The ponies that were stationed on the sunken airships of Luna’s fleet have been quite busy on the ground during the battle. A large field camp has been set up in the Canterlot Fields to tend to any injuries in addition to coordinating the recovery and cleanup operations for the damaged airships. Soldiers trot to and fro, gathering damage reports and assessing how much the farmers of the fields will need to be compensated for their troubles, while engineers inspect each fallen ship to determine what, if anything, is salvageable.

Somehow, you escaped the ordeal with only minor cuts and scratches, which Celestia insisted on healing herself now that her magic’s been restored. You’re not sure if that was because she really wanted to, or because she didn’t like the look one of the cute nurse mares was giving you. Knowing her, it’s probably a little of both. But despite the fact that you feel 100% fine, you haven’t left the private medical tent you now find yourself in since you arrived, nor has she.

Instead, the two of you have remained at Twilight’s bedside, talking to one another as you wait for her to awaken. The conversations have been about what you’d expect: where you go from here, what happens now, how things will change... stuff like that. Needless to say, there’s a lot for you to think about going forward, but now that things have finally calmed down, it shouldn’t be too difficult.

You were more than a little nervous when you told her about tossing the Shard back into the Dark Star cavern, but to your relief, it turns out she agreed with the decision, feeling it was for the best. When you told her you actually found the compassion to start the process of forgiving Twilight out in the stone field, she merely smiled and nodded as if it didn’t come as any surprise. Sometimes, you think she might know you better than you know yourself...

“Anon...”

Two violet eyes flutter open and focus first on you, then on the white alicorn by your side. They follow her mane as it waves in the astral breeze for a few moments, before becoming clouded with tears.

“P-Princess...” she sniffles, clutching the sheets closer in her hooves. “I’m so, so sorry! I don’t even deserve to face either of you! I... I...”

Celestia stands and places a comforting hoof on the little alicorn’s shoulder, but she shies away from the touch.

“You were right... you were right about everything all along... and I was too stupid to see it. I thought that maybe I’d found something, or learned something that you hadn’t... and I wanted to prove to you that... that... I could be an amazing princess just like you, just as much as I wanted to prove it to myself!”

“But some princess I turned out to be,” she sobs. “The things I did to you in pursuit of Anon... the things I said... if I could take them back now, I would in an instant! But... but... I loved him so much... and I didn’t know how else... I didn’t know how else...”

She starts to cry again, and Celestia levitates some tissues over to her.

“But I was wrong about that, too. I... I thought I knew what love was. I read so much about it... talked to ponies about it... asked my parents and brother about it... but I never understood it until I saw the two of you at the wedding. When... when you fought through the pain of the Geas to reach him, even when you knew it would be impossible... I... I knew, right then, that I’d never have him. And it hurt so much, Princess... it hurt so much, and I didn’t know what to do!”

She wipes her eyes with the tissue and blows her nose.

“You... you said you would take the crown from me. I don’t want it anymore. I don’t deserve to be a princess. I wish none of this had ever happened! I wish I could go back to be with my friends in Ponyville... but... but... I even pushed them away, too!”

Celestia levitates a set of fresh tissues over to the little alicorn and closes her eyes.

“Twilight... there’s no undoing it. The past is the past, and you must live with the consequences of the choices you’ve made, which is a lesson that I must remind myself of day after day. I understand that it was the Shard’s influence that directed you to do some of these things, but that does not absolve you of the responsibility. You’ve made many mistakes, and hurt many others as you’ve followed this path, and this is, and will remain, the truth.”

With a sigh, Celestia turns away from her former student for a moment as she pauses to regain her composure.

“And Twilight, one of those consequences you’ll need to live with... is the loss of your magic.”

Twilight’s eyes go wide. “M-My... my magic...?”

Celestia nods solemnly. “Yes, Twilight. You dug so deep today, and pulled so much directly from the magical ember within you, that your ability to harness the world’s magic is all but gone. It’s similar to what happened to me when I was cursed by your Geas weapons. A normal pony would never recover from this, but as an alicorn, your recovery will come gradually with time. However, it will be hundreds of years from now before your magic is restored completely and you once again stand at the level you were this morning.”

Her breathing stops and her mouth hangs open, and for a second you’re worried that she’s going to start to hyperventilate.

“But... but... m-my... my magic is everything! It’s who I am! It’s my special talent! What... what am I going to do without it?! I... I can’t function without it! I’ve never eaten with my hooves, or written with my mouth, or—”

“You will learn, Twilight!” Celestia’s voice rings out, strong and firm. “Earth ponies and pegasi know how to do these things, and it is not beyond or beneath you to learn their ways.”

The little alicorn turns away and sobs into her sheets.

“But I’ve lost everything! I’ve lost Anon! I’ve lost my friends! I’ve lost my magic! And I’ve lost you, Teacher! How am I supposed to go on like this?! It... it would be better if I just...”

“ENOUGH!”

You cover your ears as Celestia unexpectedly uses the Canterlot Voice. Poor Twilight cowers under the sheets, wide-eyed and trembling, as if she’d never heard her raise her voice in such a way before.

“You do many ponies a great disservice to say such a thing. Do you honestly believe that you’re the first to ever experience such hardship? Do you believe you’re the first to ever feel hopeless and abandoned? Do you believe you’re the first to ever wish that tomorrow’s sunrise would never come?!”

Twilight’s eyes are locked on her mentor’s now, not daring to look away, and Celestia’s expression softens.

“Listen closely, my faithful student. You are, without a doubt, one of the most brilliant little ponies I’ve ever known throughout my long life. Your potential is staggering, and I know that one day, when you’ve grown even further, you will surpass me. You will become a greater princess than I was. That is my deepest, most sincere hope!”

The white alicorn rests on her haunches, her gaze directed at her student and a motherly smile on her muzzle.

“You said something to me today. You said I wasn’t perfect. You said that sometimes I don’t know what to do. You said that I make mistakes. Oh, my little pony, if only you knew how true all those things are! I have lived for over 2,500 years, Twilight, and I can safely say that there is nopony, and I mean nopony who has made more mistakes than me!”

Tears begin to form in her beautiful magenta eyes as she speaks.

“But Twilight... just because you make a mistake, that doesn’t mean you can’t seek to correct it. Just because you suffer a hardship, that doesn’t mean you can’t press on. And just because you’ve hurt somepony, either intentionally or unintentionally, that doesn’t mean you can’t ask for forgiveness, which is why, here and now, I must ask you...”

Twilight’s shock is almost palpable. Again, she almost forgets to breathe. “W-What... what do you mean?”

And now, it’s Celestia who sniffles and cries, her eyes clouded with tears.

“Twilight... this is all my fault. I was so selfish. I so much wanted to escape the burdens I bear, that I thrust you into not only a role I knew you weren’t prepared for, but into Eternity itself, without fully explaining what it meant and what the consequences would be. Even if I knew that it was what you thought you wanted, we should’ve discussed it together, and if you still felt that way, I should’ve stayed with you to guide you through it. I’m... I’m so sorry, my student... what I’ve done is inexcusable. I’ve failed you in nearly every way imaginable. I’ll fully understand if you don’t want to be my student any longer, and I can in no way blame you if that’s what you choose, or even if you wish to hate me for what I’ve done, but I sincerely hope that—”

“I forgive you, Celestia.”

She hiccups. “Y-You what?”

Twilight smiles. “I forgive you. Even if it wasn’t done for the right reasons, you... you let me live my dream, at least for a little while. You say I don’t understand what it means, and that’s probably true, but I’ve thought about it a lot and... and it’s what I want. I still want to be like you, and it’s not your fault that I botched it all up...”

Celestia shakes her head, allowing more tears to fall away. “Even if in the future you think differently, to hear you say that means more to me than you’ll ever know.”

“But there’s something I don’t understand,” Twilight continues. “You said you’d understand if I didn’t want to be your student anymore, but... does it even matter? How can I be without my magic?”

Celestia shakes her head. “One of the many mistakes I’ve made was focusing your studies on only magic. There’s still so much I can teach you... so much I want to teach you. I want you to become the best pony you can possibly be. Trust me, should you so choose, there are many more lessons that await you. I can teach you to speak to the earth. I can teach you how to properly use those wings of yours, and... when I believe you’re prepared, I have a special assignment reserved for you at some point in the future.”

Twilight smiles. “Princess Celestia... I’d be honored if you’d have me as your student again.”

“Of course,” Celestia replies as she moves forward and wraps her student in a hug. “And I want to make one more thing clear: you have never lost me. Even if you didn’t want me as your teacher, I would still be your friend, whether you wanted it or not.”

You flash the little alicorn a smile, hoping you’re not doing too much to disrupt the tender moment, and she smiles back.

“Thank you,” she says to you both, a few more tears falling away.

Celestia pulls away from the hug, directing her attention to the entrance of the tent.

“And also... you never lost them, either.”

Twilight’s gaze follows her mentor’s, and there, standing in the entryway, are five familiar little ponies.

“Girls...?” she hiccups again, fresh tears forming in her eyes.

“Twilight!!”

You and Celestia both move out of the way to avoid the oncoming stampede as all the ponies rush the bed. She sits next to you and you place an arm around her withers, pulling her into a light hug as you watch the reunion unfold.

“Hey there, gal, how’re ya feelin’?”

“Thank goodness you’re alright, darling!”

“That battle was so s-scary! I’m glad you’re okay...”

“C’mon, are you kidding?! It was AWESOME!”

Twilight is speechless and you can tell the purple pony’s waterworks are about to start up again. Pinkie quickly moves in to head it off at the pass by producing a wrapped box from her mane.

“Aw, don’t cry, Twilight! Look, we brought you a present!”

Twilight looks at the box with curiosity shining in her eyes. “Oh... what in the world could it be?” Slowly, and a little awkwardly now that she needs to use her hooves, she tears open the paper and lifts the lid...

...to reveal six perfectly baked and decorated cupcakes. The frosting of each one matches the coat color of one of the six ponies, and each is decorated with that pony’s cutie mark.

“Surprise! I made them this morning, but Rainbow wouldn’t let me taste one, so I dunno if they’re good or not!”

The cyan pegasus pokes her head over the box. “I did the frosting on yours myself, Twilight! Pretty sweet, huh?”

“They’re...” Twilight hiccups. “They’re wonderful. Thank you... thank you for everything, from the bottom of my heart! You’re the best friends I could ever hope for!”

Applejack pulls the purple pony into a hug. “We love ya too, Twi. And don’t ya ever forget it.”

“I won’t,” the little alicorn replies. “I won’t... for as long as I live.”

Pinkie pouts. “Aw, nuts! I gave her those cupcakes so she wouldn’t cry!”

Rarity giggles and pats the party pony on the back. “There, there, dear. Just go with it.”

“I call dibs on mine!” Rainbow yells, reaching a hoof toward the box.

“Um... I’m on a diet, so...”

“And Fluttershy’s!”

Celestia shakes her head as the two of you watch the scene unfold.

“Truly, the six of them together never cease to amaze me.”

And as you run your hand through her mane to scratch behind one of her ears and wonder whether Rainbow or Applejack will successfully win the impromptu duel they decided on for the fate of the extra cupcake, you reply, “Yeah, you can say that again.”

Princess Luna lets out a tired sigh after reviewing the latest status report presented to her by the field engineers. Total hardware losses and damages in excess of a half a billion bits or more... truly, her Sister knows how to pick her protégés...

Still, she nods with a satisfied smile at the night sky and the newly risen moon. Her mane and tail, restored to their former cosmic glory now that her magic has recovered, are nearly indistinguishable now from the sky itself as she trots back toward the field camp and the light of the great bonfire burning there.

It seems that, if left unsupervised, her soldiers will turn any opportunity they can into merriment. Or perhaps it’s more the product of—

“Hiya, Boss!”

Luna screams and nearly jumps out of her coat at the sudden shout that graces her ear. She turns to find the Element of Laughter standing there, a smile on her face, as usual.

“Ah... Pinkie Pie. Salutations to you. Do... do you require something of us?”

‘Please say no’ is her next thought, though she doesn’t voice it.

Pinkie taps a hoof on her chin as she thinks. “Hmmm... nah, not really! Just checking to see if you needed me to do anything else!”

Luna smiles and shakes her head. “Nay. Your service to Equestria throughout this ordeal was performed admirably. However, now that the trial has passed, we feel we can release you. Again, you have our most humble thanks.”

“Okie dokie!” Pinkie replies with an enthusiastic nod. “If you need anything, you know where to find me!”

“Indeed. Your dreams are truly one-of-a-kind, so we doubt we’ll have any trouble.”

Pinkie turns to hop away to get back to doing... whatever it is that she usually does, but suddenly turns back.

“Oh, hey! I almost forgot! You should come to our bonfire party! Me and Celly and Non-non and Twilight and Applejack and, well, I guess everypony is there! I promise it’ll be super-duper fun!”

“We were just on our way... we do so enjoy this ‘fun’ that seems to be so in favor with ponies these days. We shall not miss it.”

“Great! See ya there!”

Again, she moves to bound away, but after some consideration, Luna raises a hoof to stop her.

“Wait! We... we suppose there is one more thing. A simple request, and not something you must act on anytime soon...”

The pink pony turns back, her head tilted to the side in curiosity. Luna herself turns to gaze at the moon with fondness.

“There will come a time, not now, but in the future, when the six of thee shall stand before the Grand Gate together. When that time comes, please remember that if thou needst guidance, thou need only dream, and we will be there.”

Pinkie’s smile grows even wider, if such a thing is possible, as she nods her head once more.

“Thank you, Princess Luna.”

And finally, she bounds toward the fire to join the others.

After trotting a bit, Luna can see them clearly as they laugh and eat around the fire. She pauses to watch her Sister interact with the strange ape from another world that she seems so smitten with, as well as with her student and her friends. Their joy is apparent even from this distance, and it easily travels to her, lifting her spirits despite her fatigue from the day’s events.

“It appears all is well...”

A chuckle. “Indeed. A picture perfect ending... though a little boring, if you ask me...”

For the second time in the last ten minutes, the Princess of the Night nearly jumps out of her coat. She whirls around, finding a miniature version of an abominable draconequus hovering near her shoulder, and she grits her teeth in anger.

“DISCORD! How didst thou escape?!”

The tiny Discord clamps his lion paw across her muzzle.

“How many times have I told you... volume! There’s no need to yell or make a scene; I’m still right where you left me, acting as a favorite nesting spot for the birds of the Royal Gardens...” he shudders. “But there’s no rule that says I can’t pay one of my darling little sisters a visit! You’re the only one who can see or hear me right now, so don’t reply too loudly or everypony else will think you’re, well, crazier than they already think you are!”

Luna resists the urge to give him a snarky reply and turns away to face the camp once more. Discord merely chuckles again.

“The silent treatment, eh? Very mature, but oh so like you. Oh come on, why so gloomy, Gloomy? Everything worked out in the end, didn’t it? Celestia had her power and position restored like you wanted, little Twilight Sparkle has been made less of an insurance liability (at least for the time being), the relationship between the Elements of Harmony has been repaired, and to top it all off, that annoying chunk of the Dark Star was returned to where it belonged!”

He twirls in the air and gives an exaggerated bow.

“I must say, though... I never expected Cotton Candy Head would end up falling head over hooves with that odd creature I pulled across dimensions during my last little romp across Equestria. Well, I guess the two of you always struck me as oddballs when it came to dating, but it certainly was a delightful little cream filling to round out this chaos-filled cake!”

Luna whirls around again, resisting the urge to yell and keeping her voice to a whisper.

“YOU! Are you meaning to say that you PLANNED all of this?!”

He scoffs. “Puh-lease! I’m the God of Chaos, my dear; it’s difficult for me to plan to do anything. Let’s just call this a series of happy coincidences, shall we?”

The little Discord places his arms behind his back and paces a bit in the air, looking nonchalant.

“I will say this, though... it’s an older brother’s job to look after his dear sisters. Despite all that’s happened between us, to see the two of you find happiness, well... let’s just say that it’s still a joy to me in and of itself.”

He gazes over to Celestia as she nuzzles the human by the fire, their shared laughter ringing out through the night, and Luna does the same.

“Well then, I suppose I should get back to my lonely imprisonment. But before I go, tell me...” he points one of his talons toward the human in the distance. “Would you like me to get you one too during my next inevitable escape? They’re quite easy to acquire if you know where to look...”

Luna gives him a deadpan stare. “Please don’t.”

He grins. “I’ll take that as a ‘maybe’. Ta ta for now, my precious Moody Featherduster!”

And with a short flash of light, he’s gone. Luna shakes her head and lets out an exasperated sigh.

“Thou art as troublesome as always, dear brother...”

With one glance back to the moon above, she makes her way toward the fire, Celestia’s joyous laughter guiding her hoofsteps.