Broken Mirror

by GMBlackjack

Epilogue

>>I told you endings were a lie.

I suppose that was an ending, of sorts. It was the end of their journey - the enemy defeated, the world saved, the heroes looking to the future. They weren't celebrating in that end, but they would eventually. The world was changed in ways nobody could have predicted.

You want to know what happened, don't you?

All right. For once, I'll move away from my musings. Here's what happened.

The war ended. There was no victor. The Concretion just couldn't keep fighting with such a huge hole in their infrastructure after the nuke was dropped, and Equestria couldn't fight either. There was never any sort of official document that ended the war, it just stopped, both sides realizing that continuing would mean destruction.

Canterlot was too far gone - too much radiation poisoning. The princesses had to abandon it and move the capital to Nova. They cured many Canterlot ponies, but they left many more than they saved. The leftover citizens of Canterlot that were saved either moved to Nova, small towns, or even - eventually - the leftovers of the Concretion, which I will get to in a moment. These hoity-toity unicorn types got a rude awakening to regular life if I do say so myself.

The Concretion completely reinvented itself. They were unable to fully restore power, and with a full fourth of their city too irradiated to live in, they knew they would never return to their former glory. That's when they started talking. They still hated magic and everything it stood for - but they realized at that moment they could use some help, and surprisingly people were willing to give it. The griffons for mostly altruistic reasons, and others for quite the opposite.

Speaking of the others, I take back what I said. There was a victor in the war - Sombra. His lands scarcely felt the war, and the broken Equestria owed him. He made sure the Concretes owed him too - giving them all the aid and ponies he could to rebuild. Crystal ponies turned out to be immune to radiation and ended up settling in the irradiated area. He even started occupying the ruins of Canterlot, though this wasn't a very big exodus seeing as Canterlot didn't have much in the way of useful infrastructure.

The view of technology began to roll back, no longer openly condemned by everypony. This was in no small part thanks to Marble, who started making all her inventions and schematics open to the public. She made a moon base with that rocket and has never returned to Equis. Had she been somepony else, she would have been lonely, but she was designed so that inventing would give her joy. Ponies began to view her as sort of a technology-guardian of the planet, even if she really didn't give a crap about anything but progress.

Starlight's secret is still secret. She doesn't live there permanently though, dropping by only for a week so she can recharge the spell, then returning to the outside world. So far, nopony unsavory has found it, and it hasn't fallen apart without her guidance. Starlight has hopes that the secret won't have to remain secret forever. Minuette is buried there, right outside the abandoned castle.

Applejack's and Rainbow Dash's graves are at the front of the Niagara Falls Memorial. Celestia ordered the construction of the memorial - a giant statue of Twilight Sparkle, the waterfall eternally coming out of her eyes - and decided she didn't care what the ponies thought of her. The sun princess became very unpopular with the general population, but she dismissed them. Luna lost her favor as well. Mainly because of the war. Sunset became the 'head' of Equestria by default. She claimed she started leading differently, but that was just to save face. She led the same way she always had. The Movement flourished under her reign, gaining speed and traction, especially because of our heroes.

And what about them? The heroes? What of their fates?

Well, they're all alive, and all together as friends, despite it all. Starlight lives with them when she's not in her secret. Their home? The Concretion. They're there to help the Concretes into a new era. They are not welcome by the Concretes, but they've taken enough hate over the years that they don't care so much anymore. They found that Concrete children are born earth ponies, without the corruption, now that the Nightmare Fuel is gone. In a few hundred years, there won't be Concretes at all anymore. It's slow work - and heart-wrenching. So many Concretes would just beat their children for having emotions. But that's what the heroes do - they help the children live and look to a new life. They're saving the world in a much simpler manner most of the time.

...You want to see them, don't you?

...Okay.<<

~~~

"Don't open your eyes Twilight!"

"Pinkie, I can read your mind, I know what's happening."

"That'd be unfair to the others though! No peeking!"

"Fine... I won't..."

"Sit down riiiiiiight here! Okay, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rarity, and Starlight, you can open your eyes!"

The five mentioned mares did indeed open their eyes. They found themselves sitting at a table obviously ready for a party. There was cake, streamers, and even a few television screens displaying natural scenes. Through the large windows they could see balloons equipped with propellers flying around in circular patterns. There was a stage on which Pinkie and Diane were standing - both smiling. Diane's cutie mark - which she had gotten the moment she put on the Element of Laughter, she just didn't notice - was on full display. A black balloon with a pink eye overtop of it, and a large red X over that. Nopony knew what it meant.

Rarity looked around. "Nice party, Pinkie. what's the occasion?"

"That's a secret until I see what you think of it! What about the rest of you?"

Fluttershy shrugged. "It looks like a party, one of your normal ones."

"Is it supposed to be special?" the Inspector asked. "Are we missing something?"

Starlight leaned back in her chair. "We always are."

Pinkie giggled. "I didn't set this party up."

There was silence at the table.

"You don't mean..." Rarity began.

"Yes, I did," Diane said, smiling. The smile looked a lot more natural than it had been - but it was still a bit too clean. "Have I done well?"

"You did great!" Rarity cheered. "I didn't think you could fool us like that!"

"Be honest, how much did Pinkie help you?" the Inspector asked.

"None," Diane said.

"I only saw it myself an hour before you all!" Pinkie giggled. "So, Diane, got any plans for the party?"

"Well, before eating I was thinking of a dance party with a completely random song selected by our resident DJ."

One of the screens buzzed with static for a moment. >>Hi.<<

Starlight raised an eyebrow. "You? DJ? There's no way you have good music tastes."

>>I am just an over-glorified random number generator in this regard. How's this?<< He started a thumping beat through the speaker system.

"Dubstep?" Pinkie said. "Eh, why not. Let's dance!"

Diane smiled - again, close, but not perfect. "Let's." She began to walk on just her front hooves and did a cartwheel. Fluttershy smiled, getting into the groove next, whirling around Diane gracefully.

Twilight lit her horn - levitating her entire body out of her wheelchair. Using her magic, she positioned her limbs on the dance floor and started moonwalking.

"I see cheating!" Rarity said, leaping into action. "Unfair moonwalking with magic! I'll show you!" she giggled, beginning a moonwalk herself.

Starlight leaped in, cloned herself five times, and did a complex cheerleading routine.

"Diiiiiiisqualified!" Pinkie yelled.

"Fine," Starlight laughed.

Diane danced, carefully focusing on the movements and beat of the music, easily shifting with more complex motions and grace than any of the others. But something caught her eye. The Inspector wasn't dancing - she was standing at a window, looking out.

Diane walked up to her. "...You okay?"

"It just hit me again. She's not here."

Diane nodded, staring out the window with her. "Anything different this time?"

"Oh, wondering if there's any possibility her family survived. Any of them. At all." She shook her head. "Of course there isn't, and I'm partially responsible for that."

"As am I."

"Yes... I suppose we are in that boat together, aren't we?"

"It's a rather dark and presumably depressing boat, but it is something we share."

The Inspector let out a soft chuckle. "...You're getting a lot better at this, you know."

"Sometimes," Diane said, putting a hoof around the Inspector and holding her tight.

"Your hugs could use some work though."

Diane nodded. "Pinkie and I established that."

"Yeah..." the Inspector looked over her shoulder at the dancing. "...You think we should get back?"

"Probably. The moment they start asking questions is the moment the 'drama' starts."

They made their way back to the group and danced the day away. Night had fallen before they finally decided to have dinner. The meal was tasty, and the conversation high-spirited. There were laughs from everypony - rarely a somber face. They may have had hardships in the past, but they were sure happy now.

After the meal, Rarity and Pinkie were sitting on a couch.

"So, in return for me teaching her about parties and ponies, Diane is teaching me about science!" Pinkie smiled.

"Since when do you like science?"

"Since now!" Pinkie giggled. "I'll get to make computers and rockets and games and study all that quantum stuff Starlight could never figure out about my magic."

"Speaking of that, has she made any progress?"

"Nope! The portal is just as elusive as it was when she started, though she's still working. I mean, can't hurt, right?"

"I was working the pink confetti out of my mane for a week!" Starlight yelled from across the room.

>>That hardly qualifies as being hurt.<<

"It was a dignity thing."

>>Dignity comes pre-prepared with a fall.<<

"...Ugh."

Rarity and Pinkie giggled. Rarity looked back at Pinkie. "...What do you think we'd do if Starlight - or Twilight - ever did open a portal?"

"I don't know. It depends if it was permanent, I suppose. If it wasn't, we stay here. If it was... I dunno!"

"...Something we'll cross when we get to it, I suppose/"

Pinkie's eyes twitched and her tail shimmied while her eyes started wigging out. Diane's body started doing the same thing. "No way..." Pinkie said.

"What? What is it?" Rarity asked.

Pinkie said nothing, she just walked to the center of the room, Diane alongside her. The two of them reached out their hooves to a point in space - a point that bubbled. A pink spark appeared, growing slowly. A purple hoof reached out, trying to widen the opening. Then another hoof came out, pushing the edges of the portal further apart, revealing the purple head of Twilight Sparkle. She grunted, growled, and yelped, but eventually she shoved herself through the opening. She fell onto the ground, facefirst.

She stood up, quickly spreading her wings. "Aha! It worked! It worked!" She grabbed Diane's face. "Oh, it's so good to see you again!"

"Uh, Twilight?" Pinkie said. "I'm over here."

Twilight blinked. "Oh my. No. Two Pinkies. Two? The world can never be ready... Two Rarity's!?"

"Hi!" Rarity said.

"Think she can tell us apart?" the Inspector asked.

"Not in her state, dear." Rarity tipped Minuette's hat down, smirking.

Twilight reeled. "And another Starlight... And Fluttershy. And a weird computer screen..."

>>Allow me to make your existential crisis even more unbearable.<<

"Agh! It... Communicates? ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING!"

>>...Should I be concerned?<<

His question went unanswered. Twilight saw, in that moment, Twilight, sitting in her wheelchair.

Other Twilight rolled over to her, using her telekinesis to extend a hoof. "Hi. I'm Twilight Sparkle. Welcome to our world. I've wanted to meet you for a long, long time."

Twilight extended her hoof and shook her counterpart's. "Hi. I'm Twilight Sparkle. Glad to be here, at long last."

~~~

>>They forgave me.

I'm still not sure they should have. I almost tore them apart. I was not the evilest thing they faced - perhaps one of the least - but I was the most damaging to them. I could have saved Rainbow Dash if only I'd acted. Maybe Applejack as well, though I'm not sure on that count. Regardless, I didn't act. Some of the blame falls on me.

But... They forgave me. They welcomed me back. Treated me like one of them. There were rough spots, of course, but despite my nihilistic pessimistic rambling, they accepted me.

I'm certain they're absolute idiots for doing so. Be, alas, that is who they are. If there was anything to learn from this, it is we are who we are - and we are all wrong.

And yet, in the end, I think this is a good thing. It's amazing how freeing knowing you're wrong can be. No more is it your personal mission to right the world. No more do you have to be right about everything. No more must you find excuses to justify everything. No more do you have to hate those who disagree with you. Because, if everyone's wrong, you're wrong about something. But so are they.

Nobody has it right. Some are closer than others, but the best way is outside our reach. I've come to believe it's impossible for any earthly creature to obtain. But the search for that way, the hunt to get closer and closer to what is right?

Well, maybe that's the meaning of life.<<

Comments

[BleedingRaindrops]

The beginning part of this was nice. It has that really great "this doesn't feel like a victory even though I think we just won" feel to it that the ending to any war should feel like.

M really bothers me here. "Oh, they forgave me. I tried to kill everyone and succeeded in bringing about the deaths of several of their friends and never once questioned my morals, not even after I was "defeated" but I've suddenly become a whole new computer program with a new outlook on life because being blown up is a really life changing experience for a lifeless computer program. So I'm glad they forgave me so we can be friends now. I'm good. I swear on my motherboard."
Yeah fuck you and your processing unit. I don't believe for one second you're the same lines of text that have been narrating this story. It's almost like the guy who writes your lines couldn't figure out how he wanted to resolve your story arc and didn't want to just kill you off.

Also

Fluttershy shrugged. "It looks like a party, one of your normal ones."

Come again? Fluttershy has seen enough of Pinkie's parties to know what's normal for one? What does a "normal" Pinkie Pie party look like to her?

[FridayPie]

8483308
Program doesn't have morals. Not in a way we understand them. What we consider moral an AI considers a set of imperative goals. Rehearsing outdated imperatives is pointless. This is not a human. And it didn't said that it is good. All it said that found proof of being able to be wrong. So the imperative of zealous behaviour is moot. Because zealots believe that they are right and everyone else is wrong, they find their duty is essentially to eradicate everyone else. What AI lacks is guilt. Guilt is emotion that drives us to be better, but also it may cripple, disable us. Pointless for an AI, its very nature is self-developing.

Fluttershy has seen enough of Pinkie's parties to know what's normal for one? What does a "normal" Pinkie Pie party look like to her?

Some time had passed, she could have.