In Youth Eternal - A Dark Secret

Chapter 20: Epilogue

A tense and awkward silence lingered in the damp air of the courtyard. The onlooking Royal Guards were absolutely quiet, silently watching. Even Wind Rider fell silent, unable to say or do anything at the time. The only sound to be heard was the sound of the raindrops striking the cobblestone walkways, and the occasional booming of thunder in the distance.

The armored pegasus, second-in-command of the guard, felt utterly lost at the moment. He had no idea where Captain Strong Wing was, and the Princesses had just been trapped in stone seals before his very eyes. He was in shock, but at the same time, he felt a strong sense of duty to arrest the treasonous element wielders.

It was the only thing he could think to do. After all, the princesses ruled Equestria, and the wielders of the Elements of Harmony had just dethroned them. To him, acts of treason should be met with execution. With that in mind, he made a decision. Breaking the silence, he gave the order.

“Guards! Execute them!” Wind rider yelled, pointing a hoof at the Mane 6 and their baby dragon accomplice. The Mane 6, having no time to celebrate yet, jumped into defensive positions. They each stood back-to-back, surrounded by dozens and dozens of guards that closed in around them.

Tensions rose quickly, as the Mane 6 may have yet another fight on their hooves. Twilight Sparkle, still adorned with the Element of Magic, could still feel immense power flowing through her. The mare’s horn lit up brighter than usual, erecting a barrier around her and her friends.

The guards rushed the purple colored barrier en masse, attempting to break it down with all their might. However, it was to no avail. Twilight had far too much raw power at her disposal for her barrier to be broken easily. Even the armored unicorns and their magic could not pierce it.

“Don’t worry, guys. I’ll just teleport us away from here!” she exclaimed. Her horn lit up brighter, just about ready to teleport her friends away. Before she could, however, a voice called out.

“That is enough!” shouted an approaching gruff voice. The guards stopped trying to break through Twilight’s barrier, turning to face the source of the familiar voice. As they did so, Twilight stopped her attempt at teleportation, also turning her head to the source, followed by the rest of the her friends.

Captain Strong Wing swooped down to the ground from out of the sky. He touched down several meters away from where the guards surrounded the Mane 6.

“I order you all to stand down at once!” he ordered, raising his voice to assert his authority. The guards looked nervous as they backed away from the edge of the barrier. Twilight Sparkle and her friends were somewhat confused, giving strange looks, with the exception of Pinkie Pie.

“Hiya Captain!” chimed the bubbly pink mare, bouncing up and down as she waved a hoof at him.

Captain Strong Wing simply nodded back at the the pink earth pony in response.

Recalling Pinkie Pie’s explanation, and remembering his promise, Twilight lowered the protective barrier. It seemed that he only wanted to talk.

“All of you, return to the castle immediately. I will take care of things from here,” he ordered, giving a sweeping glance at the guards. The tone of his voice continued to carry a serious authority. The guards were hesitant to leave, but complied regardless. They knew their Captain would know what he was doing. With that, the armored ponies, Wind Rider included, retreated back to the castle.

They all herded their way towards the main castle entrance, which was partially destroyed as collateral damage from Princess Celestia. Wind Rider had decided to oversee immediate repairs to the castle.

Now that the Captain and the Mane 6, with Spike, were alone, conversation and explaining would ensue.

“Ya ain’t gonna try an’ rough us up again, are ya’?” asked Applejack.

“No,” replied the Captain, calmly shaking his head. “If that were my intention, I would not have sent the guards away,” he explained as he made gestures with a hoof. “But, I do suppose some explanation is in order, given how I have done nothing but antagonize you.”

“That would be appreciated,” said Twilight, giving a sheepish grin.

“Very well,” the armored pegasus replied, nodding. “You see, I owe a lot of it to your pink friend,” he began to explain, gesturing a hoof towards Pinkie Pie. The pink mare smiled and bounced up and down in place.

“It was because of her, that I saw how strong your friendship was. After taking her to the infirmary, where I had our best medics arrange for her quick and swift recovery, I thought hard about everything,” he spoke, his voice calm. “I thought about all of the moral implications of sacrificing for immortality. I thought once more about the bonds of your friendship. I thought about Equestria’s future without the princesses. I have to admit, the next best thing after them is indeed you, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight blushed at his last comment, but she couldn’t help but smile. Indeed, she had excellent organization and leadership skills.

As his explanation continued of things, the Mane 6 and Spike listened intently. The group of friends could not help but smile more and more as it went on.

“...Afterwards, when your friend’s recovery was nearly completed, I retrieved the Elements of Harmony for you, which were hidden in Princess Celestia’s bed chamber,” he continued. “Once her wounds were healed, I gave her the elements and sent her on her way, where she went to aid you all immediately.”

Captain Strong Wing had finished his explanation. “And that, as they say, is that,” he said, commenting on his own little speech. Everypony gave him an approving smile.

“Well, I don’t think we could have won without your help. So, I thank you!” replied the lavender unicorn, smiling happily. However, despite the victory that Twilight and her friends attained, there was still one more problem lingering in the back of her mind. A valid problem, about the very future of Equestria from now on.

“But, something still bothers me,” said Twilight, turning her head towards the now statue-imprisoned royal sisters with a solemn look. The Captain easily caught on to what she was getting at.

“About who will rule Equestria, and move the sun and moon across the sky,” he stated, finishing her thoughts. Twilight turned back to the Captain, giving him a slow nod.

“I wasn’t lying when I said you are the next best choice in terms of leadership. However, the Sun and the Moon are indeed a different story.” he told the lavender, looking up into the sky. The rain had ceased, as the clouds were beginning to clear, letting streaks of golden sunlight pierce through the gaps in the clouds. “I’m not sure today’s unicorns are prepared for such a task.”

Twilight lowered her head. The princesses, tyrants in their own right, had at last been defeated. And yet, the land almost needed them to survive. The cycle of the moon and the sun was important for the ecosystem after all. And the ‘heros’ just broke it.

“I’m sorry, Miss Sparkle,” said the Captain, somewhat solemnly. “But, I must be off to inform the guards; to fill them in on everything that has transpired.” The Captain began to trot off towards the castle. But then he stopped, and turned his head to look at Twilight. “And, later, I would like to discuss the leadership situation. Meet me in the castle when you’re ready.”

With that, he spread his wings and gracefully took off towards the castle, leaving a blazing wind in his wake. The Mane 6 kept their eyes fixed on him until he disappeared into the damaged castle.

“So, what will you do, Twilight?” Rarity inquired, placing a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. She showed a saddened concern in her eyes.

The lavender unicorn remained silent for a moment, thinking about everything that’s happened. Although the mare wasn’t fond of the idea, Twilight knew in her heart what she should do. Her head hung lower.

“For the sake of all of Equestria,” she began. The mare lifted her head, giving her friends a sweeping glance. “I know I must take up the throne. Even if I don’t want to, there is nopony else who can.” Her voice carried impressions of discontent.

Spike slowly walked up to Twilight, giving the lavender unicorn a warm embrace. “We’ll stick with you, no matter what your decision is. Right guys?” Spike said, turning his head back to face the rest of the Mane 5.

“I know I will!” said Rainbow Dash, being the element of loyalty.

 The others smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Even if you are the new Princess, that doesn’t mean we can’t stop being friends. Right?” Rarity said, embracing Twilight alongside Spike.

“Yeah! We can still have visits and parties, can’t we Twilight!?” chimed Pinkie, joining in on the hug.

A tear rolled down Twilight’s cheeks as a smile passed over her visage. “Of course, my friends,” she said with a calm, reassuring happiness. Everypony leaned in to complete the group hug. They took a moment of silence as they embraced, each one deep in thought.

Then there was light. Blinding lights suddenly emanated from each of the jewels encrusted in the Elements of Harmony. The group of friends broke their embrace at the sudden surprise in a state of understandable confusion. A single beam of light from each of the Elements of Harmony, striking the statues the royal sisters had been trapped in.

The group looked on as the beams of light ceased, but a haunting glow surrounded the statues of the sister alicorns. The horns and wings of Celestia and Luna mysteriously faded away, causing the pair to merely resemble tall, sleek earth ponies.

Moments passed before the mysterious light suddenly leaped from the statues of the royal alicorn sisters. The group could barely blink before the light struck Twilight Sparkle, knocking her back. However, floated several inches above the ground, as the light became much brighter. The group couldn’t even look at Twilight, having to bring their hooves up to shield their eyes from the radiant light.

Twilight was in a trance like state as the light enveloped her body. The lavender unicorn had been overcome with vast amounts of the raw power. She could feel herself gaining more power, while at the same time, her mind was flooded with all sorts of additional knowledge and wisdom. Her head hurt a little, taking in so much information at once.

The light subsided after several seconds as Twilight Sparkle was dropped onto her haunches, dazed. Her friends lowered their hooves (or in Spike’s case, claws) as they opened their eyes. They all looked on in awe.

“Tw-Twilight?” Spike choked, pointing at her with a claw. The others were speechless.

Twilight smiled warmly as she looked skyward, her eyes calm. “It’s alright, my friends. I... I feel so much power. I suddenly... know so many things. It’s unreal...” she said with an eerie calmness, momentarily overcome with a euphoria of power.  The mare shifted her head, looking back down at her friends.

“What... happened?” asked Fluttershy, tilting her head just a notch.

Twilight stood back up properly on all fours as she looked to her back, spotting a pair of wings. With a quick glance up at her forehead, she observed her horn was a little longer and sharper. In addition, her mane, while maintaining its usual color scheme, appeared to be flowing.

With that, she returned her warm gaze with a stress relieving sigh. “I know what’s going on,” she claimed, giving a sweeping glance at her friends. “The Elements of Harmony have decided to transfer the roles of Celestia and Luna to me, giving me their power and wisdom. The knowledge of this phenomenon was among the information granted to me,” the new alicorn finished, with a light chuckle.

“So, the Elements of Harmony made you into an alicorn?” inquired the cyan pegasus as she tilted her head. Twilight simply nodded.

A beat of silence ensued, the friends of Twilight Sparkle unnerved. What would happen from now on? They all felt uneasy, now that it was clear that Twilight would indeed have to be the next princess. All doubts about that vanished now that Twilight was an alicorn.

Twilight could see the uneasiness that her friends felt, and wanted to reassure them. “Don’t worry, guys. This will not have to affect our friendship at all. Remember?” the lavender alicorn spoke, smiling warmly at her friends. “No matter what, we’re friends. Forever.”

No more words needed to be spoken as the final bit of reassurance struck their ears. Tears rolled down the cheeks of her friends, as they smiled back. From the looks of things, her reassurance worked. The friends grouped up one more time for an enormous, warm embrace.

This time, it went uninterrupted.

*     *     *

Captain Strong Wing directed his attention to the door as he heard a knock. The seasoned veteran got up from his chair as he set down a book that he had been reading on his night stand. He had turned in for the day. The past few days had been long and tiresome. At the moment, he was not wearing his armor.

The pegasus trotted over to the door of his personal quarters, nudging it open to see who it was.

A lavender figure came into view upon the door swing open. Her mane flowed in the air, as if caught up in a breeze. A horn, longer and sharper than a normal unicorn’s, adorned her forehead. A pair of wings hugged the sides of her body in a folded state. After a brief look over, he made eye contact with the mare before him, who smiled at him.

“Hello, Captain,” greeted Twilight Sparkle, stepping into the Captain’s quarters. The stallion made no objections to Twilight’s entrance into his quarters. He promptly shut the door behind her.

“Miss Sparkle... I didn’t expect to see you this soon,” said Strong Wing.

Twilight chuckled lightly as she turned towards him. “So, I take it you explained everything to the guards to make them understand?” inquired the lavender alicorn.

The Captain nodded. “Yes. At first, they were shocked, but they eventually came to understand. I also told them to expect confirmation as to whether or not you will take up the throne,” he explained. Then, his eyes scanned Twilight’s body one more time for a brief moment. “And, I have observed you are now an alicorn. How peculiar,” he stated calmly.

“Well, fortunately, it didn’t take long for me to decide.” she told him. “And, we have the Elements of Harmony to thank for me being an alicorn.” Strong Wing arched a brow at this.

Twilight quickly noted his curiosity. “The Elements of Harmony somehow transferred the power and wisdom of both Celestia and Luna to me,” she explained, gesturing with a hoof. “To be honest, at first, I didn’t want to take on the role of ruler of Equestria. However, now that I have the combined powers and wisdom of Celestia and Luna, I don’t feel afraid to take up the throne anymore.” With that, Twilight smiled warmly, having finished her relatively brief explanation.

“I see,” the pegasus replied. “I shall make the announcement confirming your ascendance as the new Princess.” Captain Strong Wing closed his and gave Twilight a bow, acknowledging the new alicorn as his ruler.

“Please... You do not need to be so formal with me,” muttered Twilight, placing a hoof on the Captain’s shoulder.

Strong Wing rose from his bowing position and nodded. “Alright then,” he said calmly. “Now, if you will excuse me, I will go spread word of this.” With that, Strong Wing began to exit his quarters.

“By the way,” spoke Twilight, with Strong Wing stopping in his tracks. He turned to look at the alicorn. She simply smiled. “There are no hard feelings,” she said, referencing their earlier conflict under Celestia’s rule. "I would like us to become friends."

Her words had actually managed to get the hardened veteran to crack a genuine smile. With a smile adorning his visage, he promptly nodded. "I think I would like that," replied Captain Strong Wing. Twilight returned his response with a warm smile.

And with that, he darted out of the room, making his way down the corridor to alert the rest of the Royal Guard on the new developments of the situation.

Twilight Sparkle smiled warmly once more after the Captain left. Her horn lit up, and with a flash, the lavender alicorn vanished.

*     *     *

A month flew by since Princess Twilight Sparkle took up throne as the new ruler of Equestria. The announcement to the entirety of Equestria, and following ceremony had all passed by pleasantly. The first order of business she attended to was adjusting to her new life, and helping rebuild the damaged castle. Due to her direct help, the castle had been repaired in no time.

Strong Wing continued onward as the Captain of the Royal Guard, faithfully serving Princess Twilight Sparkle. The two had formed their own friendship bond, something that the Captain would admit felt warm. Friendship felt... nice.

The citizens of Equestria were initially surprised at the change in authority. For their whole lives, the ponies of Equestria lived under rule of Princess Celestia, followed by assistance from her younger sister, Princess Luna a little later on. Fortunately, Princess Twilight Sparkle had managed to educate the population on the situation, while leaving out the gorier details in her speeches.

Afterwards, she worked diligently to create elaborate schedules for her duties as Princess; something that came easily to her. She did not feel the need to change too much. Rather, the lavender alicorn tweaked existing policies to improve them, or remove any unnecessary ones.

Day and night, Princess Twilight would use her newfound power to raise the sun and moon in place of Celestia and Luna, whose statues had been since been moved to the statue garden outside the castle. It was there, that they would remain trapped forever in their stone prisons. An ironic end, that Princess Celestia and her sister got what they wanted *that way.*

Due to her power and knowledge, moving the Sun and the Moon were like second nature to her. Twilight found that the task to be easy enough to perform in her sleep, should it come to that.

During the past month, the alicorn had also come to take up a protege of her own. A unicorn mare named Radiant Dawn, who was sky blue in color, with yellow and orange mane. Her cutie mark resembled a four-pointed star, which was golden in color. Fortunately for this mare, Princess Twilight had no intentions of sacrificing her for immortality. There would be no dark secrets this time.

Due to having a smooth time running Equestria, Princess Twilight always had time to schedule something very dear to her. The alicorn, with Spike and Radiant Dawn at her side, made weekly visits to Ponyville to visit her best friends, and spend time with them, devoting the whole day to visiting. The alicorn’s protege always had wonderful time getting to know, and partying the other element wielders.

Pinkie Pie always threw a party to welcome Princess Twilight on her visits. They never disappointed. Her five best friends never failed to show up to the parties, which naturally had the usual Pinkie Pie style of fun.

Princess Twilight Sparkle could not be happier with her life now. Nothing changed between her and her best friends, and had made a new one in her own protege, despite the drastic change in her life. That was most important to her.

With that, Princess Twilight Sparkle had a wonderful future ahead of her. Although, it disheartened her to know that she would outlive her best friends by several centuries. Alicorns, not having immortality, but merely longer life spans, could outlive other ponies by at least a thousand years. Princess Twilight would however find comfort in knowing that she too will one day pass away, to join her friends in he afterlife. But that was still a ways off.

And now, wouldn’t just be a new day for Equestria. It would be a new age for Equestria, ushered in by Princess Twilight Sparkle. She planned to work hard to create an even superior utopia for all ponykind.

And life was pretty good.