Epilogue
"I suppose you want to know what happened after that, huh?
'Well, let's see... A statue of Tirek was erected on the moon in his honor. His people - led by Scythe - filled that silver rock with their cities. Celestia got a statue as well, a truly spectacular work of art made out of sun crystal. I've seen it myself, such a smooth and graceful visage of her, looking down on Harmony City with a motherly expression. One hoof is always outstretched to where the sun sets - always looking towards the future.
'Garilend was rebuilt - it was a multiple year endeavor, of course, but it was done. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy spent a huge chunk of their lives on it. After it was done, they all went back to simpler lives - Applejack went back to her farm, Fluttershy returned to live in an elaborate forest cabin, and Rainbow Dash restarted the Wonderbolt stunt shows. All of them had families. Rarity spent her days being a politician, and always looked fashionable while doing it. Spike acted as her assistant for most of that, even when he became the size of a small mountain.
'Sunset and Jett lived together for a while, but Sunset lived a lot longer than he did. After he passed, she became a political figure, eventually becoming the first non-gari to lead the world.
'Lem continued to make conspiracy videos. He tied everything from economic crashes and celebrity popularity to Corot and the piece of the Star Lem was certain was still on Garilend. Emin accepted him, but always denounced everything the conspiracy theorist said. Forsoo went to start his own space colony. Nobody knows exactly where he and his crew ended up.
'Nobody knows what happened to Pinkie Pie either. Some say she found out how to make herself immortal and that she throws secret parties all the time. Some say she became a Star. Others say she wasn't real to begin with.
'Cadence never fully recovered from her mental troubles but she went and lived a full life anyway. She lived happily with Shining Armor and devoted herself to raising her many kids. Her life came to an end the moment Shining's did, her will to live vanishing in an instant. She has a statue as well, sitting in New Cloudsdale, made from crystal salvaged from the ruins of the Crystal Empire.
'Starlight openly denounced Orgis's teachings eventually, and she was despised for it. She closed off the Tree of Harmony to visitors and is rumored to have moved the Tree somewhere in the wilderness where nobody would be able to find it. All we know for sure is that nobody has seen it in a long, long time.
'Discord went off to explore the cosmos, taking the Mite with him. It was thought they never returned, but rumor has it Fluttershy and Sunset kept receiving a lot of weird letters from time to time. The Hexalin was never found, despite extensive scans of the Asanta system. It should have survived the supernova, which has raised a lot of unanswered questions.
'Twilight Sparkle and Luna never stopped being rulers of the Equi. While over time they began to take a more subtle approach to ruling, their presence can always be felt, even if they are rarely seen outside Eclipse Day. We have them to thank for the many successful relationships formed with the other races we've found across the cosmos, and for keeping us from another catastrophe on the level of Corot.
'That, my little Pip, is the story of how this all started."
Pip raised her eyebrow. "Really uncle Jackie? That's what happened?"
"Yes, of course!" The old unicorn said, scratching his beard. "Now, I may have left out some bits, but that's how the new age of Garilend came about!"
"I mean..." Pip said, "I know we're aliens, and I know we brought magic, but a Star-god? Really?"
"There are videos you know," Jackie muttered. "The entire thing is well documented-"
"Videos that old can be faked," Pip said. "Plus, if we take that story the way you say is, there'd be a Tree of Harmony. I think we'd be able to find it if it existed. Not to mention that no-one's seen the immortals for years!"
"Did you not see Luna last Eclipse Day?"
"Costume."
Jackie chuckled. "I swear, if you weren't a pony, I'd think Lem's bloodline was in you somewhere. How do you explain the moon's strange and unpredictable movements?"
"Magnets."
Jackie laughed. "Filly, you're crazy."
"Mhm. Mum said I should stop believing in fairy tales if I want to be a big filly."
Jackie facehooved. "She meant your copy of Equestrian Legends Pip..."
"How is this story any different than those?"
"...We have Proof?"
"Not to a big filly, you don't!"
Jackie let out a sigh. "I'll have to have a talk with your mother..." He shook his head. "Ah well, see you later kiddo."
Pip laughed. "I gotcha! Run! Run from my evidence!"
Jackie rolled his eyes and teleported away. Pip stepped into her backyard, looking out at the tremendous cityscape that was Garilend. She saw the hundreds of floating cities - some cloud, some completely mechanical - drifting slowly across the sky. The moon was visible, covered in hundreds of amber lattices. Ships flew to and from the various cities with the occasional craft leaving Garilend entirely.
And then there was the life. Sky serpent creatures weaved in and out of the cities, green forested orbs drifted around the air lazily, and flying people laughed and danced in the sky. Pip breathed in and smiled - who needed fairy tales? Garilend was perfect as it was...
She saw a flash out of the corner of her eye. A burst of magic had come from a purple forest orb. This in and of itself was not unusual - magic flashes happened all the time - but what she saw when she looked closer was amazing. She saw a grand crystalline Tree through the cracks in the purple canopy. Sitting at the base of the tree was a mare that looked exactly like the statue of Starlight Glimmer at the University of Quantum Studies. The pinkish unicorn looked... serene.
And then Pip couldn't see her anymore.
Her jaw hung open. She ran back into the house to call uncle Jackie and tell him everything!
Looking up from her perch one story up, Luna smiled. Starlight really needed to be more subtle - but no one of consequence had seen. Just an innocent filly who would continue to believe in fairy tales. It would be a moment that filly would treasure till the end of her days.
Luna's smirk grew. Why not make this day more special?
She lit her horn and moved the moon in front of the sun for a moment. Then she took to the skies, passing through the clouds in mere seconds, allowing herself to look down on her world from above.
The cities and forest orbs drifted across the world in brilliant, hypnotic patterns. The world was just so filled with life. Little fillies and colts, boys and girls, all in the world she had spent so much time making. She felt content.
Twilight appeared next to her. "...We did good," she said.
Luna turned her gaze to the Stars in the distance. They sparkled back in response. "Yes. Yes we did."
The moon's shadow completed its pass over Garilend. The moment of excitement was over. A calm sense of peace returned to the old world...
The immortals had protected their home after all.
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So sad, so beautiful, and yet so appropriate!
This story feels way too fast-paced..
That may be because it took me like 2 hours to read it all, but still.
Longer comment in credits since that is where people will most post
I am reminded of the very end of the Mass Effect 3 ending.
The stargazer part.
This is the story that introduced me to all of your other stories. The space sci-fi genre is under represented here, I think. I look forward to seeing more of it when the inspiration hits you. Also, far future stories as well.
What an ending, and what a story too! Props to you!
8181484 At first it was a pretty slow burn, kinda surprising that the pedal was to the metal after that.
I bet that eventually everyone forgets the history of the world after the immortals get bored of giving them hints. And when an immortal does give a hint, it is dismissed as a hallucination or trick of the light-especially considering that it was a filly who saw it. And how come immortality isn't widespread yet? They have the technology, the space, and they can probably get rid of the need for food as well.
You know, publicly denouncing Orgis's teachings would mean that the people would remember her as a fraud. And she honestly believed what she taught.
Also, the whole story could have been faked by the inhabitants of this world. Everything that Pip was saying was possible. There could be timed images of Starlight and the tree whenever someone openly denied the story. I'm sure that they had the monitoring equipment.
Regardless, I still love the story. I probably made it seem otherwise.
Isn't it Pip?
Sorry for that gripe. This has been a wondrous read, even if I did nitpick it at times.
Aww, what a beautiful ending to a beautiful story. You did very well.
This fic......this fic!
This fic was an experience and a half. A relatively quick experience but it works with the time skips really well as you are focusing on the immortals that don't really feel the passing of time the same way as us mortals.
My only issue with this fic is when Flurry Heart and Celestial died, their deaths felt.....rushed to say the least. It's only a personal nitpick though. Because it's kind of poetic that even though they were eternal and immortal, their deaths were just as swift as a mortals.
Just....fantastic
Another win! Great work!