Epilogue – First Light of Dawn
Twilight shifted in her bed, squeezing her eyes shut as the morning rays leaked into her room. The singing of birds and Rarity’s soft humming finally roused Twilight to wake up proper, sitting on the bed she sat in. Taking a moment to adjust to the light, Twilight looked around her room, yet could not remember how she got here. One moment she was fighting the Archdemon, the next…
Spike…
“Twilight, darling, thank goodness you’re awake.” Rarity put down her needle and thread, and Twilight took note that the sorceress was working on fixing her Arcane Warrior armour. Taking a wooden cup in her aura, Rarity poured some water for Twilight. She levitated the water to Twilight, who tried to pick up with her own magic.
Twilight’s horn began to glow, only for the magic to spark from her horn to no effect. The cup fell, only to be caught in Rarity’s magic. Rarity looked at Twilight with pity, floating the water into her hooves.
“Don’t try to use your magic for a while, Twilight,” Rarity said. “The battle… it took a lot out of you. We think your exposure to the Elements and the spell you used against the Archdemon drained you completely. We decided you deserved plenty of rest, rather than a lyrium injection. Just don’t cast any spells while you recover.”
“How—“ Twilight dry coughed into her hoof, a loud hacking sound that made Rarity flinch. Her throat was incredibly dry that she quickly downed her drink in a single gulp. The cool water felt good going down her throat.
“How long was I out?” Twilight asked when she recovered from her faulty magic. Rarity shifted uncomfortably for a moment.
“A week, Twilight,” Rarity answered. “You’ve been in a coma since the Archdemon’s death. Applejack has been cleaning up and getting everypony to begin rebuilding Trotterim. She thinks getting them to work is good for them. I agree. It will hopefully distract them from the Blight.”
Twilight looked down at her cup. “We won…”
“We did. They saw when the pillar of light exploded from the Archdemon, all the ponyspawn within a mile of Trotterim were obliterated. Any survivors fled, we assume to the Dark Tunnels. It made the clean-up easy, actually. There are no ponyspawn corpses to burn. All of them are simply gone. The Grey Wardens of Filais also arrived to deal with the body of the Archdemon. It is very strange, considering that while the ponyspawns were all annihilated, the Archdemon still remained. They are draining the corpse of its blood… to make future Wardens, I suppose. Still, dreadful business.”
Twilight nodded. She had to bite her tongue as indignation welled inside her, all too willing to shout curses at both the Wardens and Loghoof for stopping them. Where were the Wardens when they were fighting the ponyspawn? Where were they during the Battle of Trotterim. Where were they when… Spike…
“The rest… Fluttershy and the Chantry are helping but there are so many, and… and…”
Rarity’s eyes watered and Twilight knew what was going to be said next. Taking a deep breath, Twilight tried to settle her nerves. She could not stop her hooves from shaking.
“I swear, Twilight,” Rarity almost pleading. “We tried! Rainbow Dash swept the ash of the burnt Chantry, we dug as deep as we could! But… we couldn’t… we couldn’t find Spike’s… oh goodness… I can’t…”
Rarity sobbed, falling into Twilight’s hooves. Twilight made no sound, only hugging her friend close as they both wept bitter tears. They won the war, and the Blight was over. The cost was too much to take, though. How was she going to go on without her number one assistant? How was she going to live without Spike’s assurances and support?
Twilight couldn’t stay in bed all day and night, as much as she wanted to. Her friends needed her help; at the very least they needed to know she was awake. With Rarity’s help, Twilight took her first tentative steps onto the floor, her body shaking all the while. She looked to her armour, only for Rarity to usher her towards a closet.
“No, dear. No more armour. No more swords or fighting.” Rarity opened the closet to reveal a very simple yellow dress with a single pink ribbon around the collar. “I made this for you during the week. Something different. Something more ‘you’, rather than wearing your armour. You deserve it, dear.”
“Thank you,” Twilight quietly said. Again, Rarity helped Twilight into her dress giving a faint smile. Whether it was her body or her heart, the aches and pains continued to rack her. Walking proved difficult, and more often than not Twilight fell against Rarity’s side. Rarity’s patience with the weakened Twilight did not waver, however, and soon they made their way into the palace halls and down towards the city proper.
All around Twilight the city was buzzing with energy. Ponies moved about lifting beams of lumber onto new buildings while others cleared out the debris and ash caused by the Archdemon’s assault. Everypony was working in perfect unity, and while Twilight did not know how long such a peace would last, her heart was glad with the sight nonetheless.
Among the crowd, their bags loaded with supplies for a long journey, was Loghoof and Ser Sunsword. Both earth ponies spotted Twilight approach them, with Loghoof bowing his head slightly to Twilight.
“Twilight Sparkle. Rarity,” Loghoof said curtly. “You’ll forgive me if I do not stay longer. Her Majesty has doled out my punishment for my actions at Ostequus. I am to journey with General Blackmace back to Orzamule where I am to aid the donkeys in reclaiming their lost thaigs. Funny. After all I did to try to protect Equestria, now I am being sent away from her.”
While it did seem unfair for Applejack to banish Loghoof, even if the word was never used, Twilight understood the reasoning behind it. For all his flaws, Loghoof was still a respected general with many followers in the soldiery. If Applejack were to consolidate her rule, Loghoof had to be removed. This allowed Loghoof to use his talent as a military advisor for the good of Orzamule and in the long run, Equestria.
“I wish you both luck, Loghoof Mac Tir,” Twilight said, extending her hoof.
“Try to keep Equestria in one piece.” With that, Loghoof and Sunsword left, flanked by two donkey soldiers to join the army as it returned to Orzamule. A slight tug on her mane told Twilight to continue following Rarity towards the gates of the city.
In the market square, Twilight saw Shale and Trixie arguing once again. The two seemed to be a rather heated discussion, yet despite the choice of words they used on each other, Trixie’s smile never faltered for a moment.
“You useless walking gravel road of monolithic proportions!” Trixie yelled. “What were you thinking taking that wood from the north part of Trotterim to the south? What exactly were you thinking, or did the conversion process petrify your brain.”
“The Almighty and Unquestionably Dominant Shale does not need to answer to the boastful Trixie.” Shale huffed stomping a heavy hoof on the ground. “I saw more materials in the north. I thought it fair that the ponies divide their materials evenly. How was I supposed to know that they didn’t need more wood?”
“Next time let me deal with the supplies.”
Twilight chuckled at the sight, alerting Trixie and Shale to her arrival. “Ah, magical Twilight,” Shale said in greeting. “I was wondering when you were going to awaken. I thought of shaking your bed a few times, but was told off by the others.”
“Thanks for letting me rest, Shale,” Twilight replied. “So… now that the Blight is over, what are you two going to do now?”
Trixie’s smile fell, if only slightly. “Ever since Wise Eyes died, the other unicorns of the Tower decided to make Trixie the new First Enchanter. She’ll be going back to the Tower to help rebuild after Hubred’s attack. It’s a lot of work, and a big responsibility is on Trixie’s shoulders… but after this journey, I think I’m ready for it. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. I feel… fulfilled.”
“And I shall be going to this Tower with Trixie,” Shale added. “She has invited me to call the Tower ‘home,’ something of which I never thought I would ever call a place. I will also be conducting research on seeing if I can become mortal again.”
Twilight raised her eyebrow in surprise. “You want to become a donkey again, Shale? This does not sound like you. Won’t you miss being a powerful golem?”
“Of course I will, you prat.” Shale’s annoyance faded quickly as she looked away, not meeting Twilight’s eyes. “But I’ve learned something from all this. As I am now, I am effectively immortal. It would hurt to see all my friends pass one when I could not. After losing the lizard… the very notion frightens me.”
Spike…
Twilight fought back against the tears that were already forming. “Shale, I…”
“Enough. I won’t have anypony mope about me.” If Twilight could, she would have sworn that Shale winked at her. “I have a long life ahead of me still. I just want the option to be there, is all. Options are good.”
“Shale, darling, are the preparations complete?” Rarity looked up to Shale while Twilight gave her a quizzical glance. The golem nodded once, then turned quickly and began to walk towards the entrance of Trotterim. Trixie and Rarity followed, with Twilight chasing behind them, puzzled as to what they were talking about.
They walked in silence as the morning rays continued to fill the land with light. When Twilight finally saw the destruction wrought by the Blight in the surrounding countryside, she had to stand still to soak it all in.
The land around Trotterim was blackened and lifeless, the result of hundreds upon hundreds of ponyspawn having their blood spilt against the land. The life in the city gave the countryside a stark contrast, the once verdant land an empty shell of what it used to be. Dust and ash blew in the wind, hundreds of burnt-out funeral pyres simply waiting to be swept away by the wind.
Twilight looked to her friends, who waited for her as she took in the aftermath of the battle. With a nod and a quick step, Twilight rejoined them as they walked through the barren land. They soon came across a small, unharmed glade in the middle of woodland. Waiting within was the rest of their adventuring party, standing around a large stone slab.
“Hey there, sugarcube,” Applejack said, “Glad to see you’re up and at ‘em. We uh… we made something. Well, Oghren and Shale found the rock, Rarity helped carve it. But we thought it would be important for you to see it, after all.”
They all stepped aside, allowing Twilight to look at the stone properly. Twilight gasped at the sight, seeing the perfectly chiselled rendition of Spike etched into the stone. The image was lifelike, as if Spike was merely sleeping; his sword clutched in his claws and held against his chest. On the bottom of the stone was a brass plaque, engraved with a message:
“In Memory of a Knight, a Friend, a Brother
We will never forget you, and hold you forever in our hearts
Ser Spike of Equestria”
Spike…
The floodgates finally opened, and Twilight could do nothing but collapse on the slab in a fit of tears. He was gone, truly gone, and there was nothing she could do to stop the pain. Seeing the slab felt like her wounds were reopened and bleeding anew. It was a cruelty she did not want to suffer anymore. Life without Spike was just something she could not fathom.
Then, gently, she felt the comfort of forelegs holding her. Twilight opened her eyes to see her friends save Shale hug her, all of them with tears in their eyes as well. They mourned as she did; Spike was as much their friend as he was hers.
“Thank you… thank you all so much.” Twilight wiped away her tears before looking up at her friends with a smile. “This means the world to me, knowing that Spike will have a place in the world after all.”
“He meant the world to all of us, Twilight.” Fluttershy squeezed her a bit tighter. Twilight let out a happy sigh, stroking a hoof along the cheek of the stone effigy. He would have loved to see a statue like this in his honour.
“We’re alive…” Twilight took a breath as she looked at her assembled friends. “We can continue on, in his memory, and live free of fear of the ponyspawn. We can follow our hopes and dreams, for Spike.”
“For Spike!”
With her friends with her, Twilight gave the statue of Spike one final kiss on the cheek. Waving her goodbyes, she left the final resting place of Spike as she and her friends walked into the light of the sun.
After the battle of Trotterim, the heroes of the battle went their separate ways to accomplish their own hopes and dreams. While Equestria recovered, the rest of the world continued to turn around her, never knowing that in this small nation, the catalyst of change had been sparked.
Applejack proved a popular and respected Queen to her people. Though her inexperience in dealing with politics was a burden, Applejack’s rule proved a boon to Equestria as it was led to a rapid recovery and even growth after the Blight. However, she was not without her enemies, as rumblings from Filais continued unabated, especially after the treatment caused to them by Loghoof.
Rarity returned to the Potpourri Wilds and began mentoring her sister Sweetie Belle in the use of her newfound magic. Eventually, the Templar Order began to search for apostates in the wilds, and Rarity was forced to flee despite her status as a hero. There was also the fear that Flemeth’s defeat was not final, as once in a while a large shadow of great wings swept over the wilderness. Without another word, Rarity and Sweetie Belle disappeared from the world.
Fluttershy returned to Filais and received a full pardon from the Empress herself thanks to the work of General Puissant. Summoned by the Divines of the Chantry, Fluttershy soon vanished from the public eye, though some have sworn to have seen a pink-maned pegasus walking the halls of the Grand Cathedral wearing the robes and mask of the Seekers of Truth.
Pinkie Pie boarded a ship heading across the oceans of the Free Plains to find her family. Rainbow Dash, following through with her promise, accompanied her despite the constant threat of Reinhardt and his corrupted Wonderbolts over her head. They journeyed together to a new land… but that is another story.
Trixie and Shale returned to the Unicorn Tower, where much rebuilding was to take place after the defeat of Hubred’s insurrection. Shale would attempt to help, but rumours of strange golems attracted her attention, in the hopes to learn more about her existence.
Oghren, unwilling to return to Orzamule, stayed on the surface and settled down with a jenny. They lived in peace for a time, only for the berserker to seek battle once again. Oghren joined a mercenary company, traveling to the far reaches of Equestria to slate his need for combat.
Twilight Sparkle would serve as an advisor for Applejack in the months following the Battle of Trotterim, only to be given full command over Equestria’s Grey Wardens by the leadership of the Warden stronghold of Ashen Targe. To further protect Equestria from the ponyspawn, Applejack gave the Grey Wardens the Arling of Amarethine, now lordless after the death of the traitor Arl Rendon Maim, which Twilight would also become Arlessa of.
Though the Blight was defeated, the threat of the ponyspawn still loomed over Equestria. Warbands of ponyspawn still attack settlements along the Amarethine region, while rumours abound that they are being led by something far more cunning than the Archdemon. Twilight Sparkle sets out now to stop them.
This is the origin of the Pony Age.