//------------------------------//
// Epilogue: Aftermath 
// Story: Celestia: The Fall of the Alicorns 
// by Deuterium 
//------------------------------//

Upon their return. Celestia and Luna were given a heroes’ welcome. The entire Equestrian army graced their return with ovation, as did the whole of Equestria, who threw huge celebrations across the Empire.

Over the following few days, it became apparent that the incident on the rooftop had not only banished Grogar and sealed away Kur - the sheer amount of magic that Grogar, Celestia and Luna had released in resetting the positions of the Sun and Moon had disrupted the lunar/solar cycle, and caused the two sisters to become bound to them - Celestia to the Sun and Luna to the Moon. As such, it was now their duty to raise and lower them, as and when needed. There was also some speculation as to the origin of the six mysterious stones that appeared when Celestia cast her spell, but Celestia decided to give them the name of “The Elements of Harmony”, owing to the fact that they appeared shortly after she cast the spell which banished Grogar.

Celestia had decided to mark the occasion with an official day of celebration, rather aptly named the Summer Sun Celebration. That day, Celestia gave a long speech, towards the end of which she made an announcement which sent a shockwave throughout Equestria…

“On this day of days, you will have recognised me as your queen, the one true ruler of the Equestrian Empire, the heir of the Equestrian Royal Family… But let us all take a moment today to remember the one from whom I untimely inherited this position… The late Queen Galaxia, the first of Grogar’s victims, a beloved Queen… and a dear mother to me. I, personally, feel that that position was unfairly removed from her, and thrust onto me… Alas, that is a burden I cannot carry alone - As much as you expect from me, I cannot follow in the footsteps of the one and only Galaxia. And so, in memoriam to Queen Galaxia, our beloved Queen... and my dear mother… I hereby renounce the title of ‘Queen of Equestria’. I, along with my sister Luna, shall rule this empire, not as your queen, but as your princesses. And I hope that you, the citizens of Equestria, will accept me as such. Now, I am afraid I must draw this long and laborious speech to a close, but before I do, remember: Everything, from the stars in the sky to the anemones and reefs in the oceans, to the ponies and other species on the land, needs energy to keep it going. The energy which drives us to live, to do everything we do. And it’s the same with us - but it’s not strength, or numbers, or money, that drives us, as some might think. It’s our friendship. Knowing that there’s somepony out there for whom we can live for. Their kindness, their generosity, their honesty, their loyalty, the laughter we share, it all creates a unique magic that keeps us moving forward. That’s the energy that powers us, what keeps us moving forward. And I hope that you’ll all take that to heart as you live your daily lives. Know that somepony out there is there for you - because that pony, or those ponies, are your most important source of energy, your life-spring, which you should never, ever allow to run out.”

With that, Princess Celestia bid her subjects goodnight, and left the stage to ovation from everypony in attendance.

But little did Celestia know that soon, she would have to use the Elements of Harmony yet again… this time not against an evil scientist or an insane megalomaniac… She would have to use the Elements against the one pony whom she held closest to her… The one pony who stood by her side… And that one pony would also seek entropy over Equestria… in the form of a pure, everlasting night...