Starting A Flame

by Star_Shade

Epilogue: Stopping at tragedy

“And in that brief final moment, Dasher was at peace. Though those were the last words she would hear, she stood defiant to the very end. Now~ Ava, are you alright, dear?” said their grandpa, noticing the atmosphere of the room and pausing. Ava was bundled up against her mother and quietly sobbing. Retracting her head from Velvet’s chest, Ava nodded absently and rubbed her eyes. “Yeah. It’s just so sad that Dasher had to die. She didn’t deserve to die,” she mumbled.

“I know, sweetie, but sometimes, life is not fair. Many ponies died and gave their life up for the cause. However, their sacrifice did not go in vain, as Piper, Shining Moon, and Arocez escaped with Zanzibar. Come here,” called the old stallion, patting his chair with a hoof. Hopping up, Ava was comforted by her grandfather, who stroked her mane. Nuzzling into his chest, she calmed her breathing.

“So, what happened next?” asked Orin.

“Let your sister finish crying before we continue,” said Velvet. Shying from his mother’s gaze, Orin looked down. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

“Oh, are you supposed to get another one of these ‘gifts’, Velvet?” asked the unicorn humorously.

“No, I wonder who that could be at this hour,” exclaimed Velvet. Getting up, she walked over to the hallway entrance and opened the door. With a soft gasp and a squeal of joy, a familiar voice echoed out a greeting.

“Dad!” yelled Orin. Getting up, he ran over to his father and hugged his leg. An orange pegasus stallion in full armor stepped into the room.

“Orin! How have you been, Son?” the pegasus called in a cheery voice.

“Great! Grandpa is telling us his story!” replied Orin excitedly. Stepping into the room further, the stallion came to attention.

“Lieutenant Vex Bristle, reporting for duty, sir!” he shouted.

Their grandpa eyed him warily, before softening into a smile. “At ease, soldier. You know I hate it when you do that, Vex. I haven’t been a commander in over a hundred years, so no need to keep treating me as one.”

Vex just laughed in response before taking his helmet off. Looking around, he noticed Ava still huddled against her grandpa, crying softly. Losing his smile, Vex moved over and kneeled in front of the chair. Using his muzzle, he nuzzled Ava softly to get her attention. “Hey, Ava, what has gotten my baby girl worked up so much?” he asked softly.

Turning to her father, Ava jumped and wrapped her hooves over him. “It’s just unfair, Daddy. Why did all those bad things have to happen?” Ava asked. Picking her up, Vex hugged her tightly, before placing her down.

“I have no good answer for you, sweetie. Bad ponies do bad things, because they think it is good. Those who have power and seek more only hurt others. But hope is always there, you just have to find it,” said Vex, lifting her chin to look at him. “Now, I hope I am not interrupting anything. If you stopped where I think you are in the story, I would love to listen along.”

“Nonsense! You just came home, at least take off your armor and rest from a long week before we continue,” stated the old unicorn , getting up. Stretching slightly, he made his way to the kitchen to grab another glass of water.

Returning, he found Ava and Orin snuggling next to their father, who had both wings covering the two. Bringing a glass over, the old stallion smiled knowingly before lifting the drink over to Vex, who took it with a quick thanks. Velvet had already left the room, carrying the armor to be stored away.

Ten minutes later, Vex brought Ava and Orin to bed. Wishing them goodnight, he made his way back downstairs and into the dining room. “You’re so bad, teasing them again with a cliffhanger,” giggled Velvet as Vex walked in.

“I seem to recall that was the only thing that got you to sleep. If you always were left satisfied, your imagination would take hold, and you could never fall asleep. The promise of the rest of the story tomorrow always drove you into your slumber,” said her father softly.

“I know, but I still hated it when you did it. Oh hey, Vex, thank you so much for putting them to sleep. I think those two feel a little betrayed with where we left off,” Velvet said, beckoning Vex to sit at the table.

“You stopped at Dasher’s death then? Another one of your favorite places to end, I see. You have told them about you and Commander Piper, right?” Vex asked, slipping into his chair.

“A little, they have yet to guess my identity in all of this. But I am sure they will find out soon enough. Oof, they don’t make good chairs like they used to,” replied the ancient stallion as he lowered himself on another chair.

“When do you plan on telling them? Or do you want them to figure it out?” continued Vex as he took a sip of his water.

“They may figure it out, but I plan on telling them after the funeral. I don’t want to spoil too much by jumping around, so I will go chronologically. Starting with Piper’s first-time meeting with the changelings. Then break off to my first imprisonment. Everything will be explained in good time, now they just get to wait and see what comes next,” Starfall said, smiling at the two.

Author's Note:

Well, this is the end (for now). I couldn't wait another day to upload, so you get this early. I just want to make a few thank you's first.
Thanks to the amazing EverfreePony for helping me edit these chapters. He's patiently worked through my words and challenged me to work more in areas I never thought I needed.

And thank you, to those two people who (somewhat) have consistently commented on almost every chapter. Even your "Great chapter" helped motivate me to continue, and I really appreciated it. Glad I pleased at least two people with this story.

That's all folks. Expect me to go dark for awhile, as I plan on revamping my first story. Fix up some plot holes, and patch inconsistencies. Then I will jump right into the third story. Till the end of time my friend.

Comments

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

Great chapter! Great story!

You’re welcome!