//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: The Bonds of Eternity // by Wheller //------------------------------// Epilogue On her way out, Twilight made her way back over to the mainframe and closed the silo doors for hopefully the last time they would ever be open. A casual thought about the world that was above her entered her mind, the Cake’s insurance had to be through the roof at this point. Twilight couldn’t help but smirk, even though she really shouldn’t. The Cake’s livelihood and home had been destroyed, as did Pinkie Pie’s. As Twilight made her way out of the missile base and watched as the EPMB door closed behind her. This time however, she fiddled around the door’s control functions and discovered a password lock feature that had not been set. Twilight played around with it for a moment before deciding on a good password. She set the door lock to open at ‘aurora borealis’ and went about her way. She would have to talk to Pinkie Pie about getting some dynamite to collapse the passageway. Twilight walked back up the passageway, walking past the rogue combot and ignoring it. ‘ALL HAIL THE MACHINE!’ it cried out and began to follow her. ‘Oh shut up’, Twilight said. ‘ALL HAIL THE MACHINE’, the combot said in response. Twilight walked back out to where her friends had gathered. She saw that all of them had started picking up the pieces of the battle. She noticed that Vinyl Scratch had returned and was grinning brightly. Wait. That had to mean that... ‘SURPRISE!’ Twilight looked up and in under a second was tackled to the ground by a giant marshmallow creature. Twilight looked up to discover that Surprise was on top of her, hugging her profusely, and she noticed that her eyes were not red, but purple. ‘Hi Twilight Sparkle!’ Surprise said brightly. ‘Did... didn’t you die?’ Twilight asked in disbelief. ‘I got better!’ Surprise said cheerfully. Vinyl Scratch trotted over to her and tapped on Surprise. ‘Come on, let her up!’ ‘Oh, I’m sorry Twilight! I’m just so excited!’ Surprise said. ‘Things are so great right now... I could... I could start singing!’ Pinkie Pie’s head shot up at the mention of singing and galloped over towards them looking brightly. Surprise smiled and began to sing. ‘I'm so happy! AHA! Happy go lucky me! I just go my way, living everyday!’ Pinkie Pie joined in and she and Surprise began to skip about as they sang. ‘I don't worry! Worrying don't agree, Things that bother you, never bother me!’ Vinyl Scratch and Twilight watched as the two mares skipped about singing their song, everypony and kangaroo couldn’t help but stop and watch. Vinyl Scratch turned to Twilight and flashed a grin at her. ‘You know, I’m having a really hard time trying to tell if this is adorable... or really creepy’. ‘Things that bother you, never bother me! I feel happy and fine! AHA! Living in the sunlight, loving in the moonlight! Having a wonderful time!’ Pinkie Pie and Surprise continued. ‘Yeah, I’ve decided, that’s adorable’, Vinyl Scratch said with a grin. Twilight too couldn’t help but crack a smile. ‘She’s changed’. ‘Yeah’, Vinyl said. ‘So? What’s next for you Twilight?’ Twilight turned to Vinyl Scratch and raised an eyebrow. ‘What do you mean?’ ‘What I mean is, we won!’ Vinyl said. ‘Surely, there’s been something you’ve wanted to do for a while, but the circumstances wouldn’t let you?’ Twilight shook her head. ‘All I care about right now is getting Rainbow Dash well’. ‘Yeah. I can imagine’, Vinyl Scratch said. ‘I’m going to go to South Island; I wasn’t able to see it the last time I was there. I’m going to take Surprise with me, we’re really the only ones who can drop everything and go’. They heard a quiet coughing sound from behind them; Twilight and Vinyl Scratch looked behind them to see that Whirlwind was standing not far behind them. Vinyl Scratch looked at him and flashed him a bright grin. ‘Hey there Whirlwind! How you doing mate?’ ‘Well... uh, my head still hurts, but I think I’m going to be fine...’ Whirlwind said. ‘Um... you said something about going to South Island?’ ‘Yeah! Why? You want to come?’ Vinyl asked. ‘I think it would probably be best if I wasn’t around here for a while...’ Whirlwind said. Viny Scratch trotted up to him and patted him on the shoulder. ‘Aww Whirly, don’t be too hard on yourself, it’s not your fault, and anypony who insinuates otherwise... well, we’ll set them straight’. Whirlwind smiled at Vinyl brightly. ‘Thanks Vinyl Scratch, you’re a good friend’. Vinyl returned his smile, and the two of them went to chase after Surprise and Pinkie Pie. Twilight trotted away, she wanted to be alone with Rainbow Dash. ... ‘Ditzy Doo... please, you can’t go! We just all got back together’, Trixie cried out as her friend readied herself to leave. ‘I have to’, Ditzy said simply. ‘I’ve made a life for myself in New Maneaan, my daughter’s back there, waiting for me to come home... I’ll be back to visit. I promise!’ Ditzy Doo waved goodbye to her friends as she trotted away, towards where Graham Cracker was standing not too far from them. ‘Hi Graham’, Ditzy said with a smile. ‘How did you know I was in trouble?’ ‘Hello Ditzy’, Graham Cracker said. ‘I asked a friend of mine to keep an eye on you’. ‘A friend?’ Ditzy Doo asked in confusion. ‘You haven’t met him, he’s not one of us, but we see... eye to eye on things, Archimedes and I go way back...’ Graham Cracker said as the two of them walked away. Lyra and Bon Bon hugged each other tightly, and the two of them bid the others farewell. As did Big McIntosh and Braeburn, they were needed back home. Trixie hung her head low, and returned back to her house as well. Octavia glanced around for Monty Ulan, figured, the stallion was nowhere to be found, he’d broken his promise to her to come back. Vinyl caught up to her and informed her that she didn’t need to worry about any more trouble from Monty, ever again. Octavia remained unconvinced and bid Vinyl a farewell; she had a train to catch for Manehattan. Twilight Sparkle popped into the Ponyville clinic where Rainbow Dash had been taken, while small and not very well equipped, it did have what was needed to take care of Rainbow Dash in her condition. Doctor Nightly was in tending to her when Twilight walked in, and promptly excused himself from the room. ‘Rainbow Dash?’ Twilight asked. ‘Hey... Twilight... what’s up?’ Rainbow Dash asked. She was groggy from the medication that she’d been given, but still able to pay the least bit attention. ‘I was scared that I was going to lose you’, Twilight said solemnly. ‘I couldn’t stand to lose you again; I love you, Rainbow Dash’. ‘I... love you too... egghead’, Rainbow Dash said with a chuckle. ‘Ow... laughing... hurts’. ‘Try not to exert yourself too much’, Twilight said she leaned over and planted a kiss on Rainbow Dash’s lips. ‘You rest up, I’m going to have something special for you when Doctor Nightly lets you come home’, Twilight leaned in close and whispered something softly into Rainbow Dash’s ears. Within seconds, Rainbow Dash’s wings were fully erect. ‘I thought you’d like that’, Twilight said with a wink. ‘Get some sleep Rainbow Dash’. Rainbow Dash nodded in affirmation, smiling at her marefriend as she turned and left the room, wiggling her hips suggestively. ‘Twilight... stop that! Now you’re... just teasing me!’ Rainbow Dash called back to her. Twilight winked at Rainbow Dash and left the mare alone to rest. ... Whirlwind watched as Vinyl Scratch had joined in with Pinkie Pie and Surprise as they hopped about, continuing to sing that same song over and over. ‘Things that bother you, never bother me! I feel happy and fine! AHA! Living in the sunlight, loving in the moonlight! Having a wonderful time!’ the three mares sang as they bounced around. Whirlwind turned and watched as a single EPMB combot rolled through the open field. ‘ALL HAIL THE MACHINE!’ it cried out, Whirlwind couldn’t help but noticed how peculiar it was. Whirlwind had lied when he said that he didn’t remember what had happened. He knew what he’d done as Legion. He remembered setting Graham Cracker on fire and casting him into the Divide, he remembered snapping Métis Retslaf’s neck, and remembering that Retslaf had deserved it. He remembered the hunt for the mysterious courier that he had never been able to find. He remembered it all. Worse still, he could never even hope to forget. So close... so close... so close... he heard quietly in the back of his mind. Whirlwind snorted in disgust at the voice. ‘Shut up Legion’, Whirlwind said, just barely loud enough that it was audible, though only he was around to hear it. ‘You had your chance, and you failed, let’s get something straight. I’m in charge now, and from now on, you listen to what I say’. We understand. We will obey... for now. he heard the voices say. Yes they would, but as far as Whirlwind was concerned? His final battle was far from over, his war, had only just started.