//------------------------------//
// Epilogue: With Thanks To Devil's Orchestra 
// Story: Zecora's Pinata 
// by BlackRoseRaven 
//------------------------------//

Epilogue: With Thanks To The Devil's Orchestra
~BlackRoseRaven

La Croix sat on the railing of his little balcony, gazing out with awe over this steel paradise. Everything was clean and polished, with drones constantly scouring the city – if not all of Decretum – and cleaning up any messes that were made and ensuring everything was in working order.
It had taken him a long time to get used to, sure. But fou as this whole place was, he kind of liked it, too. It was a world of evil technologies turned to good use... just like Nanny Hecate herself was, really. She pretended she hated being called that but La Croix knew she really liked it. He wasn't as stupid as most of these ouaouarons, after all. He knew Nanny Hecate had a big heart somewhere in that terrifying metal body of hers.
He smiled, then took a bite of the large sandwich in his hooves and chewed with relish. The Orphanage for Wayward Youth, as Hecate called it, had all kinds of people in it, all with only one thing in common: they had nowhere else to go. But they came from every walk of life, and had all kinds of different powers and skills between them: some, like him, who were little more than parlor magicians, to others who could almost be called gods and goddesses in their own right. And Hecate had taken in all of them, and given them sanctuary and the tools to hone their individual talents, and in return they did whatever strange little tasks she had for them across these countless parallel worlds.
They were all being trained and taught how to make the best of their lives, and they were all being given a chance to be a part of something... well... something La Croix didn't entirely understand. Except part of him did: Hecate was some kind of weird... protector. Sure, she looked like a horrible tyrant and expected better-than-best from everyone and everything around her, but appearances could be deceiving. He got the feeling that if Hecate wanted to, she could go around stomping all the worlds she pleased and there wouldn't be anyone out there who could really stop her... well... except maybe a certain trio of ponies...
“But I bet they got somethin' to do with this, too. They always do.” La Croix muttered around the last of his sandwich, and then he shook himself firmly out before smoothing back his new cape and reaching up to primly adjust his matching hat. Then he simply sighed and relaxed, putting his hands in his lap before he glanced over his shoulder curiously as he heard a knock on his apartment door.
“La Croix! Come on, stop dawdling! Hecate wants to meet us at Genesis!” complained a mare's voice, and La Croix laughed loudly at this before he grinned over his shoulder.
“Alright, alright, sweet Cygne! I be there in just a moment, you stop your silly frettin' now!” La Croix called back through the open balcony door. He didn't know if the mare heard him or not, but she knew him well enough by now to figure that he'd probably be there... a little late, sure, and with a little bit of showboating, perhaps, but hey. Laissez les bon temps rouler, right?
With that, La Croix shoved himself off the balcony railing and calmly dove straight down towards the ground, grinning despite himself before he laughed and suddenly stretched out his cloak like wings, catching the air and streaking up through the sky so he could gaze out over the steel world that had become his home, that was filled with light and flash and all that sizzle he had always craved.
And yet, just like it was always the charm hanging around his neck that he was the most aware of and not all his fancy clothes, what he saw most here were the people, the community, the readiness of every single person here to stand together. Past the flashy lights and the fancy technology, he didn't see a brand new world, like the counterfeit cult that Bondye had created: he saw a world just like the one had splintered away from long ago, where everyone had a purpose, everyone worked together, and hope for the future had shone at its brightest.
La Croix smiled, feeling like he had come home as he silently reached up to touch his necklace. He felt like finally, he could move forwards, he could be who he had been meant to be... and as he gradually began to glide back down towards the waiting embrace of the city below, he only hoped that when he found Zecora again, she would find this place just as wonderful as he did.
For now, though, he hoped that she slept well: he could be patient. And as La Croix dropped calmly to the city street, he rose his head high and gazed into the dark night sky. He smiled, and then closed his eyes and said, with determination and warmth resonating in every word: “But no matter where you are, my most special friend... I know that what we have between us ain't ever gonna end.
“No, you and me, mon amour, my friend... we ain't ever gonna come to an end.”




Il n'est jamais trop tard pour bien faire.


Fais ce que dois, advienne que pourra.


Il n'y a que les montagnes qui ne se rencontrent jamais.





January 9th, 2014 – January 22nd, 2014