The Twilight Presence

[Night Sky 1,447]

They traveled through history and reached legend, and from there they proceeded into myth. On the left hand side of this image, you will see all of the clues with which Argyle had surrounded himself. I often wonder, could Argyle have possibly known just how ancient Grogar's Bell actually is? Did he really understand what function Mage Meadowbrook's mask had served? Exactly why did he make a Spike stuffed animal for Sunny?

Perhaps if they had not killed Argyle off after a whole ten minutes of screen time, some of these questions could have been answered, or at least hinted at.

On the right hand side of this image, you will see artifacts which demonstrate how the echo of Twilight Sparkle was a constant presence in the lives of Argyle and Sunny Starscout. Argyle had worn Twilight's cutie mark like a Christian wears a cross. He was no mere scholar or digger. Sunny's journal and knapsack are beautiful pieces of custom leatherwork. Argyle made them with his own two hooves for his daughter to use in her daily life. I wonder if the cutie mark pins on the knapsack's strap looked like medieval coats of arms to the ponies of Maretime Bay.

And then there is the lantern, an object which transcends either of the two categories mentioned so far. Superficially, it was as charming and lovingly handmade as anything else that Argyle had fashioned. The real question for which we will never have a decisive answer is, how had Argyle come to be the steward of the earth pony unity crystal?

Queen Haven never took off her crown, ever. And it took the possibility of possessing another unity crystal to make Alpha Bittle even consider parting with his own. Let us not forget, after losing to Sunny at Just Prance, he not only refused to part with the unicorn crystal, he tried to seize the pegasus crystal for himself. Their own predecessors must have imparted to Queen Haven and Alpha Bittle some vague, half-remembered and poorly understood sense that these objects were sacred.

Argyle took a different approach, but nonetheless practiced a great deal of care and restraint in doing so. He transferred possession of the crystal to his daughter while she was just a filly, without telling her about it before she was ready. Maybe Argyle knew that he might not be around to see her reach adulthood. He didn't want the crystal to be snagged or lost to random chance. Hidden in the lantern, the crystal would be safe in a precious, but humble object from her father, that no rapacious adult ponies would pay attention to, and that Sunny would be unlikely to toss into a dumpster.

Clearly, Argyle understood that the universe asks for faith that it will unfold as it should, in its own good time. Bringing about the return of Harmony had been Argyle's life's work, and even though the time was finally approaching, he never tried to hasten its arrival. Argyle must have been the final keeper of an ancient and quiet lineage, that went all the way back to Princess Twilight Sparkle, and her plans for Equestria's eventual renewal.

Front and center, they need no introduction from me. They watched over Sunny's life until she was ready to fulfill her destiny, silent totems but effacious nonetheless. Their gaze also reaches right through the screen, and they address themselves to us as well. It is up to each of us to be keepers of whatever it was that they had to say to us individually.

In the background Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark sails above a tower of stained glass that colors the pure light of the sun. It has become a transcendental icon, shining resplendently in rays of cleansing bright light, exactly where it belongs.