Never alone Alternative Endings:
Alternative Epilogues for Never alone, created for the german audio book about this story. Both of them are non-canon. The viewers will be deciding, which one will become their official one. They happen right as Thunder makes his decision to come back to life or to truly die in the epilogue.
Alternative Epilogue 1: A new future
(very similar beginning to the canon epilogue)
Thunder's POV:
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Weird noises came to my ears. They were the first thing I recognized after gaining back consciousness. The pain had returned. But this time, it was rather physically than mentally. I heard Arceus voice one last time. "You have made your choice, young one. Only you can decide, if it was truly the right one. But know, that life holds a surprise for you. Farewell, my friend."
It took me quite the energy to open my eyes. I found myself lying on some kind of hospital bed. A weird machine was standing beside me, obviously being the noises source. There was nobody else here. I just laid down, not even being able to do anything else. Some time later, I heard a door open. I heard a voice talking. I had heard it once before, as Fate had to go to the hospital. It was Chansey, a nurse. The moment she came in, she saw the machines outputs and seemed very surprised. "What? There's no way it really…" She went to my bed and tried to talk to me. "Thunder, have you really woken up?" I tried to answer, but only a dry cough came out of my mouth. It was enough of an answer for her. "I can't believe it. I was sure that we'd have lost you. It has to be a miracle!" She seemed very happy about it. "You may have guessed it already, but you're in the Metro Hospital right now. You were here for the last three weeks or something like that. I don't really know what happened though… Well, for now you should just rest. In a few days you should be a little better."
The next days really were boring. I did nothing but lying down. I never saw anybody but Chansey every few hours. But I really got a little better. I was injured pretty badly, but I could collect enough energy to be able to talk again. I was completely back to life mentally, even if not physically. Around six or seven days later, Chansey asked me a question. "I see you've gotten a lot better in the past days. Do you think you'll be able to see some others? I know some people who would like to see you, especially the one who saved you." "I was saved?" "Yes, you were brought here. If this wouldn't have been the case, you would've been dead before anyone would've known where you are. And some of your other friends want to visit you too." Other friends… The thought of some Pokemon really caring was new to me. There were actually multiple ones who were worried about me? And more importantly… who saved my life? There was only one way to answer this question. "Yeah, I believe I can see them." Chansey smiled at me. "That's good news. I will tell him to come see you tomorrow."
The next day came quickly. I was really excited to see who saved me. I had no idea. If I had to guess, I would probably have guessed Günter. He'd probably found me on the beach or something like that. But I would NEVER have expected who it really was! And now I understood what Arceus meant by "surprise". Around eleven in the morning the door opened cautiously. "Thunder? May I come in?" The voice was deeper than I was knew it, but I still recognized it immediately! "Evan? Is that really you?" The magnificent Umbreon strode into the room. "Of course. Who else should I be? You really scared me! I thought you were dead!" "What should I tell you?! I thought the same about you. I saw your dead body! With my own eyes!" "No. You saw what Tyrunt should see. Thunder, I gave it my all, but I'm not done with my life just yet. I kept fighting after my evolution. Until suddenly the darkness in the sky disappeared. I knew I had bought you enough time. And so, I used a substitute, so that I could escape. Tyrunt had given me some bad injuries, so I collapsed relatively soon. A Pokemon from a nearby village found me and helped me. When I got better again, I went back to Metro Village. And as soon as I got to the beach, I saw you lying there." Evan ... had never been dead. My friend was alive! And so was I.
A long time later:
"And that's what happened back then... I could decide for myself whether I would come back to life or not." Evan and I sat together on the big hill in the village. Over the years we both moved to the small and idyllic village of Silver Town. For the first time, I told him how I had really survived then. "So Arceus himself gave you another chance ... do you think you made the right choice?" I looked up at the starlit sky. One star shone particularly brightly. I had always been sure that this star was Fate. I could never forget her. And memories plagued me often. I regularly had mental breakdowns. What happened to me then could not be healed. My psyche was forever damaged. But it was okay. I had Pokemon to be there for me. I could start a new life, turn around what had gone wrong back then. I heard little paws pounding up the hill behind us. A little Eevee that I knew all too well. "Can you tell me a story to help me fall asleep, Dad? The one from the demon?" You could probably imagine that Eevee was Evan's daughter. And you would be wrong. Evan had made a girlfriend but was not married and had no children. In Silver Town I had also managed to find love again. My wife had also followed our little daughter. "She wants to hear the story again. Will you do her the favor, honey?" Our little daughter looked at me with big puppy eyes. I had told her about my adventures more than 20 times now, but she never got enough of them. "Give me a few more minutes, will you? I'll be with you in a moment, Prim." Prim, short for Primrose, was my daughter's name. She happily hopped down the hill to our house. I came back to Evans' question. "I don't think it would have been the wrong decision to leave life behind. But not the right one either. I've chosen life and found happiness." I felt someone cuddle up to my side. Amy, my beloved. We met on my first trip to Silver Town. We got in touch. I moved here soon after. And at some point, we got married. "I'm definitely glad that you made that decision. We're all here for you, you know that." She never became jealous or angry when I talked about Fate. She really understood me. She was always by my side, with my mistakes and my good sides. I was happy to know her. My life had turned out well in the end. Since returning, I felt that my days of eternal grief were numbered. "And I'm glad I found you." I got up. "I should go. I don't want to keep Prim waiting. I'll see you tomorrow, Evan." I went down the hill to a small cabin. It wasn't big, but it was cozy. And it offered enough space for our small family. My daughter was waiting for me in her room. She was still young. She had hatched around two years ago. It was a wonderful day. And since then she has been a sunshine in my life every day. A life in which the sun was no longer unusual. I now knew what happiness really felt like. Fate had taught me a lot. She showed me what love is. She showed me what I could achieve. I would always keep her memories within my heart. "Well then let's get started, little one. So, it all started on a sunny day more than 10 years ago..."
The End
As you can see, this ending as well as the other one makes sure "Never alone 2" never happens, which makes them non-canon. I still think this ending has a nice tune, being very happy but with a hint of sadness. The name lives up to it. If ending two is worse… you will have to decide:
Alternative Epilogue 2: Together in the afterlife
Thunder's POV:
The light made up everything around me. I had made my decision. There was no point in living. Life had never brought me anything, but pain. In the eternity of the afterlife, I could be with my loved one forever. One last time, I heard Arceus' voice: "That's how it is. Only you will be able to answer for yourself whether this decision was the right one. You will never be forgotten, brave warrior. So part in peace and spend eternity with who means most to you. "
Stars slowly began to shine around me. The whole area seemed to be filled with them. In a room of a calming blue, they were everywhere. Structures made of this mass of eternity slowly began to form. And a world beyond all living was created before my eyes. As all the structures and objects slowly formed, I began to see other Pokemon as well. Unlike the world itself, they looked real. At first nobody seemed to really notice me. The place looked like a small town, where everyone did what they wanted to do. And slowly I felt myself materializing too. I was there. In the place, where you leave life behind. A voice like Arceus' could be heard. "Another star now illuminates the night sky. Another brave soul now dwells with us. May you never have to feel pain again." And finally, other Pokemon seemed to notice me too. Many of those in town greeted me. None of them looked familiar to me. But they all seemed to know something about me, I didn't know. When I asked, a Chikorita replied: "Xerneas has announced your arrival and a star is now shining in memory of you in the starry sky of the world of the living. So, we all know that you have achieved something special. Not many are given such an honor. Even if there have been a lot lately. Has anything happened in the world?" "Yes... the shadow demon has returned and an organization that wanted to summon it has wreaked havoc. But the demon was banished again." I had already realized that many of the Pokemon here would know the term "shadow demon". Many of those who were here were believed to have died from the demon's first appearance. "The demon? And was he defeated? That's incredible! How come? Latias was gone! Nobody else could defeat the demon!" "She has returned ... at least somehow. She had given her power to another Pokemon throughout space and time. And then she could defeat the demon. I stood by her side in the fight… And I defeated Darkrai, the leader of the organization and the highest servant of the demon."
For a while I explained to the Pokémon what had happened. When I was at the end of my story, Chikorita gave me another tip. "A Pokemon recently appeared here in town. She just sits on the hill back there, day and night, staring at the stars. She seems very wise, even if she is rather young. Most of the people here have spoken to her before and she had something meaningful to share with everyone. Nobody knows why she is doing what she is doing. Maybe you should speak to her sometime." I immediately went to the hill. I couldn't imagine what someone was going to teach me, but instead I had another reason. And when I stepped on the hill of stars, my suspicions were confirmed. That young girl they were all talking about was Fate. "So, I was right. Thunder, you really came here?" She took her eyes off the starry sky. I heard the murmur of surprise from the bottom of the hill where some Pokémon were standing, wanting to hear what wisdom I was about to receive. Judging from her reaction, Chikorita hadn't lied when she said that the Pokemon never took her eyes off the stars. "Yes. I'm here. I promised you that we would stay together forever. And I will keep this promise." She looked very sad. "I… I was hoping that you might finally find happiness in your life. Even when I'm gone, you'd see a purpose in life. But... it had to happen that way, I guess. After everything you've been through... I didn't hope so, but I thought that this would be what would really make you end it." A faint smile mingled with her sadness when she looked into my eyes. "Don't worry anymore. Nobody here will harm you. Your pain is over. Here you will finally find peace. I promise."
A few hours passed. The Pokemon went back to their business. Me and Fate laid at the top of the hill together, looking up at the stars. I understood why she was doing this. The stars in this world beyond were something different than those in our world. They really radiated something special. We just laid quietly, snuggled together. I felt the conflict in Fate's heart. I knew she was happy that my suffering was over and that we could truly be united. But at the same time, I realized that she had truly hoped that I would live. That something would change. But nothing would have changed for me in my life. After a long time, I asked Fate a question. "Fate? What about Evan? Have you met him yet?" She looked at me with questioning eyes. "What? Why should I?" "He ... died fighting Tyrunt. As soon as you had left me... and I left the cave... I had to watch his dead body lying motionless on the ground." "But… he never got here. Evan never came into the world beyond. He can't be dead! We both know he couldn't have been punished by Arceus. He must be alive." "But ... that can't be! I have…" A voice interrupted me. A voice I'd heard before. Chikorita had spoken of Xerneas, so the source of that voice had to bear that name. "She's right, Thunder. Evan is alive. What you saw was an illusion he set up to escape Tyrunt. A substitute. Your friend is alive." Behind both of us stood a gorgeous, large Pokemon. Xerneas, guardian of the afterlife. "Xerneas. You're here again." "Of course. When Arceus announced that another hero was about to enter this world, I hurried over. So, you are Thunder, young friend? Fate told me a lot about you." I was a little intimidated by the Pokemon's presence. "Have no fear. I have been watching over this place for ages. I take care of the safety of the departed. You don't have to be afraid. I am your friend. Everyone in this place is your friend." Everyone in this place. A place of infinity. A place of eternity. A place without pain. I had left Evan behind without knowing it, but I was sure, he could go on without us. And I was truly in a better place now. A quick look to the side was enough. Did I make the right decision? Probably yes. I was free. And forever with my beloved. Together in eternity.
The End