//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 - Conclusion // Story: Leader of the Pack (Book 3/3) // by AdrianJNovelle //------------------------------// Princess Celestia took her hoof off of Twilight, and backed away promptly. Twilight's head hit the carpeting beneath her, and she rotated her head so she could see her reflection in the mural again. There it was again: the nub. No horn. But that was not the only thing that was different about her before this whole quandary began. She was covered in thick armor, wore her mane differently, painted nearly every square inch of her beautiful body, and was crowned leader of the Ferals. She had changed. She had realized that before, but never before did all that metamorphosis come rushing to her than it did that moment as she laid there in a heap on the floor of the Great Hall. The storm outside suddenly became more distant as the thunder grew quieter and the lightning dimmer. Was it finally all over? Twilight slowly rose to her hind hooves. She stood there, unbalanced, for only a moment. She picked up a sword without looking hostile in her demonstration, and stared at the reflection of her visage it produced within its shine. She took off her helmet, and glanced at her reflection once more. There was her bunned-up mane. There was her body paint. There was her Alicorn Amulet insignia on her forehead. There was the nub. Something inside her snapped like a twig. She roared, raised her sword, and charged at the Princess with all her might. The Princess, still trying to interpret what was going on, hid her face in her large wing, closed her eyes, and prayed that Twilight's blade would not be inserted into her. A second before the Princess would be stabbed, a blinding light spontaneously flared up from nowhere, an orb of intense brightness swelling up in front of the two ponies as a familiar figure emerged from within the orb: Star Swirl the Bearded, in all his magical glory, trademarked uniform and all. Twilight was sent flying to the other side of the Great Hall. "Am I too late?" he asked rhetorically. He jerked his head in the direction of the Princess, then to Twilight, and then back to the Princess. "I guess not." Princess Celestia lowered her wing and saw the ancient unicorn right in front of her. She recognized him from the books she read about him as a young mare. "Star Swirl the Bearded?" she asked hesitantly, slowly stepping forward towards him. "Is that you?" "It is," he said, turning to face the Princess. "You must be Princess Celestia." He bowed. "Your Highness." "What are you doing here? You've been dead for ages!" Star Swirl the Bearded nodded. "I know I should be," he replied. "But I used a special aging spell which has kept me alive all this time. Even so, I know my days are numbered. Anyway, I've come to help Twilight." "Twilight? Wait, you-...you two have met?" "Indeed we have, Princess. I taught Miss Twilight the spell she used to defeat King Sombra some time ago. I asked her not to reveal my presence in Equestria, in a desolate cave not far from the Crystal Empire. I'm happy to say that she kept that promise. For if she didn't, she'd probably be dead by now. I know I'm exposing myself by being here, but I cannot think of any greater urgency than the one happening right here, right now." "The revolt?" Princess Celestia inquired. "Indeed. I believe I can bring this whole nightmare to an end..." he seemed to have paused. "And all it requires is helping my dear Twilight Sparkle. Where is she?" "Right over there," Princess Celestia pointed to the knocked-down pony with her hoof. "Oh, dear!" Star Swirl the Bearded rushed over to the fallen pony. "My goodness! What happened to her? I almost don't recognize her!" "She went insane," the Princess remarked coldly. "She'll be fine; she experienced minor chest pain." Twilight regained consciousness a moment later, seeing her idols hovering over her. Star Swirl helped her up to her hooves - all four of them. Without a word, she removed the armor. "Star Swirl the Bearded?" she asked when she recognized the ancient stallion. "What are you doing here?" "I'm here to help you," he answered with a smile. "How? How did you even know about anything?" "Bad news travels fast in the Crystal Empire, and it didn't take long for me to hear about your little incident," he pointed to her nub. "I spent some time in the Crystal Empire incognito and heard about your ordeal with your horn. And since then, I've been conducting research on how to resolve your predicament. As it turns out, there is a way to restore your horn back to its original state - magic and all." Twilight gasped. "No!" Star Swirl the Bearded nodded. "Indeed there is. It requires a severe level of magical intellect, and a massive amount of magical power...which can become sacrificial. As dark as that may make it, I find this cure to be quite convenient on my part." "What do you mean?" Star Swirl the Bearded turned away. He walked to the window of the dark and misty skies, putting his hoof to the glass. "I knew coming here to save you would expose myself. I'm glad you kept your promise to me, Twilight," he turned to her. "I don't know what would've happened had you betrayed me." She did not reply. "I hope to minimize my exposure, Princess," he continued, now turning to the Princess. "I don't belong here anymore, anyway. So what better thing to do than eliminate myself from this world?" "Star Swirl, you-" Star Swirl raised a hoof to silence the alicorn. He then returned to Twilight. "I researched the anatomy of a unicorn's horn, and I also discovered a spell which allows a pony to transfer their magical prowess to another unicorn...for a price. I'm not certain, but, as my research stated, anyone who cast this spell in the past died from it. In the effort to continue my confidential presence here in Equestria and Canterlot, I am hoping this spell will do the same for me, and put me out of my misery." "A suicide!?" shouted the Princess. "Misery?" Twilight asked. "What misery could you possibly have? You're Star Swirl the Bearded! You're the greatest magician I know! You've done stuff with magic I can only dream about - even before I lost my horn!" Star Swirl grinned. "I'm flattered, Twilight Sparkle. But I have already made my deicision. I cannot live on in this world anymore." He then turned to Celestia. "Princess, would you do me a favor, please, and synthesize another horn for Twilight? I cannot perform my spell with a nub." "Not if you're gonna kill yourself," Princess Celestia retorted. Star Swirl sighed. "I know what you're thinking, Princess. But I have no other choice. I don't belong here. I'm not wanted. I am resented and abhorred. Please understand me, Celestia. I am not killing myself so much as saving Twilight, and, by coincidence, ending my life. Please...it would mean the world to me..." "Why can't you do it yourself? You're more powerful of a unicorn than I am!" Star Swirl shook his head. "I am very old and very weak. Age has weakened me. I was barely able to perform the teleportation spell which allowed me to come here in the first place. I fear that if I give her back her horn, I won't be able to go through the restoration spell." Princess Celestia sighed. "Very well, Star Swirl the Bearded. I will do my best." "Thank you." Those would be the last words Star Swirl the Bearded will ever say. Princess Celestia approached Twilight, who remained stationary, like a statue, in front of her. She closed her eyes, lowered her head, the yellow aura of her magic glowing brightly. Closer and closer she came to the nub, until her horn made physical contact with it. She slowly backed away, and a brand-new horn - just like the old one and the one Twilight was born with - was seen on Twilight's head. Star Swirl the Bearded then stepped up, closed his eyes, and began his spell. A lightning-like bolt shot out from the tip of his horn, and shot straight to the tip of Twilight's horn. He could feel himself getting weaker and fainter as he literally felt his own magical powers drain from his being. The green aura around his horn began to recede and fade away as color became less and less apparent. Twilight's eyes glowed brightly. She could feel magic returning to her body, manifesting within her being, boiling up inside herself as all the strength and liberation of magic erupted inside her. Star Swirl was finally emptied. He suddenly collapsed to the ground, a white aura of light surrounding his deceased body. It quickly faded, Star Swirl's body disappearing into complete nothingness as the stormy clouds outside parted. A tear formed in Twilight's eye. "Goodbye, Star Swirl," she whispered. She sniffled. "We'll miss you." "Do you have your powers back, Twilight?" Princess Celestia inquired to the small pony. Twilight concentrated on a spell which removed all of her body paint, including the tattoo of the Alicorn Amulet on her forehead. "Yes, Princess," she said with a slight smile on her face. "I am glad, but..." she failed to finish her sentence for a moment. "I still wonder about Star Swirl." "I barely got to know him when we met back when King Sombra was in power," Twilight said. "He told me about his story, of why he felt so rejected from society. But...committing suicide to save me...I just never imagined that would be a possibility." "He will be missed, and never forgotten." A moment of silence. "Your mane is still in a bun." "Hmm? Oh, yeah...I-I know." "Are you going to keep it that way, Twilight?" "Yeah...Dawn really-" she gasped. "Dawn! Shining Armor! I have to do something!" Twilight ran out of the Great Hall as the sun peeked through the clouds, bringing light and heat back to Equestria where there was otherwise nothing but darkness and despair. She ran down the steps of Canterlot Castle, through the still-vacant streets, and to the entrance, where she found the Ferals all fled, and the remaining able-bodied members of the Royal Canterlot Army surround Shining Armor and Dawn in a full circle. She squeezed herself through the crowd of armed citizens, and reached the battle. "Shining Armor! Dawn! Stop!" The two unicorns stopped the horn-fight. "Twilie!" they both shouted simultaneously, then looking at each other in confusion. Twilight ran up to Shining Armor first, and hugged him in apology for the grief she put him through when she commenced the revolt. She gave a few words of sincere apology, gave him a kiss on his cheek, and then turned to her husband, and showed the same level of affection and apology to the other stallion she loved. "I missed you so much!" she exclaimed, tears running down her cheeks. Dawn gave her a kiss on her horn. "I missed you too, Twilie." There was a pause. "So...did you do it?...Did you kill the Princess?" Twilight shook her head. "No...she's fine...i-in fact, I...I got my magical powers back." "W-what? Really?" "Yeah!" Twilight retracted her hug from her husband, and used her magic to remove the armor Dawn was previously wearing. "Ta-da!" "Great! So...how...how did that happen?" Twilight looked up to the moon in the distant sky. "I guess you could say it was just magic." Another pause. "If you'll excuse me, Dawn, Shining Armor...I must have a word with the Princess...I don't think we're on solid grounds with her just yet." "Okay, Twilie. Your brother and I aren't going anywhere...we have our own amends to make." Twilight gave one more hug to Dawn and Shining Armor, and then disappeared as she hurried back to Canterlot Castle. "Twilight?" Princess Celestia asked when she heard the hoofsteps of the pony become increasingly louder. "What are you doing back?" "I...I..aren't I supposed to receive punishment for my actions against Equestria?" The Princess smirked. "Perhaps," she said casually. "But, while you were gone, I evaluated your efforts with the Ferals, and, in a nutshell, your punishment will be menial." "I...I-how?" she asked. "Your friends told me everything shortly before you planned the revolt. They told me about the Ferals, and the whole society you formed with them. Sure, you became an evil monarch and tried to claim the Canterlot Throne for your own selfish purposes, but I'm looking beyond that. Those ponies would have died out there in the Everfree Forest, had you not come to their rescue, redeemed them, and have them thrive in the days before the revolt. I could not be prouder of you for your remarkable resourcefulness and your impeccable leadership skills, Twilight. You have demonstrated the true potential of what it takes to be a good leader." "Did they tell you about Bones?" "No...who is he?" "He's this mysterious stallion Dawn and I met before I became the Ferals' leader. He made a short speech, and then left us alone in the darkness of the Everfree Forest...and that's all we know of him. Apparently he was able to keep all the Feral ponies alive and well, and I didn't see any huts or houses or anything. It's as if he just fed them telepathically - which I know isn't possible." "That's interesting," the Princess replied. "Almost as if he were...magic." Twilight pondered that, but failed to reach a conclusion. She resumed the conversation. "What's my punishment, Princess Celestia?" "Oh, yes, Twilight, your punishment. Seeing as though you plotted a revolt against the Royal Canterlot Throne and tried to annihilate Luna and me from this earth..." she paused, but one could tell she was not considering a punishment: she already made up her mind. "Tell me what you have learned from all this." Twilight's pupils shrunk in her eyes. "That's...that's it?" The Princess nodded. "That is all." "But...but how?" "Twilight, do you remember when you were banned from Ponyville when Trixie came back and beat you in a magic duel with the Alicorn Amulet, and her mind was corrupted?" "Of course, Princess." "In the same way her mind was corrupted, so was yours. From what, I cannot say. I will leave that information to your discovery. So here is your punishment: discover what made you corrupt, learn from your mistake, and I will not hold anything against you. You are my most faithful student, Twilight. I know you will accomplish great things in life. And I do not wish to be the pony responsible for holding you back from that. Had you done any of that out of your conscious well-being, I admit I would not be so lenient with your sentence, but since it was hardly any of your doing to begin with, I am minimizing your punishment." Twilight bowed before her ruler. "Thank you, Princess Celestia." The Princess grinned. "My pleasure, Twilight." Twilight rose to her hooves. "I just have one more question, though, Princess." "Yes?" "What about the Ferals? They're still living in social isolation. What are we gonna do about them?" "Twilight, don't you know? The words 'Nub' and 'Fwap' haven't been used in ages! Not because of the rarity of the ponies who were physically defective, but simply because when I took power of Equestria" the Princess mumbled something under breath "years ago with Princess Luna, we did not want anypony to live in shame or disgrace, so we altogether banned the use of those words from Equestrian vocabulary. I am shocked you weren't told that." "Well...Bones was the pony who told me." "Mmm-hmm. Like I've said I've never known of this Bones character, whoever he is. But I doubt he's youthful in any way, and he's probably been around since the coinage of such vile words." "He did look pretty old." The Princess chuckled. "I promise: I will find someplace where all the Feral ponies can go to live in peace, as well as let them know that society has changed since those words were coined, so they may choose to live together in their own civilization, or choose to move here to Ponyville or another Equestrian city as a normal resident. Return to me when you have your findings, and that will be the end of your punishment. In the meantime, there are some ponies who would like to see you again." Twilight gasped gaily. "My friends!" She turned around and found her five best friends all in a row at the other end of the Great Hall, Princess Luna right behind them. "Girls!" she exclaimed, running up to them and engaging in a group hug. "I've missed you all so much!" "We've missed you too," everyone said in unison. They ended the hug. "Princess Luna," Twilight bowed for her superior officer. "It's a pleasure to see you again. Where were you?" "I was with the others, guarding them with the highest security possible. It is a delight to see you again, too." "Do I have your forgiveness for my destructive behavior as well?" Princess Luna nodded. "Indeed you do, Twilight Sparkle. I will not hold a grudge against you if my older sister would not." Twilight smiled. She gave Luna a hug of gratitude, Luna hesitantly hugging back. She then trotted back downstairs across town to her husband and her brother, who were, as they promised, waiting at the front of Canterlot, anxious for her return. "So, you got your powers back," Dawn said after an affection greeting exchanged between the couple. "How, exactly?" Twilight was sworn to secrecy about concealing Star Swirl's existence. He abided this secrecy under her admiration of him. However, Star Swirl was, well, dead. Was that the signal for terminating this secret? Or was she still under oath? Twilight, even though she knew that if she told, it would not come back to haunt her, decided to keep her promise to her idol. "Hard to say," she lied, adding a giggle. "Hmm." "But, Princess Celestia showed me how to be able to restore your magic, too, Dawn." "Oh, really?" Twilight nodded enthusiastically. "Ah-huh! Close your eyes." Dawn did so. "Alright, they're closed." The violet aura around her horn glowed brightly as an orb of light flashed at the tip. Her eyes lit up a bright white light, and shined with the intensity of a thousand suns. She made physical contact with Dawn's useless horn, a bolt of the lightning-like energy reappearing. A spark burst where their horns touched, sending Twilight flying backwards. "Ahh!" Both stallions gasped. "Twilie!" They ran up to her. Twilight's vision was blurry as she lay there on the ground, nearly paralyzed. "Are you okay?" they both asked in unison. Twilight groaned. "Am...Am I okay?" she asked. "I don't know," Dawn laughed. "Are you?" "I...I think so," Twilight rubbed her eyes and outstretched her hoof for Dawn to grab hold and help her up to all four. "Did it work?" Dawn used a levitation spell to bring his wife into his arms for a kiss. "It worked," he said. They hugged. Princess Celestia kept her promise about the Feral ponies, and they found comfort in their homes in the Everfree Forest. The Divine Fortress was torn down, however, and the materials were used in the construction of a statue in the center of the new town, Feral Village. Nopony was called a Nub or Fwap ever again. In fact, nopony except Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Twilight and Dawn were even aware that terminology was still in any existence. Ponies from Ponyville visited Feral Village regularly. They were welcomed with open arms, and with the establishment of contact with the outside world, many Feral ponies came out of their shells, told others (especially Twilight) of their depressing backstories, made friends, and socialized. The Feral ponies were included in any town-wide announcements as if they were part of Ponyville themselves. Twilight and Dawn worked out their domestic agreement for their marriage (finally). When Dawn and Twilight got to Dawn's cottage, his stuff had been put into storage and his home repossessed by the bank since, all this time, he had failed to pay his bills. The couple agreed to live together in the Library in Ponyville...but they also agreed to keep a home in the Feral Village, for whenever they wished to spend a night away from the hustle-and-bustle of the "big city" and live out in the countryside. One day, after spending a few weeks as domestic partners, Twilight and Dawn were taking a stroll through Ponyville, when they spotted a familiar figure all lonesome at the wishing well near the center of town. "Hey, is that...?" Twilight began, the two approaching the lone figure. He was leaning against the well, quietly strumming an acoustic guitar. "Bones? Is that you?" "Indeed it is," he said calmly. "What are you doing here in Ponyville?" Dawn inquired. "Shouldn't you be back with the Feral ponies...or back wherever you were from while Twilight was in power?" Bones shook his head. "Nah...I'm just here t' say goodbye." "Goodbye? But...but..." Twilight stuttered. "Before I go, I wanted to talk to you for a moment, Twilight Sparkle." "Uh...okay?" Bones got off the well and smacked Twilight in the face. He then hugged her. "Ow! What the- what the heck was that for?" Bones retracted the hug. "It was for my mixed feelings about you. You showed excellent leadership skills, Twilight. You not only kept them alive, but they thrived under you." Twilight grinned. "However," her smiled disappeared. "In the process, you became an evil dictator and almost took over Equestria. That is why I slapped you in the face." "And I get no apology?" "You do...but not yet...I first wanted to tell you something. And then I will apologize for my violence." "What is it?" "Do you remember me saying that I've been a, as you say, Feral pony for so long, that I don't even remember whether I was a unicorn or a pegasus?" "Of course." "I'm actually an earth pony...knew it the whole time. How could I forget such a thing? I wasn't even one of them, yet I was the only pony in Equestria who had the heart to care about them. And I'm glad that somepony else can. It warms my old, crippled heart. I lied to you about myself for their safety, and...I'm sorry. After all, your insanity was to be expected, Twilight." "Expected? What do you mean it was to be expected?" "We all get caught up in feeling empowered, that we lose track of what's important in life. It's good to feel in power, and in control of inferior beings who obey your every command, even if your command isn't always the most reliable or intelligent. In other words, absolute power corrupts absolutely." "Absolute power corrupts absolutely," Twilight mumbled. She looked up to Dawn. "Hey, that could be my lesson for Princess Celestia, and I can conclude my punishment!" "Indeed you can!" Dawn exclaimed. Twilight, eyes closed with excitement, faced back to Bones. "Oh, Bones, how could we ever thank-" she opened her eyes to find that the strange pony had vanished. He was nowhere in sight. "Bones...?" There was no response. Twilight looked back up to Dawn, who, simultaneously, gazed down at his wife. Although there was no physical movement of the two, there was a unanimous shrug which occurred. Dawn put his arm around Twilight; Twilight inched herself closer to Dawn. They then together looked up to the clear, blue skies above, in a wonder.