//------------------------------// // Epilogue: I Hear Beyond The Silence // Story: Our Voices Carry Through The Hills // by Surry //------------------------------// Epilogue: I Hear Beyond The Silence It took almost three months. Three long months later... and Equestria was finally putting itself back together. So many broken homes and families were being returned to the way they were before. Ponyville was usually busy; it was always loud, and there was always so much to do. Brick by brick and plank by plank, new homes sprang up where the old ones used to be, and most foundations were cleared away for new construction. It was hard for most. Some cried when they saw their homes in ruin, and others were simply overjoyed when they were finally able to hug their moms, dads, brothers and sisters, and even their elders. They all began to appreciate each other more... or at least, that's what I saw. I couldn't actually hear most of the building going on either, but Miss Twilight - I actually called her mom now- tells me it's very loud. We often go outside and walk through town, seeing how everypony is doing and catching up on their work. Other fillies and colts have been enjoying the time off from school, but they are usually helping their parents too, when they can. I used to get sad, the first few times we went out, because some ponies still looked afraid of Miss Twilight. I secretly knew why they looked at her that way, but often times, my other mom, Miss Rainbow, would walk with us and explain things to everypony. They would walk so close together that it made me want to smile all the time. They were so cute when they were with each other, but I think cute in a different way than my real moms. I never really got to see them anymore, other than occasionally in my dreams. Ever so often, my mommy will come to me when I sleep and hug me, telling me how special I am, even though Miss Twilight and Rainbow tell me that a lot too. She always tells me she's watching, and that always makes me even happier, for some reason. I always try to be good, just like she and Miss Lady asked, because I see that life has gotten a little tougher for my new moms. They only kiss when they are alone, almost never in public. The only other ponies they have told about them being together are their closest friends, but I know others can tell when I walk with them. Everyone just keeps quiet about it, I'm sure. I wonder, sometimes, if that was just because of Miss Lady's spell. We all live in the library now, as one big family. Mister Spike made a brand new bed for me that's about twice as big as his, and I love him a lot. I secretly think he likes being called 'Mister', but I'll keep that to myself. He's always helping me practice the way I speak and how to control my volume, since I can't really do those on my own. I've been getting better at it though, and I've even been able to teach him a little bit on how I read lips. He's not as fast a learner as I am, but I think he's slowly getting it. We usually sleep side by side with our beds close together too, near where all the books are kept. I love him so much, and I think he loves me in some way also. My new moms sleep upstairs in their room, where they can have all the peace and quiet they want. Miss Rainbow moved all of her stuff from her old house into the library, and that took forever! I was just glad I didn't have to help, because that looked like a bit of a pain. I didn't have any stuff myself, obviously, but they both give me gifts, sometimes. I always give them big hugs every chance I can, because I really do love them so much. It's kinda' funny... I just love everything and everypony. I wonder sometimes if that makes me weird, but for now, I don't really care. I'm just so happy all the time, and Miss Rainbow tells me that's the most awesome thing she's ever seen. She even helps me brush my mane sometimes in the morning. I haven't even started school yet, but I love those mornings most of all. I think the only time I ever got nervous since I came back to Equestria was the day Miss Twilight took me to visit Canterlot... or what remained of it. Almost all of it had been completely destroyed, yet we went through the city anyway. My mommy had told me a lot about Canterlot and Princess Celestia, even the part about when she lived here with Miss Lady, so I wasn't completely left out about what kind of place it was. Even though it was in the middle of being rebuilt, I still thought it was beautiful. On that particular day, we got to see the castle too. I remembered when we first walked in through those big doors that I could potentially be a princess one day, but I kinda' doubted it. I was just happy to meet so many new ponies. We had taken a train to Canterlot that day, because Miss Rainbow was busy working with other pegasus ponies to help build more homes, so it was only the two of us that visited Princess Celestia. She was very beautiful. I can't even think of a word to describe how pretty she was, but I still secretly thought my real moms were prettier. She probably would've been really upset with me if she knew that, but I don't know that for sure. It was the first time that she had seen Miss Twilight since I came back, and they were both very happy. They immediately hugged each other when they met, but I could see that they were crying. They whispered something into each others' ears, but I looked away from their lips, because I honestly didn't want to know what they said. I knew it was something only meant for them, not for me. There were a lot more royal guards on watch, or so Miss Twilight told me. I could kinda' guess why, too. My new mom kept where I had come from a secret from Princess Celestia as well, and I wasn't quite sure that was a good idea, but she told me it would be better for everypony that way. The only things she said to her were that Miss Lady had died and paid for her crimes, and that she had adopted me soon after; nothing more. The princess seemed very upset to hear that first bit of news, but she was more than happy to meet me. She said my hearing problem was actually a blessing in disguise, and that I would understand that better one day. I hope she's right about that, but why wouldn't she be? She is Princess Celestia, after all. I practically jumped for joy when she told me to study hard and try to enroll in her school, probably because I have Miss Twilight as my super-special-secret tutor who could teach me everything she knows. I'd be a shoe-in for sure. I even got to meet Princess Luna. She's just as beautiful as her sister, but much more quiet. When we met, she barely said anything to me, except for, "I expect great things from you, little one." Although, I think she was secretly scared of me for some reason. When our eyes met, I just got that feeling. She was hesitant at first. I was bothered by it a little bit, but Miss Twilight said she's like that sometimes and not to worry too much, so I don't anymore. I hope one day I'll get to talk to her for longer; maybe, we'll even have a real conversation. Though, probably the coolest part about visiting the castle was meeting my new uncle, Shining Armor. He wears the biggest, heaviest armor that I've ever seen... even though I've never really seen ponies in armor before. I gave him a big hug anyway, because he deserved it. He limped on one leg a little bit, and I could tell it was hard for him to get around, but I knew why too. There were a lot of things I knew, actually, that Miss Twilight said were best to stay quiet about. He said he was going to visit us more in Ponyville, now that he had more time for leave, but that made Miss Twilight a little nervous. I could see it in her eyes. I don't think he knew Miss Rainbow lived with us yet, so she offered instead to visit the Crystal Empire, which only made me even more excited. Speaking of visits, we're planning to go on a vacation soon, before school starts for me. Apparently, my new moms had planned to go on one even before I came along, so I wasn't going to complain at all. They looked like they really needed one, too. Whenever they had a chance to hang out with all of their friends, they stuck close together. They were like two peas in a pod, most of the time, but I could tell they just wanted to get away for a while. I even tried hanging out with some new friends I made to give my moms a little more privacy. They called themselves the Cutie Mark Crust-Haters, which seems like a really weird name to me. I could be wrong about what they said, since I can only read their lips, but I hate the crusts of my sandwiches too. Anyway, the time that I do spend at home in the library is usually used for reading. Ever since Princess Celestia told me to study, Miss Twilight has been helping me practice my magic, day in and day out, but we still have plenty of breaks to go out and have fun. I promised Miss Lady we would do that, after all. One day, my unicorn mom brought home a really big text book, one we didn't keep in the library. She said she had it specially delivered to us from Princess Celestia's school, because that was one of the few places that actually kept them. It was called 'Tier Fifty-One', or something like that, and she would sit by my side and read it, herself, while she usually gave me something easier to read. I asked her one day why she was studying it so hard, and she would only say, "just refreshing my memory." I knew she was smart, but I didn't know she was that smart. I love her so very much. A few days a week, I go out on my own and watch my pegasus mom go about her daily job. It's super easy for her too, but she always has time to hang out with me. We've gone out on a few walks before, where she's shown me some of the projects she's been working on with other ponies around town. There's a sweet shop called Sugarcube Corner that she's helping to rebuild with her friend, Miss Pinkie Pie, and they tell me it's going to be twice as big as the old one. Miss Pinkie shares my love of hugging everypony too, so we get along just fine. I liked meeting Miss Fluttershy, as well. She's a pegasus, like my mom, but maybe not quite as fast a flyer. That stuff never bothered me, though. Miss Rainbow warned me she would be pretty quiet, and was totally embarrassed when I reminded her that didn't matter with me. She always seemed pretty glum whenever she brought it up, because I think she felt sorry for me. Although, I would always tell her that I loved her anyway, because I truly did, and even though I could never hear what she said, she made a point of moving her lips in a perfect way that I could understand. "I love you too, Leya." She always smiled at me after she said that... and it made me want to cry sometimes. They were never sad tears, though. I was only ever happy with my new moms, and I tried to show them as much as possible that I was the best little filly they could possibly have. Even though I'm sure it didn't matter too much to them, I tried anyway. I feel like I have a lot to live up to, but for now, I just want to have fun while I can. I'm so excited for our vacation, even if it'll only be the three of us, and Mister Spike said he can take care of the library, himself, while we're gone. Although, before we go, my new friends Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom said they were going to ask their sisters if we could possibly have a sleepover at one of their houses. Our friend Scootaloo would come along too, and I'm sure their sisters would say yes. Miss Applejack and Miss Rarity are just as nice as all of my moms' other friends, so why would they ever say no? Until we leave though, I'm going to keep studying with my unicorn mom and helping her have fun too. She already says I'm 'advanced', but I don't exactly know what she means by that. I have this strange power that only comes out when I walk on grass, where whenever I take a step on it, it grows a few inches taller instantly. It's almost like I can make plants come back to life just by touching them, and Miss Twilight says that's a pretty special gift. My pegasus mom says I have a 'green hoof'... whatever that means. It isn't really green, though. I think she's just being silly sometimes, but I love her anyway. In fact, I just love everything about my new life. I may not get to see my real mommy often, but I do always have a lot to tell her. I even got to meet with Miss Lady once in my dreams, and she thanked me for doing exactly as she asked. The last thing I remember her telling me was something about 'exceeding her expectations', but I don't really know what that meant. I think I'm going to ask my mom, Miss Twilight, what she means. There's actually a lot of things I need to ask her. Oh well. Until then, I'm going to keep being happy for everyone. I'm going to keep getting up with a smile on my face, giving everyone hugs, hanging out with my friends, the Crust-Haters, studying with my unicorn mom, meeting new ponies with my pegasus mom, and learning how to get along without being able to hear anypony. Then again, that never stopped me before. I'm lucky to live in a place like Ponyville and have two, wonderful ponies to call my moms. I can tell they are happy together... and I'm so happy to be with them. Fin. This story is dedicated to my friend, Will. Thanks for reading.