My Little Airman Epilogue

Epilogue – Love of a Lifetime

 

>One year later…

>Twilight stands in the garden, excitedly flapping her wings

>Only the day before she had earned them and everything made sense to her

>Studying everything she could about Anon from her notes and analyzing his statue, she learned everything Princess Celestia had, and more

>The bases of his world’s magic were four elements rather mundane and simple: Earth, Water, Fire, and Air

>These elements could not form the most powerful magic, and what’s more only an extremely powerful magic-user could utilize them

>Which must explain why magic in his world is not a normal occurrence

>It also partially explained why their magic didn’t work as well on him

>With enough mysteries solved, they could unpetrify him and give his body a magical connection to their world

>All that was needed was four alicorns to wield the four elements and use them

>Now that she was one, Anon could be revived

>There she stood with Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, as well as AJ, Rarity, RD, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Shining Armor, and Spike in the back

>The alicorns circle around the statue of Anon, everyone else standing a ways back

>She asks “Is everyone ready?”

>All reply “Yes” in unison

>“Alright, let’s get Anon back!”

>Princess Celestia’s aura glows, fire spinning around her

>Princess Luna’s aura surrounds her, water floating around her

>Princess Cadance’s aura flashes, chunks of ground floating in front of her

>Twilight activates her aura, a contained vortex of air to her side

>Simultaneously, each of them bring their elements together into a magical sphere right above Anon

>As she takes control, Twilight senses that just as the elements come together, they’re unified perfectly

>She casts her magic, sending a beam from the unified elements straight onto Anon’s statue

>A bright light surrounds his petrified body, making it near-impossible to see it

>Dust kicks up, and a gust of wind picks up, blowing against the four alicorns

>Shielding her eyes, Twilight continues to concentrate, hell-bent on getting Anon back

>A loud explosion sounds off, and if not for Shining Armor putting up a barrier around everyone, they all would be blown back

>As everything settles, Twilight dares to take a look, hopeful to see him again

>What she sees is underwhelming

>His statue…lifeless

>No change

>Her heart sank

>Surely, her calculations were correct!

>“Spike! Can you get me my notes?”

>“Of course!”

>He scurries over, carrying a backpack full of Twilight’s scrolls

>Frantically, she searches for something, anything that she may have overlooked

>“I could’ve sworn that everything was right!”

>A loud THUMP alerts her, surprising everyone

>Looking towards the noise, her heart skips a beat

 

>Shock overcomes you

>Not only do you not know what’s going on, you can’t recall anything at all

>It’s just like the time you overslept and almost missed Squadron PT

>Everything is dark, and you’re disoriented as all hell

>You try to move, only to find your body not responding

>Fuck

>It must be early morning, and you can’t even get up

>No bother, just gotta wait a minute or two and then-

>OH FUCK

>Suddenly you’re blinded by a bright light

>And you still can’t move below your jaw at this point

>You put up with the light so your eyes can get accustomed it

>After all, you should figure out where the hell you are

>Within a minute, you gain the ability to move your arms, and you see yourself in a beautiful garden

>Also, you see some ponies gathered-

>It all hits you like a train

>Memory suddenly floods back

>From first entering Equestria, making friends, and up to that fight with Discord

>And a vague recollection about an eight-legged horse…

>You see Twilight Sparkle call Spike over, but you don’t recognize what she’s saying

>Perhaps you’ve been petrified too long, and your ears aren’t exactly what they used to be

>Feeling returns to your legs, and you realize that you’re standing up

>Without warning, your legs give out, and you fall, resulting in an ungraceful landing and a THUMP

>Immediately, Twilight Sparkle looks towards you, and you notice something different about her

>She has fucking wings

>When did that happen?

>She dashes towards you with the happiest look on her face

>As you stand there on your knees, you open your arms and prepare to hug her

>Holy shit, she’s now flying even faster to you

>IMPACT

>She snuggles hard against your chest

>“Jo eklm, E jkle moicgu safkj askdfjla wejime!”

>Uh oh

>You couldn’t understand her

Twilight, I think something’s wrong here

>She looks at you with surprise, and then her horn starts to glow

>This scenario seems way too familiar

>Instinctually, you crawl away, doing your best to evade the incoming spell

>No no no no no no NO NO NOOOOOOOOO

>It hits you, and instead of the skull-shattering pain you felt before, you only feel a mild buzzing in your head

>It dissipates quickly, and you feel almost back to normal

Did it work?

>She screams “ANON, YOU’RE BACK!”

>Again, leaping into your arms, you squeeze back

>Feeling those wings, you gotta know

Hey, when did these happen? And how? And actually, how long was I out?

>“There will be time for all that in a little bit. What matters now is making sure you’re ok”

>Makes sense

>Your stomach growls, and as you go to grab your stomach, pain flares all over your body

>You realize you’re still injured from that last fight!

>Makes some sense, seeing that you couldn’t really heal as a statue

>Collapsing, you start to laugh

It’s been a crazy ride, hasn’t it?

>“It certainly has been, Anon. Let’s get you to the hospital.”

>She levitates you, and before you know it, you’re in a bed and see a now-all-too-familiar ceiling

 

>A couple weeks go by in the blink of an eye

>In those weeks, Twilight Sparkle told you of her adventures while you were gone, from going to the Crystal Empire, to Discord’s rehabilitation, to becoming an alicorn and a princess

>The second one scared you deeply

>So much so, that she had to magically restrain you from getting out of bed to call him out for a rematch

>You only calmed down after 4 hours of fighting her magic

>He appeared, giving you an odd looking cactus glistening with what appeared to be chocolate milk

>This only serves to rile you up, only to feel the magical restraints again

>You listen to his sincere apology

>After that long-winded speech about being good, you calm down

>He did, after all, bring you to Equestria

>And he seems to truly want to make amends

>Still, you can’t quite get around the fact that he’s been the cause of all your problems since coming here

>And all the mind rape he did

>So, he’s still not off your shit list, but you’re not going to kill him anytime soon

>You told him that you’ve got your eyes on him, and that any suspicious activity would be dealt with by force

>He smirked at that before leaving

>Afterwards, all your other friends visited often, sometimes together, mostly individually

>Now, today, you’re feeling fine enough to take a walk

>You let Twilight know where you want to go, and she agrees to be there with you

>Walking through the halls, you make your way to the garden, walking through the flowers and the shrubs, to your destination

>In the beauty of the sun, you see your baby in all her glory

You haven’t changed a bit, have you?

>The sight of your F-22 brings tears to your eyes

>Putting a hand on its side, the coolness of her metal brings back warm memories of using her here

>Unfortunately, your mind is still blank on flight training that your future self had attended

I hate to tell this to you, but I can’t fly you anymore. In fact, I had never been able to fly you, just the me I was supposed to be.

>Twilight cuts in

>“You know, I might be able to bring back that part of you, the one that could fly.”

>Emotionally, you feel a bit distraught

I don’t know if I should. Princess Celestia told me that she no longer holds me to my oath to serve in the Royal Guard, and I certainly don’t plan on fighting anymore. Flying…well, it might bring out the aggressive side of me.

>She looks you straight in the eye

>“You once told me that flying was one of the greatest joys in your life. I want you to be happy, and I don’t think there’s much risk of you becoming a killer again. Equestria is at true peace now, ever since Discord’s rehabilitation. And if you’re still worried, couldn’t we get rid of the weapon systems?”

>Her revelation catches you off guard

>Though it’s not the only reason you love her, you really do love her ability to solve any problem

Alright, we can try that. I did say that I don’t plan on fighting anymore, but this whole “peace” thing might change, and for you, I’d give my life. I certainly owe you it. But yes, we can take the weapons off, but they need to be reattachable, just in case.

>She smiles

>“Ok, Anon.”

>Her horn starts to glow, and you feel a warm, pleasant feeling as your memories of training come back to you.

>Rather quickly, you’ve relearned how to pilot your F-22, and you feel tears of joy run down your face

>As you hug her, you realize a ring on her horn

>The same ring you had given her so long ago

>Right before the incident with Discord

>You decide that it’s finally time

Hey, Twilight…

>“Yes, Anon?”

I noticed you’re wearing the ring I gave you…

>Looking her straight in the eye, you ask

When may I have the pleasure of your hoof in marriage?

 

>Two months later

>It’s late afternoon

>All the preparations have been made

>Looking at yourself in the mirror, you search for anything “off” about your appearance

>No loose strings, nothing out of order, all insignia is correct

>In your uniform, you stand looking quite dapper

>Because you now remember who you really are, you know that you weren’t an officer when you arrived to Equestria

>You had requested that your rank be similarly diminished, but Celestia had argued that after all you’ve done, there’s no reason to

>You’re a hero, and you’ve more than earned your rank by her standards

>Without anything else to back you up, your uniform remained unchanged, with its captain bars remaining on your collar

>Though you’re still technically in the Royal Guard, you’ve found your place as an adviser to Shining Armor, molding him into a better leader, even better than you were

>You were right

>As you look at your watch, you see that it’s about time to get going

>Before you go, you grab a set of four dogtags, staring at them longingly

>Sentiment gets the better of you, and a bittersweet sadness stings itself in you

Lucky, Star Shine, Blazin’ Blue, Lightning Strike…This is a big day for me. I found the love of my lifetime, and I’m going to marry her. I wish you all could be here…

>You start to choke up, remembering their sacrifice

I wish…there was something…I could’ve done for you…

>Wiping a tear, you start smiling again

At least, I know you all aren’t suffering anymore. I’ll meet up with you guys sometime later.

>Putting down the dogtags, you turn, seeing Spike there

What’s up bud?

>He looks at you curiously

>“What are you so sad about? It’s supposed to be your and Twilight’s happiest day!”

>You give a half-smile

>After all, he’s a kid who doesn’t know any better

Just reminiscing a little about my comrades. A seasoned veteran like myself tends to do that as he gets older

>“Yeah, yeah, whatever, your ceremony is about to begin!”

>Heh…well, he’ll grow up not experiencing the true horror of war, or at least the hell you went through

You’re right. I’ll be on my way now

>Exiting your room, you make your way to the chapel

>The same one where Cadance and Shining Armor got married a while ago

>All your friends are here, as well as all of her friends

>Hell, even Doctor Whooves made it

>Plenty of Royal Guards are in attendance as well

>Shining Armor finds you, and sighs loudly

>“Finally you’re here. I thought you were about to leave my sister at the altar”

I would never dream of that

>“What kept you?”

>Now you sigh

Catching up with some old friends…

>He seems to understand what you meant

>“Anyways, you ready?”

As always, Shining Armor

>The two of you walk down the aisle

>Well, marching down the aisle, in perfect unison…if you only consider his front hooves with yours

>With him as your best man, you feel a little less anxious

>Approaching Celestia, she gives a smile, and you give her a nod

>You wait a couple minutes, before hearing the trumpets sounding, announcing Twilight Sparkle’s arrival

>Watching her walk down the aisle, she’s escorted by her father, who looks quite proud

>She gracefully wears a gorgeous white gown, and your heart skips a few beats

>This is to be your wife

>After living the scarring life you had on Earth, and all the shit you’ve seen, you had never hoped to find anyone who could hold your heart, nor could you feel worthy to hold anyone else’s

>But now, everything’s changed

>You’ve moved on, and no longer see yourself as a monster

>Because of that, you feel you can be happy again without guilt

>She walks right next to you, and you can tell she’s the happiest she’s ever been

>Princess Celestia’s voice almost startles you when she starts to speak

>“Mares and Gentlecolts, we are gathered here to celebrate the union of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Captain Anon. Their bond is unbreakable, their hearts beating as one. They have written their own vows, and will now speak them.”

>You’re up

Twilight Sparkle, you are the most amazing pony I’ve met. You are everything I could dream of, and more. I swear I will love you, I will cherish you, and I will care and protect you every day of my life.

>You never were good at expressing your feelings, and this is what you could come up with

>However, she seems so pleased to hear those words from your mouth

>Now, her vows

>“Anon, ever since I was a filly, I’ve concentrated on all my studies. Friendship was beyond books, and you, along with my friends, have all taught me what that really entails. You, however, have taught me so much more about love that I could ever read from a book. I cannot imagine a life where I hadn’t met you. I vow to love you more every day, to make you happier every day, and to devote myself to you.”

>Wow

>You’re pretty impressed about how serious she sounded

>“Now, for the rings”

>Spike held out both rings

>You grab yours, a tungsten ring, and wear it on your ring finger

>Twilight’s ring looks the same as when you bought it

>She puts it on her horn, trusting what the jeweler had said

>…nothing seems to be happening

>Regardless, Celestia continues

>“I now pronounce you husband and wife”

>You longingly look into her eyes, and kiss her

>The room is filled with a blinding light

>Opening your eyes, you see that the ring had transformed into another, with a diamond in the center, surrounded by rubies and emeralds in a floral pattern

>The crowd applauds, and everyone makes their way to the courtyard for the reception

>Time seems to speed up, as it’s now early evening

>Pinkie Pie puts on a song of your choice

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ETENrv8cnU

>You bring Twilight up to you, slowly dancing with her

>Her eyes are bright and teary

>Fireworks start going off, but you barely notice them

Twilight…

>“Anon…”

Today is the start of a wonderful life, and I have you to thank for it

>“I could say the same, dear”

I will always love you

>“I will love you now and forever after”

>Without warning, she kisses you now, and you can’t bring yourself to pull away

>As you two kiss, you imagine the kind of life you’re going to have now, and images flash inside your head

>Images of waking up next to her, reading in the library with her, cooking food with her, sleeping next to her, living with her

>You’re now ready to live the life you’ve earned

 

The End