Swan Song

Terra's final words still rang clear throughout the decimated town - echoing over and over in her sister Aurora's ears. They sounded less and less like the last words of a dying mad mare each time they repeated themselves in her brain, and more and more like a deadly promise.

"We will return, Aurora!" She'd screeched, her voice filled with such hate and venom that it was almost visible. "We will come back on the Eve of a Royal Moon, when the scales of Harmony and Balance have tipped too far and no more does evil walk the land! And when We return, we will bring with us the Rise of a New and Glorious Age! Beware Equestria! Beware, sister! Beware Our return!"

Then no more did she move. Terra, Princess of Equestria, was frozen in time; rearing up as if to claw the night itself out of the sky and bring all the power of the darkness crashing down with her. As Aurora slowly rose the sun up over the horizon to end the night, it cast long shadows on the statue that had once been her sister. After the sun had been risen enough for it to continue on its own, Aurora walked over to the statue, lowering her head so her horn touched her sister's cold hooves. There was a flash of light from her horn, then suddenly, her sister was standing on a tall and cold black marble podium, with these words etched clearly beneath her hooves:

"Let this statue stand forever as a monument to the lives lost on this night, so they will not be forgotten, and a reminder to this City, and this Country, which is called Equestria, that they will never forget that the greatest gift given to Us, is the gift of Freedom. Let this land be EVERFREE."

Then Aurora walked slowly away, towards her ruined castle, her head and chest held high. Her slight yellow figure and swirling orange mane glowed in the light of the rising sun. A single tear traced it's way down her cheek. Her sister and dearest friend may have been lost this night, but her country and capital city still stood, and as long as her city still stood, so would she.

After she had left, the ponies who had still been hiding in their ruined houses came slowly out into the open, gazing at the towering statue of their oppressor with wonder, and a tad bit of fear. One young white mare darted forward to read aloud  the script etched plainly at Terra's hooves.

There was silence for a few moments afterwards, before someone in the crowd shouted out the name so that it rang throughout the city.

"Freedom! We are Freedom! We are free! This land shall forever be commemorated Everfree, in honor of the freedom earned this night! We are Everfree! We are Everfree!"

The crowd watching joined in, adding their voices to hers so that the joyous news rang throughout the city.

"We are Everfree! We are Everfree! We are Everfree!"

And so, under the light of the rising sun, the nameless city once ruled by an evil opproser, was, from hence forth, known as EVERFREE, in honor of the Gift of Freedom that had been earned that night. Afterward, no one remembered the terrible promise that Terra had given to the people of Everfree, and the country of Equestria. But, to the one soul who had not joined in the celebrations, Terra's words still rang crystal clear.

"We will come back on the Eve of a Royal Moon, when the scales of Harmony and Balance have tipped too far and no more does evil walk the land! And when We return, we will bring with us the Rise of a New and Glorious Age! Beware Equestria! Beware, sister! Beware Our return!"