Epilogue: Interview
It wasn't hard to arrange a private meeting with Alex. She's not the mayor anymore, even if she remains active in public life. I sent ahead and she set aside the entire afternoon to talk to me. It wasn't difficult, since she lives just across the street from my mother's house. Even after all these years, the founders have remained close together.
We chat for over an hour before I bring up the subject of my investigations. I want an accurate history of Alexandria, one ponies will be able to read and know how we got started. After some persuasion, she agrees to share with me. She starts by giving me a copy of some of her journals, and explaining what I shouldn't share. Then we move on to my questions.
"So you got to Alexandria. It's overgrown, it's empty. You're tired from your long journey across the country. What do you do?"
We built it.
"What does that mean? Cities don't just come from nowhere, Miss Alex. There's got to be more to it than that."
Oh, well obviously. I didn't see the point in writing it all down a second time. If anyone wanted to see how we built a city, they could just read my journal. Well... those parts. I don't think I'll publish the whole thing. Maybe when I'm gone—but until then, ponies can just ask.
I ruffled my papers, looking over everything we'd gone over so far. I had whole sections of Alex's journal here, with the relevant sections highlighted as I went. Most of what she had to say wasn't relevant to the story of the early settlers. Some was, though, and even more hadn't been included. "Why don't you give me the highlights? Ponies might be curious what happened next. The first wave of settlers didn't show up right away, did they?"
No, they didn't. But that was the way we wanted, really. Maybe it was selfish, but we thought we had the best ideas about how to build a city. The first ones to lay down bricks set the foundation for others to follow. We waited until we had the foundations before we put the word out for settlers. But I thought you wanted to talk about earlier. You didn't want to get into—
"No, I didn't," I agreed. "That's a different story. Just tell me about what life was like before that. You said you built it, what does that mean?"
She pauses for a moment to think. She stares out the window of her house, looking out at the street. A car passes by, with ponies inside. It looks like it's made from salvaged parts, just like every vehicle in Alexandria. I can practically smell the biofuel burning from here. Eventually, she goes back to explaining. Priorities are always the same, Amy. They were the same then as they are now, just with the resources a little different.
"You didn't have to grow food," I suggest.
We didn't! The way things used to be, before the Event, most people didn't know the first thing about growing food. Nobody had their own herb-gardens, and most people had never even met a farmer. We knew growing food would be important, but we didn't make it a priority that year. We didn't get hurt that often, so Oliver had a lot of free time. He spent it growing things, because that's what he likes to do.
"Instead of growing ponies, you mean?" I ask, grinning at her.
She glares at me in response, though she doesn't look as embarrassed as her diaries sound. Food wasn't a priority in the same way. The old grocery store had more than we would ever eat, even throwing out anything with meat in it. Which we didn't do, because we already knew about griffons from Equestria's books, and I knew we could probably use the cans and stuff for trade. Getting power came first, then water, along with a lot of cleaning things up.
"Why would there be anything to clean? Nopony was living there before you arrived."
Not like that. Like the lives of the people who used to live there. The family pictures hanging in our stolen houses, the nameplates, the desks, the decorated yards. We couldn't do the whole town—there were homes for eight thousand people after all. But the parts we usually visited, those we cleaned up. Some other little things to make the town lived in. Mowing the grass in the town square, taking down old flyers, cleaning the litter out of the streets. I spent two whole days fixing a street sweeper so we could clear the roads. And of course, there was setting up the library. That was going to be part of the reason ponies came to Alexandria in the first place. Come for the books, stay for the company!
"The security, you mean. You knew ponies would try and steal it?"
Duh! That's the way people work—anything rare has value, and anything with value people want. It didn't matter we let them read as much as they wanted, it didn't matter we'd help them copy the stuff they needed…
"Maybe they have a point. Maybe we're hoarding information, and we should just let everypony have as much as they want."
Alex's expression grows sour at this point. She takes a long time to answer. It's not fair. But that isn't our fault. Equestria gave us an impossible prospect: human society is predicated upon thousands of people all specializing. No, not thousands... millions. Equestria saw that we only had one way to live, and they took that away from us. What the world really needed was for us to gather everybody up into one place and force people to live together. Like it was at the first—let us spread out and grow naturally as we repopulate. Since going around kidnapping ponies would be wrong, we... found another way. Let them come to us.
"Some of them still resent it," I say, though I don't want to push this line of reasoning too far. "They think it isn't fair we have so many ponies and they have so few. Gives us all the advantages."
This time she smiles at me. That's the idea, Amy. We just can't breed fast enough. Our western attitudes about family size just don't match the world we live in anymore. I wonder if ponies are doing better somewhere families are bigger, like the Middle East. Maybe they'll grow better than we do.
"What about relationships in your group? With so few ponies around, it must've been difficult."
Yeah, I guess. It didn't feel that way back then. Most of us were from the city, we'd been used to being around people. More people than you can imagine, Amy. More people than you could fit in the whole city if they all stood close together. Going from that to just a few, well... I think we were glad to have anybody. Most of us had spent some time alone. Everybody but Moriah knew what it was like to wonder if you were the last pony on earth, wonder if you'd ever see another soul again. Even Joe was relieved to have us around, even if it was just to show us what exciting things he'd done that we didn't need. Like that whole software system he wrote for the library. A whole operating system just to stream PDFs from Raven, when we could've just used a room with locks on it. Or coming up with a wideband protocol for the Kimballnet, he was real proud of that. But before I found him, he just sat alone in a room playing video games and eating breakfast. Having friends is what gives us purpose. Now that we knew what had happened, we knew we probably wouldn’t see our families again.
"Except you," I point out. "You don’t have to worry about that."
She looks uncomfortable again. I didn't know that at the time, none of us did. It was just about being friends then, and we were. Well... more than friends, some of us. But that's how ponies are.
"You don't sound upset about that."
Why should I be? Who cares what my old self would've thought! Who cares what any of us used to be—that world is gone forever. Equestria killed it, and we didn't get a choice. We do get to choose what we do with the new world. My friends chose to move on. Some faster than others, but... we all moved on. And anyway, we knew we needed the next generation. Nobody wanted to admit it back then, but we all knew. Two children each is the minimum if all you want to do is tread water, and we wanted more than that. Still do.
"I want to get back to something you said earlier. Moving on—what do you mean by that? Are you talking about the ponies trying to resurrect human religions? Or the ones who change their names and don't wear clothes? The ones who live like this is Equestria?"
I don't think it's my place to decide how ponies live. You can see I gave up on trying to wear clothes all the time myself, eventually. For ponies who live somewhere warm, I think it's an objectively superior choice. Think of how much harder it is to hide a weapon, for instance. How much less a pony needs to survive when there's no expectation they'll be dressed? How much more convenient it is to pack your bags for travel. The rest of that stuff... I think you've gone in different directions by accident. Trying to hold onto our religions seems like the opposite of the ponies changing themselves to resemble Equestria. The names... they're stupid, but so what? To some people, Equestria saved us. It's natural to want to be like the ones who saved you.
"But that wasn't how you were then?"
No, we weren't. I'd say I'd never guessed it would've happened... but maybe I should've. Cloudy Skies already did it, before we even left LA. If there was one, there'd be more. More ponies who'd rather just wipe the slate clean and start over. She looks down at her hooves, blushing. Some of us didn't really have a choice. Our old selves were as gone as the world we came from. So maybe this is the natural process. It's always been that way, with the new generation finding a slightly different way of doing things than the old one. Everything gets washed away eventually. But it hadn't really started back then. I think this is too far for your story.
"Right, we should get back on topic. What about safety? Were wolves as much of a problem then as they are now? Did you ever have to fight them?"
Fight a wolf? God, I hope not, I'm sure I'd lose. Sure, we heard them. We thought about building a wall all the way back then, but we just didn't have the time with everything else that was going on. But we didn't go out at night alone, and that helped. I think Oliver has some stories to tell about that, you should ask him.
"Don't you remember?"
Alex only shrugs, smiling again. Sure I do, but it's his story. Important thing was that we weren't really worried about safety. There's no reason to be scared about raiders when the world is so big and there are so few ponies living in it. Food was everywhere back then, and luxury items even moreso. Why would anyone come out to the ass of nowhere when they could go to a big city and steal a Van Gogh? We saw deer all the time back then, they figured out real early on the city was safe, but that didn't matter. They always left us alone. The cows needed protection, and so did the chickens. Not so much us.
"But you were just talking about the library."
Alex waves me off. I guess Joseph was right about the security measures after all. But those ponies weren't raiders. We got a few of those too—I'll never know if they were after what we had, or maybe they just thought since everything was gone they could do what they want. Guess I'll never know.
"I guess that's about what I wanted to know, then. You... selected somewhere to live, cleaned out the remnants of what had been there before, got the infrastructure working, and started building the library. That's a lot for just a few months."
It was enough. Enough that we felt ready to start putting out the call. We wanted to present a united front to newcomers, since there would only be a few of us. I think that worked out well, considering what happened afterwards.
"Would the others agree? You should be honest, I'm going to interview them too."
Alex laughs again. Moriah will probably tell you she hated it, but she'd tell you that about anything. Adrian's gone, so... I think Joseph and Cloudy would. Cloudy in particular—she was so happy back then. Building a new home out in the countryside, exactly how she wanted. Knowing all about ponies, learning how to fly…
"Mom's happy about everything. That doesn't say much."
It did back then. She was one of the happiest to have a new start, and I think she used it the most. Didn't sit around longing after her old family when she could start a new one here. That seems like the smart way to do things. Joseph might not have understood that back then, but I think he'd see it now. Assuming you can get him to leave that school for five minutes to talk to you.
"I guess we'll see." We rise, exchange farewells. Alex tells me she'll be expecting me for dinner tonight. I promise to come, but I probably won't. It's going to be a long night putting all of this together. It's already been such a long time, but I feel like somepony should get all of this down. Ponies deserve to know what happened.
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Noticed a few little errors, the biggest and most consistent being the lack of quotation marks for when Alex talks, or was that deliberate. Saw a few misspelled words as well, still an unexpected and nice addition to the story though.
8183250
If there are spelling errors, please point them out and I'll fix them.
Alex's text is not an error, though, but a deliberate style choice. That part will be staying the same.
I haven't read all story..
But can I ask.. , because Alex seems immortal? Does she meet her family again in the future ?
8183263
That would be a spoiler.
8183252
It looks like, to me, "far" was intended to be 'fair', that's the only misspelled word I could really see. Almost feels like something's off with some of the paragraphs, but could just be me.
Wasn't it pancake mix?
Isn't this being told from Alex's viewpoint?
8183277
Thanks answer, more motivation to read this series ..
8183298
No, no part of this chapter is in Alex's PoV. It's the interviewer's. Reread the first few paragraphs.
even after two years just this little epilogue brings a tear to my eye.
to think of just how I my self would react if this happened.
this is a truly amazing story line.
Of all the stories to get an update, it's the one I would've least expected...
Having only stumbled on this series a few months back, I couldn't help but binge it. I came along when the Earth After Us in the series was still halfway through it's lifespan and was there for the start of Bedtime Stories.
And I must say, it's absolutely fantastic! I love it! Yay for updates! Yay for ponies! Yay for Alex!
Woohoo!
I really do need to read the later installments of this series. Hopefully this retrospective will give me the necessary kick in the behind. Still, it's hard to believe it's been two years since this started. Thank you for creating it.
Why not have "I am Legend" as the title?
Man, I started reading this when it first appeared. It's already been two years? Jeez.
This is not the beginning of the end, but, it is, the end of the beginning.
I jumped into this story toward the end of its run, and got caught up with the series during Founders. I put it down when you announced Eternal Lonley Day was ending so you could shift focus away from Alex. (I'd been eager to watch the gradual shift of mindset that was inevitable and how she dealt with it all.)
It was an amazing ride, though. I'm glad for the reminder. You did good with this one.
Note: Spoilers for later installments in the series are in this post. Do not mouse over the spoilers here if you've only just read this first fic.
I'm at a loss for trying to place this interview in the timeline as presented. I just read the entire series over the last 6 weeks, so it's pretty fresh in my mind. This interview clearly has to be occurring before Day of the Dead (~300 AE), since the Founders are all alive (the interviewer plans to speak with them), but it also seems to suggest that Alex knows her mother in the present day. He doesn't meet his mother until after The Nameless City, which happens at least a thousand years later. Is this an honest oversight, or is this another mystery you want to delve into at another time?
8184031
It's neither, you're just interpreting it incorrectly. If it's what I think it is. In my mind, this interview took place around 20AE.
I think you're referring to the part where they talk about families? Alex doesn't know her mother is alive at 20AE, but she DOES know that she herself is apparently immortal (as she learned that in founders). That's why Amy says it won't be a problem for her, because she'll live long enough to see her family again, or at least to have a chance at it.
If it's not that part, it's possible I made a mistake and I'd love to have a direct quote so I can fix it.
8184115
As I went to get the relevant quote, I realized the interviewer is one of Cloudy Skies' kids, which makes the last few paragraphs make a lot more sense. Without that information, the last few paragraphs could be interpreted as a reference to Alex's mother. In light of that, I don't think I would fix anything, since the correct interpretation can be figured out from context.
8184155
Alright, sounds good!
8184178
Not a problem. Though since any of the characters having children doesn't happen until The Eternal Lonely Day, and Alex's immortality isn't really spelled out until 2/3 of the way through Founders, I still think some people might be off-put by the minor spoilers that this bit reveals.
I've been following this story for a while, and ever since I started reading I've loved everything of it. I'm saddened that it's coming to an end, but I'm also excited to see what you've got in store for us. The characters will always hold a dear place in my heart. Specially little Alex.
It's sad to see endings, but it's very heartening to know that there's still more stories in this Universe that you have built! <3
Also I am STILL loving that adorable profile pic of yours! <3
Which I find a little ironic considering how little we see of her in this Universe =P
Roll credits. *ding*
God i don't even remember any alex in this story.
This was my first time reading through and I would have to say that this story was very unique and that it was a great read. I started reading this about three days ago and you hooked me immediately. I'm going to go read the next story now but I would like to say that this story was awesome and hope you have a great day!
was alex always a girl?
or did something happen?
If I remember correctly he was a he before ponification. I think star mentions this in earth without us
Well, didn't expect this.
A brief glimpse back into quieter days....
8305733
Eww... I ain't sticking my dick there.
Can I translate this journal into Chinese and publish it online? I do prefer some kind of storys like transformation and "The last one on earth".
8354096
Sure! Just make sure you link back to the original, in case someone wants to know where it came from.
8354109
GOT IT
Did anyone else get the impression that Alex was a male up until the last bit of this story then suddenly find out he was actually female or is that just me
7364781
Excusable if you've lived in NYC all you're life but only barely.
(Also, joke 😱)
Since when is Alex a mare?
I do not know, maybe I skipped a chapter.
But I would like to know
8524523
Since the very beginning. It was only explicitly revealed in the ending, but it's been true since chapter one. There are lots of comments talking about it if you read through the old ones, the various signs and hints of what was going on.
8524559
(Lo siento si respondo en español) Guau, que respuesta más rapida. Desde el capitulo 42 me di cuenta de eso cuando hablaba de un "vestido". Pero crei que era debido por mi ingles. Y yo que creia que la culpa la tenia moriah.
Asi que bueno, al final si estaba estaba escondiendo algo. Buen punto de tu parte.
Ya que estoy. Me gusto mucho el fimfic. Casi me hace arrempentirme de a verlo dejado de leer meses atras, casi.
Bueno, ya no espero para seguir con la secuela. Adios y buena suerte.
8458161
Man turned mare, on rereading the story all the hints just seem so obvious, her gladness of sky being a mare, uncomfortability around joe, the self loathing, the reluctance to think about mating, etc. It's really quite interesting
8556776
Personally I feel like the gender was switched around the time Alex got younger maybe a little earlier than that, but that is all well and good since he ended up being a man turned mare.
The only part that seems a bit too weird the way I see it is how there was no mention or deliberation at all of the gender switch in the journal/diary considering some of the other stuff that Alex did write about like how Moriah was hinted to have been a man turned mare way before Alex was, yet there is still no confirmation on that for her by the end of TLPoE.
In either I can roll with it. Peculiarities like that are what makes a work like this unique and unpredictable.
I would've prefered to die as a human.
8784745
What
*Peace Out*
Well, this sat in my Read It Later a longer time than it should have, since I liked Message in a Bottle so much, but now I've read it.
Good show!
And sequels...oh boy.
9122768
That was both my suggestion and also my fear. :B At least you tried, that makes me happy! :D
9142248
Guess I'll have to check out the chapters after listening, like I do for the images. :) At least they're all short!
In my opinion I would never give up on my human body.
9170977
I don't know what to do with this information right now (other than lay off the criticism for the moment).
9170977
Okay, no, this is still bothering me.
Does this mean Moriah was trans and lucked out somehow? I can't imagine why else she would awake from a coma, be confused about everything, but have a female name to answer to at the ready.
And furthermore, why the hell didn't Alex say anything about this? I understand now the true scope of his self-loathing -- though that's a whole other barrel of monkeys that ends in "He's a really shitty person" -- but why didn't he at any point think to add, oh yeah, I don't have a dick anymore? Like, I get if he hasn't fully figured out how he's supposed to live like this...
Look, I just don't understand Alex, not one bit. But I chalk that up to him being a good character that, if I knew him in real life, I wouldn't want to hang out with him because we had nothing in common. That's fine. I haven't understood a lot of his motivations and reactions to things because of it. But this one piece of very important information being withheld feels like an authorial decision rather than a character-based one. :| This is going to bug me forever now.
9171367
I mean, if you didn't figure out why she didn't talk about it, that does suggest a flaw in my writing. The idea was that Alex was deeply self-conscious about the transformation, and dealt with it with denial instead of confrontation. Writing it down would've been admitting that it had actually happened and that she was stuck. I wanted to approach the TF differently than I've seen other writers tackle it before. But I was far less experienced back when I write this, and I fully acknowledge my ability to communicate something that subtle through _omission_ in a way that would be understandable to readers was probably not fully developed at the time.
9171456
I dunno. I mean, I can kind of see it denial is being a reason for omission, but at the same time... Well, I guess it ends up with "not talking about it leads to it being a huge, confusing reveal later on". I feel really blindsided about this because the lack of detail could have pointed to literally anything about his situation in any of his self-loathing diatribes, and I never picked up on it. Because I wasn't supposed to, I guess? :/ Guh.
The gender question still bothers me, but what are ya gonna do? :/
You should go back through the chapters and just search on "[img]". There's probably a dozen images that aren't properly inlined. :B