It was strange how the weather worked. The pegasi might be controlling it in Equestria, but everypony’s mood had a habit of matching the weather. Bring in dark, dreary clouds, and they might say it was a depressing day. Have the sunshine come in, they would note how cheerful and uplifting today felt.
On the day after Cinder was taken in, the pegasi called for some light rain in the area. It would help with the incoming harvests of that season, and it wouldn’t be heavy enough to pour on everyone’s parade, figuratively or literally. Some of the fillies and colts would even play in the puddles on the streets, just to kill some time and have fun.
Kunzite carried an umbrella with her as she walked through the streets in town. After all she had been through, it was good to be back. She heard kids splashing each other with buckets of water on her way. A few noted the princess walking by them, and others just tried to stay warm. In other words, it was the peace and quiet she could use more of. Not that things would stay that way. Her schedule was going to be packed for a while, but this was the breather she needed.
She soon found herself on the outskirts of Ponyville. Someone was supposed to be waiting for her there, but she did come a few minutes ahead of schedule. She would credit her mother for that habit. Still, the sounds of the rain bouncing off her umbrella gave her some ease of mind as she waited, almost like nature playing its own song for her.
Eventually, she heard the sound of wings flapping against the rain, right behind her. It made her spirits soar, and she turned around to meet the figure arriving just in time. Moonstone was coming in from the east, just as unhurried as she was. It was a long time since he had any peace of mind, and it was a refreshing sight.
“Am I late again?” he asked as he landed. “Lost track of time after a while. Mom and Dad decided to go on the trip after all, and they wanted my help with some of the preparations. Wildfire’s gonna give me crap over it…”
“You’re actually five minutes early,” Kunzite noted, checking the clock in the middle of Town Hall. “I think he’ll give us some slack if we’re late today. We’re not the only ones busy around Equestria.”
“You never know with that guy.” Moonstone rolled his shoulders for a bit. “Dunno about you, but when this is over, I’m taking a loooong break.”
“Oh yeah, me too. Mom said I can take it easy on the books for the next month. Do you know what that means when she’s the one saying that?”
“That Tartarus just froze over?”
That drew a soft chuckle from the kirin, and she waited with him out there. The rain was tampering off a little bit, but it never went away. She wasn’t sure if she would need an umbrella when it was just sprinkling, but Moostone never needed anything like that. He flew in the rain many times in the past.
It wasn’t long until they saw Wildfire making his way up the trail to Ponyville. He carried a backpack with him, and he was positively thrilled when he saw his students up ahead. He was in no hurry, just like they were. The pressure was off at last.
“Good to see you two don’t mind a little rain,” he greeted them. “Have to say, wow. I knew this day was coming, but I thought you would be like, 20 or even 30 before that happened. You’re not even adults yet.”
“What do you mean?” Kunzite puzzled. “Oh, this is about the thing with the kirin tribes, isn’t it?”
Moonstone smirked. “Pretty sure that’s what it meant. There’s something I gotta know, though. Kunzite was pushing for us to go down to the village because she thought it might be our special destiny. How do we know if it is?”
Wildfire plopped his backpack down on the ground, went over, and used it as a chair. Seeing how rude that might look, he used his magic to conjure two chairs behind Kunzite and Moonstone. They weren’t anything fancy, just some metal ones, but it would work. That, and they didn’t sink into the muddy ground.
“You remember how my destiny was tied to stopping Torch all those years ago? I didn’t recognize it for what it was at the time,” he explained. “I didn’t do it to get the monkey off my back, I did it because it was the right thing to do. And...it did feel like a huge weight lifted off my chest when I got it done.”
Kunzite turned to Moonstone with an eager grin while they took their seats. “That’s how we both felt. Does that mean we did the thing?”
“I wouldn’t put it that way...more like relieved,” Moonstone corrected her. “But yeah, it’s been on my mind all day.”
“You want my opinion? Let it sit for a while,” said Wildfire. “Maybe a day, week, or a month. You’ll know in time. But you want my other opinion? It doesn’t matter. What you two did was...do I even have to say it?”
“It wouldn’t hurt,” Moonstone said with a grin.
“Alright, it’s one way to make it up to you after all the crap I threw your way. It was amazing. Lot of maturity from you two, far beyond your years, and when you messed up, you did the right thing anyway. Trust me, what happened back there, they’re gonna write about it in the books. At least, Autumn will.”
“I’ve been meaning to meet up with her,” thought Kunzite. “She’s been busy, but we can go over to her place today, right? Mom and Dad worked so hard to help her out.”
“What, one reunion party wasn’t enough for you?” Moonstone snarked. “Then again, enough is never enough. I’m happy for them. If they need some space, we get it. But whatever you guys want, I’m not getting in the way.”
“Actually, we’re seeing them right now as part of your lesson,” Wildfire countered. “I got word from both of your parents, and they wanted me to take you guys over there. Said you guys should see the fruits of your labor, or something like that!”
Kunzite squeed from the news. “Really? That’s wonderful! I’ll get some stuff together right now. I can’t wait to get this party started!” She went over and hugged Wildfire. “Thank you so much!” She gave Moonstone another hug as well, and then she ran back home to get her belongings.
“She is something else,” Moonstone sighed. Kunzite’s chair vanished into magical dust, and he noted its absence. “Can I ask you something before we go?”
“Sure. I’m all ears,” Wildfire said.
“When you were done with your own crap, you never met Celestia and Luna, even though your destiny was to help them out. Does that mean Kunzite and I...are we done?”
The kirin exhaled through his nostrils. “I never met them because I chickened out. Even then, Celestia found me to help you guys out. So no, it’s not over just because you’re done with what you were supposed to do. And you want one more word of advice before you go and party your tail off?”
“Yeah, why not. I could use it,” the dragon agreed.
“Your life isn’t over just because you’re done with this moment in time. A lot of people make that mistake when they achieved something of this magnitude. Even I thought I was just supposed to spend the rest of my life in some garden, forgotten by everyone else because I did the thing. But I wasn’t finished. I helped you guys out, and look what you’ve done.”
The dragon couldn’t stop thinking it over, even then. Deep down, he really did think he might have peaked, other than maybe becoming the Dragon Lord in the future. “Err...thank you. I needed to hear that.”
“Course you did. Just make sure you stay good friends with her. She really likes you, and she went a long way to make sure you were happy back there. Do the same for her, and you’ll be friends for centuries.”
“Yeah...didn’t think about how much time we have like that. Thanks for the pep talk.”
“My pleasure.”
Shortly after, they saw Kunzite run down the town to see them again. If Wildfire’s bag was huge, hers was enormous. It had everything someone would need for a camping trip, like a tent, frying pan, and first aid kit. Some of them threatened to burst out of the bag, yet the weight didn’t slow her down at all.
“I’m all ready to go. Come on, guys, we’ve got a party to catch!” she cheered.
I missed you when you were like this, Moonstone thought to himself. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“You guys go ahead for a while. There’s something I gotta take care of, won’t take too long,” Wildfire waved them off.
“Alright. We’ll meet you there,” Moonstone waved back.
With that business out of the way, Kunzite and Moonstone went off by wing into the clouds. Autumn’s village wouldn’t be too far from here, and they knew the way pretty well by that point. As the city of Ponyville disappeared behind them, it was a long time since flying felt that effortless. There was a lot to look forward to for them.
In the meantime, Wildfire waved them away, and he turned his attention to a certain place in the world. A garden, to be exact. It wasn’t long after until he was gone from the town, vanishing by his own teleportation spell. This was gonna be something that would take a lot out of him, but it needed to be done. She needed it more than anyone else in the world.
------
If Autumn Blaze’s first reunion party was something to remember, the history books might have to note the second time. It was so big that it spilled out of the village grounds and ended up in parts of the jungle. There was no way she was going to find the two missing kirin tribes and not throw a celebration for them. As far as she was concerned, it was a duty, not just something she wanted to do.
When Ivory Steam and Streaming Sea arrived at the village, they were blown away. There was so many musicians playing everywhere, with tunes they found themselves enjoying. As they looked around, they recognized the stage Autumn built for plays. It was so grand, they decided to make some notes about it. In general, the atmosphere was just wonderful, with music greeting the newly found tribes.
A lot of the kirin from the two (formerly) missing tribes were in their Nirik forms, showing how they differed from the other tribes. That left Autumn’s kirin curious about them, noting how their clothing didn’t burn away. It was fabric designed to be fireproof, they would explain. That left to some interesting conversations among the kirin, and it was amazing how quickly the Niriks felt accepted.
“I can see it in your face. You’re surprised,” Streaming Sea noted.
“Aren’t you surprised as well?” Ivory responded. “This is...we missed out on this. I never heard music like that before.” He noted the drum beats and rhythm of some of the musicians playing in the background. “And the hospitality?”
“I wouldn’t say we missed out, but I feel relieved. It is wonderful to see our brothers and sisters from the other tribes doing well, and we didn’t miss out. We’re still here to experience it. Let’s make this wrong right again and see to--”
Before he could finish, he was tackled by a familiar kirin. He let out an oof as he realized the one pinning him was none other than Autumn Blaze.
“Now you know how it feels,” Ivory said under his breath.
“You finally made it!” Autumn cheered. “I had a feeling you would come over at any moment, but it felt like torture waiting for you guys. Seriously, you guys have no idea how wonderful it is that you’re all finally here!” She gave them the biggest squee they would ever see in their lifetimes.
Sea would normally be upset over being pinned by another kirin, but he nodded and tried to get back up, only to accept more snuggles from Autumn. “I can see that. It didn’t dawn on us how much this means to you, but it is visible from the size of this celebration.”
“You really like it? I had Pinkie give some input, and she said it should be even bigger than last time.” Autumn got off Sea and gestured to all the festivities. It was less of a village and more like a kirin state fair. It might take over a day to do see and do everything there was out here.
“It’s perfect,” Ivory agreed. “Come, let’s not waste time talking about this celebration when we can be a part of it.”
Sea brushed the dirt off his clothing and joined his companions in the festivities. A few other kirin came by to see them as they walked on by, curious about these new strangers.
“Are you those guys out west?” one would ask.
“Indeed. This was a long time coming,” Sea answered. “What’s all there to do?”
“Where do I start? We have our own plays, music, oh, and we got our own cuisine you can’t find anywhere else in Equestria,” another kirin responded.
“It’s like we never left home...minus the dragons, of course,” Ivory noted.
“Exactly, you brought something new to the table!” Autumn squealed. “You even brought some of them around, didn’t ya?”
Speaking of the devil, a few of the dragons had come around to check out the village for themselves. Most of them were the smaller, younger kind, but a few elder dragons sat and observed everything from the outskirts of town. The younger ones were the most curious of them all.
One of them, Emerald, sat by the stage for the latest musical act and took a seat. She was curious most of all with the drummers, mostly how fast they could go. It had to be over a hundred times per minute, if not double that speed. Before she could get far into the performance, she noticed a certain dragon taking a seat next to her.
Just being next to her made Emerald a little nervous. Maybe it was the scepter, or it could have been realizing how important this dragoness was. It was probably a little of both. She tried not to look at the dragon out of fear of what could happen.
“You one of Ivory and Sea’s guys?” Ember asked up.
“Y-Yes,” Emerald responded warily. “You’re the Dragon Lord.”
“That’s right. Moonstone said you were one of the better dragons over there. Thanks for that.” She wondered what the fuss was about, and listening to some of the tunes. “Music like that isn’t really my thing, but it looks like you’re enjoying it.”
Emerald gulped and slowly turned to Ember. “T-Thank you. Wow. I can’t believe I’m really talking to a Dragon Lord after all this time. You seem pretty nice. S-Should I get down on one knee and bow before you?”
“What? I dunno what kinds of stories you’ve been hearing, but that’s not my thing. Just don’t be a jerk and we’ll be good. You seem pretty nice, so there’s nothing to be worried about.”
That got the younger dragoness to take it easier on herself. “That’s fair. I wanted to ask about something, though. There’s this weird thing I found out about, and I don’t know if I’d be any good at it.”
“And what would that be?”
“Have you ever heard of something called ‘arm wrestling’?”
Now that got Ember’s attention. “Heard of it? I’m the best in the world in it! Moonstone might say he’s good at that stuff, but he’s never beaten me.” She grabbed an empty table and shoved it between Emerald and herself, plopping her arm down on the surface. “I’ll take you on right now.”
The offer made Emerald curious. “Hmmm...that does sound pretty fun…”
Twenty seconds later, Ember would become the former undefeated champion of arm wrestling. Dragons would later note it in their own history books for the sheer shock of the occasion. Yes, that’s how much of a shocker it was.
While that was going on, Fizzle was taking it easy on himself and seeing where the other royal couple was. After a few moments searching around the place, he saw Twilight and Spike coming into town. They ditched the customary chariot ride for a simple flight together. Albeit, with a few guards to make sure things went smoothly.
“Been looking all over for you guys,” he greeted them. “Where are Kunzite and Moonstone? Shouldn’t they be here any minute?”
“They still have their weekly lesson with Wildfire, but he told us it shouldn’t take too long,” Spike explained. “Wow, this whole thing is amazing. Ember seems like she’s having a good time--”
Right when he got there, Ember screeched as her arm was pinned down on the table. Emerald was just as surprised as she was, and would spend the next ten minutes profusely apologizing and bowing.
“Oh. Nevermind.”
Twilight chuckled and shook her head. “I think she’ll be fine. But I’m really happy to see all this again. It might just be a repeat of last week’s party, but this one feels...different. Better is the word I’m looking for. Like, for the first time in our lives, it feels like we’re not screwing up as parents, even if we could have handled things a little differently.”
“That sums it up pretty well.” Fizzle exhaled through his nostrils and observed all the rain being blocked by the trees. “Does it ever get easier, raising your kids?”
Neither one of them thought he would come at them with a thought like that, and it caught them off guard. They would need some time to think it over. That left Fizzle a little concerned over what their answer would be.
“It never gets easy. You’re going to second guess yourself a lot,” Twilight respond. “That’s part of being a parent. But that makes the good moments sweeter, like when you see your child do something amazing. You feel like your hard work helped them get there.”
“What she said,” Spike agreed. “It’s still going to be tough at times. Our children are starting to grow into adults. But...I never felt more proud to be a parent than how I did just a few days ago.”
Fizzle nodded, and his eyes started to swell. “That’s how we felt. Oh my gosh, my son did all those things with Kunzite. They’re the reason we’re all out here. Look, we even got more dragons!”
To prove his point, he pointed out some of the elder dragons coming into the village that very moment. Slowly, but surely. A few of them mingled with the kirin, and a lot of the younger villagers looked up to the massive dragons like they were meeting a friendly giant. Which they were.
The elder dragons, in response, couldn’t hold back the reactions. They were just as cheerful as Kunzite was, while Ember noticed them coming in and decided to chat it up with her newest subjects. She had to get over the shock of her first ever loss in arm wrestling, after all. Twilight and Spike couldn’t hear their conversations, but judging from the looks on their faces, it was going to be a fruitful one.
“Heh, and they even seem pretty nice,” Spike noted to Fizzle. “Funny, you and I met for the first time when you were still running with Garble, and we didn’t get along at all. Now, look at us.”
“It’s crazy,” Fizzle agreed. “Between you and me, I’m glad I knocked it off after a while. Still, out of all the things that changed over time...Garble turned out to be a sensitive poet. Who knew?”
“I think it’s safe to say this little adventure taught us a thing or two,” Twilight thought. “Hmm....I wonder when they’ll get over here, come to think of it…”
RIght on cue, she would hear Autumn shouting in the distance. “Hey, everyone! The guests of honor are coming this way! Give them the welcome they deserve!”
Indeed, Kunzite and Moonstone were on their way to the village. They went by flight, despite all the rain in the area. Their wings were drenched in rain, but it didn’t slow them down while they were searching for the town. It wouldn’t be much longer.
“You know they’re gonna freak out when they see us, right?” Moonstone pointed out.
“Why would they do that?” Kunzite puzzled. “It’s just a reunion, this isn’t about us. It should be about all the tribes coming together for the first time in a long while. I’d hate to take anything away from that.”
“Yeah, right. It’s only happening because of us. They’re gonna give us a hero’s welcome right when we get there. I dunno about you, but after all that crap we’ve been through, we deserve it. Well, you deserve it more, but whatever.”
“Moonstone, give yourself some of the credit. But I don’t think that hero’s welcome is gonna happen. We’re just another kirin and dragon.”
“A kirin and dragon that saved the world, you mean.”
Kunzite couldn’t help it and ended up laughing. “See? You are giving yourself some of the credit.”
They went on their way without any more interruptions, and soon enough, they found the village they were looking for. Their feet touched down near the entrance, and they were finally at their destination. Right when they got there, the entire town erupted into a standing ovation. Confetti flew into the air while a lot of kirins and dragons, more than they had ever seen before, came in to celebrate the guests of honor.
Kunzite meeped and almost launched herself back into the clouds to hide, while Moonstone grinned and waved to the crowds. “Good thing we didn’t bet on that hero’s welcome, or you’d lose.”
“But...there’s so many people here!” she marveled.
“That’s how many people you helped. Come on, it’s gonna be okay. Like I said, you deserve it.”
She was still in awe as they headed inside. A lot of the kirin, many she recognized from Cinder’s village, swarmed them and shouted nothing but compliments their way. Even though she felt like it was too much, she still shook their hands and tried to soak it in. It was near impossible for her to do so, but it warmed her heart that she was able to help these people when they needed it the most.
In the meantime, Moonstone had no problems letting it soak in. He couldn’t stop shaking hands with everyone, especially the kirin from earlier. For many people, this would have made their egos explode. For him, it was a sign that his patience could be rewarded. It took a lot of guts to do what he did, and he hoped it was worth it at the time. This proved that it finally paid off.
“Hey, it’s the dragon that introduced me to arm wrestling!” Emerald pointed out to the other teenage dragons. “Oh, and he saved our village. That’s probably more important.”
While the welcoming ceremony went on, both Kunzite and Moonstone’s parents watched on from a distance. Spike hugged Twilight while she let Kunzite have her moment in the sun, and she never felt such pride in her life like that moment. Seeing a bunch of kirin and dragons chant her daughter’s name was a surreal experience. For Spike, it was the second greatest moment of his life. The only moment that topped it was the day he married Twilight, which opened the door to a moment like this.
For Fizzle, he couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot. For once, he could let himself go. Everyone here was loving his son; when they weren’t chanting Kunzite’s name, they were chanting for Moonstone. To think, he used to be a little hatchling not that long ago. Meanwhile, Ember realized something she suspected earlier. She wasn’t really seeing her son walk that aisle down the village. She was seeing the man that would be the Dragon Lord after her. Whatever happened from this point forward, the dragons were going to have one hay of a ruler in the future.
It was getting hard to walk through the village for the kirin and the dragon, with how many people were there to greet them. It got to the point where even Moonstone was getting stunned by it, and he looked to Kunzite in disbelief. He didn’t expect her to be near tears again. In a fit of emotion, she came over to hug him. This was still a new concept to him, the idea of hugging, but he was warming up to it. They found themselves hugging each other for a while.
“I think this might be the greatest day of my life,” Moonstone whispered in her ear. “It can’t get any better than this.”
“Hey, we’re still young. There could be a lot of days even better in the future,” she whispered back at him. “But today is definitely up there.”
He nodded and kept hugging her. Then he noticed Sea and Ivory were there among the crowd. Sea mouthed the words “thank you” to them, while Ivory just raised his fist in the air in a show of gratitude. That was all the dragon needed to see. Funny, given how they were about him just a few days ago. LIfe could be a funny thing sometimes.
“Thanks for the show, everyone! Whew, if anyone deserved it, it’s those two!” Autumn shouted to another outburst of applause. “Settle down, everyone, I got a speech prepared for this.”
The crowd managed to calm down and gave Moonstone and Kunzite some space. Kunzite giggled and pointed out her parents to Moonstone, and Moonstone did the same with a soft laugh. All four of their parents were crying from joy on the inside, even if Ember wouldn’t admit it. At least she was crying for all the right reasons.
“It wasn’t that long ago that we had our first reunion, but something was missing,” Autumn started. “You all know what that is. It’s no secret. But I had no idea where the other tribes could be. We searched high and low, many times over, and we couldn’t find you guys. So I settled for a reunion with the tribes we could find.
“But you know the rest. Aquatic Sky appeared out of nowhere, told us where the other tribes were, I went with Kunzite and Moonstone to find the tribes, and whatever.” Aquatic Sky was in the crowd, and she might have been the second happiest kirin in there. “And you know why we’re here? Because two people went out of their way to help the kirin and dragons in need. They didn’t care what it would take. They kept going anyway. But there’s something everyone keeps overlooking. You know what that is?”
Everyone in the audience whispered and talked to each other, wondering where this was going. Kunzite was just as puzzled as they were, but Moonstone was just sitting there, drinking it all in.
“The thing is, they were friends to begin with, and they couldn’t be more different if they tried. Kunzite is a nature loving kirin, and Moonstone’s a big, tough dragon. But it never got in the way of their friendship. If anything, their differences don’t hurt them. They actually compliment each other because of their differences. I saw them do their thing, and they’re like peanut butter and jelly. Two totally different things, but they’re awesome together.”
As the answer finally dawned on the tribes, the kirin and the dragon looked at each other. The warm expressions on their faces told the whole story. What surprised him, though, was when she reached out a hand to him. He looked at it for a moment, unsure how he should react to that, before clasping their hands together. “Does that mean we’re friends for life?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said softly, without missing a beat.
“And that’s what we should all do. It doesn’t matter how different we are, we can still learn from each other and even become close friends...or more,” she teased the two of them, noticing the hand holding. They blushed and broke it off before anyone else caught it. “Either way, let’s learn from each other in the future, and here’s to all the united kirin tribes and dragonkind!”
Once again, the entire village erupted into cheers. There wasn’t a party like that in all of kirinhood, and it was going to be a long time until another party topped it. And it was just getting started. Regardless of what happened that night, Kunzite and Moonstone knew they would spend it together as the best of friends...and maybe with holding hands, every now and then. Maybe just not in front of Autumn. Or their parents.
------
When Cinder first surrendered her authority, she had a mental image for the prison she’d be thrown into, assuming they were merciful enough to give her a cell in the first place. It was the usual prison in her mind: Cold, hard floors, metal bars to make sure she wouldn’t escape, something along those lines. She expected to call a place like that her home for the rest of her life.
Instead, her personal “cell” ended up looking familiar. She found herself in a garden within a forest, and it reminded her of the one she had back home. Hopefully, someone would look after it while she was gone. This garden, meanwhile, gave her a sense of hand crafted tranquility. The only sign that something was off was the handful of guards staying there with her, guarding the area to make sure she wouldn’t lash out.
The light rain exposed the force field walling her inside. To be fair, it went around for a long distance, maybe five miles or so. On top of that, it went up a mile or two up high, giving her plenty of room to fly around. For a place she would have to spend the next fifty years of her life inside, it was...actually pretty nice. She could feel the pity radiating from the confines, and it still felt like a miracle that she was given this much.
It was getting late in the day, and she wanted to take some time to stroll around her surroundings before calling it a night. Her hands traced the bushes around the fields as she passed them by. The sounds of birds and deer, not blocked from the force field like she was, were sweet music to her ears. There was a theory that the noises of everyday life could be a song of its own. For her, nature provided a better song than anything civilization ever created.
Before she could get that far into her trek, she heard someone coming in from behind. It only took a second for her to guess who it was, and he didn’t seem angry or upset when he stepped into view. In fact, he seemed relaxed and collected. Compared to her matted hair and muddy robes, there was a noticeable difference in their appearances.
“You don’t have to keep going like that,” he mentioned, noticing her clothing. “This might be part of your prison, but the whole point of house arrest is that you don’t have to live like a prisoner as long as you’re here.”
“Perhaps, but that’s not important right now,” Cinder waved it off. “How is everyone else doing? I hope they’re okay. The last time I saw them...you know how it went.”
“Everyone’s fine. They’re having a little reunion party, and I’m going to go see them when I’m finished here. There’s just some business I need to attend to first.”
She sighed, knowing what he meant. “You don’t have to waste your time with these lessons. If you’re wanting to go over there and celebrate, you can go right ahead.”
“Hey, I chose to come here. They asked if I was okay with this arrangement before they signed off on it, and I didn’t have any objections to it. All of this, the force field, the guards, having you under my wing, it was something I was happy to go along with.”
“And why is that?” Cinder sighed and gazed up at the top of the force field. It was still illuminated by the downpour, but the rain started to taper off. “I can’t wrap my head around it.”
“About the same reason Kunzite wanted this for you. She saw a terrified, lost soul that was lost, but if someone came around to reach their hand out to her, she would be okay. I saw the same thing in you. You think you’re the only one to go into hiding because of Torch?”
That wasn’t the answer she expected, and she took a deep breath. “I don’t know...it’s going to take a long time with what happened to me.”
“We’ve got plenty of time. We’re both Equestrian Kirins, after all.” He strolled over to the garden, inviting her to follow him.
Knowing there wasn’t anything else she could do, she went with him to look over the foliage. As they arrived at the garden, she thought about all the time he spent to make the flowers look as nice as they did. He had to be thinking the same thing, given how much of his attention was spent on them.
“You’re scared of change, I feel,” he said. “And I get it. We’re all in the middle of a season where we’re surrounded by it. Sometimes, that change isn’t so good. Something emerges and it looks terrifying, and there’s been more than one occasion where the looks match the threat they pose. Not always, but enough times that you have good reasons to throw your shields up. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” she admitted hesitantly. “Moonstone reminded me of what I almost lost. I lashed out at him because I felt like I had to guard over the village like I had to do before. But the next part of your lecture is going to be about change that’s good, isn’t it?”
“That cliche, huh?” He bent down and grabbed a watering can, making sure his roses remained well watered. “I was going to say something about how this garden used to be nothing but a dirt pile and it turned into this beautiful garden. But if you’re saying that, something else is on your mind.”
She meekly nodded. “I’ve been hurt by change before. I fear it’s going to wash away all the good in the world, like it almost did to me. But the new Dragon Lord, Ember, it seems like she’s a good person and...how do I remind myself that good things can still happen? If I open my heart up to everything again, how do I know I won’t just get hurt again?’
Wildfire stopped watering his plants after hearing that, and he put the watering can away. “You don’t. That’s part of life. When I went back to Equestria, I got called a freak by some of the ponies. A lot of them. However, just as many ponies welcomed me with open arms. They’re writing a book about Kunzite and me right now, trying to get more knowledge about how Equestrian Kirins work. That’s because they want to understand us.”
“It sounds like you’re saying there’s both good and bad in the world. Which...is something I should have learned a long time ago.”
“It’s a lesson you need to learn again, but a lot of people do. We have a habit of thinking one side of the coin exists, and forget the other side is there as well. That doesn’t mean the world is purely evil, though. There’s always going to be a lot of good things and people in it.” He dried the water off his hands and looked Cinder directly in the eye. “That’s what I hope to remind you through the next fifty years. I want to help you learn to trust and love again, because there’s always something worth fighting for, like your soul. Can you give me that chance to help you?”
She peeked down at the ground and clasped her hands. “Can I be helped at this point?”
He responded by placing both hands on her shoulders and giving her the most accepting look she felt in a while. “What did you do when you realized you were in the wrong? You stopped your crusade and surrendered on the spot. That tells me you still have a strong sense of right and wrong. That’s a start.”
Hearing that left her on the verge of another breakdown, but she realized he was being sincere. “Then I want to keep going. When my fifty years are finished, I want to be the person I’m supposed to be.”
“Oh? And what kind of person would that be?”
“The kind of person that would accept a good dragon like Moonstone as a friend, without second guessing myself.”
Wildfire couldn’t stop smiling. “Yeah. That sounds like the kind of person anyone would want to be friends with, Moonstone included.”
------
The nighttime fell over the village, and the best was yet to come. The celebration would go on for a few more days, but Autumn had a special celebration for that night. Given it was Autumn Blaze hyping it up, that meant this was going to be something special. The anticipation would go through the roof, just from that.
She told them all where to go to get the best seats in the house, and everyone would take their place. Even the elder dragons would find a comfortable corner to curl up in. Kunzite and Moonstone would be allowed to be near the front of the group, of course. Their parents would be sitting right behind them. Once they all found their seats, Autumn wet up to address them all.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this has been a long time coming,” she told them all. “But I wanted to do something special for the first night of the festival. Who knows, it could be pretty cool. I’ve never done a fireworks show before. Everyone ready to see the sky light up like you’ve never seen it before?”
Kunzite clapped her hands in applause, even though nothing happened yet. “I can’t wait! We’ve had a few shows in Ponyville before, but I bet it won’t be anything like this.”
Moonstone was about to say a snarky comment back at her, but thought better of it. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. Let’s get this show on the road.”
The rest of the crowd cheered to say they were ready to go. With Luna’s moon rising above them, this was the perfect time to watch the show. When you get a bunch of dragons excited, you know something special is about to happen.
“Alright, everybody, let’s do the thing!” Autumn pulled out a remote control from a pocket in her pants, and she hit the massive red button in the middle. “You guys are gonna love this!”
Everyone there leaned forward, curious what this was going to look like. After a mental countdown went down to zero, a huge rocket went up into the air. When it hit its peak, it exploded into a curtain of red sparks in front of the group. The audience ooed and awed to the display, and it was soon followed by three more rockets, soaring up past the clouds. They filled the sky with different colors, from red to yellow to green. Yeah, Autumn delivered as promised.
Kunzite’s eyes twinkled from the sight of the show, and it was the icing to the cake to her day. Maybe it was just how relaxed she was or something else, but this was the best thing ever to her. Moonstone had seen things like this before, but knowing this was done for them made it that much sweeter. Maybe he could get used to being seen as a hero after all.
“We’ve done shows like these before?” Sea poked Ivory. As he was talking, they would see showers upon showers of fireworks light up the village. “When was the last time we did something like this?”
“Right before we moved,” Ivory responded. “Perhaps we should bring that tradition back. Everyone seems to be enjoying it.”
“I agree. I’ll look right into it.”
In the meantime, Spike noticed his wife in awe of the show, just like their daughter was. “I like seeing you like this. You’re always cute when you’re happy.”
“Heh, you too,” Twilight laughed. She nuzzled on his face and kissed his cheek. “You think they’re gonna be alright?”
“Kunzite and Moonstone? I’m not even worried about them anymore. They’ll figure it out, and we’ll be there to help them. If anything, I’m looking forward to seeing what they do.”
“Me too…”
The dragons, on the other hand, had a different reaction to the display. “You think it would be better if I went up there and did my fire breath, make it really explode?” Fizzle inquired.
“Nah, let Autumn have her fun,” Ember waved it off. “I kinda like it. What’s really on your mind?”
“Me, just happy it all worked out. Moonstone’s a good kid. What are you thinking?”
“Same thing. They’re both good kids. That’s why I’m not getting in there and making everything blow up. This is for them. Let them have their moment. You never know when they’ll get something like this again.”
“Yeah. I just hope it’s not too far away from now.”
The show would continue for a long time, and Autumn loved the reactions she was getting. It took a lot of time and resources to put this together, and seeing everyone loving it was the best reaction she could hope for. On top of that, she swore she saw Wildfire coming in there sometime during the show. He chose to sit in the middle, not wanting to get in the way of the fireworks.
After the show was over, he would go to his students again, telling them that Cinder would be okay. Then, he would say that they were wise beyond their years, but there was still much to learn. Still, they should take pride in the fact that they were on the right path, which they were. He wanted to wait until the show was over for that little speech, however. This was their moment under the moon. They deserved it.
Right now, Kunzite and Moonstone were sharing this moment together. As they witnessed the spectacle, they were fully comfortable with each other. They felt like the past issues between them were just that, issues in the past. It wasn’t clear what the future would hold for them, but that was okay. What they did was something that would echo in the halls of history, and nothing would take this moment away from them. As it should be.
After a while, Moonstone would feel Kunzite’s head leaning on his shoulder. There was a time where he would have reacted with disgust to that. Tonight, he leaned his head into hers. It was clear that they didn’t like each other that way right now, but rather, they did it as a sign of friendship and affection. Little touches like that every now and then wouldn’t hurt.
The Equestrian Kirin and dragon would have adventures together after that night, just like the Elements of Harmony before them, and the Royal Sisters before that. Some would surpass this little story in scope, and they’d make new friends and discoveries along the way. But this chapter of their lives would still be near and dear to their hearts. No matter what happened followed that day, it was the moment they truly became friends. And that paved the way for everything that came right after.