//------------------------------// // Strings of Fate: Reconciliatios (θ) // Story: Strings of Fate: Core Series // by Dissoriented //------------------------------// As Vance’s vision for his remaining eye returned to him and the ringing in his ears subsided, he found himself in a cloud of dust kicked up from Vie’s bomb. Pulling himself out of the roof he was lodged into, he tried to fly up to assess the damage, only to find that his wings were broken. As the smoke cleared, he could make out the images of the Sentinels examining the wreckage. “What in tarnation happened here?” Applejack shouted over the shifting of bricks. Vance, too weakened from being a projectile, laid himself back into the dent he’d created to rest up. He could hear the Sentinels sweeping the area, talking back and forth of something Vance didn’t care to hear at the moment. All he wanted was to sleep, and this cozy hole in somepony’s roof was suddenly very inviting, and the blood seeping out of his open wounds was quite warm when he was still. As he was slowly fading, a shadow landed on his face, obscuring what light was getting past the eclipse and waking him back up. The Raiders were on the scene. Strings of Fate: Reconciliations “Vance! You alright?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Whoa, what the hay happened to you?” “Well I’m sitting in a crater I made myself, I have pieces of my exploded sword lodged in my eye, and my wings are shattered, so I’m gonna have to say no, I’m not alright.” he replied weakly. “Can you give me a hoof down from here?” Rainbow Dash and Spitfire hoisted Vance up and brought him down to the eager Sentinels. The dust was very thick at this level. “What happened? Where’s the Prench gal?” Applejack asked. “Oui, what happened to Vie?” Renéigh said, approaching the scene with the remaining sharpshooters, each with a look of sorrowful false hope adorning their faces. “She stayed behind to ensure the Archaía would be ended here.” Vance said. “She just gave her life for a country that was not her own. We owe both her and the Prench a debt of gratitude.” “No, she did not die for Equestria or Prance. She died for the freedom of all ponies.” Renéigh said somberly. General Trotton finally arrived on the scene, curious as to the giant explosion that shook the entire city. “Good to see you made it, General.” Vance said through the pain of two broken wings and a sliced eye. “Sweet Author, Vance! I leave you alone for a short while and you run off, blow up half a city, and get your wings busted!” Trotton tried to joke. Applejack whispered in his ear what had just happened and Trotton’s mood shifted over to sobriety. “I’m terribly sorry to hear that. My deepest condolences to the both of you. Vie was a fine young mare and will surely be missed.” Trotton amended. The odd medley of ponies all bowed their heads to pay homage to one of the bravest ponies anypony could ever know. Vance raised his head to see the moon, still being vanguard against the sun’s rays. Everything he was made to become, he had finally destroyed. He had claimed the right to his own life in full. “What now, sir?” Applejack asked. “Tell Princess Luna to get this dang moon out of the sky. It’s becoming an eyesore.” Vance replied, his left eye twitching a bit. “And get me a nap. I’m starting to get grumpy.” Vance gave the order to take over all sources of Imperial communication and announce the capitulation of the Solar Empire and the taking of Canterlot. Most remaining enemy garrisons surrendered on that very day. ~ From atop the cliff overlooking Canterlot, Iapetus glared down at the shattered capital. All of their plans were laid to waste and now their organization was reduced to a pitifully small number. “What do we do now, sir?” Kalós asked. Iapetus merely grunted in anger before turning his back on Equestria and walking away from it all. This was the worst setback yet. Now it was time to rebuild. ~ Following the victory in Canterlot against the Archaía, Vance and Fluttershy became formally wedded in a procession overseen by Luna and the majority of the NLR military, including the former Secessionists. Vance hung up what was left of his saber, convinced his time as an acting general was over, though still occasionally popping in to lend his experience to the Republic Army’s new leadership. To groom Apollo and Artemis for their future roles in the Republic, they moved to a secluded coastal grassland recently gifted to the New Lunar Republic by Prance. “It’s a lovely yard.” Fluttershy commented about the ocean of grass in combination with an actual ocean their kids now had free reign over. “Indeed. The perfect place for a family of pegasi.” Vance said, watching Apollo examine a frog. ~ In post-war Equestria, a lot of power was exchanging hooves, as many of the vacuums left by Solar Empire politicians and generals had to be replaced by New Lunar Republican ones. Twilight Sparkle was cleared of all charges brought against her for willingly handing herself over before hostilities ended, along with support from a petition signed by many notable figures in the Republican army. She was then elected Equestria’s first Chancellor to assist Princess Luna in assuming her new role in a constitutional monarchy. ~ Rainbow Dash stuck with her Raiders and continued to serve with distinction whenever the Republic called for her services. The Raiders soon became the premier pegasi scouting unit, and many a great flier of the new era had ties to them. ~ “You sure about this, Sarge?” Sugarbeet said to Applejack. “Wouldn’t Celtic be more qualified for this?” “The Sentinels need a leader who’s level-headed. Hammer’s a tad hot under the collar, if’n ya catch ma drift, an’ Celtic’s got his head all cluttered with emotions.” she replied. With her mind made up, Applejack handed the Crux Lunae over to Sugarbeet, making him the new leader of the Sentinels. ~ Trotton rocked slowly to and fro on his favorite mahogany chair, watching his grandchildren frolic about his plantation’s expansive lawn. He glanced up to see Cloudsdale floating peacefully in the distance. A quick smirk flashed across his face as he nodded off to sleep. ~ Renéigh was no longer capable of returning to life as a humble baker. After Prance and the New Lunar Republic fused together, he became a representative for the Prench ponies. He had acquired a taste for battle, regardless of the arena. ~ Vance entered the port authority building in Baltimare. The room was empty, save for a bored receptionist and somepony reading Equestria Daily. “Excuse me, have there been any ships recently docked here under the name, *ahem* … ‘The Saucy Mare?’” The receptionist pulled her glasses down, bemused at Vance’s request. “No. No there haven’t.” she said. “Ah. Well, thank you for your time.” Vance said before leaving. After the door closed, a lime green unicorn wearing a trench coat, fedora, and pieces of fake facial hair lowered the newspaper he was reading, a sly smile plastered on his face. ~ Abd al-Ajnabi returned to Saddle Arabia with what was left of his diplomatic team. Despite only a tenth of the original party returning, it was declared a success, and shipping lanes immediately opened up to provide relief aid. Ajnabi made it a point to not walk in on revolutions from that point on, with limited success. ~ Minuette finally returned to the Webwork, Lyra in tow. Weaver came to greet them personally. “Exceptional job, Agent Recluse. Ah, I see you’ve brought your recruit with you.” Weaver said, noticing Lyra, who was glancing around the vast interior of the building in awe. “How come I never noticed this before? It's in such an obvious place!” Lyra remarked. “You’d be surprised what we can hide in plain sight.” Minuette said with a wink. Lyra was fully initiated into the Webwork as an Agent. Her designation became Agent Hobo. ~ Vance with his sweet new eye patch walked onto the balcony overlooking the untamed planes left untouched by Equestria’s agriculture and towards the setting sun, Fluttershy following close. Apollo was chasing after the more flight-capable Artemis several meters above the ground. Vance placed his front leg over Fluttershy’s shoulder and nuzzled her cheek affectionately. “So what happens now?” she asked. “Now? *long pause* The Archaía are gone, the NLR is victorious, and we’re married… The future’s left blank. It’s what we make of it now.” he replied. The Age of Nocturnality had begun. ========== Bonus points to: Keystroke and Silver Streak : for being my pre-readers Author’s notes: Hello, everypony! Dissoriented here with a few post-script items to add: The 8th in the Strings of Fate series, this marks the end of the Core Series. It’s been nothing short of a blast writing these, and to any and all loyal readers who stuck with me since Origins and those new to my personal Fic, I thank you for reading and hopefully enjoying something I hold very dear to my heart. Your humble, faceless writer, Dissoriented Disclaimer: “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” and its derivatives are the intellectual property of Hasbro©. I do not, nor claim to, have the rights to any and all intellectual property this story uses and is partly based on. No happy ending for anypony who doesn’t give Hasbro the credit they’re owed. ~ The night following the elimination of the Archaía, Princess Luna looked towards her former prison, contemplating the challenges that lie ahead for her and the New Lunar Republic. Her job was about to get a lot harder. Beneath, amongst the rubble of Archaía Keep, the stone lay cold in the night. Luna retires to her quarters and extinguishes the light in the room as she leaves. All is calm. Then, chips of granite and marble shift, as a white unicorn emerges from the wreckage and brushes herself off. Pulling her stiletto out of the rubble with her telekinesis, Vie breathed in deep the night air. She sheathed her dagger and once more marched off in the dead of night. *giggle* “Couper un peu trop loin cette fois!” THE END Well… at least for now.