//------------------------------// // Epilogue: Letters and Final Farewells // Story: Horns, Hooves, and Fur // by Deyeaz //------------------------------// Shadow: Holy shit, this epilogue is long as hell. Craimer: Oh, dear God, you’re right. Epilogue: Letters and Final Farewells Cutie Mark Crusaders The little yellow Earth Pony, white Unicorn, and orange Pegasus, along with many of the occupants of the bunker, looked out into the sky, and rather than seeing black skies and a large, frightening moon, they saw a clear blue atmosphere, and the Sun shining magnificently upon them all. They all let out a cheer of rejoice at the world’s close call. The occupants that filled the bunker exited their safe escape, glad that they could live to see another day. The Cutie Mark Crusaders headed straight for their clubhouse, ready to pick back up on whatever Cutie Mark obtaining they could. When the trio of fillies entered their fortress of solitude, they saw three pieces of paper folded on the table at the far end of the room. Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle walked over and respectively picked up each one with their names addressed on it. “Ah wonder who sent these,” Applebloom said. “Beats me,” Sweetie Belle said. “Let’s see what’s in them, guys,” Scootaloo suggested. The three nodded “Wanna go first, Scootaloo?” The yellow filly asked. “Alright then.” The orange Pegasus opened her letter and read what was inside it. Dear Scootaloo, I hope this letter reaches you soon, for I have advice and a request for you, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle. First comes the advice. I’ve been observing your flying skills, and I want to assist you in improving. You flap your wings too hard and too fast, like a desperate and angry wasp. Time your wing-beating for them to come out as soft and gentle strokes, like a tame butterfly, and soon you will take to the skies with as much grace as a dove. With the advice now gone, I present you with the request. At the Ponyville wood store, Lumber Jack’s, I have placed an order for two hundred thick bamboo stalks, and fifty are loaded into a wagon, leaving four wagons at the store. Do not worry, for bamboo is a considerably light wood, and the wagons should make them easier to haul. Please use your scooter and take these wagons to the Mane Street intersection, where the large water fountain resides, in the allotted time of twelve minutes. Who knows? Maybe if you move fast enough, you could get a Cutie Mark from it. All the best, ~A Very Fluffy Friend Scootaloo grimaced at who had signed the letter. ‘Wouldn’t it make more sense to just sign your whole name?’ she thought. But still... this “Very Fluffy Friend” thinks that she will get her Cutie Mark if she moved fast enough... so why not? “I gotta go do something, girls,” the orange Pegasus told her friends before leaving the treehouse. “I wonder what’s got her motivated into doing something?” Sweetie Belle pondered. “Ah dunno mahself,” Applebloom said. “Can Ah read my letter next, Sweetie?” “OK, A.B.” The filly in question opened her letter, and read on. Dear Applebloom, I hope this letter reaches you soon. For you see, like your friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, I have both advice to give and a request to ask. The advice being that you must not try and rush through life, in the hopes to get a Cutie Mark. Believe me when I say that when you get older, you will look back on your childhood and wish and hope that you can relive it. What I’m trying to say is that you must always live your childhood life to the fullest, and not rush into pubescence and adulthood so quickly. But if you want to grow up, I guess I can’t stop you.... so maybe I can help you. But take my words at heart, you will wish you could remain a kid when you get older. With the advice out of the way, I move on to the request. I have told Scootaloo to bring two-hundred stalks of light bamboo to the intersection at Mane Street, where the massive water fountain is, which a friend of mine shall remove to make room for what you shall make. My request is that you build a pagoda in the shape of an octagon, with the archways facing the streets that pull away from the intersection, as well as a sunroof for it. And perhaps there’s even a possibility of getting that Cutie Mark you always wanted if you do this task. All the best, ~A Very Fluffy Friend “Hmm... how come he ends his letters with “A Very Fluffy Friend?” Applebloom inquired. “Ah don’t get it....” “Me neither,” Sweetie Belle admitted to her friend and fellow Crusader. “What’d he tell you?” “He told me about how Ah shouldn’t be rushin’ into growin’ up, and how Ah should enjoy mah childhood. He also told me about how Ah can get mah Cutie Mark.” Then it clicked. “Maybe that’s why Scootaloo left in a hurry! Maybe the ‘Very Fluffy Friend’ here might’ve told her how ta get HER Cutie Mark." “Well, then, Go, Applebloom!” Sweetie Belle squeaked ecstatically, pushing Applebloom out of the clubhouse. “If this ‘Very Fluffy Friend’ knows how you can get your Cutie Mark, then why not go for it?” Applebloom thought about this logic for a few seconds, but decided that it’d be best to follow through with her “Very Fluffy Friend”s request and obtain the Cutie Mark she’s always dreamed of getting. “Alrighty, then, Sweetie Belle.” And so she left without another word towards Mane Street. Sweetie opened her letter last. This one, unlike Applebloom’s and Scootaloo’s, is longer. But she read on. Dear Sweetie Belle, If this letter reaches your hooves, then good, for I have something of the utmost importance to ask of you. But like your friends, Scootaloo and Applebloom, I have given them advice that I hope sticks with them. And I hope that the advice I will give you does the same. Your Unicorn powers, untapped because of your young age and non-usage of it, can be as peaceful as an ocean tide, but as powerful as a raging tsunami, if you focus hard enough. Channel all your focus and energy into your horn, and let loose enough magic into what you want to affect. Heck, you’ll probably be as magically adept as Twilight Sparkle if you try really hard enough. With my advice out of the way, I will ask you a request, like I did Scootaloo and Applebloom. Once your Earth Pony friend finishes building a pagoda that I have instructed her to create, a friend of mine will bring along an item to this pagoda. It is an item of mourning, and to mourn for said item, I have written down a set of lyrics for you to sing. Sweetie Belle saw a wall of lyrics at the bottom of the paragraph, and began reading it carefully, then began memorizing said lyrics, due to what the next, non-lyrical paragraph said: Perhaps if you sing this, then your Cutie Mark can finally appear, but only fate and your actions will tell. All the best, ~A Very Fluffy Friend Sweetie Belle pondered on what this ‘Very Fluffy Friend’ of hers told her. Apparently, singing for a Cutie Mark won’t be so bad... but in the process, the lyrics did appear a bit saddening. Still, a few minutes of sadness over a lifetime of having a Cutie Mark would be worth it. “Well... if he says that this will come in handy, then I don’t see why this won’t be a problem... oh, who cares, it’s a Cutie Mark, for pony’s sake!” With that, the white Unicorn dashed out of the clubhouse and towards Mane Street. Spike The little purple dragon walked back towards the Ponyville Library, where he’d thought Twilight had teleported now that Insanity was long gone and finished, seeing as how the Moon of Destruction is pushed back into its elliptical orbit and is stripped of its terrifying face. However, when Spike opened up the door to the Library, he saw that Twilight was not inside. “Strange... she should be here by now,” he muttered. Regardless, he went inside and made his way towards the kitchen to get his hands on a quartz gem to snack on. With mouthwatering gemstone in claw, Spike vacated the kitchen. “Hoo.” Spike jumped and spun around to find the source of the muffled speaker, but sighed in relief when he only saw Owlowicious holding a letter in his beak. “Oh... hey, Owlowicious. What’s up?” “Hoo, hoo!” The owl replied in a muffled voice. He flapped his wings and dropped the letter at Spike’s feet. Spike raised a brow when he saw his name on it, symbolizing that it was addressed to him. “Huh? For me?” “Hoo!” Owlowicious nodded. Spike picked up the letter and began reading it. Dear Spike, Many of us like to believe that the person, or pony, in this case, that we love will love us back. But I have seen the face of love, and I can tell you... they are usually wrong. Love is a mysterious thing, something that not many of us can understand. True love is like a needle in a haystack: you must search hard and long before you find what you were looking for. I understand that your love for the white Unicorn mare, Rarity, is an insatiable one, unfulfilled unless you receive what you want. Yet while I understand that you love her the question remains... what do you love ABOUT her? Her mane? Her sleek coat? Her eyes? Her perfect physique? If you have said yes to all of these things, then what you are experiencing is not love, but lust, an unquenchable form of desire for a person’s mere APPEARANCE. If you love somebody, or somepony, you must love them not for their appearance, but for their actions. If she is kind, sweet, caring, and gentle, you must follow your heart and go to her. Let her know that you love her. If she says yes, then cheers, you are the happiest dragon to ever walk Equestria. However, if she declines your offer of love, fear not: from failure, you learn your mistakes, and thus have lower expectations of who you wish to love next. But this will only work if she is what I have described to you. Alas, if she is none of what I have described, then you don’t deserve her, for you are far too pure and good to be with someone who could be your polar opposite. With that, I bid you a fond farewell. All the best, ~A Very Fluffy Friend Spike frowned at who had signed it. “Why the hay doesn’t he just sign his real name and not this... alias of his?” He asked nobody in particular. “Hoo!” “I know!” Even though Spike was incapable at speaking Owlowicious’s language, he assumed that the avian had sympathized with him. “It’s weird. And what does he mean, ‘I don’t deserve her?’ I don’t care what Rarity says and does, I will ALWAYS love her!” Spike blinked at the cliche he had spewed. “But... I might as well humor him... stupid ‘Fluffy Friend’....” And so, Spike folded the letter back up and put it on the table in the main room before skulking out of the Library, leaving Owlowicious in his lonesome. Prince Blueblood “Ugh.... disgusting soil... couldn’t that blasted goat and that...INFURIATING human have at LEAST built me a separate CLEAN bunker to hide in?” Once the Friendship Express had entered the Canterlot train station after its departure from Appleoosa, Prince Blueblood exited the train once it had made a complete stop. As he boarded a chariot that was awaiting his arrival, the chariot took off. Halfway through the slow ride, Blueblood looked to his left to briefly see a small green-coated and gold-maned colt and his silver-coated, purple-maned mother. The two were standing over a grave, fresh tears spilling from their eyes. Blueblood saw the tombstone: Here lies Stainless Steel A friend, a father, a fallen fighter Despite Blueblood’s usual pompous and uptight behavior, he couldn’t help but feel remorse for the two weeping ponies, for the colt had lost a father, and the mare a husband. But the empathy was vanquished as soon as his chariot pulled up in front of Canterlot Castle. Blueblood left the chariot and made his way inside the palace. “Prince Blueblood!” A voice called out. The Unicorn in question looked around and saw an Earth Pony messenger holding a letter in his mouth. “Prince Blueblood, there is a letter for you!” “Well, simpleton, who is it from?” The Prince asked, his disdain for the letter in the messenger’s mouth showing when he magicked it out of it. “There is no name, only the words “A Very Fluffy Friend” on the bottom.” Blueblood magically shook any saliva off of the letter before opening it and reading its contents. Dear Prince Blueblood. If this letter reaches you in good condition, then I pray that you take the advice I shall give you to heart. All of my life, I had been harassed, hunted, and made a fool of by multiple people, be them family, so-called ‘friends’, and pompous individuals of power. Individuals that are very strikingly similar to you, my dear Blueblood. I wish to change this about you. I would like to alter your usual lazy, pompous, and narcissistic demeanor into a kind, active, and giving one. I know two ponies who are absolutely capable of changing this: the Element of Kindness, Fluttershy, a butter-yellow, pink-maned Pegasus; and the Element of Honesty: Applejack, an orange, gold-maned Earth Pony who dons a brown Stetson hat. Fluttershy shall help you exit your cold, heartless state and enter a kind, sweet, caring one, while Applejack will help you in becoming a hard worker and honest pony. Please, Blueblood. I am not one for begging and pleading, but I implore that you please take my words and advice to heart, and hopefully, you will see these two about how to change yourself. All the best, ~A Very Fluffy Friend “Me? Lazy and pompous? Why, I never!” Blueblood stomped his hoof into the marble ground in agitation. The Earth Pony messenger who had lingered jumped in surprise and ran out of the castle at impressive speeds. But as Blueblood seethed at who had the audacity to call him such hurtful words, the voice of someone all too familiar blared in his head like a siren. ‘You treated Rarity, a national HERO, like a pile of crap at the last Gala... But that doesn’t mean you can’t change.’ Blueblood sighed in both defeat and frustration. “Curse you, Praxis....” As Blueblood rethought those words, he realized that he could change... and back then, he wouldn’t have wanted to.... But now? “Oh, confound it all....” With that, Blueblood left the castle with great haste, ignoring the chariot-pulling guards that called for him, and made his way back to the train station, where the Friendship Express was preparing to make an all-around trip across Equestria, its first stop being Las Pegasus, then back to Ponyville. “One ticket for Ponyville, please,” Blueblood panted, exhausted from his hard running, as he pulled out several Bits from his coat pocket. XIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX Cutie Mark Crusaders With only five minutes left before her time limit was gone, Scootaloo loaded the fourth and final wagon of bamboo stalks onto her scooter and mounted the vehicle. “This the last one?” Lumber Jack asked. The Unicorn stallion had a mahogany-colored mane, and an oak-colored coat, and his Cutie Mark depicted two crossed plywood planks. “Uh-huh!” Scootaloo flapped her wings frantically, and took off down the street back to Mane Street. A third of the way, however, she remembered the letter, and the advice it held for her. ‘Time your wing-beating for them to come out as soft and gentle strokes, like a tame butterfly, and soon you will take to the skies with as much grace as a dove.’ Scootaloo slowed her frantic and rapid wing-beating to a slower, yet stronger rhythm. She didn’t exert as much energy as before, and she was still going the same speed. She looked down and she almost squealed when she saw her scooter raise a few inches off of the ground. As she rode down the street, she saw two construction worker Unicorn ponies levitating a large water fountain, grumbling while they did so. Only two minutes had passed since she had left Lumber Jack’s store, and Scootaloo had reached Mane Street, where Applebloom was already almost finished with the pagoda. Scootaloo let out a low whistle at how extravagant the building was. The building would be in the shape of an octagon, and each side would be about twelve feet in length and height. Applebloom had finished up six sides of the pagoda and was working on the seventh. She smiled when she saw Scootaloo with the remaining pieces of lumber. “Glad ta see ya got the last o’ th’ lumber, Scootaloo!” Applebloom said in her southern drawl. “Yeah, and in under the ten minutes this ‘Fluffy Friend’ set for me.” Scootaloo unhooked the wagon from off the scooter and pulled it over to Applebloom. The yellow filly, her bow tie now a headband around her sweaty forehead, went to pick up the bamboo and use it to create the remaining sides. Until she exclaimed in surprise and pointed at Scootaloo’s flank. “Scoots! Look!” The orange Pegasus whipped her head around to look at her flank. A blinding light started shining from it. After a few seconds, the light faded with a twinkle, revealing a rubber wheel in the middle of a burnout. “OH-MY-GOSH-OH-MY-GOSH-OH-MY-GOSH-OH-MY-GOSH-OH-MY-GOSH-OH-MY-GOSH-OH-MY-GOSH-OH-MY-GOSH-OH-MY-GOSH-OH-MY-GOSH-OH-MY-GOSH-OH-MY-GOSH!!!!!” Scootaloo hopped up and down in great rejoice, happy that her Cutie Mark had finally come to her. “I got it! I got it! I got it! WHOOOOO-” *PHNK!* Her too-ecstatic cheer was cut short by Applebloom launching a hoof into Scootaloo’s mouth to quiet her. “Yeah, Ah know yer excited n’ whatnot, but calm down, Scootaloo.” The Pegasus nodded. When Applebloom removed her hoof from Scootaloo’s mouth, the yellow filly then proceeded to say, “C’mon. Wanna help me finish this pagoda thang?” “Erm... alrighty, then!” With Scootaloo’s assistance, Applebloom managed to finish the work twice as fast. She was even surprised that Scootaloo was finally able to fly. Once finished several minutes later. Applebloom pulled away and examined her work. The pagoda, for lack of a better term, was magnificent. The green surfaces of the bamboo shined like metal in the light of the now afternoon sun. The roof, with a large shallow cone of glass at its peak, had been impeccably finished as well. Applebloom undid her faux-headband and redid her locks of vermillion hair back into a bow-tied ponytail. She was about to turn and leave when Scootaloo shrieked and pointed at Applebloom’s flank. The yellow filly turned her head to face her posterior, and gasped in delight at when she saw before her. Another blinding light, similar to the one Scootaloo had experienced, was shining on her flank. Once those glorious few seconds passed, the lightning vanished with a small twinkle, and on Applebloom’s flanks rested a hammer, a piece of two-by-four, and a long nail, all three crossed in the shape of an asterisk. “YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!!!!” Applebloom hollered, shouting into the sky triumphantly. “AH GOT IT, AH GOT IT, AH GOT IT, AH GOT IT, AH GOT IT, AH GOT IT, AH GOT IT!” “Calm down, Applebloom!” Scootaloo implored her friend, ignoring the hypocrisy in that statement. “No need to get THAT excited!” “Ah know, but... this’s amazin’! I can’t believe we have them now!” “Yeah, me neither! Say... why did this ‘Fluffy Friend’ of ours want us to do this? “Ah dunno....” Applebloom and Scootaloo thought they saw something in the horizon that was west of the town. The two got out of Mane Street and made their way over to the edge of Ponyville. When they reached the boundaries, they looked closer at what was coming. Or, in better terms, who was coming. Eight individuals walked at a slow gait towards them. Six of the individuals were the Elements of Harmony. One of them was the ever-famous Vinyl Scratch. The final one was an entity in pure white and gold robes. And on the back of a manticore that was trailing behind them was Equestria’s first and last satyr. Mane Street: Resting Grounds Here Rests Praxis Moradov An Unusual Hero, A Kind Giver, A Friend Of The People. "Love, brotherhood, friendship, wisdom, assistance: these are pillars that hold up the vast temple of unity. Tear them down, even unsettle one of them, and we'll all be buried in the ruins, arguing amongst one another when we could be repairing what we have destroyed." That’s what the plaque on the pedestal beneath the standing statue read. The whole of Ponyville had turned up for the sad event. Maybe people who knew him well had lost all control of their tears, and the ones who had only heard of him bowed their heads in respect. The town was unable to fill up the entire pagoda, so less than half of the populace had to sit and mourn outside the landmark. The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Spike, and Prince Blueblood (who had reluctantly asked Applejack if she could help him be a hard worker) had crawled to the front row. The sun was no longer shining down on Ponyville. Instead, the Pegasi have sent a small drizzle of rain above the town, sprinkling every exposed item with water. The rain trickled down the glass cone on the pagoda’s sunroof, casting a warped, dim light on the inside of the pagoda itself. Jace Romero stood in front of the crowd, with Princesses Luna and Celestia respectively flanking him his left and right sides. The hood he was wearing made his entire face shadowy, and nopony could see his face. The Chaos Aura that swirled around him was white instead of it’s usual black due to the armor’s color. It had moved to his head and had spread out to shield his body from the rain that was falling from the clouds. “Today, we mourn a very important person. Praxis Moradov, like a phoenix, was born from the ashes of his hell planet and made this one more beautiful than before. He was one of the few people I know who was like me: bullied and hated for what he was. But no matter what, he always did what was right, even if it was never good. He would never steal, he always gave and barely ever received, and he never hurt anyone without justification. He was, in all of our eyes, a lover and a giver. “But he was more than that. He was my best friend. Every time I saw him, I was constantly reminded of my old friend Coal. It was a shame at what happened to the both of them, but I know they’re in a more beautiful place than this one. I can see them now... in a place where the sun always shines, where the robes are clean and green, where there is no crime or hatred... and where they can run and frolic in peace. “Goodbye, Praxis Moradov... goodbye, my friend... goodbye, sweet prince.” The aura slowly faded black as well as his armor as he pushed down his hood. His appearance stunned most ponies and got collective gasps amongst the crowd. As Jace walked back to the crowd and sat down, Sweetie Belle made her way up to the pedestal. “Erm... I want to sing a song for Mr. Moradov... if that’s OK with you all.” The crowd nodded, and Sweetie Belle smiled sadly. She cleared her throat and began singing, with Jace providing orchestral music through his magic. (Sweetie Belle) Funny how in just one moment things can turn upside down Wish I could turn back time to when you were still around All I've got left is memories of your face smiling at me Used to say that we should all just handle this differently. Took us all by surprise No, we never saw this coming Always were, always will be our hero With no warning sign One day they came And took you away. Remember everything that you said, how we can never fully trust them Wish I could say I disagree but I know they're the ones to blame Destroyed every hope we once had Nothing we can do now that you're gone, no way to bring you back. Took us all by surprise No, we never saw this coming Always were, always will be our hero With no warning sign One day they came And took you away. Things can be so unfair You were taken away before your time Now we're all sitting here, nothing left for us to say Don't want to leave you behind. The music swelled, with guitars, drums, and bass guitars added to the mix. Took us all by surprise No, we never saw this coming Always were, always will be our hero With no warning sign One day they came And took you away. The music intensified even more, and Sweetie Belle raised her volume. Took us all by surprise No, we never saw this coming Always were, always will be our hero With no warning sign One day they came And took you awaaaaaaay! The song came to an end with a flourishing guitar riff. Sweetie Belle shed a lone tear, and paid no mind to the blinding light on her flank. Only when she heard the twinkling sound did she look at her rear end: It was a purple flower, its petals and stems making it look like a bell, and music notes emanated from the flower. Sweetie Belle would’ve smiled for her achievement. However, what she had done was not for rejoice. It was for remorse. “So long, Fluffy,” Vinyl said. The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Spike, and Blueblood went wide-eyed at the DJ’s words. They all removed their letters and looked at who had signed it, trying to make a correlation between what Vinyl said and who had signed their letters. A Very Fluffy Friend... Fluffy Friend... Fluffy... PRAXIS! “Oh... My... Celestia....” They all murmured in unison. They were dumbfounded. Even beyond the grave, the satyr still helped those who needed it. “That is all, fillies and gentlecolts,” Jace announced. All the ponies in town vacated the area at Jace’s call. Vinyl and the Princesses lingered a while. “Take care, Jace,” Celestia said. “I pray your recovery from this ordeal is swift and clean.” “Yes. We wisheth- erm.. I wish you a speedy recovery as well,” Luna chimed. “Yeah... thanks, you two.” “You are welcome, young one.” With that, Celestia and Luna left the pagoda “Er... I’m gonna go and check on Wubsy, hon,” Vinyl said. “I’ll be back.’ “Erm... alrighty, then.” Jace watched as Vinyl left as well. He moved his aching body to the ground and sat in front of the pedestal. The stone-imprisoned satyr stood tall and proud as he looked down to the earth of the resting grounds, eyes closed and mouth smiling with his left human hand in his right, demonic, clawed one, staring off into the nothingness before it. Jace stumbled and eventually sat down next to his friend... his best friend. Silence lingered as the two sat there and did nothing but stare at the sunset. Jace tossed his scythe away and rubbed his demonic face. He leaned back against the pedestal and closed his red eyes, taking a deep breath. Ponies crowded around as he did, some moving away from the sight. “Evil asshole! Get the buck away from that statue, you demon spawn!!!” Jace’s eyes opened slowly, glaring daggers into the accusing pony’s eyes. “You condemn what you do not understand, sir.” He took his hand and covered half his face before pulling it away. The crowd gasped as the blackness faded off his face and it showed half demon, half human Jace. “For I am one of the heroes that saved your world.” The two voices that came from the mouth intertwined with each other and it sent chills down the accusing pony’s spine. He backed off slowly into the crowd as the blackness engulfed Jace’s face once more. He stood and looked over all the ponies. “Do not be alarmed by my appearance, for it is the sacrifice I have made to save the world that I live in. For months I am cursed to wear this form, for it is the result of great strength gained to take down the former god known as Insanity.” He walked to the stone imprisoned Praxis and put a hand on his tainted arm, looking up at him. “And this is his curse. To be imprisoned in stone for the rest of eternity, like Discord.” He turned to the ponies once more and looked across the frightened faces that watched. “I am still your savior, I am still a human, I am still Jason Romero.” Jace sat back down on the grass and leaned against the statue. “I never did tell you about how me and Coal got here... did I?” He took the statue’s silence as a ‘no’. “One day, I remembered that I had a brony friend named Coal. I made fun of him wrongly a long time ago, and that ended up being the end of our friendship. Fast forward seven years, I’m sitting in my kitchen wondering what happened to the guy. I looked him up in the phone book, and coincidentally, he lived right next to me.” He paused and blinked his red eyes a few times. “After him showing me where he worked and what he did, we were driving home and having a conversation of who was the best flier in Equestria. As it was going on, he wasn’t paying attention to the road, and we were hit by a semi. “After that, we woke up in the Everfree forest. Apparently, we were summoned by Twilight to be studied on. She casted a spell that would get objects from one world to Equestria... We were the objects.” The Reaper paused for a large intake of breath, and then exhaled it through his nose. “But ten months before you came around, Coal was greeted by an angry mob of ponies that hated his guts for being different. All these racists decided to go against Coal and me, but I was able to hold my peace with my fists. But, Coal didn’t know how to fight as well as me, so he was killed through all this. Then, I had to see him at the gates...” He swallowed his saliva and sighed. “We had a long talk about everything, then I took it up with the higher power. Said Coal was to be getting the best of everything in Heaven. Y’know what?” He turned to Praxis, a smile on the stagnant face of the Chaos Reaper. “That’s alright with me.” “Honey?” Jace turned to see Vinyl, with her electric blue mane frazzled and some fur singed from earlier. He also saw Lyra, a small smile on her face as she looked at Praxis’s stone figure. The large bulge in her belly showed that she was nearing childbirth. Lyra smiled at the sight of both Jace and Vinyl, despite the former’s fearsome appearance. Jace clumsily rose to his feet and sauntered to Vinyl, who slowly made her way forward. He slammed his fist against the mark on his chest, and the armor slowly receded from his black body. It neatly folded itself inside the mark and he threw it towards Praxis, who just stood there as the mark landed on the ground. Jace fell to his knees and wrapped Vinyl in a hug, burying his demonic face into her mane and sighing loudly. Reapers didn’t cry. It wasn’t possible for them to do so. The tears were doubled as Vinyl joined in with the crying and hugging, not caring that the blood from Jace’s wounds rubbed on her snow white coat. She was just happy to see that he wasn’t dead. Jace pulled from Vinyl after a while, and because he had no lips in this form, he touched his fanged teeth against her cheek and hugged her close. “Where’s Wubsy?” “Daddy?” Jace watched Vinyl turn around. And on her back was the white-coated, golden-maned unicorn, staring right at him. The small colt slowly made his way to Jace. “Daddy...” He repeated, slowly now. “You... you’re so scary...” “I know, bud...” He stopped when he heard his voice, and Jace moved his clawed hand to his throat as he let magic envelope his hand. “I’m still your daddy...” The result of the magic, was his normal voice emanating from his mouth. He got on his knees and held his arms out, staring at the orange eyed colt. Vinyl and Lyra watched the scene before them unfurl as Wubsy ran at full speed into his father’s embrace. He wrapped his little hooves around Jace’s neck like it was his lifeline and cried hard into his chest. Jace rubbed on Wubsy’s back and tried to calm him down. “It’s alright, son...” The voice that came from Jace’s mouth made Wubsy cry even harder, and he turned to Vinyl whose eyes said everything. ‘He wants you back.’ Pulling Wubsy away from him, he palmed away the tears from his eyes and looked him right in the eyes. “Son, I know I look scary, but I’m still the same. I would never do anything you just saw to you or your mother.” Wubsy nodded weakly and went back to hugging Jace. “I love you, Daddy...” A cracking noise was now the thing overpowering Wubsy’s cries as Jace’s Chaos Reaper form was forced from his body from the love and emotion coming from his son. Black shards of pure darkness fell to the ground and slowly melted into the ground as his shirt and pants slowly got their color back on Jace’s body. His light complexion was also now in full view as the blackness fell off. His eyes slowly reverted back to their piercing green and the waterworks came as the hatred spawned from his Chaos faded away. He hugged Wubsy like he was his life and cried harder than ever before. It was the first time Wubsy said ‘I love you’ to anypony before, and Jace was the first to be told this. Lyra walked over to Praxis's statue, a sad smile on her face when she reached the base. "Hey, honey," she said mournfully. "We are all in your debt. After all Equestria had done to you, you never backed down in gaining their trust. If only for a moment, you were the most perfect boyfriend a mare like me could ask for. I'm so sorry that this all happened to you. But I promise that every little thing's gonna be alright. I love you... so very much. I don’t know how long you will be gone... but just know that I’ll remain forever yours, even through the veil of death. It pains me to see you go... but it was for the greater good." She stepped away from the statue, a tear trickling down her cheek. She rubbed her large girth, a small smile on her face. "Let's go back home, Riku," she whispered to the fetus in her belly. She left the pagoda, leaving Jace and his family in their lonesome. Wubsy reluctantly removed himself from his father’s embrace and turned tail towards Vinyl, charging her in a massive hug. The DJ could only return the embrace, holding onto her son for the life of her. Tears escaped her eyes, torrenting down her cheeks and landing on the soft earth as she and Wubsy hugged each other tightly. “Mommy?” He sniffled. “Yeah, sweetie?” She whispered. “How did Uncle Praxis get here?” He asked. Jace sighed. “Hmm... he never told me entirely. Maybe when you’re older... Uncle Praxis will tell you AND Riku.” “But, Daddy,” Wubsy complained. “Uncle Praxis's in STONE. How can he tell us his story?” “Don’t worry, Wubsy,” Vinyl assured. “He’ll tell you in time. Hey, he might even be free someday.” “How?” The adults could only give a small laugh at the child’s persistence. Jace stood on his feet and walked to the archway of the pagoda. “Trust me, son.” He looked back at the statue of Equestria’s Hero for what would be the last time, then looked at the Calling Card around his neck, smiling slightly as he stroked it. “Not everything can be set in stone.” And so, Jace left the pagoda. “Let’s go home, guys....” Vinyl put Wubsy back on her back and followed Jace out of the resting grounds. While all was good with the world, and that no evil threat would emerge for a long time... something bad was afoot... Something wrong.... And the depiction of what was wrong came in the form of a question... one that no one would ever hear for what would possibly be eons to come.... ‘Why the hell do they think I’m dead?’ The End...?