Epilogue
The room was black, all black. It had been so forever, but not before yesterday. Or was it the day before yesterday? Either way, it had been forever, the black room. Stick knew this, he knew it very well – it was all he knew. It was all he cared to know.
There was something familiar to all this, he had to admit. And yet it was different.
“Cent, vent, tent,” he muttered while finishing his work. This knife wasn’t as sharp the one Trail had ruined, but it would do nonetheless. It would because it had to.
The cutie mark, or the piece of skin which Stick hoped to contain Ember Trail’s cutie mark, came off with a wet smack. He put down the blade, groped around a moment and then put the piece of flesh in a jar with some liquid inside. He closed it tightly.
A job well done, he thought to himself.
Yes, answered another voice. Good work. Good Stick. My good Stick.
He smiled faintly.
Now, all but one more thing.
He staggered up and took the jar to the room with all the rest. Trail’s cutie mark sloshed around gently as he set it in a circle with all the rest. There were five of them. With his mind’s eye, he could see them glowing.
He fumbled his way back. It took a few minutes, but finally he found the other corpse. By the softness of its fur, he could tell it was the right one. And of course the belly was telltale enough. Holding his breath, he pressed his ear against bloody fur.
From the absolute stillness, there came a beat. A rhythm that only a heart can make. A heart in its making, really, but a heart nonetheless. He raised the knife. And started working.
For the future. For the future. For the grand, brand new Future.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- stanku · 53k words · 31 3 · 604 views
- Scribblestick · 1.7k words · 36 4 · 998 views
- LightningBass94 · 1.5k words · 64 4 · 2.5k views
- Moose Mage · 62k words · 90 4 · 1.5k views
- Jarvy Jared · 14k words · 78 1 · 717 views
- Drefsab · 20k words · 63 3 · 866 views
Stats
Page generated in 0.181 seconds
Total duration
941 users online
1,943,181 hits today, 2,623,277 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Odd. I thought I remembered Stick getting killed near the end of the last chapter. Huh, I must be misremembering.
Also, it's interesting to note that the only thing that stopped Feinsake from succeeding was Lily not having a cutie mark yet. That and Deck Heart's cutie mark not being an acceptable substitute, even though being Lily's father also made him an indirect descendant of Twilight Sparkle the... Magician? Twilight Sparkle the Friend? I'm trying to fit the story's established naming convention to the last of the Element Bearers, but it isn't working. Oh well, I'm just musing at this point.
Well that's...spooky...
Oh I hope there is a sequel. And I may have to reread this over to figure it all out.
6094091 We shall have to see. There sure were enough unanswered questions to warrant a sequel. But all the writing depends on inspiration nowadays for me. Can't get anything done otherwise.
6092551 Yeah, that one has to go to the Unanswered Questions box above. And Twilight had no more special title than the Last Alicorn.
Huh, I thought it was gonna be a stillbirth, creepy.
um?
6102701 Yes?
6102912 What happened? This really felt less like an epilogue(or at least the one I wanted to hear) and more like the first chapter of the sequel.
6102991 The two do often coincide, that is true. But it's also true that I wanted to look forwards, not backwards, with this particular epilogue.
Oh, that is amazing. Mind magic is nigh the most interesting field of magic. Now I can hardly wait to see what comes next, especially since there are so many routes you could take in this and so many adventures left to be had in this post-ending world.
6158947 You're wondering warmer rather than colder, let's just put it that way.
6160336 Thanks! There's a sequel coming, so keep an eye out for that.
Argh.
You just had to do that, didn't you?
Anyway, glorious story is glorious. I don't know why I never continued reading this story but now I'm real glad I finally managed. Worldbuilding, characterizations, narrative flow...
Well done!
6405014 I only wish I knew what parts stirred such reactions -- it might help me replicate the effect in the sequel that's coming out in the near future.
Wait. Lemme see if I've got this right. This random pony KILLED the Element Bearers and skinned them?
...I'm sorry, but that's an immediate turn-off, I can't even begin to count the ways this makes less than no sense.
7007476 Indeed? How so, if I may ask?
7009690
Essentially, the main characters of the show, who pretty much symbolize everything the show is meant to be about...are killed by just some random lunatic and without any focus on their death. We don't even get to see them die. No grand final stand, no dramatic fight, it's all off screen. It isn't just unbelievable, it's disrespectful to the characters. It'd be like killing Luke Skywalker off-screen in "The Force Awakens".
7010166 Well, it's not really THE Bearers that get axed, but merely their supposed offspring. I don't know it that makes any difference to you, but to me it seems decisive enough in this context.
7013130
Fair enough, but even in the story, I never really felt the "Catastrophe" was expanded upon, WHY everything ended up this way. And why the villain even thinks her plan will work! There's been a total of four alicorns in the show. The only time we saw a new one created was with help from ANOTHER alicorn. So her entire scheme was based on nonsense that probably wouldn't have worked to begin with! That's the dictionary definition of pointless.
You can has review!
I first read this in spring 2015 after opening an updates post on EqD. I wasn't a Fimfiction user at the time but enjoyed this story immensely. I have read award-winning fantasy I enjoyed less. I loved it. So much so, in fact, that I joined Fimfiction and started to write pony stories of my own, the first of which was inspired by the tone of your writing here. It was an emotionally trying time in my life, and I quickly gave up.
Two years later, I returned to Fimfiction and to my vow that I would write a story, submit it to EqD as yours was and see it featured there. After much perspiration and practice, my writing has steadily improved over the past three years; this year, I wrote a story that I can honestly say is 'me'. The idea was mine, and its execution was in character with myself. I submitted it a few months later, and it was accepted. It was featured on EqD. It was even later independently reviewed by PresentPerfect, who gave it the very respectable rating 'Recommended'.
I want to thank you, Stanku, for it was you who made this possible. Your truly wonderful work on this story inspired me so strongly, and without that inspiration, I can honestly say I wouldn't be writing this, or anything, as I am. I studied language, grammar, writing, and practised all of them again and again, and all because of you. I am getting emotional writing this. I remember reading this story in 2015, all in one day, and how my emotions were put through one of the rides of their lifetime. Some days, months later, I would walk to an old quarry near my home and record myself reading these chapters aloud – as practice for perhaps a reading of your story that I wanted to record and submit to you. I still have much to learn, but am confident that I shall keep writing, practising and reaching my goals.
Equine, All Too Equine will always be my favourite fanfiction – not only because it is a superbly written, superbly executed and gripping tale but also because it has shaped my life and my personality. Without it, I wouldn't be where, or even who, I am today.
I've always thought about writing something like this, but it has never quite seemed the right moment. Until now, that is.
So thank you, Stanku. Thank you so very, very much for helping me without even realising you were. Your writing will always have a place in my heart.
6405014
Edit: And it seems, my friend, that you (whose story was recently reviewed alongside mine) have read this wonderful story as well. It really is a small world.
9301534
And this gem is one of the most underrated stories on all of fimfiction. I've read many hundreds of fics and Equine is one of the few I still remember vividly after more than three years.
9301930
That's a really nice thing to say; thank you so much! You might find it worth knowing that I'm in the process of writing an actual (non-fanfic) novel that is largely inspired by this very fanfic. I have no idea if it will ever appear in print and honestly it's not the main priority for me to begin with; what matters is letting the story grow. If you want, I can give you a nod whenever the piece comes out in some shape or another.
9301534
That is the most touching comment I must have ever received, on any of my works, anywhere. Not before reading it could I have believed my writing could ever aspire to have such an effect on anyone, and seeing it happen is, well, it is breathtaking.
This story is indeed special for myself too. As has been noted it's a fanfic pretty far removed from the original show, and honestly I can't say how much it owes to MLP:FIM and how much to Terry Pratchett's Discworld, another great inspiration for me. So the work is personally special in that it marks the spot where I started to detach from my fanfic phase and try to make a world of mine own, however dependent it might at first be. Not to say any literature or human endeavor is ever fully independent in the sense of lacking precedents and models. On a more philosophical tone I'd say independence of a work is merely a degree of acknowledged dependence.
Which brings me to your comment again. It really did stir me enough to wake big thoughts like "independence" and "continuity", for reasons clear enough. If I've indeed helped you to improve yourself, the reverse is now also true. That's a significant token of trust and self-confidence, not to mention happiness, that you've just given me. That's precisely what I need in the next step forward, writing that novel based on this fic (see reply to Celefin above).
Thank you.
9302375
I'd appreciate it if you gave me a nod when you have something to show.
9302375
Which might be why I thought of this story when reflecting on my own – the individualism displayed in yours and that it wasn't anything like your typical show-inspired fanfiction. With regard to my own writing journey, I started off trying to 'please the show', certainly its fans, and wrote a lot of vote-hunting nonsense. I still do every now and then, but the parallels are there – the story of mine in question being my own 'X marks the spot' where I stopped caring so much about producing checkbox fanfiction and wrote something I would love to read, be it 'objectively good' or not.
And thank you for your kind response. You'll have to give me that nod as well. I wish you the best of luck in completing your piece!
9302433
Nod en route.
9302627
Fanfiction is a good place to start writing, since it's easier to mimic existing characters before coming up with some of your own.
Likewise, may fortune be with you!
I seem to revisit this story at landmarks in my life. Perhaps I need it at times like this – the inspiration it instils. I'm about to take the next big step of my career, and two days ago I felt compelled to reread.
The emotional power this story holds over me is astonishing. That it has been years and it still moves me so much moves me even more. The story gets better each time. It hurts and delights me more each time. As I said, I'll never forget it.
Thank you, Stanku – again. I wish you safety and happiness.
11348504
Still happy to hear that!
I’ve noticed that you don’t really seem to give a damn whenever someone brings up some kind of criticism of your stories. Why is that? I’m not saying you’re wrong for doing that, mind you. Quite the opposite, in fact.
11894436
Well, I do and I don't. If the criticism merits a response in my view, then I respond; if not, then not. I like to think I respond more often than not, but maybe I'm wrong about that. Anyway, I haven't written here for many years now.