//------------------------------//
// Epilogue 
// Story: Long Live the Queen 
// by QueenChrysalisForever 
//------------------------------//

Dew Song- Location: Unknown

    She’d been gone much longer than she’d said she would. This room she placed me in was dark and chilly, even with the blankets on the small bed. I shivered under a thick blue comforter, only knowing the color because I had seen it before the torch burned down to a pile of ashes. Curse my luck in not learning that regenerative spell yet to make new wood from its ashes! Sure I had the light glow from my horn, but it wasn’t as comforting as firelight.

    Water dripped from the ceiling somewhere in the opposite corner. My ears twitched with each plip-plop into a puddle on the floor. Perhaps if we stayed here long enough, I could get thicker blankets, better torches, or even a room that actually has a window. I missed seeing the sun, moon and stars. 

    All I could pray for was that we would find Shiny soon. I missed my brother and home, but I couldn’t go home until I found him. I sighed, snuggled deeper under the covers, and rubbed my sleepy eyes. It had to be late into the night. Sure, I spent many a night pouring over my books for classes at Celestia’s school, but here I don’t even have homework to work on to keep me occupied. Was Celestia missing me? Or my classmates? What did it matter, when Shiny wasn’t home? I’d probably have to repeat the year, with finals coming up soon if they hadn’t already happened. Didn’t matter, I’d gladly repeat a year to get back my brother. 

    I perked up as I heard the key turn in the lock and the click as the door began to open. Thought of the cold tossed aside, I leapt from the comforter and hurried toward the door. There was a thankful grin on my muzzle when I saw who it was. “Radiant, you’re back!” 

    Radiant Hope sighed and nodded as she rubbed her forehead, then she closed the door behind her. She looked to the ash pile, lit her horn, and a moment later the red right of her horn formed a small tornado from the ashes. As they spun faster and faster, each little bit of the wood slowly reformed from the bottom up, curved and gnarly as before, until with a small flash of light a new torch hovered in her magic. With one last spark, the new torch was lit, and she hung it back up in the sconce, a cheery, bright flame burned from it once again. “I need to teach you that regenerative spell,” 

    “Don’t worry, I know you will soon,” I grinned, then I paced in place before her, my ears lowered as I gave her a look of concern. “Did you find her? Is it… safe?” 

    Radiant chuckled, nodded, and patted me on the head. “Don’t worry, the Queen is taken care of. I won’t let her hurt you.”

    “Did she know where my brother was?” 

    She shook her head. “No.” My head fell at her words, but she gently lifted it up again and smiled at me. “Don’t worry. I promised you I would find your brother, right Dewy? We’ll find him. No evil queen is going to stop my plans.” She gave an even wider smile, her eyes flashing red for a brief moment.

I wrapped my hooves around her in a hug. “I know you will. You’ve already helped me with my magic, so I know you can find my brother as well!” I released my hug, sat down on the floor, and wrapped my tail around my hooves. “I just don’t understand why the changeling queen wants me. What did I do? Why me?” I looked up at her as my bottom lip trembled. 

Radiant sat down next to me, wrapped her hoof around my back, and rubbed it gently. “Well you are one of Celestia’s prized pupils, are you not?”

I nodded. “Nowhere near Princess Twilight, but I’m pretty good.” 

Radiant lifted her other hoof to her chin in thought. “Perhaps to get at Princess Celestia then? Though I’ve seen your power, Dew, and you’ve got great potential.” She rubbed her hoof up and down my back in circular motions. “I even think you could best that Twilight,” She scratched at the scar along her neck as she hummed softly. 

“You really think-” I paused as my stomach gave a loud growl and blushed. “Sorry, I kind of expected you back sooner.”

“That’s okay, dear,” Radiant said, opened the door with her magic, and levitated a stuffed saddlebag over to them, the door clicked shut behind it. “I brought you some dinner, along with some treats. I’m afraid you’ll probably be stuck here for quite awhile.” 

As she opened the saddlebag, she pulled out a box and hoofed it to me. I opened it to see a fresh daisy salad and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “My favorites!” I took a large bite of the sandwich and moaned in delight.

“Yes, I know,” Radiant chuckled and reached back into her saddle bag. She pulled out three thick, leather-bound books, along with parchment paper, ink, and quills. “Inside this one,” she pointed with a hoof at the top book, “is the spell to regenerate the torch, so you don’t need to be alone in the dark. The rest are some old, arcane spells I would like you to take a look at. The spells are hard, and I’d rather you wait to actually try to use them for when I return, but they will help pass the time and give you ideas on what you might want to learn.” As she reached into the bag once more, she pulled out a big bag of crackers with dried figs and peanut butter. “Treats for later, in case I am late again.” 

I took all the offerings and placed them next to the bed, but grabbed a single cracker and tossed it in my mouth as I trotted back over to her with a hug. “Thanks! I’ll get right on learning that spell, and then the rest of them.” I plopped back down next to her and continued on my sandwich. “So we’ll be here for awhile then?”

“Yes, I’m sorry, In truth, the evil queen is hard to keep subdued. Yet, until I know we can keep her away from you, I want you behind locked doors where she never would expect to find you.” She hugged me close and rubbed a hoof through my mane. “I don’t want to lose you Dewy. You mean so much to me. Please have patience while I take care of our bug problem?”

“Of course, I can do that,” I nodded and popped the last bite of sandwich into my mouth. 

“Good,” Radiant nodded and stood. “Then, I must be off. Unless you need more blankets?”

“It does get cold down here.”

“Then I shall send some down as soon as possible. Stay warm and practice those spells until I return with breakfast, okay?” 

I nodded, watched as she trotted out the door and closed it behind her. My gaze turned back to my salad as I sighed. Stay safe, Shiny, wherever you are. If that evil queen has captured you, I will save you soon as my magic is strong enough! I’ll become the best unicorn I can, thanks to Radiant Hope. 


END OF BOOK ONE