//------------------------------// // Epilogue: The End of a Journey // Story: SuShi's Bizarre Adventure: Fantasy Friendship // by Jojoleopard //------------------------------// “Didn’t think you’d make it on time, with your constant ‘drowning in work’, Dash.” Jostle Joyride leaned against White Buffalo as he ran a hand through his hair. “Psshh, no one said I finished it.” Rainbow Dash gave him a non committed shrug and pulled at the corners of her blue sports coat. “You think I’d miss this?” “Hey, I didn’t say anything about missing it.” Jojo raised his hands. “Just saying, you’re rarely on time. I thought I’d be late. I was trying to get the wife to come down with me, but she decided this was something I had to do myself.” “At least you’re both earlier than meeeee!” Pinkie Pie leapt out from a doorway in the ground, holding a stack of pies and flowers. “And I’ve got the goodies!” There was a blast of air above them and Sunset soon landed on the ground beside them, held around the waist by Alicorn Fantasy, which soon disappeared behind her. “And I’ve got more goodies.” Sunset chuckled and held out a plastic tray of tuna sushi. “Still ice cold.” “Oiiii, sushiiii!” Pinkie gave her a hug and almost tipped the tray over. Then she whipped out some chopsticks from her hair and grabbed a piece. “How’s the family?” Sunset smiled. It was always nice to share their lives with each other. “Flick’s got a gig in France, so he’s there for the weekend. And Summer’s got a softball game later today. Dash, I expect you’ll be there too? Since Prism’s the star of the team?” “You bet I’ll be.” Rainbow swung an arm like she was swinging a bat. “Man, I can’t believe it’s already been thirty years since we’ve graduated high school. I can still remember scoring the winning goal for the last soccer championships.” “Yeah. I wish the others had been around to see it too.” Sunset looked at the monument ahead of them. At the end of a short dirt path was a boulder shaped like a fist in the middle of the forest grounds. This had been where Rarity had given her life to protect Jojo all those years ago, and the team had chosen this as a memorial for their fallen friends, including Applejack and Fluttershy. Taking the flowers from Pinkie, Sunset placed them against the bottom of the monument, then stepped back to be among the others. “Another year gone by…” Sunset sighed as she remembered them. She had gotten over their deaths years ago, but whenever she thought about them, it still saddened her that they were not here to share life with them. “Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, thank you for all you’ve done for us. Wherever you are now, I hope you’re looking down at us proudly.” “Yes. You were an amazing person, Rarity.” Jojo took a slice of pie and shoved it in his mouth. “You so easily sacrificed yourself for me. I’m sure the others will say the same over the years you’ve been with them. You would’ve loved to meet Cajole. He’s quite just like me.” “And Applejack, my best friend.” Rainbow took a slice and held it up before the monument. “I still remember the day you shoved mud in my pants to show me how you dealt with cow manure. That was the best mud fight I ever had. The only one I ever had. Thanks, Applejack, for such a memory.” “And to Fluttershy, the kindest person ever!” Pinkie held out her sushi. “Softspoken, but she would never leave us out there to fend for ourselves if she could help it. That’s who she was, the kindest of all of us.” “To friends, old and new.” Sunset picked up a piece of sushi and joined her friends in holding them high. And that was what they would remain forever. Friends for life. Not far from Sushi and her friends was the cave where the Stand Geode had once resided. The entrance had once been caved in after the drill’s explosion, but right now, the way in had been uncovered and rocks still lay scattered around the entrance, thrown aside by great force. Two figures walked through the tunnels, one of them holding a torch, its fire flickering and dancing around in the dark like it was alive. “This place really took a beating, huh?” the second figure, a female, asked. She sported a purple bowtie and a purple skirt. “There’s more rocks here.” “We’re in now. Can you get us through?” The other one, a man, waved the torch over a wall of debris.  “Easy.” She snapped her fingers. All around them, the shadows seemed to grow, and then they were on the other side of the debris. The large cavern was now filled with debris as well and scattered rays of light shone in from above, lighting the area partially. They didn’t need the torch to see the figure standing near the center of the room beside a ruined machine. She lifted a hand, but it was immediately back at her side faster than the eye could blink. “She’s really here…” The woman breathed, then stepped closer. “Cinch. It’s been some time.” The man joined her, using the torch to illuminate Cinch’s bruised and bloody face. After all these years, she hadn’t aged, not like he had. Part of him envied that, but the other part knew he would rather be where he was instead of being in Cinch’s position. “How have things been?” “You ask me this?” Cinch growled, then took a step towards him, only to be put back in the same spot she had been in a second ago. “How did you find me?” “Weather Alternate always has its ways. You should know that, being one of us once…” The man smiled and removed a handkerchief to wipe at his wrinkled brow. “We didn’t interfere, because we knew you would’ve bested us. But look at you now. You left us, betrayed us, just so you could ensure your legacy with absolute rule from rumors of an ultimate power. You forgot the goal we had. He did say even if your object of power were true, it was too much of a risk. And behold, that power has fallen into the hands of your enemy and now you remain here, trapped for all eternity.” “A fate worse than death.” The woman waggled a finger. “Not something I would want.” “Why are you even…” Cinch got reset. “Even here?” “No real reason.” The man dusted his handkerchief before returning it to his pocket. “We just wanted to see if it were true that you were put in your place. And we wanted you to know we have found more evidence that they exist.” “Really? I will get out of…” Cinch tried to reach for them, but she was transported back to where she had been. “I will kill everyone once… Once I am out of this place!” The man glanced behind Cinch and proceeded towards the rear of the cave. “Perhaps if you had taken a closer look at this place... You might’ve known Weather Alternate was right all along.” The woman followed along and Cinch tried to turn around, but her position was reset once again. Along the wall the drill had excavated, higher above the spot the Stand Geode had come from were a series of carvings. They looked old, very old, but the detail on it was too precise for the tools of that age. The carvings depicted rows of humans bowed down to another cluster of humans, portrayed to be bigger by the ancient artist. Each one of these bigger humans had another figure behind them, but the figures floated above the ground. “Of course, their presence was known in the wounds of the earth.” He would’ve run a hand along it if he could reach it. “You see Cinch, the world could still be ours. But unfortunately for you…” He walked back to her and grinned in her face. Cinch tried to bite his nose off, but she could get no further before being reset. “You won’t be a part of it,” the woman finished and took one last look at the carvings before following her companion out, leaving Cinch in her eternal solitude once again.