//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: Friendship's End 
// by Thought Prism 
//------------------------------//

	In the aftermath of what was likely the most horrible single event in Equestrian history, many things were different. For one thing, with much effort on her part, Twilight took it upon herself to usher in the night, as Luna certainly was unable to do so in passing.

The remaining unicorns were ushered out to edge of what remained of Canterlot, tears forming an unnatural evening dew atop the ruins as the crowd solemnly moved. As she performed this sorrowful shepherd's task, barely maintaining composure herself though sheer force of will, Celestia had had an idea. She found Rarity among the herd of sobbing faces and pulled her aside.

Their discussion ended, they waited until everypony had formed a mob of shaking bodies where the mountain path began to dip. Celestia spoke with enough volume such that all present could hear her, though in a more pleasing tone than she and her sister once employed. "My little ponies, to say that yesterday was a sad day for us all is a vast understatement. However, it is our duty to not forget those whose lives have touched our own. We shall leave Canterlot in its current state as a memorial of these events. For now, we grieve."

With that, Celestia's horn flared brilliantly as she rose into the air. Wood and stone shifted away as the broken bodies of the unicorns who had died during the fighting were gathered and levitated in place in front of the mob, a single pink body placed on the top. They then burst into gently flickering flames.

The wails from the crowd intensified as many ponies shared embraces with those friends and family who had survived. Twilight had found herself in Rarity's arms. All thoughts were turned to those who had their lives cut tragically short. As the bonfire slowly consumed itself, Celestia and Twilight allowed themselves to truly cry out in their sorrow.

As the final embers died down, Celestia used her magic to gather the ashes, and combine them into large balls, adding the remains of the those slain indirectly by Bolas along with the volcanic soot still hovering high in the air. Seeing her cue, Rarity stepped forward.

She carefully pressed the swirling black clouds into shape, one at a time, with great force. When she had finished, three large statues, made from pure diamond, stood gleaming in the moonlight. The first depicted Princess Luna, wings outstretched, a proud expression on her face. The second was a likeness of her four friends who had perished, the Elements of Harmony, in a group hug, smiles on their faces. The last pristine statue showcased a jolly old Earth pony stallion, kneeling downwards to embrace a small pegasus filly, meant to represent the rest.

The ceremony completed, unicorns gawked at the new monuments and milled about, wondering what they should do next. It was at this point when Twilight approached Celestia.

"Celestia," she said, wearing a stern, ponderous expression. "I think you should step down."

The taller mare blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me."

"But... why would you even suggest that, Twilight?"

Her head tilted down, eyes closed. "Though nothing more than a heartless murderer, Bolas was right. We overvalued frivolous things, instead of actually prioritizing the safety and well-being of those under our care above all else." Now, meeting her gaze directly, "In short, you're too soft. I should take over." 

"W-What are you saying? This is not the Twilight I remember teaching the art of magic to as a schoolfilly. You've learned so much about friendship, and now you just want to throw all that away?!"

"I never needed friends! And if I'd never made any, I could have spent far more time with my studies. Maybe I could have even gained enough knowledge and foresight by this point to have prevented all this from happening!" she exclaimed, gesturing to all of Canterlot. 

Celestia's cheeks flushed, fuming. "But friends are who you can rely on, ponies you can turn to for guidance, encouragement, and joy! Don't tell me you forgot all that, and actually took what that monster spouted to heart!"

"So, you're upset that I disagree with you for once? Well, it's not my fault, ok? I tried my best to tune him out, but I couldn't. Logically, what he was telling us made so much sense! Perhaps friendship was important, but it isn't anymore! And now I finally realize just how fragile our lives in Equestria really are!" 

They stood there, glaring daggers for what felt like eons. Seeing Celestia's obstinacy waver, Twilight took a deep breath and continued. "In order to fix things, we'll need to make many ponies move to different towns with their families, trade in their old, unessential talents for vital jobs. Equestria needs new farmers, weather ponies, and the like. Every able-bodied mare and stallion needs to pull their weight to help rebuild Equestria as a nation of unicorns. Do you think I'm looking forward to telling Rarity that she can't waste time on dressmaking anymore? Of course not. Friendship is just a crutch for us now. We can't feel sadness or regret for our subjects over what needs to be done for the greater whole."

After hearing Twilight's full thoughts on the matter, Celestia finally understood. Her student was not a monster, she had simply changed into a mature, hardened conscience from this ordeal. "Well, I don't very much like it, but I see now. It appears that the student has surpassed the teacher. For the time being, I will heed your judgment. Lead us forward into a new age, Twilight Sparkle," she said, dipping into a slight bow.

The other alicorn did not smile at this news. She simply returned the gesture.

"Running a country is quite the task, are you sure you won't miss your old life?" Celestia asked.

Twilight shook her head. "It died with my friends."

"Same here," chimed a high-pitched voice.

Surprised, the two turned to see an approaching Sweetie Belle, who had calmed down significantly from her earlier bout of rage. 

"I'm so sorry for that, Sweetie," chimed Celestia solemnly. "Actually, I don't think I've thanked you properly for what you did. Your actions, however suspect they might have been, just saved Equestria."

The filly blushed a bit, leaning to this side. "I'm honestly not sure what came over me. I was just filled with so much magic all of a sudden, like it had rose from inside and consumed my body the same time."

"I'll say," she noted. "This is quite the mysterious occurrence indeed. In all my years, I've never seen a unicorn with as much raw power as you, and from a filly no less! Even those rare cases when one could levitate their own bodies, they never did so with nearly as much speed or precision."

"I'm shocked myself. Before this, I was just learning basic spells. But yesterday... I just... hated him so much. It made me stronger."

"And who can blame you?" asked Twilight rhetorically.  

Reaching over to place a reassuring hoof around her, Twilight saw that the filly's flank was no longer empty. "Well, whatever it was that happened to produce such strength, it was quite important," she said, pointing to her flank. It now bore a strange red-orange symbol, that of five tall, vertical triangles which met at the base and tapered downwards into a single point.

"Oh, yeah, that. Not sure what it means. Rarity didn't know either. That monster Bolas called me a Planeswalker, though. Maybe that's my talent or something."

Twilight pondered this for a moment, realizing the implications. "Well, in this case, 'plane' would most likely refer to a separate world entirely, as in a 'plane of existence'. Maybe you have the same power that dragon apparently has: the ability to move, or 'walk' between different worlds! The gift might also come with an increased aptitude for spellcasting!"

Sweetie Belle's brow lowered. "So you're saying I'll actually be able to get my revenge for what he did to me, to everypony?" She looked itching to act, shuffling back and forth.

Twilight's expression betrayed concern. "I suppose so. But let's not be hasty. Who knows what those other worlds could be like? Not to mention you're still just a filly."

"Well," chimed Celestia, "I'm going to have some more free time on my hooves, and my previous student has learned all I have to teach. Perhaps you would like to be my student, Sweetie Belle?"

"Really?"

"Yes, really," she said, putting on her best smile under the circumstances.

"That's amazing! Thank you, princess!" the filly dashed up to hug her leg.

After a few moments, she broke off, gazing upwards. "I'm going to learn all that I can about magic, and my new powers." She turned her head around, training her stoic gaze across the many families preparing their things for the journey home, wherever that might be. Sweetie inhaled deeply. "Everypony will always hope for a better future, and I'll fight for that future. Whatever it takes. My friends might be gone, but friendship never dies."