Scavenge for the Future

by Evilhumour

Epilogue

Epilogue

It had been several universal standard months since everything had happened and only now were Scratched, Aerostorm and Zaat able to breathe. The Hesturland navy along with the other governmental navies had been busy tracking down any remaining survivors of Clear Vision’s faction to bring them to justice, and dealing with the aftermath of the blast that had left a deep gouge in the moon, trying to intercept any debris sent flying as a result before it crashed into the planet.

During that time the Excelsior had been given extensive outer hull repairs, but the leaders of Hesturland had ordered that the inner ship was to be left untouched and unentered by anyone they did not want inside. And for the moment, it was the best thing for them as they had no real place to go next or plans of what to do now that they had won. Though one thing that could be counted on was Scratched looking into the room of the missing member of the group.

With a nuzzle from her girlfriend, the two of them entered the small, spartan room and looked around the four walls again with a sense of guilt so obvious that anyone could see it. Zaat leaned on the door frame and was about to say something when there was a banging on the hull. Grumbling at this intrusion, Zaat walked out of the room and into the hallway.

After he’d left, Aerostorm wrapped Scratched with both of her wings. “Hey,” she said softly. “How you doing, love?”

“Poor,” Scratched eventually said. “It should have been me going down there. If I had just done more-”

“Scratched, don’t do this to yourself, please,” Aerostorm said, rubbing her beak against her wife’s face, the bed shifting in its frame as the two sat down on it. “She made her own choice and there is still a ch-”

“Guys?” Zaat said, leaning into the doorway. ‘“We kinda have an important guest here.”

“Who are you talk-” Scratched began before she and Aerostorm shared a gasp and immediately stood to bow before the pony in front of them. Though she had no authority over them and they had never seen her personally, the couple knew who this beautiful alicorn princess was.

“Please my little ponies, don’t bow for me,” the mare said before lightly groaning at herself and shaking her head. “And come on, you can remember that these aren’t your ponies.”

“You’re Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Scratched said, still not believing her eyes. “How - why are you here?”

Twilight smiled at her. “I was given special dispensation to come here in person, after everything that’s happened recently,” she said. “When they told me Spliced had resurfaced after all this time…” Her smile turned sad. “She was my friend and it was devastating to find that she had passed away before I could speak with her again.”

“She’s immortal, your highness,” Scratched protested with Aerostorm gripping her side. “She hasn’t been found yet and could-”

“No.” The word was simple yet devastating. Princess Twilight’s face was resolute and her tone firm. “I have spoken with someone of significant capability to determine that she is indeed dead.” She seemed to deflate at this announcement. “I was also told you three were the last to really know her, so I must ask how was she in the end.”

Scratched shared a look with Aerostorm for reassurance before she turned back to the princess. “She was really depressed in the end, your highness,” she said softly. “She seemed to be sad nearly all the time. I tried to be helpful but I don’t know how much good I actually did for her.”

“I see.” Princess Twilight’s posture didn’t change at that, staring intently at the two of them before her eyes went around the room. “Am I correct to assume that this was her room?”

“Yes your majest-” Aerostorm started only for Princess Twilight to raise a wing to her lips.

“Please, my little griffon, call me Twilight, I really dislike the whole distance that my title brings,” she said with a soft smile before she frowned and tapped her own forehead. “Come on Twilight, you just said you have to remember that these aren’t your ponies and you say that.”

Chuckling at her antics, Scratched watched her walk towards the screen before cringing as the alicorn knocked loose a floor panel that hadn’t been properly secured.

“I’m sorry about that; we’ve been meaning to fix that for a while-”

“What’s this?” the princess asked as she peered down into the access. Scratched walked towards her and peered into the hole to see a data crystal at the bottom of it.

“A message left behind?” Scratched said as the princess levitated it out and placed it into the data scanner, causing the screen to flick on. On it was Spliced Genome looking very nervous with Princess Twilight gasping.

“Spliced,” she whispered to herself.

“Scratched Wrench, if you are watching this then something has happened… no Spliced, come on,” the mare paced back and forth, vanishing from view as she walked out of the camera’s range. “You can do better than that.” With a sigh, the mare turned to face the camera again. “Scratched, there is something I need to tell you about yourself… fuck come on Spliced you can do this.” Her wings bunched up in anger as she repeated those last four words over and over again before she let out a tired sounding sigh and sat down on the bed. “Okay Spliced, you can edit this later.” She took several deep breaths to calm herself.

“Scratched Wrench, I want to tell you a very important story,” she said a voice that was clearly struggling to remain calm. “This is a story about this very, wicked evil mare who lived a long time ago.”

“Oh Spliced,” Twilight said in a quiet voice that brought Scratched’s attention back to her.

“This wicked mare did such horrible things that would forever damn her to hell and yet she never felt any guilt,” Spliced said with her eyes shut tight. “She never felt any responsibility for her actions, despite attempts to properly punish her for her horrible deeds.” Spliced’s head dipped lower but she didn’t stop speaking. “One day, she escaped her prison and found this magical world with the most amazing people I- she ever met.” Twilight gasped at this and reached for Scratched’s hoof. “They helped the wicked mare realize how wrong her actions were and then she returned to her prison as she deserved to be punished for eternity for what she did and began to try undo the harm she had done.” Spliced lifted her head with her hoof digging deep into the bed. “There she met the most wonderful, beautiful stallion. He was just perfect and for a while, we were happy.” A sad smile ghosted her face before it fell away. “But the universe knew that she didn’t deserve to be happy and they were careless as the wicked mare soon learned that she was pregnant.”

Twilight gasped loudly at this with Scratched, Aerostorm and Zaat sharing confused looks as this was never mentioned before to them. Uncaring, the recording of Spliced carried on. “She knew that those holding her would take away her child and their future would be forever tainted by me. So this wicked mare and perfect stallion’s friend came up with a solution to save the child’s life.” Her eyes began to scrunch up now with her voice being unsteady. “Their friend and the perfect stallion would get married and have their own child so they could pass off both as hers. It worked perfectly with the stallion she loved and her friend taking her foal away. A foal she never got to see again, a foal she never got to see grow up, a foal I never got to see or hold. I didn’t get to even see her after she was delivered,” Spliced was struggling to speak through her tears at this point. “Genetics are interesting; an unbroken line of maternal genetics can tell so much. Scratched Wrench, when you came into my bar, before we left… Thorn told me you had the same genetic markers I did. I’m sorry to tell you that you are my direct descendent but I thought you sho-”

“Spliced, is everything okay in there?” Scratched’s voice cut into the recording so suddenly that everyone jumped, including Spliced. “Who are you talking to?”

Spliced snapped her neck, erasing any sign of distress on her face. “Just a moment, Scratched,” she said stoically as she walked over to the data projector and turned it off, leaving everyone in complete silence.

Scratched was the first to speak. “She’s…” Her voice trailed off for a moment before Twilight stood up with her horn glowing. Before anyone could respond, Twilight had teleported them away twice.

As soon as their eyes cleared up from the magic trip, they gasped at where they were.

“This is Equestria,” Scratched stared in awe at the sight. It was just as wondrous as it had been described; a utopia of magic melded perfectly with technology. Everything was pleasantly placed, from the flowing green hills to the streets and buildings. Even the enormous crystal tree at one end of the town fit right in.

All except for this lone hill that stood out; everything of it was completely out of place with the wide world around them. It had ancient construction machines perched on it with craftsman tables off to the side and plans spread out across each of them. At the top of the hill was the start of a house with the foundation dug in.

Twilight stared at this for a long time before her horn glowed again and began to erase everything from the base of the hill up to the top. Everything faded away with the hole of what would have been the basement closing up and a tall tree growing upwards. It was a massive willow tree, its branches creating a shaded area at the base of its trunk. At the base, she created a small grave marker and stood before it with tears running down her face.

“This was to be her home,” she said through her tears. “She loved this place so we gave it to her. When they took her away, they wanted to take the steam shovels away and pack things up but I wouldn’t let them. I wanted her to see when she came back that we never forgot her and she had a place waiting for her.” She began to break down, leaning into Scratched’s side as she cried. “She would like this, Scratch. A simple grave, no flowers or announcements. Out of sight and yet in a place where she was happy.” Sobbing harder now, Twilight leaned into Scratched’s side with the pegasus rubbing her back. “I should have done more; why didn't I do more?” She continued to cry as the three of them did their best to comfort her.

---

Meanwhile, in the Place Between Realms, the Void Between Dimensions, a stallion walked forwards, out of a dimension, with a black object on a red pillow, the Gateway behind him shattering. Holding the pillow forward, the stallion presented it to the one he followed.

This being reached out and picked up the black object, the shaft of it extending outwards as the point of it became sharper than anything in existence.

Holding it above its head, the being said to the roaring crowd of its followers. “The Spear of Reclamation is mine.”

The sound of its faithfuls made was enough to make it smile, knowing that Subtle Dancer had not fallen in vain, her partner bringing the single most powerful weapon in existence back to them.

“Soon we will begin the next step that will start

The end

Comments

[Asolem2]

Soooo.... sequel, or is this a multiversal "The Powers that be" problem ?

[Asolem2]

9755374
It's damn depressing that's what it is... yes it's good, but depressing

[Evilhumour]

9755384
The latter.

Tangent's multiverse is the prequel, for your information. It's why Batty appears.
9755386

Thanks, I suppose.

[Asolem2]

9755391
Sorry if my comment sounded negative it wasn't meant as that, the chapter is good and so is the story and series.

I just personally find it depressing that Spliced died like that, though it is also a neat touch to have the series start and end in the same place

[Evilhumour]

9755431
Well people on SB are complaining about the ending so...

I made sure that it ended how it began.

And Twilight is correct about Spliced being dead. Word of God here is that Twilight went to visit that dimension's Tartarus and found that Spliced is in the Elysium Fields, resting at long last though Twilight wasn't allowed to talk to her.

But then again, Spliced was always going to go to the Elysium Fields; being a Power and fulfilling your Duties is an instant guarantee after all.

[Asolem2]

9755441
What Power was she anyway ?

[Evilhumour]

9755449
That would be telling, though I will give you a hint.

During when the Thirds came to her cottage, there was only suppose to be five there.

What types of Powers do you know comes in six and in times of great need?

[ShadowLDrago]

So, I'm confused. What was Subtle Dancer's plan? What was the point of all this?

[Asolem2]

9755454
Wait, doesn't that mean that mean Sublte was one as well ?

[AnoneMouseJr]

9755506
To get the Spear of Reclamation - a weapon of incredible power - for her master, who received it in the very last scene of the story. That's been her whole plan all along, to get Spliced into a mental state where she was willing to do anything, including retrieving this object she knows nothing about, for Subtle. (Also making her immortal because only someone who couldn't stay dead, yet wasn't linked to Subtle's master, could retrieve it.)

Until next time...
Anon e Mouse Jr.

[Evilhumour]

9755520
No she's not.

[Asolem2]

9755819
So the sixth never made it? (went back and checked and i only counted five individuals in that meeting)

And so Spliced never made friends and changed like Twilight did (if i'm understanding it right)

[Evilhumour]

9755851
Are you counting Sutble?

And that is one way to look at it.

[Asolem2]

9755873
One posioned pony, two ponies carrying him, one pony ringing the doorbell and Spliced = five ponies

[Evilhumour]

9755892
There is suppose to be a sixth there pony in the area (been a while since I reread it), but you get the right numbers

[Vaalintine]

9755441
The main complaint on my end is basically that Subtle Dancer overshadows the rest of the story to the point of it being meaningless. She is around forever, can travel universes, control your every action, is impossibly powerful, and arranges genocide/atrocities meaninglessly to torture and countless beings for apparently no reason connected to her goal.

Narratively, she shows up at the end and displays herself as the most powerful pony ever who controls everything. And because she can and will manipulate the lives of so many so completely, combined with her power and evilness means it is Game Over. She controls everything, therefor everyone will be miserable, suffer immensely, and die. Part of what reinforces this belief is how you as the author defend her as being just fine, implying she shall continue to do what she has been doing. Having her as the villian behind everything is a good plit point, its the implementation that turns her into a Mary Sue.

[AnoneMouseJr]

10033300
You did see Subtle Dancer's death scene, right? She's not coming back from that. Her master, meanwhile, is the real Big Bad of this and all the other universes in this multiverse of stories, and is the whole reason she did everything that she did.

Until next time...
Anon e Mouse Jr.

[Vaalintine]

10076258
I did, but given how she was in control of everything everyone did there being someone even stronger than her makes her death moot because instead if eliminating the factor that made everything meaningless it introduces one that makes everything even worse. If Dancer controlled everything, her boss stands as an even MORE invincible all-powerful titan. The prescence of either undermines the narrative, because by all appearances the bad guys are written as invincible and inpossible to beat, and the author adamantly denies that they have done so. Plus with hiw Dancer has been portrayed her actually being dead and not just faking to manipulate people isn't very believable.

In short, the prescence of any antagonist that appears to automatically win everything because the author says they do negatively impacts your stories.

[AnoneMouseJr]

10076347
As co-writer of the series, I can guarantee you: Subtle Dancer is dead as a doornail, and staying that way.

And nobody in this multiverse is invincible. But I can't say more on that topic without spoilers for the big endgame we have planned. (And that won't be happening until we finish another thirty or so stories. See Evilhumour's TV Tropes page, or the "The Powers That Be" multiverse group, for a full list of what's in progress at the moment, not counting planned sequels that have yet to be started.)

Until next time...
Anon e Mouse Jr.

[Pensive]

Wait, what?

The fifth and final story in the Doa-verse, written by me and Anon.

WHERE?! Where is the third and fourth sequel then?!

[Evilhumour]

11134611
The fourth is being done on Anon's account.

[Pensive]

Ohhh~ you monster! You can't just call this the finale in a series and end it like that!

[Evilhumour]

11147341
Ah but that I can. Sometimes, happy endings are bittersweet.