Book 7: Harmony
“Scrollkeeper,” Mezzo Tint said to the pegasus across the library. “What if the six magics are just six orbs?”
“Orbs?” Scrollkeeper looked up from his work and frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I’ve been looking at all these attributes,” Mezzo Tint said. “Faithfulness, happiness, and such. They all seem to fall into six different categories.”
“Let me see,” Scrollkeeper said as he walked over to Mezzo Tint’s table.
“It all matches up,” Mezzo Tint explained while the older stallion read over his notes. “When you get down to it, they’re all synonyms for loyalty, laughter, kindness, generosity, and honesty.”
“And the sixth?”
“It’s a little tricky,” Mezzo Tint said, pointing to the bottom of his notes. “I’ve only found a few references, but it seems to be either magic or power.”
“Magic.” Scrollkeeper’s eyes narrowed as he scratched his head. “I’ve read something about these attributes before. What was it?”
“Luna.”
Luna’s head jerked around in search of the speaker. The mountains had been quiet since she’d landed, and the sudden noise sent her heart rate skyrocketing. She saw Galeforce standing just inside the flickering light of her fire and relaxed a little. “Oh. It’s you.”
“Did you have any problems?” Galeforce asked.
Luna shook her head. She noticed a small black box sitting on the ground by his hooves. “Is that the scroll?” she asked.
Galeforce nodded. “Goldfeather wanted me to get it out of Cloudsdale. We’ll have to keep it safe now.”
Luna’s gaze turned to the stone orb that sat on the ground beside her. “It’s all down to us, isn’t it?” she said. “If we don’t figure these out by tomorrow, everything will be lost. Goldfeather’s sacrifice will have been for nothing.”
“You’ll figure it out,” Galeforce said. “In anypony can do this, it’s you and your sister.”
“Or we’ll just end up like the Canterlot unicorns.”
“Nonsense. I don’t throw my support behind just anypony.”
His words did little to calm Luna’s heart. “All of Equestria has put its trust in us. All the pegasi in Cloudsdale were willing to give their lives for us.”
“And so would I,” said Galeforce. “Luna, you and your sister would not have this much support if we didn’t believe you could do it. Before you came, Everfree stood alone. You have inspired every pony in Equestria to rise up against Discord and fight for our freedom. That should tell you how much we trust you to win.”
“But what if we don’t?”
“You will,” Galeforce said. “Listen, we need to get back to Everfree as soon as possible. Goldfeather may have bought us some time, but it won’t last.”
Luna stood and cast a levitation spell on the orb. “Fly slowly. I’m not used to using magic and flying at the same time.”
The two extinguished the fire and set off at a moderate pace. Their dark coloring made it difficult to keep track of each other, but somehow they stayed together through the night. “We’re almost there,” Galeforce said as the sun began to peek over the horizon. “Can you make it?”
Luna’s vision was beginning to blur, but the nodded and gritted her teeth. The two landed just inside Everfree, where several ponies were waiting to greet them.
“Luna!” Celestia ran forward and hugged her sister, struggling in vain to hold back her tears. “You’re safe!”
“I’m fine,” Luna answered, returning the embrace. “Just tired.”
“Tired?” Celestia backed up and looked at Luna’s face. “You’re exhausted! What have you been doing?”
“Carrying this,” Luna answered, showing her the stone orb. “It appeared just before Discord destroyed Cloudsdale.”
Her last statement drew gasps from the gathered ponies, but Celestia just hugged her sister tighter. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Me too,” Luna said. “Could you stop squeezing me so hard? It hurts.”
“Oh! Of course.” Celestia backed away with an embarrassed smile. “What about you, Galeforce?”
“Fine,” the security pony replied. “Your sister was magnificent, by the way. Without her, the trip would have been a monumental failure.”
“What’s that?” Scrollkeeper asked, pointing to the black box at Galeforce’s hooves.
“An artifact,” Galeforce answered. “Commander Goldfeather asked me to bring it here for safekeeping.”
“Have you figured out anything else about the orbs?” Luna asked.
“Some,” Scrollkeeper replied. “Mezzo came up with an interesting theory last night, and I’ve been searching my records ever since. Soon, we’ll know everything we need to defeat Discord once and for all.”
“How soon?” Galeforce asked. “Discord could be here at any moment.”
“Let’s go to the library,” Celestia suggested. “If we all work together, we’ll find the solution in no time.”
“I’m afraid I have to disagree,” Scrollkeeper said, much to Celestia’s surprise. “I think you and your sister should rest while Mezzo and I keep researching.”
“What? Why?”
“The goal is to defeat Discord, is it not?” Scrollkeeper said. “Your sister has had a difficult night and needs to sleep, and your injury has taken more out of you than you think.”
“I’ll be fine,” Celestia tried and failed to say without wincing.
“Scrollkeeper’s right,” Galeforce said. “Leave the final preparations to us. You two will need your strength for the battle.”
“But what if you’re not ready in time?”
“Leave that to me,” Galeforce answered. “If Cloudsdale could buy you time, then so can we.”
Everfree had changed a lot when Mezzo Tint asked Celestia and Luna to come to the library. Most of the windows had been boarded up, and the shops were closed. Celestia caught a glimpse of Woodwright building something with three other ponies, but she couldn’t tell what it was.
“They’re getting ready,” Mezzo Tint told them. “The Security Council has been working all day to make sure everypony’s prepared.”
“For what?”
“For battle.”
A couple pegasi flew overhead as they reached the library. “Are those the Cloudsdale soldiers?” Luna asked.
“Galeforce convinced them to join us,” Mezzo Tint said. “Don’t ask me how. I’ve been in here all day.”
The library was a complete mess. Scrolls and books lay scattered across tables, shelves, and even the floor. “Hi there!” Cleansweep said as he flew past. “I’ll go tell my uncle you’re here.”
“How can you find anything in all this?” Celestia asked as the three stepped carefully through the library.
“You’d have to ask Cleansweep,” Mezzo Tint answered. “Scrollkeeper and I haven’t been out here much.”
They found Scrollkeeper huddled over several scrolls, muttering to himself as he took notes. His table was the only place in the library with any sense of organization. The five stone orbs sat in a small circle at one end, and he had several scrolls and books laid out on the other. “There you are,” he said once he noticed them. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but Mezzo and I have made a major breakthrough.”
“It’s all right,” Celestia said as Scrollkeeper looked through the stack of documents. “Have you found out what these orbs are?”
“Yes,” Scrollkeeper said, pulling a slightly damaged scroll from the stack so Celestia and Luna could see. “The Elements of Harmony. It’s an ancient pony legend. Most scholars don’t believe the Elements actually exist, which is why I didn’t think of it sooner.”
“‘These six Elements are the oldest and most powerful magic known to ponykind and represent the foundation of our society,’” Celestia read. “What else does it say?”
“The Elements represent honestly, laughter, generosity, kindness, loyalty, and magic,” Scrollkeeper answered. “Unless I’m mistaken, these five orbs appeared when somepony demonstrated one of these attributes.”
“What about magic?” Luna asked.
“That’s what we’ve been trying to figure out,” Scrollkeeper said. “The others clearly represent character traits, but magic is an innate ability, not an attribute.”
“Perhaps we need somepony to demonstrate magic,” Celestia suggested.
“It isn’t that simple,” Scrollkeeper said. “It says here that these Elements can only be revealed by one who exemplifies the specified quality.”
“So we need to find somepony who’s really good at magic?” Luna asked. Scrollkeeper nodded. “What about you, Tia?”
Celestia shook her head. “I think we’ve both demonstrated our abilities extensively,” she said. “Surely the orb would have appeared by now.”
“We have to try,” Luna said. “We don’t have time to find another plan.”
“That depends,” Mezzo Tint said. “What do you know about this?”
The two alicorns turned and saw him pointing at the small box Galeforce had brought from Cloudsdale. “It’s a scroll,” Luna said. “Galeforce said it contains the power of an evil centaur from long ago.”
“The Scroll of Eternal Night,” Scrollkeeper muttered as his eyes widened. “So it does exist.”
“You know about this?” Mezzo Tint asked.
“It’s a powerful and dangerous artifact,” Scrollkeeper said. “It took some of the best magicians Equestria has ever known to seal those powers away.”
“Do you think it could beat Discord?” Celestia asked.
“Whether it can or not is irrelevant,” Scrollkeeper said. “That scroll’s history is almost as dark as Discord’s. Without proper research and preparation, I fear unleashing its power will only make matters worse.”
Celestia sighed, her gaze drifting between the box and the orbs. Is this all we’ve accomplished in one month? she wondered. An incomplete set of orbs and a scroll we know nothing about?
“Are there any other options?” Luna asked.
Scrollkeeper shook his head. “The Council’s preparations can only buy us time,” he said. “Right now, these are the only chances we have.”
“Very well,” Celestia said. “Looks like we have work to do.”
Galeforce felt both proud and troubled as he looked out at his defenders. On the one hoof, almost every pony in Everfree had joined the fight in some way, even if it was only to move things from one place to another. On the other, these were villagers, not soldiers. Upon hearing of the destruction of their home and the final acts of their leader, the Cloudsdale ponies had temporarily pledged themselves to his service, but fewer than half of them were in a condition to fight. Still, this was where the rebellion had been born, and one way or another, this was where it was going to end.
“Ponies of Everfree!” Galeforce shouted at the ponies gathered in the square. The sun was drawing close to the horizon, and he knew he probably wouldn’t have much time for a speech. “Today is a day that will go down in history. Today is the day we rose up against the draconequus and reclaimed Equestria!” The ponies were tired, but they cheered loudly nonetheless. “We may not know how the battle will go, but we do know this: at the end of this day, Equestria will be free again.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t count on that.” Discord’s voice preceded his appearance by several seconds, but appear he did. “Hello, Galeforce. Glad to see you made it home.”
“Discord,” Galeforce said, taking an offensive stance. “Your reign ends now!”
It wasn’t much of a signal, but the ponies immediately took action. Several unicorns, including Shuttleweave and Woodwright, cast spells to hold Discord in place while the pegasi took to the skies. “Oh, is this your game?” Discord said with a chuckle as his body was wrapped in multiple colors of magic. “Well, well. You do have some fight in you after all!”
As the pegasi turned and began their descent, Discord waved his paw with a wicked grin. Large balls of chocolate burst from the ground, throwing several unicorns off-balance and ending their spells. The pegasi closed in quickly, but with a wave of his talon, Discord encased them in blocks of ice that shattered when they hit the ground, leaving the pegasi stunned. “Some fight, but not enough,” Discord said with a sigh.
“Clear the square!” Galeforce shouted as he shot into the air. The remaining ponies ran for the nearest street, pausing only to help the wounded squeeze between carts.
“Is that it?” Discord looked around with a frown. “Oh, come on. You’ve had all day to work on this.”
Galeforce scanned the square to make sure all his ponies were clear. “Now!” he shouted. Several earth ponies leapt from the roofs of surrounding buildings and landed on the ends of carts they had hastily converted to catapults. A barrage of small objects, from rocks to vegetables, flew from all directions and converged on the square. Discord grinned as he avoided them with ease. What he didn’t expect was an angry black pegasus to hit him from behind.
“Looks like your game’s over!” Galeforce yelled as he prepared to smash his hoof into Discord’s face. The draconequus hit him with a jet of fire from his mouth and threw him across the square. Galeforce coughed as he got to his hooves, trying to regain his bearings, but Discord grabbed him by the neck and pinned him against a wall.
“It’s been fun,” Discord said, “but this is one game you were destined to lose.”
“I haven’t lost,” Galeforce croaked. “Every second I buy Celestia is another chance we have to win.”
Before Discord could answer, two earth ponies charged out of an alleyway and hit him sideways. Galeforce fell to the ground, his vision swimming. “Are you all right?” Shuttleweave asked as she helped him get up.
“I’m fine,” Galeforce said as he looked for his adversary. The draconequus was locked in combat with Color Wheel and Grainthresh, who were trying to hold him down at all costs. Discord struck Color Wheel with a flick of his tail, knocking her out of the fray. Grainthresh’s fury visibly doubled, and he pounded one of Discord’s legs with his hoof.
With an angry roar, Discord sent the dark red earth pony flying into a house. Grainthresh collapsed instantly and lay still. “Looks like you had more fight in you than I thought,” Discord said with a low growl. “That will just make your suffering all the worse once I’ve dealt with your precious Celestia!”
“Enough of this!” Celestia’s voice rang loud and clear across the square. “Discord, it’s time to end this game!” The white alicorn stood across the square from him. Luna and Scrollkeeper stood beside her. Five stone orbs sat at her hooves, looking unremarkable to all who were unfamiliar with their origins and power.
“Well, well,” Discord said. “Look who finally showed up. I heard you ran into some trouble in Las Pegasus, but I’m sure you were able to handle it on your own.”
Celestia’s old fear resurfaced in her mind, but she shoved it away almost as quickly as it came. “You underestimated the ponies you have tortured for so long,” she said. “Did you think your schemes would stop them from fighting you forever?”
“Hmm, perhaps not,” Discord said, “but I know of one thing that will. How many would dare ruin my fun when I have two alicorns to do my bidding?”
“We’ll never know,” Celestia answered, “because that’s not how this game will end.”
“Really. Well, you have had a whole month to plan,” Discord said. “I should have known you’d come up with something brilliant.”
I hope so, Celestia thought as she began to cast her spell. The orbs in front of her began to glow as she channeled her energy through them. Discord stood with his arms crossed, a bemused expression on his face, as Celestia tried desperately to make the Elements work. Come on! If anything should make the Element of Magic appear, it’s this!
In an instant, Celestia felt the spell collapse. The pent-up energy backfired and sent her flying. By sheer luck, she managed to avoid landing on her broken wing, but the shock still sent fresh stabs of pain shooting through her body.
“Tia!” Luna was at Celestia’s side before the latter could stand. “Are you all right?”
“I’m–” Celestia could only grit her teeth against the pain as she clambered to her hooves. “I’m fine,” she said.
“Is that it?” Discord asked. “I gave you one month, and that’s the best you could do?”
“This isn’t over!” Luna shouted.
“Oh, have you decided to take my advice?” Discord asked. “Otherwise, I’m afraid this battle is about to end just like our last. Only this time, I won’t be giving you a chance to fight back.”
“Advice?” Celestia asked. “What is he talking about?”
“I – I’ll explain later,” Luna said.
“Keeping secrets, are we?” Discord said. “And here I thought you two were best friends.”
“I – I’m not keeping secrets!” Luna shouted. “I told them all about the scroll, and we don’t need it to beat you!”
“Oh, I see,” Discord said. “Backfiring rocks are good enough for you, then? Or do you plan on throwing more vegetables at me?”
“Tia will show you! Won’t you, big sister?” Luna looked at Celestia and frowned. “Tia?”
Celestia’s gaze was fixed on the ground. After everything we’ve been through, everything we’ve done, she thought. All the sacrifices and heartaches, and we’ve nothing to show for it.
“Your sister doesn’t look so sure, little Luna,” Discord said. “Come now, Celestia. Where’s that resolve you had a month ago?”
There’s nothing I can do. No spell, no negotiation, nothing. This town, this nation, all lost because I wasn’t strong enough.
“Tia, come on! You have to try again!”
I’ve lost.
Celestia’s heart seemed to shrink as those words sank in. She felt somepony pushing against her shoulder and turned her head to see who it was. “Please, Tia!” Luna was saying, her wide eyes locked on Celestia’s. “We can’t give up! Not now!”
Celestia bowed her head and closed her eyes. “It’s over, Luna. The Elements didn’t work. We failed.”
For a split second, the square was silent. Then, Discord’s laughter filled it with his glee. “Hear that, ponies?” he shouted. “Your great hero has failed!” The draconequus floated across the square until he was just feet from the alicorns. “Well, Celestia, this was certainly entertaining, but I’m afraid our game is at an end. And since I won, you and your sister will have the pleasure of serving me forever!”
“Get back!” Luna yelled, putting herself between the draconequus and her sister. “It’s not over yet! You still have to go through me!”
“Ah, I’m afraid the conditions I set at the beginning of our game were quite clear,” Discord said. “Unless Celestia could best me, both of you would become my slaves.”
“I don’t care what your rules are!” Luna said. “You’ve been cheating this whole time!”
Discord recoiled at her remark. “Me? Cheating?”
“She’s right,” Scrollkeeper said. “You agreed not to cause any trouble for anypony in Everfree, yet you have caused nothing but trouble for us since this game began.”
“How dare you!” Discord said. “I agreed not to make trouble in Everfree. I never said anything about anypony who decided to leave.”
“Oh, yeah? Then what do you call all this?” A gold-coated pegasus darted from a nearby rooftop and hovered a couple inches from Discord’s face. “You just froze a bunch of ponies and made a bunch of giant chocolate balls come out of the ground!”
“Cleansweep!” Scrollkeeper said. “I told you to stay in the library!”
“Oh, stop boring me with details,” Discord said with a sigh, driving Cleansweep back with a sudden torrent of mothballs. “Celestia has surrendered. Anything you say or do now can’t save her.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Shuttleweave said as she, too, put herself between Celestia and the draconequus. “If it wasn’t for her, I may never have found my brother. I’m not the strongest unicorn, but I owe her this much.”
“You’ll have to go through me, too,” Color Wheel said as she skidded to a halt beside Shuttleweave. “I won’t let you get away with what you did to my home and my husband!”
“Oh, please,” Discord said with a groan. “It was amusing when Celestia did it, but now it’s just annoying.”
“You might not care about friendship, but we do!” Color Wheel said. “And we don’t let our friends stand alone!”
Friends. The word seemed to echo through Celestia’s body, and though she knew they could not defeat Discord, the sight of these five ponies standing beside her gave her hope. “Thank you,” she whispered. She didn’t know if they heard, but in a way, it didn’t matter. “Thank you… my friends.”
There was a flash of light much brighter than any she’d seen before. She looked up to see the final orb floating in the air above her. The other five began to glow as they rose off the ground and drifted towards the ponies grouped in front of Discord. As they watched with open mouths and wide eyes, the five orbs transformed into jeweled necklaces that fastened themselves around the necks of Celestia’s five companions – no, friends. The sixth turned into a crown and slowly descended until it rested on Celestia’s head. The white alicorn felt a sudden surge of power rush through her body, and suddenly, she knew what to do.
“What is this?” Discord shouted as he covered his eyes. “You lost! You said so yourself!”
“I may not be able to defeat you on my own,” Celestia answered, “but together, we’re more than strong enough!” She closed her eyes and focused all her newfound power into the spell she needed to cast. Discord could only watch in awe as the ponies in front of him slowly rose into the air. A whirling tornado of color and power enveloped the draconequus, blocking him from the view of all who saw. When the spell was ready, Celestia opened eyes. They were filled with light.
Ugh… where am I?
A part of Celestia knew it was an odd thought to have at a time like this, but she was unable to explain quite why. She felt completely drained, yet somehow full at the same time. She started to get up, but a gentle hoof held her down. “Not yet,” Scrollkeeper’s voice said. “Take a moment to recover your strength.”
Celestia cracked her eyes open, not sure what to expect. She found herself in a room made of gray stone that looked like it had only recently been cleaned. “Where am I?” she asked, her voice soft and weak.
“You’re in Everfree Castle,” Scrollkeeper replied. “You’ve been asleep for almost an hour.”
An hour? Celestia shook her head, trying to piece together what had happened. I remember fighting Discord in the square. Then the Elements started glowing, and I cast a spell. Though she racked her brain, she could not remember anything that had happened after that. “What happened to Discord?”
“Gone,” Scrollkeeper replied. “Well, technically, you turned him to stone, but I doubt he’ll be breaking out of that any time soon.”
“And the Elements?”
“Safe enough, for now,” Scrollkeeper said. “Galeforce thinks we should build a vault to keep them in, along with the Scroll of Eternal Night.”
“And what do you think?”
“For once, I actually agree with him.”
Celestia smiled. Seems friendship can help even those two find common ground, she thought. Friendship… the others!
“Everypony’s fine,” Scrollkeeper said when he saw her eyes widen. “Most of us were a little woozy after what happened, but we’re all back to normal now. Your sister even managed to bring in the night all on her own. Now that Discord’s gone, we need somepony who can take over the day and night.”
Celestia didn’t even want to think about casting so difficult a spell at the moment. She was just standing up when Galeforce and Luna flew through an open window. “Tia!” Luna cried as she ran to embrace her sister. “You’re okay!”
“I guess,” Celestia replied with a weak laugh. “Careful with my wing.”
“Why?” Luna asked. “Your wing is fine.”
Celestia looked at her wing with a frown and saw that the bandages had been removed. In fact, it looked as though nothing had ever been wrong with it. That’s odd, she thought as she gave it a couple experimental flaps. No wonder it doesn’t hurt any more.
“How are you feeling, your highness?” Galeforce asked.
“Fine,” Celestia said before she realized what Galeforce had called her. “Wait, did you say ‘your highness’?”
“You’re a princess, aren’t you?” Galeforce said. “Your sister said you were.”
“Well, yes,” Celestia said, “but it’s not something we just–” She suddenly stopped as she noticed a crescent moon on Luna’s flank. “Luna! Your mark!”
“What?” Luna turned and looked at her flank. “Oh, yeah! I got my mark! Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful,” Celestia replied, stealing a glance at her own flank, which was still as blank as ever. “When did you get it?”
Luna gave her a mischievous grin. “I can’t tell you yet.”
Celestia frowned. “Why not?”
“I need to ask you a very important question first,” Galeforce said. “Before Discord came, Equestria was ruled by the unicorns. However, most of the previous rulers have long since passed on, and as far as we know, there is nopony to take their place.”
“Would you like me to search for them?” Celestia asked.
“We would like you to rule in their stead,” Galeforce answered.
“What?” Though she had been raised in a royal family, Celestia had never expected to have such an honor offered to her. “I – I can’t. This is your land. One of you should rule it.”
“Who?” Scrollkeeper asked. “Any choice we make will be subject to political debate. Every city and village will want a say in the matter, and none will be satisfied unless their demands are met. The process will take more time and effort than we can spare. We need a leader now, somepony who can unite Equestria and give us hope as we rebuild our land.”
“But surely there must be somepony,” Celestia said. “What about the Security Council?”
“The Council has already spoken about this issue, and we all agree,” Galeforce said. “Every pony in Equestria knows you as the ones who freed us from Discord. You’ve already succeeded in uniting many parts of our land, even those parts most hostile towards our cause.”
Though she knew his words were true, Celestia couldn’t bring herself to say yes. “I – I need some time to think,” she said at last. “Please, excuse me.”
Celestia flew out through the window without waiting for a response. As the cool night air ruffled her feathers, she tried to make sense of what was happening. They want me to be their ruler, she thought. How can I accept such a responsibility? I know almost nothing about this land or its traditions. And yet, she couldn’t ignore Scrollkeeper and Galeforce’s words. Who else can rule? Would they trust anypony else? For hours, she debated the question in her mind as she flew high above the village. As the hour of sunrise drew near, she finally came to a decision.
As she descended, she saw everypony in Everfree gathered in the square. She saw Color Wheel adjusting a bandage on Grainthresh’s head while Woodwright and Shuttleweave cleared away the last of the debris from the battle. She spied Cleansweep darting here and there, recounting something with all his enthusiasm. Finally, she saw Galeforce, Scrollkeeper, and Luna standing in front of the castle and landed beside them. “Well?” Galeforce asked.
Celestia didn’t answer him directly. Instead, she turned to the now-silent crowd and began to speak. “Citizens of Everfree,” she said. “I don’t know why you’ve gathered here, but I’m glad I can speak to you all at once. Your leaders have informed me that the previous rulers of Equestria are unable to resume their duties and have asked me to rule in their place.”
She could tell from their expressions that this wasn’t news to them, so she continued. “When I first came here, I had no idea I would end up leading a rebellion, much less against a being as powerful as Discord. I only wanted to find out who I was deep down, whoever that might be. I’ve spent the last hours pondering this offer and what it would mean for Equestria. I’ve only lived here for a month, and I know very little of your traditions and culture. For those reasons, I believe one of your own should lead, not me.”
The crowd began to mutter, and Celestia saw Galeforce’s head drop out of the corner of her eye, but she wasn’t done speaking. “However,” she shouted to silence the crowd, “I also realize that this nation needs a strong leader, one who can unite every city and village to a common cause. As has been pointed out to me, my sister and I have succeeded in turning even some enemies into allies. And in that respect, I believe I am just the kind of leader Equestria needs. Therefore,” she said as her horn began to glow, “I have decided, for the good of Equestria, to accept this responsibility and lead Equestria into a bright new day.”
The sun rose over the horizon as she spoke her final words, much to the crowd’s delight. It was difficult to hear anything over the cheering, but she heard Luna’s voice well enough as she spoke into her ear. “Nice timing with the sun, big sister.”
“Thanks,” Celestia replied with a sheepish grin. She knew the effect was cheesy, but she just couldn’t resist. “Well, what now?”
“We rule together, of course,” Luna answered. “Galeforce asked me the same question while you were asleep.”
Celestia laughed as she looked at her sister’s face. Though she appeared as youthful as the day they’d arrived, Celestia saw a kind of wisdom in her eyes. “You’ve grown a lot, little sister.”
“Thanks,” Luna replied. “Oh, by the way, my mark appeared when I said yes.”
It took Celestia a moment to figure out why she was telling her now, but once the pieces clicked, her gaze shot immediately to her flank. There, against the white fur, was an image of the sun, yellow in the middle and deep orange at the edge. “My mark…”
“We did it,” Luna said, unable to suppress her grin. “We found out who we are.”
Celestia couldn’t help but return her beaming smile. “We did,” Celestia agreed. “I guess our quest is at an end.”
“So, what now?” Luna asked.
Celestia looked out across the crowd of cheering ponies. Defeating Discord was just the beginning, she thought. They – no, we have so much more to do.
“Tia?”
“We find another,” Celestia said. “We keep going. After all, a ruler’s work is never done.”
Luna nodded. “All right. Where should we start?”