Evening had fallen over Equestria, bringing rest and calm to all its residents. But while most were dreaming, Thorax was making his nocturnal round through the Changeling Hive. It always put him at ease, knowing that his kin was safe and sound. This sense of peace and security was even stronger since the victory over the clones a few days ago.
Most of the damage in the aftermath had already been repaired: holes in the ground were quickly filled and destroyed trees were removed and replanted. Frankly, a great deal was due to Tirek: his heavy lifting and tireless effort made light work of what would be a weeks-long chores for a pack of Changelings.
He stopped by the memorial that was put up in the middle of the town square and inspected it thankfully. It was a tree trunk of considerable size, into which an artistic representation of the battle was carved. The makers, a group of Changelings who had been practicing arts and crafts ever since their metamorphosis, had taken inspiration from the great stained glass windows of the Canterlot Castle. The five heroes were clearly identifiable, as was the evil sextuplet, which was marked with black ink. The background was populated with swarms of Changelings, of both the hungry and reformed kind.
A minute later Thorax and continued his stroll. The toughest part of the last few days wasn't fixing the damage to the Hive, but rather the healing process of the Changelings who had become victims to the clones. For many, being turned back to their former, love-starved selves was a traumatic experience, and he sympathized deeply with those who had to remember how they attacked their own kind. The Hive's communal response has been extraordinarily supportive, to the point that some have already made amends with Chrysalis. Speaking of…
He saw the lone Changeling Queen sitting by the pond, staring absent-mindedly over the water's surface.
"Hey, Chrysalis," he said quietly. Her ears perked, and she turned her head.
"Hello, Thorax," Chrysalis replied, sighing.
"Is something wrong?" He settled down beside her, gauging her expression. "Still having trouble fitting in?"
"Not so much." She smiled, "In fact it has been great pleasure to be united with my children again. This peace of mind that I've got since my return, it's something I've never before experienced. But still, I feel something nagging, as if there is a hole in my heart that hasn't been filled yet."
"If there is anything that the Changelings can do for you, just let us know. We're all more than happy to help."
Chrysalis shook her head, "No, this is something that I need to do myself. Tomorrow, Tirek, Cozy Glow and I will meet with the ponies in Ponyville to return the Elements of Harmony. We all have some other unfinished business with them, too. I expect that she will be there."
"Do you mean… Starlight Glimmer?"
"Yes, indeed. Long enough have I cursed her name. Tomorrow, I'm going to try to make amends."
For a while, they both sat there, neither of them saying anything. Finally, Chrysalis stood up and broke the silence.
"You are friends with her, are you not?"
"Ehm, yes," Thorax answered hesitantly, "We are. Ever since that day. Why do you ask?"
"Because I've changed my mind. I would like to ask you a favour. I suppose it would be easier if you would be there with us. So if you want to, I would like it if you came along."
Thorax nodded understandingly. "Of course I do. I'll tell Pharynx to watch the Hive and tomorrow we’ll go to Ponyville together."
It was late in the afternoon of the next day, when the two Changelings, the filly and the centaur wandered into the outskirts of Ponyville. Thorax took the lead, keeping a steady pace but at the same time remaining cognizant of the others, who followed him in a close pack. While their trip started off soberly, a sense of uneasiness began permeating the air, as they found themselves with nothing to say. As they passed between the apple trees of Sweet Apple Acres and entered Ponyville proper, Cozy Glow hopped on Tirek's back, tapping her hooves nervously.
"Tirek?" she asked, half-whispering.
"Hm?"
"Do you think they will still be mad with us? I mean, they probably could throw us back into Tartarus if they really wanted to."
"I have no doubt that Twilight will welcome our return. If she wouldn't have trusted us, she wouldn't have allowed us to leave Ponyville in the first place. However,"—he turned his neck left and right, inspecting the whole surrounding area—"I must say I'm not so confident that the others will be happy with our stay."
Cozy's head perked up, and her eyes darted through the streets of Ponyville as well. It occurred to her at that moment that there wasn't a single pony to be found. They were all alone.
"Where is everypony?" she said.
"I reckon they weren't fond of our return after all," Chrysalis added, blushing slightly. "Especially of mine, with the last that they've seen of me."
Tirek stroked his beard. "They heard about how we saved the Changelings, haven't they? Something doesn't add up."
"Maybe we should just leave while we can," Cozy said.
Chrysalis nodded at her proposal and cautiously addressed their escort, "Thorax? How about we call this off. Tell Twilight and the others that we wanted to stay at the Changeling Hive, and they can meet us there.”
Thorax turned around, revealing an excited grin on his muzzle. He waved his hoof, beckoning the trio to come closer. Reluctantly, they complied.
As they approached, the magnificent Ponyville Town Hall came into view. At the entrance stood a large crowd of earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi—at least half of Ponyville's population—which broke out in clamour at the sight of the astonished visitors. The six bearers of the Elements, who were standing in front of the crowd, came forward.
The cheering and stamping died down eventually and Cozy asked, "What is going on here?"
"It's a surprise party, silly!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, ruffling the filly's hair with her hoof. "For you!"
Applejack held her cowgirl hat by her chest. "We already heard a thing or two 'bout your daring adventures, 'n we thought it proper to give y'all a warm welcome!"
Somepony wrapped a leg around Cozy Glow's shoulders; it was Rainbow Dash's. "Is it true what they said? Did you really save the day by being pitched by Tirek and soaring towards that lousy Twilight clone in the face of danger?" Her voice was trembling excitement and her free hoof was frantically drawing patterns in the air.
"Why, yes, it's true," Cozy responded, bewildered by the sudden attention.
Rainbow Dash spun her around and held her face between her hooves. "In that case let me tell you—and believe me that when I say it, it means something—that you just did one of the coolest and most daring things ever!"
"Rainbow Dash?" a gentle yet stern voice sounded. It repeated. "Ahem. Rainbow Dash."
"Heh, sorry Twi." She released the shaken filly from her grasp, gave her a quick head-pat and shuffled back to the other ponies.
With order restored, Twilight turned to the trio. "Tirek and Cozy Glow. I can hardly express how proud I am to have invited you back into Ponyville today. Letting you go after Grogar's battle was a huge act of trust on my part, but from what I have seen and heard, it has paid off in a way that no ordinary friendship lessons can hope to compare to." She winked at Chrysalis. "Indeed the Changelings have already told us of the incident at the Hive, and I'm sure you have experienced many things more that we haven't yet heard of; but first things first. Have you brought the Elements of Harmony?"
"Certainly, Twilight Sparkle. They are right here." From behind his back Tirek procured a wooden chest. He undid the locks and opened the lid for all to see. The six legendary gemstones inside evoked a wave of whispers and cries of amazement from the crowd. Twilight peeked over the rim and studied the Elements with twinkling eyes.
"By Celestia, you really did find them…"
He closed the lid again, and the enchanting glow faded out. "I suppose you would like to take them over now? You ponies are its rightful owners, after all."
Twilight shook her head resolutely and pushed the chest away from her. "We do, but the honour to give them a place in the Castle should be yours. If Scorpan entrusted these to you, then you should be the ones to carry them. See it as a final proof of redemption."
"Hold on," Spike came running towards Twilight, "did you just say Scorpangave them? How did you—" A wide grin that betrayed both disillusionment and admiration appeared on his face. "Don't tell me you planned this from the very start!"
Twilight giggled, "Call it a hunch. After Sombra had destroyed the Tree of Harmony, I realized that Equestria was in greater danger than ever before. I went to the Canterlot Archives to find out if the damage could be undone, or if it perhaps were possible to create a new source of harmony. I searched for hours without any success, but just as I was about to give up I came across an ancient manuscript, written by Starswirl the Bearded himself. He wrote that he had studied the Tree of Harmony and unraveled the secrets of its life cycle. From this discovery, he had obtained what he called a 'Seed of Harmony'."
"Did you figure out what he meant with that? The Tree's life cycle?" Spike asked.
Twilight sighed. "I did not, and I still don't. It would be useless anyway, since we had already lost the Tree. Our only hope lay with the very Seed that Starswirl described. So I proceeded reading. Due to weathering large parts of the text was illegible, but one of the words that could be discerned was the name 'Scorpan'."
Spike jumped in the air. "Tirek's brother!"
"A plausible theory, since we know from Celestia and Luna that they have met before. But at the same time, it was nothing concrete. I wasn't even sure whether this was related to the ‘Seed of Harmony’ lines. It could have been nothing but a random scribble; his works contain a copious number of notes that are completely unrelated to the topic at hoof. Besides, following this lead would mean I would have to go on a weeks-long expedition to rediscover a kingdom that has been lost for centuries, and I simply didn't have the time for that. But when Tirek was staying in the Castle and I was thinking of what to do with him, the idea popped back in my mind. It was still a shot in the dark, but at least Tirek might know where to look, and I would never have expected them to find new Elements of Harmony, so trust me when I say that I am no less perplexed as you are."
Spike tapped with his foot on the ground. "You also predicted the return of Nightmare Moon, so I don't know why I'm even surprised at this."
Twilight's cheeks reddened a little. "Please, Spike, it is them who deserve the credit, not me." She turned her gaze back to Tirek. "What else did you find?"
"It's a long story, too long to tell you in full right now." Tirek scratched the back of his head. "But when we reached Midnight Castle, we found it completely abandoned."
"Oh, no…"
"I thought my race had gone extinct, but the Spirit of Harmony—that is, Scorpan—assured me that there is a surviving group of centaurs out there, roaming the lands of Equestria. My wish is to find them, restore our ancient bonds, and, fate permitting, to rebuild our civilization and live in harmony with the other creatures of Equestria."
"That sounds wonderful, Tirek," Twilight said, "With noble aims like those I am certain that you will succeed. Be sure to write down whatever you find: this is invaluable Equestrian history."
Tirek smiled, "You have my word."
She next addressed the pegasus filly. "What about you, Cozy Glow? Did you finish the assignment that I gave you?"
It took Cozy a second to remember what she meant. When she did, her head drooped. "Gee Twilight, I hate to admit it, but I threw it away right after we left Ponyville and I never thought about it anymore. I guess that means I failed, right?"
"The fact that you are honest about this already means a lot, Cozy," Twilight said reassuringly. "Perhaps you can tell us what you learned right now."
Cozy put her hoof by her chin as she searched for the right words. Half a minute passed as everypony eagerly awaited her response.
"As you know, I often liked to put up a sweet face and manipulate others into doing my dirty work. I figured that friendship is power because I could wield friends like pieces on a chessboard, and even sacrifice them to achieve my goals. But then I got a glimpse of the future. I saw how I was going to become an old mare who had everything she wanted except for the admiration of the ponies around her. Such ponies wouldn't be friends at all: they would hate me if they knew the truth. They would abandon me as soon as they could and never look back; that's the inevitable outcome. I don't want that. I want ponies to respect me for who I am and what they mean to me. I think that that is the true magic of friendship."
"I don't think I could have said it better," Twilight replied, looking up to the sky while reciting her speech in her head. "I’m convinced that you finally understand friendship, so consider yourself graduated!"
Cozy pranced triumphantically. "Golly, thanks a bunch! Ehr—I suppose you also want to hear an apology from me?"
"I don't think that's necessary; to me it's clear as day that you have changed. But perhaps there is something that you would like to say to these three?"
Twilight stepped aside, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders came running towards Cozy. They were dressed in their signature red capes, and to Cozy’s relief it appeared they were perfectly upbeat as always.
Apple Bloom took the initiative. "Heya Cozy Glow, long time no see."
"Hullo girls," Cozy replied coyly, "I hope you're not still angry with me for… you know, taking advantage of your kindness and doing all those other horrible things."
"Are you kidding!" Sweetie Belle chirped. "Of course we aren't angry."
Scootaloo ran her hoof through Cozy's curls. "It's all water under the bridge. I mean, come on, you pretty much saved the world. If that doesn't count for something, what will?"
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cast a look at each other and shrugged.
"You're right," Cozy said as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, "But to show that I'm a different pony, I will have to keep working and trying to improve."
"Just remember to stay true to yourself," Scootaloo said.
Apple Bloom nudged Cozy's side. "Despite the commotion 'n all, ah must say ah I find it mighty impressive how you managed to do all that. Ah can't even sneak out of the house without gettin' busted by my sis."
"Apple Bloom!" Applejack's voice rang from somewhere.
"Ah'm sorry. What ah meant to say was that we'd all be honoured to have you on board as a Crusader."
"What do you say?" Sweetie Belle presented her with a red garment.
Cozy unfurled the dress and looked at the logo that was emblazoned on the flanks: a golden filly on top of a blue shield. She had seen it before, in the CMC clubhouse.
"Why, of course I would like to join!" Cozy said, throwing the cape over her back. At that moment, the three fillies lunged at Cozy into a warm group hug.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders forever!" they yelled in unison.
"So, where will you go now that you're done with the School of Friendship?" Scootaloo followed up. "Will you stay in Ponyville or do you have some other place in mind?"
"Moving to the big city sure sounds fun, but for now I will stay in Ponyville. What better place to start over than right here?"
"And if you ever find you need help, we are always there for you. Aren't we, girls?" Twilight said, to which all her friends nodded in agreement.
"Now, last but certainly not least…"
She turned to Chrysalis, who stood ready for her call. This was the moment she had been anticipating for the last several days. To say that she felt nervous would be an understatement; she felt restless, humiliated and dreadfully anxious. It was only thanks to the presence of Thorax, Tirek and Cozy Glow that she had the fortitude to remain standing on her legs. She took a deep breath.
Twilight added, "I believe there is somepony that you would like to have a talk with."
Starlight Glimmer appeared beside her. Though she maintained a neutral expression, one could tell from her constant blinking and moving about that she was just as skittish as the Changeling Queen.
"Hey, Chrysalis," the unicorn said. "What brings you here?—Never mind, stupid question. You're here for returning the Elements of Harmony, of course."
"That is quite correct, Starlight Glimmer," the Changeling Queen replied, "but I am also here to set some matters straight. As you surely recall, you have granted me forgiveness on more than one occasion. First after the Hive was taken from my clutches, and then later, after the battle with Grogar. Out of pride and bitter hatred, I ungratefully rejected both, and instead cursed your name. I find my motives hard to put into words, and I wouldn't expect a pony to understand them."
"Actually, I kind of do," Starlight admitted, promptly relieved she struck an unexpected familiar note."
Chrysalis looked at her in disbelief. "Don't kid me."
"I am not. I used to be pretty ungrateful too, rejecting friendship when I most needed it and coming back with a vengeful plan… but all of that had made me capable of understanding your situation. When you were alone and everypony was against you, I recognized myself in you. That's why I wanted to forgive you. When you rejected my gesture, I was hurt, but at the same time I understood why you felt angry and I didn't blame you." She stopped for a moment, realizing how attentively Chrysalis was now listening to her. "Erh, let's just say that I'm proud to see you've finally turned around."
"I see." She sighed. "If only I had given your offer some more thought, then I wouldn't have suffered and turned against my own children. In any case, it's in the past now. Tirek and Cozy Glow are my friends and I have regained the trust of the Hive. All that remains is to ask for your forgiveness. So, will you…?"
Chrysalis extended her hoof. Perceiving the irony of the situation, Starlight looked at her friends; they were all smiling empathetically, ready for them to bury the hatchet for once and for all. She had their full support this time.
"Alright," she grinned, "you are forgiven. On one condition."
"Whatever it is, I shall accept it," Chrysalis said resolutely.
Starlight winked. "I ask that you strive to live in harmony with not just the ponies and the Changelings, but with all the creatures that inhabit Equestria. Let there be enough love for everypony, so that no Changeling will ever go hungry again."
"That sounds like a daunting task," she replied softly.
"Trust me, it's not that hard if you do it together with your friends." Starlight out with her hoof to Chrysalis's.
"I… I think you're right. Yes, I can do that."
As they shook hooves, Chrysalis couldn't help but to give in to a fit of chuckles. She had never felt this good, this loved, this complete. She was relieved, as if an ancient curse had at long last been dispelled. The laughter started giving way to tears, but then suddenly everything went blank, as if a bolt of lightning had crashed down upon her. A deafening whizz numbed her hearing and threw her off-balance, but instead of falling, her weightless body was lifted into the air. A brilliant light engulfed her vision, and the heat of purgatory fire ran from her hooves to her horn.
The sensation lasted only a moment, for soon she felt her hooves supported by the firm ground below. Still slightly disoriented, she opened her eyes. Everypony was staring at her, speechless and with mouths agape.
"What happened to me?"
She barely uttered the words when awe silenced her lips once more. Was that really what she sounded like? Her voice was softer, calmer, more feminine; yet it was unmistakably her voice.
Fluttershy landed beside her. "Chrysalis, is that really you?"
"Darling, you look simply marvelous!" Rarity applauded. "Truly befitting a Queen!"
"W-what?"
"Aw yeah! Now that's what I call a transformation!" Rainbow Dash cheered.
"This is incredible," Twilight said, "I must let Princess Celestia know about this."
"Transformation?"
Thorax pushed himself through the crowd that had by now formed around the stupefied Changeling Queen and studied her new form from up close. "They are right, you really are beautiful," he said. "You must see it for yourself. Come with me."
Slowly he led her to the bank of the creek that ran around the Town Hall. She approached the water and, careful not to fall, she leaned over the edge. Between the water lilies she saw an exquisite creature looking back at her. As Chrysalis turned her head, the creature did likewise. Her mane was spring green, with hair so fine that it glistened in the sunlight. Her chitin skin had turned from soot black to a soft, creamy shade of peach and those places that used to be marred with gaping holes were now as fair and smooth as anywhere else. Most striking was her horn, which had been healed of its crooks and fractures and was shaped perfectly save for a slight curve upwards.
She gently caressed the orange tuft of fluff on her chest; it was as soft as down and emanated a pleasant, natural warmth. Lastly, she lifted her elytra, revealing two pairs of violet wings, sparkling, perfectly translucent and bound together by an intricate network of swirling, light blue veins. They felt as light as the air around them; in fact, her whole body felt lighter, suppler, and, above all, healthier.
Chrysalis kept staring at her reflection for another minute or so. Eventually, Tirek and Cozy Glow came by her.
"Is everything okay, Chrysalis?" Cozy asked her with a concerned voice. "You don't hate your new form, do you?"
"We wanted to tell you that to us it doesn't matter what you look like," Tirek said, nervously rubbing his hands. "Whether you're an old Changeling or new, or whether you've taken on the shape of some terrible creature, we like you for who you are."
Chrysalis turned around, rubbing her eyes. "Thank you, but you don't have to be concerned. I never thought I'd admit it, but I too am pleased with this new form. Truly, it's a wonderful metamorphosis, and I don't even feel as if I have changed. Only when I look at my own reflection, I almost feel like I don't deserve it."
"Oh, good," Tirek said, relieved, "because I actually think you look rather charming, too."
"And you have more than earned it!" Cozy said as she nuzzled Chrysalis's leg. "By the way, do you mind if I stay at the Changeling Hive once in a while? We've been around each other so long, and we've gone through so much, we've become sort of like a family!"
Chrysalis and Tirek looked at each other, their cheeks swelling red with blood. Several seconds passed before their embarrassment evolved into a pacifying fit of laughter.
"Oh, Cozy Glow," she said, still chuckling, "why of course you are at any time welcome. But the idea that we are a family will strike me as bizarre for a long time to come."
"Indeed.” Tirek cleared his throat. “Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We might be united in friendship, but that does not mean I will be escorting you to the prom or anything of the sort."
"But you will help me with my newest plot to overthrow Celestia's regime and install my new world order, right?" She pulled a grin that was as wide as her cheeks permitted, but upon meeting the disapproving gazes of every pony within earshot, she reluctantly appended, "Joking! Joking! Geez, you save the world and ponies still look at you weird."
"You can't just expect folks to trust you because you did one mighty good thing,” Applejack said. "Buildin' an honest character takes time. Ain't that so, Starlight?"
Starlight snickered, "Hehehe, right."
"But picking the fruit of the Tree of Harmony is nevertheless a good start," Tirek added.
Twilight's ears perked up. "Wait, can you repeat that?"
"What do you mean? Picking the fruit? I was talking about—"
"Yes! Hold on—Tirek, can I see the Elements again?"
"Sure, but what for?" Tirek opened the locks of the chest and presented it to Twilight for the second time. As her eyes were laid on the Elements, they widened and she produced an epiphanic gasp.
"Everypony," she declared, "I think I know how to recover the Tree of Harmony!"
"Have you solved the mystery?" Starlight Glimmer asked, grinning with excitement.
"If my intuition is correct, yes. I will explain later. We must gather supplies and head to the cave of the Tree of Harmony at once."
Less than half an hour later, the party ventured into the Everfree Forest. The noon sun scared off all dangerous creatures, and without any major obstruction the party reached the gorge that lay at the forest's heart. They went down the stairway and entered the cave. Without the light of the Tree, the cave was uncomfortably dark. Twilight, Rarity and Starlight illuminated the cave with the magic of their horns.
"As with everything logical, the solution is quite obvious in hindsight," Twilight explained as they gathered in a circle. "The life cycle of the Tree of Harmony is nothing different from that of ordinary Plantae. Can anypony tell me how this works?"
Fluttershy raised her hoof. "The seeds are stored inside the fruit. Animals eat the soft, nutritious flesh but they cannot digest the seed. When they spit it out or excrete it, it falls on the ground and, from when it can grow into a new tree that produces its own seed and so the cycle continues!"
"Very well explained. You see, it's literally as Tirek said: the Elements of Harmony are the fruit! Now take another look."
As Twilight unlocked the chest, the Elements floated towards their respective wielders.
"Yeah? It's the Elements alright," Applejack said, inspecting the orange gem. "Not sure what you want us to notice."
"Look closer."
"My stars!" Rarity exclaimed. "There is some sort of dark kernel within it. Do you suppose that is…?"
"Hm-hm!" Twilight hummed triumphantly. “The Seed of Harmony.”
Rainbow Dash experimentally shook the red gem between her hooves. "How do we get 'em out? I hope you don't mean we gotta crack 'em open."
"A little magic should do the trick. Starswirl was quite proficient in life magic, so let's try that."
Twilight aimed her horn at her Element and discharged a lemon green ray of light. From it, a lavender beam shot at Applejack's, which in turn connected with Fluttershy's with an orange beam, et cetera, until all the Elements were linked in the shape of a hexagon. This arrangement hung motionlessly in mid-air for several seconds. Then, green jets emanated from each Element, meeting in the center, where they created a blinding spark. As the onyx kernels shrunk, the intensity of the beams also gradually decreased; and when the last streak was snuffed out, they saw an aquamarine seed about the size of an almond gradually sinking towards the ground.
"Did it work?" Thorax asked.
"I think it di-id!" Pinkie sing-songed.
Cozy picked it up. "It really is the Seed of Harmony," she said. "Just like Scorpan described it!"
"A new Tree of Harmony… this hasn't happened for almost a thousand years," Twilight mused.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Rainbow Dash grabbed a shovel and flew towards the precise spot the Tree once stood. She urged, "Come on, let's plant it already!"
The ponies got to work, and soon they had dug a fairly sized hole.
"That should do it, Applejack said as she scooped up the last load of dirt and tossed it over her shoulder. "You can put it in now, Cozy."
Cozy Glow dropped the seed in the hole and scooped dirt over it. "There!"
"Is it growing yet?! Is it growing yet?!" Pinkie exclaimed as she frantically danced around the site.
"Take it easy, Pinkie," Fluttershy said. "Everything in nature grows at its own pace, and we need to respect that."
"Fluttershy is right," Tirek remarked. "A tree doesn't grow in one day. It takes constant patience and diligence, but the result will be well worth the effort. In that sense, it's kind of like friendship."
His words were met with a round of laughter.
"What's so funny about that?" he cried, throwing his hands in the air.
"We still aren't used to you saying such sappy things,” Starlight Glimmer snorted.
"Exactly," Applejack chuckled. Sounds like something Granny Smith'd say."
"And a great friendship lesson to take to heart in any case," Twilight added. “You can write it in my journal, if you want to.”
"Everypony, look!" Chrysalis suddenly interjected. Her hoof was pointing at the patch of dirt. As they turned around they saw that a crystalline sapling had already sprouted. Though it wasn't taller than a few inches, it was already casting a bright, lustrous halo on the floor of the cavern.
"That's so awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "It's gonna grow into an ever cooler Tree than the old one, I just know it."
"Even now it is a most exquisite specimen!" Rarity said. Her horn assumed its cerulean aura as she pointed it at the sapling. "And according to my gem-seeking spell, its roots have already burrowed deep into the ground."
"And so, Equestria will be protected once more," Twilight concluded.
"It's almost strange to think that we nearly destroyed each other just a couple of weeks ago," Chrysalis said. "I used to think that if it wasn't for Grogar's greed, we would have won. And if the clones didn't betray me, I would have won the second time. But now I believe that these outcomes weren't a coincidence. This is how they were meant to be. If you fight for what's good, you can never truly lose."
Tirek crossed his arms, and Cozy jumped on his back. "Agreed!" they exclaimed together.
"So… one more thing…" Twilight awkwardly rubbed the back of her head.
The three ex-villains looked at her curiously. "Hm?"
"After we saved the day, us ponies usually do a big group hug, but you're probably not used to it. If you don't want it, it's okay, but do you think that perhaps—waah!"
Before she could finish speaking, she felt the grip of Tirek's arms, capturing her and everypony else in one big embrace.
Tirek laughed, "Do you mean like this?"
"I think that's what she meant!" Chrysalis replied, nuzzling the ponies back.
Cozy giggled, "And golly, what a fantastic way to celebrate!"
This is where the magic happens
This is where the magic lives
Our friendships weave together stronger
The bonds grow deeper, lasting longer
And the greatest spell you'll know
Is how the Magic of Friendship grows
The End.