The epilogue is a broadcast from DJ-Pon-3 to the ponies of the wastes, two weeks after "The day of sunshine and rainbows"
DJ telling the Wastes about the struggles still ahead. The few remaining Enclave forces turning their weapons on the pegasi trying to overthrow them now that their lies had been revealed. Remnants of Redeye's forces splintering and trying to become little warlords, taking over what they can. Yes that stuff has happened, I never said it wouldn't, my issue has always been with those that over estimate just how bad it would be. Saying that Li'lpip unleashed a hell worse then what the Wastes started with, which is bullshit, and DJ sums up the main reason.
But this time is different, children. Because this time, we have hope. Hope that the Equestria of tomorrow will actually be a better place than the Equestria of today
Hope brought t’ us by our Lightbringer, yes. And more importantly, hope brought t’ us by ourselves. By our embrace of our nobler nature. Over the last few weeks, the actions of so many of you have shown more brilliantly than the sun itself, so much that it’s made this ol’ DJ cry. Children, ol’ DJ Pon3 ain’t never been prouder of ya.
THAT is why things will not be as bad as some insist. Plus the whole logistics thing. The majority of Redeye's forces were taken out between the Citadel fight and Fillydelphia, what's left are just a few scattered, petty bands of bandits that would have been around anywhere, each working for their own goals, spending as much time at each others throats as innocent ponies. The Wastes has dealt with bandits and raiders before, this isn't a threat they haven't already overcome, and now they are working together, united in defense against them, while the enemies are fractured, fighting each other as much as them.
And the Enclave, they started with a very limited amount of troops and ships, and lost the majority of those in the fighting, with the rainbooms used to clear the sky taking out several more of them. They have no way of resupplying, what they have is it, and they lost their powerbase among the pegasi. We've already had it made clear that the vast majority of pegasi are more then willing and wanting to help the rest of ponykind, that they would be, and were, appalled by just what the Enclave had done once they knew about it. Will it be fairly brutal, will there be casualties, sadly yes, but not in the number or severity some seem to be sure will happen. Plus, keep in mind that the good side has both control of the weather, AND the full use of Celestia One to fight back with.
DJ then goes on to tell the ponies of the wastes about forgiveness, reminding them that the though they suffered much at the hooves and wings of the Enclave, that the Enclave was not all pegasi, the even within their ranks, many rose up against their orders, that they suffered the same treatment as those in the Wastes for it. reminding the ponies not to blame Pegasi in general, but keep focused on the small number in the Enclave that are to blame. That things are hard for them now, hard for all of them, but as long as they stick together, they will get through it.
Also saying the same about the alicorns. They had changed, they want to help, to be a part of pony society, that they fought besides the heroes in the final battle. Yes some are still evil, still don't want anything but to do what they want, but the majority are not. Telling the wastes to keep their weapons ready when they see an alicorn, just in case, but to try talking before they start shooting.
Remember, children, it’s the one great truth of the Wasteland: we’ve all done somethin’ that we regret. We all need a little forgiveness. And that’s the truth of the matter.
And more good news pours in. The Everfree has stopped burning, and the Applejack Rangers are making plans to do what Redeye intended with it, convert it into arable farmland. Also leaning that there are some of Redeye's forces that do NOT want violence, do not want to continue his plans, one of those being a group that has taken over the remains of his Citadel. Even better, with a few small patches of fighting still going on, the Steel Rangers and Applejack Rangers have overall ceased their civil war, coming to terms with their different outlooks... And hopefully the utter fucking monsters that were in charge of the Steel Rangers are gone and they will stop being a roving band of heavily armed genocide squads.
A large part of those splinter bands of Redeye's forces aren't even out raiding and pillaging the countryside, rather are engaged in battle with the talons over control of Fillydelphia, and the Talons are making sure to do everything possible to get the slaves and innocent civilians still trapped in the city out of the war zone safely.
Not only that, but Li'lpip had manged to adjust some things inside the SPP to allow both her and Celestia to communicate with the ponies of the Wastes, they not only had the Sun restored to them, but also, at least the spirit of, the Sun Goddess.
Sunlight and Celestia Herself have been returned t’ the Wasteland. Words… they just ain’t able t’ express the magnitude o’ that.
Though there is some slight issues with it, namely that it is impossible to reconnect the parts of the SPP Celestia is in, to the weather control systems directly, so they can't simply give her control and not need Li'lpip in the control pod.
And they have already received the first message from Li'lpip, her story, the one the reader just went through. It was a bit of a mess and needed work due to how it was created straight from her memories, but the Twilight Society was working in it, editing it, though not removing anything except the superfluous things nopony really needs to know, like every time she took a piss or hours of traveling with nothing happening.
He then address one of the other things I've heard brought up as issues about Li'lpip
Now, I hear some of you faithful listeners askin’: hey, DJ Pon3, does this mean Littlepip is up there keepin’ an eye on us all the time too, like a new, benevolent Goddess?
That she essentially became exactly what she told Redeye the ponies no longer needed., well short answer, she didn't, and I already went over most of that already.
DJ ends the news segment on a down note, he'll be leaving, going off the air for awhile. Hopefully not like the last time, but he has a mission he has to go on to help continue the fight, and he would be back when he could. Before moving on he has an interview with Velvet Remedy.
From it, we learn that Calamity and her are now married, and he is being hailed as "The Hero of the Battle of Dragon Mountain." Plus, that he seems to have suffered some permanent damage due to overexerting himself, but is recovering after surgery and some "implants" and should make a full recovery.
Did I hear you say “enhanced” communication? Well, that explains it. I thought I heard Homage saying something about the towers, spare parts from Stable Twenty-Nine and… a threesome?
Hey, is it my fault the mare’s a perv?
Not touching that one. And you know why.
Not sure if I should grin, chuckle, facepalm, groan.. or all at once. Yes I like those parts. And yes those are a YMMV issue.
Velvet then goes on to explain about Fluttershy, what she was, the mistakes she made, and the efforts that are being made to save her from her fate. That after this interview she and some others were heading out to try the remedy for Killing Joke the Xenith had made. Even if she immediately dies of old age once being returned as a pony, she deserve peace. That before they try it, they will play a recording for her, telling her of what has happened, and more importantly, telling her she was forgiven for her mistakes, that even now, after so long,and after so much pain has come from her mistakes, she was forgiven, and above all, still loved.
Liquid Pride... just, liquid pride...
She close on a sad yet hopeful note Dedicating the broadcast to those who lost their lives in the Battle of Dragon Mountain. Fighting to defend something they didn't even know about, simply trusting that it was needed. Promising that one day soon, everypony will know what they died to protect, and they will be remembered as heroes.
Thoughts- I really really like this epilogue, it wraps up most of the lose ends, shows that, yes things aren't perfect, there is still a long way to go, but there IS something that has been absent for 200 years, something that makes all the difference, that even though things are still bad, and there is till a lot to do to restore Equestria, makes it all worth it. Makes it clear that things WILL get better.
That something, is Hope.
While the SPP and the Gardens are important, and recovery either wouldn't happen, or would be far far slower and harder without them. It is restoring Hope to the ponies of the wastes that is the greatest achievement of Li'lpip's journey. Giving them something to fight for, letting them see they CAN stand up, CAN make a difference, and CAN win. That the darkness and pain CAN be fought, that goodness and light isn't a blight on the Wastes. No matter the issue one may have with Li'lpip the mare. Littlepip the icon is exactly what the ponies needed. A shining beacon of hope, burning away the darkness and gloom, and leading ponies to far far better future, free of the pain and suffering of the Wastes. A restoration of the once mighty glory of Equestria.
Afterward: Ten Years Later.
We open to a mare reading a story to some foals, this story, Littlepip's story. reaching the part where she ends with the lines that had begun it. Noting how much she loves this room, doing this. How uncomfortable she was with being in a position of authority, having ponies ask for her advice and counsel. Preferring the peace and quite of this room, reading to the foals.
Said foals, immediately start some rather foalish squabbles about the story, most about things other also point out. Being disappointed with the ending, the shear implausibility of anypony surviving some of the things Li'lpip had. Also, not believing that Equestria ever had that many monsters. The mare saying it's true, she was there. And one last question to her finally letting us know just who we are seeing, as she's asked if she really was a tree.
.. F... Fluttershy!? She, she's alright, she's back to normal.. sh-she's.... WHY CAN'T I REACH THROUGH THE SCREEN AND HUG HER?
Ahem, anyway...
The foals run out to play, one staying behind long enough to give her the hug the reader is denied being able to before running out to join the rest. She reflects on her position, giving some exposition about where she is and what's gone on. She's in Junction Town, most likely the town the grew up around Junction R-7. And it seems to be run by the Followers of the Apocalypse.
They knew of her past, her great mistakes, but they neither hid from the truth nor hated her for it. Instead, they embraced it as a lesson. And still, astoundingly, looked to her with a reverence she found uncomfortable.
She reflects that if they were going to treat her as such, she would use that authority somewhat, but never forget the lessons of the past. She spent two hundred years unable to help, now she could, and this time, she wouldn't distance herself from her friends, she would keep them close, let them help her. (Okay okay must admit, her thinking about this is rather odd given she's had ten years to do so and this is stuff she should have already come to grips with, but, well it's still nice to see he thoughts and to see this.)
Looking outside she sees Velvet, wearing her Element of Harmony, which had switched in form from a necklace, to a golden Pipbuck.
She found herself smiling, happy it had found a new Bearer. Although it had taken her a while to grasp the somewhat abrasive mare as a beacon of kindness.
Showing that even if they are not perfect, or not the same pony as the Mane 6 whose element they embody, it doesn't make them any less a beacon of that virtue, there are many ways you can express something. I really don't think anyone argues that Velvet can be a bit of a bitch at times. Yet Rarity could also be rather jealous and possessive and selfish at times too. But at their core, their element is what really mattered to them.
She reflects back on how far she's come, on just how painful it had been after being turned back into a pony. She was restored, physically, to what she was when she got hit by the Killing Joke in the first place, but mentally... well spend 200 years as a tree watching everything you knew burn and everypony you knew die. You ain't gonna get over that quickly. And neither did she. But eventually, thanks to her friends, both new, and through the closeness of the old ones thanks to the Statuettes Velvet gave her, she managed to recover, though there are still deep emotional scars.
Though, Fluttershy is just a bit uneasy at the thought of the other copies of her figurine out there, each one radiating an image of her soul.
I really, really like this, that the story doesn't hide away from just what that would do to a person, and yet, still shows the hope, that you can get better, with support, with people there to help you, things can always get better, even if you never return fully to what you once were.
It's the same with the Wastes and Equestria. Things were bad, yes very very bad, but there is always hope, hope that things can get better. And working together, the ponies of the Wastes are healing that damage, are restoring Equestria to what it once was. Though some scars will be there forever, they will also serve to remind ponies about what they lost, about the mistakes that were made, and warn them not to repeat them.
She also keeps the petrified form of Angle on a shelf in her room. Even admitting it might be a bit creepy to some, but she simply felt better having him near. Ooookay, well yes creepy but, I can kind of understand it too.
She reflects on the story she had just read, and on Li'lpip. Thinking that the title "Book of Littlepip" is wrong, that it was more then just her story, it was the story about Equestria, and how the beginning of it's rebirth happened. How so much goodness was forged from the pain and suffering of the Wastes. Applejack Rangers, The Followers of the Apocalypse.
“Maybe the story should have Equestria in its name?” she asked herself.
((okay this part does get rather meta, but it still mostly works for me, and sums up how I feel about the story fairly well.))
Stepping back outside she watches some foals play, and we get a few more tidbits of what's happened in the last ten years. The dominate force in Equestria is now the New Canterlot Republic. (NCR nice, Took me a little get that the first time, heh) It is run, I'm guessing democratically more or less, since there was a reference to a president. As well as to them being in the process of building "New Canterlot Castle" And also, that the Alicorns have succeed it being able to breed, as Fluttershy talks to an alicorn filly. Though doing so leads her to think about how they were able to do so, requiring a potion made out of Killing Joke, sending her mind down that path until she forces herself to stop thinking about it.
Again I really love just how accurate and how true the story is with portraying things like this, and being fairly low key and subtle about it. It doesn't make a big deal about her acting his way, and yet it perfectly shows how this sort of thing could effect someone.
Since The Gardens had been fired, there was more then enough food for everypony, but with all the radiation having been purged, it meant there was nothing to fuel the radiation reactors that Redeye had created and used to run Fillydelphia. They were running off the star batteries Calamity had 'acquired' from the Enclave, but those were reaching their limits, and soon they might need to go outside Equestria for fuel. Something Fluttershy shudders at the thought of, given how well it worked out last time. And yet, while this might be a hint that what happened before will happen again, I don't see it having to end that way. The ponies know what that led to, they have learned from the mistakes of the past. Yes, that would be the first thing Fluttershy thinks of, since she's seen it before, she would naturally be concerned about it happening again. It doesn't mean that IS what's going to happen, merely one possibility, and quite likely the one that would be the most problematic. And like I just said, the ponies of New Equestria know the lessons of the past, and I do not think they would so quickly forget them, or repeat those mistakes of the past.
Her worrying is interrupted by a caravan arriving back in town, Calamity flying over it as a guard, and we see what the "implants" were he had put in to allow him to still fly. Nothing major, just a few small pieces of cybernetic tech to help augment his damaged muscles. Fluttershy relieved that everypony made it safe, noting that while the roads were much much safer then ever, there were still the occasional threats. Showing that no, things aren't perfect yet, but they are improving.
Calamity letting Velvet know as he gets in that they did encounter a small group of raiders, Velvet somewhat astonished, since there had been so few of those around anymore, most of the banditry just being gangs of thugs, actual bandits. Calamity saying it was, but they wouldn't bother anypony again.
It leads to a bit more internal exposition from Fluttershy as she worries about Ditzy Doo's caravan that was also due back that day. Telling us that she and some others travel outside Equestria's borders to find radioactively contaminated water. Since ghouls require radiation to heal properly, and The Gardens removed all radiation sources in Equestria.
Once the caravan is inside Calamity tells Velvet and Fluttershy that they'll leave in about an hour or so, there being something going on at Bucklyn Cross that Fluttershy was going to. Saying the worst they should expect along that road being a few rogue winds. Sine it was Homage's birthday and she and Li'lpip would be spending the whole day with each other up in the SPP. And, dammit, I can't help but wonder if she found a way for Celestia to join in.... dammit brain, stop doing that.
Earlier we had learned from 'Shy that Li'lpip could have left the SPP by now, things being well enough in Equestria for her direct control of the weather to not be so sorely needed, however two things kept her in. Her promise to Celestia that she would never be left alone again, and the fact that all her injuries, everything that broke and beat her body, the bullets, radiation, taint, broadcaster static, all of it had taken it's toll. Though her taint mutations my have greatly extended her natural life span, that only affected her aging. The cumulative damage from everything she went through still adds up, and spending large amounts of time inside the SPP stasis pod is helping her body to recover from it.
Again I really really REALLY like this. It doesn't just sweep all the injuries under the table, there isn't some magical cure all. All that punishment WOULD have consequences for a body, and it had. Even earlier we'd seen it with Calamity needing some cybernetic augmentation to keep flying after all the damage his wings had received.
Along the way to Bucklyn Cross we find out that Ponyville is now a Hellhound settlement, the survivors from Splendid Valley and the Everfree moving there.
And once at their destination, we find the journey was, in part, so that Fluttershy could lay some flowers at the graves placed there. Ponies that had fallen in battle trying to bring hope back to the Wastes. Who sacrificed themselves to ensure a better future for Ponykind... no, not just Ponykind, but for all who live in Equestria. Pony, Zebra, Griffon, Hellhound, all of them. And first amongst those grave markers, is Steelhooves.
While she and Calamity were spreading the flowers evenly among the graves, Ditzy Doo flies overhead with her wagon, and we see that her and Lionheart had become an item.
It warmed her heart that her old friend had found love in the Equestrian Wasteland. If anypony in Equestria deserved happiness, Fluttershy thought, it was her.
Is it almost blatant Pair the Spares? Yes, but Tropes Are Not Bad, and like Fluttershy said, if anypony deserves to be happy after everything they've been through, It's Ditzy. And and, it's just so heartwarming.
Though, laying flowers at graves wasn't the only reason they had come. Calamity making a trip to the Arbu Prison to visit. "an old friend who looks a lot like me" and as Fluttershy waits for him, she thinks how sad it is that they still needed prisons. And yet, at the same time realizes that while everypony may have good inside them somewhere, you can't count on all of them to act on it. And a prison is better then killing them, which was the only option before. It gives a way to keep them from hurting other ponies, while maybe, just maybe, helping them to reform, to change, to be better ponies.
As she waits the cyber-Hellhound comes up beside her, and we learn the full reason for her journey. To use her authority to settle a peace treaty between hellhounds and Ponies, to give the hellhounds a place of their own where they would be allowed to live. That would be theirs. Their numbers having been reduced drastically, enough for a sustainable population but little more. And most of those losses were due to ponies. She would not let the new Equestria be born out of their genocide.
A stiff wind cut through her feathers, chilling her. The sun began to sink beneath the waves.
Fluttershy took a deep breath. The day was almost over. And it had been a day without gunshots. A peaceful day. A better day.
Fallout: Equestria
Thoughts- On just the Afterword. Again I really liked this to close out the story. It shows us the future, shows that yes, things have gotten better. There are still issues, still threats, things are far from perfect, and yet they are so so much better then they had been. Equestria is well on it's way to returning to its former glory. We see the fates of most of those we had grown to care about. See that Li'lpip's sacrifices were not in vain. That through her struggles, the world was made better. It was still far from perfect, but there was hope. More then just hope, there was a certainty, things WOULD improve. Because ponies once more were being ponies, living together, helping each other in friendship and harmony. It really is the perfect way to end this amazing story.
One last entry left for my Final Thoughts on the story as a whole.
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