Luna and Celestia were confused.
"And who exactly are you two?" Celestia asked.
"What? Have you not read any of Miss Do's novels?" Ahuizotl asked, as he proudly declared, “I am Ahuizotl, her arch-nemesis!
"And I am Dr. Caballeron, also her arch-nemesis... well, sort of..." Caballeron added.
"And you two must be the princesses..." Ahuizotl noticed Discord. "Who's the abomination floating next to you?"
"Abomination?!" Discord glowed red with anger. "This coming from ugly mug of a cat-gorilla thingie?!"
"Can it, Frankenpony!" Caballeron snarled. "We are here for the Phoenix, and we are going to get it!"
"What do you want with the Phoenix?!" Luna asked.
"Why power, of course." Ahuizotl smirked. "This Phoenix has the ability to grant immortality to whoever uses it. I plan to use it!"
"But Ahuizotl…aren’t you already immortal?!" Daring pointed out.
"Yeah!" Caboose agreed. "You using the Phoenix would be as pointless as your attempt to make the sun hotter in the 'Ring of Destiny'. Honestly, dude, you are a moron when it comes to 'evil plans'."
"You read my books?" Daring asked.
"Like a hundred times." Caboose smiled. "I could easily recite all the books word by word... if O'Malley would let me remember them." O'Malley jumped in. "I told you before, it would be a waste of time."
"You insolent cur!" Ahuizotl hissed. "How dare you mock me!"
"Hey, you deserve it! If I wanted to create an endless drought, I would kidnap Sunbutt over here!" O'Malley gestured to Celestia.
"Excuse me?" Celestia frowned.
"Oh boy, I did not mean it like that-" Caboose returned.
"Getting back on topic here, once Ahuizotl gets done with the Phoenix, I plan to sell it for a good coin." Caballeron boasted.
"Well, ain't that a shame?" Shine declared. "Because we all found this Phoenix first, so bug off!"
"Yes... we need this Phoenix so we can live forever with our loved ones, and I be darned if I let you two stop us!" Gothic agreed.
"Oh, cry me a river!" Caballeron snorted. "Celestia and Luna can easily replace you! To them, you are nothing more than ponies to satisfy their..." He chuckled. "’Needs’, and to sire their foals. Once you're gone, they probably coddle another pair of handsome stallions!
Celestia and Luna gaped in fury.
"Oh no, he didn't!" Discord said in a sassy tone, snapping his fingers.
"Oh yes he did!" Caboose replied with equal sass.
"Oh no, he didn't!" Discord repeated.
"Oh yes, he did..." Caboose responded again, casting an annoyed glare at Discord.
"Oh no-" Discord started.
"Oh yes he did!" Caboose yelled as O’Malley. "You just heard him, didn't you?!"
Discord shied away in fear.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Luna roared, furious.
"Our husbands are more to us than just concubines and foal-providers!" Celestia snarled. "We love them, and we will not allow you to sully their names. We can think of worse fates then spending eternity with them!"
"Pity." Ahuitzotl sniffed. “Because when we are through, you four can spend eternity together... in the afterlife. Cats..." All his cats prepared to strike. "Sic them.”
The cats charged, with Ahuizotl and Caballeron right behind them. The ponies (plus Discord) struck back. Celestia and Luna used their magic to blast away some of the cats, but there were more coming. The other fought bravely; Shine and Daring's injured wings impaired their mobility, but they pressed on. Caboose even broke out of his funk to help Gothic in fighting off the cats.
Meanwhile, Discord was fighting Ahuizotl. Discord wrapped his tail around one of his arms and wrapping his upper body around his neck. He then began forcing him to punch himself.
"Why are you hitting yourself?!" He punched Ahuizotl. "Why are you hitting yourself?!"
Dr. Caballeron, taking advantage of Daring being ‘preoccupied’, snuck up behind her, knife in mouth.
"Payback time." He mumbled, just before diving at her.
Caboose, having just mule-kicked a panther, was in the perfect position to see Caballeron coming.
"Nooo!" He leapt in front of Daring, kicking the knife out of Caballeron's mouth.
"Caboose, you..." Daring gasped.
Caboose stared at Caballeron, his features hardening as O'Malley took over.
"You're gonna pay for that sneaky stunt, doc." He sneered.
“Now wait just a moment, I am sure we can work something-“ Caballeron stammered.
“This is for my hoof tip!” O’Malley roared, as with one swift turn, he brought his hoof into the Doctor's face, knocking him out. He turned back to Daring, Caboose returning.
"Caboose, I..." Daring smiled. "Thank you."
"No prob." Caboose smiled, “Even though I might not have a chance in Tartarus with you…it isn’t fair if other ponies didn’t have a chance to be with you.”
"Well… for all it's worth, I'm sorry I said those things to you last night." Daring confessed. "If we survive this… if the offer is still open... would you like to go out sometime?"
"Are you kidding?" Caboose gasped, “I would-“
The kitten from before let out a major hiss as it lunges at Caboose. The pony catches the kitten with his magic and flung the poor kitten out of the temple.
“Gosh, I hate cats.” Caboose grumbled, as he then smiled at Daring, “As I was saying… I would love that.”
Meanwhile, Ahuizotl had slipped free of Discord, and went after Gothic.
"You..." He hissed. "If not for you and your friends, this would have been so much easier!"
Dodging Gothic's blasts, Ahuizotl grabbed him with his tail hand and flung him against the wall. There was a sickening crack, and Gothic collapsed.
"GOTHIC!" Luna screamed.
“Hmph, feeble old stallion.” Ahuizotl growled.
In complete fury, Luna seethed at Ahuizotl, using her Canterlot voice "You monster! You will pay dearly for this!”
“Oh, what are you going to do, hmm?” Ahuizotl mocked, “Hit me with your insignificant mag-“
Luna fired a powerful blast of magic at Ahuizotl, blowing him across the room, unfortunately putting right next to the Phoenix. Although his body suffered bruises from hitting the wall hard, he only grinned.
"Foolish princess!" He smirked, as the disheveled Caballeron joined him. "You have ensured my victory!"
"Not so fast!" Caboose charged forward. Suddenly he tripped. "Whoa!"
Caboose tumbled over to the side of the Phoenix. As he hit it, he depressed some kind of hidden switch. The ruby in the Phoenix's emitted a terrible red light, which seemed to paralyze Ahuizotl and Caballeron.
"What is this?" Ahuizotl struggled.
The entire Phoenix began to glow. Golden stream of energy flew outward, heading towards the villainous pair. Daring and Caboose managed to pull Caballeron out of the way, but the energy struck Ahuizotl head-on.
"AAAAGGGGHHH!" He roared, as he vanished in a blinding flash of light.
The dust settled, leaving the somewhat steaming artifact in its wake. Shine and the others uncover their eyes, surprised by what happened...
"Whoa." Shine gasped.
"What in the hay just happened?" Caboose asked.
"I'm not sure..." Daring frowned. "It seems like you must have activated some self-defense mechanism in the artifact. Ahuizotl didn't stand a chance against it."
" ...Whoa, that would definitely pitch for a good price on the black market." Caballeron noted.
Caboose and Daring glared at the doctor, knocking him out with both their hooves. Suddenly, they heard Gothic groaning.
"Gothic!" Luna gasped.
Luna went to Gothic's side, as the unicorn groaned in pain.
"Gothic, are you all right?" Luna asked.
"I don't think so..." Gothic grunted. "I can't feel my back legs."
"Gothic..." Luna teared up. "Oh gosh, I didn't mean this to happen to you."
"It's not your fault, Lulu... it's mine." Discord sighed. "I'm the idiot who sent him and Shine here in the first place."
"No, it's nopony's fault but mine." Gothic admitted. "I'm the one who wanted to use the Phoenix so I could have eternal life. This is life punishing me for wanting more time... for not wanting Luna and Constell to have to live their life without me. All this happened because of me."
"Hey, this is not all on you." Shine countered. "I came with you because somewhere deep inside, I wanted to live forever as well. I didn't want to grow old while Celestia and Miracle stayed the same."
"Shine..." Celestia whispered.
"Yeah, and even though I got dragged along against my will just so I wouldn't blab my mouth (not that it mattered either way), I wanted to help both you guys get what you wanted... and in the process, I might had found something myself." Caboose chuckled, smiling at Daring.
"Thanks...Shine...Caboose..." Gothic smiled tearfully. "But that doesn't change things. I'll probably never walk again..."
"...Yes you will." Luna insisted.
Gothic glanced at Luna oddly, as Luna glanced at the Phoenix. Everypony realized what she meant.
"...Luna, no...I can't do that to you..." Gothic declared. "Not after you two came here to stop us..."
"But this is what you wanted." Luna countered. "You came this far, and probably broke every bone in your body just so you can live forever... if this thing could give you eternal life, it could heal you..."
"What about you?" Gothic asked. "You didn't want this life for me..."
"You're right." Luna agreed. "I don't want you to know the pain of immortality as me and my sister did... but I also don't want you to spend the rest of your life in misery..."
"Luna... I..." Gothic stuttered.
Luna interrupted him by kissing him.
"It's alright, Gothic." She smiled. "It's okay..."
Celestia turned to Shine.
"You should go, too..." She declared.
"But, Cherryblossom... I gave you that necklace, because I came to terms with you being immortal." Shine told her. "If I did this, I would be sullying the significance of that locket."
"Shine... this necklace showed that you were willing to be a loyal husband to me, even though I would outlive you." Celestia smiled, placing a hoof on her golden locket. "And I cannot in good faith deny you, the pony who had given me love and a beautiful child, the chance to live forever. To be honest, I would love to spend forever with you."
"But... Big Red, Cherry, Mist... if I do this... they will... would they be okay with this?" Shine asked.
"If they know that this will make you happy... they will understand." Celestia kissed Shine. "They will always love you, as will I."
Shine paused for a moment, as he shared a glance with Gothic. The two shared a nod. Shine went to Gothic's side, and he tried helping Gothic to his feet. Fortunately, Caboose came and help them. Leaning on Shine, the two princes approached the artifact. The two glanced at Celestia and Luna, who stood by, watching with anticipation. Daring Do and Caboose joined them, as well as Discord.
"So... this thing won't do that 'light of doom' thing again, will it?" Shine asked.
"It shouldn't." Daring noted. "All they need to do is to push in that ruby on its stomach."
Shine and Gothic both let out heavy sighs. With one last nod, they pushed the ruby. Suddenly, the artifact began to activate. Discord leaned in to Celestia.
"If Shine doesn't make it, are you free Friday night?" He whispered.
"He'll make it." Celestia glares at Discord.
The Golden Phoenix's eyes lit up into a dazzling white, which enveloped Shine and Gothic, and blinding everypony else. Soon, the light faded, as there was fog everywhere...
"Shine?" Celestia asked.
"Gothic?!" Luna fretted.
"Marco?!" Caboose chimed in.
The two pony sisters looked at Caboose oddly. Suddenly, the fog cleared up, as Shine appeared before them. His wings were healed... but that wasn't the only change.
"Shine!" Celestia hugged him. "Are you alright?"
"Uh... I think so." Shine said woozily.
"How ya feeling?" Daring asked. "Do you feel different?"
"To be honest, no." Shine shrugged. "But my wings feel tingly for some reason." He spread his wings... and suddenly, the others gasped. "What?"
"Shine, your wings... they changed." Celestia pointed.
Shine looked at his wings, and his mate was right. His wings' feathers were now tipped with gold, and the wingspan was longer.
"Whoa." He gasped. "What does this mean?
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Discord smirked. "This is proof that you've been gifted with eternal life. You weren't that old to begin with, you know."
"But where's Gothic?" Luna asked.
"Luna?"
The others looked behind Shine, as Gothic appeared by him. Everypony was shocked, as Gothic's body was completely restored, his back completely restored. In fact, Gothic looked like he did when he first met Luna. The gray streak in his mane was gone, and there was no wrinkles on his snout. His horn had a silver-ish glow upon it.
"Did it work?" He asked.
"Yes!" Luna said tearfully, rushing to embrace her husband. "You're okay!"
"Of course I am." Gothic returned the hug. "Now that you're here."
"I was so afraid." Luna sniffed. "When you hit that wall, I thought I'd lost you forever..."
"But you didn't." Gothic smiled. "And now, you'll have me forever."
"And you, me." Luna chuckled, leaning in to kiss Gothic.
"Thank you, Discord." Celestia declared. "If you hadn't given Gothic that map, none of this wouldn't have happened."
"I know." Discord smiled. "But I never dreamed the path could be so... chaotic."
"Thanks anyway, big D." Shine nodded.
“Yeah, now can you take us home? We have a dirtbag to run in and an artifact to ship out.” Caboose explained.
“Of course. Back to Canterlot, we go!” Discord chuckled as he snapped his fingers, as everypony disappeared in a flash.
They appeared in the same spot Discord, Celestia and Luna were in when they left. Dusty, Blueblood, Mist, Miracle and Constell came rushing over, drawn by the flash.
"Caboose!" Dusty hugged her uncle. "You're alright!"
"More then alright." Caboose indicated Daring. "I got me a date!"
"Is that... Daring Do?" Blueblood stared.
"That's my name, don't wear it out." Daring chuckled.
"Daddy!" Miracle glomped her father. "I missed you!"
"I missed you too, my little sunbeam." Shine declared.
"What happened to you, dad?" Constell asked. "You look so... young."
"And what's with the fancy wings, Shine?" Mist asked.
"Well, long story short, me and Gothic are immortal now." Shine declared.
"No way!" Constell gasped. "You're like me and mom now."
"Sure are." Gothic nodded. "I'm with you for the long haul."
"This is so cool!" Mist chuckled. "My big bro's immortal!"
"I hope you don't mind." Shine declared. "I mean, being outlived by your big brother."
"That's okay." Mist smiled. "You deserve to be with Celestia."
"I'll miss you." Shine admitted.
"I just bet you will." Mist chuckled.
"Okay, enough mush!" Discord snorted. "Time to celebrate! Who's for an immortality dance party!"
Discord created a dance floor, and speakers bursting out music. Everypony danced and partied in celebration.
And so our journey had ended. Shine and Gothic were now free to live for all eternity with their loving wives and children, and returned to their lives at Canterlot Castle.
Discord, seeing that ‘his work was done’, decided to travel Equestria for the umpteenth time, because that’s apparently what he liked doing.
Dr. Caballeron was later incarcerated and sent to prison for attempted murder and previous counts of kidnapping and stealing valuable items... but after nearly dying in that light, he decided to change his outlook on life and try to become a better pony.
As for Daring Do... well, with her final quest complete, her last book good as written, and her nemesis dying in a great ball of who-knows-what, she was left with a good question... 'what now?' Well, as she gazed at the very handsome and very masculine royal guard who saved her life, she decided that she didn’t want to be on her own anymore. So she took him up on that offer…and as of now, she and yours truly are now dating. Thus concluding the story of 'Seeking Eternity'.
“The End.” Caboose declared.
Caboose was sitting in a Canterlot bar, his brothers with him. All of them looked at him incredulously, except for Grimoire.
"Wow, it sounds like you had quite an adventure for the books." Grimoire noted. "Unbelievable, I must say."
"Unbelievable is right." Vinny glared at Caboose. "You expect us to believe that you are now playing tongue jockey with the Daring Do?"
"The most prestigious 'A.K. Yearling'?" Murray asked.
"Number 4 in the list of the hottest mares in Equestria?" Slot sneered.
"I thought we agreed Rainbow Dash was hotter than Daring Do." Sonny glared at Slot.
"DARING DO AND RAINBOW DASH LOOK THE SAME, DANGIT!" Slot yelled.
"Sorry, Caboose, ol' buddy, but there's no way that you could land Daring Do." Salt chuckled.
"But it's true!" Caboose protested. "I have her number and everything! I got kiss marks right here!" He showed his neck with red marks all over.
"That's cherry jam." Lars snorted. "And I'm with Salty here. The chances of you dating Daring Do is as small as there being pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbows."
"Guys!" Caboose yelped. "I'm telling you the truth!"
"Come off it, kid." Murray shook his head. "I mean, if none of us could land a mare, then you sir, have no chance in-"
"Chance in what?"
Appearing next to Caboose was Daring, she was wearing a normal dress. The six brothers were stupefied.
"Sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear 'Boose here giving away the plot of my last book." She smiled.
"Sorry, but they wanted to know what I was so happy these days." Caboose explained. "They didn't believe that you and I were dating now."
"Oh is that so?" Daring shot a devious glance at the brothers, who were still shocked. "Well, then... let's see if this proves anything.”
Daring kissed Caboose passionately. The brothers' jaws slammed against the table. Daring pulled away.
"Believe my coltfriend now?" She smirked.
"I know I did." Grimoire chuckled.
"Now, as much I would love to say I told you so, me and Daring have a reservation to catch. See ya!" Caboose took Daring's hoof, as the couple left the tavern. The brothers were still bewildered.
"Did what I think happened... happen?" Murray asked.
"Did we somehow get transported to an alternate reality where Caboose actually got a mare?" Sonny trembled.
"Did somepony slip a roofie in my mug?" Vinny looked at his mug.
"Oh come off it, you guys." Grimoire smirked. "I always knew that Caboose would be the second pony in the family to get a mare."
"What?!" Slot yelped. "You gotta be kiddin' me! Him, Caboose, the stallion who mistook that pink pony for a girl? Who shot Church with a cannon? The 'psycho'?! That just can't be!"
"Hmph, if that is so, then why is Caboose now in a relationship, while all of you are still single?" Grimoire asked.
Murray and the others gaped, as they struggled to answer. Grimm just shut them up.
"I don't know about you guys, but I for one am happy for him. Caboose deserves a special somepony more than anyone."
Grimoire glanced out the window. "Say, is that a pink fluffy unicorn dancing on a rainbow out there?"
The brothers only went paler.
"Hey, barkeep?" Vinny called. "Get us your strongest stuff... all of it."
The End.