My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic
My Little Pony Tales
"Bright Eyes The Earth Pony"
Pony POV Series Side Story Episode 6 of 7
Part 6 of 6
MLP: POV Seven Dreams/ Seven Nightmares
Written By Alex Warlorn
Edited By Kendell2 and Louis
At last.
... The Old Woods.
Green Songbirds.
Ms. Hackney.
Teddy. Ace. Lancer. Oh Lancer.
Unexplored.
Patch discovering the impossible.
Paradise Estate.
I.
Magic is real.
Magic was always real.
Magic is nature.
Nature is magic.
Starlight teaching.
Sweetheart healing.
Melody singing.
Patch playing soccer.
Clover Bloom dancing.
Bonbon baking cookies.
Rainbow of Light.
Magic awakened from within.
Give everyone their happy ending!!!
Magic can do it.
Convince Starlight to be the voice and face for my dream, now OUR dream.
Princess Rosy helps.
Bonbon inspired by Patch to become a model and not just a chef. Using her new star to help the project alone.
So does Melody and Clover.
Those whose power is based on want try to hurt Sweetheart to tell us all to give up or else. Instead Teddy is a hero.
Wind Whistler. Magic Star. Glory. Moki.
All my friends!!!
One final hug between all seven of us. Time for the new world to begin. And finally, after so much hard hard hard work, all ponies instead of just a lucky few can find happiness.
God... I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember I remember ..................
Everything.
"Bright Eyes." Moki. "Your... your... your... look, your flank."
I do look.
It's back.
I'm back.
My cutie mark.
As I remember it.
Some of the minor details were different but it was mine it was me. A notebook and pen. Always ready to learn. Always ready to see.
Moki asked, "Bright Eyes... what did you remember?"
There was only one way to put it. "Everything. My total foalhood. My adult life. And..." I stiffened. "I remember everything." I shook my head. "I remember everything. I remember Moki... I remember... Paradise Estate, the Rainbow of Light, the years...the years building the castles...everything ready, so many years making sure the spell would grant only wishes that weren't cruel...Moki, I remember everything."
"About time. I was beginning to think you'd never remember. Everyone thought I was being foolish and narrow-minded when I told them what I wanted to do. I couldn't believe you had really forgotten all of it."
"I never chose to." You have no idea how badly I wanted to cry rivers until I drowned. But it felt so...pointless to now. What kind of monster doesn't cry after what I've done?
I swear I felt that feeling of something looking over my shoulder, I could even feel it breathing down my neck...No, I wouldn't look, not this time. I was done being afraid.
"I knew you didn't. But I knew doing this would have been pointless unless you remembered. Otherwise it would have just been selfish...Don't move, Bright Eyes." I froze. I rose out of my stupor enough to realize she was holding a colt revolver in her hooves.
I didn't try to run. This was my final judgment? This was my punishment? Sigh. So be it. I deserved it. I was just so tired. At least I could rest forever now. At least it wasn't some hate filled stranger. At least it was... a friend. "Please just don't hurt my family."
She didn't answer, she fired.
Right past me, and between the eyes of the lone Simurghs that had been right behind me, it rolled over on its side already dead. It kinda looked more like a winged coyote than a winged wolf for some reason.
Moki put the colt revolver back where it came from.
I looked at the beast, then back at Moki. "Moki-?!"
"Bright Eyes," Moki said simply trotting up to me. "Tropical Island was hit by a tidal wave when The Day happened. Half of us were swept out to sea, the other half turned into seaponies and merponies. They saved us all from drowning. But there was no return to living on land for them. Their old lives were stolen from them. And Tropical Island lost over half our buildings. I spent years rebuilding our hope along with everyone else."
I lowered my head. I wanted to cry...maybe I really did. "I know it doesn't change anything, maybe it's inappropriate, but I apologize, I'm sorry."
"When I told everyone what I was planning, they said I was selfish, that I didn't have the right, that it was criminal for me to think I could ever have the right. But was my choice, Bright Eyes, and they didn't have a say in it." She hugged me. "I forgive you."
I stiffened like an equinequin. "What?"
"I forgive you. I waited until you remembered. So I could forgive you. I spoke of it with Lancer. We knew one of us had to be there to forgive you, because we all knew there's no way you'd forgive yourself first." She was crying.
My body slowly relaxed, with snaking hooves, and reached out and hugged Moki back. "You really forgive me?"
"Don't shame, don't blame. The damage is done, what does hating you do? You're my friend, and, and I forgive you!"
AAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHH! I give up! What in Tartarus does it bucking take?! Why can't any of you nags simply die in despair!? Buck this 'behind the scenes' horseapples! If I need to bring things into reality myself then I will!
I screamed as I felt a splitting headache, and I saw my shadow grow larger behind me, I heard Moki scream my name. My shadow became something like a giant snake with arms and horns.
It really was looking over my shoulder...
I blacked out.
Then I woke up. Where was I?
I was in one of the Seven Castles, the one for the part of the harmony spectrum that symbolized trust. But they were gone. And all the details were wrong. The central chamber was nearly circular rather than geometric, and instead of the one pillar machine in the center that harnessed the piece of the Rainbow of Light, six others were spaced around the edge of the room functioning as pillars as well.
"I'm dreaming," I said simply.
"This is all in your head, but this is all very real," said an oddly familiar voice.
Of course the voice would be behind me, and of course the speaker would be sitting on an indentation of one of the room's support arches. What I didn't expect was who was looking at me.
"Who are you?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm you." Said another me.
"Since when has identity dissonance been one of my mental problems?" I stared.
"Since you refused to acknowledge the truth. And buried it along with all of your other memories." She hopped off and floated down to the plush red carpeted floor installed so not all the ponies had to be shoed to work in the castle.
"I just got all my memories back. I know the truth of what I did and what happened. All my monsters are out of the closet."
"Not quite. Or have you really not thought about it? How could, after all the hard hard work you had put into your project, along with the hard work of so many others, could such a disaster have happened? All those great minds of both science and magic WORKING TOGETHER, all that money and time? How could it have possibly failed?" She came closer, looking me in the eyes. "The truth is. You wished for it."
"WHAT?!"
"We wanted all the polluting ponies dead. So nature could heal and the world would be back to the way it should be! Let their corpses be fertilizer for the lush green that'll cover the world and save the planet from their greedy thoughtless hooves! Well look around you! It's reality!"
"Clop off! I am not a bucking murderer!" I narrowed my eyes and gritted my teeth.
"Psychology 101, the shadow hides the parts of ourselves we're ashamed of, and introspection shows our feelings, not our thoughts processes or WHY we have those feelings..."
"And I have never had those feelings towards ponies!! Ever!"
"How can you be so bloody sure? Who knows what anger lies in your heart that you hide away, let it broil, fester, let it boil into hatred. Until at the bottom of your heart, hidden from even you, your own desire was to see the pony species exterminated so creatures that are closer to nature could stop being crowded out by their rat like reproduction and piggish consuming of the world's resources like a plague."
"I... I... " Why did she seem more...solid? No...more real...
"Think about it. Feel about it. Isn't it what you always wanted? A purely natural world? An end to the thoughtless destruction of nature's song? Why wouldn't the spell grant that wish in such a direct and perfect manner? Ponies aren't alive, they've separated themselves from the natural cycle of life, so therefore, they don't count as living things, so it's not like your wish counted as murder."
"...... " I tried to think of something to say. Anything to say. This, this thing couldn't be right could it? I hadn't really wished for that had I? I couldn't have wished for that, could I have?
"Look at me. I am the part of you that you refuse to see, refuse to hear, refuse to accept. Your eyes are bright, but you're really like the nature you love so much. Nature is cruel. And our eyes are cruel. We are Cruel Eyes."
... My knees felt a little weak. She seemed so much more real now... No, I was what wasn't real.
There's a song in the air in the forest.
Wolves are growling as they're stalking here and there.
They enjoy the scenery. Now that we're not poisoning the greenery.
That's why now there's music everywhere.
There's a beautiful sound in the forest.
Lions roar out their warning loud and clear.
There is nowhere to be found something sweeter than the sound
Of nature's own sweet song.
And nature's back in charge in the forest
Because thanks to us its how it really belongs!
There's no ponies to try to crush, or destroy, or mutilate
Nature's own sweet song!
Nature's own sweet song!" she sang...I sang? We sang? I don't know anymore.
"Give into the despair. Fade into the dark. You got what you wanted. You've come all this way; it's time for your journey to end. Allow me to consume you. Allow yourself to become the shadow, and I the ego."
"... Am I... am I a murderer?"
"Yes."
"NO!" Lancer snarled at me, I gasped. "YOU ARE NOT! Any pony who ever tells you are is a bucking liar! You are not a killer! You've never been a killer! You could never be a killer!"
( 'Deadman Wonderland OST 1' Track 5. DW28A )
I gasped out. "...We can't be certain...if what we think of ourselves is true, and we can't be certain what others think of us is true. The heart is always subjective. All we have left in the end is who we chose to trust. I'd trust Lancer with my life, I trusted him with my heart a long time ago!"
"Lies of omission are still lies! He manipulated you! He betrayed your trust! He wanted HIS Bright Eyes! Not you!"
"I've been his Bright Eyes since I promised to stay at his side through sickness and health. I chose to trust my friends."
"What? A couple of immortal slackers? A dumb-flank savage who actually BELIEVES that meaningless 'better living through forgiveness' tripe? A handful of mares you used like pawns to get what you wanted?"
"I never manipulated them. Ever. I only asked. If the death of the world is on my shoulders then so be it! But I DID NOT USE MY FRIENDS! And don't EVER call Moki a 'dumb-flank savage!' EVER!"
"You have your head so far up your flanks that you can't hear how trite that sounds!"
"You want to talk about trite? Starlight was my BEST FRIEND! She always tried to help me when it was practical to do so! She died instantly! I am not a sociopath! I'd have never wished for her to die! Now who the bucking Pony Hell are you really, you impostor!"
"...this would have gone so much easier if you'd just given into despair and let me devour you."
The mare in front of me continued to speak using my voice. "I am the first born son of Fear and Nothingness." Her cutie mark, I noticed it was a mirror shattered by a claw punching through it. "The Elder brother of Obliteration, Darwinism, Imagination, Revolution, and Chaos, I actually regret a little I can't be there for Violence's birth."
"I've actually always been fond of you ponies. You were a daring experiment."
"Experiment?"
"Normally sapience is given to an apex predator species. But you? A herd species? Prey? Personally I think Darwinism only allowed it because it amused her."
"We are not toys for your amusement!"
"Exactly why you should let me simply devour you!" Cruel Eyes snapped.
"You're insane."
"I'm the only sane being in existence! Or rather, I WAS! Until my own mother erased me from reality and left only my shadow behind!...But you, within you, sleeps a fetal concept, after I consume you, that concept will shape into mine, and my idea of _________ will exist again with me. And absolute freedom will exist for all mortals!"
"What do you mean?"
"Imagine a universe where whatever you think is real, IS REAL! True freedom! No longer bound by the tyranny of the laws of the universe! I always knew my mother was a coward. Why else would she erase me when I told her she should exterminate every Alicorn in existence? When I called her out on being a coward who engaged in sublime cold wars with Sane Existence! He is the chains! He is the locks and shackles that bind mortal souls! His obliteration is needed for mortals to find true happiness! He's the one who makes so because you think something is true, doesn't automatically make it true! True freedom isn't in chaos! It's in 'think it, be it!'"
"You ARE Insane! That would mean by majority vote, that because we all thought Teddy was a thief, and a hopeless bully without a trace of dignity to him, then he would have become that instead of Sweetheart reforming him! Melody and Starlight might have REALLY become aliens who wanted to cut out Patch's brain instead of a prank! And all those ponies out there who can't have their villains having families would make my entire family vanish out of existence! AND!!! It would have turned Moki into a cannibal who fed ponies to a volcano, who live in sea monster infested waters! And it would have caused Brightglow to vanish because no one but Patch believed in her, but we all believed she DIDN'T exist!"
"But Starlight would be alive again because Patch believed she was still alive."
I felt my heart skip a beat. Starlight...would still be alive? The seven of us all alive again...I know it's selfish but...I wanted that, Heaven help me I wanted that. I wanted Starlight to be here with us...I wanted it to be so I wasn't the one who caused her death...I wanted Patch to be right...
"...And she'd be the heartless monster the world thinks she was, not the kind, wonderful friend I remember," I replied. It felt like I stabbed myself in the heart saying it. I think of everything she'd told me, that one line hurt the most...because I had to say having my friend back 'wasn't worth it.' What she'd come back as, wouldn't be Starlight. "And so would me and Melody..." I'm so sorry, Starlight...
"Meh. Small price to pay. Now seriously, stay still while I eat your soul."
"NO! And you know what? From the sound of it? Your parents didn't get rid of you because you were sassy! They got rid of you because you were the biggest threat to time and space to ever exist!"
"If you will stand in the way of the greater good for your own selfish desire to continue existing. Whoa-kay. I'll ripe your light of existence from your shadow, and throne it within me!"
That was when the simmering black sword appeared in of her hooves, like it was a ghost. It looked like two fury dragon-snake creatures with limbs of different animals twisted together with their tails making the blade.
"Goodbye."
"Bright Eyes!" I heard, EVERYONE say.
Cruel Eyes blinked in surprise, I didn't. Countless glowing yellow butterflies swarmed together, mingling, turning into a broadsword with a rapier style guard shaped like the wings of a butterfly. Blocking the black sword, and held in my hoof.
I hadn't been knitting all these years I had been married to Lancer and swung at Cruel Eyes who leapt impossibly far back.
"So she protects you? Fine then." Her sword guard shifted to that of a moth. "Who will the wings of the butterfly favor? Your selfishness? Or my sanity?"
She moved faster than should have been possible. She was a stream of blurs. She attacked with the ferocity and wildness of a mad mare. I should have been cut to ribbon before I raise my sword.
But I wasn't. I was moving just as fast as her! Whenever her sword struck, mine was the same place. She was fast, and getting faster. While my 'body' could keep up, I wasn't sure I could. What was I thinking? This was my mind!
But I was still forced totally on the defensive as a band of afterimage of her attacked me all at once! I was backing up, and she was cornering me! Okay, it would be completely insane to go on the offensive right now. So I fell flat on the floor, held the sword in my mouth stabbed at one of the afterimage, who were apparently a little on the solid side, and ran through the hole made in their line.
Okay! Don't get cornered again or you're dead! "BRAAAGH!" She spun like a buzz-saw in the air coming down on the stone leaving sparks, nearly bisecting me, and gave my tail split endings.
Think, Bright Eyes! Use that brain!
Her sword grew to the size of a telephone pole; she swung it cutting one of the pillars in two! Another near miss.
All these magic tricks...she's trying to hide the fact she's an amateur. She's holding her sword like she hasn't fenced in her life. Which means I'm just a tiny bit less scared of you!
And that giant sword takes forever to swing, you dummy! You forgot to cheat that part!
I charge, stop, feint left, and strike right, I cut and cut deep, she turns at the last moment, my sword...goes right through her foreleg. The arm falls off like a cheap costume piece. It hits the floor with a thud, a black shadowy limb like some form of canine twitches from her shoulder. She hisses in pain. No blood, no bone, nothing.
Grabbing the arm and her sword shrinking down to normal size she leapt to the ceiling again, frantically reconnecting the covering.
"Come out! Eat all of her but the concept!"
That was when I saw four pony shaped shadows climbing out of the floor like it was molasses. The worst was the longer I looked at them, the more I could begin to make out details. They tried to flank me, but I managed to instead lead them on a chase around the chamber, as they got close I cut the lead one in half and it fell through the floor like it wasn't there.
The other shadows backed off for a second, I was feeling so good about myself that I didn't notice the one behind me until it was right behind me. It bit into my shoulder, it's like its teeth were made out of dry ice. I screamed and fell to my knees. I kept enough brains to stab it with the sword and it let go at once. I grabbed hold of it, it felt like my hooves went numb just by holding it, and threw at the other two.
Another leapt right at me, but I side stepped it and cut along its side. It actually whimpered in pain and hobbled away from me, retreating.
Cruel Eyes landed behind the last shadow. She charged like lightning in a straight line towards me, through it. "Worthless shadows!"
My sword blocked the stabbed, just barely, the shadow quivered on her sword. She grabbed my mane and head butted me, causing me to fall back. At the same time, the shadow still skewered on her sword bit her.
"GRAGH!" She threw the shadow away with the sheer force of her sword swing. She was leaking black smoke from the bite marks in her side.
"Thank you," I whispered as the shadow vanished. Did it . . . smile at me?
"Why are you bothering to thank it? It's a shadow of existence. It's an empty shell. It has no true existence. No true emotions. No true feelings. It's a 1-D outline of the light that once cast it. It's a hoofprint in the sand."
"Like you." I actually thought for a moment about what I just said. "...You know, I've misjudged before, maybe I have misjudged you. Maybe you USED to be something that should've existed. Maybe you're right and your mother deleted you for being sassy. But with what you're saying you want to be. From everything you've said, I know that NOW you're something I'm never going to let come back into existence...I pity you."
"I've had enough of you! That concept should belong to me!"
"And I'm an idiot!" I ducked her sword swing and slid far farther than that I should have been able to in real life and ran up the walls. "I've been letting YOU set the rules and what goes and what doesn't here. You've had me so caught up in this mess I hadn't thought this through! This is all in MY head? MY mind? MY soul? That means I can do anything I WANT! And I've always had with me the lance that pierces the darkness! And now that I've realized that, I've got no reason to be afraid of you anymore!"
"Waxing poetry won't save you!"
And my sword turned back into butterflies, she got closer to move in for the kill for the obvious opening. Then they reformed into a lance that went through her stomach, her own momentum did the rest.
"...but that's not fair." Her sword dissolved into nothingness.
"What's not fair is putting your all into something to make other ponies' lives better, only for it to do the total opposite of everything you were trying to do. But that's what happens sometimes."
"So the wings of the butterfly favor you."
The lance dispersed. "Each of these butterflies embodies the memories of my friends and family. There was no way they were going to let you win. You could say that they beat you."
"So creation is doomed to be denied true sanity. Remember, all that happens after this is YOUR FAULT!" She snarled, she was spilling black shadow matter like it was liquid.
"I know. No amount of my magic will ever undo this damage. Nature's magic will have to do the job one step at a time. I just need to live the best life I can while I can."
"This is not over, I swear to you, I shall stalk your soul and its iterations across creation, and when your heart cries out in deepest despair, I will be there to devour you, we will meet-!"
My sword reformed in a flash as I stabbed her through where her heart should have been. "Sorry, but that's not happening." I concentrate on all my friends. Starlight, Patch, Melody, Clover, BonBon, Sweetheart. Lancer, my White Knight. Night Eyes, Keen Eyes. Red Velvet. Everyone. My sword glows with each memory, each thought.
Light began to fill the thing shaped to look like me. Every nook and cranny. Just to make sure, I pulled the glowing sword out and spun right into an overhead slash with as much force as I could manage, slicing straight through the head into the chest.
The light spilled out of the openings, then began to flood through the shadow matter already expelled. And light destroyed the dark. The fake shell and the thing inside obliterated. And soon there was nothing that had ever been alive, could be alive, or would ever be alive. "Ever."
++++
Imagination itself, and the Law of The Jungle, stood before the jaws of Pony Hell.
"Father... D___t, h_s shadow of existence, it's been destroyed. There's not even an impression of H_m left now," Imagination whispered sadly.
"Don't make yourself upset, sister. Brother was already gone. It simply means his lingering sentiment can't bring more damage to creation." 'Seems you're no longer a mewling who needs cuddling to survive. Enjoy the life you've earned little pony.'
"But... Father can always will Himself back into existence no matter what. I thought one day, possible, He could do the same for D___t."
"Little sister. I loath to explain this to you. And that is rare for me. D___t was not a good draconequus."
"But he always told me how he wanted to help ponies realize their fantasies."
"...And what purpose, does imagination have, in a universe where all thoughts and points of view are already reality? He had good intentions, that does not make him a good draconequus."
Pony Hell Itself spoke. "Strife. Pandora. Leave me."
"Yes, Father," they said together and were gone from His plane of reality, to be more precise, Himself.
The souls within that continued to swear that they had either been completely justified in their actions or purely victims of fate, looked up in confusion as it began to rain everywhere. None but them saw Fear cry.
++++
"...Okay...so Bright Eyes became Fluttershy...And kicked the flank of what was left of Discord's big brother to save her soul... maybe all existence... wow...I don't think there are many words to respond to that," said Twilight, looking at the book.
"Well...now we know were Fluttershy's 'beware the nice ones' side came from," said Pinkie, giving a small chuckle.
Twilight asked, "Princess, about Cruel Eyes..."
"No Twilight Sparkle, before ye ask, Fluttercruel is NOT the rebirth of Cruel Eyes' essence. Not in the least. At all. Fluttercruel was born purely from Fluttershy's own soul, and Discord's magic. 'Cruel Eyes' was a predator mimicking the appearance of its prey. Being a part of Bright Eyes' soul twas nothing but a lie."
"...It wasn't that..."
Princess Luna narrowed her eyes.
Twilight looked down. "Okay...I did think that...but...Is it possible that . . . " Twilight struggled how to say this, "Is it possible another shadow could try to do what Cruel Eyes did?"
"It might be possible. But highly unlikely. Though are indeed other infinitely rare creatures like Fluttercruel or disconnected parts of a pony's soul or echoes who they once were."
"I do not mean to be a preacher,
But please do not call Her Kindesty's child a creature."
"We mean no disrespect, Lady Zecora."
"Please don't call Fluttershy Her Kindesty," Pinkie Pie said. "And how do you know about Fluttercruel anyway?"
"I do not mean to boast,
But to my Princess I am close."
Twilight wished she could ask in more detail. But a promise made was a promise kept, 'I promised you Trixie I won't tell anypony what I saw in your heart. Now that Loneliness is destroyed, I guess we'll never know.'
"...Wow, she was thorough, wasn't she?" Pinkie said looking back at the description again, wincing.
"She was probably, how do ye say it? 'Genry Shrewd'? From watching horror movies?"
"Savvy, but yeah, it's never a good idea to assume the monster is down for good after one seemingly fatal attack."
Twilight thought to herself. '...Yeah, doing that when I thought the memory spell destroyed Loneliness got me impaled...Good thing she got blown up twice the second time...'
"Indeed...let us continue to her happy ending."
+++++
You're back? Oh me... Heh. Hehehehhe. I guess you really want to know what came next with me? Well. I woke up. But that goes without saying. Moki was still there. Turns out I wasn't really unconscious on the outside as long as I was on the inside. I was too emotionally worn out to even try to analyze that one. Point is, I was beat.
I had regained all my memories, learned the truth, remembered what might have been a dream of meeting the two sides of nature, fought for my soul against...something or other that I had absolutely no clue about: it felt like she wanted a fun-house mirror mockery of what the dreams come true project was supposed to be. And I'd done it all in one afternoon.
But Moki saw the shadow too, so I know it wasn't something my mind made up from finally getting my memories all together. And the thing over my shoulder I'd had stalking me for so long was finally gone.
I don't think Cruel Eyes had anything to do with the wish spell going wrong. I'm not about to take the coward's way out and blame some random outside force, or some oversized conspiracy of evil spirits. Whatever happened, it was my mistakes, and those memories are here to stay this time.
And I could tell it'd taken a huge weight off of Moki's shoulders to have finally gotten the chance to speak her peace. The nervousness that I'd seen grow over the past few weeks was gone, in its place was the friendliness I remembered in her.
...If only Sweetheart were here to see it. There was a plague. It killed her and Teddy AND her sisters. All that was left was Teddy's cousin, his wife, and Sweetheart's four children. And a cure Sweetheart had created for the plague that took her.
She died without seeing her patients recover. Now there are five of us left. Yes, I attended her memorial service, why wouldn't I have?
Bonbon's health meanwhile isn't looking so good, so soon it might be just four. Assuming Patch is okay. Apparently she's got herself in trouble more than once...and somehow overthrew several evil overlords. I can't believe the spunky little class clown is a kick flank action mare.
And Sweetheart is given Sainthood in no time. You should hear the myths they're already spreading about her. No one deserves it better than her.
Keen Eyes and Night Eyes? They grew into a wonderful stallion and mare. Pink Velvet meanwhile ended up marrying a pegasus. And yes, I apologized to her for everything that had happened...she found it in her heart to forgive me.
You want to hear about how our parents left us? Forget it. I want to record matters of living not dying. I've done enough of that already.
Suffice to say, they were proud of us and they let us know.
Oh. Oh! You want to know how things went when Moki and I got back?
Okay.
So we got back to the mansion (after lots of hugging, laughing, singing in the forest, prancing through flowers, splashing in rivers, and Moki showing me the nesting grounds of the green-winged song bird that she was taking me to in the first place, yes, I was thrilled to see they survived the disaster I caused).
"BRIGHT!" Lancer tackle hugged me. He began stroking and kissing me on the entry way rug. I don't think he's ever going to stop apologizing for keeping what he hid from me. But I forgive him. Yes, I forgive my parents too. I was just too happy that my memory was finally back in all its glory to care. I was just as happy that they forgave me.
Mom and Dad finally pried Lancer off me so they could get their hugs and kisses in. And finally, Night Eyes was able to wring out her share.
Actually telling them about how my memories returned? That was another story...I spent the entire walk home deciding how to actually reveal it to them.
"Momma! You got your Cutie Mark!"
Keen Eyes, being a foal who'd never seen my Cutie Mark was the one who spoiled the surprise under my cloak.
Lancer blinked and looked at it, staring for a few minutes in shocked silence. "Bright Eyes...You...you really remember?"
I turned to him and gave a smile. "Everything."
We spent about a minute hugging and kissing.
How did Keen Eyes take me getting my memory back? Well after having the normal reaction a foal has to mommy and daddy kissing, I think he was a tiny bit worried that I wasn't his mother anymore now I had memories from all before. Thankfully it didn't take much for him to see that I was still verily his mother! I will admit, there was a certain pride I felt in that. That I hadn't just thrown away all my growth when I got my memory back. I know they say you can't eat your cake and have it too, but I think I did.
Yes, we celebrated! WHAT DO YOU THINK WE DID? I can't remember when we celebrated so much. Sparkler was happy to prove that Surprise wasn't the only Paradise Pony who knew how to set up and throw a party. Glory was doing skating tricks up the walls. Night and Keen had an epic pillow fight atop ye old cushion fort. Our parents downed salt until they burst out singing. And Moki showed she didn't need a grass skirt to dance beautifully.
Oh. I supposed you're wondering. Yes. The truth did hurt. It did sting, like a giant wasp. Yes, this world was my sin to bear, but I didn't bear it alone. Considering the first thing that happened after I got my memories back was be forgiven by a dear friend who just saved my life, and then defeated a shadow-ghost monster with the combined love of all my friends: the truth didn't crush me like you'd think it would. In fact, in a way, it motivated me more.
I was too busy being happy I was alive. Yes, in a world ruined by a project I started with the best of intentions that had ended so many lives because of a mistake I was never even able to find. I was happy to be alive. Because life and living has a value all its own. And my family was still with me.
Glory and Sparkler were even more happy. They confessed they considered the disaster and my amnesia their fault because they had given me the Rainbow of Light to begin with. I told them 'no shame no blame' and there couldn't be less point in playing the blame game now. They made sure I wasn't playing it either, I can't thank them ENOUGH for that.
And there was MORE laughter and hugs to be had. It's a wonder we didn't run out of hugs we had so many.
Moki choose to finally go back to her friends and family on Tropical Island, though Lancer and Night Eyes managed to convince her to stay 'just a little longer'. Now that I had my memories back, we spent a lot of time reminiscing about the good old days before she left. We visited a few times. It helped cushion the blow a bit to know the new sea ponies had gotten used to their new selves, and I helped design a way to build an alcove so they could more safely interact with their land based family members more regularly.
Time began, (who am I kidding? Continued!) to march on, and Keen Eyes and Night Eyes as I said became adults.
I don't know what it is about unicorn stallions, but something about them seems to attract the kids of us Ponyville Seven. It's good to see our Earth Pony foals crossing racial boundaries with all racism in the world.
Sparkler and Glory decided they could do more good among normal unicorns now, trying to be a voice compassion and sanity against the lines the tribes were digging in the sand. While the seaponies were becoming far more reclusive and the Flutterponies are completely hidden.
I wish Glory and Sparkle the best of luck. They eventually married right into Melody's family line. Oops, getting ahead of myself.
None of the ponies of the current generation or their parents recognized me as 'That Bright Eyes' now. They had more pressing matters than me now. That was a blessing, I was getting tired of having to disguise myself if I just wanted to step outside our front door to get a breath of fresh air. I kept the cloak though: it was good for keeping warm in the winter.
To sum up everything, I lived my life. I tried to help fix the world however I could, I tried to continue my father's work of rebuilding the communication system. And I tried to keep BonBon's goal of recording what surrounds us alive. In other words...I tried to help fix the world I broke. I think I managed to do quite a bit. But not nearly enough.
I also started spreading my knowledge of Earth Pony Magic. Unicorns don't believe it's real, they think I'm just spreading some Earth Pony religion, but I REFUSE to let this die out. It's something that never should've been forgotten. Thankfully, Earth Ponies are receptive of it. I simply presented it as it was; something we could do long ago but had forgotten. That it was our heritage. In times when other races try to condemn yours as inferior, anything that's YOUR race's birthright and heritage tends to be desirable.
And I may or may not have added another life or two to the world before I was done, I'll leave that purely for you to figure out on your own.
Yes my road eventually ended. But I did my best to remain in contact with all my friends to the very end, both new and old, and yes, I did make new friends. And I'm proud of it.
It's kinda of strange, really. Lancer told me that I didn't have to go first if I didn't want to. As if either of us had any true control of when it happened. Whatever was waiting for me after everything, I promised myself I'd face it like a mare.
Heh.
As I've told you before, way back when this all started, I'm sure you already know what comes next.
I actually held on a little bit longer than I was sure I'd last. I think I didn't want to leave Clover alone as the last of the seven of us. Yes Patch was still out there, yes she still visited, but those visits were becoming farther and farther apart as Patch began losing track of time. It was like she couldn't tell a month from a year. And I admit, I was somewhat jealous she seemed to have slowed down aging.
And I think Lancer was determined not to leave me alone as if he could effect when his time came.
I went to bed one night. And woke up a teenager again, staring face to face with my best friend.
"Hello Bright Eyes."
"Starlight!" I shouted in joy.
And Sweetheart, Bonbon, Melody, were there as well, at the age we were making mistakes left and right and managing to learn from every one of them.
We hugged and nuzzled each other. This had been a reunion decades in the making.
It was wonderful to hear Melody's voice again.
I didn't realize the truth immediately. But when Starlight told me I was dead, I didn't feel the shock or alarm you think you should when you're told your life has come to an end. Instead, it was just an odd sense of...completion. But I did feel a slight bit of embarrassment that Melody had been the one to figure out she was dead on her own instead of me.
"But why do we look like we did before even graduating collage?" I asked.
"That's an easy one." Starlight smiled, "We knew each other for years, but it was these years we realized who we were, and what we wanted to do with ourselves, and that our bonds truly became indestructible."
"You weren't afraid to go first after all," Lancer's voice. He was crying. But his voice was so peaceful and calm you wouldn't know it unless you looked at his wrinkled face. He stroked my dead body, gently hugging it.
"I didn't chose when to go, silly," I said knowing he couldn't hear me.
I don't know what final fate awaits my soul from here. But I've promised myself to accept it. I've promised myself to face it. I've promised myself not to run from it.
I wasn't expecting to come face to face with a pegasus foal with broken wings and...I believe he just looked...wrong...I don't know how to describe it...He scared me just to look at him.
"Havoc..." Starlight said, looking shocked to see him.
'Havoc' looked me over, saying nothing...he just felt so immense to witness...I can't explain it. It was like looking at fear itself regardless of what my 'eyes' were telling me. The look he gave me...it looked somewhere between gratitude and rage. Didn't make sense to me either.
Then it hit me. Cruel Eyes had said he was the son of Fear. "...You were Cruel Eyes' father, weren't you?" He nodded. The look in his eyes now... they looked, so sad. I almost hugged the little foal then and there.
"...I'm sorry for your loss...And for having to ... destroy his... his remains." There was nothing else to say. I'd say the same thing to the parent of every other being the project killed.
I think he actually looked genuinely surprised at that. He then gave a small...terrifying chuckle. There was no malice in it...it was just...him. "That's The First Time Any Have Ever Told Me That...You Are Forgiven...Hehe, That Is Actually Fun To Be The One To Say That For Once," He then vanished into a red spell circle and we were alone.
After that...I considered going to face the music.
But first, at Starlight's request, we had to wait for Clover and Patch.
So what do five dead mares do waiting for two of their friends to hurry up and die too?...Sounds like a bad joke doesn't it? But we managed. Starlight had been given some kind of window to look into creation, which was pretty helpful when we wanted to talk about the past or look at potential futures. Apparently there are still video games and television in the afterlife (not questioning it, just praising the heavens for it). So in other words, we were just friends hanging out again. I liked it.
"Bright Eyes," Starlight said, "I promise, I know whatever is waiting for you, isn't horrible. If I can make it, then so can you."
But I didn't feel scared now somehow, I almost feel, excited almost, like I was a tiny piece of something much greater, and it was waiting for me. It's exactly how life is in nature.
"Thank you Starlight," I hugged her. "I'm not afraid." I knew I should have asked about Cruel Eyes, the doe, the coyotes' voice, but for now, right now, none of that matters. My friends are here. And I know a wonderful world is waiting for the seven of us to share. I don't know everything of what's coming next, and that's what makes it wonderful.
+++++
Lancer had endured for many years now, seeing his children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, grow up in this world that was slowly forgetting the marvels it once had, and lost time for grudges as they turned to being busy with survival. But they did survive, and so did Lancer's family. And they loved their father, grandfather and great-grandfather, hearing of the fantastic world that once was, and his wife who had healed sick animals and had made sure Earth Ponies remembered and used their own magic just like Pegasi and Unicorns had theirs ensuring Earth Ponies not only survived but thrived. She was the mother of earth pony magic after all. Lancer wondered if she'd be called a Saint like Sweetheart...maybe she had and he couldn't remember.
How many years had it been now? He couldn't remember, memories began to turn to fog as old age finally caught up with him, he couldn't hold a sword now to save his life: his body was worn down, worn out, at least he hadn't gone bald like Ace had. The last of the boy trio... Teddy had been lucky to go with Sweet Heart. Ace had died before Melody. He was the only one who had been forced to live without his wife. But he lived because he knew that was what Bright Eyes would want. A letter from his proud great-grandson Hawk Eye the pegasus (Gold Velvet had to read the letter for him, such a good mare). She read Lancer's first great-great-grandchild had just been born, an Earth pony, alive, healthy, protected, and safe. That was good. Maybe he should a trip to see the little foal. But first... he needed to rest his eyes for a minute.
"Wake up dear, you don't want to miss this."
Lancer opened his eyes, feeling groggy.
An angel looked back at him.
"Bright Eyes?"
"Hello Dear."
"What, what's going on?"
She helped him to his hooves his weariness gone. He felt young, strong again. They were at the rollerrama. "The roller rink is reserved for just the two us tonight, that's what."
She was as beautiful as he remembered.
"Care to dance my love?" She asked.
Was this heaven? Was this a dream? He didn't care. He let it all go. The teenage colt only knew the love of his life stood before him whole and alive.
"Alright. Shall mi'lady take this dance?"
"Of course dear."
The teenage couple waltzed on the dance floor, their friends and family watching approvingly.
Bright Eyes sang.
How was it our world began?
Why can we be bold?
Why give meaning to a dove?
What will happen to my soul?
These are all mysteries...
But do we need to find
Every single last reason?
I've already got mine.
To learn what's unknown
(It used to mean so much to me)
To learn what's unknown
(Now I know that's not meant to be)
I wanted all the answers
But now it is true
My life is far too sweet
The time far past due
To waste trying to know
The unknown.
I know I love our green planet
That I covet my true love's kiss
Nature's lovely scene
From the birds to the fish
I don't need to be wondering
Tryin' to understand
What gives me jubilation
When I see something so grand.
To learn what's unknown
(It no longer means too much to me)
To learn what's unknown
(I know it's just not meant to be)
I don't need all the answers
'Cause I know it's true
I love the sun that burns
The sky that is blue
So I don't need to know
The unknown.
They kissed.
---
And I think I'll stop right there. Thank you, you ponies who are going to be reading my story, and those my friends. We're remembered. And I trust you in my heart to read Clover's too. Bonbon's put in a lot of trust for all this to be written in her diary. Oh! Tee-hee! And you can be sure, as flowers bloomed throughout the heavens, Lancer and I held that kiss for a very very very long time.
+++++
Working late (or rather working early now), Jade Singer, or as she had used as her alias for years 'Summer Mane' checked the perfectly organized library. There were few ponies who could say they were actual factual friends with the sun goddess, much to Celestia's own awkwardness. Jade had been 'Sunny Day's' proof reader and editor even after Jade had changed her name and drawn over her cutie mark. Having your first work praised endlessly was great, until you realized that everypony expected a repeat performance.
Not to mention so many ponies didn't want to take the time to READ books, they just read the plot summaries so they could sound like they knew what they were talking about. She was done. A one shot wonder.
Celestia had always respected her choice. Then Jade had broken a leg. And with a clever lie by Twilight Sparkle herself, 'Summer Mane' had been forced to let the younger unicorn be her assistant in the massively gigantic book archives. 'Summer Mane' made it clear what she thought of the spunky little unicorn, but Twilight just remained polite and respectful.
And Jade found another pony who had READ the classics, and talked about, no, discussed them with the same liveliness Jade did. Not just reading plot summaries and acting like it. She KNEW the stories like the front of her hoof. Too bad she couldn't appreciate good music.
Then the little traitor looked inside her office after telling her never to enter or else. Jade told her to leave in the morning. And the little purple unicorn STILL chose to put the entire library in perfect condition before leaving!
Twilight confessed to her little lie (the same one Jade had ironically used to get her first job as an assistant editor) and Jade chose to reveal to Twilight she was the author whose book Twilight held nothing but praise for.
And the spunky kid had known for days! And had kept it to herself because she respected Jade's choice not to tell her. Jade had told her her fears, and it turned out Twilight and her had more in common after all. Being the student of the sun goddess meant staying the best. But maybe it wasn't so overwhelming if you had friends to support you.
... And Jade released her second book (she had been writing, she still loved it {as Twilight just had to point out}, but she couldn't submit to the judgment of others). Everypony said it was greater than her first novel.
Jade had even finally visited Celestia in person again. It had been... too many years.
"Celestia, you just had to send me a living breathing object lesson about not being afraid of failure didn't you? You're as clever as ever."
Even afterwards, even after everything Jade had requested not to move out of the archives. Many of the books in the sealed vault were centuries, no, eons old, and actually belonged to her family! It practically been her family's mission to keep them safe even as the windigos turned the world into a wasteland and Discord into a mad house (she had also personally opened up to Celestia about what Discord had done to her, an already jaded and hurt pony, which, much like Twilight, the devil had only taken as a challenge).
No one ever believed her, except Celestia, when she explained the books contained things far ahead of their time, and Jade's time. Most just laughed asking if aliens were involved and maybe wish granting pyramids. Celestia never laughed. She only calmly asked for details.
When she heard about the strange fog outside of Canterlot for a day, which had taken away ponies' doubts and fears for a single day of extra foalhood, Jade couldn't say she didn't regret not getting a chance to experience life again for one day without burdens and the innocent joy of writing without having to fear critiques or political correctness.
Jade had to admit, she was still happy her friendship wasn't something publicized either with the Princess or now the goddess' apprentice (she imagined 'Sunny Day' had something to do with that). But all in all, it was wonderful to have a friend.
It was actually rather funny now that she thought about it. Coming to the archives, didn't feel like her first time being in charge of a library. And why did she dream for the first few days about dragon flies? Oh well. She had a life to live. She couldn't fixate on dreams. And thanks to her friends, it was a life worth living again.
++++
Luna looked to Twilight. "Do ye still feel she and her family were selfish, Twilight Sparkle?"
"...No...I suppose not...Is it true that Bright Eyes brought Earth Pony Magic back?"
"In a manner of speaking. Several Paradise Estate Earth Ponies helped, and it was not completed in her life time, but yes. Bright Eye's teachings did slowly spread and eventually Earth Pony Magic became commonplace. We sincerely are shocked some unicorns deny its existence."
Twilight Sparkle blushed.
"Hey, just to ask, is there a school for Gifted Pegasi and Earth Ponies?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes, but they're not as well known, and haven't existed as long, a lot say they exist just to be polite. Most pegasi prefer the Wonderbolt Academy."
"Perhaps we should take over one of the others to bring it more prestige," Luna mused. "We do now have three Alicorns, and all three of us are capable of all five types of pony magic."
"Five?"
"Yes, Alicorns are ALL tribes, Twilight Sparkle, not just the...extant ones..."
Pinkie Pie and Zecora were silent at this reveal. Though Zecora versed a prayer to her ancestors under her breath.
Twilight Sparkle shook her head to soft reboot her thoughts and looked back to the last page of the journal.
"Bright Eyes. Hard to believe we aren't related at all...I'm not descended from her, am I?"
"Not to our knowledge, but it is quite possible."
"I've gotten past being surprised by that...I remember seeing a mare in Canterlot with a Cutie Mark like Lancer's, I wonder if they could be related..."
Luna suddenly blushed. "We would say that is a possibility. Fleur Dis Lee is a mare of many mixed and noble bloodlines." Of course one of Fleur Dis Lee's grandmothers was once two stallions in a magic Celestia costume that had been made too magical after Luna's sister caught wind of the scheme. But there was nothing to say her relation to Lancer came form that. "But ye aren't thinking as broad as ye should Twilight Sparkle. Cutie marks that appear in bloodlines evolve over time, as ideas are passed down in a family, such as a note book into a set of four white books."
Luna waited for it to settle in.
"Jade," Twilight said with awe, "Jade Singer is Bright Eyes' descendant."
"Elements attract Elements, and friends attract friends even before they know each other, or AFTER they know each other. And friendships between families, can be rekindled. Luna cleared her throat. "To quote a wise little pony, 'Everypony everywhere has a special magical connection with her friends. Maybe even before she's met them. If ye are feeling lonely and ye are still searching for thou true friends, just look up in the sky. Who knows, maybe ye and thou future best friends are all looking at the same rainbow.' This is merely proof of a discovery you already made."
Luna nuzzled her, for a moment knowing the joy her sister felt around these ponies leading them closer to the light.
'...I never thought of Havoc as a grieving father,' Luna thought, looking at the pages. 'I suppose He and Wind Whistler were similar in that way; just because their feelings are hidden, does not mean they are not real.'
"There is much we all now know.
Now there is only one left to go,"
Zecora observed holding Bonbon's journal herself for the first time. It was similar to the one she, Ms Hackney had held two lifetimes ago. It was felt rather odd, that she refused to read something so personal two lives ago, but now she read what she knew Bonbon would have WANTED to be read. She wouldn't let her old student down.
"Indeed. And long has the journey so far. Pinkamena," Princess Luna said, "We know we have said this many times now, but the answers that lie beyond, may not be the answers you want, or even the answers you seek. Can you accept that?"
"I already have," Pinkie Diane said, "Stopping the story when we're so close to the end would be pointless and rude now. Right Twilight?"
The unicorn couldn't argue her logic and nodded. "But Princess Luna, don't you have responsibilities?"
"Right now Twilight Sparkle this IS my responsibility." 'And one of my avatars can handle things in my place for now.'
Luna looked to Zecora. "...Lady Zecora, ye don't NEED to stay. It's unlikely Clover's story will reveal more about thou's second self."
The Zebra smiled.
"This is not simply to learn about my past lives,
it is to help my current friendships thrive.
After all, we're not just reading about how those lives end,
we're spending time with friends."
Luna gave a small smile. "That is true. Well said, Lady Zecora." She watched Twilight give Zecora a hug, then so did Pinkie Pie.
"Alright everypony, and zebra." Pinkie Pie had brought out pillows for everyone, along with a reading light, blankets, and hot cocoa with a mountain of marshmallows. "Let's hear Clover's story."
Twilight nodded. Happy to see Pinkie Pie happy. "Right." 'Clover, what kind of Pony were you before you were Minty? Before you were me? Alright Pinkie Pie, we'll find out together.'