//------------------------------// // World Rebirth // Story: PONY POV SERIES SEASON 8: FINALE! // by Alex Warlorn //------------------------------// Hello, I am Princess Celestia, and I shall step in -for soon-to-be-obvious reasons- to explain this next set of changes to reality as it repaired itself through young Apple Bloom. For good or evil... the Windigos had indeed ended pony prejudice among their... among our own tribes. Racial hatred had simply become extinct. It was no longer even a matter of fear of the windigos, it has simply become PONY NATURE. And they had indeed prevented a brutal intertribal war that had needed only a spark to go off. I had seen the design and plans of my family and in-laws ... It would have been a cold, and brutal lesson ponykind would have brought upon and done to itself. You think modern weapons invented mass death and destruction Civilizations simply become MORE AWARE of the reality of what they are doing. Apple Bloom saw this for herself when she tried to pull at the string that held the Windigo's winter, and saw the world she knew would become a completely different animal so to speak. Her nation, bloodlines, the tribes, culture, ideals, even magic itself, so much would have changed that it might as well have been a completely different world unto itself. I think it shocked her when she realized how many ponies had frozen to death, and how close her people had come to extinction, or be reduced to three tribes forever at war with each other in a frozen wasteland killing one another OVER NOTHING. But Apple Bloom was a determined filly... she managed to greatly reduce the number of ponies who had frozen to death... this caused the famine naturally to happen faster, and the tribes to immigrate quicker, and the Windigos to reveal themselves and for Cookie, Pansy, and Clover to end their threat all the sooner. Countless bloodlines were spared, and Equestria's borders retroactively expanded. Sadly, of course, there were deaths that couldn't be prevented, for the sake of a brighter, better world. For example, if Clover The Clever's parents hadn't died... Starswirl The Bearded wouldn't have taken her in as a student, and thus all the good Clover did, including helping thwart the Windigios, may not have happened at all. And... there was my family, and myself... as long as the Windigos existed, so did my punishment for bringing them on the world. And Apple Bloom, kindhearted darling that she was... wished to make it so the Windigo were indeed some THING that feed on hatred and strife of unknown origin. Yet she was also cognizant that this would open the door for terrible things. And... it is my mistake, my crime, my burden... one I am all so happy that most Celestias do not have to carry, though we ALREADY carry the burden of failing to save our sister and My Little Sun from themselves. As Apple Bloom reconstructed reality from a twisted mess, my family and in-laws were taking the chance to ratify revisions that applied to ourselves while reality was not set in stone. Both Nature's Fury and Nature's Law agreed to at least a few things, but none of them would be retroactive changes: First, the champion system was declared to be outdated. Equus was meant to be a REWARD for Champions who served for a lifetime (often more than one). It had been both used and abused by concepts who sought to reach beyond their purpose. One of the major declarations was that we could not declare a champion if we ourselves were already incarnated and/or aware of our divine-self within the same world or civilization. Second, Nature's Fury rescinded the idea of Draconequi simply reincarnating their spirit into a nearby host as punishment for any who'd murdered an incarnation of Nature's Fury. It was decided that as long as Discord was on Equus, this law had done nothing but aid him. Then again, Discord was the only one to be BORN THERE rather than using an AVATAR, so it was rather unavoidable. Third, the 'Big Sister is watching you' nature of seeing through the eyes of our concepts also was in need of GREAT revision. First, if we were incarnated, it would be basically defeating the entire point why we incarnated: to see things from the PONIES' point of view. Plus, it shouldn't be allowed for a Concept whose incarnation had NOT been disrupted to do so anyway. Myself seeing everything the sun touched, Luna seeing everything the moonlight touched, Cadence seeing everything every song bird saw... I say again, if we were incarnated, it would defeat the purpose of being incarnated at all. If this was allowed at all, it would be on a MUCH MUCH MORE limited scale, as it had been decided it was 'overpowered' and could lead to abuse. I, myself, had pressed the fourth point. "This is the world of my little ponies, not that of little concepts. We've been far too visible on Equus, something ponies can touch and see, rather than something that is all around them, something that is everywhere. The song must be allowed to play to its natural conclusion, such mid-song revisions are not good. This is THEIR STORY, not OUR STORY! The only thing worse than us forgetting that, is them forgetting it." After Tirek’s presence was washed away from my spirit, I also had a rather awkward, and very personal task ahead of me. Nothing I NEEDED to do, mind you, yet it was special. I knew it had to fade away, it was wrong for it not to. I had made sure not to rob Twilight's parents ... and I would not rob another couple of their foal. "Hello Rainbow Dash," We both stood in the white light of the restructuring world. "P-Princess C-Celestia, M-mom? No, but-" She stuttered, confusion clear in every part of her. I also see her body was composed completely of 'the fireflies' that had made of the bodies of the others who the rumors had brought into being. She had killed her original body, it had changed shape after she'd slain it purely to fulfill the expectations of all around her as it had mindlessly followed through with the rumors programmed into it, like an animatronic. Thankfully that wouldn't be the case once reality had restructured, and there was no need to inform her of something that would only disturb her. Scootaloo's belief that Rainbow Dash would never harm her was that pure, that powerful, that it overrode the collective belief of countless ponies. A faith that strong is something special indeed. I slowly trotted towards her, and lowered my neck against hers and folded my wings around her. "There, there, dear, it's alright. I'm here." Rainbow Dash pressed against my neck, and folded her wings around me too. I'll admit, all things considered, Rainbow Dash's mother was lucky to have a stallion like her husband. "I'm... I'm sorry we didn't get to spend any time together... that you didn't, with the real me... I... I would have been proud, to have a daughter like you Rainbow Dash." "R-really?" She replied in shock, her eyes misting over. "But-but I'm not all prissy, or royal-like or-" "And none of that would matter to me. You're brave, determined, true to your friends, and you live in the moment. You always remember what the point of your dreams are, rather than the dream itself. You are loyal to those who you inspire loyalty in. You have principles -contrary to appearances- and you do not blindly follow authority. There was nothing arbitrary about Loyalty choosing you, Rainbow Dash. You made yourself loyalty, you proved yourself worthy. You are not without flaw, none are, and like ANY PONY those flaws run deep... but you are TRYING and you are MAKING THE CHOICE more often than not to be a good pony. That is yours, and Equestria's truth strength." Rainbow Dash let herself cry, and nuzzled deeply into my side. "T-thank you! Thank you so much!" I let myself cry a little too. "You're welcome... my little pony." + Alula and Tootsie's faux Alicorn horns and wings were gone. They wore neither their garish Magical Filly costumes, nor the barding of Diamond Tiara's Nightmare. They had indeed lived up to their promise; helping ponies who’d been endangered by their curse. As the white light took them, they were surprised to see a brown pegasus colt with broken wings. His cutie mark was a jack-o-lantern. Foal though he was, just being near him commanded respect. The white light didn't touch him, shadows gathered around him, making him seem larger than he was. He didn't smile. He face remained neutral. He made no formal introduction as he spoke, "Alula Kicker, Tootsie Flute, foals of Ponyville... Apple Bloom has taken control of this curse from you, so you will not notice the changes she makes to reality, or the damage she undoes. This is a mercy, not a punishment. You will not have to remember what you did to your loved ones. But you will remember to appreciate what you took for granted about them. That is all I have to say to you." The foal slipped into the darkness. "I have something to ask you." The fillies turned around to see a simple blue coat with white spots over his sides. Alula saw a unicorn, Tootsie saw a pegasus. "Hi, I'm Buddy." He waved. "You Will Answer What I Ask Of You Honestly To Me And To Yourselves. Do You Understand What You Did Wrong?" "I helped break the world," Alula sobbed. "I turned my sister, and Rumble's brother into... something empty. I helped pull Tootsie into this. I wanted to help Diamond Tiara, when what she needed was saving... I... I was hurt other ponies because I was TOLD they were bad. Then I hurt myself instead of helping my family." "... " Tootsie choked. "I... stole Truffle's friendship with Twist... I didn't get to know him. I... I didn't see how my family was already happy and exciting. ... And I didn't think how it would hurt them and my friends if I went away." "Would You Do It Again If You Had It Over?" "No!" They echoed. "Because you lost?" "No!" "Why?" "Because I was wrong!" They fillies echoed. They sobbed. "Why Did You Do What You Did?" "I wanted my big sister and Diamond Tiara to be happy!" "I wanted Truffle and my family to be happy! I wanted to be a hero! Like Mare-Do-Well!" Buddy stood there looking at them... then nuzzled them and dried their tears. "It's Okay... I Forgive You. And so do they." And in the next moment, Alula was being hugged by Cloudkicker, while Tootise was hugged by Bon Bon, Lyra Heartstrings, and Moth. Both fillies cried again but for very different reasons. A filly shaped darkness observed unseen. And Alula and Tootsie were absorbed by the light. + "Was that really necessary?" Phobia asked. "It was for them," Buddy said. "To forgive isn't the same thing as exonerate, but it is about letting go of grudges." "Hell doesn't forgive, nor forget," Phobia said. "That is the nature of hell's torment." "Maybe not, but I do forgive, and I'll forgive whoever I please. In particular when it helps two fillies move forward." + Discord was in a white void, feeling a great deal of annoyance. "Fifth most-powerful being in creation and a farm foal outclasses me right now...oh well, at least I'll get an exciting finale now..." He was tempted to try and work some 'fun' things into creation, but of course the one in control of everything at the moment wouldn't have that. He wondered if there was anything she actually would let him get away with... For a brief moment...something passed through his mind. Snapping his fingers, he appeared in spirit form at the moment where he did the fateful mind breaking to Diamond Tiara. "...The finale...MY finale..." He snapped his fingers...and for a moment, the image continued as if that break never happened...he helped her overcome the mad worker who'd come for her without it. Find his statue and freed him...then he left her there unharmed, to later be found during the wedding while he sabotaged Chrysalis from the shadows while regaining his strength. He watched Diamond nuzzle her now sane mother and going home with her mother and never having anything to do with Discord beyond that... And she'd have been among his first victims once he began his rampage again. The Spirit of Chaos watched this... "My Little Princess..." He then got a look of hesitation...then sighed. "MY Little Princess." He snapped his fingers and simply put the image back to how it originally played out. He put his face in his claws. 'Thank you, Father, that's exactly how I like it,' said an emotionless voice. Discord didn't feel proud of himself. Another calm and collect voice spoke, but driven by reason instead of emptiness. "A chaos god should be able to surprise a mare whose dedicated her life to logic. You disappointment me young stallion, but not surprise," Wind Whistler admonished. Discord's face just sank further into his claws. + Dragoncord smiled and sat down. He looked at one claw, seeing it flicker with flakes of light. As the world was remade, the Detachment was called back to his concept. He looked to see Luna's avatar; silvery barded Selena, was also being called back to being part of her goddess for the grand rewrite. The pocket emulation of Paradise Estate, now covered in battle scars, faded with his power. Dragoncord had spent most of their fight talking about in great detail about how Discord manipulated Diamond Tiara into freeing the chaos god and driving her mad with nothing but words. Ironically enough (or perhaps intentionally), Dragoncord's taunts had only fueled Princess Luna's fury and managed to push back Grogar's presence in her soul just a little further until Apple Bloom had repaired the printing press. "Good job, little crusaders, you beat her endgame," said Dragoncord. Selena snorted. "I wish I could say I'm surprised you'd try to deflect a failed idea onto a little filly you manipulated into being your lackey." Dragoncord spoke with more seriousness than a Detachment of the concept of chaos should have ever had. "You really think I'd ever approve of a plan to replace you Lulu with the most boring being I've ever met? And you think my Little Diamond is my lackey? I'm proud of her, but what makes you think she'd obey me anymore than her old parents?" Selena looked at Dragoncord in shock, but before she could say more, she faded away. The fake sky had vanished, and had most of the ground, now the pink house itself began to fade back into nothing and the white light. A great mass of darkness pushed through the light, darker than dark, and of it came a brown pegasus colt with broken wings. Discord had not seen his father in thousands of years. Let alone when not an out of control avatar. After all these eons, after being reduced to a rogue force of nature, something their place in creation as twisted as themselves, Dragoncord with all this in mind said, "Hello, dad." "Hello, son," Phobia said pleasantly. "Hey! I have a great idea! How about you stop all this 'conquer one measly planet' nonsense and stop helping destroy worldliness, and just come home? I know you're not technically dead yet, but you might have overstayed your welcome. Or you can just surrender to Buddy's little Sunshine. Maybe she'll give you a work release program if you cooperate. I know you helped the foals in the end!" Dragoncord sighed. "Sorry, pops, the party's not over yet." Phobia grew twice Discord's size and the foal snapped. "BY ALL THAT IS ME! Discordance! What Is It Going To Take?! I Know This Won't End Well For You! I'm Seeing It Not Ending Well For You! I Exist At Both Ends Of The Road Remember?! Why Kind Of Concept Of Chaos Doesn't Change?!" Dragoncord looked some of the flowers Dissy had randomly changed the colors of once as a prank/gift for Posey, they faded away one by one. "You always do tell me how I should be. And I always did hate it." "You Think Distractions Would Work On Me, Kiddo?" Phobia said. "Even If You Win, Things Still Won't End Well For You. You Can't Ignore It Anymore, Discord, It's Over. Even If All Your Enemies Lay As Broken Toys Before You, You Won't Be Able To Enjoy It, Because You've Realized The Truth." Phobia shrank back down, and placed a hoof on Draconcord's still existing claw. "Please, Son, Just Stop This Nonsense Already Come Home. Just Change, Not For Me, But Yourself, At Least? Please, Discordance, I Won't Be Able To Offer You Another Out." "I don't want one, and I don't deserve one," Dragoncord said with no malice in his voice. "Don't worry, I'll back on the other side soon, then you can punish me for all the... stuff I've done all you want." "Please tell me you want to find redemption, lie to me if you have to." "There is no redemption for ones like me." The absolute worst thing? Truly absolute worse thing? Was Phobia seeing his son without his normal insane flare. No matter the universe, be Discord a trickster, monster, fool, mentor, father, that theatrically insane charm had always been there... Phobia's ears wilted. "How Many Times Are You Going To Keep Telling Yourself That Lie?" "You wanted to hear a lie, didn’t you?” He shrugged. “What can I say? I'm a showstallion, father," Dragoncord stood up in spite of not having legs right now. "If I don't go out with a big bang... well, I have to win back the crowd a little before the curtain calls. I've been sitting on my rump far too much. This was mostly Little Diamond and Cousin's act. I need to end things with a BIIIIIIIIIG show, or I'll never live it down.” Then Phobia then did the most vicious, brutal, and breaking thing he could possibly do to his son, he hugged him gently. Dragoncord vanished along with the false Paradise Estate. Phobia looked at the non-existent ground. "I lost my eldest son... I Will Not Lose My Youngest." He walked back into the darkness. + Pandora flipped through a Daring Do book, noting the by line by AK Yearling. "I suppose I have one thing to thank my brother for...I finally made a living fictional character that adds something to the world...enjoy life, Daring. You will ALWAYS add more to the world than your enemies try, (and fail!) to take from it. You're a real hero." + This is... this is the big one... feels like another eternity and a half before Ah can even figure it out... three different timelines, all twisted together. The day The Age of Wonders came to an end. That day us ponies got blasted back to the stone age. Ah... Ah can see, Ah won't remember later, but fer now, Ah see... Amicitia created at least three timelines where the Wish Spell worked like it was supposed to. She even made a world where the Wish Spell was simply never created to begin with... We worked so hard, only for the Windigos and Discord to smash it all again and again... and we kept building back up... But... if the Disaster never happened, that means all the griffins in the world would be just dumb critters... Ah... Ah try to take in all the details... all the lines, all the threads, all the causes and effects. It's... it's gettin'... it's so hard... "Feeling the pressure? The stress building? Ready to break? Insides about to shatter?" Diamond Tiara's Nightmare whispered. "The might of a god in the hooves of a mortal? Just like me..." She leaned in close and whispered in my ear. "Come on, Apple Bloom... just let go. Don’t worry, the sensation of your soul imploding is even worse than it sounds. Don't be gentle, just smash the fairness in. Then we can be friends like you wanted." Shaken like Ah was gonna come apart, Ah looked 'er dead in the eye. Ah saw the tiny grin on 'er face. "No," Ah just whispered, but it held more power then the Royal Canterlot Voice! She recoiled back. "Ah don't need the Truth to see that lie. If Ah was sick like you, the first thing Ah'd do is try to make you never-heard-from-again... Yer not stupid, ya know that..." My eyes widened. "Nightmares say yer gonna make everythin' fair, but only what's fair for you. Tiara... ya don't need to give up like this." Maybe that's the real difference between a Nightmare and an Alicorn. "You think anything you're doing is going to change anything for the better in the long run? Sombra, Tirek, Grogar, Ahuizotl, they're all waiting right over the horizon. And so am I." "First point; yeah, Ah do. Second point, 'bout Tirek and the rest; they're gonna lose, and lose, and lose! Like all them other monsters that’d been tryin' ta wipe ponies off the map since forever! And there's more heroes than just Applejack and her friends, they're just the best! Ad third, Twilight and her friends WILL save ya, and hecka a lot sooner than later! You'll be free." "I'm a living wrongness in the world, what makes you think your cheap words can effect what I am now?" "They don't need ta! Applejack and the rest of Elements of Harmony will be able to! Now excuse me Diamond Tiara. Ah got a busy schedule ahead o’ me. But Ah wouldn't mind a friend." Ah kissed 'er on the forehead, she ran quicker than a greased jackalope. - "In its own warped way, The Disaster gave as much as it took. Many ponies were left brain-damaged, while many beastly species were uplifted to sapient awareness. Every electronic wonder in the world was fried, and entirely new species were brought into the world. Most ponies lost everything, others were granted gifts. "Sweetheart didn't understand why the magical blast of the Disaster had mutated her, and she didn't live to see that it was a mutation rather than an enchantment, because it had skipped a generation with her foals. Some even thought that her first grandfoal might be her reincarnated, until her other grandfoals exhibited the same gift. “Some historians saw irony in how her foals not inheriting her gift paved the way for modern pony medicine, rather than having everypony rely on one specialized bloodline. "There were still limits to the gift. It could not regrow lost limbs, and it drew upon the gifted's mana thus meaning it was limited by a pony's mana pool and bucket potential. And the more severe the injury, the more time it took for the gift to mend it. And a bone that healed wrong need to be rebroken. Oddly, the gift seemed to fade from Hearts who used their gift for underhoofed purposes. "A larger limit was simply not being able to 'heal' something that was never injured, and the pony was simply born that way. "Historians believed the first pony Sweetheart used her gift to heal was... was... her little sister Cream... Oh, Oh Cream! ... "...It...it... was said when her gift awakened... the second pony she used her gift on was her husband... it was years before she learned to call upon it at will... which then boosted her status as a saint even greater. So many families today owe their existence to her." Sweetheart broke down in tears as she read the 'new addition' to Bon Bon's diary. Bon Bon hugged her. Starlight looked at the pages. "You and Teddy still died of the plague, it nearly seemed to target you first... oh Sweetheart I'm so sorry." "It's... it's okay... I'm just happy that Cream... Cream was able to do something... able to help the world instead of just... just dying so meaninglessly." "LOTS of ponies died meaninglessly that day," Melody said. "Not just ponies we know." "At least there's a little less now," Clover said. Patch read. "Looks like Teddy still got some nasty scars on his face... even more later since he always knew you could heal him..." "That... that sounds just like him." Sweetheart smiled. Starlight read on. "So? Anything new and improved about me?!" Patch asked her. "You... you still had to kill that mad mare in the mountains... But... Brightglow saved you from Flim Critique's harem the same night he used the shard of laughter on you instead of several days later..." Patch hugged herself, and smiled. "Bright Eyes?" Sweet Heart asked. "I got lucky. I already GOT BACK my memories before I died... I don't have to ask for more." Clover shook her head. "‘Lucky’ is all I ever got. What about Slipknot... I mean Scout?" "He died helping ponies. Just the kinda death he wanted," Starlight said. "And Logan?" Bright Eyes asked. "He already died of old age, surrounded by those he loved doing good, and holding onto one of the shards," Starlight said. "Pretty good way to go.” Melody began reading the journal next. "Was my magic... able to heal your voice, Melody?" Sweetheart asked, hoping beyond hope. Melody was crying. "No... but I was able to still COMPOSE music, I was taken as an inspiration for generations to come." She looked up, smiling through her tears. "Mom died a grandmother after the disaster, decades later, I was buried alongside her. Sweet Music got to KNOW her while we were still alive." "What about your bandmates?" Patch was the only one with the courage to ask. "... They died living like royalty. They actually held... held Adagio and the others from... hurting anypony until Half Note and the others ... died of old age on their island. Their graves are still there... Adagio... " Now Melody did cry in sadness. Bon Bon slowly took her diary, and read her own entry at the beginning. For being her own diary, it amazed her friends how small her section had become, compared to the others. This journal's had been quite detailed, once upon a time, and had saved herself and her friends from being lost once. "... Misty... her husband... they... still died..." The former grim reaper in the room, Starlight The First, did not look comfortable at all as she said, "... Misty died shielding her daughter... and you raised her daughter the way that made her proud... and dying together... is a mercy few couples get." When she was alive, Bon Bon would have given Starlight The First the biggest death glare possible, and unleashed a flaming triad at her... but being dead herself... Bon Bon understood what Starlight meant. "Mom... dad... Rusty... they lived... Rusty even acted as my bodyguard for a while against some of my more unwanted admirers after the Disaster... " Bon Bon said. And that was that. Bon Bon had once been among the most selfish of their group, now she couldn't care less about attention on herself where her friends were concerned. No grand adventures, no encounters with world ending horrors, no searching for centuries for pieces of ultimate power... She just lived her life as well as she could as did her friends and family after the world ended, and they all died of old age, something a lot of ponies didn't get the honor of when their world had ended. "But Starlight, what about you?" Bon Bon selflessly asked handing the journal to her. "This is your chance. This is our chance." "She's right!" Melody said. "You don't have to have died on the day the world ended!" "You could live a life with Scout!" Sweetheart said, "You could save his life! You could have a family line alive today!" "It would be wonderful... " Clover agreed. "All those years I spent searching for you when you were already gone," said Patch. She placed her hooves on Starlight's. "We can fix it! You could be there for our reunion! You could be there as we grow old! You could clear your name! Starlight it's EVERYTHING you could have ever wished for you! Miss Hackney could be alive!" = 'Trunk's Story' - DBZ OST = Starlight smiled. She handed the book back to her friend. And put a hoof on her shoulder. She looked at all of them in the eye. "Girls... I've thought stuff like this over for four thousand years... and I think it might better if I just stay dead." Her friends collectively gasped. "Now hear me out!" Starlight waved her hooves quickly, standing on her hind legs like her friends, it was the social norm for them after all. "Girls, before you say anything, this isn't about me giving up, or about me being scared to live... I'm not scared to have faced all the ponies who lost everything the day the world was ruined, I did exactly that as a grim reaper remember? But... just like Patch said... me dying, was why she was looking for a thousand years... "You did so much good, remember Patch?" "How could anyone here FORGET after all the times she talked about all the 'evil overlords' she gave the boot to," Melody said. "Exactly. A thousand years of wandering Ponyland, righting wrongs, doing good, searching for the shards of the Rainbow of Light, keeping them out of bad hands... But if I was alive... you'd have never done any of that. You had BUDDY to think about, and then you had your SON to think about... " Patch wanted to argue, but thought of her husband and child... "And Logan and Slipknot would have likely been tied down to one place rather than being the Stable Dweller to our Nuke'Out Equestria and all the good they did as well." "And... and then there's all the stuff I did as an Angel of Death... I can't just shirk that. Even with how the spirit world works... you can't be dead and alive at the same time." "Stop making it sound like your whole life was just an excuse for everypony else!" Sweetheart said, crying. "Even if we're not remembered as much as we could be, at least we HAVE legacies! Good things we did that inspired other ponies to do good! You're not just garbage to get tossed out because the world didn't need you! You're Starlight! The REAL Starlight! Not some monster who took your name and then made it so that everything SHE DID is all ANYPONY is going to remember your name for! It's not fair!" Sweetheart cried into Starlight's shoulder and hugged her. Starlight hugged her back. "Our world getting shot to hell was a tragedy for tragedy's sake! It doesn't belong! It's self-important horseapples! If we can't have our world back then at least we can have you back! We could be all back together," Melody snapped, crying too. "...We ARE all back together, Melody," Starlight said warmly, nuzzling her. "None of us became monsters or drug addicts or worse. None of us did anything making stuff harder for Twilight and her friends thousands of years later. You all went to your grave PROUD OF everything you'd done. This is different from the erased Age of Dreams because I HAVE a legacy. ALL OF YOU!" Starlight hugged them. "You girls have said that I helped keep the group together... we made each other greater... I take pride in that too." She smiled. There was a chirping, and Peewee fluttered on her shoulder. She petted the bird gently. "And even with ultimate power... it looks like there are still times and fates we can't defy. Consequences we can't escape. I need to look after Peewee. If I get reactivated maybe he can be my assistant reaper." She looked sadly at her friends. "Also, girls? We CAN'T save Miss Hackney, because she was dying of OLD AGE when the disaster happened. She was ready! Because she had all of us to be proud of too!" The girls were all solemn after Starlight's speech. But Clover still protested. "It's still wrong that everypony thought you were some kinda mad scientist or monster after the Disaster! That isn't right! Not in the least! Everypony who was involved in the project messed up! And so did all of us!" Bright Eyes nodded. Clover continued. "That isn't some cruel necessary happenstance! That's YOUR NAME and YOUR identity being dragged through the mud twice over! It's like you dying once wasn't enough and they wanted you to die again and again! They blamed you and spat on your grave when you couldn't even fight back!" Clover stomped her hoof. And I won't stand for it!" The entire world shook. And the ponies' felt the contents of the diary changed. Carefully and slowly, Starlight picked it up, and came to her section, and read. "... Prof. Starlight, should have been already giving her speech... but she had the idea of giving the Wish Spell, the magic and the science involved an extra check, an extra set of eyes didn't hurt. She wasn't Bright Eyes, but she was far from stupid, she was a college professor after all. "Princess Rosy of The Isle of Pony, whose castle was one of the seven being used... had followed Prof. Starlight into the room where the rainbow shard was being kept in the carefully constructed machine that had gone through countless tests and simulations. It was her country's castle after all, and she wanted to know what was keeping Prof. Starlight personally. "When the concept of destruction came into being as the Wish Spell powered up... She saw it. She saw the magic wasn't integrating like it should have... the conflicting wave forms trying to correct themselves was causing a feedback loop... And it all clicked, they were going to blow. For one moment she thought that seven castles could be turned off... they couldn't. The moment the spell started they became a single thing of magic, it was growing in an out of control spiral. "She slammed a hoof on an alarm. She used up a few seconds wiring into the intercom throughout and outside the castle and a wireless with the other seven castles. 'EMERGENCY! THIS IS PROF. STARLIGHT! NOT A DRILL! TERMINAL EMERGENCY! SOMETHING'S GONE WRONG AND THEY'RE ALL GOING TO BLOW! ALL EVACUATE AT ONCE! REPEAT! ALL MACHINES ARE GOING TO EXPLODE! EVACUATE! THIS IS PROF. STARLIGHT! NOT A DRILL! EMERGENCY! THEY'RE ALL GOING TO EXPLODE! EVACUATE!' "Any pony who took Starlight at her word ran for their lives. It was a question if any of them would escape the blast range. Starlight took one look at Rosy, grabbed her, and pushed her towards a blue unicorn with a rainbow colored mane. Her cutie mark was, a rainbow escaping a crystal. Her husband, an Earth Pony, stepped towards the unicorn. "'PRISM RUSH! TELEPORT YOURSELF, YOUR HUSBAND, AND THE PRINCESS AS FAR AWAY AS YOU CAN NOW!' Starlight knew that three ponies was Prism Rush's limit. "'But Starlight-' Prism Rush began. 'MY PARENTS! By royal decree, I order you-' Rosy began to say. 'What about-' "'NOW!!!!!' Prof. Starlight screamed looking ready to attack them if they stayed put, the three ponies vanished in a flash of rainbow light. The other staff in the room had already run for it. "Prof. Starlight turned to the control, working at her absolute hardest, her strongest, her smartest, trying to prevent the inevitable a little while long. 'Mom, Mrs. Hackney, Logan, Slipknot, I love you.' She continued to work like mad at the controls. Even just a few seconds more was something. 'Patch, Clover, Melody, Sweetheart, Bon Bon, Bright Eyes, let's have some cookies at the clubhouse later. We can invite Lance, Teddy, Ace, oh and Dandy, Cookie, and Buddy too I guess.' Not much time left. 'Everypony... I... I'm sorry... please live. Bright Eyes for goodness sake, don't blame yourself.' Going critical. 'Bon Bonyou'rebeautiful! Melodyyourock. Cloveryou'renotMeadowlarklite! Sweetheartyouwerethebestofus. Patch,goodluckgirl.' "Destruction's breath rained down on the world. "Some still blamed her for the disaster...but those she'd saved, and the loved ones of those she'd saved wouldn't. They remembered her as a hero who sacrificed herself to save as many as she could. Rosy told how she could have escaped with her but chose not to to try and hold things back for just a little bit longer in hopes just a few more ponies could live..." "... I... " Melody said carefully. "I don't suppose... any of that go through to Adagio and her sisters?" "... The seaponies' stadium wasn't wired to the castle's intercom, and was set up so the noise from the castle didn't ruin the sound... Tempo Wave and Oratorio Waltz... It was kinder they DIDN'T see the monsters their sisters became..." Patch hugged Starlight. "YOU SAVED ROSY!" "... Yes... I did... but that also means she lost her parents AGAIN. You asked Buddy to keep an eye on her while you were on your quest." "I... I guess it's never going to be exactly easy..." Patch awkwardly admitted. "The Isle of Pony still had a leader and ruler to keep it from falling apart. It became a beacon of stability for a long time." The girls all hugged together, Peewee included. "You're remembered as somepony GOOD... that's all I asked for..." Sweetheart admitted. The friends nuzzled. All happy and ready to move on. "...Thank you..." Starlight said, looking at no one in particular. +++ This here next part... it ain't somethin' Ah'm undoin'. It ain't somethin' Ah'm 'makin' better. It's somethin' Ah'm restorin'! Time to fix this screw up! Ah dare anypony anywhere to try and stop me! Ah won't remember this stuff later, but Ah say it's so, so it's so: Shady of Paradise Estate already knew what it was like to be a mother before Dissy was born. And Ka-boom. Ah can't restore Cupid... but Ah sure as heck can put Baby Shady back where she belongs! Put that in yer cider and drink it! It all goes back to where it was supposed to be, all of Baby Shady's adventures with her Ma and her fellow Baby Ponies, all her friendships, all she knew, it all goes back to where she belongs. She ain't stuck living two lives in two places no more... she's got one whole life to live, the same as anypony gets, hers is just a lot longer than most. ... She actually ends up the last livin' Paradise Pony on Equus when all is said and done... She left Paradise Estate with the other Baby Ponies except Ember who stayed. She grew up into a mare, and then unlike the other baby ponies CAME BACK to Paradise Estate. Ah think she might've been a ma twice herself over the course of 'er life. She was still Golden Tiara's super-great-great-granny. This means she met Starlight The First and her friends of course. But that goes without sayin'. She didn't think much of Bright Eyes. She thought Teddy was right that Sweetheart was crazy for comin' on their adventure pregnant. She... she was happy with how Clover and her Ma bonded. She liked Bon Bon's cookin' if nothin' else. She LOVED hangin' out with Patch. She clicked with Melody believe it or not, with personalities with theirs, they either become best buddies or worst enemies, so why be the latter? And Starlight ... Ah think part of 'er saw Starlight as the ma she WANTED to have. She also voted against the plan to rewrite the world to make it villain-less. But she got outvoted. Ironically, Baby Shady's vote wasn't about them bein' erased, she was ready to make that sacrifice too... but she felt that if ponies didn't have any villains to show'em what bein' bullied was like, that ponies would end up the bullies. She actually stayed at Paradise Estate through the Disaster and the Windigos, even when Ember left. Now Shady really was the last Baby Pony of Paradise Estate in name if not in fact. This also means she was around when her ma got pregnant... and was there when Newborn Dissy teleported his ma back right back to Paradise Estate fer help. And she was there when Mimic gave birth to Celestia and Luna, and when Galaxia, or rather, "Star-Reacher", showed up out of the blue to act as a care taker to 'em. Baby Shady unlike the rest, never truly trusted her. She didn't trust the babies at first that came out her ma and Mimic with no pa around. But when they acted as scared and surprised at their own magic as everypony else, Shady began to think they weren't part of whatever scheme brought 'em here. Didn't mean she trusted "Star-Reacher" though, nothing's perfect. And Dissy... he loved and looked up to his big sister as much as any little foal would. Though he could relate more with Celly and Lulu though. Shady came to love Dissy like he already loved her, but Ah think Baby Shady never realized just how much Dissy wanted to BE her, she was his example the same way their ma was... like any big and little siblings. Baby Shady was HAPPY in those days, whether she ever admitted it or not. Ah wanted to try and make a universe where she helped Dissy beat Discord, but Ah saw that world already existed. His memories of bein' Discord actually came back a little later than before. But the day came, when Dissy's memories of bein' Discord came back. And the monster swallowed Dissy. "Hey big sister! How'd you like to rule the world? If it's too much paperwork I can just give you your own country!" "You're not my brother!" And she managed to hurt Discord more with those words than the mega-spell-blasts during the Alicorn/Draconequus war. "My brother wouldn't do this!" He didn't make Baby Shady a fake Nightmare like their Ma, he didn't give her a corrupted Element of Chaos like her neither, and he didn't tell 'er to go farm rock like Surprise... He made her immortal so she could have time to 'think over his offer.' Yeah... it's kinda wonky how Discord, and "Star-Reacher" grimly agreed, that Dissy was dead... but he still wanted Baby Shady to 'join in' and he still wanted his Ma with 'em. Discord still caused misery and insanity wherever he went, but ... he didn't slaughter the flutterponies, and he didn't leave seaponies to die because of a stupid game of solitaire! He still recreated the parasprites, but not out of mountains of corpses of Flutterponies. Queen Rosedust still ended up the world's last true Flutterpony, with the rest becomin' changelings. And instead of givin' the seaponies back their oceans, Discord just turned the ones who would've died into more buffalo and ponies on his own. And as it turned out, they weren't the only seaponies in the world, Shady just made Discord think they were. I think that might've been WHY Discord didn't murder the flutterponies. And the changelings just vanished into the world. There were those who were cursed by Discord, and those who were cursed by the love poison... ugh... that makes me feel WORSE for what Ah did to Cheerilee and my big brother... I'm HAPPY Ah won't remember this part. But ... even with all that... there was just... while there was plenty of random pointless insanity and misery... there was a lot less random pointless DEATH. (He once even restored a family of zebra from wind-up toys when Shady demanded it). Ah... Ah think somehow, Discord was tryin' to eat his cake and have it too... he wanted to have the world as his personal sandbox, have his mom be as rotten as him... but have his big sister accept him. Shady stayed with Luna and Celestia as the centuries rolled by... and... they actually made Dicord's rampage end a heck of a lot sooner, I can't say, 300 years early? 400? It's hard to tell. The fight with Discord was a little less of a close call too thanks to Shady bein' there as a distraction since he could never really hurt his big sister. This didn't stop Discord from plantin' the seeds of Luna becomin' Nightmare Moon though. And Baby Shady still lived her life with her ma afterwards, and sent Somnabula to her grave... She.... she did a whole ton of good... But nopony remembers her... like somehow Discord havin' a family would somehow make 'em 'less evil' or somethin'. Ah know Princess Celestia did it his family could live in peace, but Shady basically saved two tribes... Maybe it's too bad Ah won't remember this stuff outside my context later after all. Ah put Shady back where she belongs, and the world's a better place for it, maybe that's the point. + Dissy leaned back in a lounge chair. He wore sunglasses, a baseball cap with a constantly changing logo, and had a sunlamp set up next to him. His digital watch beeped. He pulled down on his sunglasses. He saw himself begin to flake away like Dragoncord had before. "Well, looks like that's it... I was born of the desires he didn't want to admit he has, and now I'll return to the rest of me too." He stretched. He grinned. "I wonder how much he'll scream at feeling a conscience." "It was sure fun while it lasted. Ya know, once when he was done being a jerk with mom, he once petted a puppy just because? And everypony around was shouting how he had 'evilly' petted the puppy. Ya know that's what stinks about trying to be a better draconequus, everypony in the world is lazy in their thinking, heck, if they saw Celly blow up a town, I bet they'd think the town deserved it somehow. Is it any wonder Celly hates her ponies seeing her as perfect? Well, everypony thinks about those times, but they never think about a baddie who might try to do something good. Build an orphanage and they'll think it's part of some evil overpopulation plan, mark my words. "Meh, listen to me ramble. Nythy's curse is going away, so that means I have to go away too, or rather, 'go back'. Back to the rest of me... It was a nice change of pace helping the good guys." Dissy faded into the white light. + I made a LOT of changes... I think a lot of 'em Ah think it's better ya find out fer yerself after Ah'm done, feels... feels more right that way. "Hi Apple Bloom, I'm Thread Spool." It was a pegasus filly, one of her wings was clockwork. Ah wasn't stupid, Ah knew who she was. "Howdy Thread Spool." "I just wanna say, thank you for everything and... thank you for... for understand me." She gave me a nuzzle. "I feel sometimes like nopony understands me." "It... it ain't easy bein' the ocean or a mountain is it?" "... Ever since I was born, so many ponies think all I do is use them or treat them like slaves... all I've done since the moment I was born was build roads out of myself... so many roads... All of them start with my Mom, and all of them end with their Mom." Ah grinned. "We can't make the ocean do headstands, or the mountain to step out of the way for us, but that ain't make us their slaves." She hugged me back. "Thank you Apple Bloom... thank you... again thank you, for everything. The worst evil is to pervert something good, the greatest GOOD is to steer evil towards a good end. Thank you Apple Bloom." "Ah wouldn't have gotten two steps without my friends, including you." She smiled at me. "That's the right answer!" + Four Earth pony mares sat around a low table in a white void. On the table itself was a stone chinighese tea set and very generous amounts of cake. The four sat like the points on a compass. Pinkie Pie sat across from Maud Pie. Octavia sat across from Photo Finish (for once not in one of her signature dresses). Maud Pie had little to say or add, but felt it was her responsibility to be there. It was all right for her to just bear witness though, she'd just given birth after all. The other three didn't look eager or excited to begin the topic of discussion either. It was always-in-motion Pinkie Pie who couldn't take the stillness any longer and finally broke the ice. "Sooooooooo..." She eyes darted about nervously. "Do you girls want to stay sisters?" It was clear her question wasn't directed at Maud Pie. This led immediately to another long awkward silence. "Pinkie Pie, what brings this one?" Octavia finally asked. "Well, we're cleaning out stuff, like say Moon Dancer had been a spy for an evil organization, well, that obviously isn't the case, so that goes in the dumpster. And well... you shouldn't feel OBLIGATED to be my sisters because of an incomplete world filling in the blanks. You two have full big lives and... so do Limestone and Marble Pie... Maybe it would be better if you just split away from them, have full lives in Canterlot... And let them have full lives on the rock farm. But I... I don't want to force it on you if you want it one way or the other. Do you want to keep being sister Octy? Do you want to keep being sister Photo? It's... it's time... it's for you to... to decide." Pinkie Pie mane was now a balance between her form two sides, but she still felt on the brink of crying her eyes. "So..." Maud Pie spoke. She looked at her sisters. "Do you want to remain sisters in the restored world? Or do you want to be born in separate families, each of you, and let Marble and Limestone exist on their own? None of you will be directly related." For anypony else, her monotone would have come across as complete indifference... for these three however, they could up the uncertainty and sadness in Maud Pie's voice. "Pinkie Pie," Photo Finish asked, taking off her sunglasses. "What brought this one? I know we have all gone our separate ways, but are YOU saying you don't want us sisters anymore?" Pinkie Pie flinched. "No no no! It's not that at all! I swear! It's just... it's not fair to you to be tied down to something that isn't really you and... it's not fair to Limestone and Marble to .... just not exist." Pinkie Pie entire body shivered. Octavia put a loving hoof on her shoulder. "Pinkamena, this isn't like that, I swear. In a way, we ARE already Limestone and Marble! ... At least personality wise." Octvaia looked to Photo Finish. "Blinky DOES have have that perfectionist streak and deposition. And I DO have a self-conscious streak, just not as much. I know what it's like to like listening more than talking." Pinkie Pie thought to herself, 'I... I hope those don't sound like... excuses.' "I... I also really wondered... was it really right to leave mom and dad all alone on the rock farm? I... it was never for me but... it was everything for them." Pinkie Diane had always thought of it as a big paradox that Applejack going back to her farm was the right thing, while Pinkie Pie leaving the farm was also the right thing. "I would be there," Maud Pie said matter of fact breaking Pinkie Pie out of her reflection. "I-I know you would..." Pinkie Pie admitted. "And that just means, I don't want to hurt mom and dad's feelings with it being just them and you..." "No of us hated you Pinkie Pie, get that nonsense out of your head, you have enough in there already." Photo Finish said sternly. "Sorry." "And we ALL come back for Hearth Warming Eve remember?" Octavia added. "It's not like we've forgotten our roots." "It's just the rock farm is a big place... it doesn't manage itself." In spite of bad jokes about the Apple's fictional monopoly on fruit, the Apple Farm was not simply nor easy to fun with only four Apples on staff. The rock farm, in spite of appearances, wasn't any less easy. "And... Maud Pie has to go to college eventually... that would leave just mom and dad on the farm now that Trixie's left... and they're getting older... and Granny Pie is already gone. I don't want them to be all alone, and I KNOW none of us want them to be alone either!" "But I don't want forget YOU as a sister Pinkie Pie!" Octavia said. "I know we haven't always gotten along, but we're still family! You and Vinyl HELPED ME through what Chrysalis and Discord did to me!" Photo Finish nodded as well. "I second it! I have few times with you as it is! I do not wish to lose them! I do not care about 'messiness!' For this one!" "I'm just worried about the damage it could cause," Pinkie Pie whispered. "Large families can have more than four foals, in particular farming families," Maud Pie said. "It wouldn't be impossible..." The triplets looked at each other. "But... wouldn't that be MORE cheating? And wouldn't that just make the soup filled with MORE spices than it already has?" Pinkie Pie said worried. "And wouldn't splitting you apart while staying related just make things MORE complicated?" "Uh, is this a good time to mention I was thinking of moving to Ponyville?" Octavia offered awkwardly. Maud Pie said, "Whatever you decide, it'll be your choice. But you won't be able to take it back once you've decided... so what do you decide?" The triplets looked at each other. And they reached a decision. But what was it? + Silver Spoon smiled in the white light. she felt it. She knew it. She understood it. She wasn't sure of all the details... but she knew the Cutie Mark Crusaders had done it... The world was saved. But... she also felt it, and she didn't have a clue how. But she felt it... Diamond Tiara... she still needed to be saved. "I promise Diamond Tiara, whatever comes next, however it comes next, when we save you, I will be there to help! No if, ands, or but!" Friendship was that which pierces all, be it memories, time, space, or reality. + As the world dissolved into white light, and his family and friends faded into the white light, Spike was surprisingly calm. "Maybe that's cause I know this what Apple Bloom and the others were all planning from the start? To fix the world back into the shape it was supposed to be in before this curse hit everything? Wish I could gloat with Twilight on another on our 'So curses aren't real' scorecard... " Spike wondered how long he had before the entire universe finished putting itself back together. "Wait a minute... if the world is being put back together right now... and this curse changed the way things worked... " Spike grinned ear to ear. "Well!" He shouted in as bold and powerful voice as his baby dragon lungs could give. "I wish that I'd become the legendary hero of a great civilization and they'd praise and worship me until the end of time!" And Spike suddenly felt very happy. + Sweetie Belle stood in the white light, not sure of what she was doing there, or how she even got there. There was a great barking behind her. She turned around, and gave a yell of joy. "BLANKY!" She hugged them. Then she noticed. "Blanky! You got big!" Indeed, Sweetie now only came up to the wolf's knees now. The giant beast barked again and nuzzled her, its giant tail wagging. "I'm so happy to see you!" Blanky barked. "What?" Blanky barked again. "You can't... you can't stay with me anymore?" Blanky whined. "You've got other ponies who need your help now? ... I... I understand." Sweetie's eyes misted up. "Heh, I never did get to show you to Twilight...I'm, I'm really glad I met you. I PROMISE I'll always remember you!" Blanky opened his jaws, thought about something, then closed them. And he nodded and yipped. "I know you'll remember me too!" Sweetie said, crying, and kissed the giant wolf on the nose as he leaned down. The beast smiled at her. "Sweetie Belle?" Now it was Button Mash who was besides her. Blanky took his leave, giving Sweetie Belle one final look before bounding away in the white light that he blended into perfectly. "Button!" The two hugged. "Sweetie Belle! I just want ya to know! For realz! Whatever happens next! Whatever doesn't happen next! You're the best friend I could have asked for!" "Button... you... you... you know?" "I knew for a really long time! I don't have to explain a lot! I just want you know that you gave ma reason besides my video games!" "You already did! Your family! And I'm just happy I got to be your friend too! I promise I'll be your friend! Whatever happens next!" The entire void seem to shake and rumble. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" Button Mash hugged her. "Please don't give up on me! I know I can be dense and I pain sometimes! But please don't ever give up on me!" "I WON'T! I PROMISE!" The two hugged each other so tightly it was a wonder they didn't become one pony. "Butt I'm sorry this had to happen I'm-" "I'm not sorry! I got to be your friend! I got to be Apple Bloom's friend! And Spike's friend! And Silver's friend! And Scootaloo's friend! There's nothing to be sorry about! You're my special friend Sweetie Belle!" "And you're my special friend too!" A item was selected from Button Mash's inventory, letting him take one last look. It was a picture of him with the other CMC inside the club house. Button Mash just cried and smiled. = 'Thank You My Love' - Rhapsody - A Musical Adventure = Sweetie Belle sang and continued to sing as long as she was able. Both smiled. Thank you, my love. I thank you from my heart You filled my life with melody and song You are the one, I tell my story to It's just begun. Our love will last forever We'll share our lives as one We have shared the laughter and tears Through all we have bared. We will say good-bye just for now till we meet again Thank you, my love. Thank you over and over It warms my heart just to say it again Thank you, my dear. It's so hard just to say good-bye But I will do it with a tear and a smile Thank you, my love with all of my heart You gave me a reason to believe Lessons learned You have taught me through time And they will stay inside my mind Thank you, my love. Thank you over and over It warms my heart just to say it again Thank you, my dear. It's so hard just to say good-bye But I will do it with a tear and a smile Thank you, my love with all of my heart You gave to me a reason to believe You helped me find the heart to stay me You gave to me a reason to believe