The Code of Harmony

by Lapis-Lazuli and Stitch


Chapter 30 - Tia's Choice

~~~~~~Ponyville~~~~~~

The gentle chill of the fall breeze gave way to the sultry warmth of deep summer as the six friends rounded the corner and made for the Temple of Harmony. The heat hit them like a wall of cotton, nearly suffocating them while they adapted to the sudden roasting temperatures around them. Fortunately, Cloud Chaser’s wings gave an extra bat midair, and the suffocating warmth was abated by the influx of cold air. Tia felt a little grin cross her face as they did so - the shining golden temple upon the hill flickering with the light of Living Flame.

Tia could but guess what lay at the top for them, but the very thought of somepony capable of stealing her power chilled her to the bone. Even worse was the fact that Cadence was in Ponyville, and ought to have felt somepony drawing from the powers of the sun! Which means they’re drawing them from me, but that’s even worse! How did I not sense it!? The answer lay upon the hill of course, even though it was an answer Tia wanted not at all. “Look!” yelled Chaser, pointing up into the sky and interrupting Tia’s thought abruptly.

A quick glance upward produced a most welcome sight - Twilight, Cadence and Luna were all already on the wing towards the same destination. And for a brief moment, Tia hesitated... why was she rushing towards the danger? Certainly between the three of them, no threat in the world could possibly prevail. Yet the same power that had driven her to her hooves, the same force that now propelled her onward gave nothing but gentle reassurance. She was going to where she needed to be. What she needed to do there... she was less certain about.

Their hooves hit the side of the hill and their pace notably slowed - it was going to take time, even running up the path, to reach the top. “Okay! Stay close to me, and keep your wits about you!” Tia said as quietly as she could and still be heard over galloping hooves. “Watch out for illusions! Living Flame can cast disturbing visions that draw your fears straight from your mind!” Perhaps that was being a bit lurid, but she could not risk her friends being driven into blind fear if they did not know what was coming.

Much to her pride however, none of the five friends faltered a bit. They simply nodded or made neutral sounds of understanding. A fierce glow of pride settled into Tia’s chest as she dug deep within herself to call upon her power. There is no Death... there is Harmony. Her mind whispered softly, no longer fearing exposure, no longer fearing judgement. They were her friends. They would understand.

Harmony came to her - the sweet whisper of silken power through her mane, the gentle glow of pure white light scattering off her hooves as motes of dancing light. As she ran, geometric patterns etched themselves in the dirt in her wake - scattering beautiful designs behind her as they began to crest the hill. With a firm command of her willpower, she formed the stuff of creation into a wedge shaped shield before her, driving through the sultry warmth that had settled over the hill. Instantly, the stifling heat abated and her breathing eased as they reached the top of the hill, her mind reshaping the power into a dome around her friends even as they took in the sight.

Atop the simple white marble dias, a terrifying visage of white light and power radiated heat so strong it was visible to the naked eye. The grasses surrounding the shrine were slowly baking into a sere brown, save where the figures of Twilight and Cadence stood, their shields - one a bright flaming green, the other a brilliant crystal blue - holding back the power with seeming ease. To one side, Luna had erected a shining shield of moonlight around a large group of terrified looking ponies... no few of which were wearing white robes with Shining-Sun symbology on them. But the Keeper of the shrine was not amongst them....

No, the Keeper stood even in front of Twilight and Cadence - seemingly utterly unruffled by the waves of sickening chaotic power and corrupted Harmony wafting over her. She bore no shield of magic nor sword of power - merely a simple golden sun upon a chain around her neck and the white robes of her office. No words were being exchanged, even as Tia’s eyes slowly adjusted to the blinding brightness of the figure on the dias... and what she saw sunk a dagger of fear into her heart.

It was her.

Or rather, it was the her she had been a thousand years ago. The figure wore bright golden armor plating that covered nearly her entire form. Her wings were clad in tiny, minute plates of metal, segmented together to flex with them perfectly. Her eyes were not a vibrant purple, but rather a shimmering mixture of gold, orange and angry red flames that danced in time with some unknown power. Her mane rippled and snapped like a living fire, colored in the bright blue and white of the hottest fires of the sun. She was the figure of militant Harmony, the epitome of righteous judgement and fire. She was, in short, everything Tia had come to realize was wrong with her entire past.

And she was being fueled by Chaos mixed with Harmony... mixed with her very own magic.

The magic was unmistakable - she knew her own power, and this creature, this THING was using her power as though she were Celestia. Just the sight of her made Tia sick to her stomach in spite of the Harmony magic that flowed through her with serenity and ease. Her five friends stared in a combination of awe and horror - with Ditzy trembling slightly, her lips working as though she was trying to find the right words for the moment. Then a firm hoof came down on her shoulder, and Ditzy snapped to look at the grim resolve on Vinyl’s face. Vinyl nodded once to her and simply said, “Dinky.” And in the flash of an instant the fear vanished from Ditzy’s face and frame - replaced with a smouldering anger Tia had never seen before. The meaning was clear to her at least - Dinky was in danger. This was no time to be scared.

Tia turned her eyes back to the tableau before her, and marveled at the silent courage of the shrine Keeper. How on earth was she managing to stand amidst all of that raging heat and power? How could she possibly be without fear? “You do not need to do this, you know,” said the Keeper, her voice carrying out over the hill. It was then that Tia realized how utterly silent it was up here - no sound of wind, or even birdsong. Stranger still, her voice sounded... familiar. “I know what has driven you to this, my poor child,” the keeper continued in a soft, almost gentle voice. “You can turn from the path of hate and anger. Although you do not realize it, Harmony now flows deeply in your veins. Reject Chaos and allow it to heal you of your ills.” There was a gentle wistfulness that made no sense to Tia, even as she began to advance forward - her hooves moving of their own accord.

Tia did not know why she kept walking - only that she had to do so. Twilight’s eyes turned to stare at her - startled and astonished, though why would she be? Did not Tia have a responsibility to protect this town as surely as Twilight did? Stranger still was the gaze of Cadence as she turned her head to see her. No shock there - no. There was serenity. Calm. And to Tia’s astonishment, Cadence bowed to her as she passed, her hoof lifting gently and her head dipping low. A moment later, a look of disbelief and astonishment crossed Twilight’s face... and then she did the same. The two rulers of the land, ensconced in their shields of power, bowed to the six simple ponies as they passed.

It was then that Tia knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that Harmony, Dissonance, and Chaos in their purest forms warred against one another upon that hill. Events were being driven not by the choices of mortal ponies, but by the very forces of creation itself. The fake Celestia glared down at the Keeper, her haughtiness and arrogance apparent in every inch of her carriage, and her voice rippled with a thousand different tones - a voice wracked with Chaos. “You know nothing, little pony. The darkness must be purged from these lands before it consumes and enslaves us all.” The voice was Celestia’s, but it was not Celestia’s at the same time. “Do not speak to me of Harmony. What could you possibly know of HARMONY?!” the voices screamed, and the sonic assault battered her shields with unrelenting power.

Yet the figure standing within ten feet of the false Celestia appeared to suffer naught but a ruffling of her robes. Tia’s steps were carrying her up towards the dias now - her friends in close attendance with her. It was like she was a magnet, being drawn inexorably towards the thing that was her... and was not her. The Keeper spoke again, though she did not turn her head an inch. “I know that Harmony has brought a very special somepony here today,” the voice said, at its gentlest. “Somepony who must now decide her fate... and yours.” The false Celestia’s eyes snapped up to stare at Tia, and then widened to their farthest extent, full of panic... and fear.

Tia stepped upon the wide white marble of the dias and came to a halt - and one by one, her friends arrayed themselves around her. Tia looked left, and then right - And each of her friends shared with her a smile. In spite of the incredible scene before them, they were confidet they would find a way. Reassured and buoyed by her friends, Tia took a bold step forward, and then another. She strode up, stopping short of the Keeper... who strangely, had still not turned around. “Thou art not Celestia, creature,” Tia growled out, the pulse of Harmony lending an ethereal and almost ghostly quality to her voice. “Thou know nothing of Harmony. Thou art the creation of vile Discord, and NOTHING MORE!” Tia’s voice thundered across the platform they stood upon... and the false Celestia creature was forced back a single step.

The Keeper strode forward a step, and Tia realized that now they were all equally distant from one another. She had but a moment to absorb this, as the Keeper finally began to turn as a gust of powerful winds seemed to hammer down upon the platform, sending Tia’s mane - and the manes of her friends - to fraying and blowing in the wind. Her friends threw up hooves to shield their faces... but slowly. Odd. It was as though they were moving through air too thick. The wind slowed to the barest of breezes, and yet still they held their odd pose. Even the false Celestia’s mane slowed to a halt, her face a mask of fear and hatred and loathing.

It was an effect Tia had only seen once before. An effect she had not seen since she was a foal. Tia’s head whipped around to stare at the Keeper, her white hood now thrown back from her face. Her coat was as pure white as the snow, and her mane a fiery red not found anywhere else in nature. Her eyes were the clearest, brightest blue of the sky and her smile was as infinitely gentle as the stars. Gone was the figure of the simple pony Keeper, replaced by the tall and unmistakable form of an Alicorn - her horn slender and sharp, her wings visible beneath the robe.

And she was not alone.

Tia fought down the scream that threatened to tear itself from her lips at the sight. Those hateful yellow eyes, the mismatched horn, the disfigured limbs of many a creature. The body, twisted in coils found comfortable only by the whose soul called it home. And the colors of the rainbow all manifested in the wrong, most distasteful ways. “Well now,” he drawled in that strange, alien voice of his. “This is certainly a surprise. I thought you were just another fuddy-duddy, Fausticorn.” His voice drawled thickly, the slick and twisted form falling back into a puffy chair colored in a hideous shade of yellow. “But it looks like you you might be interesting after all.”

Those yellow eyes darted over to Tia, and not for the first time in her life she wondered what went through that demented mind of his when they locked wills. “And here’s the mare of the hour!” Discord cried happily, pulling a party-horn out from nowhere and giving it a discordant blow as streamers and confetti fell all around her. “Have a drink, Celestia. It’s a big day for you, isn’t it?” he asked with a sly smile on his face. “Not that you know that its a big day. Nor was I even supposed to be here, but I suppose we’re both the victims of our own fame.” He gestured to where the frozen false Celestia stood with a snort of derision. “Amateurs. They think this is creating Chaos? I could do better in my sleep! Actually,” he paused, pulling a fancy looking cocktail glass from the ether and sipping at some bubbly liquid, “I believe I have done better asleep, drunk, and hopped up on sugar. But that is neither here nor there. Nor is it over there.” Discord pointed, and Tia pointedly did not look where he was pointing - knowing it to be just another one of his damnfool tricks. Tia growled softly, and Discord grinned in delighted response. “But look at you! After all of these centuries, after despairing for so long that you would ]ever unbend that stiff spine of yours! I’d salute you myself, but Alas! I’m still locked up in stone.” His visage turned mournful, and Tia felt the spike of fear in her heart slowly melt away in sheer relief.

The Keeper... or rather, the Alicorn who now stood where the Keeper had stood, lifted her hoof. “Enough, old one. We haven’t the time for this nonsense. I can only hold this spell for so long.” She swiveled to turn that warm blue gaze upon Tia... a gaze she had not felt in so very, very long. “I wish I had the time to explain this to you dearest, but Harmony does not wait for anypony.” There was a sadness in that voice - infinite and terrible in its scope. “Suffice it to say, a powerful force has found the means to steal your sealed Alicorn magic. They have used it, combined with the stolen powers of Chaos...”

Discord cut her off then, his voice testy and annoyed. “They didn’t even ask! As though I’d turn down a chance to ferment more Chaos in the world.” The glass of cocktail was still bubbling, even though it was apparently empty. He bit down on the glass and crunched it like some kind of bizarre snack .”But noooooo, they had to get all greedy and keep all the fun to themselves.” His eye twitched in anger, then with a quicksilver change of mood adopted a lazy smile. “What Miss Harmony here is trying to say is that the options you have to get rid of this thing are rather limited. As good as little Twilight and Cadence are, they will never be you.” Tia stared at Discord as he spoke - the obvious fondness and... was it wistful regret? In his voice was disconcerting, to say the least.

The Keeper glared at him for a moment, before speaking again. “Crude as the explanation is, the old one is correct,” the Keeper sighed softly, her eyes closing for a moment. “Harmony and Dissonance stand on a precipice. Forces that have lain dormant for countless millennia are awakening and attempting to write themselves into the fabric of reality. There is so much I would tell you my dear one,” the Keeper said softly. “But our time grows shorter. This creature can only exist so long as it can draw from your Alicorn magic.” She pointed her hoof at the false Celestia, her voice rippling with scorn for it. Tia felt her heart grow leaden, her mouth slowly working as she tried to say what she had not the heart to. “Which means you must either take up that magic again...” The Keeper began, turning to fully face Tia. “Or you must renounce it.” Near silence fell over the temple, broken only by the gentle humming of a dirgelike tune from Discord.

“I... What?!” Tia blurted out, almost unable to comprehend the enormity of that statement. “But... take it up or renounce it?! Right now?!” Tia practically screamed, and the sad nod from the red-maned Alicorn was more than enough to drive a steel spike through her soul. “But..I... But... I just...” Her words failed her, and Tia nearly collapsed to her knees - kept upright only by the stubborn will not to show any weakness in front of him. Tia barely knew what was going on - Discord was here, and she was here, and they were telling her that... she had to decide her future... right now?

Discord sniffed derisively. “As much as I enjoy a good emotional breakdown, I’ve delivered the message I came here to give.” He bowed mockingly towards the Keeper. “A pleasure to see you and grumpy-butt have finally decided to play the Game with me. I look forward to matching wits with you both in the near future. Ta!” he proclaimed, before vanishing in a puff of logic and leaving behind only a rude sound and a smell like burnt sugar. How like him. Was Tia’s only coherent thought at that moment.

Coherent thought was not on her list of priorities anyway, not with... not with her standing there. Tia resolutely turned to face the pony, and walked forward with equal dignity. She had shed enough tears over the last week, she had experienced enough emotional damage, and dealt with enough tragedy. She was not going to cry in front of her. She was not going to weep, or spout denials, or scream, or any of the hundred thousand things she wished very much that she could do right then. She would not demand explanations. There would be time for that later, no matter what the mare before her said.

Instead, she decided to do what was important. “Hug me,” she demanded, in the quietest and most dignified voice she could manage. Much to Tia’s surprise, the mare did just that - wrapping gentle and firm hooves around her neck and embracing her. For just a few moments, Tia closed her eyes as time stood still around them. “Tell me it’s going to be okay,” she said in that same quiet and dignified tone, though it was a little shakier - a little more emotional. She would not cry. She was going to be a big filly.

The soft blue eyes took in every inch of her - the silken red mane exactly as she remembered it, smelling faintly of wildflowers and blueberries. “Tia...” the Keeper said, her voice full of unfathomable love and patience. “It is going to be alright, and I do not merely say that because you wish me to.” Soft hooves took up Tia’s chin, and lifted her head to stare into those endless blue eyes. “You have grown so beautifully and so much. I am so very proud of you.” A gentle kiss on each cheek and a soft ruffle of Tia’s pink mane. “I have done what I can to allow you this choice. A choice I should have given you a long, long time ago... but the world needed you as you were.” The red-maned head dipped low, the regret and anguish in the voice all too real. “I know how you must hate me for leaving you...”

Tia could not take that sadness for one moment longer. “Mother, do shut up,” Tia snapped, a ghost of her old attitude resurfacing. “You saved Lulu’s life. You saved mine. You did what any good mother would have done.” Tia lifted her hooves up to hug the mare... no, to hug her mother tightly around the neck. She buried her face in that mane, and inhaled the scent as deeply as she could - trying with all of her considerable mind to lock that scent, that feel of her touch and her mane and her eyes into her memory as hard as she could. “I could never, ever hate you.” Tia whispered, trying to imbue all the love, all of the caring she had spent four millenium regretting having not shown.

The embrace was over far too soon - but Harmony did not grant miracles without price, no matter what the ancient tales said. “You know what you will have to do,” her mother said, in a gentle and firm voice. “One way or another, you will need to decide quickly. Once time begins again, the creature will try everything in her power to destroy you before you can make the choice. If it does... there may be no way to stop it.” A moment later, she placed her hooves on Tia’s shoulders and smiled softly. “Whatever you decide... know that I love you, and I have always loved you.” Then her mother smiled - a beautiful radiant thing that seemed to coat Tia with a gentle warmth. “And Tia?” Tia looked up and nodded once, her heart simultaneously aching and soaring. “Tell Lulu... tell all of my grandchildren... that one day, we'll be together again. After all...”

Tia felt the stream of time slipping back into place, the roaring winds picking up speed and flailing her mane about - as the figure of her mother began to fade away into the ether, leaving behind the collapsed form of the shrine’s Keeper. The image vanished and the cries of her friends caught her ears as the winds slowly began to die, and a single voice whispered upon the wind. ”There is no death...There is Harmony.” Tia stared into the air for a moment, where once a mother had stood. A quick glance behind her proved that those words had not been heard by her alone - but by each and every one of her friends.

In the distance behind her, Twilight and Cadence stood proudly - their shields dispelled and the looks upon their faces was...expectant. Tia looked at them - at Luna, who stood to the far side of the dias and watched on. Luna’s eyes were full of anguish... of heartbreak... but also, of understanding. She nodded, tears streaming down her face without end. Tia closed her eyes to the sight, then turned to face the creature. Looking at it now, Tia could feel no revulsion - she could feel no anger or hatred for it. All she could feel was pity. Pity for the mare that creature represented - for the Alicorn she had once been. Pity for the years lost; for the life she could have had if only she had been strong enough to look within - and to make the choice to live.

Tia opened her eyes fully, and spoke softly - but firmly enough to be heard by everypony around her. “Goodbye... mother,” she said gently, then turned her eye within. For what else could she do? What had she learned here - what lesson had finally gotten through to her mind and her soul? That she could no longer hold herself responsible for things outside of her control... that it was at last time to live a life of her own making.

To live the life she chose to live.

So Tia called to the deep powers within her, she called to the Harmony that was the structure of her very soul. “Tia!? What... what are you doing??” Chaser yelled behind her, but there was no time to answer. The power rushed forth through her, and the creature of Chaos and Harmony screamed in pain and disbelief. For Cloud Chaser... who taught me the true value... of Honesty! A flash of light blazed across the horizon - and Cloud Chaser swept forward, a vibrant blue light erupting out of the ground beneath her and soaring into the sky. “Whoa! Wh-What’s happening!?”

But Tia was blind to the world, even as great white wings of power sprouted from her shoulder blades and fanned out behind her. “She’s doing the wing thing again! Come on! We’ve gotta help her somehow!” Ditzy swung in next to her, as Tia’s mind painstakingly pulled her through the ritual, step by step. For Ditzy, who cared for me without reservation or fear, who showed me true... Kindness! To her right, a golden light erupted out beneath Ditzy’s hooves, and she gave out a triumphant cheer. “Yeah! You think you can threaten my town? My daughter? You’re just one more bully! Come on, Vinyl!” Ditzy yelled, as the false Celestia was driven back another step, its voice now nothing more than a cacophony of fear.

The false Celestia turned and tried to wing her way off the platform... only to have a massive blast of violet energy slam into it, sending it tumbling into the middle of the dais. “I don’t bucking think so, you bitch!” Twilight Sparkle cried, having teleported nigh-instantly to the other side of the temple and unleashed her power against it. “Cadence! Trap it inside!” Twilight yelled, her voice peeling like a rumble of thunder across the sky.

“Got it!” Cadence yelled back, as the monstrosity tried to launch itself straight up into the air - only to smash comically into a shield of pure crystalline blue, made of thousands upon thousands of tiny honeycomb shapes. “You’re not getting away from this, you foul creature!” Cadence spoke with all the strength of the earth, rumbling through the land with impossible force. “Luna! Bind it!” Cadence called across the temple. “We need to buy Tia time!”

Tia’s eyes opened, and there was naught but a pool of light within each. “There it is again...” Vinyl said, her shades flashing in the light show that was going on around them. She galloped forward and took a position next to Tia, her grin as broad and bright as a star. “That beat! I can hear it! Yeah!” Vinyl’s head was bobbing in time, her voice breathlessly excited as Tia felt her own head begin to bob to that same time - for surely enough, Vinyl was right. There was a beat - the heartbeat of the earth itself, of Harmony pulsing in time to the rhythm of the universe. For Vinyl... who smiled in the face of tragedy and loss and taught me that even when I have nothing else... I will always have... Laughter! A shaft of brilliant purple light erupted from beneath Vinyl’s hooves... and perhaps appropriately, pulsed in many different shades of the color. “Just follow that beat, Tia! We’re gonna give this thing a face full of wubs! ” Vinyl yelled, tapping a hoof into the ground as she did.

Tia felt a wave of power and hatred slam into her as the chaos creature realized it was trapped, and began to direct all of its power towards her. The white shield of power bent under the insane force it directed at her, a column of pure living flame erupting around them as a thousand voices screamed all around her. For a moment, she felt her knees buckle beneath the force... then cream colored hooves lifted her up without any obvious effort. “Hold on Tia!” Bon Bon yelled, her teeth gritted. “Don’t let that fire through, or we’ll all be deep fried pony! I’ll hold you up, you hold it off!” And so she did - Tia directing all of her strength into the shield as Bon Bon supported her body without so much as a single sign of strain. For Bon Bon, who gave me her friendship and love and asked for nothing in return, who carries a debt she cannot repay, yet tries to every day of her life... who showed me her pure Generosity! A column of pink light appeared beneath Bon Bon’s hooves, the columns of color now reaching up into the skies above their heads.

Out of the flame came the angry, maddened eyes of the chaos creature - aiming its horn towards Tia with all the force of a falling meteorite. The horn blazed an impossibly bright golden-red, driving a magical spike straight toward’s Tia’s heart. Her eyes widened in sudden fear, knowing that her shield would not be able to hold back such a blow - only to see a faintly blue band of power wrap itself around the creature’s neck - its horn mere inches away. “Thou. Art. Not. My. Sister,” growled Luna, her voice as strong as steel and twice as hard. “And thou only wisheth thy power were her equal!” came another snarl, as a second and a third and a fourth band wrapped itself around the body of the false Celestia. Tia stared for a moment as the creature went crashing into the ground - more and more bands of moonlight made solid wrapping around it and binding it to the ground. For the briefest of moments, Tia looked at Luna... and she was not luna. Her coat had darkened, and her eyes had become like those of a dragon... and then the image was gone, replaced with the moon princess she so loved.

Cheerilee was there then, her voice soft as she stood so close. “I don’t know what you need to do Tia... but I’m here,” Cheerilee said, her voice gentle and understanding. “And I won’t leave you. No matter what.” Tia felt tears slowly filling her eyes, as the ritual began to spread out beneath her hooves. For Cheerilee... who did not judge me. Who did not care about my past. About my crimes. About my flaws or about my lies. She cared only that I was her friend, and that I needed her. For she showed me true... Loyalty! A column of bright red light erupted now from beneath Cheerilee’s hooves, and the teacher looked up at the five columns of light that now marched across the skies. “Five... but... that would mean...” Cheerilee whispered...

Tia swallowed the lump in her throat, unwilling - or perhaps, unable - to hold back the tears now. Her voice tore out of her throat, the words fighting every step of the way. “For my friends, who showed me the truth - who showed me that it is better to love others and risk loss, than to live without risk and without love. Who showed me how to hope for a better tomorrow, and about the value of letting go of the past.” Tia stared up into the sky, and tore at the Harmony within her. “For they have taught me the value of Friendship!” And a column of pure white light erupted beneath her and soared into the sky to join the other five - making six. Tia grasped at the power near the very core of her being, wrapping up the spark of the Divine which lived within all alicorns with the strength of her will and the power of Harmony.... And the value... of sacrifice, her inner voice whispered, and with a wrench of effort....

She tore it out.

The world exploded in a blinding, endless pain. Tia screamed, and screamed - but no sound came out of her lips. The white wings that soared from her shoulders vanished into mist and morning dew. The living flame vanished from the eyes of the false Celestia, and the fiery heat which surrounded them abated. Had Tia not been supported by the shoulders and hooves of Bon Bon, she would have collapsed completely and utterly. As it was, she was barely able to hold on to her consciousness... all connection to the world was gone. All connection to the sun was gone - all that was left was her magic... and the gentle, warm touches of her friends. “Tia...” whispered Ditzy, her voice filled with awe. “Tia, look!” Ditzy yelled again, pointing at her chest.

Tia did indeed look, her eyes drinking in the sight of the golden torque that now encircled Ditzy’s chest - five shining and crystal-clear diamonds in the shape of bubbles stood proudly in the center. Tia’s eyes widened, disbelief flooding through her soul... but sure enough - each of her friends bore a similar device. Their cutie marks shining forth from gemstones cut by no mortal hoof... then she reached up - and felt not a crown upon her head, as Twilight had worn, but a golden circlet upon her brow, set with a single white cloud and a shining beam of light streaming down from it. So. It worked. Tia thought, with a faint burn of pleasure. She had been reborn... and so had they.

The Elements of Harmony.

And then...

Light.