//------------------------------// // Epilogue: The Land Carries On // Story: Imperial Revision // by The Sound of Loneliness //------------------------------// The bleak, stone table was dimly illuminated by yellow orbs, hanging down from the tree roots. The six mares sat quietly in their cutie-marked chairs, all staring at the modest, silver tiara in the table's centre. They had a very important business to discuss, but nobody knew how to begin. “Is this really happening?” Rarity broke the silence in a quivering voice. “Can she really be dead?” “I can scarcely believe this isn’t some ruse either,” Twilight stated grimly. “Can’t you, like, brew that stuff again and bring her back? Since when dying is a problem for her?” Rainbow asked. “No,” Twilight shook her head. “There is no body. As soon as it happened, her body broke down back into the magic energy it was composed of.” “Yup, saw it meself,” Applejack confirmed. “One moment she trots ‘round and talks, next she falls down and disappears in thin air. Bat folks went barmy.” “Oh dear… What happened?” Fluttershy covered her face. “She wanted to atone for the wrongs she did, to stop pretending and let the rest of us see what she is really like and decide for ourselves if we want her to rule us. Her sister panicked and stabbed her with a poisonous stiletto,” Twilight grimly recounted. “Shadow took the blame.” “Dat changeling missy? Dat lying spit?” “AJ, for the thousandth’ time, Shadow is not like that,” Rainbow sighed. “She is nice, she is just loyal to a fault. If Nightmare Moon told her to lie, she would; if she told her to kill, she would. Don't blame her for following orders,” Applejack huffed loudly in response. “She is in the dungeon, no one knows what to do now,” Twilight continued. “Everyone who ever seen her together with Nightmare Moon knows that she would never do that.” “And… Daybreaker? That’s her name, right?” Rainbow asked. “Crushed. She is in her tower, Baron volunteered to stand guard at her door and keep an eye on her. If her state when she went in there is any indication, she won’t be useful for a few days at the very least.” Pinkie suddenly laughed aloud, “This is the greatest prank ever! Stabbed by her own sister at the moment when she finally found a way from the problem she herself created!” “The hay are you talking ‘bout? Pinkie, laughing at the dead ain’t good, even if it’s Hag.” “Didn’t any of you notice? Oh, I love explaining jokes!” Pinkie wasn’t dismayed in a slightest. “Ever since Celestia was back, Nightmare Moon felt like total namby-pumby. She figured out exactly why everypony didn't like her so much and it huruuurt, let me tell you! Must have taken her helluvan effort to pull herself together again! Guess it bothered her enough to give up her authority.” “How do you… You know what, don’t answer that,” Twilight rubbed her tired eyes. “Okay, everyone, we need to figure out what to do now. Any suggestions?” “Well, Daybreaker would be the most obvious heir,” Rarity suggested. “Poor darling must be positively devastated!” “Ugh...” Rainbow face hooved herself. “Really? Rarity, she literally murdered Nightmare Moon before your eyes, and now you pity her? For real?” “Rainbow, dear, show some compassion! Daybreaker is rather mean spirited, but imagine how would you feel if you caused the death of your own sister! This is a dreadful position to be in!” “How ‘bout Luna then?” Applejack suggested. “You said she’s around.” “Well no... she isn’t anymore,” Twilight awkwardly answered. “She is gone. Nobody saw her since. We don’t know where she is or what she’s doing. Looking for her isn’t going to work, we won’t see her unless she wants us to see her. She can be on the other side of the planet by now if she wanted to.” “Well, we need Daybreaker anyway, right? Someone has to raise the sun and moon,” Rainbow said. “Daybreaker can’t rule. Nightmare Moon specifically said that she cannot be let close to the throne. Provided she would even agree after what she did,” Twilight declined. “Then… the only one remaining is you, Twilight!” Rarity gasped. “She taught you, didn’t she?” “I am not ready,” Twilight shook her head. “She said so herself. We have to find someone else. Maybe one of the ministers.” “Excluding Cloudy,” Rainbow wedged in. “She’s a traitor.” “Traitor to who, us or her?” “To the state.” “Oh, so dat’s how it is now, ain’t it, Rainbow?” “Ah, girls please-please don’t start!” Fluttershy tried her best to avoid the fight. “No, Twilight, it has to be you!” Rarity persisted. “You are the one who she taught specifically in case something happened.” “Rarity, I can’t! She said it herself, I am not ready! She even showed me exactly how would I fail!” “But, Twilight, there isn’t anyone better than you! She taught you herself! Remember how she used to say: 'A Princess has responsibilities!' You have to, Twilight!” “I… Let’s have a vote,” Twilight proposed. ”Who is for me to take over temporarily?” To Twilight’s despair, 5 hooves were held up. "No-no-no! Girls, I-I can't! I am going to make everything even worse! I cannot rule!" previously restrained panic was no breaking out as if she was a punctured water barrel. "Then get help, darling," Rarity suggested. "There are many ponies in the Empire who would gladly help you." “I am going to need a new cabinet… reports from all around the Empire… Have to sort through her files... Oh, dear, how am I going to do this?! What will become of us!” “Just like in the old times! Classic Twilighting,” Pinkie chuckled. “Hey! That’s right!” Rainbow exclaimed. “Just like old times! Let’s do it all together! Twilight knows a bit about that political thing, Rarity is good at managing the palace, I can do the military bit, AJ can manage agriculture, Fluttershy can help with healthcare, and Pinkie can do public relations or something. That’s a lot of the seats taken! Let’s throw elections for everyone we are missing!” “That… can work, I guess. Well, it won’t be worse than having no one at all,” Twilight mused. “We still need someone to talk to Daybreaker though, we can’t raise the sun and moon without her. She’d have a few things to say too.” “It’s settled den,” Applejack stated definitely. “You are goin’ to take over. Should we just call ye Empress and bow now? “AJ, don’t start. It’s Twilight, remember?” Rainbow wedged in. “Ain’t ya forgetting somepony else?” “AJ, Daybreaker would not agree to let Celestia go,” Twilight sighed. “Ain’t seein’ us asking. We got the Elements in the Tree, ye?” “No!” Twilight hit the table with a mighty thud. “Daybreaker deserves to live too, I won’t do the same thing to her as she was forced to do to Celestia!” “Can’t we just talk to her maybe?” Fluttershy’s whisper was barely audible. "If she is Moon's sister she can't be too bad..." “Well… maybe. In a while, we could convince her, I hope. With some guarantees… and a lot of patience.” “The poor darling isn’t evil, she’s just afraid,” Rarity came to support. “Well, everyone. For better or for worse, we’ve got our plan,” Twilight said without a hint of joy. “I just can’t believe it. Nightmare Moon is gone and I am about to step in her shoes. I… I thought we finally figured it out, how to fix everything. I thought that it all is going to be alright, now this… Why does this keep happening? What was this all for?” Twilight’s eyes were rapidly watering. “Poor darling! It wasn’t supposed to end like this! She was trying so hard!” Rarity blew her nose in her own hoofkerchief for the lack of anything else. “Y-yeah, she had a good thing going. Damn, never thought I was going to tear up because of her,” Rainbow began wiping her eyes before any drops could escape. One by one, they all quietly began sobbing, each for her own reason, and only Pinkie Pie kept wearing an unnaturaly wide smile across her face.