Crazy, Clever and Cunning

by Fresnor

All Good Things Must Come to an End

In the years following Tirek’s fall things started to settle into a mostly routine pace. Sure there was the occasional small adventure or bit of mayhem but there was nothing of overly dangerous proportions. I spent a lot of time refining my own skills as well as spending time with my friends. Between that and the occasional request to deal with minor undead outbreaks with Luna I had little time for much else. I eventually did manage to map out the Everfree over the years with few problems or other major discoveries. I also finally finished off the experimental firework I was making and surprised everyone with it during a festival creating an imitation of Rainbow Dash’s signature move, the Sonic Rainboom.

My friends also began to drift apart over the years though they never completely broke up. While some of them may have been gone from Ponyville for weeks at a time they all managed to come back for a few days a month at the least, if not longer. Rainbow Dash was the worst about this when she earned her place as Captain of the Wonderbolts with Rarity not far behind with her burgeoning career as the premier dress maker of Equestria. Pinkie Pie even spent time out of town as she was occasionally called upon to organize major parties in other cities as her web of friends spread out. Twilight had the most unpredictable schedule with her position as a princess so she could be in and out of town at any time without notice. She spent less time in the other courts when a group of nobles decided to contribute and have a castle built for her near the library in an attempt to get into her good graces. This partially worked as she would take the time to see them in gratitude but did little to sway her opinions. Applejack and Fluttershy rarely ever left town as they had little to pull them away from it beyond royal requests for their specific skillsets.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders antics came to a near standstill once the finally earned their cutie marks, though they still did occasionally cause some havoc when they met up again for old time’s sakes. Selene was the first to earn hers when she accidentally showed up in one of my nightmares one night after I spent a week dealing with an outbreak of ghouls. Her presence alone was enough to snap me out of it, due to the oddity of her being there, and on the following morning she discovered her mark of a dream catcher in the shape of a crescent moon. On finding out about this Princess Luna spent extra time with her to help her get used to her new abilities as well as train her in their use. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle weren’t much further behind as they each earned theirs around the same time during a talent show. Their marks represented their skills in building and inventions, stunts, and the performing arts respectively. In fact Scootaloo’s first flight was at the same time and it was nearly impossible to get her on the ground after that event. They were often away from each other more than my older friends as their skills took them in different directions.

My relations with the immortal princesses as well as Discord also improved over the years as well, though Luna and Cadence were always friendly with me. While Celestia and Discord couldn’t be called true friends we at least were relatively civil with each other and helped each other out when it was needed. It was only because of this that things didn’t go too badly when a small prank war erupted between the four princesses, me, and Discord. There were no teams, though there was the occasional temporary alliance, and things got rather hectic over the course of that month. While Twilight and I were the youngest of the group we still managed to get the others with a good prank before we were retaliated upon causing us to escalate things even more. I managed to really make things hard on the two elder princesses as I often centered my pranks on them around Prince Blueblood. I only used him as the focus when I caught him being his usual rude self but it happened often enough that the two looked around in panic whenever he entered the room. The final day of the prank war was the most memorable though it not only affected the other five but also backfired on me as well. Needless to say I was immortalized at that point by being recognized with a brand new law banning anyone from ever giving Pinkie Pie chocolate covered triple-espresso coffee beans ever again. To make things worse I was also the first being to have been recognized with breaking the music of harmony around Equestria by teaching Pinkie Pie a never ending song. It took months for it to recover from that enough to begin working again as well as many memory spells to remove the song from the minds of the populace.

My friends also found love over the years as well, alone or in groups. Some ended up being a surprise while others were rather predictable. Mitta was one of the predictable ones as she married Big Macintosh along with the teacher Cheerilee. I had never considered what pony mating habits were until that point and it made me wonder what my own kind were like in that respect. I actually became a bit jealous of the others as they each found those to live with and begin a family with which made me long for my own kind. Twilight was really the only exception to this as she started out with a few doomed relationships that eventually evolved into others only being interested in her for her position and not for herself. She was the only one to not start her own family though she made up for it by being there for all of her friends children.

All good things have to come to an end sometime though and it began with the death of Rainbow Dash. She had been getting on in years yet refused to back down from her stunt flying. It all came to a head one day when she showed off her Sonic Rainboom for the last time. Nobody could tell when exactly she passed away but those of us watching noticed how limp she was between she broke the sound barrier and when she hit the ground. The days seemed a little less colorful after her passing and in tribute I fired off one of the two Rainboom Fireworks I had at her funeral in tribute. The other I kept for myself to remember her by as I had no urge to make any more.

Fluttershy was the next to go, though we never found out what exactly happened to her. One day she just vanished into the Everfree Forest without telling anyone else where she was going. The day after her family had gathered everyone they could to try and find her but after a week she was given up for dead. Even Discord, one of her closest friends, had no idea what happened to her and he took it rather hard. To help him with his grief I gave him a small part of my property to use to build a tribute to her and even gave him a few ideas of my own.

Rarity was the first to go peacefully from the effects of old age. Being a unicorn she never did have the best constitution of the group and it started to show as she slept longer and longer as time went on. One day after finishing up one of her ever popular charity events she settled down for the night and never woke up from her sleep again. Her funeral was one of the largest and most extravagant ever as everyone she had ever touched throughout her life wanted to show their appreciation for what she did. Princess Celestia was even heard to say that there had never been any event in her memory to gather so many beings in one place before.

Applejack’s death was much the same as she was surrounded by her family at Sweet Apple Acres. Like any family member of the Apple Clan her death brought every member that could come to the funeral. She was such a prominent member of the Apple Clan though that just about every member that was alive showed up for it even if they normally wouldn’t have been able to. While the funeral itself was solemn the Apple Clan showed their appreciation for her life in another way as the day after became an unplanned family reunion and party. I like to think that she would have been happy to see her family remembering her in such a fond way without all the frou frou stuff that normally goes into a funeral.

The loss of Pinkie Pie was the only one I was able to witness up close as she called me in to speak with her on her death bed. She gifted me with a bundled up item and told me that I would need it once I returned and would know what to do with it. After that she closed her eyes for the last time while still holding on to her trademark smile. Her death actually hit me the hardest seeing as I was right there though I wondered what she meant. I decided to store the item in the manor until the time came that she mentioned though I wondered what it was as it was wrapped up tight and sealed.

With the loss of the last of her best friends Twilight really began to break down. Princess Cadence spent a lot of time with her to help console her even though she was still hurting herself over the loss of her husband a few years back. Ponyville felt like a much darker place without those five to liven up the place and I found myself started to lose my reasons for staying around for much longer.

With the loss of Pinkie I began to prepare everything for when I eventually left to search for my own kind once again. My time in Ponyville had given me some hints to follow as well as a few new mysteries as well to solve. Many of the ponies I had business dealings with were rather disappointed to see me go, though I had managed to find a few to run a couple of my side businesses. Probably the most lucrative one was a security company the supplied enchanted gems for banks and other institutions which even included some way to reveal changelings and illusions used to rob said places. The bank in Ponyville was probably the most secure in the company as it was the one that I used and they were happy to set things up so that what funds I left with them were safe for if I ever returned.

The princesses, all five of them as Selene had been crowned many years back, were the only ones to know that I was not only leaving but also as to why. Celestia didn’t seem too happy about my destination but she understood my reasons for doing so. Twilight and Selene were less than happy to see me go though I did promise to write them whenever I had the chance to. Spike volunteered to be used as the delivery point, though considering how he had been growing over the years I wondered how much longer he would be around them.

As soon as I had finished fortifying Ogitsu Manor with preservation spells as well as sealing off the important areas with other spells I took a last look around the attic. I take a moment to look over the last things I had to remember my departed friends by. The Rainboom Firework and a feather from Rainbow Dash’s wing as well as a feather from Fluttershy, the dresses I had from Rarity as well as a set of bags enchanted to hold more, a couple bottles of Zap Apple Cider from Applejack which were only given to her friends, and the object that Pinkie Pie had given me on her death bed. I let out a sad sigh as I levitate the bags onto my back and put the first Gala dress in them before giving a final nod at the items and sealing the attic for the last time. Once I packed everything else I needed I stepped outside before locking the house down and left the town that had been my home for over a hundred and thirty years dragging my four tails behind me.

Author's Note:

Well that's the end for now though it might feel a tad rushed but that's what epilogues usually do feel like. I'll probably be starting on the next Book once I decide on how to go about it but I can say now that it will probably be a bit different format-wise. There won't be much reference to time in that one as a good amount of time will probably pass between chapters. Up until a certain point each chapter will probably be more like a short story on Flarenza's adventures until the real meat comes about. I know that there are probably a lot of questions that are unanswered but there is a reason for that with some bits. If you want to know though don't be afraid to ask though I can't guarantee a satisfactory answer as it may spoil things to come. So until next time I mark Book 1 as Complete, though that doesn't rule out bonus chapter in the future if I come up with ideas.

Also I need to fix the tags so if you see any that should be added or removed please let me know, typos and other problems too please.

Comments

[Imperium Bedlam]

Aaaaand now I'm sad. Dang.

[Fresnor]

5002810 Well it's not over yet, still a bit more to come in the sequel which is in the works. Should be ready for release in another chapter or two. Just think about what's currently missing from the end of this one.

[Imperium Bedlam]

5002973
Ran out of time to finish what I was writing .

Honestly, the ending was... very saddening. VERY saddening.
However it does force whatever sequel you write to be more.... creative I guess. That is, considering you now have to come up with new characters with new personalities which is very interesting.
This also means your version of Equestria will become more fleshed out, which is nice.
Hopefully Daring Do will make an appearance.
Anyway, eagerly awaiting the sequel with bated breath.

[Fresnor]

5005013 Well the new characters bit is going to be a bit of work, though much of the sequel at first is going to be the random wanderings of the main character. I'm not sure how many ponies are actually going to show up in it really except for a brief visit back into Equestria. Book 3 on the other hand will have a slew of new ponies, some of which will be a bit recognizable and one being a real Surprise. Book 2 is going to be more character development which will then set up for the third Book.

[Truthseeker]

That was really sad. I think they all went in ways they would have wanted though and that brings me some solace.

[Amos Anon]

Such a sad ending, but a fitting one, I think. Even the way each character passed on suited their personalities; Rainbow dash in a blaze of glory, fluttershy slipping away to never be seen again, rarity in her sleep, applejack surrounded by family, and pinkie with a smile and a final 4th wall break... ugh, it's the onions, I swear!

[DerpTape]

Eager to read the sequel!