//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: And Hell Followed // by BaeroRemedy //------------------------------// Two Weeks Later Once upon a time, Manehattan’s train station was a monument to Equestrian aesthetics. The pristine white marble construction reflected the natural light that spilled in from the multiple floor-to-ceiling windows at the front of the building. In the middle of the terminal was a golden representation of Princess Celestia’s cutie mark, that was lit up when the sun was at its peak thanks to the sun roof above it. It truly was beautiful, or at least it was at some point. The floors were covered up by cots and blankets from wall to wall, all of them a drab green or dark blue. The windows had all been covered save for a few feet at the top to still let a little sunlight through, which didn’t improve the mood of the occupants inside. Hundreds of ponies were inside, all of them thin and near-lifeless. Their eyes all glazed over as they sat on their little piece of land that they were assigned. They were all just waiting, like they were told to. Sometimes a guard would come in, take one of them, and escort them out of the building never to return. “I’m hungry, Cheerilee…” The little voice was but a whimper. It came from an orange filly whose head was resting on the mare beside her. To punctuate her point, her stomach growled and she looked to her current steward with pain filled purple eyes. “I know, Scootaloo. I am too.” The mare rested a cerise hoof on the filly’s side. She looked no better than any other pony in the building, her coat was dull and you could see her ribs through her coat. Being fed once a day if they were lucky was not doing any favors to anypony in the camp. It seemed like just yesterday that all of the survivors from Ponyville, including the unicorns that had come from below Twilight’s castle, were herded onto a train and sent off to Manehattan. It was a fever dream since that day as everything just seemed to flow around her in a blur. The unaccompanied foals that she had with her were the first ones to be removed from the building, within a day of being here they were gone. Diamond Tiara, Rumble, Apple Bloom, and Pound Cake...all were taken away and she didn’t know where to. Spike and Flurry Heart were whisked away almost immediately, Cheerilee assumed to be wherever the princesses were. Sweetie Belle and her mother had left only a few days ago, leaving only Cheerilee and Scootaloo from the small group of non-unicorn survivors from Ponyville. The others in the building had all been in Ponyville too. She recognized some of her fellow Ponyvillians amongst the shuffle, and a few times she had attempted to speak with them. None of them were particularly talkative, and some of them never even left their cots. They all reminded her of Sweetie Belle, haunted by what they had heard and what they had done. It made their existence a miserable one that left them with only each other for company and conversation. Cheerilee missed the little sense of community she had in the castle with the others, even the fighting, because at least they spoke. Most of all, Cheerilee missed Elytra. The changeling never appeared on the steps to the castle, no matter how long she waited. She had even gone out to the Everfree once to look, but the Timberwolves had returned and quickly rebuffed her efforts to search for her friend. It had been difficult to accept that Elytra had died, but there was some solace in knowing that she had completed her mission. “You two, get up. You’re coming with me.” The deep gruff voice drew both of their gazes upwards to a gray pegasus stallion in tarnished golden armor. Unlike the ponies here, he didn’t look underfed or tired. Besides the slightly worn armor, he looked healthy and refreshed. “Come on.” “W-where are we going?” Cheerilee instinctively shifted to block Scootaloo from the stallion as her voice wavered. There was always something frightening about seeing ponies get taken away by the guards and never returning. “You’re going to be processed.” The guard grumbled as he pulled Cheerilee to her hooves. “Get the filly up too.” That wasn’t a request, it was a demand and she knew it. The scenes when somepony had decided to fight against the guards’ requests were never pretty. Granted, most of the guards were earth ponies and pegasi and the majority of ponies in the station were unicorns...and there was not exactly a lot of love for unicorns at the moment. “Okay...c’mon Scootaloo.” Cheerilee didn’t want to end up like one of the ponies who fought back, there were already enough stitches and broken bones between the mare and the filly. Speaking of, Scootaloo had received a proper cast and medical treatment over the last few days, which soothed some of the teacher’s nerves. She picked up the little pegasus on her back and followed the guard. Walking through the mass of ponies was just as depressing as sitting in the middle of it. Cheerilee would see somepony she knew from before and try to make eye contact, and they would almost immediately look away. They all radiated shame and fear when they looked at somepony not from their tribe, like the ideas from their time as monsters still bounced around their heads. They were led through a door near the front of the building that, if the sign next to it was to be believed, had originally gone to ‘offices’. Through the door, the white marble remained but what had once been tile was replaced by gray carpeting and clusters of cubicles surrounded them. The cubicles weren’t empty, there were ponies inside filling out paperwork and chatting. They all were unicorns and looked like ponies who had perhaps once worked in the castle at Canterlot. As they passed a few of the cubicles, she saw the royal seal on several documents that littered desks, which only confirmed her suspicions. “Guardspony, wait.” The pegasus that had been escorting them stopped, causing Cheerilee to bump into him with a small ‘oof’. The guard’s head turned to the source of the voice. Cheerilee recognized the stallion that was approaching them, how could she not? White coat, blue mane with cobalt eyes and a shield for a cutie mark. His face had been plastered all over the papers a few years ago due to his wedding being crashed. “Yes, Captain Shining Armor?” The guard saluted the Captain and stood up straight. “These two...they’re from Ponyville.” Shining Armor squinted as he inspected the mare and the filly. “Yeah, I recognize them.” He concluded with a nod. “Were you two in Ponyville?” “Y-yes?” Cheerilee felt like that fact was obvious. Everypony in the main room had been picked up from Ponyville. “We were in the castle, with the Elements...and your sister.” It was a gamble bringing up Princess Twilight, Cheerilee wasn’t sure how Shining Armor would take the mention of his little sister. “Come with me.” The curiosity dropped from the stallion’s voice. “Guardspony, you’re relieved. I’ll be taking them from here.” With another salute, the guard that had been escorting them marched off, back to the holding pen. “A-are we in trouble?” Scootaloo quietly asked from Cheerilee’s back. “No.” Shining Armor responded with a sigh. “You shouldn’t have even been in there. The guards were supposed to bring me anypony from Ponyville that wasn’t a unicorn.” His eyes finally met Cheerilee’s, they were full of genuine sorrow. “I’m sorry, things...haven’t been easy or simple.” “Where are we going now?” Cheerilee asked. She couldn’t say it was okay, she couldn’t say she forgave him. There wasn’t a lot of forgiveness to give out anymore. “You need to be debriefed.” That was the only answer she was given as Shining Armor started off through the maze of cubicles yet again. Cheerilee stayed right behind him, not wanting to get lost in the midst of the mess of the makeshift office. The walk through the office led to an elevator, one that seemed to blend into the very walls. If Shining Armor hadn’t punched a button on the wall, Cheerilee would’ve never guessed that there was even a door there. Once the wall parted and revealed the tiny box beyond, she was ushered into it. The space was cramped enough with just the grown mare and the filly on her back, when Shining Armor entered it was downright claustrophobic. She couldn’t even shift her weight without her flank bumping up against the Captain’s, and the last thing she wanted was her flank grinding against his. So she stayed as still as she could, eyes forward and silent. The doors opened to reveal a long rectangular room stretched out before them. Windows lined a wall, letting the late afternoon sun stream in and illuminate the marble construction of the room. It was mostly featureless, save for a desk at the far end occupied by a single mare that sat in front of a set of oak double doors.. Shining Armor exited first and walked across the room, his heavy hooves echoing out in the hollow hall. Cheerilee quickly followed, her own hooves light and clicking softly against the stone. “Raven.” Shining addressed the mare at the desk before he even got there. Her coat was a light grey and her chocolate brown mane was done up in a bun. She leered at Shining Armor from behind a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Cheerilee couldn’t help but stare at the horn that poked through her mane and was glowing a light pink. “I need to talk to the Princess, I have survivors from Ponyville.” “She’s busy, Shining Armor.” The mare replied coldly. “You didn’t hear me.” Shining Armor placed a hoof on the desk, making a stack of papers shuffle and fall over. “Survivors, non-unicorn, from Ponyville. They were in the castle.” The stallion leaned in and whispered, the empty room carrying even those quiet words. “Code white. They were in general holding with the unicorns.” “Sweet Celestia…” Raven muttered as her eyes drifted to Cheerilee and Scootaloo, then back to Shining Armor. “Go in, she’ll forgive you. This is important.” The mare reached for a button on the desk and pressed it, a light buzz coming from the double doors behind her. The Captain turned Prince surged forward, his horn lighting up as he dragged Cheerilee towards the door. The thought of facing a Princess, especially Celestia, made her heart race. The last time she had seen any grown alicorn had left her very wary of seeing any of them again, even if they were changed back. There was still that knowledge of what they had been, of what they had done. “No, Doctor Atmosphere, and We are sick of arguing.” The voice boomed from the room as the doors opened. “Any blood drive that is conducted will benefit the hospitals of Equestria, not you!” The voice nearly made Cheerilee stagger backwards from the sheer presence and force, and the door was barely cracked. Beyond had once been the office of the station master, now dominated by dual desks swarmed with paperwork that sat before a large imposing window. It was made of the same marble as the rest of the building, with a large chocolate-colored rug dominating the floor. Shelves full of books lined the walls, and a large map of Equestria hung by the door. Behind one of the desks was Princess Luna, but not the Luna that Cheerilee remembered from before this all happened. Where once she had been more of a midnight blue, almost purple, now she was completely black. Where once her wings had been full of feathers, now they were thick and leathery. As she spoke, even from across the room, Cheerilee could see the fangs in her mouth. If it weren’t for her stature, eyes, and general demeanor, she was the spitting image of Nightmare Moon. Across the desk from the Princess of the Night was a pegasus stallion. He was at least two heads shorter than her, with a burgundy coat and a spiked black mane with streaks of white running through it. The pointed beard sprouting from his chin, the same mixture of black and white as his mane, was coated in sweat as he looked up at Princess Luna. “Your Majesty, call me Hide.” The stallion stood up straight in the face of the towering alicorn before him, not even flinching or wavering in her presence. A wing came up from his side and straightened the small circular spectacles that sat on the bridge of his muzzle. “I am just imploring you to reconsider. Surely you can see how Equestria could use a rainbow or two at the moment? The Cloudsdale Weather Corporation is more than happy to do whatever it can to help Equestria flourish once more, and that includes bringing some beauty back.” His voice was smooth and practiced once he had collected himself, almost unnerving. “We have already given you space in Las Pegasus to operate from while Cloudsdale is rebuilt. We have given you our top minds and provided services to your employees reserved for only Royal staff.” Luna reared up and slammed her hooves on the desk, causing everypony in the room to jump back. “We have been extremely generous, Doctor Atmosphere-” Luna spit the name in the stallion’s face. “-We only require you to get the weather back on track. If you wish to chase rainbows, then find another way to produce them. We cannot afford to divert any more resources to you.” “Of course, Your Majesty. My apologies for overstepping my bounds.” The stallion bowed, lowering his head and wings to the floor. “I was only thinking about helping out a little more, I understand the strain you and the country are under.” This Doctor Atmosphere sounded like a practiced politician, dancing around the eggshell that was the alicorn in front of him. It seemed like a dance he had performed a million times before. “I will take my leave now, Your Majesty.” The stallion turned, the grace on his face dropping almost immediately into a dissatisfied grimace as he trotted by the group by the door. The golden eyes behind his glasses were narrowed in frustration as he left. “Shining Armor, please.” Princess Luna sat back down and motioned the trio in. The alicorn closed her eyes for a few brief moments, taking several deep breaths as her wings flapped and twitched a little. “Princess.” Shining Armor gave a bow before stepping up to the desk. “This is Cheerilee and Scootaloo. They are from Ponyville, they were in the castle.” The narrowed eyes from Luna and the frown forming on her face caused Shining Armor to elaborate further. “They got mixed up in the shuffle, they’ve been down with the unicorns from Ponyville in general holding. They were overlooked.” That seemed to placate the diarch, as she nodded at him. The stallion stepped to the side and allowed the mare and the filly to come face to face with Princess Luna. “Please, sit.” The voice of the alicorn behind the desk softened considerably as she addressed the ponies. “Despite the fangs, We do not bite.” That earned a stifled giggle from Scootaloo, which brought a small smile to Luna’s face. Cheerilee carefully sat Scootaloo on the cushion that sat in front of the desk, then sat herself. Every time she looked up at the princess, she had to swallow the fear rising in her throat. Having been at the Summer Sun Celebration when Nightmare Moon returned, and then seeing her destroying Ponyville...it didn’t make looking at Luna easy. It filled her heart with dread and told her to run. “You are a cute one.” Princess Luna smiled down at Scootaloo. Despite her appearance, it was warm and quite motherly. “Would you like some candy, little one?” A crystal dish was picked up in a dark blue aura and held in front of the filly. Inside were a variety of wrapped candies, all giving off the sweet heavenly aroma of butterscotch. “They are Our favorite.” Scootaloo wasted no time in grabbing three of the sweets and grinning from ear to ear. The filly unwrapped one and popped it in her mouth, her eyes going wide as the taste hit her tongue. She gave a muffled ‘thank you’ as she happily enjoyed the treat. “How We have missed the sight of a foal’s smile.” Luna mused with a bemused grin. She then let out a long sigh as she turned to look at Cheerilee. “We need answers, ones that will change what happens once you leave Our office.” Luna stated flatly as her smile died. “We need only truthful answers, dear mare. Please do not lie to Us.” There wasn’t even a moment for Cheerilee to respond before Luna started to talk again. “How much do you know of this catastrophe? What were you told?” “I-I-” Cheerilee couldn’t lie, not with Luna looking directly into her soul. As much as she wanted to tell the alicorn that she knew nothing, there was no chance that she would be believed. “-I know Twilight caused it...or started it. She brought it back with her...and she died with her friends to fix it.” “Twilight Sparkle is not dead.” Luna let that revelation hang out in the open. “W-what-” “Does that mean Rainbow Dash-” “-No.” Princess Luna cut off both of them with a raised hoof. “Twilight Sparkle was the only one of the Elements to survive. It came at a great cost, as she is currently...indisposed. Much like Our sister and Cadenza.” Shining Armor flinched at the mention of his wife. “They are not used to this kind of...trauma. It will take time, but they will recover.” Luna tapped her hooves on the desk as she looked to the empty spot next to her. “Equestria is not strong right now, Cheerilee. We cannot have dangerous...truths out in the open about what happened, what caused this.” “You...you want me not to tell anypony?” Cheerilee’s blood ran cold as the reason they were ushered in here came to light. It was a cover up, and Cheerilee and Scootaloo were two of the only loose ends in Equestria. “No, We need you not to tell anypony.” Princess Luna stood and faced the window, looking out at the ruined city beyond. “Equestria, as we knew it, does not exist anymore. It is estimated that fifty-five percent of the population perished during this event, mostly earth ponies and pegasi. There is now a great mistrust of horned creatures, and We are chief among them.” Her voice fell into a quiet pit as her gaze turned to the floor. “We need ponies to trust the Princesses, as it is the last bastion we have of returning to what once was. We are willing to do whatever it takes to buy your silence; relocate you where you wish, give you extra rations, or if you refuse...We will simply take your memories.” Scootaloo and Cheerilee stared at the alicorn in silence. To be threatened so casually by an alicorn was a level of terrifying that neither of them had ever reached. It was more than seeing the primal fury of the turned unicorns and alicorns from before, because this time they knew that she meant it. “W-we won’t tell anypony.” Scootaloo spoke before Cheerilee, always the brave little filly. “B-but I want to know if my mom and dad are okay, and I want to stay with Cheerilee until they get back!” The little pegasus fiddled with the candy in her hooves as she kept talking. “They were in Farasi...and I just want them back…” “The zebras have been uncooperative…” Princess Luna responded with a light sigh. “I know they are holding a number of Equestrians, but I do not know who. I will work on figuring out if your parents are among them, young Scootaloo.” She then turned to the mare. “What of you?” “I-I…” Cheerilee’s mind raced. What exactly did she want from this? What would she take to stay quiet? If there was a price that was too high, she didn’t want to figure it out. All she did know for certain was that she wanted to retain her memories. “I want to know what happened to Elytra-a changeling that was with us. She...she cleansed the Central Mana Pool...but I never saw her again.” Not once had the changeling left Cheerilee’s mind, her heart wouldn’t let the memories fade away. She had to know. “Ah, the changeling.” Princess Luna finally turned back around to face the two ponies. “Cadenza brought the creature up with her, broken and barely alive. We did what we could to help it, but nothing sufficed.” Cheerilee’s heart sank to depths she had never known. Tears started to form at the corners of her eyes as that sentence hit her, and it hit hard. “We sent it back to the Hive in hopes that its own kind could help it, but that is all We know.” There was little solace in hope, but it was something. Elytra’s own kind could help her, they would have to. To learn of the changeling’s fate dug daggers ever deeper into Cheerilee’s heart, just another piece from her life before now ripped away from her. It was but another stitch in her heart popped free, just one step closer to giving up. “I-I think...I would like to live somewhere away from a lot of ponies for a while…” Cheerilee began to speak without thinking, her brain still seized by the news of Elytra’s fate. “Maybe...just get away from it all.” “We know of a place that will suit you. It was not hit hard by the Event, and is quite friendly.” Luna said with a nod. “Hope Hollow. We will arrange transport for you and young Scootaloo as soon as we are able.” The alicorn’s horn lit up as she raised Cheerilee’s head so their eyes met. “You have Our word, if We have your silence.” “You have my silence, Princess.”