//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Cry for Eternity // by asylum1388 //------------------------------// Two weeks later Twilight lay before a marble headstone, admiring the craftsponyship. Here lies: Shining Armor; Husband, father, brother, and stalwart Knight of Equestria. ~~AND~~ Princess Cadance, “Mi Amore Cadenza”; May the love she spread shine forevermore. “Goodbye, Cadance. Thanks for everything,” she murmured, laying a rainflower on its base. She stayed there, silently contemplating, for several minutes before the sound of somepony approaching graced her ears. She turned her head to find Luna walking up to her, and felt a pang of regret as her bride hesitated at her gaze. She offered Luna a smile, patting the grass next to her, and was pleased to see Luna accept the invitation. “I brought you something,” Luna said softly as she lay down, setting a small box down in front of Twilight. “You bought me chocolates?” Twilight asked amusedly, examining the container. “Very expensive chocolates.” “I didn’t buy them. They’re a wedding gift from Saccharine; a ‘thank you’ for the pardon, I suppose,” Luna replied. “Yeah, well, he’s suffered enough,” Twilight murmured. She fell silent and turned back to the headstone. Something was bothering her marefr- her wife, and Twilight was going to give her all the time she needed. “Are you okay?” Luna asked after a minute or two. “You know what? I really am,” Twilight said plainly. She glanced at Luna and frowned at the concern etched into the elder mare’s face. “She told me this was about to happen, Luna,” she explained softly. “Right after our wedding, during the reception, she took me aside and told me.” “But that doesn’t make any sense,” Luna mumbled. “How could she have known? It just doesn’t- And if you knew, then why didn’t-” “She was ready to go,” Twilight interrupted, giving Luna a comforting smile. “As you can imagine, I started to get upset, but she stopped me and demanded that I not be sad. She said that she had seen and done everything she had ever wanted to and was ready to move on.” Twilight laughed. “Then she told me that she had always known that we were going to end up getting married someday, and that she wanted to be there for it. It was the last thing on her list. Once it was over, she was ready.” Luna was silent for a while, staring absently at the grave. “When you say it that way, it almost makes us sound responsible. If we had not gotten married, she would still be here.” “I don’t look at it like that,” Twilight mused. “No, the way I see it, she didn’t have our longevity and never would; she couldn’t have lived for another century, no matter how much she wanted to. The way I see it, us getting married didn’t cause her death, it let her die happy.” “That... is a very mature way of looking at it,” Luna said slowly. She paused, considering Twilight’s words for a moment. “I suppose that there was no better gift we could have given her.” “Exactly,” Twilight nodded. She turned back to the headstone, allowing the silence to hang in the air for a while before speaking again. “I’ve been thinking lately.” “Go on.” “Losing your friends is... awful, and having to lose your friends over and over again, like I... like we will have to, is even worse, but at the same time...” she trailed off, taking a deep breath before starting again. “I’ve been given the opportunity to make so many more friends than I would have before.” She waited for Luna to respond, but when she didn’t, Twilight turned to find Luna smiling at her, waiting for her to continue. “I’ll get to make a whole bunch of new friends and watch as they grow up, live, and grow old; I’ll get to experience the best and worst parts of life over and over again with hundreds, maybe even thousands of ponies! That... that alone might make it all worthwhile.” “That is something I had never thought about,” Luna murmured, a smirk playing on her lips. Twilight trembled as she felt Luna take her hoof. “And-and no matter what happens; no matter how much losing them might hurt, I’ll always have you to help me get through it. We’ll always have each other.” Luna finally broke into a grin, pulling Twilight closer and planting a kiss on her cheek. “That’s my girl.”