//------------------------------// // ~ 11 ~ Epilogue (SigmasonicX) // Story: The Enchanted Computer: A RariTwi Exquisite Corpse // by SigmasonicX //------------------------------// “Game Over” “User Wins” With a flash of light, Twilight found herself on the ground. He head swam with questions. Where was she? Was it something the Elements did? She looked around, seeing she was surrounded by strange gray towers in an enclosed room. Then suddenly, she remembered something so obvious she couldn’t believe she forgot. She didn’t have time to linger on this as Rarity and then Pinkie Pie fell on top of her. “Oh ponyfeathers,” Rarity said loudly under her breath. “Woof, my head is spinning, and not in a good way,” Pinkie said. Rarity grunted in an unladylike way. “What now? Did we not actually stop Disc—” Twilight could feel the unicorn lift her head up. “Wait, these devices! This database! Now I remember!” Finally noticing the pile she was in, Rarity got up and the other ponies soon followed. “Good heavens, Twilight, was all of this that library you were talking about?” Twilight shook her head to clear her thoughts. “As hard as it is to believe, from the moment we left this room, we were caught in an elaborate illusion spell contained inside these machines.” Rarity’s face fell. “Then we didn’t actually defeat Discord?” “And Rainbow Dash didn’t actually turn into a giant?” asked Pinkie Pie. Twilight scrunched her eyebrows. “Well…” She honestly couldn’t say. Everything she saw was beyond what even her models predicted. It had to be fake, but… it was all so real. “Not to worry, my little ponies. Your quest is at an end.” Twilight’s head shot toward the voice. While Rarity and Pinkie looked around in confusion, Twilight recognized it instantly. With a flash of light, an alicorn princess appeared before them. Though her coat was ragged and her horn was cracked, she still stood regally with her wings splayed. Tears welled up in Twilight’s eyes. “P-Princess Celestia!” Not caring who saw, she ran up to her and embraced her. The sight was enough for tears to well up in Rarity and Pinkie’s eyes. Twilight rubbed against Celestia’s neck. It was rougher than she remembered, but the warmth was still there. After endless moments, she pulled away. “So we did it, then?” she dared to ask. “We won?” Celestia simply nodded. “But how? Wasn’t all that a simulation?” “It was a simulation, yes, but one that real ponies—and draconequuses—could journey into, as you did. You see, when Discord tried to trap me all those years ago, I drew him to a place where I knew his influence would be reduced, inside the ‘cyberworld’ I call eQuestria, and then behind the simulated Canterlot Falls. So the one you faced was, in fact, the real Discord.” Rarity rubbed her chin. “But we defeated him using the Elements, which we didn’t bring, and with ponies that didn’t come here with us. How is that possible?” Celestia nodded. “In truth, there are aspects to eQuestria that are beyond even my understanding. My guess is that as Discord’s magic distorted the realm, your harmony magic did the same. It brought you the tools you needed to reject his infection, and together, you cast a very real spell to banish him. When Discord tried to torment you by altering the simulation, I can’t imagine he expected that.” Pinkie waved her front leg. “I have a question too! Why are you so big?” Twilight stared aghast. “My stars, Pinkie Pie!” Rarity shouted. “You can’t ask a pony why they’re big!” Without any sign of shame, Pinkie said, “Alright,” then asked, “So where are Marble, Fiddlesticks, and Lightning?” “Oh right!” Twilight said. “Were those three created by the simulation too? But wait, no, Marble definitely came here with us.” Celestia’s expression broke a bit. “No, all of them are real. But, well, those three ponies are all rather busy right now, so I opted to let them stay in eQuestria for a bit longer.” Twilight blushed when she remembered what the simulation-Ink said. Sweat was visible on Celestia’s brow now. “Now, I must apologize, but I do appear to be due for some rest now.” At this, her legs suddenly gave out and she fell. With a yelp, Twilight cushioned her with her magic. Celestia slept for the first time in a thousand years. Breathing heavily from her exertion, Twilight looked at her princess, then looked at Rarity. “It… it’s really over.” Rarity smiled and nodded. “Yes it is, darling.” “So, what do we do now?” Rarity lifted Twilight’s chin. “We carry on.” She then walked toward the room’s entrance. “Though first, we need to figure out how to get large white alicorn out of here without drawing too much attention. And gently let Ms. Marble and the others know it’s time to go. And then, of course, we take a vacation.” Twilight playfully rolled her eyes. “You just had a vacation!” “That was merely a baby one. We’re going to have a proper vacation! At a beach resort or some such.” Pinkie jumped. “Can Luna and I come too?!” “Of course, dear. All of us are going!” “Even the mean cave dragons?” Rarity’s eyes widened. “Uh, well, perhaps if they apologize properly.” Twilight laughed and shook her head. Things still felt so incomplete, but this was it. This was the end of one part of her life, and the start of another. North Ridge sat with a sigh. “Well,” he grumbled. “The train’s delayed again. We likely won’t be able to make the trip tonight.” Rarity often had a somber look on her face, but this time, she had a hint of a smile. “I’m happy to say, my dear North, that this trip won’t be necessary after all.” She looked at him with shining eyes. “This will be hard to understand, but my timeline, my past itself, has just been rewritten.” North blinked. “I’m sorry… your past? What does that mean?” Rarity smiled. “What that means is… we never met. Goodbye, my dear friend.” And with that, without even a flash of light, Rarity was gone. North Ridge sat alone. He looked around startled, wondering if perhaps she was playing a trick on her. But then he saw it, in the newspaper stands. “LOST PRINCESS MARRIES DRESSMAKER” And underneath that headline, he saw an image of the very Rarity whose face was plastered over wanted posters just a minute ago, blissfully standing next to a regally-dressed alicorn mare. He cautiously strode to the stand and pulled out the issue to take a closer look. He read through the article twice, and then once again. Finally, he smiled. “Heh. Son of a bitch.” He would have one hell of a story to tell to the next pony who cared to listen.