//------------------------------// // Saying Goodbye // Story: To Call the Moon My Own // by That_Random_Pony //------------------------------// It took three weeks for Tony's body to heal enough for him to stand. The girls were allowed to stay in a hotel not far from the castle, and Luna and Celestia visited often to see how he was doing. To speed up his recovery, meat was imported from Gryphos for Tony to eat. They all kept hin updated about what was going on in Ponyville, and that the Gala was in late September. Spike was with them, and Nyla had decided to stretch her wings and fly around Equestria until he could get out. He could still feel her nearby, even as the nurse had him do a number of precautionary exercises, like standing on the healed leg and moving his healed arm. " No acheing?", nurse Marigold asked. " Does it hurt?". " Nope". Tony coiled his arm and flexed for any signs of pain. " Well the swelling's gone away", she said. " You Loki'irian guys heal pretty quick. I guess you're good to go". The door opened and Gooding came in with a pile of clothes in his magic grasp. " Leaving already?", he chuckled. " Looks like it", Tony grinned. " Your friends are waiting outside", Gooding said as he placed the clothes on his bed. " Rarity told me to give you these". Tony looked over the new clothes he had been given. Rarity had adjusted the size of his attire to fit his bigger carved body. The two ponies in the room left to let him change, which he did eagerly. He tossed the small hospital gown off to the side and slipped on the deep blue long sleeve. The fashionista also made his under garnments bigger, which took some time for him to measure correctly. The jeans Rarity made were also very comfortable, giving his legs just enough room to breathe while not slipping off completely. The only thing to put back on, was the medallion. The beautifully carved gem sat on his bed, the dull green metals opposing the bright cerulean gems. He read the Neric carved into the rim of the prized possession, and a small smile came across his face. The second amulet, was the scarlet gem he made for Dan. The necklace was now just as important as the one he wore around his neck, and he planned to make sure he would never forget it. " Tony". The now grown Signa turned to the door, coming eye to eye with Celestia. " It's good to see you better". " Yeah, the food here isn't all that tasty", he chuckled. Celestia did the same but a bit softer. " There's something I need to know", she said softly. " Where do you want to bury Dan?". Tony's grin faded until he held a neutral gaze to the wall. He sat back down on the bed, even if he wanted nothing more than to stand. Crossing his arms in thought, he wondered where they would have his funeral service. She had already had some ponies create a casket for him, and with the preservation spell they could have a real funeral for him. A thought came to Tony, and as he elaborated on it he stood back up. " If it's okay with you, I want to have Dan's casket sent to Ponyville", Tony decided. " I want to bury him close to his friends". Celestia nodded and smiled softly. " I'll make the arrangements, and we can have it tomorrow if you'd like", she smiled. " Great", Tony nodded. " So, let's go see everypony". Just as he stepped toward the door Celestia stretched a wing out. He raised a brow in confusion, but eased it when he saw her caring frown. " Tony, are you sure you'll be fine?", she asked. Almost like in a motherly tone. " Celestia, I promise. I'm gonna miss him, there's no doubt about that", he softly said. " But I'm not gonna mope about it. Dan wouldn't want that, and I don't think any of you would either". Celestia's smile returned, and she wrapped her wing around him, Tony in return hugging her back. " Luna will be awake any time now, maybe you could all stay until she can say goodbye", Celestia told him. " What'd you think?", Tony chuckled as he seperated. " I'd leave without saying goodbye?". Celestia laughed softly as she retracted her wing. Tony opened the door and held it as the sun goddess exited after him. They walked back towards the throne room where the girls were waiting. Tony had enjoyed their visits, especially Fluttershy's. She had really practiced he Kital songs, she even sounded as good as him. It gave him a bit of pride knowing he passed on one of Eishla's teachings. A less inviting visit came from Shining Armor, about a week ago, who had something to say. " So what, you're a prince?". " In a way, I guess. No offense, but what do you need from me?" " Twilie told me that you and Dan were staying with her, and since he's... gone, I want to talk to you. I love Twilie more than anyone, and I want to make sure she's safe being around you" " You think I can't keep her safe" " Not just from Rodrick, but whatever that thing is inside you" " The Ashla" " Whatever. You'd better make sure you don't get Twilie hurt, because Celestia wouldn't be able to hold me back" It was at that point that Tony leaned forward. " First, I consider Twilight and all of them as my family, so I'll kill myself if it comes to that. And second, I was 15 when the Ashla took over. I'm 24 now, so I have better control under It. I'll keep her safe, and for the record, she's lucky to have you as a brother" They were on uncommon ground, but Tony was understanding about Shining's concern. Celestia opened the doors with her magic, and in a pink blur Tony had the wind knocked out of him as he hit the marble floor. " You're okay!", Pinkie exclaimed. " Your arm's all better and your leg is too and I'm, so happy to see you!". Tony chuckled as Pinkie squeezed, and true to what Twilight said, she was strong. He could hear, and feel, the others piling on as well. Celestia giggled as they each crushed him with a group hug. " Can't breathe!", he strained. Pinkie shoved them all off and continued to hug Tony. " We're finally going back to Ponyville!", she squeed. " 'Bout time too", Applejack chuckled. " Oh I'm sure another week or two here could do us some good", Rarity smiled. " Uh-uh!", Rainbow said as she pushed Rarity aside. " Come on Tony, I don't think I can take another..." She shivered a little before continuing. " Uh, another spa tour". " It wasn't that bad Rainbow", Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile. " You looked pretty relaxed after the massages". " Yeah well everypony likes a good rub", Rainbow countered. Tony chuckled some as he stood back up. "Alright, alright, we'll be out of here soon", Tony smiled. " Leaving already?". A large grin formed on Tony's face as he turned to look at the far side of the room. His marefriend yawned in a way that made the word cute run across Tony's mind. He met her halfway and gave her a two armed hug, that he missed doing dearly. Now that the thermite had made him grown, Luna had to lean a little on her hind legs to wrap her hooves around his neck. Tony simply wrapped his arms around her body and gave her a long kiss, getting a few aww's from the audience of his friends. Now that they knew, he had no problem kissing her in front of them. " I had to say goodbye first", he smiled as he leaned his head against hers. " It wouldn't be polite to leave without saying it". Luna giggled as she gave him another peck on the lips. " Such a gentlecolt I have for a coltfriend", she teased. She got back on all fours and joined them back near the door. " The Gala is in two weeks", Celestia smiled. "After tomorrow, I hope to see you there". " Don't worry, Rarity has me covered", Tony chuckled. " I'll see you soon Celestia, and you too Luna". Luna gave Tony one last hug as he left with the girls and headed back into the city. Immediately, ponies with all kinds of cameras, microphones, and quils with parchment swarmed him. He was surprised, and blinded momentarily, by the number of ponies flashing cameras and asking questions. " Is it true you're not human?!" " What happened inside the castle?!" " Were there more humans?!" " Is it true there was a monster loose in the castle?!" " Tony!", Twilight shouted above the crowd. The amount of ponies had seperated him from the rest of the Elements. He could see Pinkie jumping above the crowd to see him. " There! He is!", Pinkie pointed midair. " Alright come on now!", Applejack said as she pushed through the crowd. Tony chuckled and carefully made his way back to the mares. The crowd followed around them barking questions and flashing their cameras at him. Twilight eventually huffed out of annoyance and charged her horn up. She summoned a pinkish barrier around them, pushing back the paparazzi and giving them breathing room. " Did anypony get trampled?", Rainbow groaned. It was at that moment that Tony felt his leg vibrating almost. He looked down and chuckled as he saw Fluttershy shaking like mad. " Um, Fluttershy", Tony chuckled. " Sorry", she whispered as she got back on her hooves. She still tried to find a way to hide from the flashes coming from behind the barrier. " There's so many of them". " Well it is Canterlot", Rarity said as she posed for some of the cameras. " News travels quickly around the nobility". " A little too quickly if ya ask me", Applejack huffed. " Anypony seen mah hat?". " I have it!", Pinkie giggled as she replaced it back on the farm pony's head. " They really wanna talk to you huh Tony? You're like a superstar!". " Let's just get to the train station", he grinned. Using the barrier as cover, they slowly made their way to the train station. The guards near the station blocked off the crowd's path, and Twilight released the barrier. They boarded quickly and soon enough they were headed back to Ponyville. Unlike their last time coming to Canterlot, this was just a simple passenger train, with beds suited for ponies of their size. It occured to each of them that Tony wouldn't have anywhere to rest except... " I could give you my pillow", Fluttershy offered. Tony waved his hand in decline but smiled no less. " I don't think sitting on the floor for so long is gonna be comfortable", Rainbow chuckled sheepishly. " How do you think me and Dan got through high school?", Tony chuckled. It died down a bit as he noticed it was just him, and no idiot remark was followed up. " Anyways, I'm just gonna head outside for a little. I never did like trains". Some of them wanted to say something, since they all noticed his change in demeanor after his joke. But they thought it best to just leave him be, he had gone through this twice before. Fluttershy especially wanted to go talk to him, but even she wasn't sure what she could say without making him remember Dan's passing. He didn't seem like he wanted to forget, and he already told them he wasn't going to mope about it. That still didn't make them want to say something. " I hope he'll be alright", Fluttershy sighed. " The funeral's tomorrow". " We know 'Shy", Rainbow said. " He's just trying to get over it. 'Sides, we'll be right there for him". " Yer darn right we will", Applejack nodded resolutely. The mares climbed into some of the beds closest together to rest until they got home. There was still something that deeply bothered a minority of them, and Twilight was one of those ponies. "And what about what Tony's past self said?", she questioned out loud. " Twilight", Pinkie said from her bed. " He said we'll have help, and besides, we get to see more hu-! I mean, Lokians!". " Loki'irians", Twilight corrected. " Maybe Tony could explain more about them, like with the humans". " Ah don't know about that", Applejack said. " He might not wanna talk 'bout it". Twilight was disappointed she couldn't learn about his kind, but seeing them nearly wiped out was very traumatizing. " I guess not", Twilight sighed. Outside, Tony leaned with his elbows on the rail and watched the vast fields of grass zoom past him. He could see the village from there, his new eyesight giving him a better view of things. The small village off in the distance reminded him about the first time he moved with his Heraj and Herod. It was their first attempt to keep him a secret, but an incident at school with his extra strength was a little too dangerous to ignore. His planet had way more gravity, and it took him a week to adjust. The forest didn't provide any consolation from the first memory, it only spurred on another. He would run through the forest with the animals listening to his Kital playing, or when Eishla played the songs and he would just listen. He wasn't sure how she could always call him "little one" even after he grew taller than her. But it gave him a sort of happiness inside, knowing she still thought of him as her own. Like her Ninjot. Her son. A tiny gasp escaped him when he felt a tear fall to the railing. Instead of brushing them away, he only smiled and eventually laughed some. Those memories were very sacred to him, but he could always remember what it was like to be a kid. Now though, and in about a year, he needed to be strong. Not just physically, but mentally. I'm sure they still watch you now Reku'un. I'm sure they are Nyla. I just miss them. As do I. You forget Eishla knew how to turn their steak into hokor. That I do Nyla, that I do. So what was it like being stone for these millions of years? Very boring actually, these ponies found me in my cave and brought me to a museum. They labeled me as dragonis ereseptus. The ancient one? These ponies. Tell me about it. Tony chuckled and looked above him, where Nyla was easily keeping up with the train. She had grown back to her full size over the few weeks. Before she was only as big as him, but now she was bigger than a Canterlot two story building. She as well had aged, but not by millions of years. It's been a while since we last rode. Care to do a little practice? I thought you'd never ask. No you didn't, I'd hear it. Nyla flew lower and smacked him on the back of the head with her tail. Tony rolled his eyes and climbed onto the railing, balancing his shoes on the thin bar. Surprisingly enough, the large saddle he bought was still secured around her body. With a small leap he landed on her back, fixed himself properly, and got a hold of the reigns. You may be stronger, but be careful with your steering. I know, it's the reason you don't have blisters on your mouth Tony lifted his rear above the saddle and pushed his upper body up as well. With a gentle yet firm grip on the riegns he tugged guidingly to the side, Nyla in turn banking slightly away from the train. He put his weight forward some and his Nera'ak began to flap her strong wings faster. They picked up more speed and soared past the roaring behemoth to their side. Tony tugged the reign into the roof of her mouth, making them ascend above the train and into the clouds. The clouds broke around the gusts caused by her wings, giving them both a full view of the moon and the stars above. After enough time staring at the moon, Tony loosened the stress on the reigns and Nyla dipped slightly. The feeling of it all sent shudders through the Signa as his heart began to beat in tune with his partner's. As if she read his mind, which she could do, she steepened her incline until they were practically dive bombing. The high winds brought tears to Tony's eyes, forcing him to squint so he could steer. The ground and train grew bigger in his vision. Bigger, and bigger, and bigger with each passing second, until he was sure they would crash. He tugged firmly on the reigns and Nyla used the momentum to slingshot back up. She corkscrewed to lose any of the extra speed, then spread her wings out to slow herself. Tony's heart raced along with his companion, and a small grin tugged at his lips. You've gotten messy Nyla, but you're as fast as ever You've gotten bigger Reku'un, but you're as dumb as ever And you wouldn't change that for nothing Nor would you Tony chuckled with Nyla's throaty ones as they flew beside the train. Ponyville was closer now, and he guessed he had a little over thirty minutes. His gaze wandered from the small village to the dark forest beside it, and a thought came to mind. Nyla, it'd be best if you stay in that forest over there. Reku'un, I can sense much disorder in that area. Are you sure it is safe? Positive... well, safe in our terms. Excellent. She flew closer to the side of the thundering metal, letting her partner jump back onto it safely. With another powerful flap, she rose high into the air, and soared ahead for the Everfree. Tony decided to go inside to escape the freezing conditions. The rest of the ride went on in silence, as the mares rested and Nyla got out of range. Once the train hit the junction, they each said their goodbyes, and went to their own homes. Tony followed Twilight back to the library, along with Spike who had been asleep this whole time. It now made sense to the man why he had bonded with the Nera'ak, since he was Nyla's very great grandson. Twilight magicked the door open for them both, then went up to her room to put Spike to sleep. Tony in turn went to his room and smiled at the pile of clothes on his bed. He threw out the smaller shirts and put his new wardrobe inside, then took off his shirt and changed into a pair of shorts. As he went to go to sleep, he stopped to look at his reflection in the mirror. Stepping closer, he looked at what caught his eye. The insignia on his arm stretched all the way to his shoulder now, the black lines meeting at last. The other scars were bad, and it gave him the impression someone threw him under a lawn mower. His new muscles also impressed himself, not out of arrogance. It was just like every other Signa adult, rippling muscles, scarred core, and broad shoulders. He chuckled when he saw the stubble that grew around and under his jaw. Making a self note to shave, he went back to the bed and sat down. " Tony?", he heard Twilight call from behind the door. " It's open". The door creaked open just enough for Twilight to slip in. " What do you need?". She sighed as she came to the side of his bed. "I'm worried about Spike, about what happened when...when-" " When Jerosh came", Tony finished for her. She nodded solemnly, still guilty for doing what she did. " He's never acted violent in his life!", she said. "Besides the time he grew so big. But, Nyla told us that he was going to be a part of this war". " If he finds his partner", Tony told her. " He'll fight if he bonds with another Signa, but I have to say, it might be me". " Please Tony, he can't fight", she pleaded almost. " He's just a baby! And he's never hurt another pony!". Tony sighed as he kneeled down and put his large hands on her shoulders. " Twilight, you're my friend, so if you don't want Spike to fight, I'll do the best I can to make sure he doesn't", he said sternly. " I promise, he won't fight". Twilight smiled and nodded softly. " Thank you", she smiled. Tony thought she looked like she needed a hug, and he was glad to give her one. When he pulled away, she still looked like she had something on her mind. " Anything else you want to talk about?" he asked. With a sigh, Twilight looked him in the eye sadly. " Ever since Dan died, you've been acting so... empty", she said. "And every time we asked you when you were in the hospital, you'd just say you were fine. Applejack and Rarity know a lot about ponies and you when it comes to lying". " Well, it's better than me going around with the Iikro waiting to get the jump", Tony flatly stated. " But it's not what any of us want", Twilight argued. " You said it yourself, Dan wants you to be happy". " Twilight. I lost my best friend, the guy I thought could be my brother", Tony said. "Sometimes I asked myself what would I do if he died. Now that I know what would happen, it's best if I just block it". " That isn't any better than moping", Twilight countered. " All I'm saying is to express how you're feeling. Don't bottle it up". Tony knew she was right, she was Twilight for Minira's sake. Just the thought of Dan made him have mixed emotions behind the halfhearted smile and glum eyes. He wasn't one to hide his emotions, so of course Applejack and Rarity picked up on his lies. Now, he buried his face in his hands and let out a long sigh. " Twilight, I don't know what to do now", he admitted. " I know what will happen in a year, I know that we'll have to fight, and I know that Dan isn't gonna be next to me when we do. But I just don't know what's safe to feel and what's not safe to feel". He wasn't going to cry, he'd done enough crying in Canterlot the day Dan died. All he could do was try and sort through the pain and find something to hold on to. Twilight's caring hug helped a little, but it also reminded him about a promise, and a rule he declared to live by. On Eishla's grave he promised, and on Dan's grave he promised as well. " You and the others are like my family, Twilight", Tony said. " And I promised Eishla to protect all of you, and I promised Dan I would do what he wanted for me. I just need some time Twilight, but I won't be such a zombie anymore". " I'm glad to hear it", she smiled. She got back down and made her way to the door. " Goodnight". " 'Night". The door clicked shut, and Tony laid back to let the sleep overcome him early. The funeral was to be in the afternoon, in front of Town Hall. The whole town showed up once they heard about Dan's passing, and it was very hard for Tony to tell Vinyl that Dan died. She took it hard, but she never cried. " He was a really fun guy", Vinyl sighed sadly. " I'm gonna miss him". " So will I", Tony told her. Now, Tony waited in his seat as their friends each said their own little goodbyes, some wishing him the best in the afterlife. Many knew how close Tony was with him, so often they would say how sorry they were for his loss. He only nodded and thanked them for their concern. Celestia and Luna stood beside the casket of their friend, each having spoken their own speeches about him already. As each pony paid their respect, Tony thought back to their time together. " Never say never, y'know kid?" " Yeah, well.... fuck you buddy. Ooooooh!" " These mutts won't know what hit'em right?" " So this is it huh? I thought I'd die sooner, guess you can't have all the fun huh?" " Ah-ha! Three of a kind bitches!" " Sometimes I just wanna be a penguin, don't you?" " I'll always be by your side Tony, no matter what happens. We'll fight all the bad guys and get all the girls and the money's. Right kid?" " And now, a final word from Dan's closest friend", Celestia's voice announced. " Tony, if you would". All eyes were on him, and it took Tony some time to snap out of his thoughts. He stood up slowly, then walked up to the microphone and looked at his hest friend. The preservation spell kept him from decaying, and it also kept the grin he died with. Tony faced the huge crowd before him, and he could see some nosey reporters on the sidelines. The Elements were just off to the side, and Celestia and Luna were next to him, Luna being closer. Tony lowered his head to the stand, looking for what he could possibly say. " Y'know", he finally began. " When me and Dan were kids, he made me a promise. He said to me that... no matter what happened... he'd be by my side. I guess it's kind of ironic that even then I didn't believe him... and after all that we've been through he was telling the truth" " Daniel Fondor, even after I left for ten years I never stopped hearing what he used to tell me. The funny things, the plain dumb things, I even remembered the day he tried jumping a river with a bike". Tony chuckled as he recalled that incident, and wiped a forming tear away before it could fall. Luna stepped closer and nuzzled his shoulder, giving Tony some comfort. " But even though he loved to party, he always found or made time to hang out with me. He was like a big brother to me, and I accepted being his little brother. But... he's gone now, and I made him and someone else a very important promise" " I owe it to him to tell you all the truth". He glimpsed to his friends, who only nodded in agreement. " Daniel Fondor was human, his girlfriend Diane was human, and his father Erick Fondor was human. Me, I was never a human". This got the attention of the crowd. " I'm not even from Earth. Say what you will, I, am a Loki'irian Signa. My name isn't Tony, or Anthony. It's Reku'un Alamonshuor. I'm not just some high school graduate. I am, for a lack of terms, the prince of my race. Daniel was the one to be my friend when no one else would, and when I came here, I made even more" " So, thank you Dan, for being my friend. I'm gonna miss you, but I had a lot of fun with you", Tony smiled. "I hope we meet on the other side". Though he was smiling, he was oblivious to the stream of tears that had fallen onto the stand. The crowd had felt what he felt, and now they were curious as to what a Loki'irian was. Tony walked away from the stand to wait off on the side, letting Celestia take the stand again. " Before we lay Dan to rest", she began. " I would ask each of you to respect him and not ask any questions or take any photos". The news reporters each stowed away their cameras somewhere, out of respect for Tony's loss. With a final nod, Celestia's horn glowed in a faint gold hue, as well as Dan's casket. With Luna by her side, Celestia lifted the casket above her and stepped down from the small stage. Tony followed beside them, as well as the Elements behind the three. The crowd seperated to let them through, and as each face passed with a glum expression, Tony's memories poured back in. " This is Diane! Remember? Freshman year?" " This is one way of flying high, isn't it Nyla?" " We gon' shoot some bitches tonight! Hell yeah!" " Kid, would I ever lie to you?" " You suck at video games y'know that?" " Guess I'll see ya in the real world? I'm headin' off to MIT, so guess it's goodbye for now" They reached the trench in which Dan would be laid to rest. Silently, Celestia lowered the casket into its final resting place. Before the guards at either side of the grave pushed the dirt back in, Tony only remembered one last thing. "And when I'm gone, just carry on don't mourn rejoice Every time you hear the sound of my voice, just know that I'm lookin' down on you smilin' And I didn't feel a thing so baby don't feel no pain Just smile back" And smile he did. Even as the tears streamed down his face, and Luna leaned against him for support, Tony smiled. With the dirt back in place, Celestia placed a tombstone at the head of the grave, and with her magic she carved his name and a few words of her own. Before she could write down the birth and death date, Tony tapped her shoulder. " Celestia, if Dan were still here, I know he'd want me to do this", he smiled. He leaned closer and whispered into her ear, and softly she smiled. Recasting the spell she carved the dates into the stone, then wrote a few words about him. When it was all done, Tony smiled as he looked over it. Daniel Martin Fondor March 18, 1983-September 10, 5,002,010 " A true friend and ally. Loyal and carefree. Humorous, caring, and understanding. No one or pony could match his friendly sarcasm or his love of fun. He will be missed dearly." To end it off, the ponies closest to Dan laid a rose in front of his tombstone. One by one, the pile of red flowers began to grow bigger. The last rose to fall came from Tony's hand, and just as he turned to leave, he did something he never thought he'd do. Dan did it all the time, and as this was his final goodbye, it was only fitting that Tony did it. With teary eyes, and a trembling hand, Tony rolled his fingers in except his index and middle finger. He guided the pointing fingers to his temple, and gently placed them against his head. " Bye Dan".