//------------------------------// // The final chapter. Afterword // Story: The Eve of the Day of Magic Theft // by Communist_Egor //------------------------------// Still invisible to the eyes of outsiders, two ponies teleported from the Friendship School corridor to the dungeons beneath it and lifted the invisibility spell. Suddenly, a radiant ghostly Twilight appeared beside them. " How did everything go? " Harmony asked with curiosity. " Excellent! Cozy even confessed to Twilight that she had been corresponding with Tirek and received instructions on how to steal all the magic, clarifying that she was just pretending to be a villain. And I also believe that we should leave Cozy's secret in the past. As a former villain, I assure you – she will do everything to redeem herself! She already knows the basics of strong friendship; she just needs to apply them in practice, " replied Starlight Glimmer. " I'm also glad I could help the girl avoid the path of envy and betrayal! Let's hope Cozy has learned a lesson for life! " said Princess Luna. " I must thank you! Princess Luna, without your help, I wouldn't have known what Cozy Glow was planning, " Harmony addressed the dream princess. " I should be the one thanking you for the warning! Rarely do I peer into the dreams of ponies who don't have nightmares. But the dream of the little pegasus surprised me! Finding a way to send letters to Tartarus, stealing the magic of all Equestria through Tirek's knowledge, deceiving everyone, creating public pressure for us to relinquish power, becoming a hero by returning stolen magic, becoming an alicorn by taking a portion of it, and becoming the ruler of Equestria as the Empress of Friendship – such ambitious plans I have never encountered before. Waking up in a cold sweat, I was about to tell everything to Twilight. But then I remembered how devastating Sunset Shimmer's betrayal was for Celestia. It still hurts the sister to recall their separation. So, I'm glad I decided to consult with you first, Starlight! Your plan on how to use the Hearth's Warming Eve tale to help Cozy is brilliant! " Luna praised the unicorn. " As advisor to the Friendship School, I had to get to the bottom of the problem first: it's not every day that Princess Luna herself declares that the school's top student is a villain who has come up with an ingenious plan to seize power by stealing magic from all of Equestria. I didn't want to believe you at first, but the artifacts and runes in the basement, Cosy's correspondence with Lord Tirek - the evidence of her guilt shocked me. I even thought that underneath Cosy's mask was Queen Chrysalis herself, back for revenge. But the spell revealing the changeling/'s true nature didn't work! - Starlight shared the details of her investigation. " Good assumption. I would have thought the same, but Chrysalis's dreams are not accessible to me, " Luna noted. " Yes, I had to admit the fact: a 12-year-old pegasus – the youngest and most dangerous villain in the history of Equestria, had a working plan to steal magic. And then I guessed that Cozy Glow had trouble in the shelter and that the desire for power and control was driven by the need to protect herself from any threats. " And you were right! " Harmony smiled at the unicorn. " I admit I was shocked when you came up with the spell to view pony memories! " Luna praised the unicorn. " I had already traveled to the past in reality. And with your help, I figured out how to do it in a dream! " Starlight replied. " Princess Luna, may I ask you: is Cozy's plan really so dangerous?" " Yes, Starlight! And Cozy, despite her age, should have seen all the terrible consequences of her actions to understand what lies and betrayal lead to. Though I don't believe that no one would have stopped her, " Luna declared. " Will the artifacts and Tartarus be under reliable protection now? " Harmony asked. " Yes! I'm sure Twilight will most likely return the real artifacts to the storage in our castle. Honestly, I don't understand how Celestia and Twilight even came up with the idea of using real magical artifacts in lessons! " Luna exclaimed in frustration. " I'm starting to suspect that Discord is involved. The artifacts were given to us a day before the spirit of chaos sent our friends on a false friendship quest, only to later wreak havoc at the school. And then I remembered that Discord was never punished for betraying Equestria, as all his pranks go unpunished, and how I even offered him the post of my deputy without realizing that all the students were terrified of his ‘jokes.’ Maybe Cozy is right about Discord's hypnosis? " Starlight suggested. " I think you should discuss this issue with Twilight and Fluttershy. And I need to convince my sister that it's too early for her to retire and hand over all power to Twilight, " Luna replied. " What?! " Starlight exclaimed, and Harmony's eyes widened. " My sister has been governing Equestria for over a thousand years. She's tired and wants to retire with me to make up for the lost time due to our separation. But, I think, first, Twilight needs to learn to handle artifacts carefully and gain experience in leadership as the headmare of the Friendship School before we discuss transferring power over all of Equestria to her. Moreover, the widespread integration of runic magic promises many problems that my sister will have to calmly resolve. And at night, I will continue to protect ponies from new nightmares, " shared the princess's future plans. " And I'll keep an eye on the Friendship School and Cozy! " promised Starlight. " Princess Luna, Starlight Glimmer! You are the first, after the young six students of the Friendship School, with whom I am talking. I didn't even believe that I would have the strength to find Luna in the realm of dreams. But here you are! Thanks to you, I've become even more alive than ever before. Perhaps soon I'll be able to leave these dungeons, personally meet the Elements of Harmony, and start traveling across all of Equestria to make many new friends. Thank you, my friends! " at this point, Harmony briefly became a real pony and hugged Starlight and Princess Luna. *** Many years later, Equestria was unrecognizable. Runic magic found numerous applications, mainly as a means to teleport any object to any point in the world. Runes could be studied at home using a textbook, but everyone dreamed of learning ritual magic from the best masters in the field – Friendship School professors Cozy Glow and Tirek. Yes, dear reader, Tirek didn't want Cozy to stop communicating with him and accepted her hoof of friendship. Over time, he realized that he couldn't deceive the clever Pegasus. But, despite the lack of gain, he continued to communicate with Cozy: contrary to his expectations, Cozy was interested in his knowledge of runic magic and very rarely talked about friendship and the need to forgive her enemies. Over time, the centaur realized that he genuinely enjoyed teaching runic magic to the Pegasus. And when, after a year of their friendship, Cozy suggested that Tirek give up revenge and magic theft, and instead of languishing in Tartarus, become a teacher of runic magic, he agreed. For a while, he had to teach with limiters on his horns, but when Cozy convinced them to remove them, the centaur realized that he couldn't deprive his students of magic and betray his best friend. Harmony, with the help of Starlight Glimmer, who arranged tours for her into the dungeons, was soon able to leave the dungeons and become a new celebrity in Equestria. Harmony, as promised, briefly stayed in Ponyville before embarking on a journey across all of Equestria. And one day, she met Chrysalis. The former queen wanted to run away, but Harmony caught her and showed her how friendship helped changelings: instead of hunting for the love of other beings and surviving from day to day, changelings were happy to share their love. "If friendship is a disease, then it's the weirdest infection in the whole world!" Harmony presented reasonable arguments. And Chrysalis finally realized that she had behaved foolishly, frightened of change and decided to take revenge on those who made all changelings happy. The former queen returned to the hive to her children and one day transformed when she realized that she loved her children. Discord also mellowed after Twilight, Fluttershy, and Starlight talked to him, reminding him that he had not been punished for the chaos at school. Discord had to fulfill the wishes of the Friendship School students all day under the supervision of Fluttershy. And since the Pegasus promised to put him under house arrest for a whole year in her cottage for similar ‘jokes’ next time, Discord no longer frightened ponies. Well, except for the rooms of fear, of course. And finally, let's find out the fate of the main characters. Twilight did become the head of Equestria after all. But she is assisted in governing the country by her friends, forming the Supreme Friendship Council. Applejack is responsible for agriculture; Pinkie Pie – for leisure and entertainment; Rarity – for culture and art; Rainbow Dash – for sports and the country's defense; Fluttershy – for nature and ecology; and Twilight – for friendship, both in Equestria and beyond. And you can learn about friendship, hear many interesting stories, and gain knowledge in various disciplines at the Friendship School in Ponyville, which is led by another savior of Equestria – Starlight Glimmer. And at the doorstep of the school, you will be greeted by one of the friendliest ponies in all of Equestria – Cozy Glow. The vice headmare will give you a tour and tell you what you will learn at the Friendship School. The End