//------------------------------//
// Epilogue 
// Story: Ace Combat Equestria: Shattered Clouds 
// by Cpt Celti 
//------------------------------//

	EPILOGUE

Celestia and Marcus sat comfortably, for the first time in over three years, on the balcony outside her chambers. The tea she poured was still steaming hot in her magic as she sat demurely in front of the newly crowned leader of Gryphnia. His guards stood nearby with Celestia's, and though they were statuesque and silent, the tension between the two pairs was incredibly palpable. Regardless, the two monarchs kept their dispositions calm to hopefully set an example.
"I can't help but wonder if this is too soon, Marcus," Celestia said with a calculating calmness. But still, Marcus was stalwart.
"Gryphnia is going to need more than to simply rebuild. My father set a horrible world example of us as warmongers." He took a sip of his tea, exhaling as the warm liquid seemed to wash over the fears brewing inside his soul. "We've been that way for too long. It's time for a change. We need allies."
"And joining AEGIS is your decision? Did the Admiral put you to this?"
"No. This was my plan. My father's old chamberlain helped me draft it up, but I want this for my people. There are a number of groups that would take advantage of our weakened state, a state we are not fond of admitting, but it's the truth. We need allies, and while I thank you and the rest for wanting to rebuild Fyrick and our industries, despite the aggression at times, we are still very vulnerable."
Celestia hummed and leaned back, turning to Twilight who was speaking to said Admiral of the Gryphnian Navy. They were two others who seemed to want to set a good example of the future. It could work, Gryphnia being an ally once more, Celestia was just concerned they would have another Sharpclaw. Marcus's father was much like the Prince is now, and turned into a raging tyrant. The Solar Monarch didn’t think she could handle a third crisis in the cycle.
But Marcus was right in the aspect that Gryphnia was very susceptible right now.
"Are you sure you want to do this? The transition will take time, and your subjects may not wholly agree."
Marcus shook his head with a small, sad smile. "My people have been under the influence of warlords for four generations. I want to bring them down from warmongering and conquest. Will they agree with me? Not at all. Do I care? A little, but in order to gain progress, someone has to force a change. Not write some strong words on a piece of paper and pass it around. I learned from my brothers that if you want to change, sometimes you have to do the one thing that scares you. For instance, me wanting peace… I defected to AEGIS.
"The gryphons have been tuned to think like conquerors. Take what we want because we want it. I want to move away from that, because that age is over. We almost destroyed our continent, our home, because we didn’t want to accept that we were facing a superior opponent."
"And to hammer the final nail into the proverbial coffin," Celestia concluded, "You're allying with your former enemies."
Marcus nodded. "To show them I will not take no for an answer in my decisions. Gryphnia will not survive on pride alone, and there is no shame in accepting help. They'll learn that, too, with time. We need to rebuild, and that means finding and allying with those who can help us." He looked at the document he had drafted for this moment. "If you'll accept us."
Celestia mulled it over, remembering when Marcus's grandfather was in power, then replaced by his own father by her order, and now the youngest Gryphon prince was on the throne by her order. She had heard that third time's the charmed, and while she really did not want to use that term in this context, it was a chance she was willing to take. Marcus genuinely wanted peace, and had already taken the massive step towards acquiring it.
"Prince Marcus… we welcome Gryphnia to AEGIS."


The breeze was gentle as Rhapsody stepped out of the car, holding firmly onto the bouquet of yellow roses. She pulled her coat a little tighter as her hooves hit the pavement and she looked out onto the massive field that was "Final Sun Cemetery"; Canterlot's burial ground for fallen soldiers and royal guards. She exhaled and began to walk onto the grounds. Dinky jumped out after her and pointed.
"She's over here, Rhappy!" she called as she ran in.
"Careful, Dinky. Don't trip," she called out after the filly in vain. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the slip of paper written down for her. She looked down the row as she whispered the letters to find the specific burial site. "A, B, C… D."
She turned down the lane and began to read the names on the tombstones of each grave. All were etched with a sun and moon, the seal of the Royal Sisters, with their name, service branch, rank, date of birth, and their date of death. Short and kind epitaphs were etched into the base of each by friends of family. A nice gesture, she thought. Rhapsody didn’t think she was ready to see hers here just yet.
She had been here before in the past, but right now there was somepony she needed to see. Dinky stood by a particular headstone, but she read the names as she met up with the short unicorn filly. "Door, Dipper, Dive, Diver, Divot, Doll… Do." She sighed and looked down at Dinky Do, who had her eyes locked on the stone with a look of longing, even on the verge of crying. Rhapsody set her hand on Dinky's shoulder before leaning down and setting the bouquet of roses on the ground in front of the stone. Dinky set down a model F-14A Tomcat right beside the roses and a model of an F-4D Phantom II.
"I hope these are the right kind," Rhapsody said as she looked to her left.
"She was allergic to daisies," Ditzy Do replied with a smile. "You remembered good." The grey pegasus mare limped her way beside Rhapsody. The sea green mare put a wing around her friend to support her while she leaned on her arm. The cane clicked into place for Ditzy to lean on as well as the wall-eyed mare hummed.
"I miss you, grandma," Dinky said as she clutched Rhapsody's hand, eyes on the tombstone.
"Hard to believe that with a name like 'Daisy Do', she'd be allergic to daisies. Who'd think it?" Rhapsody asked humorously.
Ditzy giggled and suddenly held her chest. "Ow… still hurts to laugh."
"Good to see you can laugh at least. Why didn't you tell me your mother was one of the first tomcat pilots?" Rhapsody asked softly.
Ditzy shrugged. "I knew she was a Navy Pilot, just didn’t ask the specifics of what she flew."
"Fair enough."
The three stood there, staring at the tombstone of Daisy Do. A picture stood beside the stone, almost a spitting image of Dinky Do in another twenty years. The breeze picked up, brushing along their muzzles as memories past of the three of them knowing the mare for who she was; a gentle soul and a giving grandmother who spoiled Ditzy's friends and daughter absolutely rotten. Thoughts of her as an aerial ace were cast aside. For a few minutes, they just remembered Daisy Do for her, not just her accomplishments.
Before long, they were heading back for the car. Ditzy leaning by Rhapsody as they moved up the cobblestone pathway while Dinky looked at the names as they walked by. Rhapsody sighed as the breeze started to lift a little. "Did you ever think about coming back? Ghost Squadron could use you, Ditz," she said softly, giving Ditzy a light shake.
The grey mare giggled and sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Rhapsody, one war was enough for me. I could barely handle it, and getting hurt this bad was the final straw." She gave Rhapsody a sad smile, but it was the honesty behind it that the sea green pegasus appreciated. "I don’t want to be 'Captain Do'.And besides… 'Mrs. Turner' sounds better."
Both friend and daughter whirled on the wall-eyed mare. "Wait… he… -proposed-?" At the shy nod of the grey mare, Rhapsody gave a squeal and hugged the mare hard, until there was an equally loud squeal and Rhapsody quickly let go. "Sorry!"
"I'm okay!" Ditzy said softly as she listed to the right. Rhapsody held her a little more softly and righted her.
"He really did it? Finally?"
"Yeah… I'm… really excited." She then turned a little morbid. "But… this isn't the right place to have a gossip hour about marriage plans."
Rhapsody looked around the cemetery and nodded, cheeks darkening. "Yeah… silence and respect. Sorry, spur of the moment." They continued towards the car before Rhapsody stood up straight. "Oh! Hey, I'll catch up… somepony I need to see."
Ditzy nodded sharply when she looked back out towards the massive green field and seemingly endless white stones. "Tell him I said hi."
Rhapsody patted Ditzy's back and took wing. She flapped hard into the air as she looked through the markers to find her location, and the one she needed to see. O, P, Q, "R…" She landed firmly on her hooves and moved down the line. The service branches were mixed together, the founder of the cemetery believing that no matter the branch, the uniform, or the tribe, when you enlisted, the pony beside you became your brother or sister; closer than blood. And in this row of tombstones, Rhapsody knew the stallion she had come to see was among brothers and sisters.
She finally came to it; a gleaming white tombstone with the Equestrian Air Force coat of arms on the face. The name, Reverie "Nocturne" Rain, Captain. Deceased seven years. Shot down in a war that shouldn’t have been started in the first place, that AEGIS shouldn't have nosed into. Rhapsody reached into her coat pocket, pulling out an airplane model of an F-15C Eagle. It was painted precisely with the Royal Equestrian Air Force colors and "Nocturne" had his cutie mark painted on the nose. She knew the details by heart, for they were the same in the picture on her mother's mantle.
She set the model by the tombstone and sat down beside it, staring up at the clouds. The bright blue sky was filled with them, bringing her back to the days she'd sit with this stallion and just watch them go by, or fly up and shape them into funny figures before sending them on their way. It brought a smile to her face, making her finally put her wing around the tombstone, causing her to look down at the inscription at the base.
Fallen, but never forgotten. May your skies be calm and your spirit timeless.
Rhapsody sniffed. "I miss you, dad... Have I got a story for you this time."
Her eyes welled up, but she was refusing to let them fall. She was raised better. Instead, Rhapsody looked back up at the clouds and sighed beginning the tale of all tales she's told him. The sun still shone, the sky was blue as ever, and the clouds that had once been torn apart in a bloody war, now drifted along in the breeze without a care in the world. Shattered no more, the clouds made their way across the endless skies, guarded by the sheltering wings of the protector.


Where once there had been a harsh smell of jet fuel is gone, and what was once Meteor Squadron's runway, was now a busy local highway.
I'm writing this letter to you, because I feel you should know the gryphon behind the ace you fought. The lady gryphon who was a warrior looking for the perfect opponent. I can tell you that it must have brought her unimaginable joy to have an opponent like you at the end of the meaningless war. I want to believe that, at the very least.
Only you, the mare who shot down the Meteor, can confirm this.
And so, I write to you…