The Hag, the heroes, and a few other things

by Amaranthine Thought

An end and a new beginning

*** Ponyville, just outside of Twilight’s castle***

“Rainbow, you don’t have to! Where are you even going?”

“A very long trip Twi, and I do have to. And I don’t know when I’m coming back.” She pulled the strap of saddlebags taught.

“But… but why Rainbow? I want… need you here!”

Rainbow sighed and looked to Twilight’s worried face. It had been over three weeks since they had left Pinkie’s grave on the hill and Twilight was still near inconsolable over her. Nothing seemed to allow her to stop grieving over Pinkie, which was one of the reasons Rainbow was leaving.

“I am trying to help you Twi!”

“How are you helping me by leaving me?!”

“Because I’m going to find Pinkie!” The moment she said it Rainbow knew that she had messed up.

“Pinkie is gone Rainbow! And she isn’t coming back!” Twilight yelled, growing upset.

“She isn’t gone! And I am going to find her! How could I be the element of loyalty if I didn’t try!?” Rainbow yelled back.

“First you don’t know where to start. Second you are not being loyal to anypony by looking for her because Pinkie’s DEAD!”

“SHE ISN’T DEAD!” Rainbow screamed back, anger and tempers running over, the grief of Twilight and Rainbow’s denial clashing.

“She is dead, nopony could survive that! And I failed her and now I might fail you! I won’t let you go! I am not losing another friend! Never again!”

Rainbow watched Twilight, tears in the alicorn’s eyes as her wings flared out.

“And I’m not going to let you continue like this Twilight.” Rainbow said in a soft voice, causing Twilight to hesitate.

“What?” she asked, her wings dropping slightly.

“I… I need to try. I have to look for her, or I failed her too. And I would have failed you.”

Twilight watched Rainbow almost confused as the pegasus shook her head sadly.

“You just haven’t been the same pony ever since Pinkie vanished! You aren’t happy anymore! I haven’t even seen you smile once!” Rainbow looked up with pleading eyes. “I’ve gotta look. Just to be certain. To know if she’s really gone.”

“But…” Twilight said, giving Rainbow her own pleading eyes.

“No buts Twilight. What if Pinkie survived? What if she’s out there somewhere, hurt and alone? What if she needs us? I have to go and look.”

Twilight hesitated. Her mind insisted that nopony could have survived my spell, but her heart began hoping. What if Rainbow was right? What if they were abandoning Pinkie when she needed them the most? She watched Rainbow watch her, both ponies breathing hard.

“You… You need to go northeast.” Twilight said, swallowing hard and trying to stop crying.

“Wha… Twilight?”

“The spell would have sent them very far, far outside Equestria’s borders either north or east and very likely some combination of the two. If you want to look go northeast first. I can fashion you some kind of tracking spell to help if you wait for a moment.”

“Twilight… Thank you.”

Twilight trotted off, soon returning with a tiny pouch and looped it over Rainbow’s head.

“It’s inaccurate, but it should work within ten miles of Pinkie. If you do get that close, the magic will start tugging toward her general direction. Make sure not to lose it or take it off. You need to take some winter gear too; it gets cold up there, and make sure to get a map when you leave Equestria.”

Rainbow nodded, feeling emboldened about her now slightly hopeful search.

“And Rainbow?”

“Yeah Twi?” she asked as she flapped her wings.

“I want you back before next summer. O.K?”

Rainbow looked to her and then saluted. “I’ll be back before then Twilight! And with Pinkie, you can bet on it!”

Twilight watched her go, a rainbow streak across the sky. Her mind rebelled, insisting on the hopeless nature of Rainbow’s quest, but she was unable to deny her friend.

If she said no, it would be like watching Pinkie die all over again.

*** Mountainside, a few days after the wedding ***

“I’m going to miss you grandmother.”

“I will miss you too Rose.”

“Rose! The ship is leaving soon!”

“I’ll be right there honey!” Rose called to Honest.

We stood out on a dock, ponies preparing a vessel for travel. Rose and Honest wanted to find a home, and it was partially my fault.

Rose had decided on Ponyville, the town closest to the Everfree so that when I returned they could be close to me. Honest had even been willing. He was not very close to me, but he felt a kinship of sorts. I was now his family by marriage (and by choice, but Rose had insisted that we were now blood) and he actually wanted for me to be nearby. To help him with his… bad habits.

Why it was my fault they were leaving? Well, remember the fertility I had granted Rose?

Pinkie can apparently sense pregnancy in mares after only one day of being pregnant.

She had told Rose and we had another party that Pinkie had thrown together in only a minute (how she made a cake in that short a time I would never know) and the couple needed to find a home. It was not healthy for Rose or the growing infant to follow after me on my quest.

So Rose and Honest were leaving on a boat to get to Ponyville and start a home. I promised that I would eventually go back to my own home in the Everfree, close enough that we could visit one another.

I would have to cure the tree of harmony and somehow stop Celestia from wanting to kill me first, but that didn’t have to be said right then.

“Promise me you’ll write?” she asked.

“Of course! Just expect the mail to be delivered by birds.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way. Goodbye Grandmother! I want to see you before the baby is born!”

“I should be done long before that! But if I’m not I will brave dragons to be by your side!”

She laughed and we waved to one another, Pinkie by my side as the ship departed. I took a moment to pray that the voyage would go well and continued to wave until I could no longer see Rose.

I turned to Pinkie. “Looks like it’s just us Pinkie.”

“Yep. And we going to find magic and loyalty right?”

“That’s right. So come on. I don’t know where to start so we got a long ways to go.” I began walking back down the pier.

“Long trips are the best!” Pinkie yelled, bouncing next to me. “We can have campfires and tell scary stories and bond and see everything there is to see and help ponies and…”

I stopped listening. Pinkie can talk a man to death.

Whatever the case she still got on my nerves. The endless energy, the incessant talking, the inexplicable abilities… Frustrating!

But she also reminded me of Discord. She was… like him. Not a copy and a poor substitute, but her nature was similar to him. I suspected that the pair would even be friends if they met.

So followed by a bouncing pink mare I walked onward. I had no idea where to begin, no idea where I might go. When I first started I was less than happy about such a vague and aimless quest.

But now I couldn’t wait. Ponies to help, ponies to meet, places to see, things to learn about. It all waited just beyond and I smiled.

Pinkie behind me making sure that I would never be bored we walked (and bounced) onward, picking a direct at random and heading off. There was an adventure to be had!

Comments

[everydaygamer]

I really liked this story and I hope you continue it.

[Wolfren]

I am overjoyed at how happy this chapter is (for the most part), yet also saddened by this being the final chapter. Will there be a sequel, perchance?

[Amaranthine Thought]

8262635

Yep. It was going to be uncomfortably long if I got them together though, hence the separation. The sequel might take a bit, but I will get it sooner or later.

[Wolfren]

8262737
*nod nod* Alright, I honestly can't wait, and will loyally check for the sequel.

[Syroc]

It is a crime that this story hasn't received more attention. I love it to death.

[Sweetblue]

8339270
Well you know what to do :) link it to some group it should be in and it will get more exposure and the cycle repeats itself.

[Zyrian]

Wait. Hold up.

This is the ending?

[Amaranthine Thought]

8340210

No, it does have a sequel. I just have a hard time with the interface for the links.

I can fix that.

[Zyrian]

8340712
It might be better to keep it all in one story, but with different arcs. It keeps from fragmenting your reader base, and gives you a higher chance to get your story seen by more people.

[Amaranthine Thought]

8340794

... Looking back, that would have been better . Too late now though...

Thanks for the tip

[Zyrian]

8340848
Bah. It's not too late

[Zyrian]

To answer your question from earlier: Yes, the way you would go about that would be to copy over the chapters from the new one into this one, and unpublish the new one.

[PhycoKrusk]

This story is the very spirit of what adventure should be about.

[Tide Hunter]

“Yep. And we going to find honesty and loyalty right?”

Wait, hold on, why Honesty and Loyalty? Magic was one of the three shattered elements.