//------------------------------// // The End, And After // Story: The Napoleons: The Confessions & Revelations Of The Greatest Mafia Family // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// After Grimoire's heartwrenching final message, the brothers, their mares, and the dons were still in shock. Crowe managed to shake it off as he looked upon Grimoire's memoirs. A thought entered his mind, involving the matter of unfinished business. Picking up a quill, he turned to the blank next chapter, and started to write. 'To whom it may concern: This is Crowe Darkside, don of the Darkside mafia family of Russiaddle, writing what will be the final chapter for this book. Grimoire Napoleon was one of my oldest and closest friends. Of all the awful ponies I had come to met in this line of business, I had never met someone as good as Grimiore. It was my honor to know him, and to work with him, and a blessing that I got to call him my friend. I strongly believed that for all Grimoire has done, and all that he has suffered through, he at least deserves to go to his eternal rest knowing that his pet project is completed, and that his story can be told. It's the least I can do for my dearly departed friend. So let's move right into it...' Chapter Thirty-Five: The End, And After Caboose was still clutching Grimoire's prone body. "No, no, no!" He yelled. "It can't end like this! I won't let it!" As he held Grimoire close, Caboose felt a pulse. It was weak, but it was definitely there. "It's not over yet." Caboose said determinedly. "Hang in there, Grim. Just hang on a little longer..." Caboose lifted up Grimoire's body, and rushed to the nearest hospital, Manehattan General. Along the way, he contacted the others with his radio. "Guys, Grim's still got a pulse!" He announced. "What?!" Crowe looked up from his work. "Seriously?" Slot gasped. "It's weak, but if I can get him to a hospital, they might be able to save him!" Caboose declared. "I hope so..." Zebediah remarked. "That's an awfully long shot, Caboose..." Murray frowned. "Murray's right." Lars admitted. "It may already be too late." "I don't care!" Caboose yelled. "I've got to try! I'm headed to Manehattan General. Meet me there!" "Never did have much of a head for reality, that one." Kamikaze snorted. "Maybe Caboose is right." Dusty said hopefully. "Maybe dad can be saved..." "Either way, we must go." Zecora declared. "I want to see my husband, alive or no." "I'm with her." Crowe nodded. "Let's get moving." As Caboose reached the hospital, he could feel Grimoire's pulse faded. "Come on, Grim." He urged. "Just keep it together a little longer..." "Too late..." Grimoire mumbled, barely audible. "Leave me..." "Never!" Caboose yelled, as he raced through the hospital doors. "I need a doctor! Now!" A mint green Unicorn stallion with an orange mane, brown eyes, and a syringe Cutie Mark rushed over. "Sweet Celestia!" He took in Grimoire's ravaged state. "What happened to this fellow?" "He was beaten to an inch of his life, can't you tell?!" Caboose yelled. "Now help him!" "Prep the ER, state!" The doctor instructed his colleagues. Two orderlies placed Grimoire on a hospital bed, rushing him to the emergency room. Caboose could only look on in worry. "Come on, Grim..." He whispered. "Don't leave us now..." At the same time, Grimoire was drifting in and out of consciousness as his body slowly shut down. He was only dimly aware of his surroundings. There were ponies rushing around him. They were talking feverishly, but all he heard was an ocean-like roar in his ears. Something was placed over his snout, and he drifted off into darkness... Then there was a bright light. It was all-consuming, blinding. But gradually, it dimmed, enough for Grimoire to see where he was. To his surprise. Grimoire found himself back in his study at the old mansion. "What the-?" He frowned. "This can't be real..." Grimoire looked around. The old place was just as he remembered, right down to the last detail. He looked down at his body, finding that all his injuries had vanished. "What... what is this?" He asked, his voice echoing in the void. "Well now, that's the question, isn't it?" A familiar voice asked. "What?" Grimoire gaped, as Anarchy emerged from out of the mists. "What's the matter, little bro?" Anarchy smiled. "You look like you've seen a ghost." "Anarchy?" Grimoire gasped. "But... how...?" "Like I said, that's the question." Anarchy declared. "But I'm not the only one who wants to see you." To Grimoire's greater shock, Sandy emerged from the mists also. She was just as beautiful as she was in her prime. "Hello, Grim." Sandy smiled. "It's so good to see you again." "Sandy?" Grimoire shook his head. "This... this can't be right. How are you here?" "I think you know the answer to that, Grim." Sandy told him. "Of course he does." Anarchy nodded. "You always were a smart one, Grim." "You... you're both dead." Grimoire pointed out. "But I'm here with you, then that means that I'm also..." "Not exactly." Anarchy shrugged. "What do you mean, not exactly?" Grimoire asked. "I'm obviously dead! And after what Killsquad did to me, that's no surprise!" "It's not your time, Grimoire." Sandy told him. "Not my time?" Grimoire asked. "But I would have died from the Prancingson's anyway. What difference could a month make?" "Don't be so sure of things." Anarchy told him. "You never know what could come around the bend." "What's that supposed to- arrrgh!" Grimoire suddenly roared in pain. He clutched his chest, which felt as if somepony had just taken a sledgehammer to it. "What the buck was that?!" "Your brother, Caboose." Anarchy mused. "I gotta admit, he doesn't know the meaning of the word 'die'...or most words with over three syllables, in fact." "But I don't understand." Grimiore shook his head. "As much as I'd love for us to be together again, I'm afraid your story isn't done yet, Grim." Sandy smiled. "You still have plenty of work to do." Anarchy agreed. "Our brothers need you." "And so does Zecora and the foal." Sandy declared. "You're going to be a father all over again, my love. And nothing's going to stop you from raising your son." "I still don't understand." Grimoire declared. "Why send me back if I'm only going to die again?" "Like I said, bro." Anarchy chuckled. "Don't be so sure of things." Suddenly, the mansion, along with Anarchy and Sandy, started to fade. "Wh-what's going on?" Grimoire frowned. "What's happening?" "Say 'hi' to the others for me, Grim." Anarchy smiled. "And give Dusty my love." Sandy grinned. Grimoire's surroundings faded back into the white glare, which quickly gave way to darkness. Then came another light, one less glaring. Grimoire opened his eyes to find himself in a hospital bed, the brothers, Dusty and Zecora around him (Crowe and the others were waiting outside, as only family were allowed to see patients). "...What?" He said weakly. "He's awake!" Murray whooped. "Yes!" Salt punched the air. "You go, Grim!" Vinny cheered. "Show that Reaper who's boss!" "Superlative!" Lars beamed. "Oh, what a relief..." Sonny sighed. "Good to have you back, Grim." Slot smiled. "Grim..." Caboose sniffed. "Oh, daddy..." Dusty wept. "Grim, you're alive!" Zecora hugged him. "I was afraid you would not survive!" "I'm alive?" Grimoire asked. "Not just alive." The green Unicorn declared as he entered the room. "You're in perfect health. Not a scratch on you." "What?" Grimoire frowned. "Who are you, anyway?" "I'm Doctor Wylie." The Unicorn introduced himself. "And I've just been looking over the medical records we received them Ponyville. According to this, you suffered from Prancingson's Disease." "That's right, I- wait." Grimoire frowned. "What do you mean 'suffered'?" "I mean that the Prancingson's is no more." Wylie declared. "It, like your fatal injuries, has vanished completely from your system. You are in perfect health, my friend." His beeper suddenly went off. "Excuse me." As Wylie left the room, Grimoire struggled to understand. "I shouldn't be here." He insisted. "The injuries Killsquad inflicted should have been enough to kill me. I... I felt myself slipping away..." He recalled the experience with Anarchy and Sandy, but chose not to speak of it. "What happened? How did I survive? Better than survived, I'm back to full health. No injuries, no Prancingson's... how?" "You have Caboose to thank for that." Murray smiled. "Caboose?!" Grimoire gaped. "How could you possibly-?" "Remember that favor Discord owes us?" Caboose grinned. "I called it in." "You... did what?" Grimoire frowned. "Well, it was looking pretty bad back there." Caboose recalled. "The docs were doing their best, but they couldn't save you..." Flashback... Caboose was standing by Grimoire's hospital bed. A nearby heart monitor was beeping ominously slowly. The brothers, Dusty, Blueblood and Zecora had just arrived, and were anxious to hear Wylie's verdict. "Well, doc?" Caboose asked. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid the injuries are too extensive." Wylie declared. "We've patched him up as best we could, but it just wasn't enough. Grimoire is too far gone." "No..." Murray whispered. "It can't be..." Salt declared. "Aw, no..." Vinny cringed. "This can't be happening..." Lars declared. "I don't think I can go through this twice in one day..." Sonny frowned. "It's just not fair, dammit!" Slot yelled. "No, no, no..." Caboose shook his head. "Dad, please..." Dusty sniffed. "I know, dear." Blueblood held Dusty. "I know..." "I have never felt so low." Zecora wept. "Please, Grim, don't go..." "All we can do now is make him as comfortable as possible." Wylie announced. "At this rate, he will expire within the hour." After Wylie left, Zecora stroked Grimoire's mane, tears streaming down her face. Blueblood continued holding Dusty, his shoulder becoming sodden with her tears. "This can't be how Grim's story ends." Murray declared. "It just can't be..." "It's not like any of us can stop it." Salt frowned. "Indeed." Lars nodded. "Unless any of us know how to turn back time, or call upon some higher power, then I'm afraid Grimoire's time is up." "Wait..." Caboose suddenly froze. He dug inside a bag, and pulled out the card Discord had given them after they had saved his and Isis' egg. "We've got a 'higher power' right here!" "Of course!" Sonny smiled. "Discord!" "I forgot all about that thing!" Slot nodded. "That would've helped against Killsquad, that's for sure." Vinny noted. "But now we can use it to save Grim!" Caboose declared. "Then do it!" Dusty urged. "Yes, without delay!" Zecora nodded. "It is the only way!" "Okay, here goes nothing..." Caboose held up the card. The card glowed brightly. The next thing they knew, Discord had appeared in front of them. "Well, what do you know?" He smiled at the brothers. "I was beginning to think you fellas had forgotten all about my little favor. What can I do for you?" "You can help save Grim." Caboose pointed at Grimoire's fading form. "Oh dear." Discord frowned. "What happened to dear old Grimoire." "He's dying." Murray declared. "And you're our only hope to save him." "I don't know." Discord declared. "I'm not exactly a master healer. I'm not sure I can help him." "But you know somepony who can." Salt pointed out. "Yeah, Isis." Sonny noted. "She's the Deity of Life, right? She can bring him back." "Ah..." DIscord trailed off, "That I don't think is possible. You heard Isis when she said she can't bring back the dead... and it looks like Grimm is just about dead." "Bull!" Caboose yelled. "He's still alive! Look!" Caboose grabbed a nearby defillibrator, much to everypony's shock. "Clear!" He slammed them on Grimiore's chest, causing him to jolt up. "Arrrgh!" Grimoire grunted, his heartbeat picking up for a few seconds. "See?" Caboose urged. "Isis can save him! I know it!" "Dude! Not cool!" Slot growled. "Caboose!" Dusty screeched. "What were you thinking?!" Zecora yelled. "When it comes to mad ideas, you are the king!" "Seriously, Caboose." Murray scowled. "You tried to prove Grimoire is alive by almost killing him?!" "That's like kicking a stallion in the nuts to prove they're still there." Salt snorted. Then again, we really shouldn't be surprised..." Vinny shook his head. "This is Caboose we're talking about, after all." "Okay, now that hurts." Caboose pouted. "Surely there were more effective ways to prove your point?" Lars asked. "And less dangerous, too." Sonny added. "Hey, I'm kinda desperate here." Caboose frowned, as he then glared at Discord. "So can you do it or not?" "Okay, I guess it's worth a shot." Discord used his talon to rip open a portal to his home. "Give me a moment." Discord quickly slip through the portal into his house. Isis was in the living room, curled around the egg. "What the-?" Isis frowned. "Discord, what's going on?" "Sorry to disturb you, my darling." Discord declared. "But I need you to work your magic on Grimoire here." Isis flowed through the portal, and into the hospital room. "My word." She gasped. "How awful..." "Can you save him?" Discord asked. "Me?" Isis frowned. "I'm not sure if I have the right..." "I know it's kind of a gray area." Discord admitted. "But the brothers called in my favor. You know, the one I promised them after they helped save our egg?" "I remember." Isis nodded. "Surely you can help Grimoire in return?" Discord asked. "Please?" Dusty begged. "Please save my father's life." "I beg of you." Zecora urged. "This favor, you must do." "...Okay, I'll do it." Isis nodded. "You can save his life?" Caboose asked. "I can do you one better." Isis smiled. "I can restore him to perfect health. Every malady or condition he had before will be nullified. He'll be like a new stallion." "You'd do all that?" Dusty smiled. "After you all risked your lives to save our egg, I can do no less." Isis smiled. "You might want to stand back." Discord told the brothers. "This is going to be quite the light show." Isis loomed over Grimoire. Her eyes glowed a bright, luminous green, followed by her entire body. The glow was intense, almost blinding. As she opened her mouth, a similarly-colored energy flowed across her body, crackling like green lightning. Then, from out of Isis' mouth, a green mist flowed, enveloping Grimoire. Before the onlooker's eyes, all the bruises and cuts on Grimoire's body vanished. The heart monitor started beeping more and more rapidly. The mist faded as Isis' glow vanished. "There." Isis declared. "It is done." "Thank you." Murray smiled. "You don't know how much this means to us." "I think I do." Isis grinned. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have an egg to attend to. Don't we, Dissy?" "We certainly do." Discord nodded. "Just between you and me, the li'l sucker should be hatching any week now." "Good luck with that." Murray declared. "Whatever pops out of that egg should be quite a hoofful." "Considering who the father is, that's a given." Isis smirked. "Tell Grimoire we're even." Discord chuckled, as he followed Isis through the portal. Once the portal closed, Grimoire's eyes fluttered open. The present... "And then you woke up, and we were all like, 'yay, he's alive', and-" Caboose continued. "He was awake for that part, remember?" Lars pointed out. "How could you do that?!" Grimoire snarled at Caboose. "I don't understand." Caboose frowned. "I saved you." "You needlessly prolonged my life!" Grimoire growled. "As much as I hated what had happened to me, it was the natural way. Fate had chosen that path for me. But you used Isis' power to cheat fate!" "What?" Slot snorted. "You're saying you wanted to die?" "Of course not." Grimoire answered. "But I had chosen to face Killsquad to protect you, and if I had to die doing so, then so be it. You should have respected my decision, Caboose. You should have left well enough alone. We made a pact, remember?" "Well, I had my hooves crossed!" Caboose glared. "I made a lot of promises back then, but back then, I wasn't sure if Daring would be my wife, or that O'Malley would go rogue, or who shot Mr. Burns." "Caboose, it was the baby. That was ages ago." Vinny shook his head. "Anywho, I couldn't let you die!" Caboose said sternly, "You may have been willing to just up and leave, but I wasn't about to let you go so easily. Your family still needs you. Your wife still needs you. And that foal in her belly is definitely going to need his daddy. So what if I cheated fate? Fate was bein' a total jerk that can kiss my flank!" "He's got a point, Grim." Murray admitted. "Fate dealt you a bad hand, that's for sure." Vinny declared. "But we weren't going to stand for it. Not if we had anything to say about it." "And we did." Salt smiled. "We still need you, Grim." Sonny announced. "And besides, we weren't about to lose you like we lost dad. We couldn't take that pain again." "And I couldn't take losing you." Dusty added. "Not like that." "Without you, my life would have no purpose." Zecora told Grimoire. "I want to be with you, just the foal and us." "The foal needs you too." Caboose added. "It wouldn't be fair for the poor thing to grow up, not knowing his daddy." "Well, there is that..." Grimoire sighed. "And it's not like you can undo it. What's done is done." "Exactly." Salt nodded. "You've got a second chance at life, so you might as well take it." "I will." Grimoire smiled, climbing out of the bed. "I'm finally back to normal." He sighed deeply. "I'm sorry I never told you guys about my Prancingson's. I just... didn't want to worry you." "It's okay, dad." Dusty beamed. "Like you said, what's done is done." "Though I, for one, am still a little ticked." Zecora pouted. "Grimoire, you should have told me about the Disease, even if it couldn't be licked. I am your wife, and deserved to know of your strife." "You're right, my love." Grimoire kissed her hoof. "Forgive me?" "Always." Zecora smiled. "And for all our days." "Terrific." Grimoire beamed. "And now that I'm back to peak condition, I say we get to work, dealing with all the damage Killsquad made." "Right behind you, bro." Murray smiled. "All the way." Salt nodded. "One hundred percent." Vinny agreed. "Indubitably." Lars grinned. "Forever and ever." Sonny chuckled. "To the ends of Equestria." Slot added. "And then some!" Caboose threw in. Fortunately, it didn't take too long to clean up Killsquad's mess. Most of his forces had been taken out or captured during the battle at the mansion, and the remainder were made fully aware that their benefactor was pushing up daisies, so they would not longer be paid for killing the Napoleons. After being treated to the surprise of Grimoire being alive and well, the other dons prepared to return to their own territory. "As always, it was an honor working with you, Napoleons." Crowe declared. "And I can't say how good it is to have you back, Grim." "It's good to be back." Grimoire smiled. "We're all glad this madness is over." Zebediah declared. "I can't wait to see Zaria again..." "Gral sua taf mava." Kong declared. "Master Kong says that he wishes you all the best." Kong's newest translator revealed. "Same here." Sid nodded. "After everything that's happened, you guys deserve a breather." "Boy, I'll say." Vinny chuckled. "What's the matter? You guys getting soft in your old age?" Kamikaze ribbed them. "You should talk." Slot snorted. "By the way Crowe, I couldn't help but notice somepony wrote a little something in my memoirs." Grimoire declared. "Yeah, I didn't want your story to be unfinished." Crowe shrugged. "Sorry if I overstepped my mark, or anything." "Not even close." Grimoire smiled. "I'm actually quite honoured you chose to finish my work. Thanks, old friend." "No problem." Crowe grinned. "I'm looking forward to reading the finished version myself." "I'll be sure to send you a copy." Grimoire nodded. "But for now, you and the others have your own cleaning up to do." "Yeah, Killsquad did a little damage to our operations too." Zebediah scowled. "But since we weren't the main targets, it was only a little." "Well, you know who to call for help." Murray smiled. "Oh, you guys have done more than enough." Sid declared. "We'll take it from here." "Until next time." Crowe smiled, as the dons departed. Back in Canterlot, Fletcher was healing nicely; all of his burns were nearly gone. Caboose had decided to pay him a visit, as he was still bed-ridden, with Dove cuddling up to him. "Hey, guys." Caboose poked his head into the doorway. "How's it going?" "As well as you can expect." Dove held Fletcher a little more tightly. "Come in, Caboose." Caboose walked into the room. "So, how are you feeling, cap?" Caboose asked tentatively "Better every day. I should be back in action before long." Fletcher smirked. "That's my Fletchy." Dove kissed him on the cheek. "Nothing keeps him down for long." "You think I'd die before we're finally married?" Fletcher chuckled. "Not a chance." "I hope not." Dove grinned. "If you die on me, I'll kill you." "I promise I won't let that happen." Fletcher told her. "Because having you upset me is truely a fate worse than death." "I couldn't live without you, anyway." Dove nuzzled him. "And I couldn't move on to the afterlife without you close at hoof." Fletcher nuzzled her back. "Dead or alive, I'll love you forever." "Oh, Fletcher..." Dove sighed. Caboose hated to interrupt such a beautiful moment, but he had something he needed to get off his chest. "...I'm sorry, pal." Caboose apologized. "Sorry?" Fletcher frowned, moving his head away from Dove's. "For what?" "You wouldn't have gotten hurt if it weren't for me." Caboose sighed. "That bomb was supposed to blow me to bits, but it got you instead." "That doesn't matter." Fletcher declared. "You couldn't have known. And besides, I hear the monster that orchaestrated the attack is no more. So I'd say things turned out okay." "Yeah, but-" Caboose started. "That's enough, Lieutenant." Fletcher said firmly. "I chose to throw you and that punk out of harm's way. If I hadn't, we'd both be in way worse shape." "I guess..." Caboose shrugged. "And from what I heard, you defeated the monster who did this yourself." Fletcher smiled. "Good work, Lieutenant." "Aw, thanks." Caboose grinned. "Honestly, I wasn't even thinking at the time. I just... did it." "Must have been quite a shot, though." Fletcher declared. "Yeah, it was." Caboose chuckled. "I nailed him dead-center!" "That sounds pretty impressive." Fletcher grinned. "If only I could have seen it..." "Stallions..." Dove rolled her eyes. At the same time, the brothers were dumping the bodies of the thugs and Killsquad behind the swamplands outside Ponyville. "Boy, these thugs had some decent taste." Slot pulled a gold watch off one of the corpses. "Pretty fancy, huh?" "Grave robbing, Slot?" Lars frowned. "Seriously?" "In fairness, we did kill most of these guys." Sonny pointed out. "Plus, they tried to kill us first." Vinny added. "Yeah, that's right." Slot declared. "So if I like some of their bling, I'm gonna take it. Anyways, it ain't like they can stop me." "Deplorable..." Lars sighed. "Simply deplorable." Grimoire personally dragged Killsquad's body over to the pile. "You won't be hurting anypony now." He told the body of his old foe. "Boy, look at that cannon wound." Murray whistled. "Definitely some of Caboose's finest work." "I dunno." Salt frowned. "It kinda feels like he went a little too easily..." "I beg to differ." Grimoire said bluntly. "Hey, what's that?" Vinny pointed to Killsquad's prosthetic hoof, which bore a curious emblem: Two Fs connected by the bottom facing opposite directions, with a black bird in the background. "What is this supposed to mean?" Sonny frowned. "It seems to be a emblem for some organization." Lars analyzed, "But it's nothing I recognized." "Hmm... Killsquad did mention somepony paying him because they wanted us dead as much as he did." Grimoire frowned, "Whoever this emblem represents must have orchestrated this whole attack." "So in other words, we're not quite out of the woods yet." Murray surmised. "Wonderful." "Whoever it is, they can just bring it on." Slot snorted. "We took out Killsquad and his army of goons. Anything else is small potatoes." "I hope you're right, bro." Salt frowned. "I really do..." "Okay, let's burn these suckers." Grimoire declared, placing Killsquad on top of the pile. "Sonny, if you would?" "My speciality." Sonny nodded. A stream of flame flew out of his horn, engulfing the corpses. The brothers stood and watched as the flames slowly spread over their enemies' bodies. "Rot in Tartarus, Killsquad." Grimoire said quietly. As the flames grew ever higher, the emblem on Killsquad's prosthetic gleamed as the orange of the flames were reflected against it. Once the bodies were fully burned, the brothers buried them. "Let's head for home, guys." Grimoire declared. "With pleasure." Lars nodded. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm more than happy to put this particulat experience behind us." "I think we all feel that way, bro." Salt nodded. The brothers departed, leaving the charred bones of their former foes to rot. A few weeks later, the family gathered together at the mansion. The mess Killsquad made had finally cleared away, and everything was back to normal. Grimoire held a private party for Dusty, Blueblood, the brothers and their mares, as well as the children, who were outside playing with Oakley. Aside from May, Bon-Bon, and Zecora, they were all drinking Vinny's best wine. "This has been a pretty wild year." Grimoire declared. "All sorts of things have happened." "Oh, yeah." Murray nodded. "Political intrigue..." "Sporting championships..." Salt declared. "Scandals and rich snobs..." Vinny smirked. "Courtroom affairs..." Lars remarked. "Old... friends." Sonny cringed. "New romance..." Slot cuddled Vinyl and Octavia. "And new friends." Caboose smiled, thinking of Fletcher. "And we came through it all." Grimoire declared. "Sometimes separately, sometimes together. We took everything our ever-changing lives could throw at us, and while things got dicey for a while, we came out on top in the end, like Napoleons always do." "Now that's a fact." Dusty grinned. "A toast." Grimoire declared. "To a new lease on life. To the continuing strength of the Napoleon family. And to whatever the future may hold." "Hear, hear!" Vinny grinned. As they drank the wine, Zecora suddenly cried out in pain. "Ahhhh!" She yelped. "What happened?" Grimoire asked. "I think her water just broke!" May declared. "That's the end of this carpet..." Daring joked. "Not really the time for jokes, Daring..." Berry frowned. "What?!" Grimoire gasped. "The foal's coming? Now?!" "Now hold on." Caboose declared. "Maybe she just wet herself..." "Maybe she's faking?" Slot suggested. "This is no fake." Zecora growled. "My waters did just break!" "We need to get her to the hospital!" Redheart yelled. "I'll take you to the delivery room myself." "Not without me, you're not." Grimoire declared, setting down his wine glass. "Don't worry, Zecora. I'm with you all the way." "Thank you, my love." Zecora panted. "Now get me to that hospital, Celestia above!" "You heard her." Bon-Bon nodded. "We'll wait here." Lyra added. "Good luck." Octavia smiled. "Let us know how things turn out!" Vinyl cheered. With Redheart in tow, Grimoire rushed his wife to the hospital. Fortunately, the elevator had been fixed after Salt's little adventure (though Grimoire made doubly sure it wasn't out of order, so as to not repeat the circumstances of his daughter's birth), so they reached the delivery room with plenty of time to spare. "Ahhhh!" Zecora screamed. "Would you like something to dull the pain?" Redheart asked. "Of course I do!" Zecora yelled. "Get me something, now!" "Right awa- wait, that didn't rhyme." Redheart noted. "To Tartarus with rhyming!" Zecora roared. "Make the pain go away, now!" "Better do what she says..." Grimoire said shrewdly. "Good point." Redheart rushed off to grab some pain-relieving drugs. "Don't worry, 'Cora." Grimoire soothed Zecora. "I'm here for you." "Considering you did this to me in the first place, that's not a great comfort." Zecora hissed. "All the same, I won't leave your side." Grimoire kissed her hoof. "Thanks, Grim." Zecora smiled weakly. "I love you." "I love you, too." Grimoire smiled back. "Okay, here we go." Redheart brought back a syringe. "I'll just shoot you full of this, then we can get started." "Remember, I'm with you all the way, darling." Grimoire told Zecora. "I know." Zecora smiled, though struggling due to the pain. The next day, the brothers, their mares, Dusty, Blueblood, and even Zaria (who was still staying in Ponyville in anticpation of the birth) came over to the hospital. As they entered the maternity ward, they saw Grimoire standing next to a still-weary Zecora, who was holding a small bundle in her hooves. The foal was a Unicorn, but his white coat was covered with stripes. His mane was jet black, and he had his mother's eyes. "Here he is." Grimoire smiled. "Little Arkham Ziovanni Napoleon. Isn't he the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" "And then some." May cooed. "Way to go, Grim." Murray declared. "You too, Zecora." "Congratulations, you two." Berry beamed. "This definitely calls for another celebration." Vinny noted. "I'm gonna run out of wine at this rate..." "He's such a cutie!" Lyra squealed. "I could just eat him up!" Bon-Bon agreed. "What a glorious event!" Lars cheered. "I'll say." Sonny sniffed. "Here come the waterworks...." "Ooh, this gives me ideas..." Vinyl smiled. "Me too..." Octavia agreed. "Oh, boy..." Slot gulped. "Brings back memories, doesn't it, Caboose?" Daring asked. "Sure does." Caboose smiled. "It finally happened." Dusty beamed. "I have a little brother." "Half-brother." Blueblood noted. "But who's counting?" "I can't believe it is true." Zaria sniffed. "Finally, I have a nephew. Zecora, of you, I am so proud, I feel like I am riding on a cloud." "Thank you, dear sibling." Zecora smiled. "Isn't he such a little darling." "Of that, there is no doubt." Zaria beamed. "The cutest little fellow in all get out." "How was the birth?" Salt asked Redheart. "Not too hard." Redheart admitted. "Zecora went through it like a champ." "She sure did." Grimoire smiled. "I'm proud of you, darling." "I couldn't have done it without you by my side." Zecora declared. "And once again, I must say it was quite a ride." "I'm just glad I'm able to be here for the little guy." Grimoire gently took Arkham into his hooves. "You hear that, buddy? I'm going to be there for you, no matter what. I'll be the best dad ever, you just wait and see." Almost as if in reply, Arkham nuzzled against his father. After returning home, Grimoire made sure to help Zecora out with Arkham as much as possible. But whenever Arkham was napping, he put the finishing touches on his memoirs. 'You didn't see that coming, did you? You really thought old Grimoire was down for the count? Well, so did I. But thanks to a little divine intervention, I'm back amongst the living. And, with some regret, I must say that this is where my tale must end. I almost wish I could continue on forever, but fatherhood is a full-time job, and I must prioritize. Sure, I might be a little older than most fathers are, but I figure that makes me all the more experienced. So, this will be the final chapter of my memoirs. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. And to all those who seek to follow my example, just remember: Family is the most important thing in the world. Fondest regards, Grimoire Napoleon.' Grimoire put down the quill. "Finally done." He smiled. He turned to Oakley, who sitting by his side. "Not bad, eh? I just hope the readers don't think it's too long..." Oakley panted joyfully. As Grimoire put the memoirs away for the night, planning to take the manuscript to the publishers in the morning, he joined Zecora by Arkham's crib. "Little guy give you any trouble?" He whispered. "Not at all." Zecora smiled. "Easily to sleep, he did fall." "Y'know, I used to think those memoirs would be my legacy." Grimoire admitted. "But now, I know Arkham will be." "That is so very true." Zecora nodded. "And he is blessed to have a father like you." "Don't forget the mother." Grimoire chuckled. "Come on, let's get to bed." The happy couple went into their bedroom. They fell asleep in each others' hooves, exhausted by taking care of Arkham. But at the same time, they felt content. Before long, the memoirs were being sold all over Equestria. Ponies of all kinds were reading it. Princess Twilight Sparkle was reading it in her castle. "Wow." She gaped. "This is so dark, and yet so compelling... I can barely put it down!" "Let's hope not." Flash chuckled. "Otherwise snuggling together will be really awkward." Echo Alchemy and Sunset Shimmer read it in their home outside the Crystal Empire. "My word." Echo declared. "Such an incredible saga." "I heard those guys lead an interesting life, but this is something else." Sunset noted. Even Sterling Cross managed to get a copy of it sent to his prison cell. "What a read." He smiled, totally enthralled. "Almost makes being stuck in this dump bearable." "Shut up over there!" Silas Necross yelled. "You shut up!" Sterling shot back. "Both of you shut up!" Lunard yelled. "And stop reading that lousy book! Those things are a waste of time!" "Uneducated dolt..." Sterling said under his breath, Even Big Red was enjoying the story. "Dad gum..." He raised his eyebrows. "Them Napoleons sure did have their share of adventures..." Not everypony was enjoying it, though. Jet Set and Upper Crust utterly despised it, sharing their views at one of their book club's regular meetings. "This book is a travesty!" Jet Set grimaced. "An affront to literature itself!" "It glorifies the criminal element that poisons our society." Upper Crust snarled. "It makes impressionable readers see these Napoleons as some kind of hero, rather than the scum they truly are!" "I beg to differ." Fancypants declared. "I found it to be a most compelling read." "As did I." Fleur agreed. "One of the best books I've ever read, in fact." "Y-you can't be serious!" Jet Set said, flustered. "Aside from my previous points, the book also contains scenes of torture, illegal activities, brutal and gory deaths..." "Don't forget the homosexual content." Upper Crust added. "Or the polygamous relationship that Slot has with his two wives. How vile." "I see it more along the lines of 'gritty'." Sassy Saddles countered. "True, the subject matter within isn't to everypony's tastes, but it pulls no punches.Grimoire told it like it is, without holding anything back. That must be admired." "Exactly." Fancypants nodded. "It may not be everypony's cup of tea, but no truly great work of writing is." "I can't believe you're actually condoning this filth!" Jet Set scowled. "It's nothing but an unadulterated atrocity!" Upper Crust agreed. "Well, we like it." Fleur remarked. "And so do many of our friends." "If you don't like it, maybe you're the ones with the problem, not the book." Sassy suggested. "Yes." Fancypants nodded. "Stop being such prudes." "It can be intense in places." Fleur declared. "But it holds morals that everypony should aspire to. If you can't see that, then perhaps you should just keep your opinions to yourselves." Both Jet Set and Upper Crust were left totally speechless. "Meeting adjourned." Fancypants smirked. Fletcher, fully recovered, was reading the book alongside Dove in their living room. "Such depth, such drama, such..." Fletcher suddenly froze. "Wait, Caboose actually saw us doing it that night?!" "Looks like it." Dove nodded. "But hey, look on the bright side: Now we're famous!" "Yippee..." Fletcher cringed with embarassment. Even the Napoleons own agents were reading it. "Well, what do you know." Gregory chuckled. "Guess Grim and the others hold us in even higher regard than we thought..." "No kidding." Big Guns smiled. "See what Grim wrote about me?" "And me?" Carapace said proudly. "To think, they saw our stories as being worthy of mention..." "Um... excuse me?" In the corner of a room was an Earth Pony stallion who was tied to a chair. A pile of kindling was at his feet, and he had been soaked in flammable liquids. He was a snitch whom the trio had caught earlier, and had planned to torch him. "I can see you're busy." The snitch declared. "Maybe we should postpone my torching until you're done reading?" "Nope." Gregory lit a match and tossed it at the snitch, who instantly burst into flames. "ARRRRRGGGGH!" The snitch screeched. "Hey, keep it down!" Big Gun yelled. "We're trying to read here!" "Some ponies can be so inconsiderate." Carapace snorted. "I know, right?" Gregory asked. "Now, on to the next chapter..." Wherever the book went, it made waves. While someponies hated it, and someponies loved, nopony could deny it was a compelling account of the lives of a mafia family. It served as a testament to the Napoleons themselves. Their strength, their honor, their compassion... the tome was littered with countless examples of their greatness. Even after decades, it would continue to spread the glory of the Napoleon family, long after its writer had passed on (through a more peaceful death than the first, it must be said). Grimoire had created a masterpiece, one that would be admired and enjoyed for generations to come... The End.