Echoes of Equestria: Pinnacles of Unity - Follow Up Chapters
It was a week after my confrontation of the Elements. A week of waiting for Twilight to finally convince Celestia, Luna, and Discord to free Cozy Glow. However she failed to convince the former princesses, so she came to me and asked that I speak to them.
So, here I was. Once again in that same sitting room I saw Twilight in the day after I first arrived here—about to match wits with the former diarchs of Equestria.
“I don’t see how you expect him to sway us.” Luna remarked skeptically.
Celestia remained quiet wearing that mask that conveyed nothing, though I was no fool. I knew what she must be thinking. How dare an outsider question our decision?
“Please, just hear him out,” Twilight pleaded.
Sighing, Luna nodded as did Celestia a moment later.
“OK,” I began. “I understand and fully acknowledge Cozy Glow’s past crimes. I further understand why you thought you had to do what you did to her—both times—when you sealed her in Tartarus and then sealing her into stone.”
“Well, if you fully acknowledge that our actions were justified, then why are we here?” Luna demanded.
“I never said I believed you were justified—only that I understood why you acted as you did. But what you did? That was far worse. By any moral standard of reasonable, sentient beings, your actions crossed a line. She’s a little filly.”
“And? Just because of her youthful age, she should be allowed to get away with what adults could not?”
“I never said that either. Would you please do me the kindness of not putting words into my mouth. I would really appreciate that.”
Snorting, Luna nodded.
“Thank you. To continue. As we have seen from Starlight, little foals are quick to emotional overreactions.”
Starlight blushed at this from where she sat with Spike. “Heh. Got ya good with that one didn’t he?” Spike teased. She swatted him playfully on his shoulder.
I cleared my throat, glaring back at them. They had enough common sense to look sheepish.
“As I was saying—Cozy Glow has been friendless from the moment she was born. Nopony wanted anything to do with her, no matter how hard she tried. And that was the problem: she tried too hard. Her desperation annoyed other foals, who decided it was easier to ignore her.”
Celestia spoke for the first time, asking, “And how do you know this?”
“I know it from the talks I’ve had with her parents. Talks you ponies should have had with them. If ya had, you would have come to the realization—that she was not a monster—she was instead a lonely little filly desperate for friendship. A point I made quite clear to Twilight and her friends a week ago.”
“Yes. We have read their transcript of the events of that day.”
My eyes widened. “Wait, you have? I mean… ponies make transcripts?”
“What kind of a question is that?” Everypony asked simultaneously, while Spike snorted in amusement.
Backpedaling like mad I clarified. “My apologies. Still getting used to the whole ponies being sentient and having governments, and courts, and basically being in many ways like humans. You see back home we have ponies as well. They’re not sentient however.”
“What are they then?” Luna asked, her eyes narrowing.
“Just another animal. Like dogs, cats, eagles, fish, etc.”
“Oh.”
“Anyway, as I was saying. If you’ve read all about the events of that day, then why are you refusing to free her?”
Celestia, with a tender look in her eyes, responds gently. “Simon. I understand your need to see justice done, but would you deny us ours?”
“How is it just to treat a little kid so cruelly?”
“Well, let me ask you this: if you were turned to stone for your actions, would you be eager to repeat those actions and risk returning to that state?”
“OK. I get where you’re coming from, but if that is the case—don’t you think that she’s suffered enough? I can tell you—human children’s psyches would have snapped from something like that by now.”
The two former princesses shared a look, luna then turned back toward me, asking curiously, “Truly? Are humans really so feeble?”
My eyes widened, “You’re telling me that ponies faculties—at the age of Cozy Glow—are more mature than us?”
The princesses’ masks—though they struggled to maintain their composure—gradually broke as they devolved into fits of laughter. My face turned red with anger as I stood there, first in disbelief, then in annoyance. The others in the room quickly joined in, leaving me fuming as I waited for them to recover enough to explain what the hell was so funny.
“Excuse me!” I demanded. “Did I miss the joke here or what?”
It was Twilight who pulled herself together enough to answer as the others laughter began to wind down. “Please, forgive us Simon, but you are literally the answer to your own question.”
Huffing in annoyance, I replied incredulously, “What?!”
“Simon. Your age.”
“What about it?”
“You may think that you’ve lost some years, but you haven’t. Right now your body reflects what a pony’s age would be in our world. You understand?”
“What? You’re trying to tell me a pony here is still a foal at 26 years of age?”
Shaking her head she clarified, “No. I’m saying that mentally—foals have fully developed—by the time they reach age 12. Your present age reflects where you are in human development.”
My eyes widened with realization. “You’re saying that ponies develop twice as fast as humans?”
“Well, I couldn’t answer that for all humans without a larger sample size, but going off from what I’ve directly observed from you—as well as what you’ve said about your culture and your actions here today and in the past—I would have to say that in your case, yes. Ponies have developed faster than you. Basically where you see a little defenseless filly, we see a fully developed pony, fully cognizant of her actions and therefore we were fully justified in our actions.”
“B-but, last week…”
“Last week we didn’t know the full circumstances around her actions. You were absolutely correct in everything you said. We’re not backpedaling on that. Believe me. All Celestia is saying is she believes that Cozy could do with a little more time on ice.”
Sighing I look back at Celestia and try one final thing. “What if I took responsibility for her?”
Smiling, with a twinkle in her eye, Celestia replied, “What an interesting suggestion. And how were you planning on reforming her?”
“By offering her my friendship—unconditionally.”
Placing a hoof to her chin she states, “Hmm… You know. I believe that just may work. What say you sister?”
Luna thinks for a moment, then smiles. “I do believe I’m willing to try this.” Her tone and face changes back to serious. “But, if she gets out of hoof again, it’ll be on you Simon to take responsibility.”
Nodding I agreed. “Of course. I wouldn’t have expected any less.”
“Then it’s decided.” Celestia declared.
Appearing before us, Discord exclaimed, “Well, it’s about time. I was getting so bored waiting for you two to come around.”
“Discord, so you’ve been listening in?”
“How could I not? Especially with Twilight having approached me about freeing the little filly days ago.”
Nodding she rises along with Luna. “Then we shall depart for the statue without further delay.”
***
Standing before the statue, the three powerful beings readied themselves. I stood with bated breath as I awaited the moment, they unleashed their combined power to free her.
“Oh come now Tia. Don’t look so worried,” Discord remarked. “I promise to keep a close eye on the little tyke as well. She won’t cause anymore trouble. If she tries, I’ll stick her in my dimension.”
“Well, now. There’s an idea.”
Smirking Luna adds, “Yes. Instead of incarceration in Tartarus or a dungeon, we could make Discord’s dimension a prison.”
Smirking as well, I added, “Yea. Seeing as the only way in or out of that place is via Discord’s magic it would make the perfect prison.”
Oh, please!” Discord exclaimed dramatically, clutching his chest like he’d been mortally wounded. “Turn my humble abode into a prison? You wound me, Luna! Why, my dimension is a sanctuary of creativity and chaos! A place of unparalleled artistic expression! Turning it into a prison would be a travesty! What would I tell my imaginary friends?”
Then, with a mischievous grin, he added, “Although, I suppose if Cozy were to attempt anything funny, she’d have to survive tea with my singing teapot first. It’s a bit pitchy, you know.”
I did a double take as I stared at Discord. D… did he just? He winked at me. He did.
“Well then, shall we proceed?” Luna inquired.
At their nods, they unleashed their power, focusing it on Cozy’s image. Moments later it began to crack and suddenly in a flash of light and sound, she was freed—and falling. Reacting out of instinct I used my magic to catch her and lowered her gently in front of me.
“Oh. Wha… Who… Where?” She woozily shook her head, attempting to clear it. After a few moments her eyes fell on me, then a moment later to the ponies behind me. “You freed me? Why?”
“You can thank Simon for that,” Celestia stated with a measured tone.
Her eyes once again fell on me. As she stood she spoke warily. “Why? Why did you do this? Why do you care? I don’t even know you.”
Smiling, I stated simply, “I want to be your friend.”
“What?” she asked incredulously.
“Cozy. We’re the same. I went for so long without friends. Decades. I understand.”
“Pfft! Decades. Come on. You’re no older than I am.”
“Twilight interjected, “Actually Cozy. Where he comes from, he’s 26 years old.”
“What?!” she asked, her eyes widening.
“It’s a long story, but I would love to tell you all about it. If you’re willing. Maybe over milk and cookies?” I stated, hopeful.
She looked at me for a long moment, as if trying to figure me out, before nodding with a smile, saying, “Yeah. I believe I would like that. Very much.”
“Then shall we, my new friend?”
A single tear rolled down her cheek as she took my proffered hoof. Together we walked to Sugarcube Corner to have a treat and share our stories.
Echoes of Equestria: Pinnacles of Unity - Follow Up Chapters
Twilight can’t get what happened with Simon out of her mind. “I never realized it until now, but looking back—there are so many times when Celestia was wrong.” She begins listing them off as Simon had.
“Celestia sent me to Ponyville to make some friends, knowing Nightmare Moon was returning. I faced Discord with no clue what I was really up against. The whole Crystal Empire thing nearly ended in disaster—which it wouldn’t have—if she had prepared me more and sent some support along with me. And of course being bestowed with all of the princesses’ magic and told to keep quiet about it was completely ludicrous.”
Pausing, she recalls another part of the conversation. “And of course that whole wedding fiasco. To think that Celestia would just dismiss my concerns out of hoof like that without even looking into it.” Her face turns red as her anger at that boils within. “THAT’S IT! SPIIIIIKE!”
“Yes, Twilight?” the dragon asks, running into the room.
“Come on.”
Spike follows her outside as they fly off into the distance.
***
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
Nodding, Twilight says resolutely, “Oh, I’m sure. This has been a long time in coming.”
Arriving at the retirement home of the princesses, Twilight approaches the door and knocks—hard.
A moment later, Celestia answers it. Her eyes beam as she smiles. “Ah, Twilight. This is a pleasant surprise.”
“You won’t think so after I’ve said what I came here to say.”
Blinking, her smile falters. “Twilight, what’s wrong?”
Twilight pushes past her and takes a seat inside, motioning for Celestia to join her. “There are some things Simon has helped me to see more clearly that I wish to discuss with you.”
Celestia takes a seat and nods. “Very well, Twilight. This is obviously troubling you, so speak your mind.”
Taking a deep breath, she begins. “Celestia, for so long, I thought you could do no wrong. You were my teacher, my mentor—my guiding star. I idolized you. But Simon has made me see things differently. And now that I’ve had time to reflect… I can’t stay silent anymore.”
Celestia’s smile falters as Twilight continues, each word carrying years of suppressed emotions. “You sent me to Ponyville knowing Nightmare Moon was returning and told me to make friends without telling me why. You gave me no warning, no explanation, and no real preparation for what I was walking into. I had to figure it all out myself. Do you have any idea how terrified I was? I thought Nightmare Moon was going to kill me.”
Celestia opens her mouth, but Twilight presses on, her voice rising with emotion. “Then there was Discord. You didn’t tell us the first thing about what he was capable of or how dangerous he was. You just… expected us to handle it! We stumbled our way through that, barely managing to pull it off.”
Twilight’s wings flare as she stands, pacing the room now. “And the Crystal Empire? You sent me there with no knowledge of King Sombra, no backup, nothing but some cryptic advice and a ‘you’ll figure it out.’ I came so close to failing. Do you know what that kind of pressure feels like? To carry the fate of an entire kingdom on your shoulders when you don’t even know what you’re up against?”
Celestia’s eyes soften, but Twilight isn’t finished. “And then there was Tirek.” Her voice cracks slightly as she speaks, the memories clearly still raw. “You gave me all of the princesses’ magic and told me to keep it a secret—from my own friends! You expected me to bear that burden alone. And for what? Tirek found out anyway. It made no difference. All it did was isolate me when I needed my friends the most.”
Twilight’s pacing slows as she turns to face Celestia directly. Tears glisten in her eyes, but her voice is steady now, her anger tempered by the pain of disappointment. “I know you believed in me. I know you thought you were helping me grow. But don’t you see? You weren’t just testing me—you were gambling with the lives of everypony who depended on me, and you never stopped to ask if I was ready.”
Celestia’s ears droop slightly, and she lowers her head, but Twilight doesn’t relent. “Do you remember the wedding?” she asks, her tone sharp. “I came to you, desperate, telling you something was wrong with Cadance, and you brushed me off. You didn’t even take a second to consider that I might be right. I trusted you, Celestia. I trusted you. And you made me feel like I was the one who was wrong—for trying to protect the ponies I love.”
Twilight’s voice softens as she takes a step closer to Celestia, her gaze piercing. “You’ve always told me that trust is the foundation of friendship. But trust goes both ways. You put your faith in me time and time again, but you never trusted me enough to give me the tools I needed. You left me to figure it all out on my own, like some kind of test.”
Her voice wavers, but she stands tall, her conviction unwavering. “I thought what I felt for you was devotion, but it wasn’t. It was blind faith. And your actions… they weren’t guiding me—they were reckless. And I can’t pretend it didn’t hurt me anymore. Because it did. It hurt me deeply.”
Celestia finally meets her gaze, her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and regret. “Twilight… I—”
“No,” Twilight interrupts, her voice firm but not unkind. “Let me finish. Because this isn’t just about what you did. It’s about what I allowed. I put you on a pedestal so high that I couldn’t see your flaws, and I convinced myself you were infallible. That’s on me. But you’re not perfect, Celestia. You’ve made mistakes. And the difference now is that I’m no longer afraid to call you out on them.”
The room falls silent for a moment, the weight of Twilight’s words hanging in the air. She takes a deep breath, steadying herself. “I’m not saying all this to hurt you. I still respect you, and I’ll always be grateful for everything you’ve taught me. But part of being devoted to someone—truly devoted—is holding them accountable. And I can’t let you off the hook anymore.”
Celestia nods slowly, her expression unreadable. “You’ve grown so much, Twilight. More than I ever could have imagined.”
Twilight nods back, her resolve solidified. “I have. And it’s time I started acting like it.”
A muffled snort from the doorway breaks the heavy silence. Both mares turn to see Luna leaning casually against the doorframe, her face split with a mischievous grin.
“I was wondering when somepony would finally call you out on your BS, dear sister,” Luna says, her voice tinged with amusement.
Celestia shoots her younger sister a glare, her composure cracking just slightly. “Luna…”
“Oh, don’t give me that look,” Luna says, waving a hoof dismissively. “You know as well as I do that Twilight’s right. You’ve been playing the long game with your students for centuries, and it’s about time somepony held you accountable.”
Twilight blinks, her anger momentarily replaced by confusion. “Wait, you knew?”
“Of course I knew,” Luna replies, smirking. “Do you have any idea how many nights I spent watching the moon while Celestia here crafted her ‘enigmatic mentor’ persona? It’s almost impressive, really.”
Celestia groans, placing a hoof over her face. “Luna, this really isn’t helping.”
Spike, who has been silently listening from the corner, suddenly bursts out laughing. “Oh man, this is priceless!”
“Spike!” Twilight hisses, though a small smile tugs at her lips.
“What?” Spike says, holding up his claws defensively. “She’s not wrong!”
Luna chuckles, clearly enjoying herself. “Carry on, Twilight. I just wanted to bear witness to history in the making. Oh, and Celestia?”
Celestia sighs deeply, bracing herself. “Yes, Luna?”
Luna grins cheekily. “Don’t worry. If Twilight decides to give you more grief about your decisions later, I’ll make sure she knows where to find you.”
With that, she trots away, leaving Celestia shaking her head in exasperation, Twilight trying not to burst out laughing herself, and Spike still chuckling quietly in the corner. The tension in the room eases just slightly, but the weight of the conversation lingers, unspoken yet understood.
Twilight then stands. “Well, I’ve said all I came to say. I feel so much better having gotten that all off my chest.”
Celestia remains quiet as Twilight turns to leave. Stopping, she glances back over her shoulder. “Oh, and Celestia.”
Too stunned by all that she has heard, she simply raises her head to look at her former student.
“Remember when I tried to convince you to free Cozy Glow? Well, consider yourself on notice. Next time I’m not asking—I’m commanding.” And with that, she marches off like a boss.
***
The silence hangs in the air for a minute as Spike’s last words fade. Finally, Simon finds his voice. “Way to go, Twilight. Ha, ha! That’s the way it’s done.”
“Yeah. It was quite the spectacle. Gave me goosebumps.”
“Do dragons even get those?”
“Heh, heh.”
Guess Twilight won’t be blinded by adoration of somepony ever again. Good on her. “Well, Spike, this was great and all, but it’s almost dinner time. Catch ya later.”
Nodding, Spike says, “Yup. Cya.” The two hoofbump as Simon takes his leave.
