Where are they now?
“Okay. If the Tartarus doors open, I want to be the first to know, okay?” Sunset smiled confidently, addressing her mother as they walked by Twilight’s castle. “I mean, not the first, I think Luna deserves the notification a bit more, but please, if our family is gonna grow, I–”
“--Of course, Sunset. I am quite eager as well…!” Celestia giggled to herself. “Preparations are underway for their reception, but for now, all we can do is wait. …Hopefully they do not take a thousand years.”
“Wow. Can you imagine? Nightmare moon two. That’s divine irony, right there. Fitting for you, but still.” Sunset cringed, then laughed it off. “...Gosh, this must be crazy for you.”
“...You have no idea, little one. Barring the advent of an entire realm electing itself a ruler and independence, barring the fact that we have had to wrangle dozens upon dozens of mythical beasts in one single day… Having a new sister will take some adjusting.”
“Eh, you’re Celestia. You got this. And hey, I want to be at those family dinners of the century, hehe.”
“Naturally, little one. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She winked, smiling knowingly. “...And perhaps next time you visit you could bring your marefriend, eh…? I’ve been dying to meet her!”
“Oh, don’t worry, I've passed the invitation. She just needs to shake the nerves off. Walking on all fours was an… Interesting experience for her. Plus, meeting the parents is usually a big deal to humans– Imagine meeting a god mother.” She shrugged with a smile. “Here’s to hoping! Maybe next time.”
“Maybe.” Celestia nodded wisely. “...Do not lean on your left hoof, okay? And change those bandages when night falls.” She assured, inspecting some of the patched up wounds. “...Be mindful of–”
“Hey, you got more beat than I did! You watch out, hehe.” She grinned, shrugging. “I’ve had worse, mom. A few bandages are nothing.”
“...Well here we are.” They finally reached the mirror room, both letting out sighs.
Sunset hesitated. “...It was one hell of a weekend, huh?” She stretched, feeling the bruises of the previous day. “...Honestly, I’m already missing the royal suite.”
“You are welcome anytime, little one… But do not shirk your class duties.” The alicorn raised a smug eyebrow.
“Yeah, yeah.” Her daughter grinned back.
Both of their ears twitched, as they heard the noise of galloping and teleporting on the halls behind them, and frantic nerdy panting.
“A-am I too late?? Oh thank goodness!!” Twilight smiled widely, seeing Sunset was still here. “Hi Sunset!! –I mean– bye Sunset!! Thank you so much for helping Starlight with that crazy mess!!!”
“Don’t mention it. How is she, by the way? Cozy must be thrilled–”
“S-she’s great!” Panting, breathing poorly, Twilight snickered. “S-sorry. I'm pretty winded! Starlight and Trixie are doing wonderful! …They’ll be laying low for a little bit.”
“Understandable. Give her my regards when you can, will you? And tell her she did good.” Sunset nodded and shrugged. “...Well, as good as anypony could under the circumstances. Considering she lived through hell, I’d say she deserves a medal enough.”
“Oh, I would have given a medal to all of them– E-even you! But, um, we have to keep this under wraps, haha…!” She smiled awkwardly.
“Stick to the story.” Celestia noted simply.
“Twi. Relax. I don’t need a medal. Look at me.” She waved a hoof around. “I have everything I need.” She spoke with complete, unending conviction.
Both of the alicorns beheld her with tremendous pride and adoration– Interrupted only by her hugging Celestia.
“...See you soon, mom. I hope your sister shows up soon.”
“I am nothing but patient.”
“You had to be, raising me.”
“Oh, please…” Softly, she kissed Sunset on the forehead. “...I am nothing but proud.”
The rest of the goodbyes were short and sweet. Sunset was late, after all. Twilight let out a quiet “She’s so cool” affirmation, one Sunset did not hear as she crossed the portal.
Just like that, she left Equestria.
Her feet landed on Canterlot High’s lawn, and she heard a bell ring. Just in time, and she was ready for a normal day.
She stretched and yawned, and didn’t even realise her friends were on the stairwell waiting for her– Until her Twilight was dashing in her direction.
Her heart beat faster, and she couldn’t help but smile, even if her girlfriend was sprinting with the force of a very concerned and happy freight train.
She was bombarded with questions, from ‘what took you so long, I was worried’ to ‘why do you have bandages, did you have to go into hell after all’ to even ‘Applejack had to hold me back to stop me from going in to look for you this morning’.
“I missed you so much, you know that?” Sunset smiled truly after kissing Twilight sweetly, passionately. “I had one hell of a weekend, Twi. You have no idea.”
“You just GOT here and you’re making puns. Can you at least tell me why you have so many bandages??” She pouted, arms flung over the redhead’s shoulders.
Sunset gestured at the few medical interventions that had translated from one world to the other. “...We had to fight like. Almost 200 Tartarian monsters in one morning. It was a whole thing– You should have seen the other guys.”
What could be a reason for swooning, was instead a reason for great concern, as Twilight’s expression turned to a horrified cringe. “T-two hundred?!”
“One hundred and fifty eight actually…!” Sunset smiled apologetically, suddenly becoming aware of the trouble she was in. “Oh look at that, the first period is coming…!”
“That’s it. Next time you have an Equestrian adventure, me and the girls are coming with.” Twilight spoke with determination, crossing her arms and pouting. “You could have been a lot more than bruised up!! We’re not leaving you to do this alone next time!!”
“Oh, I wasn’t alone. But hey, that’s good news.” Sunset brought her closer with a flirtatious smile. “‘Cause my mom still wants to meet you.”
It was Twilight’s turn to fluster. “...Oh, haha, look at that, it’s the first period…!”
“Great save, Twi.” She kissed again for good measure. “Great save.”
“U-um, well…” She desperately looked for a change of subject. “...Where’s Wallflower? Didn’t she go in there with you?”
Sunset blinked.
Then she frowned.
Then she facepalmed.
“That little TWERP.” She groaned. “I FORGOT HER IN EQUESTRIA!!”
Home sweet home was a cave.
Maud wondered if she would have missed sunlight more… But no. She could feel it internally, there was a drastic difference between a cave and Tartarus. Her home was as safe as it had ever been… Even devoid of Sunlight.
She stepped inside, after that long, dangerous weekend, eager to get back to work– Only after separating her findings.
There was a lot to think about. A lot to plan for. Next time she went down there, she would get soil samples… And possibly an escort from either princess of the underworld.
The images of all she had seen and felt kept reflecting in her mind– Having gone so much further, so much deeper than most other ponies would in their lifetime– She felt privileged. As if she had visited the moon and the cosmos.
Plus, after a long debrief, Celestia offered Maud the chance to be one of the Tartarian ambassadors when the time came. She was still considering the offer– There were more pros than cons. She knew for a fact that any reason to go all the way down there, and safer, she would take it.
She found herself smiling all the while decorating her home with her findings. Placing each sample in a proper safe and categorized receptacle, and proudly, too. She entangled the Tartarian shackles in one of the stalagmites, and nodded simply at it.
Her ears twitched– She could sense her sister was getting closer. And just then…
The doorbell rang, and she smiled wider. “Come in, Pinkie! I’m in the living room.”
Slowly but casually, she moved to one of her couches, just in time for her sister to land on the couch before her, with an excited, even if tired giggle. “...Maud, Maud, Maud…!” She made herself comfortable, breathing a sigh of relief. “...I had a crazy weekend!!!”
“Did it end with you having to fight a hundred monsters with your friends?” She grinned sarcastically.
“Gaps! How did you know!”
“Because I was there.”
“Hihi! I know, sis! I’m just joking.”
“Me too.” She leaned back on the couch, letting a pleased sigh.
But Pinkie’s expression turned to a sad pout soon after, as she looked away. “...You could have told me, you know.”
“No I couldn’t have.” Maud’s smile waned as well. “...You would have stopped me, or you would have tried coming with me. I couldn’t take the risk.”
“H-hey! Which of us is a hero of Equestria, huh??” She pouted harder.
“Both of us now.” Maud smiled teasingly.
Robotically, annoyed, Pinkie repeated the last words her sister had written for her. “‘Hey Pinkie. I’m going to Tartarus. Feed Boulder while I’m gone, I might die, so goodbye.’ Are you kidding me, Maud??”
“You’re not our mom.” She huffed, looking away. “I’m alive, aren’t I?”
“...Sorry, I… I don’t wanna be mad at you.” Pinkie shook her head, pouting. “I was just worried. And I'm really happy you're okay…!”
“Thank you. I’m glad we both made it.” She noted simply, smiling again. “...My weekend was pretty crazy.”
“Oof, so was mine!!” Pinkie giggled. “I mean, before the hundred monsters nonsense, I got into some preeeeetty wacky hijinks!! You won’t believe where I went...!”
“Try me.” Maud grinned confidently.
“Last train from the Crystal Empire, arriving now.”
The moon was high in the sky, shrouded with clouds– It was a chill night, one most would be within the safety of their homes to endure.
Tempest’s muscles tensed. It was getting colder already, and she had no armor. She had no suitcase, no belongings. She just stood at the Canterlot station, entirely alone.
She stood taller than most ponies. Her scars were all visible now. She had multiple strangers cast odd glances at her. And somehow, without her armor, it bothered her a lot more. It wasn’t the same.
She had a really, really long weekend. And her body was still in combat mode. Glancing at her surroundings, carefully looking from pony to pony that was leaving the train that had stopped before her.
Any second now, and she would be home.
She gritted her teeth, averting her eyes from the train for a moment. She needed to breathe. She needed to pretend to be a normal pony for once.
…But no. No matter how much she played pretend, it was impossible. She wasn’t an actress… Much less a liar.
Her ears twitched, her eyes searched the crowd, as she thought she caught that glint of blue. Even her tail swished about as she waited for that precious word.
“...Fizzy!” She heard, and immediately let out a thankful sigh.
Glitter Drops was here.
The unicorn greeted her with a loving embrace, one she reciprocated with a shudder of exhaustion. She received a kiss on the lips, then on the cheek, and mostly just stood there, her expression struggling to soften, her eyebrows locked into a pained frown.
“...You okay?” Her girlfriend asked carefully, almost with a hush– The station was quiet, even with the last ponies leaving the train around them.
Tempest had no immediate response. But it was incredibly visible that she was tense. Part of her couldn’t let go. She scanned her lover’s eyes for somehow more assurance– Despite knowing it was always there.
Again, impeccable carefully, Glitter Drops spoke, easing her into it. “Where’s your armor, Fizzy…? Did something happen down there…?”
Yes. Several things. Many things– Enough things to fill an entire train ride of conversation to the Crystal empire with.
Tempest Shadow finally began speaking. She spoke words before they made sense, she spoke them as she felt them… As she had felt them, this entire weekend.
“...I like the me that I am with you… ...I like the me you see. …Sorry. Does that make sense?” The shudder in her voice was palpable, the worry was tangible.
And Glitter Drops smiled as warmly as she could. “...Yes, I understand, Fizzy. …That bad, huh…?”
“...That bad.” She nodded quietly, looking away shamefully. “...I am sorry you had to come pick me up.”
“Fizzy, it is effortless. Two train rides, one spent with you? C’mon.” She giggled, waving a hoof away. “...Besides, I was missing you a lot, too.”
“I missed you.” She confessed like it was a sin. “I missed you so much, Dropsy. I almost… I almost lost myself down there. I almost lost me. I almost lost the me you see.”
“But you didn’t. That’s not a risk, Fizzy. Look at me.” She came even closer, they could feel each other’s breaths. “The you I see… That’s you. That’s just you. The real you. You’re not slipping away, you’re not letting go, or relapsing… You’re right here with me.” She affirmed sternly, yet sweetly.
“I’m here.” Tempest repeated like it was a prayer.
“You’re here.”
“I’m here.”
Both of their ears twitched. “Last train heading to the Crystal Empire, boarding now.”
“...That’s our cue.” Glitter Drops smiled warmly, holding her. “...Ready to head home?”
She was already home. “Please.”
They settled in on a comfortable cabin, where they had privacy, and a better view. Tempest felt herself softening into the seat, softening onto the side of her lover, the sigh she let out contained the exhaustion of a lot more than a weekend.
As she closed her eyes, she did not exactly smile… But she felt content. She resigned herself into this comfort. Into this beautiful, precious comfort.
“...Dropsy?”
“Yeah, Fizzy?”
“I think I need therapy.”
The sun was rising once more in Ponyville. A rooster sang, and birds fluttered in the distance.
Something was being baked somewhere.
And here and now… Starlight Glimmer was saying goodbye.
Twilight giggled, delighted. “...Take as long as you need, Starlight. Send a letter to tell me how you’re doing by all means! But don’t worry.”
“A-and you’re sure it’s okay for us to…?” She glanced back at their carriage with worry.
Trixie was atop the carriage with Cozy Glow, tying up some more of their things to the roof, as they seemed to be giggling over something– The foal was smiling in ways Starlight had never seen her smile before.
The Magician was showing the child a card trick, and the little pegasus was proudly and smugly deconstructing the trick– It was unsure if Trixie allowed her to figure it out on purpose, but one thing was for sure… Cozy was happy.
“The School of Friendship is closed until further notice, we really did need to do some restructuring. I don’t think it was a failed experiment, but I think I want to tackle it differently next time! The students are very eager about coming back, too…!” The Princess smiled warmly. “...And you’ll always have a place there if you want, Starlight. But you can go wherever you want, don’t feel chained to it…! Especially now that you have Cozy.”
Her smile was genuine, and it was relieved. “...Thank you, Twilight. For everything.”
“It’s the least I could do! You accomplished your mission with flying colors!” The alicorn beamed. “You’ve more than earned your vacation!”
“...About the mission…” Her expression softened again, and she hesitated to make eye contact. “...Did you only ask me to go because you knew I’d say yes to anything?”
Twilight couldn’t help but snicker at the suggestion– But she shook her head apologetically. “...I’m sorry, but… Why would you have an issue with me saying yes to that?”
“...Because it would mean that I’m a lapdog with no backbone.” Starlight shuddered in shame, exhaling. “It would mean I have no idea what I'm doing about anything…!”
“Starlight.” The Princess assured immediately. “...Yes, I asked you hoping you’d say yes. But fundamentally, I asked you because I trusted you, and because I believed you could do it– And above all, I believed in your sense of direction.”
“...Direction?” The unicorn tilted her head.
“No matter what happens, where you are or what your job is… I know you’ll always try to do the right thing. Even if you have no idea what it is.”
Chuckling, mostly out of embarrassment, Starlight agreed. “...I really rarely know what I’m doing.”
“And yet you still try. I know you do, and I know you always will.” She smiled warmly, gently. “...So if you’re worrying that you’ll be a bad mom… Don’t.”
Getting teary eyed, the unicorn hugged her mentor instinctively, letting out frail, thankful chuckles.
They both giggled to themselves in that tearful embrace, until Starlight gathered the courage to speak again.
“...Twilight?”
“Yes?”
“Next time you make me lead anything… Have it be a party or something. A cook out? J-just– Something smaller.” She spoke, immediately breaking into tearful giggles again.
“Sounds good to me…!” The Princess played along, chuckling. “I’ll keep the headmaster position for now, then, hihi...”
“W-what?”
“Enjoy your vacation, Starlight.” Taking flight, the Princess of Friendship smiled, addressing all of them. “Enjoy yourselves, all three of you, please! And remember, if anything happens, You’ll always have friends in Ponyville!”
“Byeeeee Twilight!!!” Cozy beamed, waving her little wings. “Thanks for everything!!”
“So long, Princess!!” Trixie grinned confidently, waving her hat.
Starlight just waved silently, wiping her tears away.
As she breathed in, trying to contain her many fears and many joys, Trixie addressed from afar. “Glimms! Glimms! Change of plans!”
“A course correction!” Cozy corrected with a smug grin.
“There’s these delicious, succulent caramelized apples with peanuts that they only make in Appleloosa– We’re stopping there on our way!” Trixie smiled happily. “Cozy needs to taste some Equestrian delicacies!
“I do!! I haven’t lived without those delicacies!!” The child proclaimed dramatically.
“None of us have, Kiddo!! None of us!!” Trixie followed along, nuzzling her, and getting nuzzled back.
Even teary eyed, Starlight still laughed, she still joyously chuckled, as she made her way to them.
“Oh, and another thing!” The foal proudly puffed her chest. “Next show you do, I’ll be in the audience! I can pretend to be a volunteer for a trick!! We can work on our shows with a girl on the inside!”
“That’s devious, kiddo!!” Trixie grinned proudly. “Ah, you remind me of a younger me–”
With her magic, Starlight brought them down from the carriage, and hugged them fiercely, preciously, wordlessly.
“Love you, Glimms.” Trixie murmured.
“Love you, mom…!” Cozy whispered.
It was difficult to let go, to keep moving on– But all good things had to come to an end, such as even better things could begin right after.
This wasn’t the ending. It was the beginning of something new, something beautiful.
Wherever they went, they were united, and the foal would be safe. Wherever they went, they were a family.
Cozy Glow was finally happy and safe… And even without her knowledge, this is what her story had been about all along.
“Let’s get this show on the road.”
Meanwhile, Wallflower is absolutely loving life somewhere.
...And that's a wrap! I originally considered writing something bigger, go into detail about the battle of the Tartarian gate, maybe even writing another Terra and Kore scene... But nah.
This story has always been about these unlikely heroes, and especially about the child -v- I had a more than satisfying climax, and although a battle of dozens upon dozens of mythical beasts sounds interesting, it would be a way-too-visual affair, and it'd work a lot better with a visual medium.
And in the end, what mattered was where these characters are now! And how this journey changed them -v-
Maybe Starlight and Trixie will return to the school of friendship someday... Or maybe they'll take their daughter on a lovely trip around Equestria, and decide thats the life they preffer. -v- who knows?
Thanks for reading. This fic was a lot more experimental, a lot more of just throwing things at the wall for fun, enjoying myself with lore and deviating from canon. I wanted more reasons to write these characters, so I took them and ran with em! I was never intending for this to be ultra consistent or perfectly structured.
Thanks for reading!
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Sweet ending.
Those newspapers cracked me up every time, brilliant idea adding those
And the little drawing at the end is just so cute
Welp, that was quite a ride, love to see these Cozy stories, finally this character actually makes sense
Loved Fizzy in this too, the trauma showing there at the end hit just right
Great story!!
Ok, that is some next-level comeuppance, Nobody was there to see Neighsay bite it, nobody mourned him, and at the end of the day the only acknowledgement that he even died was a side article that nobody will bother to remember.
And the best part: it won't even be questioned it because absolutely NOBODY cares
Rest in Tartarus, I hope Terra gave you appropriate accommodations.
Also wallflower is DEFINTELY spending her time ogling tall, broad-shouldered mares from the shadows until school starts.
This was a fun romp, grom start to end!
Lovely little epilogue, I especially like how Neighsay got barely a footnote of a mention, and how Wallflower managed to even slip out of the epilogue's grasp lol
She's so gonna be shadowing Celestia, hoping to seduce the solar milf, isn't she?
It turns out that it wasn't time to go into the hole...
The hole is us
Everything we say and do goes into it
It turns out... The hole was inside of us the whole time
holey cow
Looking forward to seeing that.
... Yeah, I figured Wallflower got left behind when she didn't come up until H-Twilight mentioned her.
You may want to include text copies of the newspaper clippings in case the images break.
There's also the question of Tempest's cutie mark, which we never actually saw in canon.
Just a bit, yeah.
Outstanding blend of intrigue, dark contemplation, and heart-in-throat action. Thank you for another great read.
12179235
I've always loved the idea that Tempest doesn't have one (yet), She may have served the storm king and was a fierce war
criminalcommander, but she didn't spend time trying to find out what else she could do with herself.That and it would be funny if Diamond Tiara tried to insult a pony without a special talent again, she hears heavy hoofsteps behind her and then:
"So, your the one who likes to make fun of blankflanks?"
12179878
12179235
Funny enough, I'm under the impression that Tempest's cutiemark is a firework? I have no clue how official it is, but still. Sometimes I'm writing a pony thing and I entirely forget a cutiemark could ever raise eyebrows. I'm too used to writing people staying in their lane. Though I suppose no one would have the courage to question Tempest's cutiemark either xD
Poor Diamond Tiara would have NIGHTMARES seeing a blank flank like this
12180036
Funnily enough, I've seen her with an ice cream cutie mark more often than fireworks thanks to the G3 pony Fizzy Pop. This in turn led to one artist proposing that Tempest runs an ice cream truck as a side hustle... and building on that idea has us come full circle.
It's a funny old world sometimes.
Oh okay, for future reference he’s a boss from elden ring, has dark red hair, is in charge of the games underworld, and is implied to be a secret member of the games verses royal family.
Also sorry for not replying directly it’s been a while since I have done so and I forgot how.
Having an alicorn of the underworld was excellent, having her be Celestia's stillborn sister was brilliant as both a twist and worldbuilding.
Because I seem to not have mentioned earlier, having Neighsay be the secret end boss was very original and interesting. The typical route would have been for Tirek to be the scheming betrayer (per canon, after all) but instead Neighsay was genre-aware and got in the first hit. Just a really neat twist for both the villain and the scheme.
And then he died like a bitch off-screen. Excellent. 👌
Luna bursting into Wallflower's nightmare could have... interesting results.
The send-off from the chibis was a really nice touch after taking the journey with them.
Far beyond a fixfic, this was a great adventure in worldbuilding, adventure, and character growth. Both funny and tense, with neither interfering with the other. Just a great read all around.