EPILOGUE
“Gambol?!” Rush said aloud, “I do NOT gambol! I have perfectly good poise and posture, thank you very much.”
Celestia tossed her mane irritably, “You do, and Mayor Pink Moss noticed it too.”
“Oh, Mayor Pink Moss noticed it, did she? Well, that makes it alright then doesn’t it! She wants to keep that oversized muzzle of hers out of our business” Rush replied with a loud snort, “Why you always listen to that blustering buffoon is beyond me.”
The Princess put down her newspaper and took off her spectacles, “Pink Moss is a very hard working pony” she replied.
“And I’m not, is that it?” Rush huffed, “I’m up to my fetlocks in patients with every manner of problem from sore hooves to mane mange, and I can tell you: Mayor ‘Brown Nose’ wouldn’t last five sodding minutes dealing with what I have to every single bloody day!”
“Don’t call her that, it’s not nice” Celestia admonished, “And will you stop that swearing!”
Rush snorted, “Bloody bureaucrats.”
“And there you go again!” Celestia said angrily, “Just because she’s a palace official doesn’t make her…” her eyes went wide, “Did…did you just blow a raspberry??”
Rush smirked.
“Ooh! You’re infuriating!” the Princess snorted, “I wonder what I see in you sometimes!”
“A pony who gambol’s apparently” Rush muttered, returning to his paper.
Celestia’s eyes went wide, “Rush, you-”
“-Anyway, I’ve seen you pronking when you think noponies looking” Rush chuckled, “Very ladylike I must say!”
The Princess’s cheeks flushed bright red, “Why you…! I do NOT pronk!”
“Pfff! Tell that to the gardener” Rush said with a wave of his hoof, “Good job the old fart keeps his mouth shut. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing this morning. Honestly Tia, I didn’t know where to put myself!”
“Gah! You…!” Celestia got up and stormed to the door.
“Where are you going?” Rush asked.
“I’M GOING TO BLOODY WELL PRONK, AREN’T I!” she bellowed.
The door slammed shut, rattling the windows and upsetting the small wooden box on the shelf. Shaking his head, Rush trotted over to push it back into place and paused. Carefully, he took it down and traced his hoof along the words inscribed onto the carved sides. It was such a small thing: incredibly well crafted and made with real dedication, care and passion. Once, the words had looked to him like little more than scratches on the smoothly polished surface. Now, he could read them with no effort at all. He read aloud,
“From one to another, another to one, a mark of one's destiny singled out alone, fulfilled” He turned the box and read the inscription on the other side, “From day to night, from darkness to light. From the other to here, the lost now found.” Rush marvelled at the delicate carvings of the ponies on the sides; one side representing the night, the other the day, “I wonder what all means” he muttered.
“It means what it means” the Goddess said, sitting down in the chair beside him, “Nothing more.”
Rush closed his eyes and smiled; he just loved the way the in-laws could effortlessly materialise in the bedroom with complete abandon… Still, he had a soft spot for Tia’s mother, despite their occasional spats. He turned the box over in his hooves,
“It’s a prophesy, isn’t it.”
The Goddess shrugged, “It means different things to different ponies” she said cryptically, “A prophesy to some, hope to others. All I can say is that it was made a long time ago, so its true meaning, if it ever really had one, has probably been lost in time.”
Rush raised an eyebrow, “’Probably’.” He smiled, “But now, it’s just an empty box.”
“Oh, I think there’s something in there, Rush, something that you can’t see with your eyes, but with your heart.” The Goddess smiled, “…Love.”
Rush felt his heart skip a beat, and carefully closed the lid, placing the precious box back on the shelf. “Will she ever have her full powers back?” he asked.
The Goddess gave him a sad smile, “Perhaps one day. Her father was very angry with her after she banished Luna, and locked a large part of it away as punishment.” She sighed, “He can be very…’difficult’ at times.”
“I still haven’t met him.” Rush replied quietly.
The golden mare laughed, “Oh, you will one day, don’t worry about that!” She gave her mane a shake and levitated up a cake from the stand, “He knows all about you already, you know.”
“I know!” Rush squeaked, “That’s what worries me! I’m half expecting him to pop into our bedroom one day and-”
The Goddess rolled her eyes, “We do have some discretion, Rush.” She chuckled, “Besides, the King just takes a little longer than others to get used to new ideas, that’s all.” She took a dainty nibble of the cake and dabbed the crumbs away, “Anyway, how are things between you and my daughter? Are you still fighting?”
Rush groaned, “Sometimes, but…I don’t know, it’s usually over nothing. One minute we’re having a row over too much chocolate cake and the next thing we…erm…”
The Goddess raised an eyebrow, “Yes?”
“Erm…we make up” Rush finished, his cheeks burning.
“Oh.” Smiling, the Goddess leaned down and picked up the book on the coffee table that had caught her eye, “Eternity Lost” she read, “Have you read it yet?”
Rush nodded, “I’ve just finished it.”
“What did you think?”
“It was heartbreaking!” Rush replied animatedly, “One of the three sisters was cursed for all eternity for murdering the stallion who had wronged her.” He shook his head, “Murder is one thing, but to find out afterwards she’d been wrong and that he hadn’t cheated on after all, only to be put to death and cursed to never be with her beloved again even in the afterlife… Dear Gods…” he closed his eyes, “I can’t help but feel sorry for her, you know.” He gave himself a shake, “Still, it’s only a novel. Thank goodness it isn’t real; I need to be able to sleep at night!”
“Yes…” The Goddess said distantly, “Only a novel.”
“Huh?”
“It doesn’t matter” the golden mare smiled, “Now, excuse me Rush, I must return home. My dearest does fret so when I’m away from him.” She paused, “Oh, and Rush? Don’t be too hard on Celestia, she has a little more of her father in her than she’d care to admit.”
Rush nodded and bowed as the white glow of magic enveloped the Queen of the eternal herd, beckoning her back to its blue skies and green pastures. He smiled to himself; it was a place he would go to some day, and then what? Would Tia be able to see him still? He felt a shiver run down his spine; it didn’t do to dwell on things that he couldn’t change. Picking up his hat, he flipped it up onto his head, waggled his ears into place and trotted off after his Princess. As he reached for the door he paused, turning back to look at his old sword hanging up on the wall; it would be time for the sun raising ceremony soon, and he would be there in his best coat and hat with his old battered sword at his side watching his beloved mare raise the sun into the heavens. He rolled his shoulders and headed out, giving Lilly a wink as she trotted past with her cleaning trolley. She stuck her tongue out at him and laughed, vanishing around the corner in a clatter of bottles and mops.
“Off out, mate?” Grove asked.
Rush grinned, “Hey, what can I say; the ponies of Equestria need me.” He treated the guard to a twirl, “Good to go?”
Grove adjusted his spear and gave his friend an appraising look, “Meh…passable.”
Rush grinned broadly. The way he saw things, today was the start of a new beginning, both for him, for Tia, and for Equestria. He bobbed his head to the guards, set off at a trot and headed out into the bright sunshine of another glorious day - a day beneath the warming light of the Princess of the sun.
THE END