As Silver Trails spots the exit she speeds up, freedom at her hooves. Upon reaching it she stops, slowing suddenly to a halt as if sensing something. Glancing around she smiles and sighs.
"Thank you Wanderers of the Roads, you saved us."
With these words ,Rarity watches her father move away from the exit and towards her. Strong and proud, yet kind, he stops in front of her.
In her mind she hears words echoed, from a voice she had forgotten. One who now stands before her with a smile on his face.
"You have grown up my little Gem, I know you forgot about me."
Tears fall upon Rarity's cheeks at these words, how could she have forgotten him?
"It's alright, your Mother was right to do what she did," her father; now a being of amorphous silver sheen, says with a smile.
"You were a little filly, you deserved happy memories. You deserved and needed to forget what happened out here. And for you to grow to be the generous, artistic, brilliant mare I see before me.. My beautiful little Rarity you had to forget about me."
Tears are not left to cry, though Rarity still sniffles, as her memory of the event hangs fresh in her mind. As the memories of what her first father and her had return, she can't help but ask.
"Daddy, you can't come back can you?"
Her father shifts, phasing out a bit, before returning to the form she knows well. Or did, before her memories were blocked and rewritten by her mother. He bows his head, a single silver tear on his cheek.
"My little Gem, you know I can't. Your daddy is in a state where he can never come back, or move on. Grey back there can't either, anymore than I can. We are bound to the roads."
Rarity sniffles as her father moves closer and nuzzles her with a silver cheek. It feels like liquid mist, or what silver would feel like if it was mixed with silk. Backing up he smiles once more at his daughter, who deep down he always missed.
Standing tall and regal, he turns his head back to the road, horn more brilliant than it had been in life.
In a sorrowful tone he says, "My little gem, I love you, but we can't meet again. You must not wander down roads like these again, Terminus wants you. And It will find you; unless you avoid them."
Rarity gulps, remembering that monster. And what it had done to her father, and that poor earth pony. What it had almost done tonight.
With a sad smile, she sniffles and responds
"I guess this is good bye Daddy.. isn't it."
Her father, Silver Bell, nods slowly in response; before walking down the road away from the carriage.
"Yes this is good bye my little Gem, I love you Rarity."
Rarity bows her head and whispers. "I love you too Daddy."
As if those words had broken a spell, Silver Trails moves forward beyond the exit and onto the main road.
Upon getting the carriage fully on the pavement, she neighs to the heavens, and the moon far above. Those neighs turn to chitters and clicks, as she lets out her joy at having escaped that horrible road. Turning her head she freezes. Where there had been an exit, there is now none; there is no road they could have come from. The mare gulps slowly, she had really been on a Lost Wanderer Road. She had escaped something few had, and that would cause a normal pony to swear off short cuts and byways for life.
Glancing at the main road, she chuckles under her breathe as she mutters "Thank the hive I'm a change..."
Rarity still posed with her head out of the carriage window, turns her head towards the dapple grey mare.
"Did you say something Darling?" Her eyes looking at Silver Trails curiously.
Silver Trails smiles back, "I was just saying we better get a move on. Before we can't make it on time anymore."
Rarity nods her head, too busy thinking about what happened. She is still too caught up by fear to notice the obvious twitching tell in Silver Trails eye. Pulling her head back into the carriage, she removes Pearl Song from her saddle bag and opens her box.
Using her magic, she lifts the new seapony statue out of her saddle bags and places him next to her in the box. Making sure he is nicely settled in, securely by his sister, she smiles.
"Pearl Song, I found your brother Hidden Reverie. He's going to be staying by you from now on. Rest well my old friend."
As she closes the box, and turns to straighten out her magazines, books, and portfolio from the mad rush on the road. She could have sworn she heard two voices say in sync.
"Thank you Rarity, get some rest too.."
Outside the moon shone it's guiding light on the lucky travelers, who had gone down a byway of the lost and come back. Those who had faced a legend of the byways and lived. Who had escaped the clutches of gods older than Equestria, and fiends who were once gods.
And those who faced varied futures, but would now share one section of their pasts.
The past written on that night on a wanderers lost road.