//------------------------------//
// Dear Twilight... 
// Story: Dragon of the Eclipse 
// by Marik_Azemus 
//------------------------------//

Epilogue

Dear Twilight,

Every night I dream about that day, when I saw you become what you are now.




Cerberus made sure to look the letter over several times, slowly and carefully.
"You seem somewhat obsessed with the Princess."
Bubblemint Berry, who was taking notes in the corner of the library, had taken up Judas' responsibility of providing a decent amount of snark for everypony to snort at.
"I just miss her a lot." said Cerberus as he tucked the letter away in his bag of holding. "I may have married Fluttershy but Twilight was the one who rescued me."
"Mmm-hmm." Bubblemint adjusted his glasses and resumed his work. "Now then, that takes care of the scientific studies section... Spike, would you kindly check if this library carries the Adventurous Astronomer's Almanac?"
Spike flew down from his perch about a bookshelf the second floor down to Bubblemint and handed him the requested book. "Anything else, boss?"
"No thank you, and you don't have to call me boss. You're my partner, not my assistant."
"Sure thing, boss. Hey, have you gotten taller?"
"Very funny."
It wasn't that Bubblemint was upset about his stunted growth, not in the slightest. In fact, just after the taking of Canterlot, he went under a massive growth spurt, and in a manner of a few years, he began to rival Winter Solstice in size. His mane had also grown long and began to grey. It was common knowledge that Heretic had figuratively become a broken bird after the deaths of Judas and Winter Solstice. All joy in his calculations and studies had disappeared, and he only collected books, never reading them, only keeping them dust free. 
"Right then, my collection is nearing completion. I have nearly every book that was published this year."
"How do you afford all this?" asked Cerberus.
"You spent your war benefits building your family. I merely occupied this building in Twilight Sparkle's absence leaving me plenty of pounds and bits left over, now are we done?"
"I can tell you're not interested in talking. I'll let you work."
"Yes, excellent decision. There's not enough time in the world to achieve one's goals and make idle chit-chat."
Spike, who had begun to lie down for a nap, followed Cerberus out the door.




It hurt me a lot, to see you walk away from your friends. For a long time, I wondered why.

Luckily, Heretic's superior mind was still of great use, and his knowledge of government creation and reconstruction allowed the Lunar Republic, as well as New Ponyville, to blossom forth.
"Good morning Cerberus!" said Blossomforth as she passed by with her cart of flowers. Cerberus waved back politely. The fact that his name had become a legend still had yet to sink in. In his mind, he was just another pony.

After Winter Solstice and Judas died, I didn't cry, but I regretted not getting to know them better. Until then, I never even took the time to say "I love you" to Judas. She said it to me almost every day. It hurt to let her go, but it hurt worse to watch you go.

What qualified as 'just another pony' had changed in so little time. While the majority of the population was still made up of purebred earthwalkers, pegasi and unicorns, the streets of New Ponyville, with its tall Veneightian buildings and winding canals, were home to the half breeds that had come out of hiding. Flutterponies, zebra unicorns and pegasi, griffons, Changelings... even other half dragons. Everywhere one looked there was a half breed, free to walk the streets without being assaulted or slandered.

I thought maybe I could get to know you better, but now I only know you as the pony whose life I ruined. If I hadn't been thrown into the Everfree Forest, or maybe if you hadn't come along to save me, you would still be here where you belong.

A sigh and an inhale of the moist spring air were all Cerberus needed to know it was going to be a gorgeous day. "Beautiful sight, isn't it, Spike?"
The little dragon stretched his arms and wings and looked to the clear sky. "You bet. You know, the red rooftops look awesome from above. Wanna go flying for a bit?"
"Eh, no thanks. There is something you can do for me, though."
"Sure thing, bro."
Spike had really gotten in touch with his lineage since he got his wings, speaking regular Draconic and calling every dragon or pony with dragon heritage he met some variation of "Brother." It hit a bit of a soft spot when he called Cerberus that.
Cerberus reached into his bag of holding and hoofed over a multiple page letter to Spike. It was wrinkled and torn at the edges with many lines crossed out or erased. Only a few lines were legible.
"I can only send post to my mother and odds are she's asleep at this hour. You still have your letter link, right?"
Spike scratched his chin. "Well... technically I'm not linked specifically to Celestia, the exact words when the spell was cast on me were 'Princess of the Sun', so I think this should go straight to Twilight."
"Here's hoping. I've spent years on that letter."

Perhaps I have yet to understand what it means to sacrifice, considering that until I met you, I never had anything to die for.

Spike held the letter up high and breathed his enchanted green fire upon it. Cerberus sighed heavily as he saw the flames soaring across the sky to Canterlot.
"I suppose flames do have their uses, other than destruction."
"Yeah..." Spike wasn't exactly in the mood for a deep conversation, plus he had other plans. "I'm taking off." he announced with a vibe of somewhat undeserved accomplishment. "I'm going out to dinner at the new Sunset Soiree with the Cutie Mark Crusaders."
Cerberus snickered.
"What's so funny?"
"You spend all that time chasing Rarity and now you go after three girls at once?"
Spike started across the cobblestone bridge over the canals. "Cerb, sometimes when you get what you want, you realize that it was much better wanting. I value Rarity as a friend and I don't want to put that at stake."
"That's very mature of you."
"The Cutie Mark Crusaders, however... ever since graduation, they've filled out something fierce."
"I retract my last statement."
Spike pumped his fist in the air and spread his wings. "Trust me, by the end of tonight, one of those three fine mares will be-"
That sentence would go eternally unfinished, thanks to three rambunctious seaponies making a jump over the bridge and drenching Spike in cold water, leaving many bystanders to laugh out loud. Spike even found himself laughing too once the shock wore off. The only one who wasn't really laughing was Cerberus. Everywhere he went he just wished Twilight was there to see it, and this was no exception.

I hope I can see you again soon. I may have a beautiful wife, but right now I just need a friend.




Later that day, Cerberus was flying through the eastern quadrant of New Ponyville, doing his part to clean out the clouds for the day. Construction of the town had begun as soon as Spring had come to the old town’s ruins post revolution, and in the years since, it had never truly stopped. A rain cloud was working its way slowly towards one of the build sites that was still pouring wet cement for the foundation. Cerberus stretched his right wing out and curled his left one in, causing him to turn sharply. He pulled up right behind the cloud and pushed it away from the oblivious construction workers, and off into the distant apple orchards.
Cerberus looked up towards the sun, squinting as he tried to figure out the time relative to its position. It was a little after three. “Alright, that’s enough work for one day,” he said to himself as he sped off towards the weather station. He didn’t want to be late, after all. It was time for the weekly picnic.
He looked up at the sun again. He really wished that Twilight would come meet up with them, at least once in a while. He knew that Fluttershy always packed an additional daisy sandwich, just in case, and there always seemed to be too much punch. Sometimes, nopony would even touch the desserts, lest they be the one who sees the last one. It seemed that the closest he and the rest would ever get to Twilight for a while would be her magenta sunlight. 
Banking as he caught too much of an updraft, Cerberus took a second to admire what had become of a town that had suffered so much destruction. New Ponyville wasn’t so much a town as it was a city.
"Dad!"
As Cerberus was flying over the sunflower decorated fields on the outskirts of town, he heard the shrill and energetic voice of his son. Nero. At first glance, nopony would guess that this young colt had mixed blood. His wings were feathered, his coat a baby blue with not a single scale, and his mane was frosty white, cascading down the sides of his face into a curl, just like his mother’s. The only things he seemed to have gotten from his father were a pair of green, draconic eyes, a strong sense of self, and a single fang in his otherwise flawless smile.
Of course, it was also somewhat abnormal how quickly he was learning to fly, but 'learning' was still the key word. Cerberus had to help him keep his balance. "It's hard to keep both wings flapping in unison, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is. I'm getting better. Watch this!" Nero dived and attempted to do one of Rainbow Dash's loop-de-loops, but he stalled at the peak of his turn and Cerberus had to catch him. That happened three times before Nero said, "I think I'm just having an off day."
Cerberus couldn't have been more proud. "You have your aunt Judas' determination."




"Cerberus! Nero! Over here!"
Pinkie Pie's shouting and the smell of baked goods wafting through the slight breeze led Cerberus and Nero to the picnic beside a large lake under a single cherry tree.
There was always one unoccupied spot on the red checkered sheet, just in case Twilight showed up unannounced. Cerberus sat next to that spot every time he joined the picnic with his best friends, with Fluttershy by his side.
Applejack brought out the colorful array of apples and apple flavored treats, Fluttershy had the sandwiches and many varieties of plants and grass to go with, Rarity had a thermos filled to the brim with fruit punch, and Pinkie Pie had enough leftover sweets from the recent grand opening of Sugarcube Corner to feed an Ursa Minor.
As Cerberus and Nero began to dig in, Applejack looked around in every direction. "Confound it, Ah coulda sworn Ah had another basket of-"
Cackling laughter erupted from the pond as three tentacled pranksters tossed the basket of red delicious back and forth. Applejack winced every time it almost made contact with the water.
"You thievin' varmint octiponies! You gotta pay for that!"
One of the octiponies blew a raspberry and dragged the basket under the surface with her. Applejack stomped the grass in frustration, but Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy found it hilarious.
"Like there ain't enough troublemakers in this town..." Applejack muttered.
"They were just having fun, AJ!" cackled Pinkie. She reached into her basket and retrieved a slice of cornbread. "Hey Cerb! Catch!"
While Nero began to wolf down cupcakes and apple fritters, Cerberus caught the cornbread. He hesitated to pack it away, because looking at that cornbread brought him back to his first day in the old Ponyville, and how this was the first meal he ate there. He then remembered the rest of that day, the day that made him realize that he didn't need to be a xenophobic coward, that he could stand and fight instead of running away.
"Um, Dad?"
Nero nudged Cerberus. He looked concerned.
"Why are you crying?"
Cerberus was too busy with his sentiment to notice his wet cheeks. He dried them quickly. "It's nothing, Nero," he lied. But, looking at Fluttershy, who had hardly stopped smiling for years on end, to Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, who had saved him from himself, and back at his son, who would never have to experience pain or suffering, he corrected that last statement. "Actually, it's everything."
All it took was a single magenta letter descending from the high city of Canterlot to remind Cerberus that despite the hardships and heartbreak, in the end, it was all worth it, just to experience the magic of true friendship.




My dearest Cerberus,

You put the blame on yourself far too much. I do yearn for the simpler days back in Ponyville, but that town is long gone. New Ponyville is your home, not mine, and you have lots of other friends there that you can always talk to.
Do stop blaming yourself. It wasn't fate or karma that that made me a princess. It was not my destiny. I chose this path, just as you chose yours. Don't waste your life worrying about the past. Those who look only to the past are certain to miss the future. I learned that the hard way. You have a brilliant future. You, Fluttershy and Nero can spend every day in happiness, and it would make all our efforts go to waste if you can't enjoy yourself. Can you do that for me? Just be happy, and I'll know I'm doing my job right.

Love, Twilight.

PS: I was only able to send this so quickly because my new assistant, Maredoth, is ridiculously fast with her quill. Still not as good as Spike, though!




Meanwhile, back in the library...

There was one last book that Heretic had not dusted off, and it was not on the shelves. For years, it had been taking up space in Heretic's bag of holding, and he had all but run out of use for it, at least until right then, when he emptied out the bag, letting "The Myths and Murders of the Half Breeds" fall to the wood floor. Heretic picked it up, fully ready to put it aside forever, but that fall was the last straw. The book fell apart in his hooves. Pages were scattered in the draft of an open window leaving quite a mess. That was the least of Bubblemint's concerns. The broken cardboard cover of the book held a scrap of parchment, a note that confirmed who had written the journal entries of the book. It held an enlightening secret.
Bubblemint debated for years afterward whether or not the note was worth sharing with his friends, but his conclusion always came to something along the lines of, "It wouldn't make a difference."

I do hope somepony actually has the courtesy to find and read this someday.

The extermination of the half breeds has gone so far out of hand that I have been driven to pack my bags and board the nearest ship to Saddle Arabia. It's a developing nation as of this writing, perhaps I can warn them of Celestia's drastic measures.

Let it be known that I have confronted the Princess on the issue and informed her that the fragment that Desmond/Discord left behind are not the half breeds. They had existed in slight numbers long before the chaotic years of his reign, this was just not common knowledge. They are simply a result of evolution. Unfortunately, the Princess, as well as her sister, refused to listen to my words. It's my greatest regret that I hadn't mentioned the half breeds sooner. I thought Celestia had known already, and now it's too late. Half breeds are being murdered by the hundreds every month and I feel it's partially my fault. There is nothing more I can do.

On a brighter note, I have found what exactly Desmond/Discord did leave behind. He passed down a small shred of his uncanny powers through one family in an attempt to gradually spread chaos across the land. I informed the family of this and they immediately took refuge on a rock farm far away from here. They intend to live in isolation until the chaos powers in their descendants' genes are scattered enough to return to society. I only wish the best for the Pie family.

Thank you for reading, whomever you may be.
- Star Swirl the Bearded