//------------------------------// // Buck // Story: Princess Luna’s Anthology of Final Wishes // by Drunk Luna //------------------------------// As Luna arrived at the small apartment complex, the police officers, firefighters and paramedics outside all gasped and bowed. Luna gave them a hurried smile, but she never stopped moving. The clatter of metal horseshoes against concrete rang out as Luna sped into a canter, fixing her eyes on the apartment in which more firefighters, medics, and law enforcement personnel had gathered. The princess tried not to gag as her senses were assaulted by the harsh, thick odors of death, cigarette smoke, alcohol, urine, and filth. The floor was absolutely covered in dog and cat shit, used cigarette butts, empty beer bottles and cans, rotten food, dead cockroaches, rat droppings, and old food containers from countless restaurants. Luna frowned as she noticed the severe state of decomposition that the deceased's body was in; she was always the first to know of every single pony who reached death's threshold, so why had this pony slipped through the cracks without her knowledge and stayed unknown for so long? She coughed, gagging as she was overwhelmed by the putrid stenches that surrounded her. Even in spite of her strong stomach and immortality, Luna could not bear to spend another moment in this disgusting place. She quickly entered the dream realm, where an elderly yellow stallion, who looked to be in his mid-nineties, sat on his haunches, looking confused. "Princess Luna," the stallion said warily, "why am I here? I've been stuck in this terrible place for weeks!" "Unfortunately, that is my fault, Buck," Luna said, hoping her voice conveyed her immense guilt. "I have no idea how such a situation occurred; I have been in charge of guiding ponies to Heaven for thousands of years, and this has never happened until now. Please forgive me for my strange lack of oversight. Now, do you have any final requests or wishes?" "Yes," Buck said curtly. "Let me see my wife. That's the least you can do. I don't want anything else from you." Luna was taken aback by the harshness of the stallion's tone. She narrowed her eyes and snorted indignantly. "You will not speak to your princess in such a disrespectful manner, unless you are interested in going straight to Tartarus," Luna bellowed. "Am I understood, subject?" Buck huffed and nodded, but his glare remained. "Do you have any more wishes?" Luna asked. "Is there anything else you might want?" "Nah," he spat. "My wife and I were never able to have foals, so there's nopony for me to leave anything to. Just make sure all the shit in my house gets donated to charity." "Fine," Luna said, still irritated with Buck's attitude. She conjured the gates of Heaven, and Buck was instantly transformed into his younger, healthier self. A purple unicorn mare with a light blue mane and tail waited just beyond the gates. As soon as Buck saw her, his entire demeanor changed. "Millicent," he gasped, tears filling his eyes. He turned to Luna, shocked. "She was always breathtaking. We were married for seventy-two years, and she was just as beautiful on the day she died as she was on our wedding day seventy-four years ago, but she... she has never looked more beautiful than now. Princess... can I--?" "Go to her," Luna said with a little smile. "I know you have waited two long years for this moment." Buck sniffled, thanked Luna profusely, then ran through the gates, straight into the embrace of his beloved wife. Tears gathered in the corners of Luna's eyes as the gates disappeared. She cherished these moments; natural deaths from old age, most of which gave way to long-awaited reunions between spouses, gave Luna a profound sense of peace. In the midst of all the tragedy Luna had to witness, these peaceful endings served as reminders of why her role was necessary, and Luna considered them to be the most rewarding aspects of her job. With a satisfied sigh, Luna returned to the Sacred Hall.