Facing Your Demons

by Naryyn

Epilogue: Reunion

Five years have passed since Fluttershy's accident and Ponyville is back to its old ways. The town folk continued their lives with the events of the past a faint memory in the back of their minds. Most of them tried to forget what is now known as the "Applejack betrayal", while most of them succeeded, her friends and family would never forget that fateful day.

Apple Bloom would not allow herself to forget what Twilight did to her sister and grew stronger everyday fueled by hatred and the thought of revenge. Although she had become a beautiful young mare that all the stallions lusted after, she rejected their advances only interested in getting back at Twilight. She pushed away her friends when they tried to help her and now lived a life of solitude on the farm only leaving to get supplies and sell apples.

Rarity had also stopped speaking to others because her voice box had been permanently damaged by Applejack, resulting in what she deemed as an "ugly voice". She only spoke to her friends now because she knew they wouldn't judge her about it. When it came to customers, Rarity had Spike take the orders and pass them on to her. She still went to her weekly spa visits with Fluttershy and ritualistically had seaweed wraps put around her throat in hopes that she might one day speak normally again.

Spike spent most of his time helping Rarity around her boutique and moonlighting at the Library. He had gone through school but finished early due to his teachings from Twilight before she left. As he grew older he lost his childish crush on Rarity and saw her more as a parental figure and mentor. She taught him everything she knew so he could help her with the larger orders she couldn't fill on time by herself. Spike missed Twilight and he even wrote her letters every week but she never responded. He knew that even if they were going to her that she didn't want to risk being found by replying.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash enjoyed their life with their new found family but were devastated when they returned to find out what had happened. Rainbow Dash had gotten married to Thunderlane after he moved into town and they were expecting a foal soon. Heart Throb opened a new hotel and ran it along side Fluttershy causing the tourist population in Ponyville to explode, boosting the towns coffers to a previously unimaginable level.

Pinkie Pie had always tried not seem affected by Applejack's death and Twilight's disappearance but it cut her deep inside nonetheless. With her party planning business booming she became the most sought after planner in Equestria and became very good at putting together weddings and other professional arrangements. She eventually moved into a large house on the outskirts of Ponyville and was known for donating large amounts of bits to various organizations around Ponyville and Canterlot. Every week she would visit Applejack's grave and leave flowers for her so there would always be something there to keep her spirit happy.
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"Spike are those cloaks ready yet? Our anonymous customer is expecting them today." Rarity said peaking her head out of the kitchen.

"Yes ma'am, I'm wrapping them up for delivery now. Do you have any idea who this customer is? I mean these orders started coming in last year but we have never met her."

Rarity sighed, "No dear, but as long as we are getting paid for our work I don't care who it is."

"Oh," Spike said as he swung the bundle over his shoulder, "I'm going to go deliver them now so I"ll be back in a few." He headed towards the door waving his paw as Rarity told him to be careful. I still think it's strange that we haven't met this mare yet, but I guess Rarity is right as long as we keep getting paid it doesn't matter, he thought to himself as he walked to the usual drop-off location in the Everfree Forest. Approaching the tree that served as the drop-off he opened the hidden hatch and pulled out the pouch of bits and replaced them with the bundle and receipt for the order.

As he closed the hatch he heard a rustling of leaves as the door clicked shut. He whipped around and saw a hooded figure step out of the shadows and approach him slowly. Spike backed into the tree from surprise and sputtered, "W-who are you?" The pony didn't say anything and kept coming towards him slowly until stopping in front of him. "P-please don't hurt me," he said glancing to the side trying to find a way out of the corner he backed himself into. The pony moved quickly wrapping its front legs around him and Spike heard quiet crying coming from the hood. He felt the pony trembling as she held him and not knowing what to do he pushed back the hood and gasped.

The teary eyed face that looked back at him belonged to the pony he hadn't seen in years and loved like a sister. "Twilight?" Spike whispered and fiercely hugged her back feeling his own tears start to well up but he held them back. "Where have you been all this time? Did you get any of my letters? I missed you so much." The questions flowed out of his mouth before he could stop them and Twilight pushed her hoof softly against his mouth to quiet him down.

"I've been traveling Spike, to get away from my past, but I couldn't stay away forever. I had to come back but I haven't had the courage to go into town and see everyone again, that's why I ordered the cloaks from Rarity so I could at least see you to help me be stronger." Twilight lowered her hoof and hugged Spike again, "I think it's about time I go into town and face what I've been running from for all this time but I need someone next to me to keep me strong."

"B-b-but Twilight!" Spike stammered, "What about Apple Bloom? All she thinks about is getting back at you for what happened to Applejack!."

"I know Spike, but I'll try to explain things to her one more time to try and put her at ease. If it gets bad I'll just leave again. I have an escape teleportation spell ready at all times." Twilight wiped the tears from Spike's eyes, "So don't worry, nothing bad will happen to me today."

Spike glanced down, "If you say so Twilight, but if you want to see everypony again then we should get going before Rainbow Dash goes to the hospital for a check up."

Smiling Twilight said, "Typical Rainbow Dash going to the hospital again. What did she do this time? Crash into a tree? Or maybe she fell out of her house?"

Spike shook his head, "No, she's pregnant, she is going in for a check-up to make sure there won't be any complications when she finally does give birth, which should be really soon."

"Oh," Twilight said, a slightly jealous look on her face, "Well it has been quite a long time since I was last here so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Anyways shall we get going?" With that she started walking in the direction of the town not waiting for Spike to respond.
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Twilight had her hood back on, as the pair walked through town, to prevent the townsfolk from recognizing her and starting a ruckus. While they walked in the direction of Rarity's boutique neither of them realized that Apple Bloom was following behind them. They chatted quietly to each other about what they were going to say when Apple Bloom ran in front of them. "Hey Spike, who's your friend in the cloak? I don't think I've seen anyone wear a cloak like this in town since Zecora would visit."

Growing nervous at the sudden appearance of the one pony neither of them wanted to see first, he swallowed loudly and replied, "Oh she is new in town and I'm just showing her around town so she doesn't get lost."

Apple Bloom frowned, "Oh really? Then why doesn't she take off the hood? If she is new in town she shouldn't have anything to hide from anypony."

"Um...well you see," Spike struggled to think of an excuse but before he could he heard Twilight whisper.

"It's fine Spike I have nothing to be afraid of." She lifted a hoof and dragged back the hood revealing her identity to the ponies around her.

Apple Bloom smiled and her eyes narrowed, "I knew it, I knew you couldn't stay away forever. Oh how I have waited for this day for so long, preparing myself for the day I finally get to avenge my sister." After the words left her mouth the ponies that had stopped to look at Twilight started whispering to each other trying to figure out what might happen.

Twilight shook her head, "No Apple Bloom, I have already tried explaining to you what happened but if you can't accept that then your mind is as far gone as her's was that day." The whispering around the two mares stopped and everything grew eerily silent until finally a visibly furious Apple Bloom broke it.

"My sister was not crazy! She didn't do anything wrong and you killed her! Do you know how hard it was for Big Mac to cope with the loss? Of course you don't, you were hiding from the world because you couldn't face the music." The young mare's face grew red with the building rage, "Big Mac committed suicide last year because he couldn't handle the grief you caused! With me being the only Apple left in Ponyville I vowed on both of their graves that I would make you pay for tearing apart our family."

Twilight started to become angry at the ignorance of Apple Bloom, "What do you mean 'she didn't do anything wrong'? She tried to kill Rarity while we were having tea! I had no choice but to act in a way that tore me up inside. What would you do in a situation like that huh? What would you do if Sweetie Belle suddenly tried to kill Scootaloo and you had to make a choice of one of them dying or both?"

Apple Bloom shook with fury at this point, "I could care less what either of them do they aren't my friends anymore. They held me back from getting my cutie mark and preparing for our final confrontation. Which is right now!" She suddenly bolted forward, with a speed Twilight had previously thought impossible for an earth pony, and slammed into the purple mare knocking her to the ground. Twilight's horn started to glow and Apple Bloom pushed her hoof against the back of her neck until the glow went away.

Twilight's eyes widened, "What did you do to me?!" she screamed at the yellow mare standing over her.

Laughing Apple Bloom replied, "It's a pressure point I discovered that prevents a unicorn from using any magic for a short period of time. It is very useful when it comes to fighting a unicorn, making it a more manageable scuffle." Removing her hoof from Twilight's neck she moved it onto her horn, "Now to remove your ability to perform any spells permanently." She applied slow pressure to the horn smiling as the sound of it cracking started to grow before Twilight started to scream in pain.

The screaming snapped Spike out of his shocked gaze and he rushed forward to push Apple Bloom off his friend. This proved to be fruitless as the red maned mare just swatted him away and continued her work. Spike's head banged into the cobblestone road knocking him unconscious and the townsfolk surrounded him confused as to what they should do about the situation.

"It's time for you to see what it's like living as an earth pony without all that fancy magic to make life easier for you." Apple Bloom said and pushed down hard on Twilight's horn snapping it off with a loud crack. The purple mare's screaming stopped as the shock of the sudden removal settled in. Apple Bloom stepped off of Twilight and smiled, "Now the fight can be done fairly so get up! Let's end this right now!"

Twilight struggled to stand and when she finally did her legs almost collapsed from the blood loss. "I don't know what happened to you while I was gone but it seems that this can only end in another death. I can tell you this right now Apple Bloom, It won't be me!" She stumbled forward and swung a hoof as hard as she could, the vibrations from the impact knocked her to the ground again.

Apple Bloom wiped a hoof across her mouth and looked at the blood that came off, "You actually hit me, I didn't think you had it in you to try and kill off the last of the Apple family. I guess this will make it more interesting."

Twilight trembled on the ground as she looked up blood dripped into her right eye, "You don't have to do this Apple Bloom you are better than this." She slowly stood up trying not to fall again, "You are a sweet young mare who used to go adventuring with your friends to get your cutie marks, not a heartless killer."

Apple Bloom chuckled, "You have been gone far too long Twilight, what was left of the Apple Bloom you knew died with her sister. Now it's just me, an orphan with no brother and no sister." She sneered at the unsteady and bloodied purple mare, "I have no reason to go on in this world because of you and if I have to be punished to see my family's killer dead on the ground then so be it." She moved forward and swung her hoof into Twilight's ribcage making an audible crack as a rib broke and punctured one of the purple mare's lungs.

Twilight fell to the earth once more wheezing in pain from the snapped rib and significantly lower intake of oxygen. She coughed and screamed as the vibrations ground the separate pieces of bone into each other. Her vision started to fade as the pain became to great to bear all she could do to stay awake was to repeatedly say sorry as her attacker laughed.

"Stupid foal, do you really think that apologizing will help you now? You really are pathetic, just look at you wheezing as though you just ran a couple miles."

A spectator overcoming the shock of the events moved forward to stop Apple Bloom from doing anymore harm to old librarian and swung at the mares face. Apple Bloom saw this and ducked at the last moment before turning quickly and bucking her hind legs. She felt her hooves connect and heard a sickening crunch along with something warm splattering onto her flank. She turned to look at the stallion and saw half of his head caved in as he spasmed on the ground. She glared at the other onlookers who backed off in horror at what they had just witnessed.

Turning back to the barely conscious Twilight she yelled, "Do you see how much pain you cause everypony around you Twilight!? Even if you don't know them personally they will still end up getting hurt or killed if they are around you! This has gone on long enough it is time I end your miserable little life and free everypony from the suffering you bring about with your presence."

"I think not! What you have done here is unforgivable Apple Bloom!" A gold glow surrounded the young mare and prevented her from moving before royal guards circled around her and placed her in shackles. Princess Celestia stepped between Twilight and Apple Bloom, "For living your life full of hatred, murder, and attempting to kill my student, I am hereby sentencing you to life imprisonment in the dungeon beneath Canterlot." The princess looked at the guards, "Take her away, I don't want to see this filth anymore."

"Yes, your highness." The guards responded before leading the struggling young mare away.

Twilight lifted her head and looked at her old mentor, "Princess? W-what are you doing here?" Celestia's magic flowed around the area where her student's horn used to be and where the rib had been broken ridding the pain from her body and slowing the bleeding.

"Spike sent for me." the regal pony said as she knelt down next to her old student.

Spike came forward and hugged Twilight, "I wrote her a letter and sent it off as soon as I woke up after getting knocked out by Apple Bloom. I couldn't think of anything else to do and something had to be done quickly."

The purple mare's eyes started to close slowly, "Thank you." she said before passing out into a deep sleep.

Celestia turned to Spike, "Take her to the hospital she'll be fine in time but for now she needs her rest. It's time she lives a normal life without stress and without fear so write this down Spike. 'I, Princess Celestia, hereby relinquish Twilight Sparkle from her duties as my student. From this point forward she will live her life as she wants and only as she wants with no outside influence from anypony." She nodded to Spike and he rolled up the paper, placing it in one of the pockets of Twilight's cloak. "Well Spike it seems I am no longer needed here. Please look after Twilight and make sure nothing bad ever happens to her again." Without waiting for a response she spread her wings and took off into the sky and disappeared.

Spike nodded to himself and picked up Twilight, "I will Princess Celestia, I will." and walked off in the direction of the hospital.

Comments

[Crimson Dawn]

So is Pinkie still around or did I miss something?

[Naryyn]

1438846
She is I just felt that she didn't really have a place in the epilogue since it was mainly focused on Twilight's return. Although I guess I could have put her in the beginning I must have just forgot.

[Crimson Dawn]

1438875

I think it would be well worth putting her story in there as her life is going to be very different and so she is a big question mark on how she is doing. She "fixed" her mind so we really have no idea how that has affected her life in the long term. Is she happy? Has she reverted back? We don't know and have no way to know unless you write it!

[Naryyn]

1438918
Yeah, you're right I'll write it in when I get the chance. I think I was so upset with how Fluttershy and RD's section turned out that I completely overlooked Pinkie's part.

[Naryyn]

1438918
Alright then added in the Pinkie Pie part it was a quick write in so I hope it isn't terrible.

[deathtap]

Mediocre at best. The language is bland, the action is one sided and there isn't much tension build up. Everything just happens.

You need to milk it more. I think that if you expand on certain things, set the tone, build up the tension by controlling the pace, then you might have a good story on your hands.

[Naryyn]

2829156
Well I did some editing caught most of what I saw wrong and extended the ending a little bit.