Epilogue
EPILOGUE
“Your Majesty, the representative of the northern tribes is…”
“Chancellor please, I’m tired, it’s late…” Celestia walked on towards her chambers, the magenta coated mare hurrying along after her,
“But the Elder’s been waiting here for…”
“Chancellor!” Celestia snapped, rounding on the startled mare, “Don’t you realise what I have had to do today? Do you have any idea…” she trailed off at the wide eyed look of fright on the Chancellor’s face. The Princess took a breath and rubbed her eyes with her foreleg, “Look, I’m sorry, but I am really in no condition to see to the Elder right now, and i’m sure they would prefer to see me fresh and alert. Please, Chancellor, ask the Elder to stay as our guest tonight and make sure they are well looked after.” She gave her wings a quick shake, “I’m going to bed.”
Her hoofsteps echoed down the halls. Without carpets, tapestries or pictures, the immensity of the palace felt cold…empty. It seemed strangely fitting considering the sobre tone of the day’s events. Still, she’d have a word with the designers in the morning and see if they could move things along. This was, after all, supposed to be her home.
Home.
All this time, all these years, she’d fought the emptiness in her heart and now it was the emptiness of the new palace. It was supposed to be a place of light and joy, a focal point for the new capital city, and yet it just didn’t seem to feel ‘homely’ to her at all. Maybe some day it would, after some personal trimmings and colour had been added. She liked her freedom, her space to be who she was, but…why did this place feel so empty? Why did she feel so alone? She pushed open the double doors to her chambers, barely noticing the guards outside snapping to attention. Gods, she was so tired! Reaching, up, she unbuckled the gorget, allowing it to drop on the rug and used her magic to float the crown off her head and over to the bookcase. The Princess yawned expansively, dropping to her haunches and knocking the crown away from her as it clattered off the shelf and onto the floor by her hooves. Wonderful! What a time to give Lilly the day off…she groaned and pulled herself into the bed, kicked off her golden hoof covers and let herself drift away on a tide of sleep.
Rush looked into her eyes with his usual gruff expression. His eyes, so alien, and yet still mirroring the real stallion inside, made her heart melt. She could smell him, that strangely musky scent that made her knees tremble and her mane shiver whenever he was close. She watched him settle himself down by the fire pit and take the water off the boil. Quick as a flash, he tipped it into the tea pot, allowing the tea leaves ‘to dance’ as he called it. That always made her smile; the way he would describe making something so simple as a cup of tea sound almost mystical and full of ceremony. Here, in his home, in this dark wooden house in the bamboo forest, every single day felt full of mystery and wonder. It was such an alien place to her; no trappings of office, no austere walls, pillars, banners, or guards outside her bed chambers. No, here there was a simple bed in the corner of the room, far too small for her of course, and a pile of river reeds near the fire. That was where she slept, that was where she had lain as he’d cared for her when she’d first arrived in this world - and it was wonderful. The scent of fresh reeds tantalised and teased her, the aroma of fresh tea invited her - the human pouring it into the cups, the lost pony from Equestria…
“Tia?”
Celestia sipped her tea. It was wonderful…“Hmm?”
“When can I come home?”
“Rush…I…” The Princess looked up into the deep eyes of…
“Luna…”
“Tia? I want to come home, sis. I’m cold, It’s so lonely here…I’m all alone.” The dark mare, her beloved sister’s eyes filled with tears, “I’m frightened Tia! Please…please! I want to come home!”
Celestia heart leaped, “Luna!”
“Please! I’m so sorry! Please, I just want to come home, don’t leave me! TIA!”
“LUNA!” The Princess’s cry echoed around her chambers and she jumped up out of bed in alarm. Her heart was racing and sweat poured off her in sheets. Dear Gods, what a dream! Or…or was it? She closed her eyes and rubbed her face before dragging her weary body over to the wash stand. Lilly had done her job well as always; there were fresh towels, soap and flannels. A good wash would make her feel better. Yawning, Celetia poured out the water and set to work with the cold flannel.
A few minutes later, she gave herself a shake and placed the towel back on the washstand. She probably shouldn’t get into bed yet, not with still damp fur, but…but she was just so tired…
Fortunately, Lilly had banked the fire and it didn’t take much to get it roaring back into life, radiating its warming light and heat into the room. She could have used magic of course, it would have been simplicity itself to dry herself and sink back into the expansive bed, but that would mean facing those dreams again. She’d have to see the physician in the morning and see if there was something she could use to help her. This was too much, far, far too much…
The moon was still full outside, its baleful light showing all beneath its wan light the image of what had become known as ‘the mare in the moon’. She leaned her hooves on the windowsill and gazed up at it, her mind drifting like a leaf upon the river, and letting it take her wherever it would. Hopefully, someday, she would be re-united with her sister, and all the horrors, the pain and suffering of that darkest of times, would be nothing more than a bad memory. She closed her eyes and breathed in the night air, gazing up one last time at the moon,
“Goodnight, dearest Luna.”
She really would need to try and get some sleep, or she’d be no good for her meeting with the Elder. Such a meeting was likely to be…
There was a knock at the door. She groaned; a knock at the door at this hour? The Princess trotted over and opened it to reveal the sleepy looking maid standing in the corridor between the two burly guards,
“Yes, Lilly?”
The orange coated maid bobbed a curtsy, “Please, Your Majesty, pardon my intrusion at this hour, but you asked to be informed when the royal mage had news?”
**************************
“Shhh…don’t worry, my little one, we’ll be there soon.”
The foal snuggled further into the purple mare’s side. He was growing so fast now; each day his wings were able to bear him aloft just that little bit longer. Soon, she would have trouble catching him, but it didn’t matter, the sky was his element, not hers.
“Auntie Nutmeg?” the little foal looked up at her with his big blue eyes, “I’m hungry.”
The mare nodded with a smile, taking out a pot of squirrel portions she’d made up for him earlier. It felt…strange, killing and cooking meat for her foal, but it was all he would have. There no mistaking those teeth, the sharp points made short work of his meal, and some day, he would be able to hunt for himself. He would grow big and strong, a son his parents would have been so proud of.
Around her, the other ponies spoke in low tones, all of them walking with a single purpose, with one mind…to find a home of their own, a home where they could await the return of their one true Goddess. Rumours had been going around for some time now about the sanctuary far to the north, the place where true followers of the Goddess could find safety and a home to call their own. Nutmeg smiled down at the small life beside her and wiped around his mouth when he’d finished. The way he struggled made her chuckle - he was so endearing!
“How is he?” The old mare asked as she trotted up, tapping out her long stemmed pipe on a hoof, “He looks well.”
Nutmeg smiled, tucking the blanket in around the midnight blue foal, “He’s well, very well. He’s going to grow up to be big and strong, like his father.”
“You never met him did you?” the old mare asked, tapping the foal on the nose and eliciting a giggle.
The purple mare shook her head, “No. I heard about him from the others of course, but…no. I wish I had.”
“He was magnificent,” the older one continued, “a stallion who braved the fires that others feared, to save his family.” She shook her head, “I saw him that day you know, charging into the burning building. I saw the look in his eyes when he…” she trailed off, “it is a sad tale.”
“Do you think he will ever return for his son?” The purple mare asked.
“Maybe, if the Goddess wills it to be so.” The older mare tossed her mane, “Have you thought of a name for him yet? We can’t just keep calling him ‘boy’.”
Nutmeg looked up at the moon above them and smiled, “Born of two worlds, beneath the light of our Goddess.” She looked down into the foal’s sleeping face. The little fellow looked so peaceful…
“I thought I’d name him after his father, Tempest, and our beloved Goddess.” She looked up into the older mare’s eyes, “Tempest Moon.”
The mare smiled, “It is a good name, and one that shall remind him of his heritage.” She leaned down and kissed him on the muzzle, “Goddess bless you my child.”
Tempest Moon murmured contentedly and snuggled into his auntie’s warm fur. His dreams were full of the wonders of flying, flying so high that he could almost reach the stars…and one day…maybe he would.
************************
Rush collapsed onto the cold stone floor in a heap, his breathing ragged and laboured. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut as panic and fear tore at his heart.
“Starswirl! What’s happening?” Celestia’s cry of alarm echoed around the room.
The wizard hurried to the stallion’s side, fixing a set of peculiar looking goggles to his eyes while running an equally strange apparatus over the prostrate brown pony. He lifted his eyelids and stared into the pony’s dilated pupils,
“He’s going into shock, we need a physician down here quickly.”
“GUARDS!” Celestia burst into the corridor, “Fetch the royal physician, NOW!”
The poor startled stallion dropped his spear and tore off at breakneck speed up the corridor, leaving the Princess to hurry back to Rush’s side,
“Rush…Rush can you hear me?”
“T…Tia…” Rush’s gasps and shaking continued unabated, his legs kicking helplessly.
Celestia could see the pain in his contorted features, his muscles twitching under his skin as if snakes were writhing within him,
“Starswirl, please!” she pleaded, “Do something!”
“I’m not a doctor, Celestia, I’m doing all I can!” The wizard began setting up devices around Rush, shooing the Princess out of the way, “His mind, body, and soul are out of synchronisation. Has he been in this other world his whole life?”
“Yes!” Celestia tried desperately to keep herself calm, but it was a losing battle, “He was born over there.”
“Equestrian parents?”
“Yes!”
Starswirl shook his head and adjusted his equipment, “Damn it all! Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“I…”
“Never mind, we have to do something now or he’s going to die.” He jumped to his hooves, “We have to get him somewhere warm and get fluids into him.”
“My chambers!” Celestia replied in a panic, “Help me lift him.”
Wrapping the chocolate brown pony in their combined magic, Rush was floated onto the Princess’s back while Starswirl grabbed a set of panniers,
“I need to get some things: go! Go now!”
In a flurry of hooves, Celestia charged off down the halls, stairs and corridors of the palace, tearing past surprised staff and guards as she headed for her rooms. She could feel Rush’s heart beat, feel his chest heaving against her back, even as she ran for all she was worth. As frightening as the situation was, at least he was still breathing, but she had to get him warm - and fast. She nearly lost her balance when she took the last corner too quickly, flaring her wings to help her right herself as she tore past the startled guards and slammed the doors closed behind her. Weaving magic as quickly as possibly, she pulled out her spare quilts and blankets from the linen cupboard and lay them out in front of the fire before gently lowering the panting stallion onto the makeshift bed. A few more threads of magic and the fire roared into life, filling the room with its heat. Firmly, but carefully, she lifted Rush’s head and tipped a glass of water towards him,
“Rush, you have to drink. It’s only water, it’s alright.” She spoke quietly, calmly, but inside, her heart was screaming in panic and distress of her own. Where was Starswirl? Where was the physician? Why were they taking so long?!
As if in answer to her unspoken questions, the door flew open, the brown and white royal surgeon hurrying in, closely followed by Starswirl and a floating bag of equipment. The surgeon leaned down and listened to Rush’s chest and shook his head, looking up at Starswirl,
“It’s not good, we need to get him stabilised.” He pulled over his bag and began to rummaging inside, “Blackweed root…” he muttered, and pulled out a small jar labelled with a skull and crossbones.
“What’s that?” Celestia asked, “Did you say ‘Blackweed’? That’s poison!”
“Princess, please.” The surgeon said pouring the contents into a beaker, “I have to do this; if not, his organs will fail and he’ll die.” He reached across and poured some water into the mixture before swirling it with a stick, “Hold his head up and open his mouth.”
Rush’s body convulsed and he gasped in a breath as the fluid began to pour in. Suddenly he kicked out, knocking the surgeon away and sending the beaker of mixture into the air. Quick as a flash, the Princess drew her magic around the fluid and the beaker, bringing it to her own mouth. There was one way to do this; she took a deep breath, and then poured the contents into her own mouth. Impropriety or not, she had to do this, or else…no, she wouldn’t think that, not now, not after they’d come so far! Celestia clamped her mouth over Rush’s and allow the concoction to trickle down his throat. He thrashed and gasped, fighting against whatever invisible demons fought within him, but at least she’d managed to do this much. Beside her, Starswirl and the surgeon were hard at work, setting up magical apparatus around the two of them, until finally, Starswirl nodded to himself in satisfaction,
“Your Majesty, we have to move out of the magic field and let it do its work.”
She looked up, finally noticing the long brass tripods that had been set up around them. Each one was topped with a large white crystal that glowed with a faint inner light. Starswirl held out his hoof to her,
“Quickly, the field’s already building.”
Celestia reluctantly lowered Rush’s head, stepping around him to the grey unicorn. He smiled at her reassuringly, his voice unusually gentle and caring,
“Watch.”
The ponies stood in silence, the only other sounds the occasional crackle and pop from the fire and the wheezing of Rush’s chest. He wasn’t thrashing now, so…so maybe the Blackweed was doing its job? Celestia looked to the surgeon who nodded to her confidently. She wished she could have felt the same way. Rush was…Rush…
Starswirl laid his hoof on her shoulder and nodded towards the white glow that was building between the crystals. Slowly but steadily, the glow began to envelop the chocolate brown stallion and then, as Celestia watched in mounting horror, she saw them: long strands of white light, like thin serpents dancing around his prostrate form, wriggling and writhing horribly. She felt sickened and horrified simultaneously, but before she could utter a word, Starswirl lifted his staff and began to mumble under his breath. Celestia watched in fascination as the wizard did his work. He reminded her of a snake charmer she’d seen when she was a foal on a diplomatic visit to the griffin kingdom. The way he moved, the way the staff followed the threads movements, or was it the other way around? The way he seemed to be able to command the white threads was fascinating; his face full of intense concentration. As the Princess watched, one by one, the threads began to slow their gyrations and sink back into the stallion’s body, absorbed by his life energy. She recognised some of the words, some of the magic Starswirl was using, but this…this was beyond anything she would have expected a pony to be able to learn. Thanks the Gods he had, and more so, that he was here.
The glow from the crystals was dimming now, and with a final incantation, the bearded grey unicorn trotted round and collected his equipment. He nodded to the physician who shook his head in amazement,
“Thank you, I’ll take it from here.”
Starswirl nodded and yawned, “Well, that’s that then. Now, a good nights sleep will do us all the world of good.” He gave Celestia a wink, “You too young lady.”
“Young…?” She was hundreds, if not thousands of years older than he was! The cheeky…
“Thank you, Master Starswirl,” she smiled, “before you leave for some well earned rest, may I ask: what did you do?”
“Oh, simple enough.” He said scratching an ear, “His soul, body and mind needed to be re-aligned. Wouldn’t normally be a problem I expect, but what with being born on another world and living there all his life, his body had all but forgotten what it really was.” He fished out his pipe from his satchel and began loading it, “The soul remembers though.”
“What about those white threads?”
Starswirl smiled mysteriously, “Have you ever knitted something?”
Celestia nodded; she had once - a scarf. It hadn’t worked out too well and she’d ended up stuffing it in a drawer where it had remained ever since.
“If you make a mistake, sometimes you have to unravel your work back to the point before the error and re-knit it properly.” Starswirl shrugged, “There’s always a pattern, you just let the soul guide you.”
The Princess shook her head in astonishment.
Waving a hoof, the enigmatic wizard walked out of the room in a cloud of grey tobacco smoke,
“Good night all!”
Celestia sank to her haunches and quickly turned to watch what the physician was doing. Not much as it turned out, he was already packing his things to leave.
“You’re going?” she asked in surprise.
“I’ve done all I can.” The stallion replied matter-of-factly, “He’s been through a lot, but he’s resting now. You’ll have to make sure he takes in plenty of fluids when he wakes up though, and takes these tablets.” He passed her a jar with bright yellow pills inside, “One, three times a day, until he’s on his hooves.” He clicked his bag closed, “The rest is up to him now.” He bowed low, “By your leave, Your Majesty.”
The Princess bowed in reply, watching the door close behind the brown and white stallion, leaving her alone with Rush; alone…in her bedchamber…Giving herself a shake at her scandalous imagination, she moved closer to him and reached out with a hoof, paused and then put it back down. No, it wouldn’t be right, not now. Rush was sick…well, not exactly sick, but weak certainly. Bringing him here had been more of an ordeal for him than she’d thought. In fact, she hadn’t really thought about it at all, she’d just assumed that like her, like his mother even, he would simply ‘change’ when he got here and that would be that. By the Gods she’d been so stupid! Had she been so blinded by her selfish desire to bring him to Equestria that she hadn’t even considered what it would do to him? She’d nearly killed him! A single tear rolled down her cheek and landed on the floor.
“Tia…”
Her eyes flew open and she leaned down, “Rush? Don’t move, your body’s adjusting to our world. The physician said you need to rest.”
Rush slowly opened his eyes, blinking in the firelight. A pair of bright blue orbs as pure as the morning sky, gazed up at the Princess and her heart leaped - they were so blue! The same colour, she realised, as his father’s had been. His mane and tail too, were a rich cream he had inherited from his mother. Carefully, she reached down and helped him take a sip of his water. He gave her a weak smile,
“Tia, where?”
“You’re in the palace, in my room.”
He seemed to be struggling with something internally, squeezing his eyes shut as if in pain and then looked away,
“My body…it feels wrong…”
“You’ve been in the human world all your life, Rush.” Celestia explained gently, “It will take a little time for you to adjust to your new life here.”
He was like a newborn foal: unsure, unsteady, and yet so full of promise. She couldn’t but smile, and reached down to brush some stray hairs from his muzzle.
“My…my hands…”
“Hmm?” Celestia looked down at his legs, “I don’t know, I never had them, but your hooves look just fine.”
Rush licked his lips. By the Gods, everything felt so strange, so absolutely terrifying. His hands, his arms, his legs, every single part of him, was wrong…and yet…no, not ‘wrong’, that wasn’t the word. No, he felt…’alien’. Was this how he was meant to be?
“Rush, are you in pain?” Celestia asked stroking his mane, “I can ask the physician to fetch you something.”
The chocolate brown pony shook his head, “No, I’m not it pain, just…I don’t know…” he licked his lips, “Even my mouth feels funny.” He stuck his tongue out and licked his nose, making Celestia’s eyes go wide in amusement. She couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight! The sound of her mirth and the gleam in those beautiful purple eyes, eased the turmoil in Rush’s heart. Despite how strange everything was, the feel of her hooves against his body seemed to make his fear melt away as though it had never been. He took a deep breath, the scent of the Princess tantalising his nostrils so much more intensely than it had in his world. He huffed…this was his world, this, the one in his dreams, it was… He shifted a foreleg, trying to find his balance. Celestia quickly lay a hoof on him,
“Rush, please, don’t try to stand just yet, give yourself…”
Rush snorted loudly, “I have to.” He look into her eyes with such conviction, she knew that there was little she could do to stop him. Secretly, she wanted to see him stand, but, was it too soon?
“Damn it!” Rush flailed around, trying to get his legs under him and put his arms out and push, but…why were…”Bloody hell!” his head thumped off the bedding and he started to feel giddy.
“Shhh…” Celestia lay her hoof upon him, “Here, let me show you.”
Rush watched as the Princess moved around to lay down before him. She smiled encouragingly, “Pull your hind legs under you like this…”
He did so, feeling the odd sensation of joints and muscles that were almost back to front. In fact…were they? He gave himself a mental shake and concentrated on what he was being shown.
“Good.” Celestia nodded, “Now, sit upright with your forelegs out in front of you.”
Rush took a breath and stretched. His arms, or rather ‘forelegs’, reached out and he found, with his rear hooves and legs tucked under himself, he actually felt quite comfortable - it was easier to breath too.
“Now, push yourself up with your forelegs, one at a time.” She pushed herself back up until she was sitting on her haunches, “You’ll feel a balance there, just enough so you feel comfy.” She gave him a…did she wink at him?
Rush pushed. That was simply enough, apart from feeling like he wanted to stretch his fingers out…if he’d had any.
Celestia gave her mane a shake, drawing his attention back to her, “Ready?”
He nodded.
“Now, rock forward a little, and push with your hind legs until you’re up.” The Princess rose elegantly from the floor, “Like that.”
Rush gritted his teeth. Dear Gods, even they felt weird! With a deep breath he pushed back with his hind legs, the unfamiliar things pushing him up and…
“Gah!”
Horribly, the world lurched around him, his stomach heaved and he lost his balance completely. He staggered sideways, trying to catch himself, but his centre of gravity here was completely different to what he was used to. Great Gods, how was he ever going to get used to this!?
Forelegs caught him, the white form of the Princess appearing before him, those large eyes gazing into his encouragingly, “Calm…” she said quietly, “Calm…”
Rush’s heart was thundering, his legs shaking like jelly. Calm? He felt like he wanted to scream! And now…was she laughing at him? Dear Gods, she was! Rush frowned,
“It’s not funny!” he snapped, “It’s…AGH!”
He stumbled again, caught once more by the alicorn Princess. Her forelegs stopped him from launching himself into the fireplace,
“Whoa there!” she giggled, “Nearly lost you that time.”
“Tia! Please!” Rush gasped, but the Princess kept shaking with barely contained laughter. She suddenly sat back on her haunches and leaned her muzzle against him,
“Oh Rush!” she said wiping the tears from her eyes, “You look like a newborn foal! It’s so adorable!”
He didn’t know what to say, but he certainly wouldn’t describe his current situation as adorable!
Celestia lifted his chin with her hoof, “Listen to your heart. Remember the memories of running, of the grass on the hillside and the sun high in the sky.”
Rush closed his eyes.
“Can you see it? Can you feel the wind in your mane, the water sparkling in the river? It’s waiting for you Rush, it’s all here…” The Princess leaned closer, the warmth from her making his heart race, “you’re home.”
“I’m…I’m home?” Rush blinked, a stray tear rolling down his face. And then, for the first time, he was truly able to take in his surroundings: the bed, the table and chairs, the cupboards, the roaring fire, and the beautiful creature standing before him. He’d dreamed of this, he’d wanted so much to be here, with her. He reached a hoof up to his face and stared at it,
“I’m…a pony…”
“An earth pony, yes.” Celestia smiled, “A very beautiful earth pony.”
Rush snorted, “I’ll take your word for that.”
Rolling her eyes, the Princess pointed to the mirror above the fireplace, “See for yourself.”
The chocolate brown stallion with the cream mane and blue eyes stared back at him. He blinked. The pony in the mirror blinked. He flicked his ear. The mirror pony flicked his ear. Rush pawed at his muzzle and shook his head in amazement,
“Willow…”
“You have her colouring,” Celestia said walking up beside him, “and you father’s eyes.”
Rush felt a sudden surge of emotion. Feelings he’d kept locked away for so long; memories, dreams, hopes, all of it, flooded his senses. Tears filled his eyes, rolling down his cheeks and dropped to the floor like rain. In embarrassment, he tried to look away, but Celestia took his muzzle in her hooves and placed a kiss upon his forehead,
“It’s alright, my little one, don’t hide how you feel.” She rubbed her muzzle against his, her voice so soft and gentle, “You’re home now.”
Rush couldn’t speak; the years of emptiness, the years of being alone in the forest - it all felt like a dream, a dream he was only just now waking up from. Gingerly, he reached up a foreleg and tentatively touched the Princess’s mane. She lifted his hoof with hers, kissing it and holding it against her neck with that smile, the smile that melted his heart.
“I missed you.” he said, “Every day, every week, every month that went by, I…I always…”
Celestia nodded, “I know.” She shuddered, “I wanted this so much, to be here, with you.”
Rush pushed into her, “I tried to tell you, I wanted to, but…”
“You can tell me now.” Celestia’s cheeks flushed pink, her voice little more than the barest whisper “…If you like.”
Opening his mouth, Rush paused, scratching his muzzle and turned beet red, “I…that is, um…”
Grinning, Celestia lifted his muzzle, “Stallions…” she murmured and brought her lips to his. Rush closed his eyes and felt the softness of the Princess against him, her warm and feminine fragrance nearly sending him to his knees. Carefully, he reached up and drew her into him.
Sometimes, he thought to himself, dreams really can come true.
FIN
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Wow, as happy of an ending as you could have done considering the circumstances.
You know I really shouldn't have doubted you, going into the final battle chapter I thought there was no way you could do it justice. How wrong I was... You captured how hectic it was and you certainly captured how brutal and grim it could be. It was a thing of beauty. I hope the mods won't catch wind of it though, I've seen stories get whacked with the mature label for much less.
At first I was kind of miffed you just killed off Bracken like that but as I thought about it at that point it was more of a kindness than anything after he was put through loss after loss.
Finally am I right to think that the bat ponies we see in the show are mixed breed? That's what I thought you were getting at.
7093332 I'm glad you liked the ending. After such a marathon story it's a worry that the ending meets the expectations of the reader. As an avid reader myself i know how important that it. One of the things i had to consider when writing these stories was to make sure they tied in with one another. In the Fairlight series, Celestia came across as cold and at times even slightly tyrannical. I hadn't set out with this intention, but as the story unfolded she took on her own personality as tends to happen when writing. I wanted to explore why she was like this; what had happened to her? And so, the story When the Snow Melts was written and then Ice Fall. Moonlight is referred to in Fairlight, as are several other scenes from both WTSM and Ice Fall, so if the whole are read, the reader will recognise characters and plots from the various 'arcs'.
At least, I hope so!
I've been working on a follow up already, but i'm going to take a break for a short while to give myself a chance to recharge the old inspiration cells. It was going great until weeks of editing wore me down! Still, it looks good so far. In the pipeline i'm thinking about re-writing the Fairlight series, writing a story about Thorn, and of course, Fairlight 5. Let's see where that takes us.
As for bat ponies...
I'll leave that to your imagination. For now.
7287973 That's my fault i'm afraid. I've uploaded an edited chapter from WTSM into the wrong part. It's been corrected now, so Chapter Nine - Friends old and new, is the right one! Sorry about that. I really shouldn't edit things in the small hours of the morning.
7296794 Canterlot Kingdom should be called a Principality instead.
7468578 Thanks for the heads up, i've corrected the errors. As for your question, Tempest is most certainly a thestral. Unfortunately, my editing slipped up here, but it's amended now. 'Tempest' should now read 'Cove'. Sorry!
7468578
You can has review!
7695698 Nope, they're cock ups. Unfortunately finding an accomplished editor isn't easy, especially on something this size. I'll ensure the errors are amended.
Not sure about Doc Bright Days being referred to as 'Bright Eyes' though, as I can't find that anywhere and I've been right through every chapter. Of course, I could have missed it.
Thanks for pointing the errors out though - they've been corrected.
Fun Fact : Bright Eyes was a rabbit in Watership Down if I remember correctly.
7696055 Looks like I was just being dyslexic or something, all on me lol, should've double checked before I commented. The Spurs Anchor/Anvil thing I know was a thing lol. But anyways, finally marathon got to the end of this, and what a ride it was. Favorite, and onwards to the sequel :D
7720364 I'm glad you enjoyed it
I'm always open to thoughts and comments. Hope you enjoy the Where the Sunflowers Grow.
7735538 Thanks, i've amended it.
7738025 Amendments made
7738169 Thanks for pointing that out. To be honest it's been a while since I wrote it, so i'll have to go back and re-read it before I make any amendments.
Cheers,
7745334 Fixed!
7749005 Also the one where in one sentence he claims its his wife at first but later its his daughter all the time? (should not have used a joke maybe, instead just point it out but did bold both wife/daughter in their sentences
)
7749487 Can you remember which chapter that's in? I'll have a look when I get a min.
7750158
Chapter Twenty Five - Beat to Quarters ·
You can see it in the header of the comment next to the like/dislike button (i comment in the chapter itself so that should tell you where it is)
7757458 Actually I hate killing characters off, especially ones I really like. For all of her comparatively short appearance in the story, Pickles is one of my favourites. As for poor Bracken, he really is just one of life's unlucky souls, although things do work out for him in the end.
Oh boy what a ride it has been, this feel train ride starts slow, eases you in so you dont feel overwhelmed then boom at the end slows down enough for you to think about it all.
That last chapter with the memorial was quiet a "passive" emotional chapter. Not forcing tears out of your eyes but subtly tugging at them.
Im really glad i found this stories, off to the next sequel!
Bracken at least got to be with his loved ones i suppose, wish Chalky found out what happened to him, i imagine a black stallion holding a big banner on the highest hill would be visible enough from the top of a Sky Galleon up in the sky.
7765003 Thanks for reading! I've enjoyed reading your comments and hope you'll enjoy Where the Sunflowers Grow. It's a different pace to the Ice Fall and focussed more on Celestia and Rush.
Kind Regards,
Bluespectre
7918098 Hi, thanks for reading and i hope you've enjoyed the story so far. I've enjoyed reading your comments too!
The thestral race are something of an enigma. They're a race of warriors who come from a land where resources are negligible and their own nature is driving them to extinction. Some of them can see this of course, Thorn and Fulminata being two notable examples, but they are still held by their absolute devotion to the one they see as their goddess - Nightmare Moon. The mindset of the thestral is one of total war: War without quarter, without mercy, where all they can see is the completion of the goddesses will and victory at any cost. The town where the ammunition dump is located is different. Here the garrison's commanding officer was one of the scouts first sent to Equestria before the war started in earnest and also where he found his future partner. He, rather like Thorn and Fulminata, can see there is more to the ponies of the land they are invading but is still tied by the orders he must follow. I noted in the story that the ponies in the town were different to the major towns as they were far from the capital and, significantly, they were not on the line of march of the Legion - thus the war never touched the way it had with the others, at least until the ammunition dump was attacked. At this time the war had officially been declared to be over, and following the orders of the goddess the explosives in the dump were to be decommissioned and hostilities were, they believed, finished.
I've studied history for much of my life and i've found many examples of where enemies have helped their former foe, sometimes even whilst hostilities were ongoing. This was a side story to the main one which i wrote as an example of the way moral lines can become blurred and what we see as black and white can often be far from the truth. When i was growing up i read war stories which painted war as very much a case of 'them and us'. It was only when i spoke to my grandparents who had been there as well as other veterans, that i found that my preconceptions of what was good and evil, right and wrong, meant nothing. Hopefully this side arc of the main story adds a little to show the thestrals as more than just out and out villains. They feature heavily in my Fairlight series which gives much more insight into the their way of life and was the where this race was first introduced. Unfortunately, this series was my first one and not only very graphic but is desperate for some heavy editing! I hope you'll stick with the series as there is more to come and should you brave the Fairlight series (Rated M currently) you may see the thestrals in a different light. Either way, they're certainly a people you probably wouldn't invite home for to meet your mother.
Thanks again for reading!
Bluespectre
7918503
Which, if you will forgive me, makes no sense. Black and white ARE the truth and there are some pretty clear lines. Title and background have absolutely nothing to do with good or evil. Good and evil are based on actions and choices.
But there are no gray areas. How can your preconceptions of right and wrong mean nothing? In war, all sides commit evil actions. No matter who committed the actions, if they intentionally unjustly harmed innocents, the answer is pretty obvious. Right and wrong are absolute, but I think the difference you're having trouble with, is that on some rare occasions, a 'wrong' might be justified. The proverbial man who steals bread to feed his family. The stealing was wrong, there can be no question about it. However, he might be justified in doing so, based on a long list of factors.
Anyway, you mentioned something that puzzled me. Fulminata HATES the Ponies. He has openly said so many times. He mentioned the thought of mating with one was disgusting. He mentions that he thinks Thestrals will end up slaughtering all the Ponies, and he has no issues with that. And I would like to ask again, what is the basis for the repeated mentions of 'the strange honor of the Thestrals'? The ONLY example of any sort of honor was when Fulminata stopped that mare from being raped, only to send her to the head's man. Where is the basis? The ones who were set upon by Jitters, were going to demolish the fucking school and ALL the foals within. They were also going to murder Chalk and Bracken for trying to get the kids away. Why? Because they fucking felt like it! It did not matter in the least that they risked injury and death to do so. The Thestrals were all too happy to just kill them because they were there. No honor there. The Thestrals were only too happy to think of feeding the dead to the Dragons. No honor there. The Thestrals kidnap and rape their own females because they are too few in number. No honor there. (And it still confuses me as to why Fulminata stopped the rape of that one mare in the field). My point is: where is this supposed honor? Why have we not seen any examples of it? It might make more sense it the sudden, supposed change of heart did not simply come right out of the blue.
One last thing: why does Luna not care at all about the Ponies being killed in the war? And why is she pinning after a (if I read it correctly) Windigo?
The lack of her caring or even mentioning the deaths of thousands of her subjects never comes up. She also never mentions being upset about not being recognized or appreciated for her work at night. What am I missing here?
One last thing, kf you feel inclined to do so, I would like to invite you to read my own story. I will not think less of you, should you chose not to do so.
7918724 Morality is, I believe, subjective and depends a great deal upon your culture and upbringing as to what you personally believe to be right and wrong. By way of example, I was brought up to believe something was absolute, with no suggestion that there was any deviation from that. You could say I had a very sheltered upbringing, but when nobody had ever told me anything to the contrary, why would I question them? But as I grew and was able to find information out for myself, I found that a lot of what I was taught and read was not as simple and clearly defined as I had originally been lead to believe. In respect to the story, the cause the thestrals are fighting for is, from the standpoint of the Equestrians, a violent and evil act upon their people. I don't think you or I would disagree on that point. However to the thestrals, this is a chance to gain a new home and comply with the will of their goddess. This does not mean that the thestrals are all the same nor simply mindless drones devoid of personality or individuality.
Conflict, whichever side you are on, will always bring out the worst in people, but sometimes also the best. An example I can give you, which served as some inspiration to the story, is one where one of my old friends was a soldier in the glider assault at Arnhem. The germans had flooded the fields and his glider broke up on landing, setting it ablaze and also filling with water. Trapped between being burned alive in the fire and drowning, the only surviving soldier from his unit, he told me how a german paratrooper broke into the plane and despite suffering injuries in the process, dragged him from the wreckage. He never spoke, he never told him his name, he just carried him on his shoulder through the water and took him to the medical tent for treatment. Why did he do it? I don't know, but perhaps there is something within people, some people at least, that even war can't erase: our humanity. My friend lost both his legs in the crash, but is still alive today thanks to the actions of a man who was his enemy. The regime the allies were fighting was terrible, and I lost family in that conflict both during WW1 and WW2. In some respects, it's a miracle i'm here at all! But that story made me think, and you can take away from it what you will. One of the quotes I have always remembered is this : Nobody ever went to war thinking god wasn't on their side.
Now, you asked about the honour of the thestrals. This was a general observation made by the Celestians due to previous encounters with them but I didn't go into too much detail, although there are hints of it within the overall story. I go into more detail in the Fairlight series, which would no doubt provide some more context. Of course, whether some of the thestrals are viewed as having their own peculiar honour code or not, it does not mean that there aren't twisted individuals amongst them, and the behaviour of the commanding officer during the incident at the church is one of the worst to my mind.
Regarding Luna, and even Celestia, I worked on the premise that this story was a thousand years in the past and that the sisters were in some respects, quite naive. Luna's infatuation with a married stallion, even Celestia's emotional turmoil over Rush and ignorance of the brutality of the kind of war the Legion brought, changes them - more so Celestia as Luna is under the sway of the Nightmare Moon. I certainly didn't want Luna to come across as heartless, but rather a younger alicorn whose heart is in turmoil. Love can do strange things to people, and making them blind to everything else around them is one of them.
Ask me how I know about that!
Anyway, that's it from me. I'm off to continue editing. I hope that answers some of your questions, but no flame war on here - PLEASE!! I've had toothache for a week and I still feel very sorry for myself
And i'd love to read your story!
7921063 One of the things I love about reading, and story telling too I suppose, is that we all take something different away from it. I put a lot of heart into my writing and have found myself laughing and sometimes crying when I've written parts of a story that hit you 'right there' so to speak. I can only hope that some of that comes across to the readers and they feel they can engage with the characters and really immerse themselves in the story. One of the best authors for this is Robin Hobb, and she was a real inspiration to me when I first set out. Goddesses know what she'd make of my musings!
If you haven't read the Fairlight series, you may want to have a look at it. It is desperate for a re-write, but was written with a great deal of love for the characters and emotional energy. The beginning is traumatic, there's a lot of adult as well as graphic scenes throughout, but it may be something you'll enjoy. Or of course, you could absolutely hate it!
In the meantime, i'm going to finish the latest chapter of All the Queens Horses and then i'm going to read the first of your stories. I'll get some snacks, some pop, and settle in.
Kind Regards,
Bluespectre
7921151 Best of luck, brother. Your characters do engage me emotionally (often rage, I will admit) and very powerfully so. It is exquisit quality, even if I despise so many of the characters, at least I do so because this story makes me feel. Not many can make me feel.
I've been told that my story makes people rage, so call it fair? Do not worry though, all wrongs will eventually be righted (even if it takes a few stories).
7919527 How do you know about love making you do strange things? (There, I asked.
)
World War II is one of my absolute favorite parts of history. My great uncle (may he rest in peace) was part of the 101st Airborne. He fought in the battle of the bulge and survived. I also know that the vast majority of the Weremacht were more or less pressed into service. The actual evil during WWII were the Waffen S.S. the real Nazis. I also know that reason Rudolph Huess used gas to murder people was because of the extreme negative psychological effects on the soldiers doing the killing by rifle or by hand. I found the documentary: Hitler's Children to be extremely insightful.
So... we never find out what happened to Thorn? Well that sucks! And Nutmeg lived? That double sucks. Tempest Moon though, both surprised and so, SO glad he made it.
great story! managed to get it done in just over 4 days. love the world you have crafted. still curious about the wendigos and future for "equestrian thersals"
off to next book!
8137217 Thanks for reading, i'm delighted you enjoyed it
8247703
Come on, I'm not Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, or Pol Pot.
I have a tradition of giving my humble opinion after I finish a work that has made a significant impression on me, this is one of them.
One of my favorite things is the creation of antagonists, or ''villains'' in your fic. You make them clearly seem to be the bad guys, yet, I can sympathize with the likes of Luna, Nightmare Moon, Lord Maroc, and Storm Major Thorn, as examples, this is stellar storytelling.
The love stories in this fic are gorgeously paced, I particularly enjoyed the (somewhat questionable) relationship between Bracken and Nightmare Moon. The others were also wonderfully heartwarming.
However, this story has one thing above all others. The friendship between Chalk Dust and Ebony Bracken. This makes the fic for me, and is what made it have such a lasting impression. The main reason for this, is that I have a friendship that is exactly as such. We get into trouble making silly decisions, and stick together through thick and thin. This ultimately makes the ending to their story so heartbreaking (but somehow, happy). I can't wait to see the day where they meet again in the Eternal Herd, as two great friends. These to silly lads enveloped me into this story, so I had to pull a day-long marathon to finish the damn thing.
TL;DR You're a great storyteller, and you should feel good.
Cheers,
8248606
Thanks! It's always nice to receive feedback, and also encouraging to know that you've enjoyed the story.
One of the best damn stories ive ever read. Loved the first
One just as much. Please keep being awesome, and keep up the great work you do!
8440037
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy the rest of the series just as much.
Bluespectre
Just finished the first one, best surprise to see a sequel!
This should be much more widely read, one of the best stories on this site!
9444049
Thanks!
I put a lot of time and care into my stories, so it means a lot to me to hear someone likes them.
Bluespectre
9775979
I don't remember seeing that. Besides, how could an entire race 'decide' to change themselves in the blink of an eye? It has taken humanity thousands of years to do so.
It has been over a year since I read this, I think. My opinion has never changed, but I do not remember all of it clearly. In fact, let me go back and read the whole thing again and I'll make a nice long list about the specified crimes of each side in the comment section.
May I ask what happened to the storm major?