Past Actions, Future Consequences

by Rill

Epilogue

Ponyville lay peacefully beneath the bright midmorning sun. In the town, ponies went about their business like every other day, while foals filled the air with their laughter as they ran about, filling the all too short summer days with as much fun as they could. Overhead, clouds slowly passed by. Among the clouds, the town’s pegasi flitted and soared. Some rested on the clouds, content to enjoy the steady breeze and warm sun, while others soared or raced about. It was, as had been promised by the Weather Bureau, a perfect day.

From the north, one lone pony flew. Even though he had things he needed to attend to, the young stallion couldn’t help himself as he executed a couple of lopsided barrel rolls. He had spent the last few days in Canterlot, meeting with the princesses and now, he was on his way back home, but his train wouldn’t depart for hours. Sure he could have flown the distance from Canterlot to the Crystal Empire. It would have been more direct and he had done so before, but not this time. He had business in Ponyville. He had ponies to see.

Righting himself, the black and grey stallion flapped his wings, the ground dropping away as he caught a steady breeze and soared. In the distance, he could see Ponyville. He could see the town that had welcomed him with open arms all those years ago. In the distance, he could see Princess Twilight’s tree shaped castle, its crystal facets gleaming and flashing in the light.

Smiling, the flier’s mind couldn’t help but go back in time, to when the greatest adventure of his life finally came to an end. From his altitude, he could see the path the airship had taken as it flew through the air for the small town. He could still feel the wind blowing through his mane and tail as he stood in front of the bridge. As a colt, he had stood there silently, watching the land slowly pass by. It had been nearly two months since he had left Ponyville with Twilight and Spike, who had joined him on a mission to his former home to once and for all settle the threat he had accidentally unleashed. To say that it had been a rough trip would have been an understatement. Between the fight they had gotten into while at sea and the emotional rollercoaster that had been the return to his birthplace, the colt was more than ready to put everything behind him. But he couldn’t do that just yet. There was still one last thing he had to do.

In the distance, he could see a light blue pony streaking toward them, the rainbow-colored contrail she left identifying her, even from several miles away. The colt couldn’t help but smile as the energetic mare circled the slightly damaged ship, bleeding off excess speed before landing next to him, her numerous questions battering the colt before her hooves had even touched the deck.

The moment he was able to get a word in edgewise, the young flier explained the blown out windows and the damage to the balloon. For the rest of the trip, the two fliers stood silently on the bow, the colt lost in his thoughts of what was about to happen, and the mare more than happy to respect her friend’s unspoken need for silence.

As the ship made its final turn, its course generously avoiding the notorious Everfree Forest, everypony on the bridge and bow could see the reception waiting for them. In a field on the outskirts of the town, hundreds of ponies stood or hovered in the air, while banners welcoming the ship home from its maiden voyage fluttered in the morning breeze. Sighing, the colt turned away as he felt the ship begin its descent. Behind him, he could hear his companion follow.

Leading the way, the young colt made his way to the hold. At the door, he found himself surprisingly unsurprised at the sight of three princesses, a prince and a dragon waiting for him. Swaying slightly as the ship finally landed, he smiled slightly and nodded. Igniting his horn, the colt undid the spell on the door’s lock that he had placed before they had left the island he had been born on. Inside, the sight of three flag draped coffins greeted the ponies and dragon. His horn glowing, the colt reverently lifted the smallest of the coffins before gently floating his twin sister out of the darkened room. Already he could feel a few tears dripping down his cheeks, but he didn’t bother trying to hide them. He didn’t care about that anymore.

Watching as Cadance and Twilight levitated his parents, the colt followed behind Princess Luna as the larger alicorn led the way to the boarding ramp. Turning the final corner, the colt could see sunlight streaming through the open doorway as the sounds of hundreds of cheering ponies drifted through the air. Taking a deep breath, the colt slowly made his way down the ramp; his sister’s remains floating in front of him. To his surprise, at the base of the ramp, a dozen guards were lined up; golden armored Royal Guards stood at attention while their Imperial counterparts mirrored them on the right.

The crowd roared at the sight of their Princess of the Night returning. The roar died as the colt and his friends stepped into sight. Silently, the crowd parted for them, everypony bowing their heads as the four alicorns passed by. In the back of the crowd, Princess Celestia waited, a pair of black armored guards hitched to a cart stood silently next to her. Gently setting his sister’s coffin in the cart, the young alicorn stepped aside before bowing to the oldest princess. Hearing her say his name, he looked up to see her extend her wings and embrace him in a hug. Silently, the undisguised colt returned the hug, the tears still running down his face.

Wiping his eyes with a leg, the airborne stallion slowly lost altitude. Below him, the grasslands that filled in the miles between Canterlot and Ponyville changed to farmland as he crossed the town’s outermost border. Around him, row after row of corn and wheat and hay nodded in the breeze, the rustling of their leaves and stalks adding to the sound of life around him. Feeling his barrel brush against a couple corn stalks as he passed over the field’s far edge, the stallion landed with a small crunch as his hooves scraped against the road’s gravel. Fluttering his wings, he broke into a gentle trot, his adoptive hometown laying less than a mile away.

The day of his return was easily one of the hardest of his life. Though he had his friends around him, he would have gladly fought a dozen cerberi on his own instead. The funeral had been a thankfully quiet affair. Besides his friends from Ponyville, the four princesses, Shining Armor, the mayor and the crew of the Tranquility attended as well. For a while, Shadow recalled his family, telling everypony about them. He told them about his mom and how she had steadfastly refused to do what any other pony on the island would have done if they had had an alicorn foal. He told them about her love of trees, especially maples, and how she made the best maple syrup on the island. He told them about his dad and how he had helped everypony who walked into his shop. He recalled the time he had helped his father end the Feather Flu outbreak at the nearby thestral colony. With his sister, Shadow couldn’t help but laugh at the memories of how energetic and competitive she was, how she would make everything she could into a competition of some kind, even something as mundane as who could finish their chores first.

As he remembered his family, the colt’s horn glowed. Next to each coffin, a clone slowly appeared. Together, the colt and the clones of his family turned to the assembled princesses. Bowing his head in silent thanks, the young alicorn and his clones bowed to the princesses; to Luna and Cadance and Twilight.

And to Celestia.

That night, the party welcoming them back was a much more subdued affair; thanks to the wrench Equestria’s youngest alicorn had thrown into the mix. Fortunately, that had not been the party Pinkie Pie had told him about before he had left. That party had come a week later when he had stepped into Sugarcube Corner to find a banner congratulating him on his twelfth year of life. Far and away, it was the best party he had ever had the pleasure of attending. Even a decade later, he could still taste the cake and he still cracked up every time he remembered Rarity’s reaction to finding Pinkie’s pet alligator in the punch bowl.

Slowing his trot to a sedate walk, the alicorn stallion slowly wandered his way through the town. Not much had changed since the day he had finally been able to properly lay his family to rest. Cheerilee still taught at the schoolhouse, though they had had to expand the building and hire another teacher as the town’s population grew when word of two alicorns living in Ponyville had gotten out. Sugarcube Corner still produced the best treats in Equestria, going so far as to include a small line of maple syrup based treats after getting a number of jars of syrup from the young alicorn. It had taken a few years, but even the Everfree Forest had recovered from the devastating fire, eventually returning to its infamously foreboding self.

Breathing deeply, the stallion made his way to the far side of town. In the distance, he could see the gingerbread shaped building that housed the town’s world famous bakery. Silently, he mentally reminded himself to stop by and pick up a box of treats. If he didn’t, Fates knew how his twin pegasus fillies would make him regret such a mistake. Though they were angels most of the time, Evening Breeze and Summer Star could give the demons of Tartarus a run for their bits when they wanted to. Even his wife would give him grief, claiming he had bought a box of Sugarcube’s finest, but had eaten it all on the ride back. Though he would never say it out loud, since his wife was eating for two, he would have been more than willing to blame the hormones.

Chuckling to himself, he made a mental note to stop by the library to see Spike, along with Sweet Apple Acres and Apple Bloom if he had the time. But first, there were three ponies he hadn’t talked to in a while. Clearing the town proper, the stallion could see his destination a couple hundred feet away. Opening the well-oiled gate, the young alicorn silently walked among the well-tended gravestones. Along the edges of the cemetery, trees gently rustled in the wind, adding to a sense of peace that blanketed the area.

Smiling, the stallion stopped in front of a trio of granite headstones, the Crystallic etched into them still sharp and easily read. Settling himself down, the lone alicorn sighed in relief as he removed his saddlebags, which were the same ones he had had since moving in with Twilight. “Sorry I’m late, but you guys are going to flip when I tell you the good news...”

Author's Note:

To everyone who has put up with my writing and made it to the end, I only have two words for you: Thank You. Thank you for reading (and hopefully enjoying) my work.

When I started writing this story, I did it mainly as a way to get an idea out of my head so that it would leave me alone. I had no idea at the time that this would become the longest story I have ever written, or that it would take me nearly three years to write. I thought of writing an entirely separate story about Shadow's ancestor's journey from the Crystal Empire to Crystal Island, but as I began to realize how long this story could eventually become, that plan fell by the wayside and I incorporated her story into this one, in the form of Shadow's presentation.

I have a few potential future story ideas kicking around my head right now, but only time will tell if anything comes of them.

Once again, from the bottom of my heart, Thank You for reading this.

Comments

[Trent Roogna]

Complete tag?
NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

it's supposed to be the end of the arc, not the story!

[Rill]

8919874
Sadly yes. I had fun writing this and I figured that I'd end it on a happier note than how Homecoming ended. It's nice to see that some people enjoyed this, but all good things must come to an end, otherwise they become as long as War and Peace. I've read that book and I don't remember most of it simply because of how long it is.

[Trent Roogna]

8919902
I only found this story a few months ago. It was nice to have something of such quality pop up every so often. With each ended story, un-replaced I find myself drifting away from ponies.

When Shattered Skies concludes, I may just be done.

But still, thanks for the story. I loved it.

[Rill]

8920007
Thank you.

[Samellan]

It certainly ended on a good note.
Too bad we don't know who his wife is or how his training under Luna was.

[Rill]

8920126
I never had any plans to give his wife a name and I leave how his time as Luna's student went up to the reader's imagination.

[tkepner]

An excellent story. Thanks for persevering and finishing it.

[Rill]

8921185
Thank you.

[Ephedianroyalty]

8958540
no I know, i just figured out his secret, but still... it's so simple i thought it couldnt be that. it proves to be interesting though

[Grizzly Nation]

Thank you so much, I finally came back to this story to finish it. You are amazing, never stop being amazing. I wish so many more people could see this story. I found your story so long ago and you never ceased to amaze me in each chapter. They are all done so well, thank you and don't stop writing.

[Rill]

9899352
Thank you.