Chapter 35 - Retirement
"So do you enjoy running the inn together? It doesn't look like you get many customers up here," Lyra said. She took a sip of warm cider and looked out the large window at the spectacular view of the surrounding mountains and lake it provided. It truly was beautiful here.
"Oh, yes," the elderly mare said. "It's a simple life, but it's a happy one." She and her husband had been happy to sit and chat with Lyra for well near an hour by the time Lyra asked the question. In all that time, nopony else had entered the inn.
"Wouldn't trade it for the world," the old stallion said.
The mare looked at Lyra, and a genuine look of concern appeared on her face. "Oh my, Miss. Are you alright?"
Lyra smiled and wiped away the tears that had appeared on her cheeks. "Yes. Sorry, I'm fine. More than fine, actually." She stood up and looked at each of the ponies for a moment before saying, "Would you mind... do you think I could come stay. Regularly, I mean?" She patted her saddlebags and the clink of many bits could be heard. "I'm good for it, trust me."
The couple looked at each other.
"I don't see why not," the stallion said.
"You seem like a lovely young lady. It would be our pleasure if you came to stay again, Miss..." the mare blinked. "Sorry, what was your name?"
"Lyra. Lyra Heartstrings."
The mare smiled again. "What a beautiful name. You come and visit whenever you like, Lyra Heartstrings."
Lyra said her goodbyes and left the inn. Outside, Iron Will and Bon Bon were waiting.
"That took longer than usual," Bon Bon said. "So... what do you think?"
Lyra wiped another tear from her eyes and nodded slowly.
"No way! Seriously? You really think it's them?" Bon Bon put a hoof on her head and stared up at the sky. "After all this time. You're pretty certain? I mean... are you going to ask Discord?"
Lyra shook her head. "No. They're... they're happy. I can't quite explain it, but there's something still there. I know it's them."
"So what do you plan on doing?" Iron Will asked.
Lyra smiled. "We're adventurers, so it's onward to wherever our hooves take us. And when it comes time for a rest, I now know of a great little place nestled within the mountains that's run by a couple so friendly, you'd swear they were family." She adjusted her saddlebags and checked some supplies. "Maybe someday I'll tell them. I have a feeling they'll know it even before I bring it up. But I won't try to change them. That shouldn't be my decision to make, it should be theirs. But for now," she fished out a contract from her bags, "we have a Royal Guard-approved quest to take care of. You two ready?"
"Ready," Iron Will said.
Bon Bon smiled, and came in for a group hug. "Ready," she said.
"Adventure, ho!" Lyra cried. With that, the three friends traveled onward, toward another adventure.
The End
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And that's a wrap. Seven years and nearly three months worth of writing, finally finished.
I honestly hope the story was worth the wait. I definitely understand those who gave up waiting. It's definitely a weird feeling after all this time to finally put a "Completed" tag on this. If you're reading this, thanks for seeing it through. I hope you've been entertained.
This is a satisfying end. Thank you.
10261751
Tails from The Lost Inn?
But those, are another set of stories altogether.
10261751
Thank you for writing, and aye, I think so. :)
Weird ending but overall nice.
I think... This was worth the wait. Thanks!
Nice to see a non-super magical resolution to things. It really solves all those ethical problems and stuff, nicely!
I am happy.
Overall, it's a good story.
I really enjoyed this ending. Such a cute ending, and I always love storylines involving inns.
Strange to think this one's over. But hey, that bit at the end that answered a question the show never did? Brilliant way to turn the hiatus into a phenomenal payoff. Thank you for a fantastic tale of adventure capitalism.
And now I wait for the next installment in the series: Lyra, Iron Will, and BonBon: The Portrait of what Looked Like a Large Pile of Ash -- because apparently the Royal Guard is scared of ambiguous paintings in the hallway next to the bathroom.
This is a very nice ending, and I'm glad she found her parents, even if they don't know her anymore. It is nice to see her leave them to be happy at the expense of her own, but got solace out of it.
10261751
Very much worth the wait to be entertained and satisfied and happy with the characters. They've all ended up to be some of the best versions of themselves I've read.
What a fantastic ending to a story that has evolved so much over its long life.
I dunno, this started out as a silly slice of life and then became suddenly an adventure to stop another dangerous magical thingee and tragic sacrifice.
Things like that seem to happen to long-running slice of life tales, I notice.
I suppose it's time to change the "tracking" bookmark to a "favorite" bookmark, huh? Oh, well, those are the best of stories.
10272208
Raised by timberwolves with a magical dark pendant around her neck?
Wow what a story and i think Lyra Heartstrings found her parents But they can't remember who she is thats sad but She knows that they're alive thats what Important for her.
10283063
Yeah ... I feel really, really, really sad about Amber Glow though. They need to save her, and make her herself again so she can be with Trixie.
10283495
Yeah that is pretty sad too Not only that None of the people or ponies Doesn't even know what happened to her 😔
10283495
I suppose that's a good thing about Cozy's ambiguous origins in the show, and having the show end the way it did. A lot can be changed.
Also I'm not opposed to the head-canon of Cozy/Amber eventually being freed and reuniting with Trixie.
I'm so glad I stayed with this story when I first discovered it years ago and it's been a pleasure to read from Lyra's journey with her friends to save her shop to her discovering the fate of her parents and the high stakes at the end of this all that I didn't see coming. It was a good way to wrap things up for the reader as Lyra and the others still have adventures on the horizon.
This has given me inspiration to keep working on my own works that I've been slacking off on. Just seeing what you were able to do with this is an inspiration.
10309880
It's comments like these that helped "push me along" to ensure I finished what I started, so thank you very much!
A bittersweet, yet still heartwarming ending. Glad you stuck with it
Favorite, ho!
I finally got around to finishing these later few chapters, I'd agree that it was a very satisfying ending. I particularly liked the reveals about Lyra's parents.
I like the way this story has ended mostly that Lyra has found the ponies her parents turned into.
10625478
I appreciate the kind words!
I was following your reading adventure with each comment, even as you followed Lyra's. I'm glad that a story I spent over 7 years working on came to a satisfying conclusion for most people. I hope it was as fun to read as it was for me to write!
I've just found this story a week ago and couldn't stop reading.
It's beautiful to follow Lyra and Bon Bon along their problems and solutions and to read how the entire debt-situation plays out. Was a great idea with the Adventurer's Guild aswell, really got things going and I love the way Scootaloo developed herself through their Quests (Also nice to see Flim & Flam from a better side for once).
Also those few scenes with Shining Armor and Iron Will were simply adorable!
Thank you for the story, enjoyed it a lot!!
Very enjoyable! Thank you for writing.
Since you referenced Background Pony earlier and recalled it here when you stated Lyra's name, that was an amusing meta-joke concerning the tragedy of what happened to Lyra's parents here.
Congratulations on your creative explanation for the origin of Cozy Glow! (One criticism, the only negative comment I have: I thought it was a bit tacky that some random pony with a heart of gold with little backstory sacrificed herself for Trixie who didn't seem to deserve it while Trixie was trying to embark on her own redemption arc (and it seemed Trixie could have benefited from a little more development justifying why she'd want to sacrifice herself)--there wasn't much emotional impact there other than question marks and discomfort, but this explanation for Cozy Glow makes more sense than anything on the show--so I think you nailed the payoff and threw in a neat twist to foil Trixie and the Mane 6's attempted heroics)!
(NOTE: For others considering reading, this is a good, enjoyable read that feels like watching a two-or-three part show episode with likable characters, interesting challenges, forward-motion, intriguing twists, and a moving payoff chapter (the chapter preceding this epilogue)! I rate it very highly).
Lost track of this story two years ago or more and I finally found it and finished it. Great story.