Then and Now: Epilogue

>You pull up into your driveway from the game
>Man, what a win!
>You were so proud of your boys
>They really pulled out all the stops
>An intense game against your rivals, and you managed to pull out the W
>They remind you of you when you were younger
>You park the car, and head towards your house
>Of course, they do have Coach Anonymous to thank
>The legendary player who led his team to win the series his sophomore year
>And, of course, who performed the legendary Houdini Dunk in the third quarter of the game against their rivals
>Reporters still ask how you managed to pull that off, a full 15 years after it happened
>But your lips are sealed
>You enter your home, dropping your things by the door
Honey, I’m home!
>You call out
>Your beautiful wife rounds the corner from the living room
>The stunning Tiffany, Mrs. Anonymous
Hi sweetie! How was your game?
>You open your arms, giving her an embrace
We won! The boys gave it their all, and the results show for themselves!
>She smiles
>”That’s great! I expected nothing less from the team under the great Coach Anonymous,” she teases
>You scrunch your face at her and kiss her
>”Oh, Suzie’s just about to go to sleep, will you go and say goodnight to her?”
>Suzie, your beautiful little eight year old girl
Of course, dear.
>You climb the stairs, reaching the upper hallway of your house
>Suzie charges out of her room toward you
>”Daddy! Daddy! Daddy Daddy Daddy!” she calls, so full of energy
>You pick her up in a swift motion
WHOA, darling! What’s got you all worked up?
>You say with playfulness in your voice
>”I did it! I did it! I went to Equestria! Just like you, Daddy!”
>You put on an excited face
You DID!?
>She’s so cute
>Of course, you told her about your adventures in Equestria as bedtime stories more than once
>She loved hearing about it
>Of course she’d imagine going there herself
>Constructed of little girls’ fantasies and all that
>”Yeah! I ate apples with Applejack! Made dresses with Rarity! Read ALL kinds of books with Twilight Sparkle!
>You carry her into her room
Uh huh! Uh huh!
>”Had parties with Pinkie Pie! Had a tea party with Fluttershy and her animals! And played all kinds of sports and flew around with Rainbow Dash!”
>You place her in her bed
That’s INCREDIBLE!
>You begin to tuck her in
You’ll have to tell me ALL about it tomorrow!
>”Okay Daddy!” she says with a smile
>You return it
>”OH!” she says, “I almost forgot!”
>She digs around in her back pocket
>”Rainbow Dash told me to give you this!”
>She pulls out a sealed envelope
>It has the royal Equestrian insignia on it
>Your breath stops
WHAT!?
>You say, snagging it out of her hands
>Could she really have…?
>You tear the envelope open and unfold a letter
>You begin reading

Dear Anon,
How have you been, squirt? I gotta say, we were all pretty surprised with what happened here. Three years after you leave, we see another human; we all always figured that if we ever saw another one again, it’d be you for sure. Three for three. But I guess not this time, huh? Although the first moment I saw the little thing wandering the square, I had a hunch who it was…
You’ve got a cute kid, Anon.
Don’t worry, we took great care of her. We made sure her stay was a comfortable one. She loved it here. Far more than you ever did, I think! We told her all about you when you were here, both as a kid and as a grown-up. She loved hearing about you.
As for us, we’re all doing well. Fluttershy is back to her old self. Although, you know, I still don’t completely believe what you said in her cottage the night of the party. But I’ll let it slide. I’ve started up a basketball league, too. Other p0nies love the sport. Of course, we all acknowledge you as the founder. You’re a bit of an athletic legend around here now.
I just thought I could use this as an opportunity to say hi again. We all miss you here, buddy. The girls miss you.
I miss you.
But I know life is good where you are now, especially with little Suzie here. I don’t want to hold up her return trip, so I’ll end it now.
Take care, Anon. Maybe we’ll see each other again someday.
Love,
Rainbow Dash

>You place your hand over your mouth
>Tears begin to stream down your face
>Your smile is so big it begins to hurt
>You sniffle loudly, folding the letter and holding it close to you
>”Are you okay, Daddy?” Suzie asks
>You wipe your eyes
Yeah, Daddy’s good. More than good, Daddy’s great.
>You smile at her
>”OH! I forgot! I need to give you this too! It’s from Fluttershy!”
>She pulls out another envelope
>From Fluttershy?
>You open it up
>It’s a photo, of Fluttershy
>Or a part of her
>It’s her rear end, with her tail parted, giving a perfect view of her glistening—
>You tear up the photo, laughing heartily as you do
>Fucking Fluttershy…
>You look over to your smiley daughter
…tell ya what!
>You say, picking her up and placing her on your lap
Forget bedtime, you can tell me ALL about Equestria right now. I’d love to hear it.
>She beams so happily
>”Okay Daddy!”

End of Then and Now