No One For the Gallows But Me

by Coyote de La Mancha

Epilogue Four: Home is the Rising Sun.

The bizarre sensations of travel between worlds eased off, and Sunrise found herself back in Twilight's library, the unearthly, extradimensional light fading away as she gratefully dropped once again to four hooves.

“Hey, Twilight, we're ho—ooof!”

Wherever she'd been, whatever she'd been doing, Twilight had apparently been close enough to sense the mirror's activation. The flying alicorn tackle hug momentarily knocked the wind out of Sunrise's lungs, but she immediately returned Twilight's tearful, fierce embrace. Without thinking, she kissed Twilight's cheek, the base of her horn, and then simply squeezed her, desperately wanting to feel the absolute realness of Twilight again.

It was only a second later when Luna's wings and forelegs embraced them both, but Sunrise and Twilight both shifted at once, bringing Luna into a three-way embrace of joy, love, and relief.

Sunrise loved Luna. Deeply, passionately, unreservedly. She knew that. But without Twilight, even if Luna were there, she also knew that noplace would ever truly have been home again. And it was plain that Luna felt exactly the same.

Whatever this might mean for her, for all of them, Sunrise was completely content to leave it unexamined for now. All that mattered now was that she was where she belonged: in the arms and wings of the two mares she loved the most.

And therefore, finally, home.

Author's Note:

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This continuity continues in If You Would Friend a Tiger.

Comments

[LoverOfStories]

11179249
I would like to think that Dissonance would warn her if she did something TOO dangerous. Maybe. Hopefully.

[Coyote de La Mancha]

11179606
Hopefully.

[FanOfMostEverything]

Outstanding capstones. Some hopeful, some thought-provoking, and one deeply concerning. Looking forward to seeing what comes of it all. Thank you for a great bit of drama.

[Gordon_Freemane]

Wasn't Sunrise the one who lived in Equestria and was Princess Luna's marefriend?

[Coyote de La Mancha]

11180677
Aaaaaaack!

Yes! Yes she was! How the devil did that get past me?!?

Thank you so much for catching that! The name mix-up has now been fixed.

[Spamotron]

Finally got to this in my pile of Read It Laters. There are things in the world building I could nitpick. But they would be just that, nitpicks. This was fun and clever and I really want to see where Trixie’s apprenticeship leads.

[BirdsBooksBrownies]

11544496
Needful Things does not end on a Happy note. And at time I read it, I swore I would have been happier never reading it at all, it was very graphic and disturbing.

That said, now that I've read pony stories like Fallout Equestria, the Lovecraftian works of Baron Engel, and any number of stories under "advanced relationships 401" my internal shock/squeamishness might not be quite as affected.

On the other hoof, without the mental disconnect afforded by "magic ponies", might be part of the reason that story was so disturbing. Suffice to say that I too have inner demons that sometimes keep me awake.

[Coyote de La Mancha]

11544520

Needful things was a good story, I think, but I didn't really get into it. But my read was also many years ago.

And yeah, the pony disconnect is a powerful and useful tool. I've leaned on it pretty heavily in the past.