The Farewell
"FORTY FIVE MINUTES!"
Rarity nodded at the announcement, putting down the polishing stone. "There we go, Spike, your scales are all glossed up and ready to go. And might I say, you make quite the sight."
"Heh, thanks Rares." The dragon rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "You're looking pretty good as well. I mean, not that you don't always look good. It's just, it's been a while since we dropped the morph spell and--"
Rarity shut him up with a deep kiss, wrapping her forelegs around his long neck.
Rainbow mock-gagged. "Come on, you two, we're on the clock! You'll have plenty of time to make babies after we get back."
The white mare gave the pegasus a glower. "Miss Dash! You of all people should know that there are many ways to express love, and--"
"Yeah yeah, I getcha." She gave her sly grin. "But would you have really been able to stop from going all the way if I weren't being a buzzkill?"
"A lady has some restraint," Rarity replied with a huff. "And I am a lady--Fluttershy! STOP LAUGHING!"
"I'm not, hee, I'm not laughing! It's hiccups!" Fluttershy gripped her stomach with one hand and made a squeak which could have been a hiccup, if it had not morphed into a giggle.
"Hiccups. Riiiiiight." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Shy, why haven't ya dropped tha morph? Ya know humans don't exist in Equestria!"
Fluttershy's face fell. "I... I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of being on hooves again."
"It won't be forever," Spike pointed out. "We just don't want to cause a panic. As soon as we tell the princesses about our experiences, you can go back to having hands."
Fluttershy sighed, looking away.
"...That ain't it at all, though, is it?" Applejack asked gently.
"I'm just... I'm happier here then I was in Equestria. I have friends, I have family..." She looked over the balcony rails at the partygoers, who were gradually growing more somber. "Spike's letters stopped getting through. What if we can't contact Earth after we go back?"
"I'm fairly certain it was just a collapse in the thaumic channeling link," Twilight assured her, levitating a crystal as big as her head as she trotted past her. "All we need to do is re-establish it, and inter-world communication will be restored. Throw in some of our advances in--hunnf--micromagic circuitry, and I can all but guarantee we'll have an inter-world portal in one, maybe two months, and a full out transit station by the year's end." She glanced around the runic circle as she pushed the crystal with a purple hoof. "Thirty five minutes. Everyone got everything they're taking with?"
Her friends all nodded, checking their saddlebags and rechecking the enchantments on them. Applejack gave Rarity a look. "Yah made sure that--"
"Yes, yes, I limited what I was taking. I'm not over the weight limit."
"...Who're ya gettin' ta look after what you left behind?"
"Charisma and Jasmine. They're excellent girls, and they needed someplace to stay while they were studying."
"Eh, suppose you would know."
Rainbow Dash looked over the balcony. "OY! PINKIE! GET YOUR FLANK UP HERE! WE'VE GOT," she turned to Twilight. "Thirty minutes?"
"About right."
"THIRTY MINUTES BEFORE HOPTIME!"
"But I haven't finished saying goodbye yet!" Pinkie wailed, clutching at the various people around her with teary eyes.
"Oh come on Pinkie, don't cry! If you cry, I'm gonna start crying, and then Fluttershy will cry and then we'll be in a big hugpile and then Twilight will panic because we're running short on time--"
"You've got twenty-five minutes, Pinkie!" Twilight shouted. "I want you up here before the five minute mark, got it?"
"I got it, I got it." Pinkie returned to hugging the people around her. "Goodbye Maple! Keep working on your art! Goodbye Hotshot, I'm sorry I won't get to see your big game. Jess, Jack, it's... it's been fun, and I wish we had more time together, but I don't know when I'm going to be able to come back so please don't wait for me, just keep doing what you're doing, okay? For each other..."
Rarity bit her lip. "Maybe I... maybe I should make a few final farewells myself--"
"We've been saying goodbye all day," Spike reminded her gently. "I checked your list, and there's... basically nobody you haven't already handled."
"If it helps, I did prepare a speech," Twilight offered. "I was planning on starting it five minutes before hoptime, so... in twenty minutes, I think."
"Maybe we should take turns giving speeches," Fluttershy suggested hesitantly. "Or at least, big public goodbyes."
Applejack looked up at her, hesitated, and shook her head with a sigh. "Ah don't think that's such a good idea. We're having a hard enough time breaking it off as is... we need ta focus now. The deadline's comin' up, and we can't avoid it." She lowered her head. "Better to be ready than be caught up in a chat."
Fluttershy knelt down, cupping the mare's chin in her hand. "Are you... are you okay?"
"...nothing Ah ain't been through before, Shy. Ah'll be fahn in a bit."
"Is a bit going to happen before or after we're back in Equestria?"
Applejack broke her head out of Fluttershy's gentle grasp. "Drop tha morph, Shy. We've only got twenty minutes."
Fluttershy opened her mouth, paused, and nodded slowly. Her fingers went up to the butterfly gem around her neck; her form wavered and contorted, shrinking in her blouse. In a few moments, a pegasus kicked off the now too-large garments.
Rarity picked them up in her magic, folding them gently and stashing them in the waiting saddlebags. "You'll be back in them soon," she said, almost too brightly. "Best not to lose them before then, no?"
Fluttershy nodded meekly, walking to the saddlebags and putting them on. "I hope you're right, Rarity."
"You know what the worst part about this is?" Rainbow's wings fluttered. "The waiting. I mean if there was like this big gate and we stood before it and hesitated a lot, sure, I could get that. But it's more like we just don't have any control over it at all."
"We may not have control over the surge," Twilight said, "but we've got control over how we manipulate it."
"More like you have control," Rainbow grumped.
"What, you don't trust me?"
"No, of course I trust you. I just feel kind of useless just standing here and watching you prod that crystal."
"It'll only be for fifteen more minutes, Dash." Twilight gave her a small smile. "You'll probably be the one to scout out the area after we get back."
"Right." She nodded. "I'll... be ready for that, I guess."
Applejack glanced at the balcony railing, her ears flicking back. "...do ya think anyone but the princesses will remember us?"
There was a moment of silence.
"...some of the dragons might," Spike offered weakly. "And Discord."
"No, Ah mean... Ah get that lil' Bloom's..." Applejack swallowed. "Ah mean, a thousand years. Ah'm sort of... wonderin' if, ya know, we're figures of legend by now."
"I guess that would be cool," Rainbow Dash murmured. "Being hailed as the ancient heroes."
"...we can't take anything for granted," Twilight reminded them. "We have to be ready to adapt to any changes..." She took a breath. "Ponyville might not even exist anymore."
The gathered mares lowered their eyes to the ground.
"...I don't know what's worse." Fluttershy kicked the ground. "I want you to be able to form a portal back quickly, but... I also want to be able to stay and help, if they need it."
"Building a bridge might be the best chance we have to help them." Twilight shut her eyes. "Ten minutes. Could... could somebody call Pinkie up?"
"She's still got five--"
"I know, Rarity, but... I don't want us to be wrangling her to the last second."
Rarity took a breath, and let out a slow sigh. She walked over to the balcony. "Pinkamena, you should wrap it up. We're going to have to leave very soon."
"But Raaaaaaaaaaaaritiiiiiiiiiiii--"
"Please, Pinkie! Just..." Rarity bit her lip. "Just, please. I... it's getting intense up here."
Pinkie blinked, looking at her face. "...Okay. I... Okay." She turned back to the crowd, giving one last hug that enveloped five people, before walking up the stairs. By the time she joined the rest of them, her hair had lost most of its bounce.
"...morph," Twilight quietly reminded her.
With a nod, the woman became a mare, jumping easily out of her clothes as she had many times before. Unlike any of those times, it managed to somehow be a somber moment.
"Everything in your bags?" Applejack asked gently.
"Uh-huh." Pinkie stuffed her clothes into the saddlebags, taking up her place.
Twilight sighed. "I'm sorry, Pinkie. I do wish we had longer."
"I know." She glanced up. "Five minutes, right?"
Twilight nodded. She turned, walking to the edge of the balcony, and tapped her hoof on the railing. Below, the crowd went silent.
"...I would... I would like to thank you all. I know you don't remember when we first came here--none of you were even born yet, but..." Twilight inhaled. "You've all helped us, and we... we've become close. We've become a family. Some of us more literally than others, true. And I'm sorry that we have to do this."
She glanced back at the gem, steadied herself, and turned around.
"I don't know when we'll be able to come back. Maybe a few hours, maybe a month... if we're really unlucky, maybe a year or more. But we will be back. Because, well... you... you mean too much to just leave behind. We're going home, and we're going to clean up, and then.... then we'll be back and ready to invite you all for a visit. So, just... thank you all, for making these last few days so memorable."
The crowd was silent for a moment.
Then, somewhere, somebody began to clap. Then somebody else, and another.
Twilight managed, just barely, to smile as the applause filled the massive room, even as tears threatened to blind her. With a final wave, she forced herself to turn around and take her place.
"Not one of yer more structured speeches, Ah reckon."
"Didn't.... feel right, doing a big lecture." Twilight glanced at the crystal. "One minute left."
"Right." Pinkie inhaled. "Right. Time for smiles, girls and drake. We've got to be ready to cheer the welcome party!"
"It'll be pretty sweet to show my new stunts off to new fans," Rainbow managed, her cocky tone just barely cracking.
"I'd love to see what fashions have cropped up in my absence," Rarity mused.
"I... I guess I'll just see if there's any new animal species that have been discovered," Fluttershy murmured.
"Don't worry," Twilight assured her, "we're all going to be here to help you out. Spike? You ready to take a letter?"
Spike grinned. "You know me, Twi. I'm always ready."
"Good. Cause we're making the jump in five... four... three... two... o--"
The crystal flared with light, spinning rapidly as the runic circle began to glow brightly. Beams lashed out, connecting to the gems worn around their necks, and the one that had only recently returned to Twilight's brow. A rainbow spiraled around them, rising up high and shrieking with potent power.
And then, in a flash... they were off.
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Tirek as a listed main character kind of scares me. I mean if they all got blasted there at the end of season 3 then Tirek came back without the mane 6 to challenge him. Equestria could be quite the dystopia after 1000 years, or be through several cycles of loss and rebuilding in that amount of time.
Also this is very interesting considering what they have planned for the final episode of the season. It seems tangentially similar. Hope the series turns out nicely and that there is enough backlog written that it wont be a slow updater.
okay I gotta know where this is going
Well, I'm hooked!
To be honest, I'm more interested in their journey with this new world and learning more about same world.
Still excited to see what you got though.
ON. THE. EDGE. OF. MY. SEAT! This promises to be quite intriguing.
I wonder when did they disappear was it before twilight became an alicone, was it after starlight got reform.... I wonder how crazy good old sunbutt gotten after loose twilight,
8454756
Judging from the description, they were sent to Earth right after Twilight recited the spell that turned her into an alicorn.
Interesting idea.
I NEED MORE
So, the things to keep an eye out for: time ratio is 1 to 1 and it's been a thousand years everything is very similar or very different, or the time ration is way off and it's only been a few moments since they left and that's why Spike couldn't get any letters off. This would be particularly sad as within just a few minutes in Equestria already everyone they know on Earth would have died long ago. This would also explain why they never seem to age, as they would still have been connected to their own world's time, that having been a few minutes or maybe a year or two passing.
Hey, at the very least, the CMC could still be alive. If they were desperate enough, they could have been frozen by a Cockatrice.
8454607
I feel the same way. I mean yeah this is interesting too and I am curious what's waiting for them back in Equestria but the main 6 + spike living on earth for 1000 years sounds like a way more interesting story.
8454878
It's entirely possible that there isn't a time ratio between dimensions: one might simply return to exactly the moment one was last in that same dimension. *shrug*
Tirek being a main character seems somewhat... concerning.
8455066
The letters comment made it seem like they had two way communication for a while. That most likely means time past equally. Also, they were there for a thousand years. "For a while" might've been over a hundred years.
Well, this prompt is usually asking for poorly structured stories and bad writing. But Masterweaver, therefore I'm intrigued. Will you do it right? Will you answer a the questions and promises this introductory chapter brings? Will the ponies make pop culture references completely out of tune with the hellish landscape they'll arrive in? Hope some of those we know by the next update
I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes! Especially with characters such as Trixie, Lightning Dust and Discord!! :)
yes
8455066
If that's really the case, it means the Mane 6 (plus Spike) suddenly become a thousand years older than their generation. I can imagine funny conversations like this;
"I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only 'Equestria's old hag' anymore"
"The first thing Granny Smith said to me was 'Welcome to the Elderly Club'... and it's really concerning"
"Hmmm, I never notice that my old treadle sewing table fit my human form better than pony form"
"Vinyl! Let me teach you the true soul of the EDM!"
"Eh, Twilight, do you think you can invent the internet in Equestria?"
"I need to invent PEN! First and foremost!"
8454488
Also remember, that without their intervention, the Tree died at the beginning of season four. And both Celestia and Luna were captured.
8455413
Actually if their state was captured, then Tirek wouldn't get their Alicorn powers and would be less able to do much, especially if the plundervines were encompassing all of Equestria at the time he became strong enough to start draining ponies.
8455413 Or the newly-reformed Discord might've done something for lack of anypony else to nag into saving the day.
(Or is he still reformed when Fluttershy's so suddenly vanished?)
Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Derpy didn't even notice they were gone. PREDICTION
Take it. Take my upvote. Just. Take it.
There's going to be a lot of cleaning up to do when they get home. You have my attention. But can you keep it?
Hoo boy. Given the divergence point, they're going to have a lot to clean up. Still, this is only tagged Drama, not Sad or Dark or Tragedy, so we're not looking at the worst case scenario. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.
Opening Blurb has me interested! But got something else to read.... So Yeah... Congrats though!
8455697
You know, tags can change. I considered the Dark tag, but I'll only add it when the story is ready for it.
A thousand years away...so am I missing something? Is there a prequel? I kinda want to know what led to them being whisked away and what's happened over in the other world in that time.
Before I start, is this story a sequel of some sort?
8455837
That is ridiculously dishonest. You are admitting to actively lying to us in order to get more readers, I really thought better of you. The genre tags are to allow readers to find stories that appeal to them and avoid stories about things they hate, leaving off a major tone changing tag like Dark that many people avoid in order to 'hook' a wider audience in nothing short of shameful. And when you do change this to Dark you will deserve the mass downvoting from every single reader who dislikes Dark stories... because you made the conscious choice to trick them into reading this with premeditated lies... in other words you completely invalidate the defense of 'you were warned and you read it anyway'.
8456140
I'm... sorry?
How is it dishonest?
I'm saying that the story is not dark at the moment, and that if it becomes dark I will add that tag. Furthermore, via the blog function, I can mark this story and say 'after heavy debate I am adding the dark tag' as soon as I do, alerting any and all followers to the change.
I am saying that if the story deserves a dark tag, I will give it a dark tag. I don't plan to at this time, but I am aware my level of darkness is not the same as that of the average person. If enough readers say the story needs a dark tag, it will be added and all followers alerted.
Your argument assumes that I planned to enrapture and ensnare many. This is simply not the case. My intent is to write a story and, if necessary, adjust its label.
8456156
Really? Because what "I considered the Dark tag, but I'll only add it when the story is ready for it." says to us is that you considered the Dark tag when publishing the story but decided to wait until you reach that part of the story. The way you phrased that cames across as it will be Dark and you are just waiting until that point to tag it.
8456156
He misread your intentions as saying that you were DEFINITELY going to eventually have the story become much darker, and then add the Dark tag. Were that the case, many readers you have now might not want to read that kind of story, and may feel let down by the sudden genre change.
Reading your reply, I hope that isn't the case.
A story should start with every intended tag, not just what the current chapters have.
8456168 8456174
This, of course, assumes every aspect of every story is planned from the get-go. You cannot label what does not exist.
At this point we're debating philosophy, however, and frankly that has derailed far too many of my stories before. I've said my piece, and I'll let you build up your army of downvoters if you must.
8456187
...This has nothing to do with philosophy. And, regardless, while most stories do not have everything planned out, an author should know whether or not he plans to make the story dark enough to justify the tag. That's a pretty significant story choice.
Either way, I'm not downvoting, and I will keep reading. Never said I would do otherwise.
I like it!
moar please!
"Incomplete" means that the story isn't complete and it is changing, the genres aren't decided yet.
8455066
If you'd look closely you can see that was one of the options I mentioned when debating when they'll come back to. It's most likely that a very small amount of time has passed since they left if any at all, then, of course, there's the possibility that a thousand years or more has passed, or anywhere in between. If I were to guess I'd say little to no time has passed but a completely messed up future isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility.
Was this supposed to be a sequel? I feel like I'm missing something.
8456776
I think it's just a stand-alone story starting in medias res.
Hmmm, this looks interesting. Have to follow and see how it goes
.
8456689
No, this story is about them adapting to a world that seems familiar, but... not. Read the description. They've absolutely been gone 1000 years.
Also, everyone is pointing out Tirek being a main character as a bad thing, but I have worse concerns- Celestia, Luna, and Cadance AREN'T.
Well my attention has certainly been captured. I wait with excitement for the next chapter.
8456156 I can't speak for them, but there are some of us who remember the debacle that was "Of Mares and Magic" by GanonFLCL, where the "Sad" tag was added for literally the last chapter. Ever since then, yeah, I have always been a little hesitant, but at least due to the comments I know that Dark is a possibility, which isn't something I'm personally worried about, and have time to come to terms with if I were.
Despite the heated debate in the comments, I am absolutely hooked and need more... please...
8457367
I think a more apt comparison is Vimbert's Twilight: Revised in which he never tagged the damn thing as a tragedy until the very end, and then only when it was demanded of him by the people he'd strung along to his bad end.
If you think things will turn dark, it's better to tag from the start, because surprising people with it will only lead to downvotes later.
8457367
I was there for that, and I've rarely been so disappointed. I may have been one of the angry voices... so very angry. I'm not proud of it, but I feel it was at least understandable to be so livid given that complete and nonsensical 180 which ruined the whole blessed thing.
I don't expect it'll be anything like that with MW. He might be more of a flow-writer than a planning-every-detail-out kind of writer. It's difficult to tell when you aren't the one behind their screen. Fairly sure everyone's learned the lesson of Of Mares and Magic.
Well I am curious to see what comes next so I will be tracking this story
Well, THAT escalated quicky. Three lines in and you've established a long term relationship with Spike and Rarity...
Eh, it's your fic and I can't say you're in the wrong for doing that, but Sparity is not my cup of tea. I'll be going now, good luck and try not to change your tags too much, eh?
Edit: Yes, I am immediately dropping the story because of Sparity. This is established before anything else within the story aside from there being 45 minutes left until... something. Never mind stuff like how the characters are feeling or the world they spent time in, let's put Sparity front and center!
Look, you do you. I don't like Sparity, you do and it clearly shows. I wish you the best simply because it'd be petty to stoop so low over a ship. Just don't murder me because I happened to dislike this choice.
8457324
The summary only mentions that everyone they know, besides the Princesses, are probably long dead. Not that it is a certainty. Looking at it again I change my mind, I believe that it has been several years since they vanished but not long enough that everyone they know is long dead. I'm less concerned about Tirek being a main character as I am about Spike not being one.