Ghost of the Everfree

by David Silver

57 - Denouement

"I commend you." She tapped her long horn to each shoulder of the stunned mare. "You acted in the best interest of Equestria, and ponies who needed your help, at your own personal risk. Thank you."

"Of course!" squeaked the mare, bowing to Celestia. "How could I not? Poor little things..."

Celestia smiled at the mothering pony. "I am blessed to have ponies like you in my nation. Please, live well and long. If you have need, send a missive to me. I will read it."

Celestia had several brave locals to visit, but the one that sheltered the foal warriors seemed a fine start. The entire community seemed to have a positive opinion of them.

But there were others.

"I am informed you are, were rather, an agent of hers?" Celestia looked over the druid, having only heard of him from others.

The Equestrian pony nodded at her, not bowing. "Was. Blasted fool got what was coming to her. She ignored the truths of nature and this is the result. Sorry, Your Highness. You're the ruler, are you not?"

"I am." Celestia smiled at the foreign pony. "I am not your ruler. You have to decide. If you stay, then I will be, and you will follow our laws. Otherwise, I will send you to a pony I know has the talent to get you home. Which would you prefer?"

He considered her in kind a quiet moment. "You don't mind either way? The services of such a talented spellcaster doesn't come free."

She smiled gently at him, like the rising of a sun. "This one will do it if I ask, for she wants ponies to be happy, and you are one, local or not. I would like that as well. Consider, decide, and tell me. All I ask is that you be decent while you are here until your decision is made."

"One would hope that is the default." He snorted softly. "But I'm not that naive. I won't cause you trouble, ma'am. Expect my answer shortly." His eyes wandered her anew. "I'm told you are a local god. Is this true?"

She shrank back a step. "I... No. Equestria has no gods."

"That isn't true, Your Highness. Even your foals showed piety. They weren't Equestrian gods, but they were gods, and they are here." He sat. "You know that, right?"

"I am... becoming aware." She raised a hoof, just for it to fall. "Do you pay heed to them?"

"Yes, and no. My magic doesn't come from them. I do say my prayers. I'm a pony." He seemed to realize his words could be taken worng. "Everglow ponies have gods. A pantheon of them. Not respecting them? That would be odd for any one of us. The cats have their own. So, I have a god, several, but they don't stand directly behind me. Does that make sense?"

"No." She leaned in at the strange pony. "But I appreciate being informed. This mystery will not be abated today... You are found innocent of any crimes. Go with peace."

---

"Ma'am." The priestess bowed low before Celestia, eyes squeezed shut. The foals arrayed behind her watched Celestia curiously.

Celestia set a hoof on the pony's back. "Rise. The foals watch you intently. Have you earned their trust?"

"Yes," shouted the room almost as one, young voices rising in support of the mare they had decided they favored quite a bit.

Celestia smiled at the display. "It is difficult to imagine many ponies with this much favor of foals can have done anything wrong."

"They flatter me." She dipped her head at Celestia, but was sitting up. "I am a priest, ma'am, of Lashtada, goddess of families, of life that begets life. To oversee a child and see them grow into ready adulthood is my purpose, so that more foals can happen."

Celestia lifted an ear at the priest. "Do you command magic?"

"No..." She shrank back, "I'm a priest, ma'am, not a cleric. I speak her words, and serve loyally her edicts, but she grants me no blessings for it. I do it for faith. I do it because I agree with her. Is it... not why people here folllow your orders, ma'am?"

"It is." Celestia relaxed into a gentle expression. "I'm glad to hear some Everglow ponies do the same. This... unfortunate event has produced no few orphans." Her eyes wandered over the many foals. "So, I extend an offer. If you wish, stay. You will be paid by the crown." She pointed up to her tiara. "We will construct a proper orphanage, and you will be at its head. See these ponies are cared for properly, with love and diligence. Will you do that?"

A tear escaped the priestess. "You may as well command an animal breathe, ma'am... It would be a great pleasure. It would be harder to convince me to abandon them. One thing, ma'am... Will I become like the ponies here?"

"I am told." Celestia inclined her head. "We are not too unsightly, I hope?"

"No! No... Sorry." She cleared her throat. "I wasn't trying to be rude, ma'am... It's just something to get used to... But if it means I can tend to these new little lines, that they can grow strong and bright? I would gladly do that." She trembled softly. "All Lines Made One... This is another line. It is not to be feared. All Lines Made One." It was like she was reciting a mantra to herself, tense and hurried.

Celestia reached but hesitated. "This is... a trying time for you. Do not feel hurried. Take your time. Children." They looked to her. "I know she has watched over you faithfully, but if you could return the favor. She could use a friend, and a watching eye." The room erupted into cheers and volunteers.

The priest smiled, even if her snout felt quite wet. "They are so very precious... I will not let them down, ma'am."

"I imagine you will not... But if you feel harried, reach for others. We are together."

The priest's expression brightened. "Yes! Together. All Lines Made One. We are stronger together, and can only make the future... together." She grabbed a passing foal and hugged them gently. "I will not let them down, or myself."

"I imagine you will not." Celestia departed the mare, confident that Equestria had gained a lovely new parent.

---

"You two." Celestia looked between the two. "You've been quite busy. I've been informed you are wielders of Everglow god magic?"

Silver Spoon nodded. "We both follow Princess Luminace, um, ma'am."

"And if she told you to do something I wouldn't allow?"

Silver's brows went up together. "Like... what would that be? She's nice, and you're nice..."

"Tell me more about her." She sat to listen. "I would hear more of this pony that has claimed your fealty."

Dry waved a hoof wildly. "Ma'am! It's not like that. She isn't our, um, king. That's you, ma'am."

Celestia weighed an imaginary thing between her hooves. "And is we disagreed, who would you listen to?"

Dry considered with a little hum. "I would try to find out why, ma'am. You two should get along very well. Um... No offense."

"None taken." She pat the nervous colt on the head gently. "It sounds, to me, I still need to know. Tell me of this Luminace. What she likes. What she hates. What she asks a pony to do."

"You got it." Silver starting setting up for a tutoring lesson. "You're the second pony I taught this too, and I bet Dry wants to help."

"I do?!" He took a slow breath. "I do... Are you ready, ma'am?"

"Ready." She smiled at the two foals. "Educate me."

So they did just that, explaining the ins and outs of Princess Luminace.

---

"Diamond!" They ran at each other, embracing with shared warmth. "You had me so worried..."

"You know I had it, dad..." She nestled with him despite her petulant words. She spotted her mother, watching. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." Spoiled took a slow breath. "I heard about what you did, Diamond."

Diamond clenched her teeth, ready to be chewed out.

"I'm... proud."

Diamond blinked. Those were not the words she expected. "You're proud?!"

"You took charge in a tense situation." Spoiled tapped her hooves. "You prioritized, minimized, and saw it through to completion." She set her hooves down and sat up tall. "I am proud."

Filthy nuzzled the top of his daughter's head. "We're both so very proud of you! My little wonder pony. Our little hero." He hugged her firmly anew. "Never do that again."

"Never." Spoiled nodded at Diamond. "However, I do look forward to your future business ventures." She smiled thinly. "You seem ready for the cuthroat world of business." She took a slow breathe. "Welcome back."

"It's good to... be back." She hiked a brow at her mother. "So... you going to share what happened in Everglow now?"

"Certainly not." She turned away. "Come along. You have much schoolwork to catch up on."

Diamond paled, trailing after her. "You're going to make me do it all?!"

"Every single sentance." There was no mercy there.

---

"Twilight." Cheerilee gazed on her evenly. "This is not alright."

"I didn't plan this." She flared her wings out a moment. "They did this on their own..."

"Foals shouldn't be doing this on their own..." Cheerilee shook her head firmly. "I know they're getting on the older edge of things, but they're still foals. Dry has so much to learn it's almost embarassing. He should be in school for years more! I don't care how--"

Twilight held up a hoof. "He is an adult."

Cheerilee raised a brow. "You say that very confidently."

"Because he is..." She wobbled her hooves over one another. "He's just at the edge. As an Everglow pony, he is a young adult. He didn't become a child, coming here. He's an adult that needs care and education, but he is not a foal."

Cheerilee sighed tiredly. "That doesn't explain the rest. Diamond is a foal. Silver Spoon is a foal. The crusaders are foals. Older foals, one can argue, but foals. They should not be fighting for their lives. They should not be grappling with life or death decisions as a normal state..."

"They should not... but they did." Twilight closed her eyes. "They did and they shined through it... I'm very proud of all of them, and I'd rather they never face something like that ever again."

"What will you do about it? This other world, it's dangerous. Our own is dangerous enough!" She clopped a hoof down. "We don't need two worlds of danger."

Twilight kept quiet about the third world she knew, full of its own dangers. "We do not... but I can't undo that. It's done. They know we're here. We know they're here. We are connected." She brought her hooves together. "All we can do, as adults, is better prepare to protect those foals."

"Easy for you to say." Cheerilee turned to wave over her classroom, empty but for the two of them. "If something like... that. If it came here, what would I do? I don't have magic. I don't--" She glared, spotting words forming. "If you suggest I start boxing..." Twilight had the sense to blush and be quiet. "What do we do, Twilight?"

Twilight rose to her hooves. "I know."

Cheerilee blinked. "You do? You have an idea."

"Not an idea, an answer." She started for the door. "We can't close this door, but we can make it... more specific."

Cheerilee hurried to catch up with her. "You can't say that and not explain it, Twilight. Out with it."

Twilight twirled on her. "If every Everglow visitor always ended up in the same, safe, place, then..."

Cheerilee pondered the idea. "Then... we'd be safe. Can you do that?"

"It's not a choice." Twilight snorted softly. "I will do that. I will protect Equestria."

But that would have to wait for another story.

Author's Note:

That feels like a Fin to me. Thoughts?

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Comments

[redmar]

I still need ot know

Should be to know.
I'm curious to what Twilight is planning and what it was that delayed Celestia in coming.

[David Silver]

11655191
This story is completed, unless a new patron appears to support it, alas. I do hope it was fun times while it lasts and the tale was worth the time.

[Booster Spice]

A Planar Lock Beacon?

But what kind of entity would Bifrost Stargate be?

Crystal Dragon?

[badninja]

That a good spot to end it. Now if only I had the disposable income I would sent Cheerilee into Everglow, hopefully to be a monk.

[howard035]

A great ending!