XVIII. Epilogue
1,000 Years Later
Several school fillies sat around their teacher in front of the memorial to the victims of the Dollmaker. A menacing bronze mare, cloaked in shadows, loomed over a small building and several silver ponies. Several trees were planted around, creating a small grove that rustled in the gentle breeze.
“. . . and that is the story of the Dollmaker. Each year on Nightmare Night we honor the ponies captured by the Dollmaker. Our tradition here in the town of Harmony is to leave one doll per filly and colt as an offering to her, so that the Dollmaker is never alone. That way, she will not return to Equestria and begin stealing ponies again,” The teacher explained.
“Hey, my mother said one of our ancestors was there,” a mint green filly said. “Why are there no Heartstrings on the memorial?”
“Bonnie, it was a millenia ago. Our town was founded by some of the survivors, and I’m sure if you had an ancestor who was involved, her name would be on the memorial.”
The teacher gestured back to the memorial. The Dollmaker’s wings cast a shadow over her face in the moonlight. She stared down at several tiny ponies that shimmered silver. They stood their ground against the evil of the Dollmaker.
Beneath that, etched into obsidian, were the names of every pony that went missing so long ago. Every single one of them was accompanied by the symbol of their cutie mark, and for a thousand years they had been honored. The Dollmaker was now as much a part of Equestrian history as Nightmare Moon, yet nopony knew who the Dollmaker was. Only the fallen had their names preserved.
“Well, Miss Cherry, I bet my ancestor would have kicked her flank.” She giggled and trotted up to leave a small doll on the memorial.
“If you’re so sure, why don’t you take your doll back? Maybe the Dollmaker will come for you tonight,” an earth pony mocked.
“Nuh-uh, everypony knows she’s dead,” Bonnie said.
“Then why are we leaving offerings?” the earth pony asked. “I bet she’s still out there, watching us all right now. That’s why I brought her two dolls to play with! I don’t want her stealing my little brother either.”
“Tia, must you get this way every year? It has been a millenia,” Luna said.
Celestia picked at her cake, not eating it. A millenia had passed, and she still withdrew into her shell at this time of year. Old wounds ached and forgotten sins resurfaced. “Do you remember her name?” Celestia asked.
Luna was caught off guard by the question. She searched her memories, reaching back into the past, but came up empty. “I—no. I do not recall her name. Only that she was a student of yours. Surely whatever happened between you two is not your fault. I trusted your decision to expunge her name from the history books.”
Celestia set down her fork, still staring at the cake. “It is my fault. Nightmare Moon, the Dollmaker. . .” Celestia recounted each pony she had lost, and how many she could have saved. How many friends had she failed? How many must have died wondering where Celestia was? She looked up, and her sister could see the tears in her eyes. “Lulu, why do I always hurt the ponies closest to me?”
Luna had gotten used to her sister being more vulnerable. Ever since the Dollmaker, the walls she built around herself to keep the pain of loss out had crumbled. Comforting her and increasing her responsibilities in ruling the nation was the least she could do.
Luna got up and went around the table, hugging her sister with her wings. “Tia, you are my better half, the pure and unstained pony who has ruled for a millennium in my absence. I have always looked up to you, sister. If I have to help you cope with the grief for another thousand years, I would not hesitate. Your honesty and purity are worth protecting. It was not your fault. I chose to become Nightmare Moon, just as the Dollmaker made her choice.”
“You’re right, I think I’ll get some sleep.” Celestia stood up and walked towards the door.
“What was it?” Luna asked.
Celestia paused. “Hmm?”
“The Dollmaker’s name, what was it?”
Celestia bit her lip for a second, not turning to face her sister. “. . .I forgot.”
She left the dining hall and hurried to her room. She locked the doors and closed the windows. Already Celestia was on the verge of tears. She cast a spell revealing a false wall in her wardrobe. She levitated a dusty chest out and blew it off. Celestia set it on the floor and opened it as she had once every year.
A single scroll levitated up as she began to read through them again, hoping that someday she’d learn where she went wrong.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I’ve learned that one of the joys of friendship is sharing the blessings, but when there are not enough blessings to go around, having more than your friends can make you feel pretty awful. So, although I appreciate your invitation, I will be returning both tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala. If my friends can’t all go, I don’t want to go either.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle.
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I have posted the ending. Your tears. Feed them to me.
here you go
but.... the ending was rushed and to be truthful the ending was plain
Well, this is weird. I imagined that the ending would be something like this. Only Celestia had defeated Twilight and sealed her into the moon (or something cliche like that) and she'd become a fairy tale that parents told their foals to get them to behave....
But every once in a while, a foal would misbehave anyway. And then a beautiful purple Alicorn princess comes around to their room in the middle of the night, offering them a nice cup of tea...
Anyway, I do feel like this was a tad rushed. But you did mention something about a sequel some time ago, so I can understand that you would want to wrap things up nicely. Thank you for writing such a strange and compelling story.
So will there or will there not be a sequel? Also, Celestia can't find Twilight in the Everfree Forest? With her (and Luna's) near-unlimited power and resources, she can't trace Twilight's magical output? Also, did Lyra get freed? I assume Scootaloo did, but did Twilight actually do it to Lyra? Overall, though, I think this one was pretty entertaining. Not perfect mechanically, of course, (I'm throwing stones in glass houses there) but pretty fun.
No tears, just kind of disappointment that no one got freed or changed back except maybe Scootaloo... I don't like to be rude or mean but... crappy ending and I've said my say. Still good writing Kaidan, but crappy, crappy ending. (IMO obviously) Unless the ponies and Spike did escape in the tunnel? It wasn't very clear on that....
2699813 the ending was as bad as Mass effect 3's ending.
In a way it was because it was not clear who got undollified and who did not... 2699915
Mmmm... Im gonna withhold judgement until I can see the sequel, if there is one.
2699813
I read...
That Octavia story too many times.
right now i am crying!! I dont want it to end!!! make a sequel!!!! maybe bonnie becomes princess and she brings all the dolls back??
right now i am crying!! I dont want it to end!!! make a sequel!!!! maybe bonnie becomes princess and she brings all the dolls back??
...Simply amazing.
Bravo! Bravo! That story was one of the best I ever red, and I'm glad to have read it. Thank you Kaiden for writing such awesomeness, it's been one hell of a ride.
Well damn. Just... Damn. I can't honestly say anything. Again.
While nicely written, I feel like there are some things that were left out, here. So Celestia couldn't follow Twilight... hadn't Twilight mentioned the Everfree Forest to Lyra at some point? I feel as though Celestia and Luna could have tracked down the dollhouse in the span of a thousand years... the princesses should have some sort of tracking/locating magic, right? However, what's done is done. I'd enjoy a story about the toy ponies in the forest.
Wouldn't Luna also remember the name of the pony who saved her from Nightmare Moon? Though it has been a thousand years, I guess I can excuse her memory.
I do like how Twilight became a story, seemingly replacing Nightmare Moon. That was a nice touch.
I... I have no words for this... you are a good writter...
I was hoping the wall would open up and show a new dollhouse with Twilight, Ponyville, and a thousand years worth of others... oh well, still an awesome story overall.
2699813
Please don't leave it at that! I must know what happened! There needs to be another epilogue, or a sequel, or something!
ok lets start the sequel chant
sequel,sequel...(sequelxn)....sequel,sequel
2699813 The ending was really lame. Never going to know what happened to the ponies of the dollhouse or Scootaloo. Also I have not shed a single tear. Better luck next time Kaidan.
ok ending,but i didn't really feel it....
what happened to scootaloo and all the other dolls?
2700321sequll, sequel, se-nah fuck it
Going to join the crowd asking for the sequel. It was a good ending, but it just left way too much unanswered. Discord never made an appearance, Twilight never got over her issue, and I have to feel bad for Twilight's friends, who have probably been alive for the past 1000 years. We never even saw Granny Smith's reaction to her family's death.
Oh well, at least Applejack was able to find peace and never had to endure what her friends are now stuck with. Rainbow Dash never saw Scootaloo again and never was able to fly, Discord never saw Fluttershy again, none of them got to live out their dreams and most of them probably would like to die but you know Twilight will never let them.
Not sure if want.
On one hoove this looks really interesting and awesome in a creepy kind of way.
On the other hooves I still haven't gotten over the last tragedy/dark fic I read.
Damn good ending to a damn good story. HUZZAH!! Also, it feels like there's room for a sequel. Is that possible? I highly doubt there'll be a sequel, but I feel like there's room for one.
Also,
*Fires multiple nukes at Minecraftia, wiping out the Hell Army.*
ME: That's what you get for trying to kill me, BIATCH!!
HEROBRINE: Fool! Thou can't kill a DEMON!! Now I shall haunt thee!!!
ME: Dammit!! *Sighs*
...
HEROBRINE: Wanna go prank call the Princesses?
ME: Why not?
EDIT: Sorry, Kaidan. No tears. Honestly didn't find this at all sad.
Wow this ending really took me by surprise, I kinda feel bad about Twilight right after reading it.
There were a lot of things you left without answer, what happened to Scootaloo? (seeing that Lyra was freed seems to be the same outcome for her as well); Pinkie just disapeared of the fanfic as well Fluttershy (I don't remember reading about them after Twilight's visit); The Cakes, I know there are minor characters but they could have made something (go to canterlot/suspect what was happening, etc); Silver Spoon, what did they exactly do to her?
And most important, WHAT HAPPENED TO EVERYPONY IN THE DOLLHOUSE??? Did they just lost all hope of being freed and went mad/lost their judgement? Did Twilight really died and the curse broke? (ok, that's kinda cliché) If not, what will everypony in the Dollhouse think of Twilight now? How will she be able to get comfort after losing Lyra?
All of this can be still explained if you do a sequel, it can easily be done since you made a 1000 years timelapse
2699813
Here, have some tears, but only because the story is over!
So... what happened to Scoots? She still animated? Still a doll? Are the other dolls okay at least? Did they become inanimate if Twilight kicked the bucket?
Make that sequel!
You know... if you feel like it...
C-vulgtlagln gnaiih goka ch' phlegeth!
I'a Kaidan!
2702084
Exactly ho I felt when I first heard it!
'Celesta flies into a bar. She breaks her skull. "Mother of Me, that hurt.."'
2699889
Wouldn't the massive amounts of wild magic interfere with a locator spell in much the same way as EM radiation messes with radio signals?
2699813
I actually enjoyed this story! Have my Tears! You have earned them!!
And this is how you end a story! Return of the Dollmaker? Possibly. I mean, someone must collect the dolls left at the statue. DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!
2700002 Who is this 'bonnie' you speak of?
Wow, that's a rather ambiguous ending... But it's still better than a downer ending.
I liked the story from the begining 'till the end! Instead of writing an overly long critique, I'll just thank you for writing this fabulous story!
Thank you! And great job!
Sequel.
Now.
First, of course there will be a sequel. I keep mentioning it in my blog, of course, now I can actually start leaking details.
Second, what fun would the ending be if I just told you what happens? Isn't show better than tell? The clues are there.
Lyra is left with the research notes and a 'way to make it easier for Celestia' to change her back. In the epilogue, Lyra's descendent is asking why her name isn't on the memorial of victims. So she must have been changed back to normal, lived, and died a pony.
Scootaloo is more vague, but if Lyra can be changed back so can Scootaloo. After all, the town in the epilogue (Harmony) is founded by the survivors, which implies some of her victims survived (and some died.
) Lyra, Scootaloo, Trixie, the Cakes, Derpy. . . some escaped, some had close calls. The question to ask for the sequel is: are they the only ones who survived?
I don't know about you, but if I were Lyra and Scootaloo, and the princesses gave up on the search for Twilight, I'd take matters into my own hooves. Their friends are trapped out their in the Everfree!
Anyway that's just me. I like having to piece together the clues and 'solve' the questions instead of having them told to me. Just like Luna drinking tea with her hooves, the clues are so much easier to spot on a second read-through *hint hint*
2699882
You're right. Twilight shall descend and offer free tea for everypony who dissents.
us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/eugenesim/eugenesim1209/eugenesim120900187/15373645-tea-set-on-a-wooden-table-close-up.jpg
2699849
I was too busy plotting to overthrow the world, so I kept the ending simple.
2699889
I subscribe to the theory the Everfree is a place of chaos, where magic runs wild and uncontrolled. Twilight hid there knowing it was the only place they couldn't use their magic to find her. They relied instead on sending patrols to search by hoof, but the forest is big, and Twilight is either an evil genius or a corpse.
2699915
s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/121/725/CMC%20doesnt%20even%20deserve%20facehoof.jpg?1304982879
If you don't like purple, there's a mint green and an orange ending.
2699899
All will be revealed, for a one time fee of $4.99
2699977
if you were somebodyreallyimportant, then I'd let you pre-read the sequel. Alas, nobody will have to wait...
2699974
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2700002
Bon Bon is dead as a door nob nailed down to a plank of wood. Darn.
2700098 2700098 2700045 2700052 Thanks. Also, don't let a cat get your tongue! There's so much dramatic reading to be done.
2700065
There is the moral of the story:
No pony is immortal. In Twilight's quest to become immortal, she not only failed, but Celestia is literally the only pony who knows she ever existed. To everyone else, she is just "The Dollmaker." To Luna, she's a rogue pupil of Celestia's.
So the victims gained immortality in stone, in the memorials located in the cities across Equestria. The Dollmaker got a sort of immortality, but only as the insane pony, not as Twilight, the savior of Equestria and beloved friend of all, as she had intended.
Thus they all forgot her name. Also, the Everfree is full of Ysalamir.
2700121
The thousands of years worth of others comes later. I'm sure if she survived she learned to be more careful procuring new friends.
2700418 2700553 2700229 2700321 Just for you I will write one. JZ1 must promise not to crash into my house, okay?
2700338
I still claim you should have seen that ending coming a mile away, and that by not crying you've allowed me to use reverse psychology, so I still win!
2700693 2701040
I bet you all hate my friend who convinced me there wasn't enough story left to go the planned 25 chapters. You should totally all send him hate mail. He convinced me to do 15 chapters, something about me having to stretch too far to find things to write about...
I plan to show all that and more in the sequel, which I shall guard closely from pessimists such as him.
Are you sure Scootaloo and Dash were never re-united? That epilogue seemed mighty vague, what with not telling you how long the list of victims was, or who was on it.
2700697
You do look like you could use some coffee and a smile.
2700713
The goal was to imitate that experience of being a child and doing something wrong. When your parent catches you, you have that "oh shit" moment and either obey them, or say "screw it" and throw a big temper tantrum in the middle of the canned good aisle of Wal Mart.
In this case, Twilight wanted to talk to Celestia, but as soon as she got outside and saw her, she panicked. Celestia wasn't just like her mother, she far out-classed her abilities and she basically kept "spanking" Twilight and giving her a chance to surrender. Twilight, like most children, argued illogically and refused to stop the tantrum, finally giving up and teleporting away.
Had the fight gone any longer, Celestia would have just pinned her down and chopped her horn off, then dragged her back to Canterlot. Without the elements, she never stood a chance. (Even Luna would have beat her without them, plus Luna was weakened from saving Trixie. A newly coronated princess can't match the power of beings thousands of years old.)
Before my editor got to it, Twilight basically confessed and said "screw you" and attacked. I like this way better, where she basically throws an illogical fit.
Also, thank you. The friendship letter at the end was the best part of the whole story and you're the only one who mentioned it.
2700861
)
Definitely a sequel. Also, the tears I sought were not ones of sorrow but ones of rage. Rage is the most delicious of all tears (though to be fair, the clues were there to show who lives and who dies. Even Twilight's fate is hidden in the story. ooOOooOOoo
2701880
As long as Fluttershy is here to protect me from the penance stare, I don't fear you!
2702112
And nopony ever suspects the dolls left at the statue were once real ponies, produced at a factory known only as "The Hub" where Twilight turns hundreds of ponies into dolls each year... Pegasi who fail their flight test, Earth ponies who can't farm, and Unicorns that can't levitate objects. Mwahahaha!
2702119
Your welcome. If I could go back in time and make it 30 chapters long I would, but then I wouldn't get to do the sequel. Oh, the choices...
2702318 I've already had some tea and I hope it wasn't poisoned. *Passes out* I believe the sequel should focus on finding the remaining dolls from the dollhouse and changing them back to ponies only to find that ponyville is not what is once was.
2702348
Yes and no. When has an author ever made a story that easy? They will try to find and fix them but....
What if Twilight is there waiting? Can Lyra talk her down?
What if Twilight's dead? She is their only lead to it's location in the Everfree.
What if Twilight has captured tons more ponies / started over?
What if she forces them to choose who to save and who to leave behind?
What if Scootaloo can only save Dash by taking her place?
What if Lyra becomes the next Dollmaker?
Can the elements be restored and used to locate/cure Twilight?
Why did Celestia call off the search after a few years? How does she live with herself, having failed Luna, banished her for 1,000 years, and then failed Twilight, leaving her wounded and bleeding out?
It's going to be one hell of a journey, and now that I've had my fill of panicked readers clamoring for the sequel, writing can begin in earnest.
2702370 that's a good point about lyra, she does have the notes that twi gave her and that would be a huge twist for a sequel if lyra became the next dollmaker.
2702318 You never know what i've got in store. Now that summer's coming up, I might do this as my midweek, but i've also got plans on wednesdays. Expect a lot of content after this friday.
Looking forward to the sequel. I was listening to this as I read the epilogue there, definitely added a certain je ne sais quoi.
Hmm...
Aside from using "millennia" when you meant "millennium," I liked this ending. The ambiguity works well, adding menace to the tragedy. If there's a sequel in the works, I look forward to it.
One issue, though: Discord. The Everfree may not obey the rules of Equestrian magic, but neither does he. A thousand years is a long time. You're going to have to explain where he went eventually.
No tears, but no jeers either. Thank you for a most enjoyable descent into madness.
2699813 By doing math (
), I have figured that the maximum current population of Twilight's Dollhouse is 2,030 ponies. That is the maximum, on the chance that all the colts and fillies sent to 'the Dollmaker' weren't complete douches and Twilight accepted them as her friend, AND that none of the previous residents escaped.
2702318
Ok, I won't.
2702702
He's on a tropical island, or perhaps Earth, sowing chaos a safe distance from the princesses.
Anyway, he might be around in the sequel, which takes place ~5 years after Twilight's dissappearance. Some people said I should do it ~1,000 years afterwards, but then I have to do a bunch of world building, and create dozens of OC's to replace all the dead ponies, and find a way to trap Lyra for 1,000 years to explain why she didn't seek help....
Yeah, five years. And after the events of the sequel, maybe Discord winds up with a fate worse than death; Twilight's new favorite plushy.
My favorite part is letting people think they know the ending, then crafting an ingenious route between the two, and having them surprised at the end. The journey has always been better than the destination, and we know it ends with the legend of The Dollmaker. Or does it?
2702850
Deal. Dollhouse III which takes place in the bustling metropolis of New New Ponyville with a population of 2,030!
DAT. FU*****. COUNTER.
EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
This smells like sequel/epilogue II/What happened to...
Real nice! I am waiting to see more of your
insane shitstories :D2702893 Wait, I never said anything about a third one....
I don't think 2,030 is a bustling metropolis
And was that a Doctor Who joke
24.media.tumblr.com/a6eda1fb5ee869ad2582e0bf8eccbdf7/tumblr_mfme6pmW0n1qkg4nvo1_500.jpg
2702318
Its ok, nobodyreallyimportant likes the story anyway.
Okay, I've read the epilogue again and since it's not three in the morning right now, I wanted to post another comment without being dead tired
I forgot to mention it in my previous comment but Luna annoys me in this epilogue. She somehow managed to forget about Twilight. How the hell do you forget about someone that saved you from your own darkness and reunites you with your sister, befriends you when all others run away in fear and eventually becomes the most powerful foe you've ever faced? (sans Discord, obviously)
You'd think that somepony who nearly killed her would warrant a bit more thought than 'a rogue student.'
Celestia on the other hand seems to finally have realized that she was partially at fault. I wonder what good that'll do her, now that she can't do anything anymore.
And I like how Twilight has become the bogeymare or something like that. I wonder if the Doll Maker and Nightmare Moon team up at times?
The foals of Harmony seem to treat the Doll Maker like they did Nightmare Moon, a thousand years ago. Yes, they're afraid of her but they leave her dolls to play with, as one foal says. Not to kidnap or steal but to play with. Seems like Twilight settled down with her BFF's. Either that or she got a lot more sneaky
All in all, I've truly enjoyed reading this story. You're the good kind of crazy and I can't wait to see what the sequel will bring.
Wow.
Just wow.
I have the urge to know what happened, but I think a sequel would not be in order. Leave it to our imaginations please!
Anyway, I loved this story the whole way through. Thank you Kaiden. Thank you.
2703273 *insert every YES! Video and picture here*
Mmmm, I quite enjoyed that ending. Just the right amount of "Whaaaaaaat happeeeeeeened?
" to leave you wondering. Also, excellent use of the letter! Words cannot describe how perfectly it fits in this context.
I love this story. A lot.