//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: From the Ashes // by Boltstrike58 //------------------------------// Equis, Ponyville Twilight Sparkle was grateful that her princess duties didn't include all of the lawmaking paperwork Celestia, Luna, and Cadence all had to deal with. Twilight loved studious work, certainly, but she was smart enough to realize how much of a drag it would've been. Not to mention how much it would've cut into her favorite pastime: reading! At the moment, Twilight was engaged in her after-crisis ritual, which involved spending a day just sitting in, reading some of her favorite works. At the present, she was going through Starswirl's "Application of Unified Magics," one of her favorites from her school days. However, in this instance, she was having some trouble focusing, having reread the same paragraph three times over. This wasn't due to sadness, but rather the way Twilight's brain had been kicked into overdrive, constantly thinking about the Avengers and their home, lightyears away from Equestria. Twilight couldn't make herself stop pondering her new friends. A faint buzzing from across the room drew her attention. Twilight looked up, her eyes finding the sound emanating from a small shelf set in the wall, away from the others. A thick, brown book sat wedged between two of Twilight's personal favorite books, glowing with a ghostly pink light, and vibrating where it sat. Twilight smiled happily as she set down her book, trotting over to the shelf. She levitated the journal from its spot, flipping it open to read the newest message. Hearing from her friends always brought joy to her heart, and this time was no different. It wasn't an important, world threatening message or anything, but just an invitation to chat. Twilight eagerly levitated a quill, pressing the point to the page. Dear Sunset Shimmer, It's great to hear from you, it's been so long. A lot's been going on in Equestria over the last few days. Have I got a story to tell you... Asgard Thor stood on the balcony of the palace, his father beside him, as they stared beyond the Bifrost, across the cosmos. Heimdall may have been the one with the gift of boundless sight, but even their limited eyes could appreciate the beauty of Asgard's night, as the stars stood out in the blanket of darkness. "So, I suppose forbidding you from going to Equestria is a lost cause?" asked Odin, Gungnir thooming against the floor as he set it down. "Definitely a lost one," said Thor, smiling. "I promised I wouldn't just disappear on Celestia for another thousand years. I honor my promises." He looked his father in the eye, his joy giving way to a serious, determined expression. "Father, for the life of me, I cannot remember why you cut us off from them. Why did you end our alliance?" Odin sighed with a hint of regret, looking down sadly. In that moment, he looked more like a tired old man than a powerful king. "I thought I was protecting them," he finally said. "With Luna gone, Celestia would have to defend Equestria all on her own. I thought Asgard could draw potential enemies to them..." A touch of what looked like frustration entered his eyes. "I know you disagreed. Loki certainly did." Thor looked at the sky again, looking in vain for the star that was closest to Equis. "It's a shame Loki couldn't be there. I know Luna misses him," he turned back to his father, "but they've come so far since we left them. They've grown so strong. We should reopen that alliance. Join our people once again." "I...I will consider it, my son," Odin replied, after an oddly long silence. Thor smiled, clapping his father on the shoulder. "That's all I can ask," he said, before he turned and left. Odin got to his feet, staring at the night sky once more. He hadn't realized it until now, but watching the stars like this, seeing the way the minute, white spots were arranged, reminded him of her. A green glow passed over Odin, his form fading to reveal Loki beneath. "I'm sorry, Luna," Loki whispered to himself. Equis, Canterlot Princess Celestia's hooves created an echoing thud as she walked through the stone hallways of Canterlot's Castle's dungeon. While Equestria rarely had a need to place anypony here, as most criminals were either committed to local prisons, or sent to Tartarus if they were truly dangerous enough, there was still the occasional prisoner brought to this dungeon for various reasons. Today, Celestia was paying a visit to their newest guest. The solar alicorn came to a stop just outside a single cell, her eyes falling on its new occupant. "And so the great Celestia deigns to visit me," Sombra spat from his place in the corner. "The vanquished beast." The rainbow blast hadn't killed the dark unicorn, for which Twilight and the others were certainly grateful. Sombra came out the the blast looking rather unkempt, with his horn snapped off, and his coat rough and untidy. Though occasional sparks of magic still zapped out from the stump of his horn, an anti-magic ring had put an end to them. His black mane no longer flowed with its ethereal magic like it had, instead sitting static on his head. His fangs had dulled down to normal teeth. In this state, with his armor and his royal regalia gone, Sombra looked considerably less threatening than he had. "Spite, Sombra?" Celestia asked, sounding almost tired as she put a hoof to her forehead. "What good does that do you? You still lost." "You can bring me down, but you'll never take my pride!" snarled Sombra, moving across the cell and pressing his face against the bars. "That's why you're here, isn't it? To 'reform' me? Make me buy into the friendship nonsense you've been pushing on Discord?" "One-thousand years ago, I made you an offer of that nature. You declined," Celestia replied. "However..." Sombra threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, this is just precious! What ludicrous dribble are you going to spout next?! 'Everypony deserves a second chance?'" He stomped his feet, glaring at Celestia with a wicked grin on his face. "If you ever let me out, Celestia, I promise I will kill everypony you love and make you watch. I'll torture Twilight until she begs for death. I'll hunt down the Avengers and ruin them. THAT is what I say to your precious 'friendship.'" Celestia made no reaction during Sombra's outburst, merely staring at him as one does with a tantrum-throwing child. "Are you finished?" she asked, finally. Sombra was taken aback. He'd been expecting Celestia to react with either anger or fear, but she was more annoyed than anything. Before he could come up with a response, she went on. "Haven't you noticed something about yourself? The Harmony magic removed all the dark magic from you. You can't change into darkness anymore. Even more shocking, it returned your Cutie Mark." She indicated Sombra's flank, and the unicorn turned to look. Sure enough, his original Mark (five red crystals arranged in a fan shape) had reappeared on his body. Sombra was genuinely shocked at the sight, having been so furious over his defeat, he'd failed to notice. "Whatever dark pacts you made for power, I'd say the Harmony magic has cancelled them," Celestia continued. "If you were truly irredeemable, the Elements would've kept Harmony the only way they knew how: by destroying you. Yet, you were spared." The solar alicorn turned and began to walk back the way she came. "You've been given a gift most ponies only dream of, Sombra. A complete reset, and the opportunity to start from square one. You will serve time down here, but eventually, you will receive one final chance to make something of yourself. I'd suggest you take a long, hard look at yourself, and ask yourself what you want. Think about spending the rest of your life in this cell." The door swung closed, leaving Sombra alone with his thoughts. Earth, Somewhere The four long, metallic tentacles, tipped with three-pronged claws, continued their work on the computers. Tracing down the length of the tentacles, they emerged from a ring-shaped harness clamped onto the gut of the man in the white coat, as he observed the half-dozen or so monitors in front of his face. Data trailed down every screen, incomprehensible to most, but the man's brain was processing it all just fine. The door on the far wall opened, revealing a figure clad in a green, hooded cloak. The shadows covered most of the body, but what could be seen was cold grey metal, covering up any flesh. "Octavius," the figure demanded, "what is the current status?" "Excellent news, sire," replied Otto Octavius as he turned in his chair, his metal tentacles continuing to operate on their own. "The satellite has picked up two more readings of the strange energy. One from the Avengers Compound, one located in Wakanda. From this, I believe I may be able to pinpoint its planet of origin." "Good," said the figure. "Continue. I want to commence preliminary work on a transporter." His gauntlet covered hands clenched together, the echo filling the chamber. "I will harness this power for myself. No one, not the Avengers, or whoever they are in contact with, will ever see it coming." "See what coming?" The figure stepped into the light, illuminating his face, and the cold mask that concealed it. "Doom."