//------------------------------// // 8. Epilogue // Story: When the Stars Sleep // by Sea Gnash //------------------------------// ~*~ Chapter 8 ~*~ --- ~*~ Epilogue ~*~ ---------- The Nuckelavee is a creature from Coltic folklore connected to the night and darkness. It is believed that this demon's arrival is always preceded by a cloak of magical darkness that is a part of its being, yet not. No one knows the true form of this being, but the most common beliefs say it either takes the form of a pitch black pony or that of a literal shadow on the ground or walls. One common trait between the few stories that exist of the figure, however, is the apparent possession of glowing, featureless eyes. Despite all of the differing stories surrounding this creature, all tellings appear to agree on one similar point. The Nuckelavee can be chased back to whence it came if exposed to the light of day. Other sources of light can effectively weaken it, but anything less than the sun will fail to remove it for good. Despite covering its claimed territory in a shroud of living darkness, it is not all-seeing within the field. It must employ the help of a lesser creature dubbed shades to do its bidding for it. These shades are formed from the remains of ponies, griffons or other intelligent beings who have fallen within the field of living shadow. Like the Nuckelavee itself, the shades under its command can take the form of living shadows or a physical body when in complete darkness. According to local folklore, the Nuckelavee itself can see and hear through its shade army, thus allowing it to grow in strength the more it collects. No pony seems to know the exact reasoning behind this behavior beyond the simple desire to take control over as much territory as possible and build its strength. Twilight let a sad sigh escape her lips as she lowered the book held in her magic's grip. She let her eyes trace along the wall bearing framed photos of nearly a hundred different ponies, each with their name engraved on a little plaque underneath. The official reports given out by the authorities have been assuring everypony that they were all merely missing, but she knew better. She knew better and it crushed her heart as her gaze stopped on the images of her four missing friends. She ran a gentle hoof over each of the pictures as tears rolled down her cheeks. Setting her hoof down, she tucked her book away into one of her saddlebags before producing four small bouquets of flowers from the other. She gently placed them down on the ground against the wall, under where the pictures of her friends hung in a neat little pile of blue, orange, white and pink. A gentle hoof came to Twilight's shoulder, pulling her gaze to the side. Fluttershy looked back at her with what she could easily tell was a forced smile, but she appreciated the effort to comfort her. Without a word, Twilight turned away from the wall and started down the short path back into town with Fluttershy at her side. Ponyville had returned to as close to a semblance of normalcy as it could in the month since the incident took place. Members of the Apple Family had come in to help Granny Smith and Apple Bloom with the farm and most businesses returned to a semi-open state at the very least. What gave the biggest comfort was seeing other ponies finally working up the courage to spend more time out of their homes to help the town feel less empty. Despite the recovery, Twilight could still feel the cloud of gloom that hung over the heads of nearly every pony she could spot while trotting through town for the second time that day. Shops were functioning, but they were anything but truly welcoming. Every interaction felt forced or fake, but she couldn't bring herself to blame any of them. If she was forced to run an active business, she would probably be even worse off. She could only glance at the library she used to call home as she and Fluttershy passed by on their way to her new one. Though she still worked there as the town's librarian, she couldn't bring herself to actually live in it like she had before. Though she knew it was safe by all logical sense, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease that it gave due to the memories associated with the event. Her attention instead turned to the side. She could have sworn she saw a familiar shape from the corner of her eye, but it was simply the elongating evening shadow of a nearby flower bush. Even if she had no reason to worry left, her mind kept playing rude little tricks on her and she began to grow weary of seeing those little reminders in every little thing. Twilight felt a gentle hoof come to her once more, Fluttershy's worried eyes betraying her true concern despite the faint smile she forced herself to wear. She merely leaned in to nuzzle Fluttershy to tell her she was alright, getting one in return as they started up the hill to their cottage amid the setting sun.