Twilight Sparkle stood at the head of the procession, waiting for the ponies in line behind her to light their candles. The tapers and torches they bore were without shape now, a crowd without direction or purpose as several sturdy Earth ponies hoisted barrels of cider onto their backs, ready to haul them through the snow to the orchard. A horn and a drum were brought to the front, and Twilight’s lantern spilled light onto the fresh snow, a golden glow spreading in a sphere around her as the snow continued to fall.

At last, the last candle was lit, the barrels and casks ready to transport. Twilight nodded to the Lunar Guard ahead of her, who barked a short command. The gates of the Regia rumbled open, and the band began to play as another ancient carol rose to the starry skies. Twilight began to march forward, feeling Tarantella behind her as the procession uncoiled like a snake. Fully eight hundred ponies had chosen to follow Twilight into the woods, mostly Earth ponies. The rest waited by the bonfire lit by Spike for her to return, sharing hot cups of the fruity alcohol amongst themselves as the younger foals were put to bed, to dream of new beginnings on the morrow.

The stone walls, normally so forbidding, were hung with banners of red and green, colors of rebirth and life. As they passed, ponies on the walls pelted them with snowballs, ducking behind the parapets as others in the procession returned fire, laughing merrily all the way. The line wound past the walls, following Twilight out into the still fields, lit only by the gold of passing flames and the silvery glow of the moon above, full and bright in the night sky. It was still here, and pristine, deep snow that Twilight parted with her magic, clearing a path for her followers. Her robe shimmered in the glow of the moonlight, and anypony with a sharp eye would have noticed that the fabric appeared to be gleaming in the night of its own accord, turning Twilight Sparkle into a shining beacon for the rest to follow.

Past the fields the procession wound, approaching the deep darkness of the Everfree Forest. Twilight could hear the ponies behind her singing louder, as her lantern cast light onto the slender path before her. She added her own voice to the mix, sweet and clear above the low tones of the stallions and the brazen, reverent hymn Tarantella was singing. The trees echoed with the sounds of joy made real by sound, as the procession pierced the heart of the woods, banishing darkness and cold to another place, one far away. The orchard was not far, and at last Twilight could see the trees ahead of her.

The orchard was silent, waiting, as ponies wound through the trees. The barrels and casks were taken from the backs off their bearers, and they were dispersed, to be spilled in joyous celebration among the barren trees. Twilight strode to the boulder where she and Tarantella had stood just days ago, climbing on top of it with ease. Instead of being precariously balanced, it rested easily under her hooves. This would be a place of peace, she decided. Tarantella climbed onto the rock beside her, gazing out over the joyous ponies below, who were giving thanks to the apple trees, talking and laughing as they spread the cider over the ground. The sweet and bitter scent of good cider rose into the air, and Twilight leaned on her staff, surveying her followers below.

Tarantella spoke quietly, almost reverently. “What are your thoughts, Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight watched the ponies still, never taking her eyes off of them. “This is a peaceful time. One that won’t last for long. Tomorrow we will be cold, and hungry once more. But I can see that we will still have one another. And maybe, just maybe, that will be enough. So long as these ponies love one another, and show that they do as they have done tonight, I will do my best to lead them. I owe them that much.”

Tarantella moved closer to her, banishing the cold. “You have the makings of a great leader, Twilight Sparkle. I would follow you to Tartarus itself, if you asked. And they believe in you. I can feel it in my bones, they truly believe in you.”

“And that is why I will do my utmost to protect them, from the weather and sickness and hunger. And Celestia. No matter the cost, I swear that I will do my best to protect them, in return for their support of me. I won’t forget this, so long as I am alive.”

At last, the cider had run dry, and ponies crowded among Twilight Sparkle, who felt a bit faint. The moon seemed to shimmer in her eyes as she spoke to those beneath her. “I thank you for including me in this. I consider it a great honor to lead you, in this as in other things, and you have my word that I shall never again be distant towards you. You are my herd, and it is you that I will care for. This I swear, on blood and bone and wood and sand.”

For the second time that night, her hooves rose into the air. Ponies stepped back as she continued. Her horn began to glow with a golden light as she spoke. “Truly, I consider you all closer to me than the friends and family I left behind. And one day, I hope that I can reconcile you and they, that we may one day live free, as our own ponies. This I swear to you now, that so long as I live, I will not forget what you have sacrificed for me. I swear this by my Power, and by my name…”

It was then that a voice rang throughout the glade, one horribly familiar, and apparently only heard by Twilight herself.

Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight noticed that the ponies below her had frozen at the same time she noticed that she was suspended in air. But this was not what worried her. There, across the glade, was a misty white shape, with the pastel colors of an ocean sunrise caught in her mane. She was tall, and majestic as only gods could be. Upon her head rested an elegant diadem of gold and precious stones, and her hooves were shod with horseshoes of hardened gold. Princess Celestia bowed her head in respect. Dazed, Twilight did likewise.

My student. How fares your Hearth’s Warming Eve?

Composing herself, Twilight spoke to her onetime teacher and mentor. “I personally am well, and so are those under me. We were engaged in a wassailing before you arrived.”

Celestia’s voice took on an amused tone. Indeed? I had thought those that followed the old ways had fallen to time. It warms my heart to see that some remember their heritage. Tell me, how did you come by the supplies you used for your feast?

Twilight thought quickly, ensuring that she would be giving nothing away. “I found them under the orchard. We decided to use them for the feast, as a celebration of togetherness.”

Celestia nodded. The storage room you found them in was lost after the Celestial Wars. I had wondered when you would find it. It can’t have gone too far, however. We here in Canterlot estimate you have at least five thousand ponies with you. Enough for a meal, and perhaps some choice bits left over.

Twilight’s tongue, quick as ever, struck out with a bitter retort. “And how is life on your mountain? I’m sure that my friends and family are all quite happy.”

Of course they are. I made sure of that. Pinkie Pie gave birth to a filly on the fifth of last month. It was tricky, because of all the stress she had been under, but we won through. A healthy little filly, with her mother’s boundless energy.

Twilight’s knees felt weak. Of course, she had forgotten that Pinkie Pie was expecting when she had fled. “What is the filly’s name, Celestia?”

A bit for a bit, Twilight. I’ll gladly tell you if you tell me the name of that fetching young Pegasus who was standing beside you during your speech.

Twilight turned her head, noting that the Condottiero was indeed standing next to her.

Yes, Twilight. Who is she? And what is your relationship to her?

Twilight grinned. “That is Tarantella Allegretta, relation by blood to the Dawn Alicorn Mi Amore di Cadenza Allegretta. An erstwhile ally, friend, and my lover of these past months.

Celestia’s representation visibly shook, as if rocked by some mighty blow. Your lover?

Twilight nodded. “My lover. Mine.”

Celestia stepped forward, stopping just short of the circle of ponies surrounding her. If this is some jest to make me suffer, then take comfort in knowing that you are succeeding.

“No, Celestia. She is mine, and I am hers. And now for your end of the bargain. Pinkie Pie’s daughter. Is she an Earth pony like her mother? And what is her name?”

Celestia was silent for a brief moment. Rosemary. A wonderful young unicorn filly by the name of Rosemary.

Twilight nodded. “Rosemary. That’s beautiful. But away from pleasantries. Radiant Zenith’s wards should be keeping you out. So why are you here?”

Celestia laughed. It had been so long since Twilight had heard that laugh, literal years. That laugh was sunlit water and fresh cut grass, the blooming flower and the trill of the meadowlark. It was a sound so fleeting and rare that Twilight often counted it among her best treasures. Even now, knowing what Celestia really was capable of, she still loved that laugh.

Radiant Zenith hardly knows everything about magic. You are standing on an activated seal of mine, Twilight Sparkle. There is one under the rug in my private chambers, and from there I can project myself to any such seal, throughout Equestria. There are several in every major city, and a few in cities that no longer exist. Roam comes to mind. However, this one is quickly dissolving, due to the massive discharge of magic you unleashed tonight. I was able to contain it within the borders of the Everfree, using wards of my own, but I felt a need to know what it was.

“And why should I tell you what it is?”

Because I need to know if you are planning to unleash a massive arcane discharge across all of Equestria, burning out every magic user in the world. Whatever that was, it was powerful, and familiar. I’ve felt spells like that before, and most of them were the sort that ended worlds.

Twilight laughed, long and loud. Out of all the possible things that Celestia could have interpreted that wonderful spell to be, she chose to believe it was malevolent? She laughed in the face of her goddess, and it was only after her eyes burned with tears that she stopped laughing long enough to catch her breath.

“You think that was some sort of attack? No, Celestia. I was not planning to end the world. I wasn’t planning that at all. In fact, the entire event was unplanned. That pulse of energy you found was no less than the same spell which drove back a winter of disharmony once, long before you took power, and did so again tonight.”

You speak of Clover the Clever’s spell.

“Indeed I do. It was that spell which echoed through the Everfree tonight, a mark of solidarity among my ponies. And now they know, Celestia.”

What do they know, my student?

“Well, at the risk of sounding prideful, they know that under my rule, they can prosper, and achieve more than they did under yours. They have seen my power, and know that together, we are more powerful than you or Luna. But most of all, Celestia? They now know that we don’t need gods. Just each other.”

Celestia flickered, glancing around at the ponies below. They truly have lost the way tonight, then.

“Or, after a thousand years, they found it again.”

I control all of Order, Twilight. Even if they decide they don’t need me, I will be here. Long after they are dust, I will be here.

“And so long as you threaten their freedom, ponies like me will rise up to protect them.” Twilight’s horn flared, and the projection of Celestia flickered once more. “And tonight, they follow me, Celestia. Not you, me.” With a mighty push of magic, she broke the spell in the clearing, hearing the seal underneath her crack. Sound rushed back, and Twilight was caught by a crowd of cheering mares and stallions.

Tarantella smiled at her, the expression fading as she noticed Twilight’s wild eyed expression. Catching her in an embrace, she pulled her close. “What is wrong?” the Pegasus whispered quietly.

Twilight smiled, leaning into the warmth. “It’s nothing that can’t wait. I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

Tarantella looked at her. “You’ll tell me when we arrive at the castle and find a private place, and not a minute after. “

Twilight wilted. “Alright, Tara.” Putting her brave face back on, she picked up the lantern once more, tossing her shift aside, walking bare among her followers. It was caught by one of the stallions who had been hauling cider barrels. Twilight took her place at the head of the procession, and soon the file had wound back to the castle, leaving the grove still and dark once more.

“So you say that Celestia appeared to you in a vision?” Tarantella asked, pacing the floor of their private chambers.

“Yes. I’m bringing this to the attention of the Council after the holiday. Celestia is blocked by the wards once more. I’ve ordered the castle to be discretely swept, and we’ve destroyed two other seals, one in the library and one in a secret room behind the old throne.”

“Cara Mia, this is sudden news. Why would Celestia appear to you there?”

Twilight shrugged. “I refuse to worry about things I cannot control right now. My concern lies first and foremost with the ponies of the Regia. After tomorrow, I’ll call the Council together, and we can worry about it then. Now, I care only for the ponies below, and for you.”

Tarantella frowned. “But-“

Twilight held one hoof to her lips. “No, I’m putting my hoof down on this. It’s of no great concern, and so we shall treat it as such.” The other hoof went to Tarantella’s back, massaging the space between her wings as they moved towards the bed. With a light shove, Twilight followed Tarantella onto the bed. “Now hush, love of mine.” she whispered. “Tonight is a night of new beginnings.”