Epilogue
"We are gathered here today in memory of Quinn."
They were gathered on top of a hill outside Ponyville. It looked like the whole of Equestria had gathered in one place. Twilight Sparkle had stepped up to the podium.
"Most of you know about him and the things he did to protect ponykind. He came here with knowledge of our future. To protect us from harm, he spent several months living in the Everfree forest. His presence had already affected events. Somehow, something caused evil forces to become much more powerful and violent. Discord, The Changelings, and king Sombra were, according to Quinn's foreknowledge, not supposed to be bloodthirsty killers. But they were. Quinn saw this and secretly aided us. After defeating Sombra and saving the Crystal Empire, he was able to end his solitude and return to Ponyville. From then on, Quinn, a complete stranger in this world, swore to protect and defend us. For twenty years he fought the forces of evil. But he was more than a warrior. He was a friend, and I am honored to know that I was one of his many friends. He had magic beyond anything ever seen in this world. With all his power, he could have easily overpowered us all. But he was kind and loving, something he told me not all humans would be if they were here. From what I was told of his race, humans have no magic. Instead, they have weapons that could destroy and kill. Death and crime were daily occurrences there."
At this, some of the ponies looked amazed and scared.
"Yes, I know it's hard to believe. A world of violence and hatred seems impossible. But it's true."
She pauses for a moment, checking her notes. She sighed, crumpling up the parchment.
"Quinn only dreamed one thing. Falling. His entire life, he spent his sleep falling. He was relaxed while falling. It was his element. And at the age of fourteen, Quinn fell and died."
The crowd gasped.
"He kept falling. But he fell into this world. I still don't understand it completely, but he fell into Ponyville. After I met him, we discovered he had an unknown magic inside him. A magic of sound."
"He stayed for only a short while, before disappearing. I now know that he had begun living in the forest to protect us from future knowledge. But he was always watching. Waiting for the three evils he knew of. Secretly, Quinn helped us defeat Discord, the Changelings, and finally returning to fight king Sombra.
He swore to protect the throne and ponykind forever."
At this point, Twilight starts crying softly. Fluttershy flaps to her side with a hoof-ker-chif. "Th-thank you, Flutter-sh-shy." But she shakes off the tears, determined to finish.
"Over the years, Quinn defended against the forces of evil. He battled every inhabitant of Tartars, and then some. He defeated Discord another two times, and prevented the return of the Changelings. He kept Equestria safe."
"But three days ago, Quinn was forced to go to war against evil again. Three evil beings, formed out of pure smooze. To defeat them and destroy the smooze, he sacrificed his life." The tears started again, this time others crying as well.
"His b-body was n-n-not found. The b-blast was too g-great."
She dried her tears.
"But he left something for us. One final thing. In his world, much of the culture is associated with music. Using his powers, he recreated a song from his memory.
Vinyl, if you would please."
Vinyl Scratch pressed a button, and the speakers hummed to life. Soft sounds filled the air, and then, words.
"When she was just a girl, she expected the world."
"But it flew away from her reach, so she ran away in her sleep."
"And dreamed of para, para, paradise. Para, para, paradise."
"Every time she closed her eyes."
And from the sky above, the music was joined by the voice and sounds of another. With the final note, something crashed into the ground. The dust cleared, and a figure climbed out of the crater.
"Uhh...hi everypony. What's going on?"
Twilight gasped upon hearing the voice. "Quinn!" She galloped over to him, helping him stand after the rough landing.
"But...how? How are you alive? You were blown to bits..."
The man just laughed. "You think I'd die that easily? No, no. Just a bigger blast than I expected, that's all! Now tell me, why are there so many ponies here?"
Twilight just looked at him. "This...is your...memorial service." She said sheepishly.
Quinn did a double-take. "You mean...my FUNERAL?" Then he roared with laughter. "We'll have to check THAT off my list! And wow! I didn't expect this many ponies to know or care that much about me..."
Princess Celestia stepped forward. "Almost everypony knows of you. The other races as well. In short, you are legendary."
"Well! How about that!" The man walked up to the podium and looked all across the crowd. "I'd like to thank you all for being here. Even though you thought I was dead, I'm still proud to count ponies as my friends."
"Now, to be completely honest, I really don't like sad parties. Vinyl! Hit it!"