Seasons Passed
#12 of My Little Pony: The Aeons of Equestria
Not every grim tale needs a grim ending.
Epilogue: Seasons Passed
It was still dark in the early hours of the morning. The sun was only just poking up over the snow-capped mountains, casting a glittering glow over the winter stricken village.
Ponyville was like a post-card. The thatch roves were covered in snow, the frozen streets glistened smooth and clean with sheets of untouched powder. Frost clung to the windows and pointed icicles hung from every horizontal surface.
Twilight Sparkle figured she was probably the only one awake as she stoked the fire in the library fireplace. Wood crackled as the flames grew a little as the lavender unicorn quietly poked a few air-holes. Levitating the poker back into the rack, she gave a sigh and rolled onto her back, tucking her hands behind her head as she stared at the ceiling. The thick woollen rug was warm and soft under her body as she lay there in contemplation.
It had been two seasons since Canterlot. Two seasons felt like a lifetime. It was hard to believe that one day she had been staring death in the face, and the next everything was practically back to normal.
But what was normal anyway? Twilight didn't know anymore.
In the aftermath of the Canterlot attack countless Shadow Legion conscripts had been stuffed into the dungeons, most were still awaiting trial. Most of the focus had been on rebuilding the great city. It had taken all of autumn and most of winter, but recently Twilight had heard from Princess Celestia herself that repairs to the palace had finally been completed, and that a memorial to the ponies lost during the attack had been erected in the palace gardens. Luna's throne of the moon had been moved to a more secure location, a place where Princess Luna would be able to access it in secret only when it was needed to bring the night sky out.
General Strife's body had been removed and sent back out into the desert prison known as the 'vault' where he was buried. Celestia was taking no risks, and like many other ponies wanted to see the Shadow Legion buried for good.
Speaking of which, the Shadow Legion had disappeared altogether. The commanders who had been captured committed suicide shortly after, the remainder had simply vanished into the night. Twilight and her friends could only hope the legion would never return.
With a sigh, Twilight Sparkle looked out the nearest windows and saw a few glistening rays of Celestia's morning sun touch the frosty glass. She gave a sigh and a grin. It was time.
"Spike!" she sang, sitting up and looking at her bedroom door. "Oh, Spiiiii-iiiiike! It's time to go!"
There was a pause, during which Twilight heard some muffled grumbling and shuffling. Eventually the door swung open and slammed loudly against the wall. Standing framed in the doorway was the squat baby dragon, with large tired bags under his eyes.
Yawning, Spike stretched out his eyes and walked down the steps a little disgruntled.
"Oh, don't be so grumpy. You know winter wrap up is an early morning event!" Twilight giggled as she climbed to her hooves and walked over the coat rack. She quickly pulled down a knitted pink and white scarf and wrapped it around her throat.
"It's not the early morning that bothers me." Spike slurred as he flexed out his stiff arm. The break had healed nicely over time, but tended to bother him in the mornings. "It's going on like nothing happened. I can't get used to it."
Twilight sighed as she pulled on her jacket. "We're not going on like nothing happened, Spike." She reasoned, doing up the zip and grabbing her messenger bag with everything she needed to organise this year's winter wrap up. "Yes, it did happen... but we're simply moving on. We have to. What else are we supposed to do?"
Spike frowned. That made sense. Slowly he shrugged. "I suppose I can do that. Sorry, Twilight. I think I just needed to hear the words." He hopped up and the small dragon landed in the crook of Twilight's bag.
Carrying her dragon assistant along with an assortment of check-lists, clip boards and quills, Twilight Sparkle exited the Ponyville library and locked up behind her. Leaving the grand tree, she made her way to the town square, crunching through the snow along the way.
All around her other ponies were getting on their winter gear and locking up their homes to head to the square. A trio of fillies were having a snowball fight outside Sugarcube Corner as Pinkie Pie waved goodbye to Mister and Missus Cake. The pink pony, clad in luminescent pink ski-jacket bounced over to Twilight as she passed.
The two hugged in greeting and walked together to Carousel Boutique where Rarity was already waiting for them. Dressed to thrill as per usual, the unicorn greeted them dramatically and joined their walk to the centre of town.
There in the square they found the rest of the Ponyville residents all getting ready. Groups were already being formed, coloured vests indicating the various teams in charge of various jobs. Ponies with blue vests, mostly pegasi with a select group of earth-ponies were in charge of clearing the snow by blowing away clouds, cutting up the frozen ponds and lakes and shovelling snow from the pathways and rooftops.
Ponies with green vests were in charge of agriculture, clearing the fields of snow and planting grass and crops to be harvested come springtime.
Finally there were the ponies in brown, in charge of waking up the hibernating animals all around Ponyville, as well as helping them build new homes. There was a lot to do during winter wrap up day, thus the early start. But with Twilight's uncanny ability to organise and plan, Ponyville hadn't been late for winter wrap up for three years running.
In the square they met up with the other mares, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. They were already wearing their respective vests and greeted their friends as they arrived.
"Is everyone here?" Fluttershy asked, glancing around with a grin on her face. Generally winter time was a more miserable time for the timid Pegasus because most of her animal friends were hibernating. She always looked forward to wrap up day because that was when she woke them up and got to see them again.
"I think..." Dash flapped her wings a levitated a little to get a better look at the gathering crowd of ponies. "Yup. We're missing one."
"Who?" Pinkie asked.
"The handsome one." Dash replied as she landed.
"Oh, don't be silly, darling. I'm already here." Rarity chuckled as she touched up her bouncy curls.
"Ac'tually, we're talkin' 'bout tha' one with the sweater." Applejack added.
"Ugh." Rarity's expression comically sank. "That sweater."
"That, really ugly colour." Pinkie Pie scowled with a shake of her head that caused her poufy mane to shake.
"So out of place!" Twilight added.
Rainbow Dash didn't have anything to say other than stick her finger down her throat and make a disgusted retching noise. Despite all their expressions being so serious, Fluttershy giggled unable to join in the joke. Even Spike covered over his mouth, containing laughter.
"Oi!" a crude voice suddenly shouted from behind them. "My little ponies! You retards better not be talking about me!"
The five serious looking ponies turned their heads and gave the newcomer a nonchalant gander. Clad in a pair of denim trousers and a thick woollen jumper with a black scarf around his throat, the newcomer leaned on the handle of his shovel like it was a cane. It was the sweater that was the funniest thing, a typical zip up jumper with a hood and a comfortable fleece finish. But it was bright pink as opposed to the grey it had been yesterday. At the sight of it, Spike and Fluttershy couldn't hold it anymore, laughing loudly.
He stared right back at the ponies with his eyes narrowed...
In fairness, the mares managed to hold their straight taunting expressions for an honourable thirty seconds... before their expressions suddenly changed and they burst out in a fit of girlish giggles at the sight of him in that woollen jumper. Especially Rarity, whose ideals about staying clean and neat evaporated to the point she couldn't even stand upright anymore and fell flat on her back, rolling with laughter.
All at Reno's expense.
Reno Strife sighed as he rolled his eyes, pushing off his shovel and standing up straight. "Hahahaha, I'm in fucking stitches." He said in a deadpan tone. "Yeah, yeah, keep laughing, bro!" he added looking down at Spike. "How about I take your arm off completely? See how funny it is then?" regardless of the hollow threat, Spike couldn't contain himself and fell out of Twilight's bag, rolling with laughter. "Seriously, which of you vandals is responsible for this?" he held out an arm to draw more attention to how someone had dyed his favourite sweater pink.
"W-w-we-hehe-e're s-s-sorry." Twilight laughed, wiping away a tear. "B-but the-hehehe... th-the grey was j-just awful."
"I-it actually l-looks pretty good on you." Pinkie started, but ended in a yelp and she had to cover her mouth so not to snort out loudly.
The human just looked down at his favourite fleece, the one he'd woken up with when he arrived in Equestria. It was a little tattered, but still the warmest, most practical thing he had in his wardrobe. And now it was pink. "Confound these ponies."
Reno was still around, very much a live, but only kicking when he really needed to. His quest for a way home using The Aeons of Equestria hadn't ended yet. Reno was stubborn to say the least that way, and spent many sleepless nights going through Twilight's library in search for a way back to his home-universe. When he wasn't studying, Reno was something of a mercenary, helping out anypony who needed him around Ponyville. Be it driving out pests on Apple Orchard Farms, helping Pinkie Pie on the tills at Sugarcube Corner or even on occasion picking up a rifle and escorting Rarity and Spike into the mountains in search for gems and diamonds.
Though, after the death of General Strife in Canterlot, the coarse, impulsive and impolite fighter had transformed back into the regular old clumsy, imperfect and polite Reno.
"Y'know, I still think this whole winter-wrap-up thing is fucking retarded." Reno said as he moved closer to the group of mares, his hiking boots crunching loudly in the snow with every step.
Well... polite was a very loose label. Still, his precise aim and ability to fight like a warrior had dissipated. He'd turned back into a simple young human. But one of Reno's changes had remained. During his time in Equestria, the human had had changed a lot through his own accord. Though not in mind and body, but in spirit... in soul.
He was a new person, seeing everything around him through new eyes. Fear had turned into courage. In place of selfishness was selflessness. No longer a boy, but a man so to speak. Reno had conquered his fears, rectified his flaws and claimed the world as his own.
What the fuck have you done lately?
My Little Pony
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