This is where the goodbyes begin! It's a bit saddening, but it has been quite a ride!
After this comes the epilogues of the main OC's shown by my friends! I hope you enjoy!
Twilight gave a loud sigh as she trotted into the Castle of Friendship and up into her bedroom, flopping upon her bed as soon as she entered. It was finally over. The war was won. But there was still much to do, and TD's ban would undoubtedly cause more problems to arise, even if unintentional. Yet another task would be given to the Princess of Friendship now; to guide her husband through this crisis and if possible help in lessening or even destroying the ban's influence over time. She wasn't sure how long that would take, but Twilight was not one to give up too easily, at least not since meeting TD. Besides, she was an alicorn. She had all of eternity to work.
A new and saddening thought came to her because of that. She may have had all of eternity, but her friends didn't. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Starlight Glimmer... even Pinkie Pie, despite her Royal Changeling status, eventually would pass away. Only Fluttershy, because of her choice to stay with Discord, would remain. And Twilight herself had to stay with TD, for while her husband was technically not immortal himself, he would still live long enough to perhaps outlive even Twilight herself when Equus eventually ended. He would never leave her. But her friends...
The scope of this realization caused her to shed a few silent tears. She would miss them all very much when that time came, and she would make sure that their memories would live on forever.
There was a sudden knock on the door, and a voice that Twilight recognized as Starlight's asked, "Twilight, can I come in?"
Twilight wiped her tears and sat up. "Starlight? Which one am I talking to?"
"Tempus's. I... I have something I need to talk to you about," Starlight answered. Twilight's horn glowed and the doors soon opened for the alicorn version of her former pupil, allowing her to enter. Starlight walked inside, using her own magic to close the doors before she turned and smiled at Twilight, although the Alicorn seemed slightly preoccupied about something.
"What do you need help with?" Twilight asked her.
"Well, you see..." Starlight said, rubbing her forelegs together nervously. "I'm, uhh.. I'm... I'm pregnant," she said, ducking her head slightly.
"What?" Twilight looked surprised, then joyful. "Starlight, that's wonderful!"
Starlight blushed, smiling and nodding in agreement.
"I know," she said.
"So then... why is this such a problem?" Twilight asked her, now confused.
"I, uh... I don't know how to tell Tempus..." Starlight admitted. "Because... I've been pregnant for the war, and I'm afraid of what he'll do when I tell him."
Twilight gave her a look of surprise, then chuckled.
"Well, you're not the only pony who's got to say that to your husband," she replied. Starlight stared at her in shock, her mouth opening and closing, yet nothing coming out due to how stunned she was.
"Yeah, not the smartest idea," Twilight admitted. "But... I've been told by William that I'm often too stubborn for my own good."
"Tempus has said the same thing about me a few times before," Starlight finally managed to get out, shaking her head. "So... you're also pregnant?"
Twilight nodded. "I figured out... during the days we were preparing for the attacks. Unlike Applejack, I knew for a fact that William wouldn't let me fight if he knew. So... I kept it a secret from him for the time being." She gave a small sigh. "Ironic, because I wanted to tell him. I almost did several times too. When we all thought he was dead... well, you probably understand how I felt about that."
"Yeah... I do..." Starlight said, sniffing as she remembered. "When we all though Tempus was dead, I nearly lost it because I hadn't told him... but I tried to keep myself composed for the sake of everypony else."
Twilight smiled a little. "I know it's not exactly accurate to say this in the way I am saying it... but I'm proud of you, Starlight. Managing to stay strong for everypony else... I can understand that it wasn't easy."
"Well... the only time I lost it was when you and I cried together," Starlight admitted, giggling. "Although I did cry myself to sleep when nopony was watching."
"We're not perfect," Twilight remarked, remembering something TD had once told her. "Emotions are what makes us... sapient. It proves that we do have a heart, and that we can hope for better tomorrows."
"That's true..." Starlight said, before smiling at Twilight. "So... can we tell them together? I would feel a lot better with somepony who can relate with me currently by my side."
Twilight gave this some thought, then nodded. "It would make things easier. I think it's a great idea."
Starlight gave her a grateful smile, before saying, "So... should we get it over with now, or later?"
"Whenever you feel ready," Twilight told her. "I'm fine either way. Although, before you came along, I planned to tell William when we were alone."
Starlight gave her a small, apologetic smile.
"Sorry... but I don't think I would have had the courage on my own to tell Tempus until it was to late," she admitted.
"You're fine," Twilight reassured. "I'd be happy to help out a friend."
Starlight smiled again.
"I'd kind of like to get it over with now," she said. "I've been keeping it a secret for so long... that I'd like to tell him as soon as I can."
Twilight nodded. "Let's do it then. I think they said they'd be returning soon..."
***CRASH!***
"...speak of the devil."
"Let's go see what they broke, shall we?" She asked, before breaking into a fit of giggles. Twilight giggled as well, then she opened the door and started to get down from the bed, before TD called up.
"Twi, you here?" he called. Twilight rolled her eyes in amusement, then replied.
"Yes William, I'm up here," she said, then quickly added, "And before you get any ideas, Princess Starlight's here too."
"For some reason, I feel it's either a really bad thing, or a really good thing that our wives are together right now," they both heard Tempus say.
"Take it how you will, but we have something to tell you," Twilight remarked.
"Yep. It's a bad thing," TD joked, then in a flash he and Tempus appeared in the room, the former accidentally tripping over himself when he did and barely being caught by Twilight.
"So apparently, I have shoelaces tied together in the teleporting realm," TD grumbled.
"I could've done it without tripping," Tempus muttered, causing Starlight to giggle.
"So, what have we done to be graced by your presence?" TD teased as he righted himself.
"Well... we have something we've been meaning to tell you for a while," Twilight replied.
"And we both probably have done it sooner," Starlight added. "But we both had our reasons not to."
"Okay, I am really refraining from looking into the future right now," Tempus said, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"We're all ears," TD stated.
"Okay... well, you see..." Twilight started. "We're both..."
"Pregnant," Starlight finished. "We're both pregnant."
Tempus stared at Starlight, too shocked to say anything except make a squeak of surprise. TD's eyes went wide, then he said in a weak voice, "Brain resetting. One moment..."
He then fell to the ground while Twilight gave a slight glare and made water appear out of nowhere and splash on his head.
"Hey! That's cold!" TD yelped as he shot right back up, then looked to Twilight with his full attention. "You're... serious... How long?"
"That's... the complicated part," Twilight said sheepishly. "For me... the earliest I could pin it to was on our date... the day before preparations for the attack."
"And for me..." Starlight said, glancing at Tempus. "I found out a few months before we arrived here. I was just too nervous to say anything."
Tempus just opened and closed his mouth several times, before glancing at TD and saying quietly, "Please slap me to make sure I'm not hallucinating."
"You probably shouldn't ask that ever again," TD replied, managing a small smirk as he smacked Tempus across the cheek with the back of his hand. Tempus grunted as TD slapped him, before shaking his head several times.
"Yep, not hallucinating," he muttered, before looking straight at Starlight. "You mean to say you were pregnant all while we were fighting and yet you still fought!?"
Starlight let out a squeak and took a few steps backwards.
"And you too?" TD asked Twilight.
"Eh..." Twilight chuckled nervously. For a moment, they were all silent, then TD unexpectedly started laughing. Tempus stared at TD as if he had lost his mind (Which given TD's record wasn't too improbable; sorry readers and TD). After a good moment or two, TD ceased laughing and looked to Twilight with a smile.
"You crazy mare," he chuckled. "After what happened with me being 'dead' and all, I don't have the heart to be mad at you for that. I probably should be, but I'm not." He then gave her a slight glare. "But... don't EVER do that again."
Twilight smiled back. "No promises, big guy."
To which they both shared a small giggle before TD pulled her into a short hug. After a few seconds, Tempus chuckled.
"To be honest, I was just startled at first," He said. "Now though, I can just see that this makes you even tougher then I thought you were. And that's why I love you Starlight Glimmer."
Starlight blushed, before the two Alicorns hugged each other as well. After a moment, TD remarked, "Well, this is probably one of the happiest moments of my life..."
"You say that a lot," Twilight noted with a teasing giggle.
"I speak only the truth, Mrs. Sparkle," TD teased back, giving her a little boop on the nose. Starlight just sighed as she rested her head on Tempus's shoulder, and the Guardian of Time smiled.
"I can say for certain this is one of the happiest moments of my life," he said.
"I'm just gonna say something before this goes where I know it always goes- at least for me and Twi," TD suddenly spoke up. "Does anyone have any idea what's for dinner? Because I forgot to plan that since we had... well, everything else to take care of today."
"We're doomed," Twilight said sarcastically.
"Well," Tempus began. "We can always have Michael pop over to Earth and get some pizza."
"Isn't that cheating?" Starlight asked.
"Not if it's a Pyrunian," Tempus answered.
"Not to mention, I have contacts that can get us some as well," TD added.
"This time, don't order only the all-meat ones," Twilight scolded him gently.
"It was one time, Twilight. Hardly a problem," TD replied. "And you were on a diet then, so it didn't matter anyways."
"So... pizza for dinner?" Starlight said.
"Looks like it," Tempus chuckled.
"Lemme get the phone," TD said, and a phone appeared in his hands as he made a call. "Hello? Is this Cipher's Pizza Delivery?"
"No, this is the circus," a familiar, yet oddly cheery voice answered with a laugh. "But in all seriousness, what can I get ya buddy?"
"One sec," TD said, and then looked to Tempus and Starlight. "Bill Cipher from one of those parallel universes. Now reformed and opening his own pizza shop, which he runs all by himself. Surprisingly very good at it."
Tempus raised an eyebrow.
"As long as it isn't the one who helped us during the war against Herobrine, I'm fine," he said. "Knowing him, we'd have to pay with Pyrunian diamonds."
"Okay then, what kind of pizza do you guys want?" TD asked them. "Twi and I already know what we want."
Tempus and Starlight looked at each other, and in unison they said, "Cheese."
TD chuckled, then said over the phone, "The usual two, and a cheese pizza Bill."
"Be there in ten seconds!" Bill Cipher's voice said over the telephone. "And don't worry; this time, it won't be a Time Vortex."
"Better not," Twilight threatened playfully as the phone hung up.
Tempus raised an eyebrow. "Do I even want to know?"
"April Fool's joke he played on us once," TD explained. "He got us the real pizzas afterwards of course, because he's a nice guy."
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"That's probably him," Twilight remarked, then opened it. In the doorway was what appeared to be Bill Cipher, but with a different makeover. Now, instead of the top hat and cane he usually wore, he had a cap that said "Bill-ivery" on it and a stack of three pizzas in his hands.
"Hey Cipher! It's been awhile," TD greeted warmly.
"Too true, TD," Bill Cipher agreed. "Here's the pizzas you ordered."
Tempus licked his lips as he stared at the pizza.
"He has an obsession with pizza," Starlight said, giggling.
"I figured that's why he didn't react to Cipher at the door," Twilight replied with a giggle of her own, as TD levitated the pizzas over to them.
"And here's the money," he said, throwing some Equestrian bits at him.
"Pleasure doing business with you!" Bill Cipher answered with a tip of his cap, then disappeared in a flash while TD divided the pizzas among them.
"We've got all-veggie for Twi, all-meat for me, and the cheese for you two," he said to Tempus and Starlight. "And no, Twi and I are most likely not gonna eat a full pizza by ourselves. We tend to save the leftovers for a few Diamond Dogs we know about. Nice guys."
Starlight smiled, before giggling as Tempus took a slice of pizza and began eating it.
"He's going to be busy with this pizza for a while," Starlight said as she took a slice for herself, eating it much slower then Tempus, who was almost finished with his first slice. Twilight shook her head in amusement as she took a slice of her own pizza and started to eat it too. TD was also eating a slice, but much like Tempus he seemed to be eating his faster than Twilight, though not with the same speed as the male alicorn. Tempus finished his first slice, and instead of getting a second one he glanced between Twilight and TD.
"I'd be willing when your next kid is born to give them my blessing just like I did with Evan's," The Guardian of Time said, smiling. "Only if you'd want me to do that of course."
"That'd be fine," Twilight replied.
"I'm guessing it's a girl this time," TD stated.
"How can you tell?" Twilight asked, then almost immediately added, "Oh, right. Don't answer that."
"I'd definitely be able to tell you, but I won't because I know what'll most probably happen if I do," Tempus said, smiling warily.
"Tempus, the only one Twilight would try to kill is sitting right next to her," TD giggled. Tempus just grunted.
"Translation: I'll believe it when I see it," Starlight said with a straight face.
"Aw, do I scare you?" Twilight joked.
"You scare me, that's for sure," TD remarked.
"The answer is, yes, you scare me," Tempus said flatly. "Almost as much as Starlight does."
"Enough of politics, ladies and gents," TD chuckled. "Time to sit back, relax, and enjoy ourselves."
"I can't really remember the last time I just relaxed," Tempus said as he picked up another slice of pizza.
"How about Nightmare's wedding?" Starlight remined flatly, and Tempus blinked.
"Oh, yeah. That," he said, before yelping and barely ducking a blast of energy that Starlight fired at him.
"Ladies and gents, we've struck a nerve," TD giggled. Twilight gave him a quizzical look, then smirked and looked to Starlight.
"Feel free to blast him too, as long as I can repay the favor when necessary," she offered. TD looked to her in surprise.
"Twi, don't! She's gonna abuse that power!" he pleaded.
"And for once, I'm okay with that," Twilight replied.
"Bit preoccupied right now," Starlight replied as she continued firing blasts of magic at Tempus, who either dodged them or negated them with some defensive spell. "Although a little help right now would be appreciated."
"With pleasure," Twilight answered, then started firing her own spells at Tempus, some of which were unique only for her, having learned them from TD, who was laughing at Tempus's plight.
"TD! Help please!" Tempus yelled, now having to defend himself on two fronts as his green eyes betrayed a flicker of fear.
"I would help you, but I enjoy watching you struggle too much," TD giggled.
"Thanks a lot TD," Tempus said flatly, before he narrowed his eyes and with a yell froze time in the room except for himself and TD. The Alicorn smirked. "And I'll never get tired of using my time magic before Starlight can use hers," he said, as he chuckled at the look of surprise on Starlight's face from when she had realized what Tempus was about to do.
"Just between you and me, the real reason I wouldn't help is because Twilight has become a master of what I call... multi beam spells," TD explained. "Meaning, think one beam suddenly branching off into ten more and each hitting an individual target, all without losing the amount of power put into the original. Seriously, it's like Darkseid in a pony's body sometimes."
"Well, I'm just glad I can relax now," Tempus said, taking deep breaths to catch his breath. "Seriously, even I have limits."
"Yeah, they are amazing that way," TD sighed. "Somehow pushing us to our limits." He smiled and spoke to himself. "Twi, you are the best."
"So... should I unfreeze time yet?" Tempus asked, glancing warily at the two mares.
"Um..." TD pondered. "If ya don't, they'll be even more mad. Plus... for Twi at least, I know a way to calm her down... It's risky though."
"Fine," Tempus sighed, before ending his time-freezing spell. As soon as the spell ended, Twilight took a second, then snarled.
"You did a time spell, didn't you?" she growled.
"Uh... Twi..." TD said gently.
"What?" she asked, turning around... and finding her lips connecting with his own for a few seconds before TD pulled away with a smirk. For a few seconds, Twilight simply stood there with an unreadable face, then finally she gave a smile.
"Darn you, William!" she said, and then suddenly tackled him with a longer, more passionate kiss.
"Worth it!" TD cheered telepathically. Tempus just let out a faint squeak of terror as Starlight advanced on him, her horn glowing with magic as she glared at him.
"Bye," Tempus said in a high-pitched voice, before with a crack he vanished. After a moment, Twilight pulled out of the kiss she had forced TD into and smirked, now finding herself lying on his stomach.
"You did that on purpose so only Starlight would be after him, didn't you?" she asked.
"Eh, that and I like kissing you," TD replied with a shrug.
There was a sudden flicker of black lightning that shot through the room as Tempus was tossed in front of them, and Michael's voice said, "Here's a delivery. See ya!"
The lightning vanished from the room, and Tempus just dropped his head on the ground in defeat as Starlight smirked at him.
"Okay, question... how'd we get from eating pizza to fighting and... apparently now making out?" TD asked aloud to no one in particular, chuckling at the end. "We are such weird couples..."
"I think we should just stop questioning our lives TD," Tempus said flatly. "Whenever we think we've reached the top level of craziness, we always find another level."
Starlight just rolled her eyes as she used her magic to pull Tempus over to her. Tempus braced himself, before letting out a squeak of surprise as his wife kissed him. TD and Twilight chuckled.
"That's you on Saturdays," Twilight teased.
"Mmm... no comment," TD replied. Eventually, Starlight ended the kiss, and Tempus let out a sigh.
"And that's another reason why I love you," he said to her, smiling.
"Alright, before we start to get too comfortable," TD interrupted. "One, author end scene for decency when we get there. Two, we have guest rooms if this gets... heated."
"Good word choice," Twilight said sarcastically, but she wasn't mad at him.
I actually think this would be a pretty good place to end the scene.
"For once, I agree with my author," Tempus said, smiling wider as he pulled Starlight into a hug.
"Starting..." TD started leaning towards Twilight for another kiss.
Now. Th-th-that's all folks! (Okay, not literally. I meant for this scene.)
Goodbyes were, understandably, very emotional for the group of friends the next day, since they all knew that for some of them, it could be the last time they'd see each other alive again. Friends from all over TD's Equestria had come to see those from other worlds off, and for some of them it was more tearful than others.
That was especially true for Flurry Heart, as she tried to hold back her sniffling as she stood in front of the Mobian fox she called her friend.
"Bill... won't you ever return to Equus again?" She asked, knowing that this might be the last time they'd see each other. "I... I will miss you."
"I will miss you too Flurry," Bill told her, not yet shedding any tears as he tried to keep himself composed in front of her. "And... for now, things can't be that way. My duty is to protect my world, and until TD's ban ends, I am bound by that duty to remain at my post."
"What if- What if I never see you again?" she asked with some fear in her voice. "What if the ban never ends... what then?" She stomped a hoof on the ground. "I hate this ban!"
"Hey..." Bill spoke in a low tone, almost a whisper. It was a trick he had tried with his friends before that made them pay close attention to him, as they wished to know what he had been saying. It worked this time with Flurry too, and she went silent as he looked the alicorn in the eyes. The tears were falling from his eyes now, but the expression he wore was both gentle and determined.
"Hear me now," he said to her. "As surely as I stand before you today, I promise you... we WILL see each other again. And when that day comes, I will never leave you again." To seal the deal, he performed her Aunt Pinkie's age-old promise afterwards. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
Flurry's face beamed with joy. "Really?" she asked, grabbing him in a hug, and ceasing to sniffle. "I'm so glad to hear that..."
The fox smiled as he hugged her back, then he said jokingly, "Let's hope I don't get too old before then, so that I forget who you are when I get back."
Flurry just giggled and hugged him tighter, holding onto him for as long as she could before the inevitable occurred.
"So... do you think this is goodbye forever?" Ruby asked Pinkie Pie sadly.
"Not forever, but it will be a long time. Especially for me," the Changeling explained, keeping herself composed for the moment. She wasn't anymore prepared for the goodbyes than Ruby was, but she still managed to keep from bursting into tears; maybe being the mother to an entire hive helped in that regard.
"Well... if we ever come back, make sure to give us a big 'Welcome Back' party," Ruby said as tears started to form in her eyes.
"The biggest 'Welcome Back' party Equus has seen, and ever will see," Pinkie agreed, then they hugged each other tightly and let their tears fall.
Joy was still silent, and hadn't spoke a word since they had gotten Bubble's form out of the burial chambers of Pinkie's hive and placed her in a coffin prepared for her to be delivered back to his home. It was hard to read the expression on his face, for he was just staring at the coffin, where the transparent glass at the head side made it so he could still see her face and the peaceful smile she wore in death. The children were standing beside him, and they were also silent. Even though all three of them were saddened, only Sunny and Aqua were showing this clearly. Bold, much like his father, was silent, but still tears were flowing down his cheeks. As they stood there in silence, a soft trotting of hooves appeared and they saw Princess Luna approach them, with Sunshine on her back. The rainbow-colored Changeling was now wearing an extra accessory that she had not been wearing before; the crown of Princess Celestia. It served as a silent reminder to them that it was not just their own Equestria that had lost a beloved figure, let alone family member. Luna looked at the face of Bubble for a moment, and in her eyes sparked some admiration.
"Never before have I seen somepony so peaceful like that before," she remarked quietly. "As fearless in death as she was in life."
"I know," Joy nodded, looking at her and the little Changeling on her back, and then back to his son, Aqua, who was still feeling sad for more than one reason. "She was a great pony, a great companion, a great parent, and a great friend," he said, caressing the glass. "I couldn't be any of them... Maybe I deserve to be alone and to suffer..."
"Do not speak of such things, Joy Star," Luna scolded gently. "You still have others who love and care for you, just as much as she did. What do you think would happen to them if you were to go too? What would happen to your mother if you died as well? She'd be devastated." She placed a hoof gently on his shoulder while Sunshine jumped down from her back. "Your mother has already lost her daughter-in-law, Zane; don't make her lose her son as well."
Joy looked at her hoof, and right then if it was his Aunt Luna, he would have gently removed the hoof from his shoulder. Only standing in front of him wasn't the figure he called his aunt and the most beloved person in his life after his mother, so he couldn't bring himself to do so. But he still softly said, "No one could love me as she did... She was the only one who cared for me the way she did... and no one can replace her... No one... okay?"
"Nopony is asking you to replace her, and nopony ever can," Luna assured him.
"Everypony holds a special place in our hearts that can never be replaced," Sunshine suddenly spoke up. "Even if we learn to love again or to move on... they cannot replace those we've lost. They simply hold a different place in our heart."
Joy looked at the filly and felt a little guilty towards her. It was his mistake that the colt she loved was going away from her, and if he had not given his opinion on the matter without considering this fact, he wouldn't have felt so bad about his decision.
"Aqua... would you like to say something...?" Joy asked his son, in regards to the Changeling filly. Aqua, didn't waste a moment and pulled Sunshine into a hug, sobbing heavily. She was the only true friend he ever had and she was the one who understood what he was going through at the moment, so he wanted nothing more than to cry in her embrace. The Changeling silently hugged him back, her tears falling from her eyes even as she gently cooed the unicorn in her arms. It was still unclear how Sunshine truly felt towards Joy, knowing that he had voted for the very thing that was now keeping her and her coltfriend apart. However, in this moment currently as she whispered her final goodbyes to the pony she loved, no hatred or betrayal could be seen in her eyes as two of them turned to look at the human, the rest focused entirely on Aqua.
"I'm sorry... I have no right to separate you two, and you have every possible reason to dislike me..." Joy told her, as tears left his eyes and he used his arm to wipe them. "...But know I never intended that... I always felt like you two were just like me and my sweetheart... ones who are destined to be together, always..."
Sunshine managed a small smile. "We still are, Uncle Joy. And we will see each other again. Mom told me that if you truly love somepony, then not even death can keep you apart for long. So I will hold onto those words until the day I die."
"Sunshine... don't say that," Aqua scolded her lightly between sobs. "I don't want you to go as well... just let me hold you a little more... Let me do this for the little time we have..."
Sunshine smiled a little wider at this, and whispered, "Alright, Aqua. Hold me for as long as you'd like."
Aqua hummed a little in comfort at this, nuzzling his muzzle in her mane. Meanwhile, a short distance away, TD, Nightblade, and Onyx were having a small discussion with each other, mostly in regards to how the ban was going.
"TD... since this is my first and probably my last visit to this world, I would like to say goodbye," Onyx said to the entity, who nodded and shook his hand.
"William..." Nightblade looked to TD with a saddened expression. "The whole Dimensional Blockade... I don't think that the Dimension Guardians will like that idea. Half of them have approved while the others are furious."
"They are free to apply it or not, but my dimension WILL have the blockade up," TD remarked to Nightblade. "Besides, I'm a Guardian of Existence. I outrank them in both position and power, so if they have a complaint they can take it up with me personally."
Nightblade gave a sigh. "I guess you're right," he said, though he still didn't seem to like the idea.
"TD..." Onyx spoke up. "I should warn you, my Grimm are still scattered all over Equestria. I know that the Grimm are monsters, but mine are harmless and have evolved from their hostile ways."
"Thanks for the warning, Onyx," TD nodded in acknowledgement. "If possible, I will have them returned to you. Otherwise, I shall inform the Equestrians that they are not a threat to them as they show up."
"But that's not all..." Onyx ordered the Alpha to come over to him, and it dropped something really shocking, yet of plain interest. "Once my Grimm die, they never turn into dust like the other Grimm back at Remnant," he said.
"Must be that the magic of Equestria is affecting your Grimm, Onyx, and even you," Blade answered.
"Hmm... Well, as long as they do not harm my people, I have no real concerns about their presence," TD stated. "Though for future reference, please make sure that the Salem of your Remnant does not figure out about this world or how to get here. The last thing we need is for her to attempt to gain a foothold in a place she doesn't belong in."
Onyx nodded. "Alright, I'll make sure that she will never figure out about this world or even so much as take a step here."
Onyx then gave a signal to the Alpha Grimm and they walked away for a moment. Blade looked at TD for a moment, and then shrugged. "I've got no line... or script for this part," he muttered, and then he too trotted off, TD chuckling a little at his sentence. He then strolled over to where he found the Guardian of Time waiting for his own goodbyes.
"So, Tempus..." TD said to the male alicorn while giving a somewhat saddened expression. "See you in 100 years, my time?"
"I guess so," Tempus said with a sad smile, before stating, "However, there are some duties I cannot afford to shirk, and one of those is the monitoring of the Shards of Sundav. In any circumstance should action need to be taken regarding one, I will not hesitate to break the ban, William. I hope you understand."
"I do. They technically are your jurisdiction," TD nodded, and then any traces of smiles in his eyes vanished. "Tempus..." he asked, "...do you think this is the right choice? Or is this too far in our duties?"
"We bear a heavy burden William," Tempus said, his voice turning serious. "We are to protect those we love and those we care for, and if this is the best way we can, so be it. People may hate us because of it, but we have to put the collective safety of our worlds above all else."
"I guess you're right... but is it too extreme? Chuck may be right, and Red too..." TD said, but then his expression soon turned to a frown. "Speak of the devil..."
He gestured subtly to where they could see Red himself approaching along with his family. Now TD and those who didn't support Red's ideal had no quarrels with Sonata or Serena, but the hedgehog had definitely made some enemies (figuratively) by making his statement the other day. Currently, the two females in his family were gathered together over something while Red himself was walking over to the two Guardians with a neutral expression.
"Red," Tempus said flatly, his face showing no emotion whatsoever at the second.
"Tempus," Red greeted just as flatly, but managing to smile. It's not surprise to me that you would accept the ban, as your world has suffered greatly and could use the break." His gaze turned to TD momentarily and hardened before returning his gaze to the alicorn. "However, I am surprised that you would support it for ALL worlds."
"We all need time to recover," Tempus said, his voice steely as his eyes narrowed. "If this is the best way, then it's the only way."
"It's not the only way, and you know it," Red growled. "I grew up in a place that was essentially a prison, and seeing you enclose us all in like this is only confirming my..."
The hedgehog stopped himself abruptly, even though he knew that the alicorn had already guessed what he could have said. Tempus frowned, before his face softened as he spoke softly.
"Sometimes, the curse of my power is knowing what must be done for a positive outcome in the long run, yet wanting to do something else." He looked towards the hedgehog, his green eyes no longer hard and emotionless, but warm. "Sometimes what we truly want has to come second to what our people need..."
Red seemed to get the message and a subtle gleam in his eyes told Tempus that he had gotten it, but TD looked between them with a raised eyebrow.
"Uh... care to tell me what you're thinking?" he asked.
"Oh... it's nothing," Red replied, then looked over at where the former CMC was saying their goodbyes to Virin.
"Red..." TD spoke up, making the hedgehog turn to him. "When that portal closes behind you, you will be deemed a criminal until the ban ends."
"Yessir," Red sarcastically saluted, then continued on. Over some ways away, Virin was having tears form in his eyes, feeling sad about one of the things that shouldn't have been part of his sadness.
"I...guess...this is my farewell, everyone," he told his newfound comrades sadly. "It was...fun while it lasted, right...?"
"Yeah... it was," Sweetie Belle agreed, a single tear forming in her eyes.
"Ah wish Scoots could've seen this," Applebloom sniffled. "She'd have wanted to be the first to send ya off."
"I know," Virin nodded in a sad agreement. "Still, I wished I could've saved her life when it really counted. I guess I am still too weak to be ready for that sort of thing."
"Failure to save a life is not weakness," a voice spoke up, and then Red the Hedgehog appeared beside them. "It's not your fault that Scootaloo is gone. She decided to take a blow meant for you, and that was her decision to make. True heroes are not measured by their strength, but by their hearts."
"Hearts...?" Virin managed to mutter before looking down to the ground. Then, suddenly, he'd remembered what Whis had once told him.
"When a strong heart's soul is greater than your mind, you can be greeted by a wondrous sight until then."
"Ah don't know what you're talkin' about, Red, but Ah think he gets it," Applebloom noted, then she and Sweetie really started to shed tears.
"Take care of your Scoots for us," Sweetie told Virin as the two mares hugged him tightly. Virin hugged the two mares back, as he cried silently along with them.
"I promise I'll protect her, with my whole life," he said.
"Ah, now you're making me cry too," Red sniffled.
"Last call on portals!" TD's voice suddenly shouted, making the three of Virin's friends give a small huff.
"Ah know they're on a timer, but can't he just wait a moment?" Applebloom asked.
"I guess not..." Virin sweat-dropped at the Chaotic human's voice. Sighing, he nodded to Applebloom and Sweeite Belle. "I'll do my best to take care of my Scootaloo. That, I promise you all. Take care of yourselves for me, in return, okay? Don't go on crazy ventures without your sisters looking after you, alright?"
The two of them gave a giggle.
"We're practically grown up," Sweetie giggled, then added, "But... for your sake, we promise."
"Okay, then..." Virin then made his way towards TD's place as he nodded to the Chaotic human. "I'm ready to go home."
"Then step right on through," TD said, gesturing to the large round portal. It was just big enough for him to walk though, and on the other side Virin could see the world he called home. Virin sighed again, looking at his other-worldly friends as he called out, "Goodbye, my dear friends!" Then, he jumped into the portal.
Joy, as well as his children, looked towards TD's direction and the human Prince suppressed his cries of sorrow as he looked towards the coffin of his beloved once again, levitating it with his magic on a level equal to his shoulder. Then he along with his children started to head towards the Portal, Aqua reluctantly turning from the one he loved the most and beginning to trot away.
"Wait..." Sunshine called to him softly, making him stop and turn her way for a moment. As soon as he did, she hugged him tightly once more and kissed him as deeply and passionately as she could possibly kiss him, ignoring what looks (positive or negative) were given in their direction. She did this for so long, that when she broke the kiss, both Changeling and pony were practically gasping for breath like fish, a tiny strand of saliva still connected to their lips for a moment before also being broken as she pulled away and also turned away reluctantly. Aqua kept looking in her direction almost stunned, his breaths heavy and his cheeks flushing from the intense bliss, but at the same time he felt his heart filled with a sharp pain and he went towards her once again.
"Sunshine," he called her softly, and when she turned towards him, he returned the favor with equal eagerness and passion as tears left his eyes rapidly, and his heart pounded in his chest, Sadly, that didn't last for very long as he broke the kiss, and afterwards broke into sobs himself. "I'll... return for you, Sunshine," he told her, as he began to turn away, but not before sobbing rather loudly. "...I am and always will... be yours."
He trotted towards the Portal as fast as he could, trying to suppress his sobs in the process as best he could. All around, the others were leaving through the portals as well, with Red and his family leaving last. As they started through, TD couldn't help but notice the small Kirin that Sonata had in her hooves.
"What are you doing?" he asked her, trying to not sound mad.
"Adopting her," the Siren answered him. "Her parents are either dead or beyond our reach now."
TD wanted to object, but if he did even he would think himself to be a jerk for refusing it. Besides, he knew that Sonata wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Alright... but only her," TD stated. "I don't need others to be getting any ideas..." His gaze turned towards Sunshine, who had just watched as Joy and his family had disappeared into their portal. "...or more hearts broken."
Sonata nodded, then she passed through the portal as the Kirin foal looked back at TD with a curious look. Serena was next, and she hugged TD before he could even react.
"Goodbye uncle," she said tearfully, then released him and entered the portal, followed shortly by the Windago Cold Winter. Red came up next, and TD's expression towards him was cold.
"Don't say anything, because all I hear is BS," the hedgehog remarked, then hopped through the portal as well. TD rolled his eyes as he waited on the other portals.
When Bill knew the time had come to leave, he hugged Flurry tightly once again, then released her enough to kiss her forehead.
"Wait for me. I will come back," he said to her, then left through the same portal as Red had. The others soon followed in their own manners, until eventually only TD and those of his Equestria remained. It was bittersweet to say the least, but none more so than for the human who had sent them away. In all honesty, he had never wanted to do this at all, but if it would keep their worlds safe for a while, then to hell with the criticizing.
He just wanted them all to be safe, while he searched for his long-lost friend...
Next up the epilogues, which may take a while since the internet is gone in my household... AGAIN! Life certainly isn't being easy on us. XD