//------------------------------//
// Aftermath and Forgiveness 
// Story: The Second Story of Sky Blue 
// by Capulus 
//------------------------------//

Sky came back to herself, and saw everypony in the room, including the now conscious Octavia, Lyra, and Doctor Whooves looking at her with worry in their faces. Sky took a deep breath, flew over to Rainbow, landed in front of her and smiled.
“He’s gone. Again. But he’ll be back.”
“He always comes back.” Rainbow said.
“Alright, now that we’ve dealt with that, can we finish this? We all know Zoom had been brainwashed. So he obviously wasn’t objecting of his own free will. And I doubt anypony else is going to object.” Sky looked and saw that Zoom was being carried away by Big Macintosh, who was wearing a small black bow-tie and a frustrated look. Celestia blinked once.
Twice.
Thrice.
Then she shook her head and tried to remember where they had left off.
“Oh yes! So, if there are no objections, I now pronounce these two Wife and Wife.” The newly married pegasi kissed, and everypony, although still a little confused, had heard what they were waiting for, and they all applauded, and continued applauding as they walked out of the hall. Octavia, being a professional, had pulled herself together, arranged the ‘small orchestra’ and they were now playing some happy wedding music as Sky and Rainbow walked out. Sky remembered something that Rarity had been stressing about, and, without warning, used a small propulsion spell to launch both of their bouquets in to the air. Every mare in the room dived for cover as Rarity leapt forward and grabbed Sky’s, a hungry look in her eyes. The room was silent as the second one flew towards Fluttershy, and hit her in the face, landing in her outstretched hooves. She blinked a few times, and then sighed.
“Rarity is going to want to plan mine as well, won’t she?” Sky and Rainbow laughed, and the crowd started cheering and applauding again, as Sky and Rainbow continued toward’s their transport.
When they were in their carriage, and moving slowly towards the main part of the castle --where Celestia had said to meet them as they broke apart, and just before the applause started-- Rainbow hugged Sky tightly.
“Well... We did it! We just got married! And the Wonderbolts were there! Yeah!” She turned and saw them doing flips and spins and loops in the air, and instead of disappearing like normal, their storm cloud trails stayed in the air, and spelt the phrase;

Congratulations 
Rainbow 
Dash!

Rainbow watched in silent awe, then she turned to Sky and kissed her.
“You could have had anything in the world... Money... Power... Anything... And you asked for the Wonderbolts... And not even for you... For me... You love me that much?”
“We just got married and you’re seriously asking me that question?”
“I’ve known couples who would never have done that for each other, even after they got married. It’s so strange, when I crashed into you not so long ago, I was talking to the one who I would eventually fall in love with and marry.”
“You fell in love after that. I fell in love then. Well... It wasn’t really love. It was more physical.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“Let me finish. I spent more time with you, and as I got to know you, and I fell in love with you.”
“I didn’t realise it until the first nightmare Chrysalis made me see. Funny, the one who said using love to gain power was a ridiculous sentiment was the one who made me realise how I felt about you.”
“Yes, very ironic.”
They sat in happy silence for a while, but they stopped outside the castle, and they both went in, as Big Macintosh walked past them. He nodded at them, and Sky knew that this was his way of saying congratulations. They walked in to the huge throne room, just as Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity and Celestia teleported in front of them. All of them except Twilight and Celestia looked dizzy for a moment, and Fluttershy said quietly;
“How do you do that so often, Twilight?”
“You get used to it.” Celestia walked unsteadily up to her throne, and sat down on it uncomfortably. This was when Sky noticed Zoom, unconscious, and lying next to Celestia’s royal chair.
“So, is this when we help him?”
“Yes, Sky. Sorry to take away the momentum from your wedding, but I know you can wait to leave for your honeymoon for a little while at least. And it would take too long to get a message to you, wherever you are when he wakes up naturally. Could you please, Sky?” Celestia nodded to Zoom, and Sky nodded as well, and dragged him to lay in front of Celestia. She went through her colossal library of spells, and remembered one that would work.
"Onwecnan.” Zoom jerked awake, and when he laid eyes on Sky, he shot up and went to attack her. AJ was the first to react as Zoom went to tackle Sky, pushing him to the ground.
“Zoom! Calm down! Sky just wants to talk!”
“NO! SHE IS THE REASON LAURA IS DEAD!” He thrashed about, and it said something about the grief he was feeling that he almost threw AJ off. Sky just walked up to him and looked at AJ.
“Looks like I have to.”
“You sure he won’t just hate you more?”
“We’ll have to see.”
“Okay.” AJ relaxed her grip, and when Zoom broke away and tried to attack Sky again, she just said the spell she was thinking of under her breath;
“Resurgere.” Zoom’s eyes slammed shut and he closed the last of the distance between him and Sky by sliding along the floor. Celestia and the others looked confused. AJ said;
“Ah thought you were just going to calm him down?”
“No, I did something better. I gave him a chance to talk with somepony special one last time.”

Zoom opened his eyes and saw... Nothing. He made sure his eyes were open, and waved his hoof in front of his face. Yep, definitely open. He looked around, and saw something approaching out of the gloom. Something green. No, not something... Somepony...
Laura...
He galloped towards her, and when they reached each other he hugged her with so much emotion, that anypony who had known him all his life would have been shocked, as Zoom was usually quiet and calm.
“Laura... I wished I could have seen you one last time... Wait, did Sky kill me too? Was it so I didn’t ruin her secret?”
“Zoom, calm down. Firstly, you aren’t dead, and we only have a short time to talk before I go back into the void. So don’t interrupt, please. Secondly, Sky didn’t kill me on purpose. She was surprised by the Changeling ambush, and she cast a spell without thinking. The spell had too much energy, and the last of it was used on me. Thirdly, I wasn’t forgotten, and Sky didn’t brainwash anypony. My family was given compensation, and Sky herself apologised to them. They forgave her, and everything has started to settle down. Mum still misses me, but the money for compensation has made her life infinitely better. Fourthly, You should stop mourning me and move on Zoom.”
Zoom stroked her face, and noticed she was taking on a slight transparency. A few warm tears rolled down his face as he noticed she was fading faster.
“Laura. I love you. I always did, I always will. But... If you want me to, I will move on. I will never forget you though Laura. But... You’re right. I have to find somepony else to love and spend my life with.” He looked at Laura, and saw she was almost totally gone. “Goodbye... My love.” He closed his eyes, and felt Laura’s soft lips brush his, and he heard her say;
“Goodbye to you too, my love.” And then the soft pressure of her hoof on his cheek disappeared, and he was left alone in the darkness, crying as hard as he ever had, knowing that that would be the last time he ever spoke to her... Or... At least in this lifetime. He screamed at the sky, as much of a sky as there was here. And then the nothingness faded, to be replaced with more nothing as his eyes closed.

The seven elements and Celestia were silent as Zoom opened his eyes. He blinked a few times in the sudden light, but rolled onto his hooves and walked towards Sky. Rainbow looked as though she was about to attack him, but Sky held up a hoof and Rainbow leaned back, while still ready to pounce if need be. Zoom reached Sky and hugged her with his forehooves.
“Thank you... So much... And... I’m sorry for ruining your wedding day.”
Sky stood back, and looked at him with a blank look. Then she smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Never mind, mate! I’m happy to do that for you. I took her away, and, although it wasn’t for long, I gave Laura back to you. It was the best I could do to make up for taking her away in the first place.”
“She told me... She told me to move on and stop mourning. But, couldn’t you... Bring her back? Give me more time?”
“I’m sorry. It’s a one use only thing. I can only give you a few minutes with somepony. But I can only bring them back once.”
“Okay... Thank you...” Zoom looked at a loss for words. He turned and addressed Celestia directly. “Princess Celestia... Because of me, Discord returned. He may not have done any serious damage, but it is still my fault. I chose to hate Sky, even though she didn’t do what she did on purpose. I chose to carry that feeling.”
“No you didn’t. Discord has hypnotised minds stronger than yours. It was his fault that you held on to it and brought it here. It was Discord who brought about his own return. You did not help him of your own will. And the fact that you apologised and recognised what you had done shows that you wouldn’t have done it of your own volition even if Discord had offered you revenge personally. He poisoned your thoughts. I will not punish you for something he did.”
“Thank you, Princess. Now, I know it is a bit random, but may I ask about one thing?”
“Yes. What do you wish to know?”
“I was wondering if there was any available accommodation in Ponyville? In the few days I was there, even though it was through a veil of hate, I grew to like the town. Are there any places available for me to buy? I know my family should be able to help with some money.” Celestia looked taken aback by this for a moment, but she slowly smiled and replied with;
“Of course, I believe there are a few houses available for sale. Are you sure you don’t want to live with your family?”
“No, I think it would be best to start my life now, instead of living at home all my life.”
“Very well.”
Celestia looked slightly amused by this, as it seemed too ordinary a conversation, after what had just happened. But then Sky cleared her throat and said;
“Um, princess? Could me and Rainbow please leave? We would like to get to the train station and start our honeymoon as soon as possible.” Celestia laughed and replied with;
“Of course, and I hope you enjoy your honeymoon. And Zoom, I shall speak with the mayor about housing, and she will get a message to you as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, Princess.”
And with this, Twilight turned to the others and asked them if they were ready to teleport back to Ponyville. Celestia asked to stay, as she was slowly getting better with walking. Twilight had been disappointed at this, as she was loving spending so much time with her mentor.
“Don’t worry, my faithful student. I’ll make sure to come to Ponyville for visits more often.” Twilight smiled widely at this, and her horn glowed brightly before her and the other five --Pinkie, AJ, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Zoom-- disappeared. Celestia looked at Sky, and asked;
“May I ask where were you planning on going for your honeymoon? I’m curious.”
“Well, me and Rainbow were going to travel across Equestria. It will take a few weeks minimum, but the Weather Patrol was only too happy to give us the time off.”
“Very well. I hope you enjoy you honeymoon, Sky Blue, and you too Rainbow Dash.”
“Thank you, Princess.” They both said this at the same time, and then turned and left, towards their honeymoon, and from there, their life together. Ha! If only it were that simple. With Discord still around, we’ll have quite a job ahead of us. Not even Celestia knows how many pieces he still has around Equestria. But now isn’t the time to worry about that. I just want to enjoy this moment with Rainbow Dash. They walked out to their carriage, and in turn, it trundled off to the train station where the newlyweds would take a train to their first destination: Appeloosa.

As the five ponies arrived back in Ponyville, Zoom stumbled away, wondering how Twilight did it so often.
“Sorry Zoom, I should’ve warned you.” Twilight offered him a hoof, and he gladly took it. Twilight pulled him up, and he shook his head.
“I figured you where about to anyway.” Twilight smiled and walked away, with Pinkie following her close behind.
“So, Ah’m guessing you won’t be staying with me any more?”
“Sorry Applejack. Your family should be back soon, and until he moves in with Fluttershy, you still have Big Macintosh.”
“Okay... Good point.” AJ smiled and trotted away. Now it was only Rarity and Zoom left. She pawed the ground awkwardly.
“So, if you’re going to be living here, would you like a tour?”
“Really? I’m surprised you even want to be loosely associated with me, after I ruined the wedding you had been planning for so long.”
“Celestia did say it was Discord, not you. And I would like to get to know you. You seem like a nice enough Colt.”
“Thanks. It might be nice to actually know more about Ponyville.”
“Come with me then. I’ll show you around.”
“Thank you, Rarity.” And with this, Rarity and Zoom walked away, happily chatting about Ponyville. I think this is the start of something special. If only Zoom knew that Rarity was thinking the exact same thing.

Alright, here we go again.
Dear Journal,
It’s been a few months. I only just remembered I was supposed to be writing in you. Ironic that I forgot the thing that was supposed to help me get my memories back if they disappeared again. Me and Rainbow are on the train at the moment, on our way to Appeloosa. I was going through my bags and came across this. We got a message from Twilight earlier today. She just told us what had happened in the two days since we left. Apparently AJ’s stallion’s negotiations didn’t go for as long as he expected, and he’s now back, and just in time too, as Big Macintosh has finally moved in with Fluttershy. Celestia has put out a decree that any strange stone objects are to be turned over to her immediately, so she can have them destroyed. Apparently the talon in Zoom’s saddlebags had re-hardened, and Celestia had asked Twilight to ask me what the spell to destroy it was. I sent it back, and apparently it went perfectly. Celestia had to borrow some of Luna’s strength to do it, as she is still quite weak, but the talon was finally destroyed. Luna isn’t as stressed as she was now that she is able to speak with Celestia directly about what to do. Celestia offered to take back the responsibilities, but Luna refused, saying that she had to learn for whenever Celestia wanted a break to visit Twilight in Ponyville. Twilight and Pinkie Pie are closer than ever, and I don’t think it’ll be long before they move in with each other too. And, strangely, Rarity and ‘Zoom’ are apparently spending a lot of time together since the wedding, and I think there may be something there. I don’t know, I haven’t actually seen them together. Maybe they are developing feelings for each other. Probably, knowing how fast ponies seem to fall in love in Ponyville. Rainbow has been on top of the world since the wedding, and I must say, I’m really excited too. AJ sent a letter too, saying that her cousin, ‘Braeburn’ is going to let us stay with him. But she did say that Appeloosa was kind of boring after a while, and that maybe we shouldn’t stay there for too long. I’m pretty sure she was just trying to say ‘It’s a horrible destination for a honeymoon’ without actually explicitly stating it. Rainbow agreed, and said we should just stay for a day, enjoy some ‘Wild West Dancing’, ‘Mild West Dancing’, Horse Drawn Carriages, Horses Drawing Horse Drawn Carriages, Apple flavoured food and leave for our next destination. Rainbow was actually the one who suggested it, and I agreed because I would love to take her:
The Changeling Homeland. Well, more like The Changeling Capital, as they never actually  settled anywhere else in their barren home. She just said that we could stay in the new Queen’s Castle. I found out her name too, ‘Madilys’, and I sent her a message asking her if that would be alright. She sent back a message almost immediately, saying that she would be only too happy to let the ‘Saviour Of The Changeling’s’ stay for a few days. I asked Rainbow why she wanted to go, and she said that it would be fun visiting my homeland. Her saying that made me so happy. Not the part about wanting to see my homeland, the fact that she called it My Homeland. The others have been trying to convince me for three months that my homeland is Equestria, and I am always saying that I grew up with the Changelings. The fact that Rainbow accepted that I saw it as my homeland and called it as such made me love her even more... If that’s possible. I can’t wait to show her all of my favourite places, and see some of my other friends. I wasn’t as close to them as Saralys or Michelaye, but they were still Changelings that I loved to spend time with. And... I know Rainbow knows this, although she hasn’t said it.
I want to visit Chrysalis’ grave. I hated her... Or I thought I hated her. That theory kind of evaporated when I broke down and cried for hours when I heard that, Yes, Chrysalis was dead and buried. I’m just glad I was at home with Rainbow, not out with the others. They know that I loved her, they just didn’t know how much. I think... No, I know, that I loved her more than my original mother. I barely remember her. I think she was... Purple? Brown? I don’t even have a clue what my father looked like. This will sound... Or.... Look horrible, but Chrysalis was my mother. Not some vaguely remembered pony. I don’t even know what type of Pony my mother and father were! Yes, Chrysalis was my mother. I loved her more than anything else. Even after I discovered her lie, I still loved her. Mother... I hear, or say, or think that word, and the name Chrysalis always follows close behind. But... Moving on...
I don't have much else to say... I want to get as much down as possible, but... It would seem somepony has writers’ block.
Anyway, that’s it.
The end.


--Keep reading if you want some notes. It’s not imperative that everypony reads them, they are just my way of giving a little bit of info, and I also have a special request.--