Epilogue
It was nice, Gilda thought, to walk through town without the constant sound of construction. She cracked a nut, spearing the innards on a sharp talon. It was even nicer not to have construction ponies leering at everyone.
Well, almost everyone. The griffon grinned nastily to herself, gulping down the nut. They’d been rather loud right up until she got close and really cracked a n-
“What are you up to?”
The question jarred her out of her fantasy. Gilda squawked, jumping a foot from her cloud. She turned to glare at the snickering pegasus. “Dash!”
“That’s the name, don’t wear it out. What will all the little colts and fillies cheer then, huh?” Clinging to the edge of Gilda’s cloud, Rainbow Dash gave a lazy salute with her wing. “You looked ready for trouble.”
“Naw, just thinking about something fun,” Gilda said. She sat down again. “Besides, what are you, my parole officer?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” replied Rainbow Dash. She let her smile take any sting out of it. “Just thought I’d say hi. I’ve been kinda busy, you know, so I thought maybe we could...talk.”
They both shuddered instinctively. Neither mare nor griffon were fans of talking about emotions. They shared a look of distaste, but Gilda stayed rooted to the cloud, and Dash kept her wings closed. Silence stretched between them, the sounds of a busy town reaching the pair as they waited for the other to start.
“So, how’s the wing?” Rainbow asked. She winced, and flexed a wing in unconscious sympathy. It wasn’t the most sensitive of questions, but she wasn’t the most sensitive of ponies either.
Gilda shrugged, as nonchalant as she could be. Despite herself she brought her wing around to her front, rubbing it. “Eh, I can fly. Not like I need anything more,” she said.
Silence threatened to break out again, but Rainbow Dash forged on ahead. “Good thing the Princesses had that unicorn with the healing stuff come in. I think they thought a lot more ponies were gonna need it.”
“Yeah, I guess. Iron Will was kinda busted up, and big red-” Gilda agreed.
“Mac. Big Mac,” interrupted Rainbow Dash.
Gilda snorted, which was quite a remarkable gesture with a beak. “He’s big and he’s red. Big red works.”
“Yeah, but his name is Big Mac, not big red,” Dash said, a faint pout on her lips.
Looking at the pegasus at last, Gilda smirked. “Why’s it so important? Is Dashie all grown up and having feelings for the big red stallion?”
Rainbow’s tail snapped up and gave Gilda a light smack on the arm. A faint blush coloured her cheeks as she said, “Shut it, I was making sure you knew his real name. Mac’s just cool, okay? The second the dust settled, he was already helping clean up all the mess.”
Nodding, Gilda felt the moment of teasing, just like when they were kids, fade away. She couldn’t stand to let Rainbow Dash look in her eyes, and turned away again to hide the shame. It made the sigh from Dash, nearly too quiet to hear, hurt a little bit more than it might have. Gilda wanted to turn back and make some sarcastic remark, to allude to their past, but it hurt too much to think about it.
For all her assertions that emotions weren’t her things, Dash could tell things had taken a cold turn in Gilda’s mind again. She shook her head, not knowing what went on in that griffon’s skull, but wishing she could do something to stop it or change it. Gilda was finally in one spot, with nowhere to go! She wasn’t letting this chance get away.
“I heard Iron Will did that too. The docs were bothering him the whole time to let them check him out, but he wouldn’t stop. Never thought the big scary minotaur I’d heard about would be so….” Rainbow Dash paused, searching for the right word.
“Community spirited?” Gilda asked drily. ‘Hide it, don’t let her see. Don’t let anyone see it. Just be cool until she leaves.’
Dash nodded, chuckling. “Yeah, that. He’s a nice guy. Shame he couldn’t stick around, he was awesome at cheering and motivation.” Her chest visibly swelled with pride. “Did you see when he got like everypony doing The Wave? It was amazing.”
Gilda kept her beak shut, deciding it was better not to pop the delicate bubble that was Rainbow Dash’s fantasy of the situation. It had looked more like ponies too cowed to argue doing The Wave rather desperately to her, but then, at least Iron Will’s attempts to show how thankful he was to Fluttershy - and by extension all her friends - hadn’t actually destroyed anything. There had been more than enough clean up work to go around already.
The lack of reaction didn’t stop Rainbow Dash. She refused to give up. Gilda was going to open up to her, if she had to make small talk about the whole town! She didn’t waste any time leaping into the next vaguely related topic.
“How are you settling in? Like the place?” ‘Cause you’re never there when I come by.’ Rainbow Dash hid the emotions that thought brought up. It wasn’t like Gilda was avoiding her or anything.
Gilda shrugged, and said, “It’s alright. More than I expected.” ‘Makes it bucking hard to avoid you and the kid when you know where I live.’
“I was gonna see if I could make you a cloud house, but Twilight got all ‘town ordinances’ on me and blah blah blah, so that’ll have to wait. Pretty cool of Vinyl Scratch to let you stay at her place, even if she’s not using it,” Dash went on, rambling. “I bet she must have some radical stuff in her place.”
“Yeah, it’s nice,” agreeing, Gilda tried to steer the conversation further from herself. “Why’d they leave anyway?”
This time, Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I think Scratch wanted to spend some time with that prissy marefriend of hers. Something about Ponyville being crazy and stuff.”
“...I wonder why,” deadpanned the griffon. She ran a claw through the edge of the cloud. A tuft broke away, floating a few inches. It began to break apart, too small to support itself. “At least they stayed for a while.”
Dash snorted. She rolled her eyes. “Stupid photographer, she left before she could capture my good side! She already got my awesome side, but I gotta let everypony know as cool as I am, I’m still approachable.”
“You’re a regular pony of the people,” Gilda agreed with a faint snicker. She watched the last of the little cloud fade away, leaving only a view of the pristine new houses and homes where, a month ago, there had been a battlefield. “...they’ve fixed most of the damage pretty fast, didn’t they?”
“Bet when the Princesses are paying, they know they had to work fast.” Pride filled Dash’s voice as she went on, “Ponyville’s got a lot of experience. If any town is gonna bounce back from a demonic rampage, it’s Ponyville!”
Gilda nodded in agreement. She gestured at the homes below. “I guess those dweebs knew how to do that at least, even if they had shitty manners.”
Rainbow Dash laughed, guffawing loudly. “You’re one to talk about manners!”
Gilda scowled. Her wings twitched, ruffling in annoyance. “Hey, that just means I’m an expert on bad manners,” she muttered.
“Sure it does. Who needs Rarity? When I need a friend who knows all about manners, I’ll come to you,” Rainbow said with a snicker.
She noticed a moment later that Gilda wasn’t laughing. The griffon had gone stiff, muscles tensing between fur and feathers. Her chest barely moved with each breath, drilling a hole through the sky with her gaze. The sounds of Rainbow Dash taking the two steps needed to stand next to her made Gilda flinch.
“Gilda?” Rainbow Dash, for once, hesitated. Uncertainty filled her normally brightly confident eyes. “You okay?’
‘Say it. I need to say. I need to know,’ Gilda thought. She closed her eyes. ‘Even if she says...no, I need to do it...I need to know if...’
“...Are we really friends?” she blurted. She didn’t open her eyes or look at Rainbow Dash. She wanted to, but she couldn’t bring herself to. “I mean, come on, are we? I left, and we didn’t talk, then the next thing I know this weird pegasus I ran into out in the middle of nowhere is nice but I run off on him too because I’m stupid and suck, so when I finally go looking for him some monster turns me into a monster! A monster that tried to kill you! How can we be friends after that?”
Gilda shut herself up at that point. She clamped her talons over her beak. Being on a cloud was a mistake, she realised belatedly. How was she supposed to shove her head into the ground, or wish for the earth to open up and swallow her, if she was up here?
‘Maybe I can still hide in the cloud!’ The insanity of the idea didn’t register, only the hysterical desperation. She had barely begun to rip the cloud open when hooves seized her and pulled her back.
“First of all!” Rainbow Dash said with eyes narrow and a glare that was all determination. “Stop trying to dig into a cloud, you look ridiculous, and not Pinkie Pie ‘that’s really kinda funny’ ridiculous, like, a poor mare’s ostrich ridiculous. Seriously, you’re looking like a giant chicken.”
“Hey!” Gilda paused to glare at Rainbow Dash, her pride rising everything else in her wanted to dig down and hide. “I don’t look like a chicken!”
“Sure you don’t, G, just like you’re not worrying over stupid things,” Dash pushed on ruthlessly. She gave Gilda a shake, leaning in to stare her dead in the eye. “Because that’s what all that is; stupid.”
A spark of something hot and furious lit in Gilda. Her worries that kept her up at night were being dismissed so casually. Her fears waved off as ‘stupid’.and everything that had tormented her were being brushed off. Her arms rose, knocking Dash’s forelegs aside and gripping the mare.
“Stupid! They’re stupid?!” she shrieked.
“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash roared back, right in her face. “Because they don’t matter!”
“Yes they do!” Gilda shook the pegasus, but found Dash’s hooves knocking her arms aside this time.
“No, they don’t! Because I don’t care! I don’t care what happened in the past! I don’t care what that monster made you do, because it wasn’t you! You’re Gilda the griffon! Sometimes you’re a bit of a jerk, sometimes you don’t think about others, but you know what? I do the same! I still have friends!” Panting with her overuse of exclamation marks, Rainbow Dash leaned back to give Gilda some space. “Friends look past each other’s stupid flaws, and they don’t blame them for things they had no control over.”
“But I don’t deserve that! Why won’t any of you listen? Not you, not the kid, not even that damn unicorn! The only thing we have in common is that we got turned into monsters and beaten up by the same ugly freak, and she goes and lends me her house!” Gilda hid her face behind her talons. It was all pouring out now, no matter how she tried to keep it in.
“That...is because…” snarled Rainbow Dash. She hissed the words out between breaths as she yanked one talon away, then the second, “...you’re being...stupid!”
They stared at each other, one furiously determined, the other broken and afraid.
“I don’t care about anything except that my friend is hurting herself by thinking like this. I don’t care what happened last time, or what that monster made you do. I am worried you’ll just leave, thinking you don’t deserve friends, so I’m here to tell you that you do.” Dash gave Gilda thump on the chest, pressing her hoof against soft feathers. “Scootaloo is your friend. I’m your friend. Down there is a whole town of ponies, and any of them could be your friend too. Don’t even think about just giving up on yourself, because I never will.”
They stood there, frozen, for who knew how long. Gilda hated herself right now, for being so weak that she felt touched by Dash’s little speech, for letting it get to her and make her...make her want to give in. She wanted to let Rainbow Dash be her friend, and now she couldn’t even refuse it by saying she didn’t deserve it.
Gilda opened her beak to reply, then snapped it shut before she said something stupid. The words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat, unable to rise out, leaving her opening and closing her beak time after time.
“I..I...I don’t know what…” she tried to say.
Rainbow Dash lowered her hoof. Her hard expression faded into a soft smile. “You can buck up, ‘cause you’re not going anywhere, and neither am I.”
“Rainbow Dash!” hollered a voice from below. “We need to go!”
Suddenly, the very public location of their outburst came thundering back to Rainbow Dash. Her cheeks reddened as she glanced over the edge of the cloud. with a nervous grin.
“Hey, uh, be there in just a sec, squirt….” she said, chuckling awkwardly. ‘How loud was I? Celestia, I hope nopony heard me being so sappy!’
Scootaloo frowned. “But if you have another emotional speech we might be late, and I think that’s, like, really, really bad to do at something like this!”
The heat in Dash’s cheeks exploded. She groaned, hiding her face behind her hooves for a moment. A slight pressure on her back made her look up.
“We’re comin’, kid, geez,” Gilda called. She patted Rainbow Dash on the back and offered a hesitant smile. “Thought you were supposed to be fast. What, old age getting you down?”
It took only a moment for Rainbow’s hopeful look to blossom into a grin. “Heh, you’re older than I am! I’d offer to race, but I don’t wanna make Scoots walk there on her own. Plus, I think that’d be...”
The cloud shook slightly as the pair took off, gilding to the ground. Gilda’s smile fell away as they descended, catching Dash’s meaning immediately. She nodded as she landed.
“Yeah, might not be the best thing to race to,” Gilda agreed. She gave Scootaloo a pat on the head, trying to hide how awkward she felt. She looked at the sun, just beginning its descent into a late afternoon that would soon become evening. “I...was trying not to think about it.”
Rainbow nodded. She managed a sad smile as the trio set off. “Don’t worry. It’ll be tough, but you’ll be with friends.”
*
They arrived at Fluttershy’s home with time to spare. Why here, she wasn’t sure, but Fluttershy had offered. Truthfully, she had insisted. Why, again, Dash had no idea, but it was her choice.
Rarity was already there, for once not dressed to the nines. She had worried her far-too-fashionable friend would have been done up in an ‘appropriate’ manner, but it seemed the unicorn had come with more consideration to his taste than to her own. Rarity waved them over, leaving off fussing over Sweetie Belle for a moment, and Rainbow wondered if she wasn’t shouting because that would have been inappropriate. It certainly matched the mood of the gathering.
Pinkie’s mane wasn’t exactly drooping and limp, but neither was it fluffy and full of life. She sat between Vinyl Scratch and Octavia, not saying anything, just sitting in companionable silence. If she were the sort to feel it, Rainbow Dash might have been chagrined that they had arrived from Canterlot before her, but then, she was a few minutes early anyway and she hadn't been able to catch a ride with Shining Armour and Cadance like they had. She exchanged a brief nod with Fluttershy's mother, the powerfully built guard for once shunning her armour, and with her husband, waiting just outside their daughter's home.
Nearly everypony was here, she saw. With her had come Scootaloo and Gilda, but Applejack and her family were already off to one side, Apple Bloom glancing towards the new arrivals. She and Scootaloo shared a look, but neither was in the mood to talk or play, so they stayed where they were. Rainbow Dash gave the filly next to her a sympathetic look.
“Looks like nearly everypony is here,” she muttered as they advanced. She exchanged nods with her friends, the only one not present in the yard being its owner. Her ear twitched, a faint tingle in her wings feeling distant displaced air.
‘I guess they didn’t wanna just teleport right in,’ thought Rainbow Dash. She glanced back just to see the pair emerge, long alicorn legs eating up the distance from behind a nearby hill easily. Twilight, of course, rushed past her to meet the Princesses at the gate.
The elder alicorn leaned down to nuzzle her student, which is all Rainbow Dash saw before the creak of the cottage’s door drew her attention away.
Fluttershy stepped out. She didn’t say anything, but it was clear, with everypony there, it was time to start. It was only a short walk, but it felt longer. No more than a minute could have passed, but it felt like an eternity to Dash.
The sombre procession entered the clearing, and laid their eyes on Paladin. He lay exposed, the coffin lid removed, and the grave waiting for him at his side. He looked as if he had simply laid down for a nap, but the truth was evident to all of them. Paladin was gone; all that remained was a now-vanished angel, and the dead shell. With no soul, it had lasted a few weeks until the extent of medical magic had been reached.
There was no organisation to what they had come to do today, not really. They all knew their places naturally, taking them around the grave. The only pony already familiar with the setup, Twilight, would have smiled in any other situation at the natural organisation taking place.
There was no official order, and for a moment, Twilight wondered if she should begin. To her relief, Princess Celestia stepped up. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but it seemed to Twilight that her mane was less lively today.
“There is little to be said today, because, I think, our departed friend would not have wanted us to spend our time waxing philosophical about him. Allow me to be the first to say, he will be missed. He was a strong, kind pony. I wish I had known him better. Paladin gave much for this world, and everyone in it.” It was short, as royal speeches went, but heartfelt. Celestia stepped back.
They stayed silent, nopony quite willing to be the next. To speak of the departed was a hard thing, and none wanted to stop the others. It would have gone on, if Gilda hadn’t run out patience.
“I know I’m not exactly the nicest, or anything, but he was cool to me. He was pretty great actually, since I was such a bi-” Gilda felt Scootaloo’s little elbow nudge her in the side. “-ig jerk to him. I...I wish he’d be around longer, but I’m glad I met him and…”
Her throat closed over, and she lowered her head, unable to look at him any longer.
“...and I’m sorry I never thanked him for finding me out there and making me realise I missed having a friend,” she finished.
Rainbow Dash spread a wing over her friend’s back.
“He was honest, an’ hard workin’,” came the next. It was not, despite the accent, Applejack. Big Mac paused, stewing over the words. “Held his drink pretty well too, considerin’ it was his first time drinkin’. Woulda been nice to give him the chance to practice some more.”
Applejack smiled sadly, nodding in agreement. “That he was. Honest as an Apple, an’ a heart to match.”
They began to speak, each of those who had known him offering their thoughts on the pegasus they had known for, it was now apparent, far less time than they had wanted. Those who hadn’t known him, invited because they, too, owed him something, such as Vinyl Scratch and Octavia, stayed silent as they listened.
On they talked, until Celestia and Luna feared they would have to step away to bring the night before it was over. At last silence fell once more. Another who hadn’t spoken, she who had more reason than any other to know him, approached his body.
Fluttershy laid a small bundle upon him. A single yellow feather, bound in pink hairs, stood out against his dark fur. A tear tickled her cheek as it ran down, falling to turn his coat a shade darker in one little spot.
“...goodbye, Paladin. I love you.”
She turned away.She had nothing more to say. Any words she had, they were meant only for him. Fluttershy closed her eyes, letting her ears tell her that his friends were moving forward. Yet she heard only hooves.
“Gilda,” Fluttershy murmured. She opened her eyes, meeting the surprised griffon’s own nervous gaze. Another tear joined the first. “You were his friend too.”
Hesitant, Gilda stepped up. Together with Big Mac, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, she picked up the coffin. They began to lower the mortal remains of their dear friend into his final resting place. It was a rest he had earned.
They left shortly after the grave was filled. Words had been spoken. Memories had been shared, and together they took their grief to leave him in peace.
*
Creeping through the earth like a slithering viper through the grass, a root with veins of light pressed against the coffin. With a creak none could hear, it pushed through the wood. Had any been able to see into the coffin, they would have witnessed Paladin’s body vanish without so much as a flash or flare. He was simply gone, and the root became still.
*
He swam through darkness. There was nothing physical to grasp, and nothing to grasp it with. The murky oblivion on all sides pressed upon him, yet he felt pulled in countless directions. He was indistinct, and this troubled him. Discovering he could be troubled was something of a relief; he hadn’t been sure he could be troubled, but somehow, the fact he could made him feel more certain of himself.
Something lurked in the back of his mind. A name. An identity. Was it his? It was so hard to remember. He was a….he wasn’t sure. He doubted himself in that moment. If he wasn’t sure what he was, was he truly anything at all? Of course, no, he realised. He could be troubled, and he could doubt. Yes, he could think of these things and know he was there to think. His thoughts could not exist without him, and so he was reassured that, yes, he was there. Yet he had nobody to be there with, and no sense of what his ‘there’ was.
A voice called, soft and sad, from so far away.
I love you.
Love...ah, yes, he knew that. He knew love. He hadn’t always known love. Oh, he’d known what it was, had seen it in others, but it had never grasped him on some personal level. He had never felt such an intimate, unwavering love for an individual.
The oblivion became yellow and pink. In all directions it spread but he knew that, no, it wasn’t around him. He focused. He thought. He struggled to grasp the ideas that failed at his consciousness. There was love here, love from another that held his heart in an unbreaking hold.
‘For someone to love me, there must be a me. I am distinct. I am me. I am...’
The name. He had a name. It escaped him, lost to his uncertain mind as yellow and pink became dark navy blue and glorious stunning white. He had to remember. He had to know his own name. it was the key.
‘I am...I am....’
It resisted him. He needed more. He turned his bodiless thoughts to the love he felt, and wondered how he felt such love without a body. Yes, a body! He could be more than just thoughts and uncertain memories. So he opened himself to the sensations and he asked it, he gave it the choice, for his form. His body.
Feeling, real physical feeling, began to return. With it came more, synapses firing, telling him more. Ponies. Yes, ponies of every colour. A single pony of many colours. Another of shades of pink with bright blue eyes. A pale pony with vibrant violet around her. One of purple and more purple so close to pink. A pony orange, warm and honest. Bigger, redder, a sixth that towered silently above the others. He saw a not-pony, a….a griffon. Alone, angry, prideful, and in desperate need. They flooded through his fledgling mind, but only one held his attention..
Yellow. Pink.
‘Fluttershy.’
The name, not his name but a name he knew just as well, exploded across his being. It gave him shape in her eyes, and her in his. She was Fluttershy, the pony he loved. The pony who loved him. Yes, the connection. The pony she loved, his name came back to him at last.
In the depths of the Everfree, beneath a crumbling castle, Paladin opened his eyes to a new world and, unexpectedly, a promise fulfilled.
*
Fluttershy sipped at her tea with the same maddening gentleness she had for the last hour, and Angel Bunny considered giving her a kick in the shin or something. Her big dark brute wasn’t around anymore, but...well, even the coal-hearted rabbit knew now was not the time. So the little white bunny crossed his arms, scowling as he watched Fluttershy mope. Her parents hadn't even tried to make her be happy yet, simply saying she needed some space.
“I’ll have to get more medicine for Mister Beaver tomorrow,” she murmured. Possibly to herself, perhaps to Angel. The rabbit just shrugged, obviously not caring. She could attempt to distract herself, but she wasn’t going to distract him.
Angel turned his head to the side, a tiny frown on his face. Fluttershy was still rambling. Probably trying to reassure herself. He was half-tempted to get one of her annoying friends to come back so she could admit she wasn’t in the mood to be alone, but then, her friends were annoying too.
Fluttershy fell silent when she noticed Angel leaving. She couldn’t blame him. The sad mare sighed. Her life, she knew, didn’t revolve around Paladin. It hadn’t, save when he went running off foolishly on his own, but then, she’d done the same not too long after, so she wasn’t one to talk.
She sipped her tea again. It was cold by now. It was the same cup she had been nursing since seeing the last of her friends off. As much as she loved them, she had little desire for company right now. They would murmur platitudes and sayings, trying to comfort her. Odd, that she couldn’t accept such things right now. She loved her friends, of course, but sometimes…
“Sometimes,” Fluttershy whispered to herself. “...we need to be alone.”
She lowered her tea cup, peering into the half-drained liquid. ‘What if’s and ‘could have been’s had plagued her. Some nights, worse nights, she had let out impotent demands that Tyrael bring back Paladin. Others, she had merely dwelled on what she had lost. On her best nights, she didn’t even think about it for most of the time until some reflexive thought hit her.
‘Paladin might like this,’ she had thought idly one evening as she prepared a salad. The icy dagger of loss had swifty torn her pleasure away. In the end, she had simply given it to Angel before she had even finished it.
The knock at the door made her sigh. Whoever it was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to deal with them. She couldn’t even tell who it was from here; it was easier, lately, to leave her empathic power to wither. They had weakened, enough for her to leave them alone, and she knew better than to try simply suppressing her grief like that.
She wanted to, though. Fluttershy sighed again. She wished she could, but at the very thought, everything she remembered of Paladin told her not to. His voice all but whispered in the back of her mind that this gift was not meant for such things. If she could return the gift, just to see him again, Fluttershy knew she would have agreed to such a deal instantly.
The top half to the door swung open, and she peered out.
“Hel…”
Her voice failed her.
“Fluttershy…” gasped the dead stallion. His tone was a starved wanderer in sight of relief, a desert pony in sight of precious water.
She stood, stock still, staring with wide, stunned eyes.
Paladin stared back. Relief mingled with concern and uncertainty, but they were familiar eyes despite the natural blue that ringed his pupil. A mere month would not rob her of the memories, of his gaze.
She wanted it to be him. She wanted it so badly.
“No.” Fluttershy shook her head, stepping back from him. “It can’t be. Paladin...Paladin is gone. Y-you’re just...just a changeling, a trick, trying to hurt me. You must be.”
“I would never hurt you, Fluttershy, you know that! I am Paladin, I swear,” the stallion plead. He stopped at the door, unwilling to advance in. “I-”
Anger blazed in her eyes. “We buried Paladin!” The words exploded from her, louder than either had expected. Tears of frustration and grief ran, solitary and alone, down each cheek. “We buried him, so please, stop this.”
“Feel it,” he begged. His voice dropped. “Please. It’s me…Just for a moment. Feel my emotions, Fluttershy. I am a pony; flesh and blood and soul. No more, no less, than you. All you need to do is open yourself, and you’ll know.”
It had to be a trick. She knew that. As much as she wanted to believe, as much as her heart cried for it to be him, she knew it couldn’t be. Yet, in the end, there was a tiny spark of hope. It was the hope that led a man to gamble his life away, certain that his chance will come. It was the hope that led to desperate chances, failures a million times and victory on a single one. It was the hope of the desperate, and she knew it had already seized her.
Their eyes met. Hers glowed. His did not.
“Paladin!” It was a cry, a shout, of stupendous joy. He grunted when she hit, a butter yellow blur that connected and latched on. Fluttershy wrapped her wings around him, and he his hooves around her. They simply held each other, the warmth of the other all they needed in this moment.
“I missed you,” he whispered.
Tears ran down her cheeks, tears of joy she ignored as she nuzzled him. “I...I missed you too. We thought...we thought…”
“So did I.” He minced no words as they embraced. Nor did he spare his emotions, his own eyes suffering what he would later insist were simply leaks. “I gave up myself, but it seems Tyrael decided that sacrifice had a reward. I...I am mortal, entirely. Whatever spark of him remains, it will never become more. I am Paladin.”
He nuzzled her.
“And I am a pony.”
She pressed against. There was no need to hear more. She didn’t care how or why. He was back. What more mattered? To her, nothing.
Except, she noticed as her tears dried, one little thing.
“Paladin…” she whispered in his ear. “...why do you have a foal?”
His confused grunt was her only answer, until a moment of recollection made him smile.
“The Heart, it seems, is fond of second chances,” he explained. Gently, he lowered his wing and angled his weight. The little bundle of silver fur slid down without a worry. A faint, tired snore left the young muzzle.
Fluttershy blinked. Her joy took a momentary backseat as she stared at the foal. It was a colt, that was easy to see, a little unicorn roughly the same age as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. His flank was as bare as theirs. A horn, thinner and more pointed than Sweetie Bell’s, poked out of a messy white mane. He squirmed in his sleep, but with her plush carpet under him, he seemed as content as he had on Paladin’s back.
She drew her attention back to the stallion when she felt him nuzzling her neck.She returned the gesture, holding close to him as they looked down at the child.
“Who…” she began. Something about the colt made her pause. Her brow knit as she stared down at him. “There’s something…”
Paladin chuckled faintly. “Perhaps the Heart decided that, if one of us got to recover from our sacrifice, so did the other.”
It clicked. Fluttershy gasped. “T-that’s...he’s really…” The full force of her daze returned. “I-I don’t understand.”
“I found him, when I woke,” explained Paladin. He kept her stable, holding her close. “He is not as I was; Ardleon will never return, I think. What was left of his mind and soul were merely rescued as his Lightsong poured from him in death. Scraps, remnants. The Heart took his remaining essence…”
The colt snorted in his sleep, shaking his head as stray fur tickled his nose. Fluttershy reacted automatically, reaching down to brush away the hairs and murmur softly until he grew still once more.
“...and gave him a chance to become something more,” Paladin finished.
They watched the pony who had once been Ardleon, sleeping on Fluttershy’s rug and as cute as a button in all the glory of youth. Together, they stayed close, sharing without words the welcome return to something both had missed. Though it could never last, she let it go on as long as she could.
“What are we going to do with him?” Fluttershy asked at last.
Paladin looked thoughtful. “Well,” he said, “I seem to recall promising a certain three fillies to find a colt to join them, and I’m sure it would be irresponsible not to find him some ponies his, uh, own age to play with.”
He met her eyes; they twinkled with mischief, enough that Fluttershy had to cover her mouth with a hoof to keep the giggling contained.
“But, mostly, I hoped…” At last, it was his turn to grow nervous and hesitant. Worry and doubt filled his normally stern and confident eyes. With a deep breath , he began again, “I plan to care for him. Whatever happened, whoever we are now, he is one of mine. I know it will be hard, at times, but I cannot turn a blind eye. He will need somepony to help him adjust.”
Fluttershy smiled. “He will,” she promised. Her hoof pressed against his. “We can make sure of it. Together.”
Paladin smiled back. His fears faded. His worries waned. Their lips met for a moment, a single word whispered to her in their embrace.
“Together.”
The End.
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YAY! It's finally finished! Thanks for sticking with it everyone. Hope you continue enjoy Auto's other stories and don't forget to check out Auto's Patreon!
A very lovely end, even if its not quite over, with a little last step away. But one I certainly enjoyed from the start, to the end. Something grand. And something magical.
Bravo for its writing.
It's been a long road... Can't believe it's over...
A long road indeed. Well done, very well done.
*cracks back*
Well, high time to check out your new serials here.
I'm sad to see this end. Yet, I'm also glad to.
It's had a very good run, and I think pushing it farther than where you closed it would have been harming more than helping. Either way, I'll never forget Justice Itself! Now, what else have you been up to...
Yay! Fluttershy gets her zombie boyfriend!
Always bittersweet to see a long runner come to a close. Thank you for many, many hours well spent.
Well now... that ending really did make everything rather... nice, and I know that some things are at least able to be brighter.
Excellent story, and I'm glad that I am able to read through it all.
Well, simi-called it haha.
Such a good read from the start. I hope there will be a sequel, no?
It'll be sad to see this go, but at the same time I'm glad that we got a happy ending.
I've got high hopes for your Illidan cross-over, too. Best character ever in Equestria? Sign me up!
Ardleon...
Argh, and now I want to find out how Ardleon is acting now.
Maybe later you could make a story resolving about this Ardleon? *puppy-eyes*
It's so hard not to ask for a Sequel considering that the sheer silly shenanigans of Paladin, Ardleon, Shy and the CMC could have quite the fun changes in the world! Still, thank you for writing this. I've been a fan of Diablo since number 1, so seeing Tyreal get a chance to be a pony and then return to Sanctuary for fair reasons, and gaining the perspective to know mortals can do amazing things was a treat. He always knew they were amazing, but perhaps indeed a few little ponies helped give him hope for the future.
Take care and sequel or not, hope to read many more from you!
So THAT'S how all those players kept respawning! Wait... What's the repair cost on Paladin's gear? Or was all of that covered by a- *THWACK!*- I have been subtly and gently reminded to simply be thankful and cheery at a well-deserved happy ending. *fwump!*
The End of this story was well done.
and if you feel up to it, you also set yourself up for a sequel with Ardleon-turned-colt.
all in all i DONT regret giving my liquid pride and following this story.
KUDOS, YOU GLORIOUS BASTARD; YOU HAVE A FAN ETERNAL NOW.
media2.giphy.com/media/dOJt6XZlQw8qQ/giphy.gif
I said it before, and I'll gladly say it again, this was the most beautiful and heart-wrenching funeral I've ever read. I actually cried while editing this chapter, which is a first for me
Weapons are stored,
Colours are furled.
Armor on Mantel,
Peace in the world.
Now its your turn to go out and have an adventure.
Endings like these leave me wanting a sequel... Awesome job
Th ending was very sweet.
Need the slice of Life sequel, in all it's glory.
A good ending to a great story, with just the right amount of closure to suggest life goes on. Although I wouldn't be opposed to a sequel, I think this is an excellent ending and that you're probably burned out on this verse anyway.
May all your future works be as great.
Yes! Yes! Yes!!!!!
"Yyyyesssss!!!!!" Screeched and roared a plethora of joyous voices out in the depths of void that was space between spaces. Dancing in joy around the portal dubbed Justice Itself, four beings could be seen watching the exchange between between Fluttershy, Paladin and the unicorn foal that my head canon has named Frost Iron.
"Fucking yes!" One of the four figures bellowed. "I knew it, I bloody hell fucking knew it!!" The figure continued as he began to dance around in a more frantic explosion of movement, his patchwork robe and scarf fluttering with his expression of utter joy.
"Honestly brother", said another figure this one dressed in a black robe similar to that of a nobody from KH. His cowl was pulled up over his head so only the bottom half of a human-like face could be seen. A ghost of a smile on his lips as he looked on at the heart warming scene. The other two had sat down, exhausted from their merry making.
"You know what I'm going to miss the most Paws?" Asked the griffin to the diamond dog sitting by his side.
"What?" The diamond asked with a huge fun loving smile plastered on his muzzle. Seriously, if he opened his lips it would give Pinkie's a run for it's money.
"Finding out what happens next!" The griffin roared in hearty glee as he's patted on the back by his friend besides him.
Gentlemen, it's been a privilege reading this with you.
A good ending to a true epic. Thanks for the memories.
Phenomenal job. One of the best stories I've ever read, and I don't say that lightly. Congratulations on finishing this epic adventure.
This will forever go in my 'best of the best' category. This fanfiction has truly been one to behold, and I am glad that it ended in such a beautiful manner. While words cannot display my appreciation for all of your hard work and dedication, perhaps music shall. Behold, a compilation of songs I have chosen specifically for this fic. Consider this my way of making up for not being able to put money into your Patreon.
And then, something for shits and giggles.
I wish you luck on all of your future endeavors and projects, good sir. May good luck and joy fall upon you like rain drops in a thunderstorm.
What a ride it's been.
I very much like the ending, but I must confess to feeling a strange sense of loss. This story is the reason I registered an account on FiMFiction; I did so just to favorite it. If I had not found Justice Itself, I may have never registered an account. I've read so many wonderful stories here, and met so many wonderful people. I've been given the inspiration to write my own stories and a platform on which to share them that isn't total crap. I've even made friends!
If Autocharth hadn't written this story, it's very possible that none of that would've happened. So, to say "Thank you," I would like to share with him, and with all of you, a photo from long ago that really defined the nature of our relationship:
bit.ly/1LuQDye
For the record, that definition is, "friendly antagonism," or, "Hey, Auto! Look what I've got that you don't! Ha ha ha ha!"
Thanks alot mate, this was one of the first fanfics that i started to read here, im so glad that you finished it :)
Thanks for the crazy ride :)
6012766 You know, Frost Iron was the first thing I thought of for a name as well. Just seemed to fit after all the trouble he went through to reforge his swords, plus all his friends can call him Frost, how awesome would that be?
It's been a pleasure working on this with you Auto, I can't begin to describe how much of an amazing experience it has been to work on this story. It has done a wondrous job of finding a place in my heart, and I'll remember it fondly in the years to come. And for old times sake, you missed this silly:
*back at the estart, and - back at the start, and
A fantastic end. Well done and thank you.
Oh my god! that ending was beautiful! ive loved reading this story sense I found it and its a shame to see it over now.. but.. This is the best possible ending for it. Im curious to see everyone elses reaction to him popping back up. but still.
And act IV comes to an end...
Now we must wait for the expansion which has Act V.
Nice ending! I would have liked to see the other ponies responses to his resurrection though.
Finally got the time to read the last few chapters and oh boy were they a doozy! It has been a while since this started and it was amazing the whole way!
Thank you for sharing this story and more power to you and your future endeavors!
This story has been a blast!
If you should ever choose to venture back to this AU we would be more than happy to hang on every word.
May all your future endeavors be exactly what you need.
First and foremost, I want it on the record that I would easily put this work with the likes of Kkat's Fallout: Equestria as far as being one the most emotionally investing stories I've ever had the distinct pleasure of reading. You, my good sir, are a genius. An absolute genius with the written word and have shown a master's touch with this story. I often say elsewhere that I look forward to seeing where a story or an author goes just to be polite, but I honestly do find myself about three inches from my monitor screaming at it in the blind hope that you're next story will magic itself there if I yell loudly enough.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful piece of literature with us here. It's been quite the ride and I, for one, have enjoyed it immensely.
6013214
For some reason, I read this in the voice of the Spy from Team Fortress 2...
So this is the end. I am conflicted about whether I think the restoration of both of them was good or not. On one hand, I love happy endings. On the other... Well, luckily I'm leaning towards happy endings.
But let me just say, it has been a pleasure and a privilege to read this. Thank you for this. The premise of this is insane. A crossover between Diablo and MLP is crazy, on paper. But you did not only make it work, but you made a beautiful whole of the two and it was a joy to read and one that had spirit, a voice of its own and the ability to take hold of the heartstrings and yank on them when necessary. There were heartrending scenes and sidesplitting moments and there have been incredibly awesome moments and dialogue so good that I will find them again, just so I can quote them. Paladin giving away parts of himself to the Six stand out, both for the beauty and elegance of those interactions and for the nightmares that preceded them. Speaking of standing out, so did the final pep-talks and the judgement of Tirek.
Also, you made some very vivid cliffhangers, Tirek's banishing of both princesses being particularly spectacular, because that scene, of them both in their respective celestial bodies, seemed straight out of a televised episode, just much darker. I could almost hear the ominous music.
Also, the fights in general, Ardleon in Canterlot, well, everything involving Ardleon (except for the bit I griped about earlier). And Tirek's fight too, though the confusion I felt in a lot of the Ponyville fight detracted a little from it.
Other than that, I will just say that you did some fantastic character work, which is after all, the main point of most fanfiction, at least in my opinion.
Well done or great job or any such phrases does not do you justice. Thank you for this. I am so thrilled to have been along for the ride and it is simultaneously satisfying and tragic that we have reached the end.
Here's one of your big fans, signing out. Thanks again.
P.S. Someone should make some art of Tyrael with the Friendship Powerup.
I'd love to go an extra step with a few words more of how tyrael returned, but we've come so far anx what a travel it was! Tbis story holds a record for the most vivid character development of all I've read yet. Consider this comment an applause to the cacophonous symphony of justice you've written for us.
every part of this adventure, every tiniest fragment, I loved it all.
Right, time to tackle the comments I really, really should have replied to ages ago. To make it up, I'm going to try to reply to all of you. Not all personally and with individually prepared responses, but still, do my best. Starting with....
6011789 6011812 6011966 6011983 6011974 6013237 6012615 6012332 6013270 6013682 6013947 6014135 6040909 Thanks to every single comment, to all of you! I appreciate it vastly, and am so glad you all enjoyed my story.
6011951 I hope you enjoy them, I'm particularly proud of how Treacherous Mists's first chapter has gone.
6012005 6012250 6012537 6012708 6019094 I have plans for a sequel, yes, although I'm going to finish at least one of my other stories first. The sequel is like a year off because updating four stories is more than I can devote purely free time to, and I want to write these other stories. I've got doing it sooner as a milestone goal on my new Patreon, but that's mostly because I don't seriously expect to get half that much so there's no risk. Ingenious, no? (It is. You're supposed to tell me its genius and lavish me with praise!) Heh, its basically there so if someone bugs me about it constantly or something to do it sooner or abandon one of my other stories for it, I can point at that and tell them if they really want it sooner than I plan, they have an option to make me get the sequel started and up on FiMfiction.
Just to be clear, I'm not trying to extract payment for a story, before the idea of putting up a patreon ever occurred to me my plan has been to leave Justice Itself's sequel to sit until one of my other stories is finished.
6012207 6012349 6012617 related to the above: you'll see colt!Ardleon in the sequel, although I am considering a Slice of Life sidequel set between Justice Itself and the sequel about Ardleon adjusting, and Paladin and etcs' daily life.
6012766 This is a...unique comment, in design if nothing else. Thanks for it, though, and your apparently multiple personalities are all thanked for it as well.
6013326 Ooh, music. Would you believe how many times I played the Piano Guys' cover of Let It Go while writing some of the emotional scenes / scenes with Ardleon in them? Because the answer is a lot. A lot lot.
6013671 I appreciate your great comment, especially its length, but you have made one VITAL error!
I don't like anything in that picture except the bacon and the pancakes at the very edge, and I can still get those from nearby cafes EASILY! HA! You sir have been DEFEATED! I claim this victory in the name of fine Tasmanian food, you probably American fast food eater!
I mean eat fast food too but you know, that doesn't help here.
But seriously, I'm rather touched that you'd credit anything to me. Even if I wrote a story you liked enough to make an account, it was you who decided to go to the effort of making that account, and commenting, and following the story. That said, if you ever hit it big, I will expect my cut of 25% to arrive promptly, you understand. I'd hate to have to send my edito- my minions to break your capslock. And the rest of your keyboard too.
6013898 To be techincal, you missed it too. As did Neal and Web. I assure you, the lashings will be brief but educational. Oh, and thanks heaps for all your efforts, they've helped make the story better and more enjoyable. Wouldn't be the same without you mate.
6014313 Less Act V, more the sequel I might eventually do, unless the possible Slice of Life thing counts as Act V. Act V: School, A Job & Childcare!
6015443 I felt this was a more....elegant ending, if I might be so pretentious. Adding in a heap of other characters would have made it a mess and awkward and everything, so I decided to leave his reunion with the others up to your imagination.
6017369 It's been a blast for me too, and frequent comments from the same people like you have really give me a sense of those following the story. Bloody wonderful feeling that is.
6019142 My story and I have enjoyed being ridden by you and many others.
...
Wait, can I rephrase that?
But yeah, thanks for this stupendous comment. I'm not quite confident enough to make such a judgement for myself about my story being THAT emotionally investing. I just tried my best and hoped people would enjoy it. Clearly, a few at least have.
6039868 I was conflicted myself about it, but in the end I decided
So, that's how we got to where we are today. I've nothing against sad endings, after all, I love Warhammer, how could I possibly enjoy the many books and fluff from Fantasy and 40K if I disliked anything with a downer ending? But in the end, I prefer happiness so that's what's happened.
Thank you for sticking with the story, giving me honest feedback and commenting consistently. All of you who did so are just wonderful and helped me have the motivation to write.
As you might notice from my range of stories, I just really love crossovers. I love putting together two things I enjoy, and the process of rationalising how they can be linked is delightfully fun at any time.
Holy shit beans on toast, that was a lot to do in terms of comments. If I didn't respond to you individually, nothing against you, I'm mostly picking out comments to reply on an individual basis via the scientific method of 'random whims'. Very precise mechanics at work there. That and just repeating "thanks" for a bunch of comments individually seemed tiresome and silly. If there's a comment of someone's on the epilogue I missed entirely....whoopsy, sorry, there were quite a few.
Cheers everyone!
6042961 Its no problem =)
This might be my favorite story on this site.
Bravo sir...just Bravo!
Beautiful, really really an epic work, you made me cry. Thank you for giving us an amazing story, I will look forward to your new works. AMAZING story
That was a beautiful story, a pleasure to read, and a treat to have found it while browsing finished fics.
The early chapters of worfing Celestia so paid off in her various Crowning Moments of Awesome.
Thank you for an emotionally riveting story that was well written and engaging, even for those of us who are completely unfamiliar with diablo and the lore involved.
I love this story; not because it is an excellent narrative (though it is); not because it includes some really excellent source-accurate lore (which it does); and not even because most of the tropes that I usually groan and roll my eyes at are used in exactly the ways they should be without becoming a trite game of HiE BINGO ((H used with a grain of salt) you see the trend here).
I love this tale because underneath the talented writing and enjoyable characters and addictive story it's really just one long paced-out Caramel abusefic.
And that's hilarious. At least to me. It really can just be boiled down to a one-chapter comedy with some 40-odd chapters of delightful "shenanigans occur" fluff. Or maybe I'm just overappreciative for the well placed moments of Caramelabuse right before the sadness starts to threaten a Dark tag.
I love this story.
So thanks for that.
You are truly a great writer to have put this story together and complete it.
Well, I just found this story this past week or so and just finished, finally! And it has been a wonderful story from start to finish that I wouldn't have minded finding sooner.
I liked the story... Are you going to make a sequel or this is really "THE END"?
6403197
He's not one of the great evils. He's powerful yes, but anything he says otherwise is just arrogance on his part. And Belial isn't the lord of Betrayal, he's the Lord of Lies.
6403197 Pretty much what 6465069 said. There are heaps of Lords of [insert evil thing]. Lord of Gluttony, Lord of this, Lord of that. Tirek is one of them, the various demons who are more powerful than the fodder, but lesser than the Seven Great Evils (the 3 Primes and the 4 Lesser). He just thinks he can take their place and become the big bad Evil with a capital E.
In your universe which world is older Sanctuary or Equestria? And have you read all the Diablo books cause they why you've written this sounds like you did everything is detail in the connection in this story.