//------------------------------//
// Epilogue 
// Story: A Deal With The Devil 
// by Legacy55 
//------------------------------//

A light rain fell on Twilight as she pushed open the old, rusty gate. Continuing down the small dirt path, she glanced around at the various withered tombstones. The majority of them were adorned with names and short phrases, but some had grown unreadable after years upon years of erosion. As she passed a smaller one on her left, she spotted a bouquet of brilliant red flowers, no doubt left by a loved one or family member.

After a minute of walking, Twilight arrived at the much newer section of the cemetery. The tombstones were much cleaner and readable now, some even being made of a beautiful marble that would have normally captured the sun’s rays to give it a brilliant shine. However she paid little attention to these expensive memorials, and finally came to stop in front of a small, simple tombstone. Engraved upon it were the words, Here lies Orion; he gave his life for not only Equestria, but his lover Twilight.

Looking at it she couldn’t help but shed a few tears, and as her lip quivered she placed down the bouquet of roses she had kept locked in her mouth. Taking a step back she admired the simple stone, knowing for certain that Orion would have been fine with it. 

It was a Sunday like every other, where Twilight would visit his grave to pay her respects. It had been a month since he had died, and Discord’s chaos had all but disappeared. It was now in most ponies’ minds just a bad memory, a nightmare that had passed with the night.

Twilight sniffed before raising her head. Though she still missed Orion just as much as she did that day, she knew now it was the only option. It was the only way Equestria and herself could have been saved. And deep down, she knew what the stallion had said was true. She would find love one day.

Maybe, maybe tomorrow’s the day where I should finally start looking for a stallion again… It’s what Orion would want, for me to move on…  Twilight thought to herself as she continued to stare at the grave. I have been getting a lot more attention now, what with me partially saving Equestria and all. 

She giggled to herself quietly as she was reminded of an event that had transpired just two days ago. She was in town and she was just heading to pick up lunch when a stallion had smirked at her. She had returned his smile, blushing a deep red the whole time. Of course there was still the lingering thought of Orion in her mind, and she felt some sort of obligation to keep faithful to him.

But know as she continued to stare at his simple headstone she began to think differently. It was about time to start looking for love, and with time she would get over Orion. This of course didn’t mean she would forget him, she was absolutely certain the dark blue stallion would stay in her memory forever. And she would still visit his grave every Sunday, no matter how bad the weather was.

Wiping away the tears that had ran down her face, she stared at the grave for a few more moments. Finally thinking she had stayed long enough, she turned away and paced out of the cemetery. As she went the image of the stallion still stayed in her mind. His jet black mane, his handsome chiseled face, and his intense blue eyes that still felt like they were staring at her. She was so lost in thought that she bumped into a stallion just outside of the cemetery.

“Oh, I’m so sorry miss!” He quickly apologized, scrambling to get up before hurrying over to her. He extended a hoof and helped her up, instantly becoming lost in her gorgeous face.

“N-no, it was my fault… Sorry…” Twilight quickly replied, once again blushing a dark red as she avoided his adorable brown eyes.

The two ponies stared at each other for some time, lost in thought and bliss as they were unable to speak. Finally after a few minutes Twilight was able to speak up. “M-my name’s Twilight. Twilight Sparkle.”

His eyes instantly sparkled as he recognized her. “Twilight Sparkle? You’re the mare who saved Equestria from Discord!” 

Twilight blushed again as she smiled at him. She was somewhat glad that she was once again recognized as a hero, even though Orion did far more than her. Most ponies had forgotten what she and the other Element bearers had done two years ago. “Yes, yes I did…”

“Wow, I can’t believe I’m actually meeting you!” He said with a great enthusiasm. “Listen uh…” He stated awkwardly as he placed a hoof behind his head. “Would you, I don’t know… Want to have lunch with me?”

Twilight once again gave him a warm hearted smile. “I’d love too.”

So as the rain finally stopped its relentless downpour and the sun shone through the clouds, Twilight and the new stallion paced into town, hoof in hoof.