Romance and the Fate of Equestria

Well, that was Part One's climax. That was a pretty good way to celebrate the fic's one-year anniversary, albeit a little late.

Now it's denouement time, where everything winds back a bit before Part Two comes marching in. I'd like to thank all of my readers and reviewers… which, at the time of writing, is just one guy, but he's a hell of a guy. Hi, One Guy! Thanks for reading!

It's ShadowofaDemon88, but from now on I'm calling him One Guy. Unless I ever get another guy, of course.

Chapter Thirty-Five

The six friends were now in the waiting room of Ponyville's hospital. Some paced the floor, some simply sat motionless. No one was anything less than devastated.

Spike edged over to Twilight, tapping her on the flank. "Twilight, I'm… I'm sorry."

"Thanks, Spike." She had been staring at the floor, a tear occasionally dripping off of her face and smacking against the tile.

"You didn't deserve this."

Twilight exhaled. "I keep finding myself seething over what he did… but I can't. I shouldn't, I mean. It gives him power… he said his magic is fueled by my hate, somehow. I have to control myself."

She leaned back, gazing into the harsh overhead lights. "You know, I'm not worried. He'll get caught. He robbed the princess; soon, everyone in Equestria will know his name and his face. Nowhere in Equestria will be safe for him." She produced the photograph Venni had left her. "Then again… if he's gone outside of Equestria… it won't matter. He'll still be caught."

"But Twilight," Spike said anxiously, "what about all those towns where he brainwashed everypony into never suspecting him?"

"Hmm, that's true," Twilight muttered. "When the news of him comes in, they'll all just dismiss it, I imagine. He could stand right next to a wanted poster of himself and they'd be able to somehow rationalize it. But… there's always the memory spell I used when the others were corrupted by Discord. If it can break Discord's brainwashing, it can break Vorpal Blade's. I'll need to research or construct a way to cast it on entire towns… not to mention, I need to figure out exactly which towns he's been to since he started all of this… hmm. It's complicated, but it's doable, Spike. He won't get away with anything."

Applejack had been pacing back and forth, and noticed Apple Bloom sitting in a chair between her two fellow Crusaders, staring directly ahead at nothing in particular.

"Hey, AB," she said apologetically. "Listen, if you wanna talk about what that scum-from-the-gutter Crazyface tried to do to you, me and Big Mac are…"

"No," Apple Bloom said tonelessly. "He didn't do nothin'. Rainbow Dash came to the rescue just in time."

"Okay," Applejack said uncertainly. "Then, um… I don't think you have to worry 'bout Granny Smith. She'll pull through."

"I ain't worried about that either, Applejack."

Applejack looked her sister over with concern. "Well… what are you all… catatonic about, then? If you don't mind me askin'?"

Apple Bloom sighed. "It's all my fault."

"What is?" Applejack demanded.

"Those guys, you said they were usin' our Mecha!" Apple Bloom burst out. "He musta taken it out of the barn early this mornin'. It's my fault, I'm the one who wanted to create it, and I'm the one who ran all around town with it where anypony could see. If I hadn't done that, maybe you guys coulda beat them, maybe they never even woulda gotten past the princesses. It's my fault they got away."

Applejack's lip quivered sympathetically. "Listen, Apple Bloom…"

The hospital doors opened abruptly as if blown by the wind. A single pony entered, and the nurse looked up. "Hello, are you here to see—oh. Oh my goodness. Princess Luna?"

Luna bowed her head. "I greet thee, Redheart, you who doth come from a long line of great healers. I am here for the Crusaders."

"The… the Crusaders?" Redheart said in confusion.

Luna's eyes fell upon the three slumped-over fillies. "Ah, there they are. May I?"

"Of course, Princess," Redheart said, bowing.

As Luna approached, Applejack stepped aside with a light bow of her own. "I reckon you're just in time, Princess. Apple Bloom was just in the middle of blamin' herself for everything that went down over at the castle, and I'm sure these other two girls aren't in the best of moods about it either."

Luna stood directly in front of the three of them on their chairs. "Well, Crusaders? Thy sister speaks true, I take it? Tell me what troubles thee, sweet ones."

Apple Bloom gnawed on the tip of her hoof anxiously. "Skippmud's an earth pony," she said. "Crazyface is a pegasus, and Sn—Vorpal Blade, whoever he is, is a unicorn."

Sweetie Belle gazed plaintively up at Luna. "The three races can unite for evil too."

Luna nodded solemnly. "Ay. Such a thing is far more common than a union for good, I fear."

"Well… why didn't you tell us that?" Scootaloo demanded in a choked-up voice.

"'Twould have been a moot point," Luna said. "Thou art not evil, my students. Thou didst create thy machinery for the good of ponykind. Wipe any thoughts of blaming thyselves from thy minds: this was not thy fault."

"If this happens again," Apple Bloom said shakily, "if other ponies use our creation to do bad stuff? That will be our fault."

"We have to destroy it all," Scootaloo muttered, looking away in shame.

"But… but it makes ponies happy," Sweetie Belle said. "We gave it to Cheerilee and Fluttershy, ponies who don't have any badness in them at all, and they love it. We can give our gift to more good ponies like them."

"But how will we know the good ponies from the bad ponies, huh?" Scootaloo challenged. "We can't risk any more of it getting out there into the world."

"What should we do, Princess?" Apple Bloom whispered desperately.

Luna beheld them for a few seconds more. "I've… absolutely no idea," she confessed. "I am still unaccustomed to making such decisions. But nor would I leave such a weighty choice to children. Were it my decision to make, I would ask my sister for counsel; perhaps thou shouldst take a similar approach. Consult the adults in thy lives, that is all the advice I can offer thee."

She looked to the floor sadly. "I must go. There is much to do at the castle. My sister and I must attend to what has happened and what may yet happen." She bent down, getting to the Crusaders' eye level. "Do not lose hope, my sweet Crusaders. Thou hast so much unexplored potential." She stood up and gently kissed Apple Bloom's forehead. "Keep in touch," she whispered into the filly's hair.

As the princess turned to go, she called one last thing over her shoulder. "My heart goes out to thee, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight merely grunted to indicate she had heard.

Just before Luna passed once again through the front doors, the caramel-coated unicorn doctor emerged into the waiting room. "Big Macintosh, Applejack, and Apple Bloom?" he called.

The three of them rushed over to him as fast as they could. "Give it to us straight, Dr. Stable," Applejack said. "How's our granny doin'?"

"She is… well," Dr. Stable said slowly. "The surgery was successful. I was able to completely heal all of her internal injuries with magic, and the wound to her throat has been sealed. I took the liberty of awakening her; she's quite aware of her surroundings, though her voice is quite strained; I've asked her not to try and speak for a while. Normally, I'd keep her for another hour or so and then give her over to the capable care of the Apple family."

Applejack's face fell. "But… something's not normal," she stated rather than asked.

The doctor sighed, looking sincerely pained. "Your grandmother is… very, very old, as I'm sure you understand. I believe that she already had very little time left, and that the stress and trauma her body has been put through today has… cut into that time."

He looked over the three Apples with wide, sorrowful eyes. "She's more lucid than I've ever seen her, but we're losing her. I came out here to tell the three of you that… it might be time to say your goodbyes."

Big Macintosh gaped. "I… I…"

"Go," Dr. Stable said softly. "Just go."

They raced past him, galloping off into the depths of the hospital. Dr. Stable wiped sweat from his forehead and leaned against the nurse's desk.

"Doctor?" Nurse Redheart said gently. "You did all you could. You always do."

"Yes, I know," Dr. Stable muttered. "It's just… Ponyville without Granny Smith… can you even imagine? I don't think I can. And I have to be the one to… to…"

Fluttershy started weeping, burying her face in the crook of her elbow.

Twilight rocked forward and back, keeping her eyes focused on the gruesome old photograph of Vorpal Blade, only aggravating her emotional state.

"Twilight, darling?" Rarity got into the seat next to Twilight's and leaned toward her. "I wanted to tell you… please don't despair about this. In spite of everything, being in love was a good look for you. And you handled yourself wonderfully every step of the way. You know what they say: a relationship is just practice for the next one."

"Ugh!" Twilight snapped. "Would everypony please stop it with the clichés? They don't really apply in this situation! What's next? 'Oh, everypony's first boyfriend is a mass-hypnotizing international criminal!' Yeah, I don't think that one's gonna fly, Rarity."

"Don't snap at me," Rarity snarled. "I'm on your side, Twilight. And ponies are saying these things to you because they want to help. He betrayed all of us, you know."

"Oh, really?" Twilight said derisively.

"Yes," Rarity said coldly. "Because first of all, betraying you is betraying all of us. If you think otherwise, you're a fool. We will always be here with you to feel your pain."

Twilight blinked. "I… thank you, Rarity. You're right. I'm sorry."

"I know we can't feel exactly what you're feeling," Rarity muttered. "But… well, we all liked him and desired his friendship. We'd all like to see him suffer." She sighed. "To think… I was barely minutes away from asking him about a cure for the self-loathing that's been plaguing me these past months."

Twilight looked up in surprise. "Self-loathing?" she repeated.

"Oh," Rarity said, blushing. "Erm… I'm sorry. This is not about me."

"Rarity, you kind of made it about you when you let slip that you hate yourself."

"I know!" Rarity choked out. She trembled, and a single tear fell from her eyes. "I… I know," she went on, more quietly. "I always make everything about me. I'm… horrid." She stood up. "I'm hopelessly flawed, fickle and vain and… it's time I realized that all of my friends would be better off without me. I think I'll go now. I need some time alone. If you need me, I'll be… surprised."

She laughed bitterly and started toward the door. Spike and Sweetie Belle stood up in unison and ran forward to intercept her from two different directions.

Rarity turned around and halted them. "It's sweet that your first impulse is to try and stop me, but I'm actually quite sure about this. With me out of your lives, you'll be better off." She beamed at them, tapping their heads. "Trust me. Please?"

Spike and Sweetie Belle glanced at each other, then quickly looked away. Rarity started once again for the exit.

"RARITY, SIDDOWN!"

Rarity immediately did so, her eyes wide in fear. The screech had come from Pinkie Pie, who was laying on her back across three chairs. She was glaring angrily at the ceiling, and her hair was straight and limp.

"Uh-oh," Rainbow muttered. "Scary Pinkie. It's happening…"

"Pinkie, are you okay?" Twilight said nervously.

"No, I'm not okay," Pinkie snarled. "Everything's changing, and not in a good way, it's all the worst things coming together. Granny's gonna die. Twilight got her heart smushed. And now Rarity thinks she sucks and doesn't want to infect the rest of us with her presence? It's too much, man, it's too much! It's never gonna be the same anymore. How will any of our lives go on?"

There was silence for a few seconds. "Pinkie…" Rainbow said tenderly.

"Life WILL go on. Granny said so."

Everypony turned to see Applejack, standing back in the waiting room, her expression serene and her chin sticking in the air.

Big Macintosh walked, zombielike, past her and over to Fluttershy. He picked her up out of her seat and hugged her close. "Granny's gone," he rasped, burying his face in her shoulder.

"Oh!" Fluttershy peeped. "Oh my goodness…" Her own tears started flowing yet again.

Apple Bloom wandered unsteadily into the room, toward the other Crusaders. "She died, girls," she said in shock. "She died right in front of me while I was lookin' at her…"

The other fillies pulled Apple Bloom close. The remaining mares gathered around Applejack.

"It's okay, it's okay," Applejack said stoically. "Listen, y'all… back when I lost my parents, I thought that was it. That there was nothin' for me anymore, there'd never be any… stability. But Granny told me, she told me the same thing she'd say if she was here right now—you have to go on with your life, or it'll go on without you. You see what I'm sayin'?"

Rainbow nodded as she stepped up to Pinkie and started rubbing her back. "We gotta keep doin' what we do—and don't let the bad stuff weigh us down."

Big Mac let out a sob at that, and Fluttershy held him tightly, pressing her face into his fur as well. "I'm here… it'll all be okay in the end…"

"'Cause life's not over 'til it's over," Applejack declared. "Twilight, you with me?"

Twilight looked at the floor thoughtfully. "I… I agree. No matter how hopeless things seem… the world keeps on turning. We have to turn with it. We have to keep our heads on, even if our hearts are crushed." She looked up, and around at the others. "But let's not go back to our everyday routine just yet. There's one more thing that needs to be done. Come on, ladies."