Everypony slowly stepped through the now wide-open doors of the mansion that had served as the death of so many of their friends.  They let the cool night air engulf them as they slowly moved themselves away from the mansion.  With a deep sigh, Celestia used her powerful magic—magic that could have saved so many lives had she been able to use it—to instantly teleport everypony in attendance back to the streets of Canterlot.

Inside the mansion, the bodies and remains of so many innocent ponies lay scattered about in traps and pieces.  Butler lay atop the large pile of blood-soaked towels in the center of the foyer, right beside the corpse of the murderer that had caused all of this.  He thought to himself just how regretful he was of the things he had had to do in order to end all of this.

In a flash of magic, almost four dozen Royal Guards appeared outside of the front gates.  They were here to not only arrest Butler, but to remove the bodies of all the ponies that had been killed within the mansion’s walls.  With the guidance of the guests that had suffered and survived the traps, the guards scoured the mansion and reclaimed the bodies of the ponies that had died that night…and the ponies that had died in the previous games.

It was sunrise before everypony that could be accounted for was found and marked.  For the few bodies that couldn’t be reclaimed—Gilda, Iron Will, and Photo Finish—they were simply going to be given memorial plaques at the service that would be held the following evening.  There were sixteen ponies that died that night—including Sapphire Shores—and only thirteen bodies could be recovered.

In Memory of the Fallen

The evening following the party was a sad one.  Celestia wasted no time in holding a memorial service for the ponies that had had their lives stripped from them over the course of the evening.  The coffins were laid out together in the large throne room of the castle.  All of the surviving guests were in attendance, and a bunch of the Canterlot crowd gathered as well.  Word had quickly spread about the previous night’s events, and everypony wanted to see just how true the rumors were.

After all of the coffins were laid out and marked, Celestia began the memorial service.  The crowd that had gathered listened in shock and awe as she explained everything that had happened in the outskirts of Canterlot the previous night.  She didn’t hesitate to go into detail as to how bravely and suddenly each pony was taken from them.  She was certain to stress how honorable Gilda and Iron Will died.  She announced everypony that had died in the mansion in alphabetical order…except for Sapphire Shores.  She would be last.

Finally, after making a small speech about every last pony that had been killed in the mansion, she turned her attention to the coffin that sat away from the rest, separated by a large space.  Butler stood beside the coffin, still dressed in the same suit he had worn the previous night.  With a look of shame and guilt, he looked out into the crowd as Celestia announced Sapphire’s death.

Her voice was filled with anger and spite as she announced the celebrity pony.  “Sapphire Shores, the final pony to die in the mansion last night.  She did not die an honorable death.  She did not die saving another pony or trying to help end the nightmare.  She was the nightmare!  Although many of you may find this hard to believe, you must accept this as fact.  She had placed the countless traps throughout her mansion and invited all of us to the party in the hopes of ending our lives.  Everypony being honored here today is only here because of the horrendous acts against ponykind that she has committed!”  Celestia paused to allow the chatter from the crowd to quiet down.

She continued, “This was not the first time she had done such a horrible thing.  She had done this twice before last night; the only difference was she didn’t get caught the last two times.  It is because of the living pony standing beside her that she has finally been brought to justice!”

Butler’s eyes filled with shock as Celestia announced him like he was a hero.  She nodded at him, and he knew what he had to do.  He turned to face the crowd.  With a sigh, he explained everything.  “I cannot be called a hero, everypony.  I am not one.  I am responsible for the deaths of several ponies at last night’s party.  However, I was simply doing what needed to be done.  So long as Ms. Shores thought she had an ally, she wouldn’t worry about getting found out.  But it goes deeper than that.”  He bowed his head, the tears swelling up in his eyes.

He continued with a sob, “The ponies that died last night only did so because of me!  It was I who suggested she invite these ponies to the party.  I felt certain that the Royal Family and the heroes of Equestria would be able to find out her identity and put this nightmare to an end.  I was correct, but at what cost?”  He fell silent as the crowd began to chatter again.  

The previous night’s surviving guests looked at him with sympathetic expressions.  Yes, he had killed some of their friends, but he only did so to ensure that Sapphire could be caught.  Shining Armor had seen the guilt and sorrow in Butler’s eyes the previous night.  It was genuine sorrow.

Celestia continued, “Though he may have killed last night…I truly believe that it was necessary.  If Butler had not played along with Sapphire’s game, then she very possibly could have snapped.  The horrifying reality is that at any point during the night Sapphire could have ended our lives with the push of a button.”  She looked over at the guests sitting in front of the crowd.

She continued, “Each pony that died last night did so in an attempt to stop Sapphire’s sadistic game.  Nopony last night shall be forgotten so long as we remember them.  To any and all who wish to pay their respects, you may do so now.”  Celestia stepped away from the throne, walking over to Blueblood’s coffin.

Every guest there had something to say about one of their fallen friends.  They all paid their respects and made their speeches about the ponies that had died.  Tears fell.  Shoulders were cried on.  The crowd became emotional, empathetic with the ponies that were pouring their hearts out in front of them.

The memorial service went on for a few hours.  After everypony had paid their respects, the coffins were carried out of the throne room by Royal Guards.  Everypony that had died the previous night was going to be buried in the Royal Graveyard just outside of the castle.  That was for the best…Instead of carrying the bodies all the way back to wherever they came from.  A royal burial was a huge honor…

Everypony that lived through the night had scars that would never go away.  They had all witnessed the death of a friend or the untimely end of a pony they had once known before.  Everypony had lost something that night…

Not So Down On His Luck

Flim didn’t have much to say all throughout the ceremony.  His brother was dead, what else was there to say?  Of course, Flam died to give him a window of opportunity to stop the killer.  Flim was perfectly aware that his brother’s death was noble.  He didn’t need the Princess to tell him that.  He didn’t say a word to anypony at the ceremony.  In fact, he just stood aside, letting everypony pour their hearts out.

After everything was said and done and the coffins were taken to the graveyard to be buried, Flim decided it was high time to leave.  The longer he stayed in Canterlot, the longer he’d be near the mansion that took his brother’s life.  He decided to stop by the local bar and grab a drink or two before leaving.

He sat at the bar, tossing back shot after shot of Sweet Apple Spicy Cider, a cider he recognized as a Sweet Apple Acres brand.  The name was catchy, and it had a nice kick to it.  Flim sat on his bar stool thinking about just what exactly had happened the previous night.  Lost in the world of his thoughts, he didn’t even notice Big Macintosh come in and sit beside him.

Big Mac placed a hoof on Flim’s shoulder.  He sighed, “How ya holdin’ up?”

Flim scoffed, “Can’t say I’ve been worse.”

Big Mac ordered two bottles of the cider.  “Ya got anythin’ planned for when ya leave town?”

He handed a bottle to Flim.  Flim chuckled, “Nope.  I don’t have a clue.  There’s not much for me to do.”

Big Mac popped the top from his bottle and took a swig.  “Y’know, ya could come back to Ponyville with us.  We could talk to Granny Smith about getting’ ya a job on the farm.”

Flim looked at him incredulously, “You’re offering me a job at Sweet Apple Acres, after what Flam and I tried to pull?”

Big Mac chuckled, “I think it’s about time to let bygones be bygones.  Your brother died to help us get outta that place.  I think it’s only fair to repay the favor.”

Flim slapped Big Mac on the back, cheering, “I think I may have to take you up on that offer, big fella!  But business talk can wait until we get back to Ponyville!”  Flim took a swig from his bottle of cider.

Big Mac raised his bottle in the air, “To Flam.”

Flim did the same, “Cheers.”

They chugged their bottles of cider until they were empty.  With a chuckle, Big Mac ordered two more.  The both of them sat there in the bar for the rest of the day, drinking away.  Sure, the scars would never actually heal, but at least there was something to look forward to later on down the line…

Doctor’s Lament

Doctor Whooves couldn’t help but feel guilty during the ceremony.  He knew that it was freak chance, but he felt responsible for killing Photo Finish.  Although it had been Vinyl Scratch that tripped and hit the switch that caused the floor to fall, Doctor still felt he was to blame.  His clumsiness in dropping something onto the floor caused Vinyl to trip in the first place.  The fact that Vinyl, Bon Bon, and Octavia were all ignorant of just how exactly Photo died only added to his guilt.  He couldn’t bring himself to tell them what had happened.

After the ceremony ended, Doctor decided he would head to the nearest café and grab a bite to eat.  None of the guests had eaten anything since they got back to town, and his stomach was growling horribly.  He sat in a small booth, waiting for his food to be delivered.  He was shocked when Vinyl Scratch, Lyra Heartstrings, and Bon Bon trotted into the bar and took a seat across from him in the booth.

Vinyl looked at Doctor with a sympathetic expression.  “You can’t blame yourself, man.  What happened was a freak accident.”  At some point since the accident, Vinyl had realized what happened.

Doctor sighed, “So, I take it you know what happened to Photo?”

Vinyl nodded her head silently.  Lyra placed a hoof on the table and said, “It wasn’t either of your faults!  The only pony you can blame is Sapphire!  You didn’t know that was going to happen!”

Doctor scoffed, “You think I don’t know that?  It doesn’t make me feel any better.  If I hadn’t-.”  The patrons of the café immediately started cheering and chattering loudly and wildly.  In through the door walked Fancypants.

He stomped straight for Doctor’s booth and plopped down beside him.  Crossing his arms, he scoffed, “You’re looking blue, old friend.  You simply must forget about it.”  He gave Doctor an angry glare.

“F-forget about it?!  Are you mad?”  Doctor slammed his hoof on the table.

Fancypants raised a single hoof and brought it across Doctor’s face, sending all of the customers in the café silent.  He raised his voice as he spoke, “You can’t blame yourself for a death that you didn’t cause!  If you don’t straighten up and forgive yourself, you won’t be able to focus on the more important matters when you return home.”

Doctor rubbed his cheek where he’d been struck.  He chuckled, “I’ve never heard of you getting so violent before, Fancypants.  This means a lot to you, huh?”

Fancypants slammed both of his front hooves on the table.  He screamed at Doctor, “I have lost three friends in less than twenty-four hours!  The last thing I’m going to let happen is for some innocent stallion to blame himself for Sapphire’s despicable actions!”

Doctor looked at Fancypants with shock.  The three mares sat silently as they watched the otherwise-collected celebrity fly off the chain.  Everypony in the café stared on in awe as they watched their beloved idol get angry for the seemingly first time.

Fancypants continued, “The only reason Photo is dead is because of Sapphire.  No one else is to blame, not even Butler.  Get over it and get your senses together!”  With a stamp of his hoof, he stood up from the table and stormed out of the café.  Everypony was left in shock and awe at what they had just witnessed.

Doctor smiled as Fancypants left the café.  “Thanks, I needed that.” he laughed.  He turned to look at the mares

Bon Bon scratched her head as she asked, “So uh…what are we gonna do now?”

Doctor laughed, “I suppose we’ll be heading back to Ponyville before long, right?  I mean, we do have jobs to get back to.”  He lowered his gaze to the table.

Lyra spoke softly, “It’ll be different without them.  They’ll be missed.”

She was talking about the Ponyville ponies that had met their untimely ends in the mansion the night before.  Filthy Rich, Diamond Tiara, Nurse Redheart, and Cheerilee…

Vinyl tapped her hoof on the table.  She asked, “How will we explain it to everypony?”

Doctor smiled again, “We’ll simply tell them the truth.  Everypony deserves to know the truth!  They died with honor, and that tale must be told!”  He clapped his hooves together, calling out to the waitress.

He ordered four beers, one for each of the ponies at his booth.  Upon receiving their beverages, Doctor held his class high.  “To the noble ponies who lost their lives last night!”  The mares raised their glasses high to meet his.

With a nod, they drank down their beverages.  Although the memories of the deaths they witnessed last night would linger with them forever, at least they had a reason to tell the stories…

Trixie’s Opportunity

Trixie sat around with the rest of the surviving guests while the ceremony continued.  Although she felt bad for all of the ponies that had lost their lives, she hadn’t known any of them personally.  Having witnessed the deaths of several of them, she couldn’t help but feel sad.  At the same time, she didn’t feel completely sorrowful.  She hated that they had to lose their lives, but she wasn’t going to burst into tears and mourn them.

That being said, she definitely wanted to leave the town and head back to her caravan.  She wanted to get as far away from the mansion as she possibly could.  She’d never been faced with death before last night.  She’d never had to fear for her life, or face her own mortality.  Watching as Mark had so instantaneously been taken from them right before their eyes…it made her realize just what evil some ponies are truly capable of.

Without saying a word to anypony, she left the castle as soon as the memorial service was concluded.  She didn’t feel like listening to tear-jerking stories of past exploits or hearing twisted tales of crazy antics they had gotten into in the past.  She just wanted to go home and put all of this behind her.

As she was walking through the streets of Canterlot, dead set on getting to the train station and heading back to the town she had parked her caravan close to, Fancypants ran into her.  He was flushed red and had anger in his eyes.  The two collided right into one another without warning, sending them both flying to the ground.

Immediately removing his head from the cloud it was in, Fancypants apologized profusely.  “I’m terribly sorry, Ms. Trixie!  Please, allow me to help you up.”  He extended a helping hoof to the unicorn.

She happily took it, saying, “It’s not a problem, Fancypants.  Thank you.”  He pulled her to her hooves, taking a bow.

He laughed, “I heard through the grapevine that you are a famous magician.  Is this true?”

Trixie raised an eyebrow, smiling.  She laughed, “Well, I used to be a performer.  But there was a small…incident…in a town a while back, and I haven’t quite had work since.”

Fancypants cheered, “Well, consider this your lucky break!  I happen to have a friend that’s looking for some filly-friendly entertainment!”  He pulled a small card from his coat pocket and handed it to her.

Trixie looked over the card, a smile covering her face.  She looked up to say something, but Fancypants was already on his way down the road.  With butterflies in her stomach, Trixie trotted down the road, looking for the address written on the card.  If Fancypants was offering her a job of this high a caliber, she must really be lucky.

The memory of the squishing sound Mark made as he hit the spikes would haunt Trixie forever.  But no matter what happened to her later on down the line, she had the chance to make a name for herself and get back to living a normal performer’s life…

Octavia’s Sonata

Octavia sat beside Fancypants during the ceremony.  She didn’t know any of the other ponies too well, and Fancypants was the only one she had any real connection with.  She listened as each of the other surviving guests gave their testimonies and last respects for the deceased.  She didn’t have much to say.  The only pony she had thought was a true friend ended up being a murderer.  She had nothing to say about any of the deceased ponies.

As soon as the ceremony was over, she was out the door and down the road.  She walked into the small country club she had been playing in just before receiving the invite to the horrible party.  She remembered all too well the smile on Sapphire’s face as the five celebrities received their invites to the party that would kill three of them.

To Octavia’s delight, there was nopony playing on stage.  She walked over to the operator of the country club with a frown on her face.  “Excuse me, but is it okay for me to play now?”  She bowed her head as the operator looked her over.

With a smile, the operator recognized her immediately.  He cheered, “Would you please?  We haven’t had any good music in here all day!”

Octavia walked up on the stage, readying her bow and adjusting the cello into a certain position.  Seeing her on stage preparing to play, everyone in the club shut up, eager to hear something good for the first time that day.

Closing her eyes, Octavia let her bow slide across the strings.  As she drew the bow across the first set of notes, a flame ignited in her heart.  The memories of the horrors she had seen the previous night filled her mind, and her heart fluttered as music filled her head.  She went with the flow of her emotions, letting her heart do the playing.  Maintaining a graceful and majestic posture, Octavia graced the audience with a powerful, moving melody that rang out with the flames of passion and sorrow.

She played for nearly ten minutes before the flames started to die.  She let out a sigh as she drew the bow across the strings for one last string of notes.  As the music faded and the fire died, everypony in the club cheered wildly for her.  The symphony that she had played in the moment of passion drew tears to everypony’s eyes and made them beg for an encore.  Octavia’s heart fluttered as the sounds of her melody echoed in her head.  She smiled at the ground, bowing her head low and readying her bow.  

The scars left by the horrors of the mansion would stay in the back of her mind forever.  At the same time, these scars gave her a muse greater than any other she’d found before, and filled her heart with a passion rivaled by none.  She was content with the fire in her heart…

Derpy’s Optimism

Derpy Hooves sat beside Dinky Doo and Amethyst Star during the ceremony.  Although she was sad that so many innocent ponies had died, she knew that they died for a good cause, and mourning them wasn’t necessary.  Derpy didn’t cry at all as everypony said their farewells to the deceased.  Derpy kept a smile on her face and a positive outlook on all of this.

After the ceremony, Derpy decided to take her friends to an ice cream parlor just a few blocks down the street.  They followed her into the shop, wondering just how she managed to keep such a happy smile on her face.

As they ordered their ice cream and sat at a small booth in the back of the parlor, Amethyst couldn’t help but question Derpy’s demeanor.  “Don’t get upset with me for asking this, but why are you so cheery right now?  I mean, some of our friends died last night…”

Derpy giggled as she said, “There’s only one pony that died last night that we should be sad for.”

Dinky poked her head above the table.  “Who’s that, Derpy?”

Derpy smiled and placed a hoof on the table.  “Sapphire.  She’s the only one we should be sad for.”

Amethyst’s jaw dropped in anger and she screamed, “How can you say that, Derpy?!  She’s a cold-blooded killer!”

Derpy shook her head, “Exactly.  All of our friends died as heroes, wanting to save everypony else.  Now that they’re gone, they won’t ever have to go through this stuff again.  They’re in a better place now.  But Sapphire, she’s not.  She died trying to hurt everypony.  Now she’s gotta suffer with the memories of what she did forever.”

Amethyst’s eyes filled with a deeper kind of sadness than before.  She spoke softly, “I guess you’re right, Derpy.  Our friends won’t have to put up with this kind of stuff ever again…”  Her voice trailed off at the end.

Dinky laughed, “They died to save us, so if we remember them, then they’re never really gone!”

Derpy placed a hoof on Dinky’s head, “Exactly…  As long as we don’t forget what they did, they’re not really gone.  But Sapphire…nopony will care about her after everything calms down.  They’ll forget her, and she’ll be gone forever.”  The server brought their ice cream to them.  The three of them sat in silence as they enjoyed their desserts.  

Although the horrors of the mansion will be with her forever, Derpy couldn’t be sad for her friends.  She knew that as long as they were remembered, they wouldn’t really be gone.  She smiled as she thought about how Iron Will and Gilda selflessly gave their lives to allow the other four ponies to leave.  She knew they were in a better place now…

The Fillies’ Reflection

Applebloom sat beside her friends as the ceremony went on.  Although she was only a child, she knew just what kind of sacrifices the ponies had made to help them get out of the mansion.  Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sat quietly as the adults said a few things about the deceased ponies.

After the ceremony finished, Applejack gave the fillies a small bag of bits to go get themselves some food.   Happy to oblige, the three fillies headed down the road, looking for a place that sounded good.  There was small little café a few blocks away from the castle, right across the street from an ice cream parlor.  They went inside and had a seat.

After they ordered their food, another pony walked into the café, her mane ruffled and her voice shaky.  When she saw the three fillies, she joined them in their booth.  She sighed, “Rough night, right?”  Sweetie Belle recognized the mare’s voice.

She exclaimed, “Fleetfoot, is that you?”

The mare lowered her head to the table.  She quickly snapped, “Shh!  Don’t let anypony hear you!”

Applebloom looked at her with a confused look.  “Is somethin’ wrong?”

Fleetfoot chuckled, “No, nothing.  But I don’t want any of the fans to recognize me.  I usually look like this so as not to let anypony know I’m me.”

Scootaloo asked, “Why wouldn’t you want them to know?  I mean, they are your fans.”

Fleetfoot sighed, “Two of my friends died last night.  Everypony in town is making a fuss about it.  The last thing I need is hundreds of ponies attacking me with questions about their deaths.  I don’t think I can handle that right now…”

The server behind the counter called, “The usual, Ms. Hoofington?”

With a nod, Fleetfoot blushed.  She looked back at the fillies and whispered, “It’s an alias I go by when I’m trying not to be recognized.”

Applebloom laughed, “You couldn’t come up with a better name?”

Fleetfoot smiled, “It works.  So, what are you fillies going to do now?”

Sweetie Belle giggled, “We’re going home with everypony else.  We need to get back and tell everypony what happened.”

Scootaloo scoffed, “I think the adults will handle that, Sweetie Belle.”

Fleetfoot laughed, “Don’t sell yourselves short.  You fillies are pretty strong to still be as composed as you are after all of that.”

Sweetie Belle asked, “What are you going to do now?  You’ll have to tell all of your teammates what happened to Spitfire and Soarin’, right?”

Fleetfoot sighed, “Yeah.  I’ll have to tell them when they get back from vacation.  But before that, I’ll have to cancel the Wonderbolts show that’s coming up soon.  I hate having to disappoint fans, but I think they’ll understand.”  With that, all four of the ponies received their food.  They chowed down on the delicious meals they had ordered.  They decided it best to drop the subject of the ponies that had died.

The fillies witnessed something that they shouldn’t have been forced to witness for a long time, and they came out of it barely harmed by it.  Although the scars were there, the fillies were just young enough for the scars to not have much hold on their consciences.  Maybe one day the scars would emerge, but that wouldn’t be for a long time.

And as for Fleetfoot, her scar was obvious.  But even though it tried to break her, she wasn’t goin to let it.  With Soarin’ and Spitfire gone, she knew she had to keep the Wonderbolts in one-hundred percent tip-top shape in their memory.  She smiled as she thought about the sacrifices her teammates must have made…

The Final Closure

After the ceremony was over and the coffins were removed from the throne room, the members of the Royal Family, the heroes of Equestria, and Butler all stayed behind for the final piece of business that needed to be attended to.  Although Butler did kill Sapphire, he had still killed several innocent ponies.  He was ready for his punishment, and he wouldn’t disagree with anything that was thrown at him.  He was simply happy Sapphire was unable to kill any more innocent ponies.

The small remaining group of ponies that stayed back for the trial filled the room with an air of sorrow.  Although many of them felt it was a necessary evil that Butler had done, they also knew it was still an evil.  

Celestia cleared her throat before she addressed Butler.  “Butler…You have done a good deed in taking Sapphire’s life.  The crimes she had committed were unforgivable.  At the same time, you have still killed innocent ponies.”  Celestia paused here.

Butler spoke up, “I am aware of this, Princess.  I was aware of this the moment I suggested she invite you to the party.  I knew that no matter how it ended, this would happen.  I’m just glad it’s happening now and not later.”

Shining Armor spoke up, “You killed innocent ponies so that she would continue to trust you.  With that trust, you were able to keep her from snapping and killing us all last night in fear of losing the game.  But the evil you committed is still evil, no matter the justification.”

Again, Butler nodded.  “I know this, Mr. Armor.”

Princess Luna stamped her hoof, “I’ve made my decision on this matter, Butler.  Whether or not any other pony in attendance agrees with me, I’ve already made my call.”

Princess Cadence stepped up, “As have I.  Although you did wrong, you did so for the greater good.  I can say with full confidence that I believe you should be set free.”

The ponies in the room looked at her with awe.  Princess Celestia spoke up, “I couldn’t agree more.  I believe that the wrongs you’ve committed were for the greater good, and as such I give my blessing to let you go.”

Luna smiled, “The same goes for me.”

Armor chuckled, “Same here!”

Butler looked over to the eight guests still in attendance.  “What do you say?”

Twilight looked around to her friends and smiled.  They all nodded in agreement as she announced, “We think you’ve done a good thing, getting Sapphire out of the picture.  We think you should go free.”

Celestia laughed, “I suppose that’s it, then.  You’re free to go, Butler.”

Butler looked around to everypony in the room.  Tears fell from his eyes as he sighed, “Thank you, everypony.  I’m just happy to have this ordeal behind us.  But, what do we do now?  Prince Blueblood is dead, and so are so many of your friends…”

A Royal Guard walked forward from in front of the large doors.  He cheered, “What’s done is done, Butler.  We’ll move on, just as time does!  As long as we don’t forget our fallen comrades, they will never truly be gone!  But now…what will you be doing, Butler?”  Steve walked up beside him and placed a hoof on his shoulder.

Butler thought about it for a minute.  “I’m not sure.  There isn’t much for me now that Sapphire is gone.”

Luna giggled, “If you need a place to stay, or just need some work, the castle can always use another custodian!”  She shot a sneaky glare at Armor and Cadence.

Butler cheered, “I’d be more than happy to work here in the castle!”

Steve slapped him on the back.  “You might regret saying that, pal.”

Celestia mumbled, “Especially with all the late-night fooling around those two do…”  She pointed a hoof at Cadence and Armor.  Everypony in the room busted out laughing as the two ponies’ faces flushed red.

With a small bit of humor to cover up their wounds, the survivors of the horrible mansion party shared a casual conversation about their future plans.  Even though the scars of the previous night were cut deep into each and every one of them, they weren’t too worried about what the future held.  It would be a long time before another pony like Sapphire would come around.  She was one of a kind, a special kind of evil…

Everypony soon returned to their homes, their lives reverting back to a semi-normal state.  Or at least as normal as they could get in the crazy world they lived in…

THE END