tried her hardest to stay strong for all of them.
The King held a hoof up to his mouth while he walked with Fresh Dawn on his back, crying into his mane and letting it all out. Along with Merry Fire, Blazing Fire and their Twins under Molten Ice. Twilight Velvet was hectically crying into her husband's coat before the last of the soldiers passed by. Then Gardeen used her wing to guide them out of the line to follow behind the procession.
The doors opened and the soldiers marched out with "Twilight" in full view for all to see and honor. Many more soldiers lined the stairs leading up to the entrance saluted.
The sun's rays bounced off of the Casket, the wagon pulling it along, the sword and crown inside and the many flags of her cutie mark lining the streets. Bathing the entire City-State of Cop in a sea of purple among the colors of hundreds of Pserateps watching. Some from the overlapping bridges, others from the streets, the rest from the rooftops and airspace.
The wagon rolled to the side parallel to the castle's entrances and stopped. Then Elite Guards wearing purple sashes standing next to the door approached the sides of it to stare at each other intensely across.
"Quaaa TOO!" The sides of the wagon fell down to the ground revealing handles on the casket. Then they grabbed them and lifted "Twilight" up so everyone could see. It was a truly heartbreaking sight to see the Queen, let alone a friend of unimaginable magnitudes being carried down the steps of the castle to one out of the ten Pods on the street in front of the Castle. Her body was absent. But the symbolic nature made it just as real.
Made entirely different than the rest of them, the Pod they were walking towards had an attached trailer longer than the rest of their fleet. It was still law enforcement since there were yellow flashing lights attached to the top of the cabin, the front, and the undercarriage. There were military pods all around bearing much larger flags of Queen Arcadia. But Twilight would be slid into the back where a door was currently opened. Out of sight. No longer smiling and waving.
The mass of Pserateps outside were much more prominent than the ones inside of the Castle. Ponies on rooftops, hovering in the air and looking through windows. And of course those forsaken cameras behind the security line. They really shouldn't be on during this time, but Psera needed to know everything about what was happening. Twilight wasn't the only pony whose life was lost in this war. And she would deny being the greatest.
The ponies carrying Twilight stopped at the doors and swiveled her around so they could lift her. Then calmly slid her into the cool darkness from this heat while everyone else dispersed for their own sources of transportation. The visiting rulers had to be split up so they could ride in three other open hood pods. Presenting flags to the Pseratep-drenched sky. Once they were comfortable, Twilight Velvet took a deep shaky breath to let it out. All of that... Her daughter wasn't in the casket. She was lost in the darkness.
"Annnnnd ONWARD!!" General Bold Shoulder shouted. The soldiers lining the path of the castle saluted. Then the first Pod let off a small brief siren before they were on the move. The Pod holding Twilight's casket soon started drifting away, followed by her family she left behind, the extended family including Gardeen, then her Equestrian family with all of her friends. They moved past the bowed heads of the Pserateps and ended up having to make a wide turn onto the highway.
All around were flags blowing in the wind bearing Queen Arcadia Nova's cutie mark. Past the wreckage of the CPC. Littered with flowers, signs, candles and many more. They rode through the mountain range and out into the field beyond. Heading for Lavender.
The blowing wind did nothing to soothe their feelings of pain. Of loss, of longing. None of this seemed real, but... The reality was right there. Finally cruising past and under the creation of the late Queen. The ponies were not slow in finding out about what happened.
Standing at the fence of the camp watching with remorse as the Pods passed by. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Then the long one. Next they entered Lavender and slowed their speed to make turns.
As a military city, the soldiers and personnel were outside saluting to the Pods the entire way. In the Southern region of this city near the ports up ahead Celestia assumed must've been her resting place. Where she was supposed to be held. Her Monument.
Outside of the city and past the signs of life was a large patch of land with only one structure, directly in the middle. A large statue of Queen Arcadia stood in the middle of what must've been Psera. All carved out of a big slab of marble. She was bigger than all of them. Standing tall with her horn sticking up and wings raised. Higher than the stone version of Psera Skies. Than the Crystal Obelisks. And in front of this big slab was the actual resting place. Or places.
Directly in the center at the foot of the monument were private mausoleums all next to each other with a label at the top titled "The Fire Family". Made of stone with golden doors. Like small homes all next to each other complete with their names.
They all had their own graves ready for when they do leave this world. Shimmering Madun's was right next to Twilight 'Arcadia Nova' Sparkle on his left. All within a giant flat marble ground with a spewing waterfall in the middle. Decorative Columns holding a stone ring above their heads created the edge of the property.
The pods broke off into the grass while citizens coming from far and wide landed and took their spaces in random areas. All would be able to see thanks to the giant screens flanking the tombs. Which means this was set up possibly when the gong struck. Signalling the futility of saving their Queen.
A stage was built on the left side of the entrance to the resting points. With a glass podium bearing the crest of Psera on the front. And flags of course for Queen Arcadia, the Fire Family's crest, and the Crest of Psera. Then at the very front of it under the podium was a table of some sort made of thick steel. Of course.
Celestia and the visitors let themselves out of their pods and started the walk over to the private vehicle holding the late Queen. The soldiers moved to the back and opened it with a pull of their hooves. There it was again. An eyesore none of them needed to see. They reached in to pull her out slowly and gently. Then carried her with one hoof on each side over to the table while Celestia took a seat in front of the Podium with everyone else.
The Fire Family, as well as Psera's Notable Government watched the casket be raised and placed down on the table from the stage. Then the Guards who carried her sat down on opposite ends. All was quiet. And calm. Serene. Peaceful.
Molten's face was plastered on the viewing screens approaching the podium from her seat. Her strides were slow, her eyes downcast as much as they could see. Wearing all black with a veil and her crown. She stood up to the mic and sighed with remorse. Then spoke in a solemn tone. "When I first met Twilight... It was when she finished rebuilding Psera and the PDS Obelisk had passed its first real life test. I brought her to my home and spoke with her. We talked and had a wonderful conversation. All of her words were genuine and full of care. She was what I wanted to see in a pony.
"When she showed her skills in magic, I was beyond impressed. Her skills topped I'm sure every single mage in Equestria." Celestia nodded to her and confirmed that. "She was strong, but her heart and mind were stronger. Queen Twilight 'Arcadia Nova' Sparkle was a pony who loved her family, who loved her friends, and who loved her citizens. I fear that the 12th of July was the last day we saw the great Queen Arcadia, and that there will never be a Queen as loyal as her. But I am content knowing that she left behind a legacy that Psera grew. For without her, there would be no Psera. There would be no Equus. Long Live Queen Arcadia Nova."
The crowd repeated, "Long Live Queen Arcadia Nova."
Up next was Merry Fire. She strode up to the mic past her departing mother and immediately started speaking. "Twilight was not only my friend. She was my sister. Through the years, Twilight always made time for you. It might not be today. It might not be tomorrow. But she will definitely push aside her own worries to be there for you. And as a ruler of an entire country that is no easy feat."
IHT could definitely agree with that. Meetings all the time, places to go, areas to be. Situations to make a solution for. Merry huffed and added, "She's always there. For everyone. Whenever you needed a helping hoof, she was there. Whenever you needed a shoulder to lean on, she was there. And, if you had daisy sandwiches, she was definitely there in a few seconds." The stage and crowd laughed half-heartedly at the playful jab. "She was there for Psera. Because she loved Psera. As Queen Arcadia would say, 'Home is where the heart is. And my heart is with Psera.' Psera loves you too, Queen Arcadia. And if you are still out there, still alive, we'll keep your throne warm for you."
King Madun stood up next and shared a loving hug with his sister. Then proceeded moving to the podium. He stopped at it and smiled to the sea of Pserateps around. "I'm sure all of Psera knows Secretary Arcadia Nova. Lady-in-Waiting Arcadia Nova. And finally Queen Arcadia Nova. But I'm absolutely positive none of you knew 'Mommy Twilight,' as she called it. She absolutely loved being a mother."
Well this was interesting. Luna shared an amused glance with Celestia and Cadance then directed back up to Madun. "Twilight was very thorough with her plans. She had a checklist for everything and hated being behind her schedule to accomplish her daily tasks. As a mother, this trait intensified. When Dawn was born, Twilight was double checking everything. Whatever you can think of, she had a checklist for it.
"Checklists for lunch, checklists for what goes on the lunch, checklists for Dawn's play time, nap time, read-a-loud time, all of it. Checklists for outdoor play time. Checklists for more checklists—she was very thorough. I'm sure all parents were like that at one point or another.
"Then Dawn started walking. When that happened, she was over the moon. Constantly moving around the castle working while also teaching our filly how to move. She was a quick learner. With Dawn following after mommy, to mommy trying to keep up." Another round of laughter. With eyes towards the response-less filly sitting with her cousins with narrowed eyes to the ground. Celestia could just feel all of the emotions pouring off of her.
Madun wrapped up with, "But at the end of the day, mommy was there on the right side and daddy on the left side. She was a pony who loved her family. And..." Madun had to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment and bite his lip to keep back tears. "And her family loved her. We're going to miss you, sweetheart. No matter where you are, alive or not, you'll always be Psera's adoptive mother, my wife, and my Queen."
Now that was true. Celestia sniffed her tears away and patted the back of her sister blowing into a tissue.
Madun walked over to Dawn and asked, "Would you like to say anything about mommy?" He held the mic out to her and Dawn's purple eyes darted to it. But she lifted her own hoof and calmly pushed it away.
Clearly she didn't want to say anything. So Madun slipped the mic back into the podium and nodded to Celestia. "Would any of you like to say anything?"
Celestia nodded and took her wing back from around her sister. Then took steps up to the podium and looked down to the casket holding Twilight's crown and sword comfortably. Tears streamed down her face almost immediately. It wasn't supposed to be this way.
She wiped them away and said, "It's hard to witness things sometimes. I witnessed Twilight grow. From the little filly raising a baby dragon, to a full grown mare raising a filly. I was Queen Arcadia's second real friend when I met her. In her entire life. In a way, I was her surrogate mother. I taught her how to utilize her skills in magic and introduced her to her idols. I read her to sleep when she stayed at the castle. Whenever she needed to talk to an adult, I was there. And when it was finally time for her to move on from under her mother's wing, I was there.
"Whenever I wasn't teaching her the basics of magic, she was following me through the castle halls talking magic. Clover the Clever this, Starswirl the Bearded that. Just two out of Queen Arcadia's favorite mages in Equestria. I always knew she'd have a gift in magic. But never in all my years living would I have guessed she'd use that magic to rebuild, defend, and revolutionize an entire nation from the ground up. I couldn't be any prouder. We're all going to miss you, Twilight. Forever and always."
Next up... Ambassador Shimmer. She took to the stand and breathed in the reality below her. No body. She was lost. She was gone. Sunset started off with, "I used to be the bad guy. Secretary Starlight and I, we weren't the best of ponies. We're both guilty of forceful manipulation. Making ponies and people do things for us against their will. And if Twilight never showed up and started talking, we'd both be in very bad places. There's just something about her voice when she talks that makes you feel really really really guilty about things sometimes."
Madun could back that up with plenty of experiences where Twilight won arguments by asking really simple questions like, "What about this felt right to you?" And, "Now see what you did? Was it really a good idea? Because you get to watch me clean up your mess."
Sunset stroked her face and admitted, "But if she never talked, we wouldn't be here right now. We'd probably be in Tartarus plotting revenge or something else silly. I'm glad Twilight came through that mirror and beat me to a literal crisp. Because she became one of my best friends afterwards."
Dawn listened to all of these testimonies of her mother closely. From Mean Manny, to Aunt Caddy. How nice mom was, how smart mom was, how amazing in magic she was. Dawn didn't know any magic. Mommy had books about it somewhere. But no one could find them. But that wouldn't stop her.
"Daddy?" Madun looked down to his daughter pointing to the microphone. "I... Want to."
Madun motioned to Rarity at the podium before she could leave and then to the mic. She levitated it over to his outstretched hoof, and he held it in front of Dawn. "Okay," he whispered. "Go ahead."
Dawn cleared her throat and looked into the sea of faces staring at her on the screen, and through the tense air. She leaned in and said, "Mommy told me that... That being Queen was my choice. That it was my decision. And that if I wasn't happy with being a Queen, I didn't have to be one. And that it was all on me."
Dawn grabbed the big mic from Madun's hoof and held it to herself. "Well I'm going to work hard, and study, and be Queen. Because I want to be like mommy. I want to know magic, and be smart, and be a ra... Ra..." Madun leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Role model! I'm going to be a role model! And everyone's going to look up to me too! I'm going to miss mommy a lot. But I know that... That a little piece of her will always be with me."
Dawn hoofed the mic back to her father. Then reached down and touched the pendant her parents gave her on her birthday. The same day all those ponies died in an explosion.
Madun leaned in and kissed her cheek. Then stood up with the rest of Psera. They knew what time it was. Madun used his wing to keep Fresh Dawn close while they walked off the stage onto the heated stone ground under their hooves. The soldiers at Twilight's honorary casket stood once more and grabbed the handles to heft it up. Then marched with her into the memorial park.
"May the Queen forever watch over us," a voice resonated. "May she smile down upon the world with the power of the sun. May her knowledge and teachings be passed down for generations to come. And may she and Narmeelah dance together in the Everlasting Sky."
The procession stopped in front of the entrance to the Mausoleum for Queen Twilight 'Arcadia Nova' Sparkle and waited for a second. Then two of Arcadia's first friends Worn Weather and Shining Sword grabbed the handles and pulled them open revealing the space inside. A regular stone tomb with purple colored torches on the walls inside. The space was tight. With just enough walking area around the block in the middle to allow one Pseratep to move through.
The soldiers carrying Queen Arcadia moved inside the cool environment. With a silence that made tears rush out once again. They set her on the stone and slid her on straight so she fit perfectly. Job complete, they walked back out. Now came the hard part. Closing the doors. That fell on the hooves of her husband.
The King of Psera stepped forward with his head bowed and body wracking with sobs. Using both of his hooves, he gripped both of the golden doors and slowly pushed them together. The inside of the Mausoleum gradually grew darker. Shadows took over everything until they clicked together. Then the sound of an inside locking mechanism falling into place reached their ears.
Madun couldn't keep it in. He let his tears flow and hit the stone below. Hooves still on the handles. His wife was gone. And he just sealed the deal. Molten walked over and pulled him into her chest. Letting him cry there while many others followed shortly in their expressions.
Twilight Velvet just couldn't stop thinking that her filly was gone. Leaving behind a filly of her own. Her teary eyes cracked open and trained on Fresh Dawn standing in front of those doors with her head bowed. Multiple flowers that created a largely stacked mountain of the entrance were tossed harmlessly at them before the crowd slowly began to depart. The memorial service may be over, but they knew for a fact that all of this was far from done. There were still damages, pain, and a mystery to solve.
After a while of just sitting at the doors, a screech from above made Madun's ear flick. He along with other ponies looked to the sky at the large Phoenix swooping in. It shrunk into a small ball and expanded back into Odega by the time it landed. Mane flowing in the wind, she eyed the Mausoleum and the filly in front of it. They just shut her in, didn't they? She should've been here. There was never a better time to fulfill that promise.
Odega sighed and walked over to Madun and Merry to deliver a much needed hug. Then slowly walked over to Fresh Dawn. Sitting there alone with her head bowed at the doors.
Small drops of moisture hit the ground in front of her every second. Like a badly dripping faucet. Odega sighed and lied down so she was at eye level with her, but still out of her sight.
"I promised your mother I'd watch over you in her absence," she whispered in her ear. "Remember that you're never alone in this world. Whenever you need me, all you have to do is call."
Fresh Dawn nodded but didn't respond. At least too much. "Yeah... Thanks, Aunt Odega."
Aunt Odega. That's a new one. Odega leaned in and softly kissed the top of her head. Then left her to go see the Princesses and tell them the news.
She approached their large group of colors and whispered, "The IN-Port is sealed. No more runes, no more weird lines. Just a slab of metal stuck in the ground that no one can get up. You Equestrians are stuck with that."
So they were stuck with a reminder that Twilight sacrificed her life so they could all go home? Celestia nodded once and replied, "I'd prefer it be there." She peeked passed her to Fresh Dawn still sitting there. "How's she doing?"
Odega followed her line of sight and then back again. "Don't know. I guess it's all sinking in right now. I don't know what the future holds for her."
Rainbow Dash zipped over to her and accused, "Couldn't you have found her Spell Sanctuary since you 'see everything'?"
"I could have, yes. But I did not see it. And I still can't. Wherever it is, it's hidden so well that even I can't find it. Although... There is a clue."
"A clue?!" Madun was at her side in a nanosecond dabbing at his eyes with a tissue. "Wh-What's the clue?"
"Before Twilight left with her chemically dangerous sword, I couldn't find her anywhere. All over Psera, she was missing. No trace, nothing. Then at approximately eleven o'two, she... Randomly appears in her office."
Sunset asked, "A teleportation spell?"
"No. I'd be able to detect her if it was a teleportation spell from point A to point B. But I didn't detect her between the hours of nine and eleven. She had gone completely off the grid. Wherever her spell room is, she has it hidden so well, so deep, that even I can't find it."
Magic. The spell sanctuary was hidden with magic. Celestia hummed and asked her own question. "What exactly can keep you from seeing things?"
Odega shrugged and answered, "Spelled walls, Narmeelah yelling at me not to spy on her, uhh... The Twins. When I'm too far away. I can see half of the world instead when that happens."
Celestia hummed and looked up to the sight of Fresh Dawn crying her tears with her face to the ground and hooves over her head. She meant to look up to Twilight's Mausoleum. But saw that instead.
"Oh Madun," she called. Then motioned to Fresh Dawn.
Before he could act, Dark Dust was already on the move. He walked in from out of nowhere between Madun's legs—literally giving him a jump after his wings hit his stomach—then jogged over to Fresh Dawn. Fresh Dawn was bawling her eyes out at the hooves of her mother's tomb. Sealed away for what seemed like forever. Then someone reached under her ribs to get her to stand up, and wrapped her in a hug.
Fresh Dawn stopped crying and eyed the dark brown coat in her eyes. And the familiar scent of her best friend. "Dusty?" She whimpered.
He pulled away and met her sad purple eyes with his deep consoling brown eyes. He was sad too. Although he wouldn't say it. He knew how life worked. That everyone would eventually meet their unfortunate end. He knew that it would happen to him. And he was okay with that.
He used a hoof to wipe her tears away and said, "Don't cry. I don't like it when you're sad."
Fresh Dawn wiped her tears away and looked back to the Mausoleum. But Dark Dust turned her back and shook his head. "Don't look back," he ordered. "Mom is gone, but you still have family here in Psera. Like me! Your best friend, Dusty!"
Despite her sadness, Fresh Dawn sniffed her tears away and rolled her eyes. "Yeah..." She drawled.
"Awww come on!" Dark Dust booped her muzzle and said, "You can do better than that!"
"Not today I can't." Dark Dust booped her muzzle again. "Stop that!" He did it one more time and darted back before Dawn's hoof could get him. Oh no he doesn't!
Dawn scuffed her silver hoof against the ground and took chase after him out of sight. Well at least she was distracted. It would make things much more easier in the future. Madun looked over to a Guard on his right and nodded his head once. Five Elite Guards from that unit jogged after them, but kept a good private distance so they could have their space.
Twilight Velvet looked up to Madun in worry and asked, "How will she handle all of this?"
Madun sighed and watched the foals run around joined by Merry's twins who couldn't sit still if the world depended on them. Probably just run around because it did.
He answered, "She's a strong filly. She finds different ways to distract herself. Now onto the future..." He turned back to the Princesses and said, "Now that the war is over, we must discuss the unprecedented. But based off of how traumatic this is... Psera will more than likely go back into the shadows. Completely."