Change does not happen overnight. No, it takes far longer than speeches given, promises made. Laws were passed and changed, ponies shuffled in power and jockeyed for positions. Everypony was certain of one thing: Celestia could never become Daybreaker again.

Time passed at its own pace, some would say it went quickly while others that it dragged all too slowly. Regardless, it took a few years to fully repair the city of all the damage done to it and for the ponies to feel like they were safe under their diarchy once more. Princesses Luna and Celestia returned to their duties of raising and setting the sun and moon, and Twilight Sparkle occasionally lent a hoof to political manners when she wasn't helping with friendship issues across the lands.

Queen Powēhi passed into legend, and some ponies wondered if she'd ever truly been there at all while others swore up and down they had seen the dark alicorn in the sky, fighting Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon. When pressed on the issue Twilight would demure, and Spike would simply distract the ponies until they left the Princess of Friendship alone so that she could carry on with her own duties. Every now and then stylized graffiti of her would appear on an alley wall, a lingering reminder of the ancient entity who could have absolutely brought all of Equestria to ruin had it not been for a quick thinking lavender alicorn.

Still, guilt lingered in Princess Luna's mind. She saw firsthand the trauma the ponies had endured in their nightmares, trying to soothe them as they mourned the missing and the dead. It changed something within her, and she slowly became more stoic and withdrawn. Equestria had paid a heavy price, but now there was a system in place to prevent such a tragedy from repeating. One could only hope that this would not be tested as it was not likely anypony could handle it a second time.

In the aftermath of it all, more than one pony looked heavenward, wondering if the queen of the cosmos would ever return. Many hoped she wouldn't, but some hoped she would. It was such a strange thing to hear tales of a magnificent mare, both terrifying and beautiful who had brought a nation to its knees within a span of hours. She seemed like a greater enemy than Sombra and Cozy Glow combined, yet in the end had chosen to leave instead of striking down the royalty. Rumors abounded, but nopony could really say why. Perhaps it was respect, admiration, or simply fulfilling one end of a bargain.

Perhaps it was something else entirely. Either way, as the nation moved on stories remained. Many were fanciful retellings, details embellished until nopony was certain what was truth and what were beautiful lies. The princesses simply refused to comment as they had all decided it was best to let the ponies decide what they wanted since the history books would record the tale as diligently as all the other powers that had come to Equestria with the intention of conquering and enslaving. Somepony eventually created a small festival about the event, with troupes performing a dramatic version of the fight complete with epic speeches and soaring music.

These events went uncontested, and occasionally a cloaked pony would be seen amongst the throng of beings enjoying themed snacks and assorted knickknacks available to buy in the name of protectors and villain both. Many wondered if it was a princess in disguise, there to indulge without being accosted for their version of what had happened. However, none had dared approached these ponies, potentially out of fear or out of respect for privacy.

It took fifty years for the city to be completely repaired and rebuilt, the systems refined after being putting into place, and for the ponies to truly feel safe again within the kingdom of Equestria. Through it all the princesses did their best to retain order, to foster friendships as they blossomed and to defend their home from the other villains that came and went like the wind. The dead were honored, gravestones gleaming in the sun and moon as seasons wheeled and changed. The names of the innocent were read out annually at the memorial, a way to preserve their legacy and to remind Celestia of the cost of losing herself to her inner darkness.

None could fault her for this, many ponies respected her for her strict stance on remembering the lives she had taken while she had held the mantle of a nightmare. Whatever misgivings that were there initially had faded as she attended every ceremony, standing with perfect posture as Celestia was every inch a princess who was determined never to forget the consequences of her actions. Her voice never wavered, her demeanor never cracked. Her will was as strong as iron, though her heart remained heavy.

The diarchy was forever changed; though Princesses Celestia and Luna remained cordial to their subjects the prices they had paid had been great. Their lights had been dimmed, and while many forgave their actions the ones who had had to bury their loved ones quite understandably held on to the hatred and the pain. Princess Twilight Sparkle remained in her role as the Element of Magic, defending when she had to but otherwise shuttered herself within the great castle as caretaker to the sisters.

Time continued on nonetheless, and soon only Twilight herself remained as ruler of Equestria. She was the sole reminder that the legends that were whispered under the stars next to campfires had nuggets of truth to them, though if she was asked Princess Twilight simply stared with a Mona Lisa smile instead of responding. Some ponies consumed themselves with learning everything they could from the history books, pouring over drawings and paintings of the queen and desperately researching for answers.

None received any answers outside of the texts, even with the festival that had grown to a massive annual event that culminated in the memorial for the dead. Princess Twilight Sparkle had taken over for Celestia now that she was gone, reading aloud the names and moving through the ceremony with the grace of her predecessor. The descendants were touched that after all this time their ancestors were remembered, the innocents who had been killed were not forgotten like dust in the wind.

When she felt it was time, Twilight moved out of the ancient castle in the deep of the night while her guards slumbered. She was tired, her bones ached, and her great life had finally come to an end. Moving slowly out of the city, she found a hilltop under the stars and made her way to the top of it. Sides heaving from the effort, Twilight looked up at the sky.

"Queen Powēhi!" she called. "I am ready, take me home."

The heavens overhead opened, and the queen beyond the stars slowly descended. She looked unchanged, while the lavender princess had aged beyond her prime. As she became level with the one who had summoned her all those years ago, she smiled.

"Come," Powēhi said simply. "I will show you what it is like to rule eternally among the cosmos."

Twilight bowed her head in agreement, and bounded up with the exuberance of a filly. Laughter spilled from her, joy at how light her body had become. She shimmered with vitality, eagerly joining the queen as they both returned to the skies from whence she'd come. Not for one moment was this questioned, certainty filling her as surely as the breath of new life.

It was the next morning when the royal guards found the body of their beloved princess, lying peacefully underneath the bower of a tree on a hilltop as though she was sleeping. Twilight Sparkle was buried with the ceremony befitting her station, and the country mourned her passing as others came into their abilities as the new bearers of the Elements of Harmony. And so it continued, stories woven into legend while the truth lingered in secrets between pages of history books.

Author's Note

three years ago i started this story, a dark piece originally intended to just get the desire to write something dark and gory out of my system. i'm not much of a planner kind of person, i usually let the stories take me where they see fit. the queen named after a black hole was never meant to be in this story, but i was so inspired by the drawings of her on deviant art i just had to write her in.

somehow along the way it became something more akin to an epic tale, and i hope that this ending is as worthy as its beginning. thank you for reading, from the bottom of my heart.