The Price of Flight

by Bro-Nii-San

When the Heart and Soul Take Flight (Epilogue)

Ten years have passed since the incident with Scootaloo and Malevolence. The facts of what happened that day were made public five years ago, and a new historical curriculum was added to schools across Equestria with the help of Princess Twilight. The purpose was to teach the younger generations of the failures of those before them, as well as their successes, all in the attempt to help educate the youth of the kingdom to avoid the same mistakes of those before them. The last five years have seen an increase in relations not only within Equestria, but also with the Griffin Kingdom and the new Yakyakistan citizens.

The first ones to learn the lessons the schools taught, however, was the Cutie Mark Crusaders, having been present at the time. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle only ever heard stories of what happened, but Scootaloo was a key component with the resolution of the previously unknown threat to Equestria. In the following years, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash became even closer as sisters, even eventually reuniting with Scootaloo’s parents in Cloudsdale. Each year since then, they have made the journey back to be with family, despite the fact that Scootaloo is still unable to fly. Much to the surprise of all, however, Scootaloo was made an Honorary Wonderbolt, and found a cutie mark and career as a scouter for the Wonderbolts, finding some of the most talented young fliers in the organizations history, all because Rainbow Dash would always tell her stories of the great Wonderbolts of old. Rainbow Dash herself finally found her place among the Wonderbolts, though she is not yet the Captain.

Sweetie Belle found the sorrow and joy of Benevolence’s life, and her first poem quickly became a classic, even becoming part of Twilight’s new curriculum. The words she used to describe the good and sad times in everyday life based on Benevolence’s story were noticed by many, including Sapphire Shores, who employed her as a lyricist for her music. In recent years, Sweetie Belle herself has become more known for her singing as well, though she refuses any major contracts. Apple Bloom chose to embrace many of the zebras’ ancient herbal traditions, and became a master of potions of all kinds. Oddly enough, it seems most of her potions use apples as a base… Regardless, her innovations in chemistry and herbs have all but revived a once dead art, drawing even more zebras to Equestria is search of new learning in the field.

Although so much time has passed, there is not a day that Twilight, Celestia, Luna, and Scootaloo forget a single word that was spoken with Benevolence, and the promise that they made with him. What had started as one of the darkest times in Scootaloo’s life had turned out to be one of the most positive impressions in her life to date. Likewise, the friends that stood by her side were inspired by the resolve she showed, which strengthened their own resolve, who shared it with others, who shared it with others. Although it was a selfish action that had sparked the situation, it was the selfless sacrifice she faced that touched the lives of those around her, that had supported her, that continue to support her.

Life can be tough. Life can hurt. Life can seem like a bleak, bottomless pit. But it is not. If you hit bottom, there are those that will help you stand again, that will continue to support you for years to come. They are few and far between, so cherish them. If you have the resolve to stand up once more, it may not be your own life that you change. So make mistakes. Learn from them, and share that knowledge with others! Live your life, you only get one!

Thank you for reading!

Author's Note:

That's it! The end of my very first fic! And, one last time, thanks for everyone who stuck with this lazy bum and my horrible update schedule. The last paragraph there is basically what I was attempting to convey throughout to story, and I truly do hope those words reach those that need them. I plan to do a few more fics in this little "alternative universe" I have "created" for myself here, so expect to see Malevolence again! (Or not.) I hope to see some (well, all) of you in the next story!

Comments

[i_am_the_jam]

[aplauso]

[Emperor]

Huh, so Scoots still didn't get to fly after that whole thing. I guess seeing what happened the first time she flew makes her a little less anxious about it, though.

[Bro-Nii-San]

Wow, been so busy with 'real' life, that I haven't had the chance to sit down and check FimFiction properly for a while. (A whole "computer wipe" didn't really help with that either.) First off:

6489469
Thanks for taking the time to not only read, but reply to my story as well!

6489536
6489605
I am glad you were able to piece that together. I was doing my best to give hints as to what was happening, without outright giving it away before its time, which is something I have never tried in a story before now. I am assuming it wasn't TOO obvious? I mean, the whole 'King Sombra and Nightmare Moon' thing was suppose to be a bit obvious.

6490889
I am glad that it appeared that you liked the story up to this point! And I am also sorry if the fight was a bit lackluster. (I had wanted to deliver a bit of an action scene, without it completely taking over the story.) Because of that, I did cut it a bit shorter than I had originally intended, because the fight was not the real story-plot at the time, or at least was not intended to be, which is why there is less of a focus on the battle between them all in detail. Gonna throw this in a spoiler for light spoilers towards the end of the story. The actual point I was attempting to get across with Malevolence, was that he was not actually "evil", but was instead attempting to save the world from a warped point of view. And honestly, when Scootaloo helped him to see clearly, he essentially did give up his life, seeing as the power he used to anchor himself in the Dream Realm faded away, and he willingly let it happen. (Sorry if that part was not too clear.)

6490896
I think what I said in the Epilogue stand true still. Scootaloo may be unable to fly, but what she found was that it was not what was most important to her. After all she had been through, she realized that her friends and 'sister' where so much more important to her. I had really intended this story to be thought provoking for people, and I'll be honest. It may have been my first published story, and it did FAR better that I had hoped it would, but I am still not 100% satisfied with the overall story. I know I have a lot of room for improvement, and hopefully I can one day come back to it, sit down, and do the idea a bit more justice.

Thanks again, Emperor, for taking the time to read and comment. The insight into my story, and the twists and turns I attempted was very helpful for me!

[StarLoverRainDestroyer]

I cried multiple times during this fic if you can make me do that
than you sir have made a great first fic
the grammar was great

[Bro-Nii-San]

7012184
Ah, thank you very much for the kind words! It really means a lot that my story has that sort of emotional impact, it is what I strive for. I am glad that you so enjoyed the story! Hoping to have more like it coming before too (much) long(er)!

[Teraunce]

Well that happened. Nice story, interesting ending and epilogue, and nice chapter naming scheme.