//------------------------------// // Goodbye // Story: PaP: Bedtime Stories // by Starscribe //------------------------------// Alex Haggard woke on the edge of the Supernal Sea surrounded by old friends. The crash of the distant waves faded into white noise. There were numberless concourses of people here—some of them were ponies. For all its terrible might, the Stygian Key was undone. “I’ve wondered for a long time if there was anything up there,” Archive said, staring off across the sea. She saw the center of everything, the core of magic that existed at the heart of the galaxy. The same force that had killed so much alien life, and threatened to kill her own kind. It did not seem so terrible when seen from here. “I guess now I know. Not even Celestia could tell me.” She wasn’t an old Alicorn anymore—Alex was once again the smallest of her friends. Shorter than Cloudy Skies, who nudged her affectionately with her nose. Shorter than Moriah, who watched her with mild annoyance. “We could’ve told you that a long time ago, right around the time you let us die. Oh wait, you didn’t ask.” Sky kicked her, and the unicorn fell silent with a grunt. Far away, ponies who had fought so hard for Axis Mundi stepped out across the water. They seemed to fade the further they went, bodies becoming less distinct. One hesitated by the shore, looking down at her. He tugged on something at his shoulder, and his armored breastplate came tumbling down to the sand. “You don’t seem so much like a goddess from here, spirit of Rome.” Alex rose unsteadily to her hooves. She found she recognized this man only tangentially—mostly because of his voice. His generals and soldiers behind him were blurs in her mind. I can’t remember anymore. It’s gone. “Do you think I was wrong to call you, Emperor?” He chuckled. “Perhaps the gods would say so. But I do not see how Rome could have survived otherwise. It was strange to see what she had become—I hope you rule her well.” He dropped his gladius into the sand beside his breastplate, before walking away across the surface of the astral sea. She thought back—and found she could remember many things. Remember the battle, her many years spent in preparation. Remember all the precautions she had made to be sure she caught her family as they returned, and sent them to safety. Remembered her plots and plans against Charybdis, in the endless game that had finally ended. What she couldn’t do was remember everything she had ever seen. Every mistake she’d ever made, every book, every fighting technique… that had all turned to mush. Bits and pieces surfaced, as they might for an ordinary person. But that was all. “It’s done,” said another voice—one that still sounded a little annoyed with her. Sunset Shimmer had not spent her essence to raise an army of undead heroes, and she still stood at her full Alicorn’s height, towering over everypony else. “We did it, Day—Equestria’s last mistake is gone. Our work is finished.” She tossed something heavy to the ground beside the Emperor’s sword, which sunk partway into the sand with a thump. Her crown. “You’re not done!” Moriah insisted, her voice just a little bit petulant. “Alex was supposed to remember Humanity, remember? That’s what she always said. Just because we won doesn’t mean we made a difference. If everyone forgets, what does it matter that we lived?” Sunset’s eyes were harsh, but her tone was more understanding. “When Equestria created the preservation spell, we created a world that was vulnerable to the same dangers that plagued ours. We knew we would be introducing those dangers without meaning to, and without a way to help.” She looked to the side, at Alex. “Let her explain.” She hadn’t known, before. But now she did. “No civilization lives forever, Moriah. Why should we think ours is any better than the hundreds we replaced? Those people cared about what they did as much as we did, but almost nothing they ever did endured. Except us—their immortal legacy. We carried their lessons with us, and that was their impact. Charybdis, Odium… threatened to destroy all that. Erased as much of that as they could, destroyed our civilizations, our monuments, designed fears and traditions to kill as much of that as possible.” Alex could practically feel the weight retreating from her shoulders. “You survived through it all,” Sunset finished. “The human spirit endured. In the next few thousand years, the majority of Earth’s refugees will return to their world, everyone our ancient spell kidnapped but hadn’t yet returned. They’re free to make of it what they will—to take the legacy your species gave them, without our ancient mistakes.” “We could still blow ourselves up!” Moriah insisted. “Or maybe… fail to survive a natural disaster! An immortal like Alex, she could be there if that happens!” Sunset Shimmer shook her head. “Where Day goes is up to her. But what happens to your species is no longer her decision. Those ties were Celestia’s magic, and they are undone. What humans make for themselves—whether they are equal to the threats of their universe, or not… that’s for them to decide.” Oliver had remained silent so far, watching their conversation with a little annoyance. Now he spoke, though barely loud enough to be heard over the ocean. “So she can leave? She’s not stuck coming back each time she dies. After this last time… she can leave?” Sunset Shimmer approached her, pulling Alex in for a hug. She didn’t resist—though it felt strange to be so small again. Alex had paid with so much of herself to bring that army back. There was very little left. “We can leave,” Sunset said. “Earth has other guardians—younger Alicorns, representing virtues more suited to the challenges ponies will face next.” She looked down, meeting Alex’s eyes. There was an invitation there—an invitation to put down all her burdens forever, to cross the astral sea to whatever waited beyond. So many she had loved, so many who had fallen in the terrible war for Earth’s future. “Do I have to?” she asked, her voice a whisper. She knew that probably wasn’t the response her old friends wanted to hear. But she said it anyway. “So I’m not ‘humanity’ anymore… I still think those ponies down there need hope. Seeing their world almost end, seeing the price we paid to win… it could set a pretty bad precedent. I think I should stick around to pick up the pieces.” Moriah groaned. “Of course you would. When you get down there, could you tell that asshole husband of mine I’ll be waiting for another spell? I’m sure it won’t be so hard if he only makes it to bring back one pony, instead of whole legions.” Moriah stepped out onto the sea as so many of the dead had done, and faded swiftly away. Sunset Shimmer broke her grip on Alex, looking pensive. “That is… a good point.” She leaned down, nuzzling her head. “I shouldn’t help you, you know. Bringing someone back as a revenant like that? Really strains a friendship.” She turned, tugging Cloudy Skies away with one hoof. Not across the sea, they weren’t going that far. Alex didn’t try to listen in. Riley and Chip had kept a respectful distance during most of their conversation, though they approached now. Walking together, as Alex remembered from them so often. Riley hugged her as affectionately as Sunset had done. “Promise me you’ll find someone to look after the changelings,” she said. “Sunset’s right about the preservation spell, it’s exponential. More changelings incoming than ever before. Maybe my parents.” “You could do it,” Alex said. “I remember where those bodies are frozen. And I’ve mastered aging ma—”She trailed off abruptly, as she tried to recall her understanding of aging spells. She couldn’t. Riley giggled. “I think it might take a little more than aging spells to bring back a bunch of frozen corpses.” She gestured with her wing at the astral sea. “We never really hoped the ice would keep us alive. That’s why you need to find a changeling to look after other changelings. The way we see things, the cold is terrifying. But it’s also a purifier. Being frozen was our way of defying the will of death, facing it in the most excruciating way we knew.” “But if I can bring you back?” It wouldn’t be her. Alex’s special talent wasn’t magic. For that matter… Alex glanced down at her flank, half expecting to have lost her cutie mark. But she hadn’t—not completely. It was the same familiar book, with its gold cover—but it had been closed. “No more zombies,” Chip said from behind Riley. “It’s cool, it was an emergency. Please don’t do it again. I want to be able to feel, like I do now. The spray, the sand, the warmth… like what we have here.” They both vanished across the sea, which left Alex momentarily alone with Oliver. They stood in awkward silence for a long time, neither willing to meet the other’s eyes. She was small enough again that it felt very much like those moments, all those years ago. At least, she thought it was. She couldn’t remember them anymore. “Hey, uh… Alex.” Oliver touched her lightly on the shoulder with a hoof. She’d felt him do that so many times before. “I just wanted to say… you did good. With everything. As good as… anybody could. Not perfect, nowhere near that, but… we won.” “Thanks.” Another long, uncomfortable silence. “And, uh… I’m sorry things didn’t work out better between us. When you never got older, never matured, I… I don’t think it was wrong of me to leave, but I do think I should’ve been honest about it. I should’ve told you we weren’t right for each other. I’m sorry I didn’t.” She squeaked, wiping away a few tears. This was an ancient wound, long-closed, but at the same time, her memory had recently been scrambled. “Th-thanks,” she whimpered, sniffing. “I’m sorry too. Sorry I didn’t give you more time. Like I should’ve.” He laughed awkwardly, reaching out to hug her. It was a little tense, and didn’t last too long. But Alex didn’t think she would ever forget it, magic memory or not. Only a few moments later, he broke away. “Take care of yourself, Alex,” he finished. “I’ll, uh… say hi to Cody for you. I bet he’ll be furious you didn’t include him in your zombie adventure, but I think he’ll forgive you eventually.” He lowered his voice, as though the dead earth pony might be listening even now. “I’m glad you didn’t, honestly. Being a zombie is one thing. But I don’t think I could’ve handled seeing it happen to my son.” He walked away, fading across the sea as so many others had done. Eventually, Cloudy Skies returned. Her walk seemed slow, purposeful. As though she were preparing to do something very difficult. “That was kinda fun,” Cloudy Skies said, to break the silence. “I mean, I only ever really saw the bad guys die. We were all zombies except you, and I knew you couldn’t really…” She coughed, sitting down beside Alex on the sand, looking out at the ocean. The armies—pony and ancient human both—were all gone now. “You sure you don’t want to come? If anypony earned it, it’s you.” She laughed. “I do want to come. But I also want to live a little longer. See it through to the last refugee… a few more thousand years, and that spell’s done. Maybe you should come back with me.” Sky laughed too, though the sound was more pained than amused. “Is that what you really want?” Alex opened her mouth to answer that yes, of course she wanted her old best friend back. But then she realized the implication. “You… don’t want to be alive again?” “Well I sure don’t want to be a zombie again.” “That isn’t much of an answer.” Cloudy chuckled again. “Yeah, guess it isn’t. Must be terribly frustrating for you. I can’t imagine Joseph is very happy about all this either—you broke your promise to him, you know. You promised you wouldn’t send us away, and you did. He’s gonna be so upset with you.” Alex nodded gravely. “You could come and smooth things over. I could really use his help rebuilding.” “Well Day, if that’s what you want. Sunset Shimmer says it’s possible, I already asked. But you won’t like the price.” She didn’t leave Alex waiting. “You’re all dead right now, there’s not a lot of magic to go around. But if an Alicorn decided not to go back, she might be able to give up enough magic to make someone… like your friend ‘Jackie’? That’s what Sunset said? She said you would know what that meant.” “Yeah,” Alex said. “Jackie’s a… friend of mine, I guess.” “A girlfriend?” Sky nudged her with a wing. “Eww, no!” She looked away, blushing. “I thought about it, but Amy had just died, and… Jackie married my daughter. She died only a few weeks ago, saving me.” “Ouch.” Sky winced. “Sorry to open that back up.” She shrugged. “Why isn’t Sunset coming back to tell me what she wants?” “Because…” Sky hesitated again. “Because she doesn’t want to stay either. Her whole world is gone, Alex. She really misses them—her family, her mentor, all the kids she’s had over the years… she’s stayed this long because of how much she cared about us. The human race, I mean. She fought it through to the end, but… now she wants to go home.” “And you don’t want to come back with me?” “Well, that depends.” Sky reached down with a wing, mussing Alex’s mane. “Do you plan on living this time? I’m not going to come back with you if you’re just going to mope around and feel sorry for yourself again. Life seems like it would be pretty exciting right now.” “I doubt I’ll be ruling the world ever again,” Alex admitted. “I’m not Humanity anymore. I can’t convince them with magic, and I don’t know everything the way I used to.” Cloudy Skies shrugged with both wings. “I don’t care about any of that. Take the scepter or the plough, I don’t care. I just don’t want to be your babysitter… already did that once.” She leaned in a little closer. “Everyone I know besides you and Joe is there. In that…” She frowned, her face scrunching in concentration. “State of being? Universe? I can’t really explain.” “So asking you to come with me is like…” She frowned. “Asking you to leave all your friends and family behind.” “Yeah… a little. Lonely Day, a long time ago I didn’t have a family. You gave me one. If I have to go back and do the same for you for a little while… just so long as I’m not a zombie again. That was dis-gusting.” “Not quite what I expected from all that…” Alex muttered. “Saying goodbye to Sunset, instead of you.” The pegasus shrugged. “If anyone in that city is still alive, it’ll be the stuff of stories. They’ll probably make songs about it, make you sound way more heroic and less completely disgusting.” “You’re never going to let me live down the zombie thing, are you?” “Nope.” Sky beamed. “Weigh that in your decision, Alicorn. Though really you get that either way, since I don’t think Sunset would let you live it down either.” “You… sure? Sure this is okay with you?” Cloudy Skies laughed again, and tried to take to the air. It didn’t work, of course—pegasus magic didn’t work up here. It was the same with unicorn and earth ponies—only supernal magic worked here. She grunted her frustration. “Of course it’s not okay. I feel like we’re breaking all kinds of things by doing this. Haven’t you read about Orpheus? All the stories about people you’ve lost aren’t supposed to end with you actually keeping them! But if we get in trouble with Death or whatever, that’s your job to deal with.” Alex shrugged. “I did her a favor once, we should be cool…” She trailed off. “Although I did bring back like a bazillion wraiths from a past age for a day. I can’t imagine she’ll be happy about that.” “Your problem,” Sky said. “Now you understand my conditions. What do you choose?” Alex walked away from her a few moments later, over to where Sunset Shimmer waited on the edge of the water. She’d rested one hoof on the surface, and didn’t pass through it any more than the wraiths had so many times before. “She told you everything?” Alex reached up and hugged her old friend again. She could feel the pressure weighing Sunset Shimmer down now, and in her eyes, she could see the pain of so many years. They had been fighting for long enough that it felt endless. Fought together against so many monsters. “You’re ready to go home, huh?” “Yeah.” “Will you be mad if I don’t come with?” “No.” Sunset released her. For once, it was her crying. “I tried to make a little piece of Equestria here, but it wasn’t the same. I miss them… very much. Discord got to use his time-travel to go back to the moment he left, when it was over. But I can’t do that.” She reached out for another weak hug. “Besides, you don’t need me anymore. Equestria’s monsters are dead, and you have a nice pony to look after you while you look after the survivors.” Alex nodded. “Just… when this is all over, can you promise you’ll be there waiting for me? Like you were the first time I got here?” “Sure.” Sunset squeezed her tight, so tightly that her ribs might’ve broken if she had any. “Just like last time.”