Fool's Gold

by Cardinal Dan Productions

Epilogue: The Reunion

***Eighteen Years Later***

“Onyx!” Amethyst stomped into the kitchen, her eyes darting in every direction in search of her husband. “Onyx, what’s taking you so long? They’re going to be here any minute, and none of the food has been moved to the table!”

Her horn began to glow, and she lifted several bowls and serving plates from the counter. As she carried them out of the kitchen and into the dining room, Onyx decended from the staircase that opened into the entertainment area.

“Sorry, Amy... I was still getting dressed. Is Pyrite here yet?”

Amethyst frowned and shook her head as she looked wishfully towards the front door. “No, but she promised she would be.”

Onyx gave her a sad smile and planed a quick kiss on the mare’s cheek. “She’s a busy queen, Amy. You can’t fault her for not being able to visit all the time. She has kids of her own to take care of, you know, hundreds of them.”

Amethyst cracked a smile and let out a chuckle. “When she wrote to me last year, she told me she was in the thousands. Don’t you remember that letter?”

Onyx thought about it for a second and nodded. “Yeah... You’re right, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

The doorbell chimed, signaling the arrival of the first time wave of their friends. Onyx opened the door, and a wide smile came over him. “Hey! Come on in, Emerald! You too, Amber!” They weren’t alone either. A little colt trotted after them, staying close to the taller ponies. “Is this who I think it is? It can’t be...”

The little colt looked up at Onyx and beamed. “It’s me, Uncle Onyx! I’m Halite!”

Onyx frowned and shook his head. “No... You’re far to big to be Halite. He was just a little fella when I last saw him.”

“I’m seven, now!”

Emerald laughed and hoisted his son into the air with the magic from his horn. “You sure are, Hal. You’re getting bigger every day!”

He set the little colt back down, and Halite ran to the kitchen to see his Aunt Amy.

Emerald grinned and turned back to face Onyx. “If anything at all, he needs to slow down. Amber likes him just the way he is.”

Onyx agreed with a gentle nod and chuckled. “He’s a good lad. He’ll make a strong guard some day, just like his parents.” Then, he turned to Emerald’s wife. “Well, Captain Amber, how’s maternity leave treating you? When are you expecting?”

Amber smiled kindly and looked at her expanding belly. “The doctor says I’m about three months away. He thinks this one’s going to be a filly.”

Onyx glanced back and forth between the two of them. “Well, congratulations! I’m happy for you both. Having a baby filly is pretty exciting.”

The doorbell chimed again. Onyx exused himself and and made his way back over to the door to open it. “Gemini... Azalea... Come in!”

Amethyst poked her head out of the kitchen. “Is that Gem?!”

The pony at the door broke into a sprint as she saw her friend. “Amethyst!”

The one-winged mare raced to meet her friend inside, and they met by the dining room table, throwing their hooves around one another in a tight embrace. Amethyst swayed from side to side as she held Gem. “Oh, I’ve missed you...”

Gem couldn’t stop grinning as she broke away, landing back on all four hooves. “I feel the same, Amethyst. Azalea and I took an airship from the empire. A train simply would have taken far too long, and we couldn’t wait to see everypony.”

Amethyt’s eyes darted to a clock on the the all. “Well, I’m happy you’re here. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. We’re expecting more guests to arrive, and as soon as everypony is here, we’ll eat.”

Gem nodded her head. “That sounds wonderful. I’ll let Azalea know, and we’ll get settled.”

By the door, Onyx was talking to Azalea, catching up since the last time they had gotten to talk face to face some years earlier. “I see... So you and Gem are working for the empire as... mercenaries?”

Azalea nodded her head proudly. “That’s right, Onyx. Shining hires us out to private companies to explore the Frozen North and find valuable artifacts. I do miss being a guard at times, but working alongside my wife in the snow is a far more enjoyable experience.”

Onyx smiled. “As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. How long have the two of you been together now?

The pink pegasus pursed her lips and made a thoughtful face. “Hmm... I think it’s been about three years since we got married. Oh, that reminds me, our anniversary is coming up!”

Her eyes darted towards Gem, who was walking their way. “Don’t tell her I almost forgot!”

Onyx made a motion with his hoof like he was sealing his lips.

Gem motioned for her to follow. “Azalea, Amethyst says we can get settled. It might be some time before the others arrive.” The two mares then found a nearby sofa and sat down.

Halite came out of the kitchen a little while later with a cookie in his mouth as Amethyst watched him from then archway. “No more until after we eat, alright, Halite?”

The little colt agreed with a mouthful of cookie as he chewed thoughtfully. After he swallowed, he looked back and waved. “Thank you, Aunt Amy!”

The doorbell rang for a third time, and Amethyst’s heart jumped in her chest. In her mind, she hoped to Celestia it was who she thought it was.

Emerald opened the door this time. “Sadri! I didn’t know you and Gypsum were coming. Come on!”

The golden domina and her partner bowed graciously as the stepped inside. Gypsum laughed as she hit her rear against Sadri’s. “Ha! We wouldn’t miss this gathering for the world. Isn’t that right, love?”

Sadri pulled her wife closer. “That’s right, Gypsy. Amethyst told us Pyrite would be here. I haven’t seen that little changeling in over... thirteen years.”

Emerald nodded his head. “That’s right... You’ve been in the Everfree Forest all this time. How are things there?”

Gypsum gestured to the domina and pushed her chest out with pride. “Sadri has just recently been made the new chief of the tribe. Her father stepped down last year to retire, leaving all of the duties of running the village to her.”

Sadri looked bashful, and her cheeks turned red. “Gypsy, I thought we agreed not to tell them...”

“Why not, darling? They deserve to know.” She faced Emerald again. “She’s just being modest. You should have seen Sadri strutting around in her ceremonial gown. She looked just like a princess!”

The table was set, filled to the brim with a variety of delicious goods that were filling the entire house with mouth-watering vapors. The longer everypony stood around and talked, laughing and sharing stories, the hungrier they all became. Onyx slipped away from Gem and Azalea to find Amethyst standing by the archway leading into the kitchen. She had a sad look on her face as she slumped against the wall.

He walked up to her and nuzzled his face against hers. “What’s wrong, Amy? You should be out there enjoying the company of our friends...”

Amethyst let out a long sigh as she wishfully watched the door. “She’s late, Onyx. I want to see her so badly, but what if she doesn’t show up?”

Onyx knew she was talking about Pyrite again, and his eyes met hers. “She will, Amy... I know she will, but right now, we have a bunch of hungry ponies on our hooves that are ready to eat.”

She nodded her head and stepped out into the dining room. “You’re right. We can’t keep them waiting forever. Let’s call everypony to the table.”

The dinner table was large, the biggest one Amethyst and Onyx could buy. It had to be, in order to seat so many guests. All of the couples sat together. Gem sat beside Azalea and Sadri beside Gypsum on one side, and Halite sat on the other side between Onyx and his parents.

Amethyst was the last to sit down, and she took her place at the head of the table. “Well... It’s been a while since we’ve all been together like this, and I’m so happy to see each and every one of you again.” Her horn began to glow, and she raised a glass with her magic. “To the empire, and to the friendship that brought us all together.”

Everypony else with a horn did the same while those without tapped their glasses with their hooves. As they began to settle back down and divide up the banquet before them, a gentle tapping at the door stopped them. Amethyst turned her head and rose from her chair. She hastily walked across dining room and to the front door. Her horn ignited, she turned the handle, and a wide smile came over her as a tall creature came into view.

She had the physical form of a pony, but her body consisted of several blended color variants, some parts being bright green, others being purple or even pink. She had large, majestic wings and a horn flanked by large, antler-like appendages. Amethyst beamed at her, and the creature beamed back.

“Hello, mother...”

Amethyst cried and threw her hooves around her daughter, pulling her close. “Pyrite... You’ve grown so big...”

Pyrite reciprocated the hug and embraced Amethyst. “I couldn’t stay your little baby forever, now could I? I’ve missed you so much, mother...” Then, her chin rose, and her eyes scanned the rest of the ponies at the table across the room. “I’m not late, am I?”

Amethyst pulled Pyrite by her hoof to the table. “No, of course not! You’re just in time. Your seat is at the other...” Then, she noticed the two little changelings that had been hiding behind Pyrite’s legs. “... other end... Um, sweetie, who are... they?”

Pyrite looked back and saw what Amethyst was talking about. She picked one of them up, extracting a fit of giggles from the little colt, and held him against her face. “Isn’t it obvious, mother? Can’t you see the family resemblance?” She set the little changeling back down. “These are my children and just two of your many grandchildren. I couldn’t bring all two thousand of my subjects.”

She gestured to the little filly, who hid behind her mother as all eyes in the room. fell on her. “Everypony, I’d like you to meet Cicada...” Then, she pointed to the colt she picked up earlier. “And this little trouble maker is Mantis.”

He wasn’t nearly as shy, and he began running laps around the table to meet everypony he could see.

Gem and Emerald’s jaws dropped at the sight of the little changelings. “You... named them after us?”

Pyrite laughed and nodded her head as she joined them at the table. “Of course! You two have had such a lasting impact on my life that I couldn’t resist naming at least a few dozen of my children after you.” Then, she looked towards Azalea. “There’s about eighty Phasmids running around the hive as well. I can’t keep up with them all.”

Amethyst eyed the little changelings curiously, and they looked back at her.

“Two thousand grandchildren, and I’m not even forty years old... Who’d have thought?” She looked at Pyrite. “Now, I’ve got to know. Who’s the father?”

Pyrite blushed and poked at her glass. “Well... I do really like that changeling king down south, Thorax. He’s the one who helped the Equestrian ponies defeat Chrystalis and made us they way we are now. He heard about my hive and paid us a visit. One thing lead to another, and now, we’re thinking about having another few thousand children.”

Sadri cleared her throat. “I can vouch for the character of Thorax, Mrs, Amethyst. The Blackstar Tribe is well acquainted with King Thorax and his hive. We trade with them occasionally.”

Pyrite grinned at her, silently thanking her for the support.

Onyx reached across the table and placed his hoof on hers. “One step at a time, sweetheart. You’re here to eat with your mother, remember?”

She nodded her head, but her rosy cheeks and wide smile remained. “Yes, father...”

Amethyst let out a content sign smiled at everypony around the table. “Alright, everypony. We’ve put this off for long enough. Dig in and enjoy!”

***

Comments

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

Don't like you mad the thorax change canon to this.

[Texus]

I'm a bit sad to see it ends before I could start it, I hope there is room for a sequel so that I can hope for more afterwards.

[Texus]

8891099
I just saw that this story already is a sequel, well I still hope for a sequel but I want to ask if this story has the same main chars as in the last story.

I don't exactly like it to get used to some characters and then have others in a sequel.
edit: I honestly never understood why some authors do that.

[harts fire]

this is a vary good story but.

[Umbra Animo]

8891111
Well their is the 18 years this could just be a jump to the future for fun

[Texus]

8891339
does that mean we have the same chars? It sounded more or less already better even if that should not be the chase.

[RazorWing_GB]

Not a big fan of the rainbow changelings, but then I've always been partial to darker colors. I'll let it slide.

[Slavenger Karl]

No pyrite kindergarden? Aw, I always liked foal drama in those kind of stories...

[ChakatRedstripe]

Though I would have loved to see the growing years, this is a nice addition

[Blackdust]

Can't believe you went skittlebug route... But seeing as how you had Thorax, I can't say surprised.

[Ali della Morte]

9614738
I'm not sure which name is better.
Skittlebug or Technicolor Beetle?