Epilogue A memory of wings
I woke to my alarm’s blaring screech. Groggily I looked towards the digital clock on the wall, it was 6:45 which meant I had to get up and get ready for class to start. Grumbling tiredly I threw the covers off of me and swung my feet out of the bed. The cold floor felt nice under my feet as I stood up and stretched. I worked through all my muscles carefully starting with my neck, arms, wings… I froze in mid motion.
One week had passed since I returned to earth and my body still remembered the wings I had once had. Just like a pair of ghost limbs I could swear that I still could feel those wings on my back. That I could feel the muscles in the wings tense and relax. I had looked of course, there was nothing there except air. With a sigh I made my way out into the kitchen, pushing the thoughts of Equestria out of my mind. To not dwell on it was an incredibly demanding task, more so than I had first imagined.
I had no voice in my head which meant that Grief probably had been destroyed when the rift was sealed. So the only thing to really remind me of my time in Equestria was my own ability to forget and move on. It was slowly growing better however, the first night I had barely been able to sleep at all. Now I could at least sleep the entire night without my thoughts keeping me awake, most of the time anyway.
I flicked on the stove in order to make some breakfast porridge, and while I waited for it to heat up I went out to my apartment door to retrieve today’s newspaper. After picking it up I retreated back into the kitchen to start making my porridge. As I slowly stirred the mix of rolled oats and milk I flipped through the paper.
It seemed that the political machine of earth was still chugging along with its debates and scandals. Although I felt that it was all so trivial right now. Don’t get me wrong I still had opinions and thoughts when it came to politics but with my undeniably decisive actions in Equestria it all seemed a bit petty. It had been simpler in a way over there, and if I would allow myself to dwell on it I was certain that I would miss it. But my choice had already been made and dwelling in the past would not help.
When my porridge got done I turned off the stove and opened the cupboard containing my bowls and mugs, a quick rummage through one of the drawers later and I had a spoon as well.
I sat down and ate my breakfast in silence, while idly flipping through the rest of the paper.
After putting the dishes in the kitchen sink I went into the bathroom and flipped the light switch. Golden eyes stared back at me in the mirror just above the sink, this was the biggest reason I couldn’t just forget and move on. My eyes had stayed the same color as when I had been a pegasus. No, that wasn’t entirely true. Before coming to Equestria I had been forced to use glasses or lenses to achieve perfect vision, now I had no need for such things. Of course everyone in my immediate circle of friends and family thought I was going through some sort of phase. A delayed rebellious act if you will, but to me it was nothing but a cruel reminder.
I reached for my toothbrush and toothpaste before starting to take care of my teeth. As I brushed my thoughts slowly slipped back to the question that had been the greatest thorn in my side this past week. What if? A most dangerous path to walk down, not physically per say but mentally. It was easy to get lost if you walked too far down that road. I finished brushing my teeth and spat out any remaining toothpaste. After washing the toothbrush under the faucet I bent down to take a quick swig of water before placing the toothbrush back in its’ cup.
From the bathroom I went back into my bedroom. Once I had changed my boxers and slipped on a pair of socks I quickly picked out a t-shirt, a hoodie and a pair of jeans and got dressed. Wearing clothes again had been nothing but weird the first few days. If I were to be honest it still felt pretty weird, especially wearing a shirt with the phantom feeling of wings and all that.
Cracking my neck I went out into the main area of my apartment and grabbed my backpack and started to stuff it with the course literature I would need today. Next I went to grab a box with leftover food from yesterday’s dinner, and stuffed that into the backpack as well.
I let my eyes sweep across the apartment one last time before heading over to the hallway. Grabbing my leather jacket, my wallet, new phone and keys I was ready to head to class.
After a moment’s consideration I grabbed my scarf as well, the weather forecast in the paper had promised that the first snow of this winter would fall today.
It was definitely cold outside, and dark. But I didn’t really feel any discomfort, I was after all blessed with a rather high tolerance against the cold. I walked over to my bike and unlocked it, and with a smooth motion I had pulled it out of the bike rack and had mounted. My future was uncertain, and while I was going through a rough patch in my life perhaps my adventure wasn’t over just yet.
Hello I’m Cloud. A young human male, and my story is just beginning.
Of stars descending
~Fin