"It never gets any easier, does it?"
Princess Luna looked up. The one who had spoken, a member of her royal guard, looked upon her with a sadness in his eyes. The dim light from the fireplace casted long, flickering shadows around him.
The Princess of the Moon sighed. "No, Tarin. It never has and it most likely never will." She shook her head and got up from where she had been laying on her bed. "I am delaying the inevitable at this point. If this does not happen now, I fear I will not have the strength to do what must be done later."
The guard lowered his head.
"Ponies are dying, my love. What would you have me do?"
He gazed up into her eyes. "Fight him yourself. Send your guard after him. Find another way. There is always another way."
She shook her head. "Not this time, my love."
He glared at her. Her eyes were sympathetic, but unfaltering. He sighed. "Very well. You have made your mind, and as your royal guard and husband, it is my duty to support you."
She smiled. Removing Tarin's helmet, she kissed his forehead. "Thank you, my love. In these dark times, you mean the world to me. But we have to go."
He nodded. "I'll prepare the carriage."
She held up a hoof. "No. I want us to be the only ones."
"Very well." He closed his eyes and felt his lover's hoof grasp his own. When he opened his eyes again, they were standing on the edge of a small clearing within a dense forest. He gazed warily into the gloomy fringes of his surroundings and shivered slightly, ruffling his feathers.
Princess Luna and Tarin strode forwards through the grass. The cold night wind whistled past the pair as the dead leaves of Autumn danced around their hooves. As the Princess approached the center of the clearing, she noticed that Tarin had been falling behind, seemingly lost in thought. She turned towards him with a curious expression on her face. "My love?"
He started, blinking hard. Shaking his head, he gazed up into his Princess' eyes. "S-Sorry, Princess. It's just that...I mean..."
He gulped. "Is this really it? The Hero of Time's grave?"
She stepped forwards, nuzzling him gently. "Do not be afraid, my love. As long as I stand by your side, you have nothing to fear."
He took a few deep breaths and stood straight up. "...Okay, Princess. I'm ready."
They turned their sights back to the center of the clearing. Once they reached it, they were greeted by a huge mound of rubble. Broken planks of wood, crushed stone bricks, jagged shards of glass, and an enormous clock face, now rusted from age, lay before them. In the center of the wreckage, a small circle of the wreckage had been cleared away. Stepping carefully over the ruins, they saw a small, flat stone set into the earth with a simple inscription:
Here lies Rainbow Dash
Element of Loyalty
Savior of the World
Hero of Time
Princess Luna closed her eyes. Her horn began to glow with a midnight blue aura. The sounds of the forest died away as the spell took affect - the wind ceased to blow and the leaves laid still upon the grass. Slowly, the ground before them began to shift and glow with an otherwordly light. As the spell grew in intensity, Luna began to sweat profusely. Just as her horn began to spark, her knees crumpled, and she was caught by Tarin before she hit the ground.
"It's alright, my love...just hold on for a little while longer..."
A single tear fell from the Princess' cheek.
"Please...you are our only hope..."
The light grew brighter and brighter, then finally stopped altogether. The sounds of the forest resumed their duties - the wind, the leaves. The Princess let out a breath she had not realized she had been holding. Her vision blurry, she looked towards the ground that lay before her.
"Princess!" cried Tarin.
The earth shifted restlessly. A section of dirt bulged upwards and broke, revealing a blue hoof punching through the soil. The first hoof was followed by another hoof, which was followed by a head, until finally, a mare lay before the couple, gasping and panting. Her head rose up, revealing a pair of rose colored eyes along with a mane that held every color of the rainbow.
"L...Luna...?" The mare's eyes darted back and forth between the Princess and her guard. She coughed. "W-What's going on? D...Did I...?"
Tarin sighed and held out a hoof.
"Come with me, Hero. We have much to discuss."