//------------------------------//
// Epilogue: Journey's End 
// Story: The Hero's Journey 
// by Gabriel LaVedier 
//------------------------------//

	Big Macintosh wrote out the letter and sent it off as soon as he was across the river and had found the tree with all the initials. He noted, with some pleasure, there was a heart around his and Miss Smarty Pants' initials. The wait was not unbearable, as the same airship that had borne him there had apparently been waiting at a nearby port with a thaumatic tag marking the drop point.
The airship conveyed the pair directly and swiftly to Canterlot, docking at one of the towers. Luna was there to meet them, along with her maid, Lime Sherbert. Both were happy about the news and the happening. Away from the suit chamber she was far less restrained, and shouted many high praises to Smarty Pants, comparing her favorably to Prince Blueblood's wife, Princess Connie.
“Thou shalt find this nation doth love and accept thee together,” Luna yelled in the Royal Canterlot voice. “Easily shall thy blood merge, as the Granter hath said. We may feel, indeed, thou hast changed in equal measure. Thou hast not the same feel as any stallion nor jenny we do know. Thou has been made to make children of perfect fertility. Good. Thou hast no need of our power.”
“It does save us some time. As I learned here in Canterlot I know much about the laws and ways of the upper levels,” Smarty Pants said with a smile.
“This was mighty kind of ya, yer highness,” Big Mac said, bowing to Princess Luna. “Ah don't rightly know how ah can thank ya fer this.”
“Live as thou wilt. That be thine only duty to us, to honor this opportunity thou hast been given,” Luna shouted, with a smile.
“Ah'm afraid we must be off, yer highness. Gotta head fer the train station ta get back ta Ponyville,” Big Mac said, pressing up against Smarty Pants.
“Nay!” Luna cried, putting some extra emphasis into her voice. “Shall we not hear of such a thing. Could we be said to be a hostess of graciousness and liberality should we let thee trot off with thy new love at this late point in the day? Already the birds come in to their roosts and make their vespers. Shall thou stay here in the palace. No great ado shall be made but shall thou not be ignored. Come, then, and let us show thee to the little space that shall hold thee.”

The 'little space' Luna had mentioned was one of the largest single-occupant-spaces in the palace, a tower suite that could have comfortably served as a home for a family, usually reserved for receiving diplomats. They had in-room dining, a near-feast that came with royal company, Prince Blueblood and Princess Connie. Both were very pleasant, even though Blueblood had to be corrected a few times by his wife. Connie and Smarty Pants both laughed over that.
“We who love jennies must accept that we will forever be wrong and they right. The sooner we come to understand this and settle into our place the sooner we will find indescribable happiness,” Blueblood said, raising a glass to Big Macintosh.
“Eeyup. Ah can tell. Ah'll learn me mah proper situation an' be a good husband ta her. Ah do wants me some-a that happiness,” Big Macintosh replied, raising his own glass and sharing Blueblood's winking smile.
After a night in the most amazing bed imaginable, which involved only kissing, chaste touching and sleeping, they met Luna again, who promised that she would convey them to Ponyville in what she described as, “A most modest and discreet vessel.”
That modest and discreet vessel turned out to be Princess Luna' s personal citadel-like airship, the gargantuan Principality-class Lunar Perigee, the largest airship in the world, save for Princess Celestia's equal-sized Solar Corona. The huge ship traveled with a support squad of smaller ships crewed by Wonderbolts, for no reason other than they were certified to crew them and it made a much better impression.
The flight of the great ship certainly brought plenty of buzz in Ponyville, all the citizens out and watching the great vessel pass over the town, coming to a halt over Sweet Apple Acres. The support ships all docked at Rainbow Dash's cloud manor, most of the support staff going to keep curious onlookers from wandering onto the Apple family property, a few others visiting Rainbow Dash to discuss her fit-reps, her pre-induction status, pose for photographs and sign autographs.
The impressive display of royal power brought out those Apple family members or close compatriots still on the farm, Applebloom and Zecora from the barn, Applejack from the orchard and Granny Smith from the house. They all watched, with some awe, as Princess Luna descended from the great ship, with Big Macintosh and Smarty Pants levitating just behind her. “Be thou not afraid, noble agricolae!” Princess Luna shouted, washing over them all with the Royal Canterlot voice. “We be not here for grim tidings! Rather thou shalt rejoice! Behold thine errant member, returned unto thee, with retinue. This unknown figure wast once but cloth and magic. This stallion, noble unto greatness, had fallen in deepest love with this poor soul, trapped in silent cloth. He did trek far, unto another world, to face a great being of legend, all to bring her to life. And more than life! No mere magic courses through her veins but now she be of flesh and blood! By his great love was this so! Art thou not overjoyed?”
All the mares looked on Smarty Pants silently, unsure of what to say. Applebloom resolved the conundrum by giving an enthused cry and running up to suddenly embrace one leg, squeezing it tight. “Ah've got another new almost-sister! First Miss Rainbow Dash an' now her!” She turned her gaze on Big Mac and gave him a shining-eyed look. “What's her name?”
“Uh, her name's Miss Smarty Pants...” Big Mac began.
“Wait! Ya mean like that doll that Twilight tried ta get us all interested in?” Applebloom asked, looking up at Smarty Pants with a quirked brow. “Well whadda ya know? She's got them same eyes an' that mane that Sweetie liked. How did ya manage ta fall in love with a doll?”
“Twilight brought her ta life,” Big Mac said, completely unashamed. “She was tryin' ta get Miss Smarty Pants back ta her. But she wanted ta be with me, ta talk ta me. After she fell down lifeless again ah asked Twilight ta make her alive again. She gave me one day with her. And ah lost mah heart. Ah didn't know what ta do until Twilight told me ta see Princess Luna. She knows all them old legends. Ah did what she said, an'... now ah have her.” Big Mac leaned over and kissed Smarty Pants on the cheek, making her blush and making Applebloom squeal with delight.
“My brother who will one day be/ I hope you are as happy as me,” Zecora said, coming up to pat Big Macintosh on the shoulder and stroke a hoof over Applebloom's head.
“Well now, big brother ah am just as pleased as Pericarp y'all found a special somepony... er, a special somedonkey, 'specially after that there Cheerilee situation. Now ya got yer own fiancee,” Applejack beamed proudly, solidly nudging her brother before she starting in on conversing with Smarty Pants.
“Madame Smith-Apple,” Luna said to Granny Smith, stepping up to her and speaking quietly, “May we converse with thee in seclusion? There be a matter of some urgency that we must relate.”
Granny Smith looked absolutely shocked. She quickly ran a shaking hoof over her mane and gave her best smile. “Why your majesty it would be a pleasure. Please come into mah home.” With that she led Princess Luna into the parlor of the house. “Ah sorry ah ain't got any vittles 'r tea fer ya.”
“We do prefer tea and victuals as prepared by our maid or the bakers of Canterlot,” Luna said, somewhat dismissively. Sotto voce she added, “Though th' ingredients be the same, the bitterness of thine hoof would taint any thing thou may craft.”
Granny Smith winced. She missed the quiet part, but what she could hear was bad enough. “O-of course, your majesty. Please, have a seat.” Granny Smith indicated a sofa, but was soon enough made aware that Luna would not sit. She, however, did have a seat. “What... what did ya need ta discuss?”
Luna looked sternly at Granny Smith, speaking in as detached and imperious a manner as possible. “Not for naught did we bring our great vessel. Our power be great. And our heart be for they who fear not to give love unto they that are not ponies. They such as... our great-nephew and much-loved great-niece. Prince Blueblood and Princess Connie. We keep not comp'ny nor compassion for they that would put aside such as they.”
Granny Smith had been smiling fake smiles for decades, trying to impress rich members of groups she did not like or important ponies with much more liberal stances. She faltered, for just a split second as she recognized that she was dealing with a being that, while she had not been actively seeing through deceit for a thousand years, had done it before her banishment, and after her return. She still tried to follow through with her smile, pulling it as large as possible. “Why your majesty ah have no idea what ya might be sayin'...” She began.
Princess Luna cut her off with a simple motion of her hoof. “Thy duplicity does thee ill in our eyes. Much would we prefer thy confession and contrition. That thou art but an ancient thing of pettiness and disdain, that thou wouldst wish greatly to be healed and that thou would be sincere in change.”
“Yer majesty ah jes don't know what yer talking about? Why, ah haven't got a hateful bone in mah body.” Granny Smith said.
“Doest thou think us a fool?!” Luna put up a soundproof barrier, to keep all the rest of the family blissfully unaware of the Royal Canterlot voice being used against Granny Smith. “Thy secrets be not thine own. As 'tis said well, two may keep intelligence if one be buried. No, before thou wouldst punish thy grandson, he did speak not a word. He be good kin, and doth want only peace and happiness. Concern thyself not with how we do know. We do know. We make no stand 'gainst thy family, 'tis not place of government to intervene in most cases. Most.”
“Ah, ah really must say ah'm not sure whatcher getting' at...” Granny Smith stammered.
“Braeburn Apple.” The name dropped like a lead weight from Luna's lips. The lack of Royal Canterlot voice seemed far more impactful, with the cold, hard statement of the name as opposed to an active and energetic yell.
Granny Smith winced, the name like a punch in the gut. Still she tried to maintain her mild innocence. “Yes. He's mah kin. Manages the orchard out in Appleoosa. That's a very important job ya know. Wouldn't give the job ta just any of mah grandchildren.”
Luna had Granny Smith right where she wanted her. All that remained was so slice her throat with with the deft coup de patte. “Little Strongheart. Apple.” Luna was careful to leave the audible gap between name and family name, and to emphasize the last name all the harder.
Granny Smith choked, trying to gasp and silence herself at the same time. “She's mah... granddaughter. Braeburn's wife.”
“Two may keep intelligence if one be buried,” Luna reiterated, looking down on Granny Smith with cold eyes. “The secrets of thy family be thine own. Live with them in thy breast. May they decay. No part of this Principality be beyond our ken. Least of all one so near. Should kin or kith or, in time, kin-by-law be found wanting even a single crumb of love or warmth or even material goods as food or bed, thou wilt find that the Palace may be most tempting. I believe there be fund to allow that Prince Blueblood have a page, and surely Princess Connie would do well with a lady-in-waiting. In the face of hate, how could any liberal offer be refused?”
None defied Eugenia Smith-Apple. None dared sass, threaten or berate her. But Luna had. And Luna could. All Granny Smith could do was stretch her saccharine smile and take it. “Ah am sure ah don't know what ya mean by all that, your majesty. Ah'm jes a simple, country mare who loves her family. All of it.”
“All of it?” Luna's tone could have frozen even a Windigo's icy blood.
Granny Smith forced out the three syllables, though she wanted nothing more than to scream for respect. “All. Of. It.”
“Very good. We must say our farewells and depart. Good day, Madame Smith-Apple,” Luna placed a hoof on the seat that had been offered to her and swept lightly across it. With that she turned and trotted out, ethereal tail high.
Granny Smith was left panting, slumping down in her seat. The encounter had been emotionally exhausting. She sure knew the score. Oh she was upset. Her own eldest grandson, traipsing off across the world with a lifeless doll and coming back practically hitched to a markless knob-knee. But Princess Luna could not have been clearer. If she even implied her feelings those two would be offered a big bag of bits and the easy life in Canterlot. She'd run off another relative, but they would come out all the better for it. That was not how her will was supposed to work.
After a bit of rest she hauled her old bones up and went to look at the seat she had offered to Princess Luna. What she found chilled her right to the core once again. Three cards laid out on the seat. The queen of spades, the jack of spades and the queen of diamonds. But the queen of diamonds had been nearly completely blacked out, leaving only the symbols to tell what it was. She flipped the queen of diamonds to hide it from her view and got her second shock.
Written in a flowing, ornate script on the back, using black ink edged in gold leaf was the word, 'Know.' She didn't want to know. Yet she did. She turned the other two. Beneath the queen of spades was the word, 'We.' Beneath the jack of spades were two words, 'Will Always.'