//------------------------------// // Redemption - Epilogue // Story: Unforgiven Winter // by Rambo //------------------------------// Epilogue "Spiiiiiike, hurry up! We're gonna be late to the train station and you know how Pinkie is with her bladder! We're going to go see the Wonderbolts for Celestia's sake!" shouted Twilight up the stairs where the maturing dragon was fixing the spikes on his head. It was around 7:30 P.M and they were scheduled to meet the rest of the gang at the train station at 7:45 P.M. "Yeah yeah I know let me just..." he snipped a small piece of one of his top spikes and removed an uneven scale from his neck. "Okay! Ready, let me just choose a good fragrance for the scales and gem as a snack for the ride over there, shouldn't take more than 2 minutes" he replied. "SPIKE!" Twilight shouted only to be replied with the slamming of a door. She slapped her hoof onto her face and dragged it down in frustration. "Well Spike IS growing up... but he's taking longer to groom himself than I do!" she said to herself while she paced across her vast library. Twilight decided it never hurt to walk through and taking a gander through her books as she mumbled a few of the titles to herself and chuckled at a few of them, remembering her favorite parts of the book. "Jungle jumpers: The essential guide to jungle navigation, I really liked that one... maybe i'll re-read it sometime this week." she said using her magic to bring the book from the shelf and placing it on the nearest table. looking back up she noticed a vacant shelf where a somewhat large book sat. Curious as to what it was, she had it float towards her and examined it for a label. "On a vacant shelf... collecting dust, (As many other of my books)and papers sticking out of it... hmmm..." she wiped it down and sighed with both grief and joy. "Canterlot Memories... where did I leave off when I last loo- oh hello, what's this?" she noticed an envelope acting as a bookmark of the page she last left off. "Well that answers where I was but what do we have here?" she observed the back of it to see the royal Canterlot wax seal on the back. "Letter from the princess? Normally I get scrolls from her but... oh wait that's right, Owlicious, how could I forget about giving her the letter? Who was that pegasus with the blonde hair? Hmm... well the mailmare, I had this letter delivered to her." Breaking the royal seal, she withdrew the letter inside and read it to herself quietly. Without glancing at the picture that was on the page, she levitated the scrap book and placed it on top of the previous book she took from the shelf. "I'll come back to this later, Spike isn't going to come down for a while." Me dearest student: Twilight Sparkle Sadly I cannot grant you your request on your visit to Canterlot due to the fatal snowstorm approaching us even as you read this, by the time the guards arrive at your door after being fully prepared, it will take more time for them to bring you back now that they have a passenger and I just cannot allow for this hazardous task. However there is an alternative, I can arrange for the next train to be ready to depart as soon as you arrive. That is the best that I can do for you my faithful student. I must warn you of one other thing, your visit... when you do find your friends, if you manage to face your inner demons, when you leave, you will not be the same. Sincerely, Princess Celestia. Flabbergasted that even her own teacher knew of the events that would happen, she didn't question them, Twilight dove into her problems unprepared and still managed to overcome the obstacles and demons that opposed her. She crumpled the letter and threw it into the fireplace where the fire sat sizzling the dry wood. There came a tapping on her front door which completely caught her off guard. She left the fireplace and walked towards the door which was already slightly open. Before heading out, Twilight adjusted her scarf, boots, and elegant modified Gala dress that was built more for cold nights and opened her door to see what she thought was to be a past nightmare. The houses in Ponyville were all there but all with their lights off. What stood a few yards from her front door was a lightpost with a burning blue sapphire torch at the top. She gulped swallowing her nervousness and began to walk towards the lightpost. Hoping all this was just an illusion, she walked forward out of her house taking step by step wisely and watching the roofs of the houses for glowing red eyes. Thankfully she saw nothing along the way and when she finally reached the light post and was illuminated in it's ocean blue glow, she wondered what was supposed to happen or if she was meant to do anything. She waited a few moments and out of the darkness came a pony covered from head to toe in a coat that covered his body, a purple scarf covering his face, and eyes that glowed a very dim gold, he strove past Twilight with a wagon right behind him that was being carried by strange mechanical machines. He looked at Twilight's direction and waved at her followed by a chortle and a distinct "Come back any time." Twilight nervously waved back and watched him be eaten by the darkness and disappear. "Well that was weird" she muttered. Looking back to face the light post, she noticed it was gone and instead she could see it down the path where the stranger had gone, letting the light getting dimmer and dimmer with every moment. "Ooookaaaay..." she said stepping back wards hoping she would step on the dirt path that led to her front door. The cold winter night was chilling but not freezing, it really did relax those with pent up tension and those that had trouble sleeping let their now useful blankets cradle them to sleep in warmth. She turned around to walk back inside when suddenly she heard the sound of hooves crunching the snow beneath them. She turned her head around but not her body to see what figure would submerge from the black night. "Twilight" To add feeling to the ending, just listen to the music while you read the finishing to this story. ...Sorry to ruin the moment but i'm such a choch. Completely disregarding her front door being open and letting the small amount of snow build up inside, she turned around to face two ponies, one unicorn and the other a pegasus. "It's so good to see you again Twilight" Syra said a little above a whisper. Twilight edged near them and they did the same. "Bu-bu-but you two are dead, how can this be?" she stuttered with tears building up. Kale and Syra smiled at each other before they focused their attention back on the staggering mare. "We're one with winter Twilight, always have been-" "And always will be" finished Syra. Twilight fumbeled to say something that was worth meaning but ultimately failed leaving her two friends laughing lightly at her struggle. "Shhh, be calm Twi" said Syra resting her hoof over Twilight's mouth. Twilight stood silently staring at the two of them who looked near mortal other than the fact that both their eyes were glowing a magnificent cyan. Syra backed away slowly only a few steps and nodded at Twilight. "Our visit is short for a reason, the wind must take us onto our next destination, It's best we be going now Twilight, may your travels be safe and always remember we love you" and with that, Syra stood perfectly still and from the head down, her body began to deteriorate into snowflakes and soon went on with whatever path the wind took her. Twilight stuck out her hoof but still was tongue tied of what to say, after all it's not like you can meet the dead anyday you want. Kale began to walk away too when Twilight finally broke out of her shock. "Wait, Kale" said Twilight in a hurry. "Yes Twilight?" "Will I ever be seeing you two again?" He laughed quietly making Twilight a bit puzzled. "Only time will tell my admired friend, only time will tell" Just as he began to take the same position as Syra, he leaned forward to kiss Twilight on the forehead to assure her that him and Syra will always be here for her if it was at all possible. "You've been with me for so long" "I always will be" With that, Kale took a few steps back and just as the false illusion Rarity had on the fields from Ponyville to the Bazaar, he stood still and slowly let his entire body turn to ice, piece by piece he fell apart in front of Twilight, leaving her in the darkness, being lightly illuminated from her torch in front of her house. ______________ "Twilight? TWILIGHT?!" She turned around to see that Spike in a emerald encrusted tie and his spikes were gelled back. He stood there with the door shut behind him and not only dumping a small amount of red powder into his oak wood pipe, but also lighting it with his fire breath, slowly taking in puffs. "Ahhh... blazing ruby, calm nights like this make the flavor last so much longer, well Twilight, you ready to the train station?" "Yeah... yeah i'm ready, let's go" Twilight and Spike walked together side by side down the cold cobblestone path towards the train station, leaving behind their home for the night. "You look like you've seen a ghost, is something wrong?" She smiled at him and giggled, "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you so Spike." ________________ Back at the house, the little candle Spike lit was glowing lightly in the dark, scattering the shadows away. Right beside the candle was the scrap book Twilight forgot to look back on... again. Right there by the candles light was the picture she ignored completely seeing as how it was covered by the envelope. There in the picture was Twilight, Kale, and Syra all standing together in a group of three only this time, Syra's face of terror was now in a fixed position of happiness. With the window to the library still partially open, a cold breeze flew inside and extinguished the candle, leaving the library to fall into a peaceful darkness. The eyes of Syra and Kale in the picture however, remained glowing the same brilliant cyan as Twilight had seen when she reunited with them. The End Time flows Nobody knows The years go by Where we go Alone from here Night falls Strange-colored walls My eyes deceive What is wrong With me? - Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Acceptance