Story's End

by Jade Ring

Rating: teen
Tags: Flurry Heart, Cozy Glow, Dark, Death, Alternate Universe, Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5529

Years after the final battle, Empress Cozy Glow receives a long expected visitor in her home at Story's End.

It has been fifteen years since the Battle of the Bell, that terrible day when friendship failed and the forces of evil were triumphant. The conquerors of Equestria carved the land into three and settled into their rule, comfortable in the knowledge that nopony would ever be able to stand against them again.

In her home, a manor-house she calls Story's End, the Empress Cozy Glow receives an unexpected visit from a most expected visitor. It's a night she has long anticipated; the absolute final victory over the forces of light and love. After all, what has she to fear?

How much of a threat could an exiled princess from the far north possibly pose?

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Cover art borrowed from lilith1light.

Published 2020-01-20 10:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2020-01-20 10:20:02 UTC

Story's End

It was a quiet night in the sleepy little hamlet of Cozyville. Of course, most nights in Cozyville were quiet. The severe punishment or outright disappearance of any violators of the strict ten o’clock curfew tended to do that. The residents of the town that had once been called Ponyville had long resigned themselves to their fate, and these days any sort of rebellious action was few and far between. Snow fell steadily, as steadily as it had fallen these past fifteen years. Only special teams dedicated to the task kept the hamlet from being lost in the white.

Empress Cozy Glow sighed heavily as she looked out over the town from her sitting room. By all the forces of evil, was she ever bored. At this point, she would welcome a small rebellion. It would alleviate the crushing melancholy her life had become since the last assassination attempt. Perhaps some new edicts would cheer her up. A small smile crossed her lips as she considered some devious new ideas. Maybe instead of sending only ten ponies a year to Centos, she could double the number. Wouldn’t that please her old ally Tirek? Oh! And some new taxes. New taxes always tended to crush the spirits of her subjects that much more…

“Your Cuteness?”

Cozy Glow looked up to find her butler kneeling at the doorframe. “What is it?”

“Is there anything else you’ll be requiring this evening?”

Cozy Glow considered before shaking her head. “No. You may go. But make sure the chef knows I’d like Prench toast in the morning. Extra syrup.”

“Of course, Your Cuteness. Good-night.” With practiced ease, the butler retreated from the room without rising from his bow even once.

Cozy Glow yawned and started for the door. It was time for her to turn in as well. She kept a strict schedule of twelve hours of sleep a night. It was one of the ways she ensured that Her Royal Cuteness remained… well, cute. She paused and examined herself in one of the many mirrors that filled Story’s End. No longer was she the adorable, precocious, and devious filly she’d been when Equestria had been conquered. She was a mare now, and quite a lovely mare at that. Vanity kept her mane at the same length it had been her entire life, but the rest of her had filled and matured with stunning grace. And, as an added bonus, her alicorn nature made her naturally several inches taller than the ponies she ruled over. She winked at herself before heading down the passage to her bed chambers.

The enormous manor-house she had named Story’s End slept all around her. She lived alone, the staff forced to live in the town ever since a pair of maids had attempted to smother her in her sleep. Once the butler had departed, the front doors of Story’s End would seal themselves tight until he returned in the morning. Her hoof-steps echoed on the walls, but she no longer felt the urge to look behind her as she once had. After so many failed assassination attempts, one tends to stop jumping at shadows and echoes. She shivered at the cold that penetrated even the stone walls and picked up the pace, eager to be snuggled into her favorite blanket beside the roaring fire she demanded be kept burning all day and night. She reached the room at last and closed the door behind her. She sighed gratefully as she felt the heat from the fire already, and she turned to accept the gift more fully…

There was somepony standing before the fire.

Cozy Glow didn’t flinch, didn’t scream. Her horn did not light in preparation for any magical attack. She merely cocked her head and smiled at her visitor. “Quite brazen of you. You must be pretty confident in your abilities to not even be lurking behind the closet door.”

The pony standing before the fire was the same height as she was, maybe even an inch or two taller. Her body was concealed by a fur-lined robe of scarlet. Only her horn, a gentle pink, identified her as a unicorn. Shining blue eyes peered from the darkness of her raised hood.

Cozy Glow chuckled as she made her way to her liquor stores. “Would you like a drink? Or is this strictly a business call?” A new thought crossed her mind and she smirked back at her guest. “Perhaps it’s not business at all. Perhaps you’re an admirer, and this is all about pleasure.”

“Business. Pleasure.” The mare tossed back her hood with an elegant move, revealing her face and multi-toned mane to the Empress of Greater Equestria. “A bit of both, really.”

Cozy Glow knew exactly who was standing before her now. She’d seen the stained glass and the family photos left behind by the mare who had built Story’s End. She felt even less surprised now. She turned back to the cabinet and selected a bottle and glass. “Humph. Took you long enough. I was expecting you years ago.”

“I had to make sure I was ready.” Princess Flurry Heart undid the cloak’s clasp, shrugging it off with her wings. Her lithe teenage form was tense, ready for anything. Her armor, emblazoned with the same heart and shield image that adorned her flank, rustled softly against her fur with every move. “I know this doesn’t mean much to you…”

“It really doesn’t.” Cozy Glow glanced back. “Do you know how many ponies have tried to kill me in the past few years? Hundreds. Literally hundreds.”

“…but it means a lot to me.” Flurry Heart continued as though the evil alicorn before her hadn’t said a word. “My dad used to tell me about the last thing my Auntie Twilight ever said to me. She said that if anything were to happen to her, that I would be Equestria’s last hope. And that meant I needed to be ready.”

“And are you ready?” Cozy Glow finished pouring and downed the drink she’d made in a single gulp. She relished the burn in her throat and the spreading warmth in her belly. “I mean, you probably should’ve paid a visit to the other two first…”

“I did.” Flurry Heart smiled. “Did you know Chrysalis had the bell?”

For the first time, Cozy felt surprise. It faded quickly, and she laughed it off. “You’re not a very good liar.”

“That’s because I’m not lying.”

“Yes, you are. I was there when we destroyed the bell. We divvied up the last of the non-chaos magic and blew it to smithereens.”

“And all that chaos magic just vanished into the aether, right? Please. It was a fake. Or did you really think that the actual Bewitching Bell could be destroyed by anypony other than the one who created it?”

The calm, even tone in Flurry Heart’s voice gave her words more weight. The surety that Cozy had felt all these years took a hit. “Why would Chrysalis…?”

“Isn’t it obvious? She didn’t trust you. She needed an insurance policy in case you ever decided to break that little treaty of yours. So she swapped the real bell for a fake and kept it tucked away all these years.”

Cozy Glow scrunched up her muzzle. “As much as I hate to admit it that sounds exactly like something she would do.” She set about preparing herself another drink. “So you went after Chrysalis first. Why?”

“For my parents.”

Cozy Glow nodded sagely. “That makes sense. So…” She drained the drink and coughed slightly when it went down the wrong way. “Let’s review. You finished your training and headed straight to the Valley of Shift to deal with the monster that enslaved your father and impersonated your mother. And apparently you defeated her. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be standing here. And Chrysalis had the bell…!” She spun, her wings flared, ready to dodge the blast of absorbing magic that was surely coming…

Flurry Heart only giggled, and the giggle filled Cozy Glow with rage. “Did you really think I’d bring the bell here? That I would chance you getting your hooves on it?”

Cozy Glow snarled. This impudent child had made her feel the rush of fear for the first time in years, and that made her furious. “I’m going to kill you now.”

Flurry Heart smirked at the threat. “You shouldn’t make faces like that, your Cuteness. The lines in your face will become permanent.” A blast of magic shot across the room and passed harmlessly through Flurry Heart like she was made of smoke. “Did you really think I’d be foolish enough to just come strolling in like this? I’m miles away.”

“Coward.” Cozy Glow spat. “Just like your parents. The lot of you, hiding away in your little kingdom in the north while me and the others carved up Equestria like a dead tree. The only reason we never came for you was because we decided that you weren’t a threat.” She smirked. “But after I’m done dealing with you, I’ll just pay my old cohorts a visit and we’ll finish the job we started fifteen years ago.”

“That’d be kind of hard to do.” Flurry Heart examined a hoof. “Seeing as how they’re dead and all.”

Cozy Glow stared at the princess’ image in shocked silence. “You… you killed…?”

“Oh, I didn’t kill anypony. I defeated Chrysalis in single combat, took the Bewitching Bell when she offered it in exchange for mercy, then let Starlight Glimmer deal with her as she saw fit.”

“Starlight Glimmer is alive?”

Flurry Heart nodded. “Very much so. Or did you think somepony as evil and vindictive as Chrysalis would be satisfied with only killing her? She kept her imprisoned and forced her to watch as her new horde hunted down everpony she’d ever loved. Her father, Trixie…” She closed her eyes. “Sunburst.” She opened them again and glared at the Empress. “She made her watch while she drained them, drove them insane, and finally murdered them. Now, after all that, do you really think Starlight was in the mood for mercy?”

Cozy Glow absorbed all this information as stoically as she was able, then turned back to the liquor and drained the entire bottle in several long swallows. She pulled it away from her mouth, panting slightly. “And Tirek?”

“You haven’t seen him in a few years, have you? You know how he got bigger the more magical essences he consumed? Well, after the millions of ponies and other magical creatures he’d feasted on over the years, he was roughly the size of a mountain. He could barely move.”

“Easy pickings for you.”

“Incredibly easy, but I didn’t kill him. Not exactly. I used the bell on him. Turns out that centuries of absorbing and losing vast amounts of magic tends to wear out one’s heart.”

“I know how this one ends.” Cozy Glow examined her reflection in the bottle, wondering if it would be the last time she was able to. “You absorbed all of Tirek’s magic through the bell, and now you’re here to finish the job.”

“I didn’t take Tirek’s magic.” Flurry Heart sounded almost offended. “I’m nothing like the three of you. I left the bell with my parents. As we speak, they’re returning all of the magic to the ponies he’d stolen it from.”

Cozy Glow slowly turned to the foolish princess in shock. “You… you just gave it away?”

“Of course I did.” She shrugged, as though just giving away the magical essences of millions was the most natural thing in the world. “It wasn’t mine.”

A grin split Cozy’s face. “Well, golly. That’s just about the dumbest thing you could’ve done.” She hurled the bottle at the ground and watched it shatter to bits. “Or did you forget the mare you saved for last still has all of Grogar, Celestia, and Luna’s magic in her?”

If Flurry Heart was intimidated, she didn’t show it. “I saved you for last because of what you represent. You’re the ponified betrayal of everything my Aunt Twilight stood for.” She gestured at the walls of the manor around her. “Not enough that you murdered her, not enough that you undid all of her work in the spreading of friendship, but you took this place, her school, and made it into… into… your nasty nest.” She finally spat out.

“Getting a bit flustered, are we?” She looked around at the stone walls and ceiling. “Do you know why I call my home ‘Story’s End?’ Because this place, this building? It represents the end of Twilight Sparkle’s story. This stupid school of hers was supposed to be her crowning achievement, and instead it brought me into the fold. I learned everything I needed to know about how to defeat her in these very halls. This place wasn’t a school. It was Twilight’s final fatal mistake. That’s why I live here.” She giggled. “That, and the view of the waterfall is spectacular.”

The image of Flurry Heart was silent. Her eyes closed, and she took several deep breaths. She stretched out and retreated her right hoof in a rhythmic, calming manner. Once, twice, three times. She opened her eyes as her form became hazy. “I’m going to kill you now.”

“Better mares than you have tried.” She’d barely finished the sentence before a pink bullet shot through her window in a hail of broken glass. Her horn lit, bathing the shattered pieces of the glass bottle in her magic before she flung them like bullets into Flurry Heart’s face. She covered her eyes, and Cozy’s magic grabbed her instead, using her momentum to aim her at the far wall. She smiled at the mare’s cry of pain as she smashed into the bricks and hit the floor. “See what happens when you lose your temper?”

Flurry Heart jumped to her hooves, tensed and ready. “I am perfectly in control.”

“Ah, now you’re lying.” Cozy Glow’s smile grew that much wider. “Do you know who you look like right now? Your aunt. Right before I vaporized her and her precious friends.”

“SHUT UP!” Flurry Heart’s horn exploded in a blast of magic that seemed to burn the very air around her.

Cozy threw up a shield spell just in time, but the concussive force of the blast still threw her back against the liquor cabinet. She grunted from the impact and lost concentration, giving her adversary the opening she needed. She gasped when Flurry Heart drove into her chest with both front hooves, pushing her through the cabinet and the wall beyond. She snarled and rolled her momentum backwards, driving her rear hooves into Flurry’s barrel. Her first kick did little but dent the magic armor that encased the princess, but a second (aided by a small taste of magic) succeeded in sending Flurry into the ceiling. Cozy completed her roll, braced her hooves on the floor, and blasted upward, aiming her horn at Flurry’s throat.

Flurry Heart recovered from the blow quickly, smiled savagely, and vanished into a wink of light.

Cozy Glow popped her wings and stopped inches from impaling her horn in the ceiling. She looked around frantically, scanning for a trace of the other mare’s magic. “I’m a little too old for hide and seek, princess.” A flash appeared in the corner of her eye and she loosed a bolt of magic on instinct towards it, but it struck only a candelabra. “I thought you came here for a fight.”

“My father taught me that fighting isn’t always about brute force.” Flurry Heart’s voice echoed around the room, not giving away her location. “He told me that almost every battle is fought and won in the mind, the victor decided before the first move is even made.”

“He’s right.” Cozy Glow’s horn began to shine with magic the color of the sun. “Because this fight was over the moment you decided to come after me alone!” She closed her eyes and loosed a flash of pure sunlight. The room was lit stark white, the goal to either blind the princess or scare her out of hiding. She waited until the light faded before she opened her eyes.

Flurry Heart was floating before her, mere inches from her face. She smirked. “Boo.” Before the empress could react, she spun with tornado quickness and bucked her back hooves with all her strength.

The impact brought a flash of tremendous pain to Cozy’s face and she was sent crashing through another wall into the dining hall. She crashed onto the long table, sending priceless glasses and dishes to the floor. She slid to a stop and stood on unsteady hooves, panting in agony. She reached up and winced when she touched her eye, already feeling it starting to swell. Something rolled in her mouth and she spat, flinching at the sight of a piece of tooth hitting the wood on which she stood.

Flurry Heart flew through the hole and landed on the far side of the table. Her magic lifted an unbroken glass and a pitcher of water. She poured herself a drink and sipped it slowly. When it was gone, she lifted the glass in mock salute. “Looks like my kick has improved your face, your Cuteness.”

Cozy Glow screamed in fury. She blasted a beam of raw magic at the princess, her only thought the utter obliteration of the first mare in over a decade to physically hurt her.

Flurry’s beam met Cozy’s head on, pushing back with every bit of force she had.

Pure magic, amplified by emotion and almost liquid in consistency, met in a stalemate on the center of the table. Splashes struck the tablecloth, setting it aflame. The table itself broke with a tremendous snap, but neither mare paid it any mind. Waves of power washed across the room, cracking the walls and shattering windows. Snow blew in from outside and was promptly melted from the ambient heat.

Flurry vanished.

So much magic was being poured into the blast that Cozy was rocked forward when the opposing beam simply stopped. Before she could recover, she felt the forelegs of the princess wrap around her neck and pull tight, cutting off her air supply. She grunted and rolled off the table, throwing all her weight towards the floor.

Flurry took the hit, but held tight, wrenching back even further in a perfect sleeper hold. Her rear legs encircled the empress’ barrel, pinning her wings to her back.

Cozy’s eyes bulged as she struggled to take a breath. Already she could see spots in the corners of her vision. She struggled, but her wings were held tight in the princess’ iron clad grip and her hooves couldn’t reach back with enough force to do any damage. Spots became patches of darkness, and in her desperation she began to flick her ears in Flurry’s face.

Flurry grabbed one of the annoying appendages and bit down hard.

The sudden rush of pain brought a moment of consciousness, and that was all Cozy needed. In an instant, her horn glowed white hot with very heat of the sun itself, and she forced it back into the face of her enemy.

Flurry screamed as the burning brand touched her face and she released her grip on instinct.

Free, Cozy rolled onto her stomach and backed away, breathing air back into her depleted lungs. She glared at the princess and grinned savagely. “N…not so p-pretty now, are you?” She panted.

Flurry stood and pulled her hoof away from her face, revealing a perfectly burned image of a horn in the fur just beneath her left eye. “You bi…”

Cozy Glow tackled her with a cry of rage and forced her to her back. Her hooves crashed down on Flurry’s face, intent on reducing it to pulp.

Flurry dodged the hits as best as she could, then aimed her horn at Cozy’s unprotected chest.

Cozy saw the attack coming and lifted into the air with a flap of her wings, dodging the blast easily. She bared her teeth when Cozy started firing off smaller blasts in rapid succession, forcing the alicorn empress to dance in the air like a leaf on the wind while she charged her own magic. She cast her shield spell once again and shot downwards like a bullet, trying to strike before the princess could vanish again.

Flurry screamed as the impact of the alicorn drove her through the stone floor and into the grand atrium below. Her scream was cut off when her back struck the floor and Cozy’s hooves crunched into the armor on her chest, denting it down in the impact.

“You dare to come into my home and try fighting me!?” With a maniacal laugh, Cozy reared up and brought her hooves down again and again, each impact damaging the armor further and driving more air from Flurry’s lungs. “You! Are! NOTHING!” Cozy cackled with each strike. “You’re just a stupid, little, foal!” The final strike was accompanied by a cracking noise, but Cozy couldn’t tell if it had been the armor or one of Flurry’s ribs.

She hoped it was the latter.

She stopped her attack and stepped away, stumbling slightly, breathing heavily. She glanced over, waiting for the next attack.

Flurry didn’t move. She just lay on the ground, struggling to breathe and staring at the hole in the ceiling they’d come from.

Cozy Glow smiled. She started towards the open air courtyard, kept snow free by magic but still bitterly cold. She crossed the bridge to the center fountain, smirked at the image of herself as a filly cast in gold in the center, and bent to take a drink of water.

She turned at the sound of hoofsteps behind her.

Flurry Heart stood on the other end of the bridge. She coughed and spat a wad of red into the grass, then reached up with obvious effort and the undid the straps of her armor. The ruined metal struck the grass with soft impacts, most pieces breaking apart when they hit. The princess took a deep breath, cracked her neck, and squared her hooves. “We… aren’t… done.” She hissed.

Cozy Glow shook her head at the defiant display. “I’m impressed, Flurry Heart. Tell you what; surrender now, and I’ll let your parents live.”

“They would die fighting you, and so would I.”

“And so you will.” Cozy Glow’s magic flowed into the statue and the image of her younger self came to life. “You simply don’t have what it takes.” The statue mocked her. “You might’ve stood a chance when I was all widdle, but now? You could throw everything you have at me right now and it still wouldn’t be enough. And you know why?” The statue grinned. “Because no matter how much training you’ve had, no matter how much loss you’ve suffered, no matter how noble you think your cause is… at the end of the day, you’re still a Sparkle. And just like your pathetic aunt, you’re simply doomed to failure.” The statue giggled. “It’s not your fault. It’s just in your blood.”

“Failure? You think that just because you managed to defeat her, that Twilight Sparkle was a failure?” Flurry Heart looked around at the courtyard. “You call this place Story’s End, but it’s not that at all. This place… it was the beginning. Auntie Twilight saw this place as the start of the next chapter. Not in her story, but in Equestria’s. Her story had already been told. By the time this place was built, she’d already saved Equestria more times than she could count. She’d mastered a spell the greatest wizard of all time had deemed impossible. She’d ascended, become a princess… she’d even crossed into another world and saved that one too. She’d done all these amazing things… and this school was the final act. It was here that she could teach others, not just ponies but all kinds of creatures, about the magic of friendship. This was the beginning of their stories.” Her magic lanced out and struck the statue. It screamed as it melted and began to take a new shape. “You’re the failure. You had all the magic in the world, and you did nothing with it but spread fear, hate, and misery. You could have done anything, anything at all, and you chose to do nothing. That’s your legacy, Cozy Glow. Not the murder of Twilight and her friends. Not the conquering of Equestria. Your legacy is an empty building and a world that will celebrate your passing.”

The molten blob of gold finished changing, and it was a golden image of Twilight Sparkle that spoke to Cozy Glow now. “You killed me, but the battle never ended. And it won’t end until you’re beaten. There will always be somepony else to stand up against you, from now until the end of time. And do you know why?” The golden ghost smirked. “Because the legacy of Twilight Sparkle isn’t failure. It’s friendship. And friendship will always be worth fighting for.”

Cozy Glow screamed and lashed out at the statue, blasting it to smithereens. She turned just in time to see Flurry Heart galloping towards her at full force. The other mare crashed into her, sending them both into the fountain.

Flurry forced herself atop the empress and pushed down on her throat, holding her face under the water. She cast a shield spell around herself as Cozy’s magic burned the water into steam and shot towards her face, causing it to glance away harmlessly. She reared back her head and brought her face crashing into Cozy Glow’s, the impact leaving stars in her vision. She prepared for a second head-butt, but Cozy met her halfway, stunning her and sending her backwards.

Cozy Glow pushed the groggy princess away and lifted her in her magic. She lifted her into the air and brought her crashing down through the bridge and into the moat around the fountain. She held her there, cutting off the princess’ attempts to teleport away. “Just be a good little filly and die already!”

Flurry’s wings beat frantically, lifting her just far enough out of the water for a breath. She sent a beam of magic at Cozy’s face, distracting her and breaking her magical hold. She lifted into the air and aimed another blast, but it only destroyed the fountain when Cozy dove out of the way. She tried to follow the other alicorn, but was caught off guard by a blast of burning magic to her unprotected chest. The pain was so intense that she went numb, and she fell to the ground. Mewling in agony, she rolled onto her back and touched a hoof to her burned chest, her eyes shut tight in pain.

Cozy Glow slowly stepped over the mare and pressed a hoof to her throat. “And so another story ends in Story’s End.” She smirked as she started to push down. “I’ll be sure to tell your parents how well you fought. It’s the least… I can… do…” She trailed off when she realized that the small breaths coming from Flurry Heart weren’t gasps of pain.

The mare beneath her was trying to laugh.

Cozy Glow smiled uncomfortably. “Heh. Driven mad in your final moments? Pathetic.”

Flurry Heart coughed and chuckled again. “Th… tha…”

“What’s that?”

Flurry Heart opened her eyes, her eyes emitting a startling white glow. “Thank you. Thank you so much. After Chrysalis and Tirek, I was afraid you wouldn’t be any fun at all.”

Cozy Glow pressed down, intent on crushing the defiant mare’s throat, but the flesh wouldn’t give. In fact, it seemed to be pushing back against her. She pulled away and hurried backwards, staring in shock as the beaten mare began to glow. “What is this?”

Flurry Heart rose into the air, her wings flared but her body supported by waves of ambient magic. She smiled at Cozy Glow and cocked her head. “This? This is the magic of millions upon millions of ponies, griffons, hippogriffs, and all the other creatures that Tirek gorged himself on these past few years.”

Cozy Glow’s eye twitched as the burn on Flurry’s chest began to heal itself. “You… you said you gave it back!”

“Oops. Guess I told a little lie.” Her smile widened. “Somehow I don’t think my parents will mind. Besides, I’m still going to give it back. I just had a little business to attend to first.”

“This is impossible!” Cozy Glow screamed. “Nopony could hold all that magic!”

“Oh, but don’t you remember? I’m a Sparkle.” The burn on her chest healed completely. “My auntie was able to contain all the magic of Celestia, Luna, and my mother, and she wasn’t even born an alicorn.” The burn on her face began to fade. “I could probably use the chaos magic too, if I wanted. Maybe I’ll give it a test drive before I give it back to Discord.” She winked. “Oh, forgot to mention that he was still alive too. Tirek was using him as a jester.”

Cozy Glow blasted towards the open sky, but a bolt of magical lightning struck her and drove her to the ground. She leapt to her hooves to try again, but found her wings were now laying limp and useless. “What did you…?”

“Well, I can't have you flying away, now can I?" Flurry now looked no worse for the wear. The magic around her began to brighten. “You won’t miss them long.”

Hyperventilating now, the magic in the air so thick she could taste it, Cozy Glow bolted towards the fortified front doors of Story’s End. “This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening.” She chanted over and over.

“Oh, it’s happening. I’m just sorry it didn’t happen sooner.” Flurry Heart floated after her, the magic beginning to flow and concentrate in her horn. “You’ve had this coming for a long, long time.”

Cozy reached the door and tried to open it with her magic, but her horn would only spark uselessly. “No! My magic…!”

“I shorted out your magical core. If you rested for a few hours, you’d be good as new. Problem is…” Flurry landed nimbly a few feet behind the panicking empress. “…You don’t have a few hours.”

Cozy Glow backed against the door, Flurry Heart’s words from earlier echoing in her mind. ‘The victor is decided before the first move is even made.’ “You could’ve done this at the start. Why didn’t you?”

“Because every moment of my life has been leading up to this. Chrysalis and Tirek were right there beside you when you murdered my aunt and her friends, but it was you who perverted her dream. It was you who came to the place she called home and made it into a pit of darkness. In all my training, all my studies, in every single second of my life until now, it’s always been your face I’ve seen.” She smiled. “The one you’re making now.”

Cozy Glow whimpered as the light from Flurry’s horn began to glow in intensity. “Please…”

Flurry paused. “Please what?”

Cozy bowed low. “Mercy, please.”

Flurry Heart took a deep breath. “That’s what my Auntie Twilight would have done. She would’ve given you the chance to repent, to see the error of your ways.” She closed her eyes. “But she’s not here. She’s not here because you murdered her.” Her eyes shot open, and the light was blinding. “So I’ll grant you the same mercy you gave her. It’s more than you deserve.”

Cozy Glow reached out a hoof. “Flurry…!”

“Good-bye, Cozy Glow.” The magic that shot from her horn was stunning in its intensity, beautiful in its radiance.

Cozy Glow couldn’t even brace for the impact. In the blinding light, she thought she saw the smiling face of a purple alicorn. Then it struck… and she knew no more.

The magic burned through where she’d been and erased the heavy doors of Story’s End. It shot into the sky, burning through the clouds and causing the Windigos to shriek and draw away from its majesty. It lanced into the sky and exploded, and for an instant the whole of Equestria was cast in the light of day in the dead of night. Ponies and creatures of all sorts all over the land looked out, not in fear but in amazement. The light filled them with something they hadn’t felt in a very long time.

Hope.

In Cozyville, the residents left their homes past curfew for the first time in ages. They approached the destroyed entrance of Story’s End and watched as a teenage alicorn stepped out. She didn’t say a word. She just smiled at them, spread her wings, and flew into the sky towards the distant north. The residents watched until she was gone, then slowly they began to enter and explore the place that had once been, and would be again, the School of Friendship.

The sun rose… and a new day, a new story, began at the place called Story’s End.