//------------------------------//
// Tropic of Capricorn  Part 4 
// Story: How Do You Shoot a Gun With Hooves? 
// by defender2222 
//------------------------------//


After such a proclamation, the last thing Castle or Beckett would have expected was a beach party but that is where they now found themselves.

Of course, it wasn't a real party. More like a small fire with 7 mares, a stallion, 2 alicorns and a capricorn all circling the fire, watching it flicker.

Beckett and Castle sat off to one side, watching with interest Celestia and Luna. The girls had told them so much about them and the two humans-turned-ponies had formed this grand image in their head of the two goddess sisters. And in certain ways the princesses had lived up to the ideals: they were just as beautiful and glorious as both had imagined them to be and the power they wielded could be felt by the two just sitting there.

And yet in this moment they appeared so different…so youthful and utterly normal… that it was hard for the two of them to understand the reverence that twilight and her friends shared for the princesses.

Of course, from the way the 6 ponies were gaping, it was clear they too weren't use to seeing Luna and Celestia like this.

Things had started easily enough, with Celestia suggesting they gather round so she could explain to everyone about Tydal and The Teacher (a title Tydal was confused about himself) and all that had transpired during the capricorn's time as stone. While he hadn't been sure of Castle and Beckett's proclamation that the war was over, Celestia's assurance that Discord was defeated and Tydal had indeed been gone from the world for almost 1,500 years was enough to get the god of the sea to settle down.

That is, until he overheard Pinkie Pie make a comment about Nightmare Moon.

Ten minutes and a long explanation later, and the two princesses were sheepishly looking at the ground as Tydal actually lectured them.

"A thousand years I have slept and it is clear you both have learned very little since I last taught you your spells." He clicked his teeth together in annoyance. "What is the first rule of magic?"

"Never let it rule you…you rule it," the princesses said dutifully, sounding like schoolfillies. Twilight even joined them towards the end, feeling like she was back in magic kindergarten.

Tydal snorted. "And yet this Nightmare Moon business…Luna, what were you thinking? You allowed your jealousy and arrogance twist you into something nearly as bad as Discord! And for what…to have some ponies look up at the stars? You are not that shallow…" he whipped his head around to glare at Celestia, the older of the sisters cringing. "And you…banishment? A simple cleansing spell would have allowed Luna to calm her rage and actually listen to you, and you choose to LOCK HER IN THE MOON?"

"She was going to make the night last-"

"So your brilliant idea was the trap her on the moon and let her hatred fester? What part of that sounded like a good idea to you?" Luna nodded in agreement but covered it up with a cough when Tydal turned to glare at her. "Of course, if somepony hadn't allowed themselves to go mad with power…" he let out a long suffering sigh, holding up a hoof when both opened their mouths to speak. "There are no excuses for mistakes. Only lessons." It was hard to tell if he was speaking to them or himself. The capricorn turned to Twilight. "You, the unicorn…you are Celestia's student, are you not?"

"Y-yes Teacher," Twilight said with a slight stammer.

"What does she have you do when you make a mistake?"

Twilight blinked in confusion. "Uh…normally she explains what I did wrong and I write a letter to her about what I learned about friendship."

Tydal stroked his beard. "I like it…Celestia, Luna, I expect letters from each of you in one week's time about what you have learned about friendship…and why that is better than fighting against one another. And you will continue sending me such letters till I deem you have learned your lesson."

The sound of jaws dropping echoed along the beach.

Tydal looked skyward, annoyance in his eyes but a smile upon his lips. "A thousand years and you two fillies still need me…somewhere out there our mother is laughing at me." Tydal sat down between the sisters, giving each an affectionate nuzzle to show that, while he did not like their fights during his absence he was not truly mad at them.

Twilight and her friends could only stare at the way the two alicorns and the capricorn sat together, a familiarity about them that had not been lessened by the passing of a thousand years. It was so shocking for the girls to seem them together and even more so when they realized just how RIGHT it was for the sun, the moon and the sea to be together on that beach.

Beckett and Castle, for their part, sat in silence, understanding that at the moment their questions needed to wait in the face of such a monumental event as the one that was occurring before them. Beckett wasn't a religious person, but she supposed-

"Princess Celestia..." Twilight began, only to find herself at a loss for words.

Rainbow Dash, ever the bold one, did her best to speak for the group. "We all just...have some many questions..."

Pinkie Pie chose that moment to pop up on Tydal's back, the capricorn looking at her with a slight smile, which only served to startle the other girls even more. "Yeah, like how old are all of you? How do you know each other? What did you teach them? You guys have a mom? What is she like? She isn't Twilight, is she?"

"Huh?" Luna said in a very unladylike manner.

"You know...you're from the future and you traveled back to the past to teach your mom, Twilight, about magic so she could in turn teach you when you were babies? And you are planning to teach her a spell she taught you so she can defeat some evil metal pony that also came back to prevent your birth? Oooh, and why were you fighting Discord? I mean, I know why but why why?"

"Anything else?" Celestia said in good humor.

Pinkie Pie nodded her head rapidly. "How much wood could a woodchuck chuck? What is the sound of one hoof clapping? What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?"

Tydal narrowed his eyes. "An Equestrian or Zebrica swallow?"

Pinkie Pie blinked. "Uh...I don't know..." She got off Tydal, tapping her chin and mumbling to herself as she puzzled over that question.

"Are we sure they don't work for Discord?" the capricorn asked.

"Very sure," Celestia said, before turning to Beckett and Castle. "I know you two have questions for me, but I wish to address some things first."

"Of course," Beckett said, tapping down her disappointment.

"Rest assure...you can go home." Beckett and Castle shared a relieved smile as Celestia began to tell the other ponies her tale. "Thousands of years ago, our mother," she gestured towards Luna, then herself, "began to create this world."

"Create?" Rarity asked.

Celestia nodded. "Indeed. Our mother, who is known by many names and forms, is The Creator. She breathed life into the world and filled it with all manner of creatures. The lands of Zebrica and Griffora, plus many others you never heard of, each filled with beings that would leave you breathless. And that is just this world alone..."

"You mean...there are other worlds?" Fluttershy whispered.

Celestia shared a secret smile with Beckett and Castle. "Indeed. And all know our mother." She looked back to Twilght and her friends. "And to each of these lands she created the dominate species, and with them several powerful beings, given the best traits and abilities of all their people, to guide them. They are, for lack of a better term, gods, each masters of an element of life. The Great Griffon, the Lady of Zebrica...and Lord Tydal."

"Wait...does that mean Tydal is your brother?" Twilight asked. "He said 'our mother'…."

Luna smiled playfully and all of the 6 ponies had a flash memory of Nightmare Moon. They hadn't seen Luna so delighted since her return to the side of good. They were too use to her being skittish and awkward around everyone…to see she actually had a playful side threw them for a loop. "Perhaps...but he is much too old and grumpy."

"Hurrrr," Tydal grumbled.

Celestia smiled as well at her sister's jest. "We are siblings, yes, but also nieces and cousins to Tydal. There is no need to define our relationship."

"Just how old are you?" Spike asked bluntly. It was the first thing he had said the entire time…the baby dragon was still in shock from the entire day: he'd sent a letter only to get whisked up by the two rulers of his world, who then took him to a great ocean where a long lost god and his best friends were prepared to kill each other. It was all mind boggling and his heart was still racing from the frantic flight over the Everfree.

Tydal snorted in annoyance. "Let us just say that even with the extra 1,500 years these two now have on me, they are still fillies when compared to me."

"That means old," Luna said with a smile, earning a snort from her mentor and a mutter about 'disrespectful fillies'.

Waiting to see if there would be any further interuptions, Celestia continued. "I was quite old by your standards but had the maturity of a filly when our mother brought Luna and I to Lord Tydal and asked him to train us, so that we might be ready to lead Equestria."

As Princess Celestia and Princess Luna told the gathered ponies all about their time under Tydal's tutelage, it seemed to Beckett that the two goddesses were becoming younger before her very eyes. It wasn't a physical transformation, of course, though Beckett wouldn't have been surprised if such a feat had been achieved. It was something in their eyes, a light that grew with each story of childish pranks and youthful indiscretions. Celestia in particular seemed to be reshaping into an entirely different pony.

When she had first appeared before them in a blaze of solar energy, Beckett had been struck by both her noble bearing and her cold, stony appearance. Oh, Beckett was sure to Twilight and her friends the Princess was joyful and pleasant, but Beckett lived in New York, a place where if you weren't scowling you were hiding your frown behind a huge fake grin. Celestia had the look of a career politician, knowing how to work the crowd while hiding the utter loneliness that power brought from her student and her friends.

It was a feeling Beckett knew all too well. She wondered just how much the princess and her had in common; both had been robbed of family in the cruelest of ways, as well as mentors. Both had been forced to put away childish dreams for the good of those they served. Both weren't allowed to truly have lives as their own: Beckett because of the specter of her mother's death that forever hung over her head like the bloody dagger in Macbeth, for Celestia it was the crushing duty that only she could bear.

But when the sun goddess had seen Tydal and known that yes, the god of the sea had returned, something had begun to flicker and grow within her. That light swelled with each unencumbered laugh and playful smirk. She was allowed the drop her shields and, for this moment at least, be her true self because she was surrounded by people she could trust.

Beckett looked over at Castle, who was nearly crying he was laughing so hard. Celestia had told them about some magical mishap she and her sister had suffered and judging by the quirk of his lips Tydal remembered the incident well...maybe painfully so, considering the way he rubbed one of his front legs against the other.

Who were the Tydal and Luna of Beckett's life? There was simply no way that her mother would return to her (other than in her dreams); New York simply didn't have that kind of magic. But as she watched Castle and thought of the woman she had been before he had roared into her life...she considered that perhaps she had already found that person that let her be young and stupid.

"Teacher, I have a question," Twilight said softly once the laughter had died down. Soon it would be time for Luna to lower the moon and Celestia to raise the sun and Twilight didn't know what would happen after that, so she was desperate to ask her question before it was too late.

Tydal scowled slightly. "I will answer anything...as long as you do not call me by that silly name." He gave Celestia a sharp look. "Really Celestia, the Teacher? You could not think of something a bit less..?"

"Do not blame her, Tydal," Luna said in support of her sister. "Blame the silly artists."

When Tydal raised an eyebrow in confusion Celestia flashed a coy smile. "They were always asking us about our past...but it was simply too painful to talk about you. But as you know, the walls of any castle have ears and somehow several of the resident artists got it into their head that you were some mythical unicorn who hid in a bush to gain enlightenment."

Applejack gasped. "That's why them pictures were like that?"

Celestia nodded. "Indeed. You must remember that back then many of the races were separated and had little contact with each other. The painters and sculptures did not know what griffins or capricorns were so they tried to make them fit what they did. That is where the legends of merponies and the harpie came from." Celestia playfully nudged Tydal. "It could have been much worse...would you have preferred to be called Mr. Fishy Tail?"

Tydal glowered for a moment, letting them all think he was truly upset, before letting out a long, rolling laugh. "That is true...I think Pinkie Pie here is the only one that can get away with calling me that." Pinkie grinned at the comment.

Her boldness seemed to have impressed the old capricorn king. Of course, all of the ponies had impressed him now that they weren't trying to kill him. He found himself marveling at each of them: during his time the ponies had been skittish creatures that shied away from fighting battles and trembled under the gaze of a fierce warrior. Even the bold pegasi had bowed to Discord. To see 8 strong, confident ponies gave him hope for the future.

"Now, Twilight Sparkle...you had a question for me?"

"Yes, Te...Lord Tydal. I was wondering how you came to be trapped in that statue."

Luna and Celestia's smiled faltered and the two alicorns suddenly found the sand very interesting. Tydal noticed his students' reactions and gave them each and affectionate nuzzle.

It was Celestia that spoke first. "After many years Luna and I came to Equestria and presented ourselves to the ruling council. We explained to them our abilities and magic and asked that we merely be allowed to live among them and play a part in their lives. We knew that they would never accept us if we simply demanded the throne and had hoped to earn their trust.

"But then Discord came and our hooves were forced."

Luna picked up the tale. "The ponies were no match for him. The Pegesi Forces were turned into chickens and the unicorns found their magic turned against them, making them enslaved to the Chaos God and forced to be his puppets. He teased and tormented the earth ponies, playing with them as children play with toys. We sent scrolls to all the neighboring lands, begging them for help, but none came to our aid, fearing that doing so would draw the attention of Discord to their own people." She lowered her eyes, pawing at the sands with her hoof. "None came...save Tydal."

The capricorn's own eyes flickered. Since awakening in the museum his memories had been jumbled, but Luna's words were awakening within him remnants of the final hours of that day. "My army needed time to prepare...I knew they would not be able to march for 2 days, so I ran ahead, wanting to help." He looked into the fire, the flames dancing about as he spoke. His voice had grown deeper and the rumble seemed to lull them all into a trance. "I arrived like a hurricane and brought with me the fury of the sea, sending the chaos god flailing. There was little time to celebrate, as I knew he would strike at us all within moments. Celestia, Luna and I devised a desperate plan."

Twilight couldn't stop the words from leaving her mouth. "The Elements of Harmony! You helped create them."

"Indeed," Tydal confirmed. "Though it was Celestia who devised the spell and Luna the plan. I merely provided the power. The three of us poured our love and our friendship into six round stones, infusing each with an element of harmony: Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, Honestly, Loyalty, and Magic. With these we knew we stood a chance...but it was a fool's chance." His voice grew softer, weaker, as if he were fighting the battle once more. "Discord would never give us a chance to use the elements...not unless one of us made the ultimate sacrifice."

It was Castle who now filled in the blank. He knew at once what Tydal had done; of all gathered they were the only two that had raised young girls. "You fought him on your own...to distract him and give the princesses time. You couldn't risk them so you took the burden yourself."

"Yes…"

~A Very Long Time Ago~

"GO!" Tydal roared, never once looking back at Celestia and Luna. He merely stood tall, a beacon of hope upon that shattered battlefield.

"Don't do this!" Luna screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "There has to be another way!"

"There are two," Tydal said simply, his tail swishing back and forth as he watched Discord slowly rise up from the crater he'd been planted in. The Chaos God was no longer sporting his usual smile and the fury that flashed in his eyes promised a long painful death. "But I will not risk either of you. I am selfish that way…and I will not live in a world without either of you."

"Tydal!" Celestia called out.

"If you ever listen to a word I say, listen to me now and GO!" He called upon his own magic, feeling every droplet of water within a ten mile radius heed his call. The sisters were silent, then the sound of their wings filled the air and the old king was able to smile at long last. "Goodbye my girls."

"Do you always grin when you face death?" Discord snarked. He was doing his best to appear calm but the arrival of the sea god had irked him.

"Do you?" Tydal shot back, launching himself at the draconequus.

Discord easily batted him away, sending the god of the sea slamming into a cliff face. Tydal struggled to his hooves, blood trickling from his forehead. "They are weak, capricorn. They are weak because of you. You are too old and too stubborn and your failure to make them strong will be your undoing. They know it as well…that is why they have left you to die. That is why they ran…they have used you for their own gain, old fool…and now you will die for a land that fears and hates you and your kind? You have abandoned your kingdom and your subjects to help those two and I will make sure they pay for your arrogance! Perhaps I will sink your precious keep and turn your army into lawn ornaments! And they will all know it was your fault, old fool…all your fault!"

If Discord thought his attempt at mind rape would work on Tydal he was sorely mistaken. "They ran alright. My students have many years ahead of them and they are now racing towards their destiny. I have seen it Discord…and this land will be brighter than the sun and more glorious than the moon. You watch them run, Discord…you watch them run!"

Tydal rose up once more, all the waters he could summon flooding the battlefield, swirling about him, becoming a massive tidal wave. High above, he could already feel the energy of the Elements of Harmony charging up. He ran at the god head on, ignoring the agony as he felt Discord launch his magic at him, his skin being flayed and his blood boiling in his veins. Not candy clouds or dancing owls this time…Discord wanted to cause pain. Any other being would have turned back, curled up, given in under the agony.

But there was an old saying in the Mareatine: 'all the waters in all the worlds will turn to dust…the day Lord Tydal gives up'.

Tydal roared with the full power of the sea, striking Discord in the chest and sending the draconequus to the ground once more. The great wave crashed down on them, the white water forming THOUSANDS of liquid Tydals, each one pulling Discord down, holding him. Tydal felt his horns shatter as he pumped every last bit of magic he had into his attack while his skin was peeled away and his organs ruptured. He stood upon the draconequus's chest and continually slammed his hooves into the chaos god's body until they began to crack.

"They say everypony dies someday…but their day…is not today!" Tydal screamed as he gave everything he had to pin the beast down. He threw back his head as he felt the Elements full charge. He would not stop…he could not stop. "NOT TODAY!"

Magic exploded from the shattered remains of his horns and he felt his skull cracking under the onslaught. He leaned in closer, jamming his broken horn stubs into Discord's eyes, firing blast after blast into the draconequus's head. He felt his leg bones turn to dust and his spine snap. Discord drove one of his hands into Tydal's chest and squeezed, bursting one of the capricorn's lungs.

"No…why won't you stop? Everyone else gives up…everyone else rolls over! Why not you? You aren't special! You're nothing!" Discord roared, throwing everything he could at the capricorn. He was desperate now, trying to find some way to break this one, knowing that doing so would award him with complete victory. And yet the waves continued to crash against him and the warrior king did not give the chaos god an inch. "Why? Why…won't you just…give up?"

Bloody tears fell from Tydal's eyes and a smile formed upon his lips that had Discord feeling something he had never felt before.

Fear.

"I...I don't know how."

And as the greatest magic the worlds had ever seen was unleashed and struck him and Discord, all Tydal felt was pride…pride that his students had DONE IT! He felt himself go blind and deaf, the world plunged though not into darkness but a glorious light, more beautiful than anything he had ever known. Tydal laughed as he rode the wave of harmony to oblivion. It was the greatest of ironies that at this moment, at the end of it all…the god of chaos screamed and the warrior king laughed.

The waters receded and Tydal's body fell limply from the now stone statue that had once been the lord of chaos…and he smiled.

Somewhere out there…he hoped the Mother was smiling with him.

"Glory…to the Mareatine…long…live…Equestria…"

And then…he knew no more.

~MC~MC~MC~

All of them were crying now, sniffing to try and stop the flood of tears. Luna had shut her eyes and laid her head upon Tydal's chest, great sobs wracking through her body, while Celestia tried to keep her head held high but simply did not have the power to do so. The bears of the Elements each choked back sobs as they thanked every deity listening that Beckett and Castle had managed to stop them from hurting the warrior who had given his life to save a land that was not even his own.

Celestia finally found the strength to continue. "When Discord was trapped in the stone Luna and I rushed to the beach and found him still, dying from the torment Discord's magic had racked upon his body." Her eyes went glassy as she remembered the wrecked form of her mentor lying on the sands.

Tydal looked at the sun goddess, rubbing his cheek against hers to wipe the tears away. "I would do it again, Celestia. For you two...for my people...I would do it again."

"And we will never let you have the chance," Celestia said firmly.

Luna spoke next. "As he lay dying my sister and I sought to save him...and decided that if one desperate plan had worked, we would try another." She placed her hoof on top of her mentor's. "We used the Stone Sleep."

Tydal's eyes widened. "The gargoyle spell? But you knew-"

"-we had to risk it!" Luna exclaimed. "We did not want to lose you! The Stone Sleep healed the gargoyles of all wounds...we thought perhaps you would be strong enough to survive its affects."

"And you were," Celestia said gently, "it just...took time."

"1,500 years," Tydal whispered, before falling silent.

"But everything is ok now," Castle said. "You are alive!"

Rarity nodded, dabbing her tears away with a hankie. "Yes, and there are such wonders we'll show you! The ages have brought about such beauty..."

Twilight smiled brightly. "The spells, Lord Tydal, oh the spells we have created! And the ones you'll be able to share with us…"

"And Equestria has flourished!" Applejack nodded. "There are farms and cities in the clouds..."

"It is so peaceful, sir," Fluttershy added. "You can finally rest."

Raindow Dash scoffed. "Who wants to rest? You'll be famous! Everyone will want to meet you!"

Pinkie Pie began to hop up and down in glee. "Ooooo, imagine the party we'll have to throw for you! You haven't been to a party in a thousand years, so it will have to be a doozy! And it was an Equestrian Swallow!"

Tydal smiled sadly at the joyful ponies, wishing he could feel the same way. "Yes...I am alive...the last capricorn..."

His words halted all the merriment. Each of the ponies grew quiet as the implications of Tydal's words hit them. They all wondered how they would handle being the last pony, trapped in a new and strange world. To go from being one of many to the one and only…it was a bitter pill to swallow.

"You are not alone, Tydal," Luna said.

The king of the sea smiled. "Of course, Luna. I have you and Celestia and these new friends...I am blessed."

"Yes, you do, but you still misunderstand," Celestia said. She rose up, Luna joining her as their horns began to glow. The moon began to dip and the sun began to rise but Twilight could feel that there was another spell gaining energy. "After your failed to awaken from the stone sleep we brought you here and upon the shore met with your subjects. We told them of the spell and what you had done to save each and everyone one of them. We asked them what they would like to do, as it was unclear when you would awaken, and all gave us the same answer: None would go on another day without you. They would await for their king."

Tydal stared at the stone capricorns, daring not to hope. "It...was not Discord?"

"No, my friend...it was us. We dared not try and undo the process with you, fearing that doing prematurely so would kill you. So we waited. But with them, each healthy and strong...there is no risk at all." The sisters' horns glowed brighter and suddenly the air was filled with the sound of cracking stone. All of them watched as the castle began to tremble, the gray rock chipping away and landing in the sea. Several pieces fell onto the statues of capricorn warriors, but instead of smashing them it only allowed the beings trapped within to break free all the quicker. "Welcome home."

As the sun rose over Bridle Bay the great keep of Tydal awoke from its stone slumber. The pale yellow walls and towers were uncovered, the sealed windows were broken open and let the light finally pierce the long dominate darkness...and the capricorns within awoke.

It was two, however, that held the god of the sea's attention.

The two menacing sentries, now awakened from their stone sleep, thrashed their tails as they stretched their muscles. Now uncovered the ponies could see their tails were a creamy pink with shades of red. Their grand golden armor glittered in the light and their dark eyes took in all that was before them.

Their expressions were serious...until they looked upon Tydal.

"Father?" one whispered, her voice a mere breath but it carried easily along the air.

"Daddy!" the other squealed, the warrior leaping from her station and bouncing towards her father, her sister right behind her. Their armor was cast aside as they rushed along the beach, tackling Tydal and sending him to the sands once again.

"Coral...Misty..." Tydal whispered, nuzzling them each. "My girls..."

Twilight and her friends stood in awe as many of the capricorn warriors, who had looked so stern when frozen in their stone skin, burst into jubilant calls at the sight of their king. Several of the female soldiers broke into song that reminded Beckett of Latin hymns. Even the ocean seemed to join in on the celebration, the waves crashing against the keep in rhythm with the music.

Princess Coral broke away from her father, her now freed poofy pink hair bouncing about her head and horns as she hopped over to Luna, invading her fellow princess' personal space. "Wow, you sure got big Luna! We look like sisters now, except you're an alicorn and I am a capricorn, but hey those both end with -corn so I guess that is close enough!" She hopped over to Pinkie, a huge grin forming as she looked at the pink pony. "Your hair is as poofy as mine!"

"I know, isn't it neat!" Pinkie said in delight. "Hey, we should throw you a party too, since you just woke up!"

"I don't know what a party is but I already love it like I love you!" Coral squealed, giving Pinkie a giant hug.

Castle chuckled as he nudged Tydal. "Now I see why you could put up with Pinkie Pie."

"By the tides there are two of them now," Princess Misty groused as she watched her twin dance about with Pinkie, exploring the beach. She shook hooves with each of the ponies, acting with more control than her twin sister. "Father, who are your friends?"

Tydal smiled. "You know Princess Celestia and Luna. May I present the Immortal Elements: Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and of course Pinkie Pie." The 5 girls smiled (as Pinkie was still busy with Princess Coral, discussing designs for a 'Party-a-pult'), only to blink and mouth the word 'immortal'. However, Tydal had already moved on to the last three members of the group. "This is Spike, ward of Twilight Sparkle, and Richard Castle and Kate Beckett...it is because of them that we are all here, healthy and safe." He gave his daughter a serious look. "Let the council know...they have been selected."

Misty nodded her head but couldn't help but the grin that graced her normally stern face. "Two ponies...who would have thought such a thing would ever happen?"

"Today is the day for miracles," Tydal said simply.

Castle turned to Luna. "Uh...what just happened."

"Tydal has decided to make you honorary members of his royal guard, the highest honor one can receive in capricorn society," Luna said with a slight smirk. She looked out at the castle that had been her home so long ago and felt her heart lifted; after the events of Nightmare Moon she had felt so awkward and unsure of herself, unable to interact with her subjects as the guilt of her actions and their fear of her had formed a barrier between them. But now there was an entire race of beings who knew and loved her and had not been affected by her fall into shadows. Here she could be her true self, without worrying what others felt. Here she could heal.

Celestia smiled at her sister's obvious joy. She too felt it...first Luna had returned to her, then Tydal, and now the capricorn race...she wondered if the earth might not split open at that moment and all that had been thought lost would return again. Truly that would be the only way to top this moment.

All about Tydal there was a swirl of talk and celebration, but for the god of the sea there was only one that he cared to see at that moment. The ponies froze as the king leapt up the castle walls, climbing to the tallest tower. Though he lacked the speed of ever an average pony, he made up for it in grace. They watched as from the single room at the top of the spire a beautiful female capricorn with hair the color of fire and eyes as clear as the sky stepped forward into the sun.

Tydal bowed to her. "My queen."

Queen Merida used her hoof to lift up his bowed head. The look in her eyes told all that this was a ritual that had played out a million times. "My love," she whispered as she embraced him.

After 1,500 years...Lord Tydal had finally come home.