Broken Wings

by Lt_Voss

The End

Nive years have past since the monster invasion was stopped. Five years since Bill killed the Nightmare, Will had his first kiss, and Bill, to Will's horror, hooked up with Luna, Will's mother. Nine years... yet to Will they felt so short.

---

Within the first year, Bill had the most talented tailors craft the finest wool felt hat in Equestria. It was styled like a human fedora, but sat lower on the head. Its brim was about one and three quarter inches to two inches, and Bill wore it constantly. Those who saw him, even if only in passing, agreed to one another that it was the best hat in all of Equestria. Will was a little surprised that it still fit Bill's head it swelled so much.

Celestia and Luna, much to the shock of everybody, publicly announced that they were not who the Equestrian citizens thought they were. They dropped their disguises beside Will and Bill, and they were met with a collective gasp from the entire population. They told their people that while they had deceived them about their true identities, Celestia and Luna would continue to rule just as they had before with no change. Gradually, after several months, the unrest quieted down and ponies accepted Celestia and Luna for who they truly were. Celestia and Luna never donned the disguise of an alicorn since.

Will, taking up Fluttershy's promise to marry him, married her Christmas day. Bill stubbornly refused to wear his blindfold, and several ponies kept glancing at his pupil-less, iris-less, and featureless eyes during the wedding. It was a very festive occasion, combining the festivities of Christmas with the merriness of a wedding into one special event that was made even more special to bride and groom when the priest pony pronounced them man and wife.

With the words "you may now kiss the bride," Will and Fluttershy locked their lips together before the priest had a chance to finish. This event was met with several loud cheers and whoops and hollers throughout the crowd. When it came time to leave, Fluttershy, to the best of her ability, tossed the bouquet of flowers behind her.

And who could have caught it, none other than Luna, who, upon receiving the bouquet, nudged Bill and winked at him. Bill blushed. Will carried Fluttershy down the aisle, and as he passed by Bill and Luna, he saw them kissing. It was quite unsettling for him, but he dismissed it. 'If they're happy, who am I to intervene?' He thought. 'Besides,' he continued. 'Bill isn't really her son, so that ick factor can be dismissed.'

Will and Fluttershy spent their honeymoon period at her house. While it could technically be called a honeymoon, however, they did not spend their time partaking in actions newlywed couples usually commit. Instead, Will spent a lot of time installing a balcony on the second story window in Fluttershy's bedroom. They no longer felt awkward about sleeping in the same bed, though they never took their love past kissing. Will refused to, until Fluttershy felt okay with it.

A little while later, at the end of December, Bill and Luna announced that they too were going to be wed, and the wedding was held the day after, on New Years. The crowd was a little apprehensive at first, because they were unsure about a Princess being wed to Bill, who they did not know very well. Nevertheless, when the priest pronounced them man and wife, and when they went through the motions of kissing the bride, the crowd erupted into cheers.

---

The second year was spent idly, with nobody doing anything truly special. When the third year came around, however, Will brought his mother and aunt into his bedroom with Fluttershy and Bill to announce that Fluttershy had told him that she was with foal. Will's mother and aunt were extremely elated to hear this news, and they insisted they acquire the services of Pinkie Pie the party pony to celebrate that momentous occasion.

Will and Fluttershy reluctantly agreed, and the day after their announcement was passed with party time and celebratory games. Every one of Fluttershy and Will's friends came by to have fun and say their congratulations to the pair, and even Twilight Sparkle made an appearance, though she mostly kept to herself and only grunted a congratulations. Fluttershy and Will both agreed that Luna and Celestia knew what they were doing and that the party was a good idea all along.

Will went off to work at the hospital in Ponyville every day, and was a part of the local Royal Militia, and, due to his background, was given a commission and placed in charge of his own team. Fluttershy stayed behind at the house to care for the animals, but she also stayed behind because her pregnancy weakened her. Will had brought Nurse Redheart to the house when Fluttershy first stated that she felt lightheaded, but Redheart assured Will that it was perfectly normal. Thus, Will calmed down, though he constantly kept an eye on Fluttershy to make sure she was alright.

Several months later, Will took Fluttershy to the hospital for a checkup. They met with Redheart, who conducted them into an examination room. Redheart performed several tests on Fluttershy, including a newly installed ultrasound, courtesy of the human government. When the ultrasound images appeared on the screen, Will and Fluttershy just about jumped for joy. Fluttershy was pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl.

A few months later, it came time for the babies to come out. When Fluttershy went into labour, Will freaked out and nearly had a panic attack. Bill, however, calmed him, and together with Luna they brought Fluttershy to the hospital to have her foals. Will, Bill, and Luna were not allowed inside the room while Fluttershy was giving birth, but they were allowed to wait outside in chairs. To their surprise, all their friends: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Celestia, even Twilight Sparkle came to see.

A doctor pony opened the door to the room and beckoned Will inside. When he entered, he found Fluttershy on the bed, cradling their two babies in her hooves. Will quietly moved next to his wife and knelt beside her, whispering gentle words to his kids. Fluttershy and Will shared a look of love, and leaned their heads together. They remained this way for a few minutes, until the doctor politely told Will to leave the room and let his wife rest.

When Will walked outside the room, everybody had remained outside, waiting the good news. "Guys," Will said happily. "I..." he began crying tears of joy. "I am... the proud father of two little foals." Everyone just about shouted their congratulations at the top of their lungs, though they were mindful of the sleeping babies in the room next to them, so they essentially shouted in whispers. Everybody spoke their congratulations for the foals a second time, and even Twilight was relatively ecstatic. Pinkie Pie was, of course, the hardest to contain, but eventually she calmed down.

---

The next two years passed by quickly. Will had watched his two foals grow up into little toddler ponies. They were both pegasi. For days after their birth, Fluttershy and Will deliberated over what to name them. They even accepted suggestions from their friends. In the end, though, the filly was named Moonshy, for Fluttershy and Luna; and the colt was named Victor, after his father.

On that note, Will continued to use the name Will, though his wife, mother, and aunt used his real name as leverage against him. Whenever they wanted to be stern or assertive, all they had to do was say his true name and he would bend to their wishes. Because they were responsible, though, they rarely did so, and rarely needed to. Will would do most anything for the three females in his life that mattered the most to him out of them all.

Will and party spent their days happily and, for the most part, idly. Will took time off from his job at the hospital and missed a few days of Militia duty to help Fluttershy care for the foals. Confounding to the two of them, Moonshy was the more rambunctious of the two, with Victor taking after his mother. As such, Will tended to care for Moonshy more often while Fluttershy cared for Victor more often. Will often had his hands full with Moonshy, and would often call Bill or Luna over to assist him.

---

The fun, however, had to end.

Will stood on the cliff side, looking out over Ponyville. The charred remains of the home he had loved could just be seen in the distance, the burnt wood and siding left undisturbed by the residents of Equestria. No animal remained there. He thought back to that fateful day, on December seventh, the day that would forever live with Will in infamy.

---

"Fluttershy," Will called out. "I'm heading off to work. Do you need anything? Milk, cookies, the sun?"

"No thank you, Will," came the reply, and Will could hear the laughter in her voice. "But could you please stop and get milk on the way back? You can leave the sun where it is."

Will chuckled, saying, "Sure thing, love!"

Just as he was ready to walk out the door, his two foals came stumbling towards him. "Ah you going to work, Daddy?" Moonshy asked.

Will's heart exploded when he heard his daughter's voice squeak. He knelt down and pulled the two of them into a big hug. "Yes, daddy's gotta go to work, my little ponies. I'll be back soon to play with you guys."

Victor spoke in just as adorable a voice as Moonshy when he asked, "Daddy, can Beel come over and pway wif us?"

Will, after his heart finished exploding for the second time, said, "Sure, I'll tell him to come over so you two won't be alone. I'll even..." he looked from side to side and whispered in mock secrecy, "I'll even tell him to bring cookies!"

"Cookies!" Moonshy and Victor shouted simultaneously.

"But you have to keep quiet," Will whispered. "And behave, or Bill won't give you any cookies!"

"We'w behay, Daddy, we pwomise!" They squeaked.

Will ruffled their manes. "Okay, see you guys later. Keep mommy safe, and stay out of trouble, okay?"

"Okay Daddy!"

Will exited the house and began his walk to the Ponyville hospital. Bill and Luna had built a house to live in in between Will's and Fluttershy's home and Ponyville, so on his way to work Will stopped by. "Power residence!"

Bill had kept the surname that he had tried to give to Will, "Power," as his own, and when he married Luna she adopted the name as well. "Yes, my son?" Luna called out as she moved to the anteroom to greet Will. "What can I do for you today?"

Will hugged his mother, and said, "I was just wondering if I could borrow Bill for today. The kids want to play with him."

Luna laughed. "You, my son, have been blessed with wonderful children. Of course Bill can go over." Her eyes hazed over for a second, which worried Will, but they quickly returned to normal. "I'll tell him to bring cookies with him," she said, smiling.

It was then Bill came to see Will. "Hey, Will," he said, embracing Will in a hug. "How are the little rascals?"

Will laughed. "Careful, Bill, those rascals are your kin."

Luna chuckled at this exchange, then turned to Bill. "Honey," she said sweetly. "Could you be a dear and go keep Will's kids occupied? It seems you are held in great esteem, and they want to play with you."

It was Bill's turn to laugh. "Sure, honey. Let me get my 'playpack' together, then I'll be right over."

As Bill walked away, his wife called out, "Take some cookies along as well!"

"Yes, dear!"

Luna returned her gaze to Will, and after a farewell hug parted ways. Will continued to the hospital without a hitch. As he passed by certain buildings in which his friends resided, he waved and greeted them in passing. They even gave him gifts. From Rarity, Will received a hat with an adjustable size strap; Rarity didn't know exactly how big Will's head was, so she wanted to be sure he could still make use of it. From Pinkie Pie, Will got a chocolate cupcake, and a rainbow cupcake to take home to Bill. From Twilight Sparkle, he got a book on the history of Ponyville, but only greeted her with a nod and a simple "thank you" for the book.

He stuffed these all into his rucksack and went on to his job at the hospital. The day went by fairly quickly. He was asked to look after a pony with cancer, and he was paired with Nurse Redheart to do what they could for the poor soul. Other than that, his work day was uneventful, and when the time came to clock out, he was utterly bored. He began his walk home.

If he was bored at clock-out, he was in for a surprise. On his walk home, whistling a merry tune, he was intercepted by a panicked Luna. "Will!" She shrieked. "Come quick! Your house! It's on fire!" If Luna weren't ahead of Will, he would have blown past her. As they ran to Will's home, Luna gave him the details. "Bill's there, trying to put out the flames! He can't get to Fluttershy and the kids; there's debris blocking his path!"

"How did this happen?!" He shouted back at her.

"I don't know!" She screamed, and Will could see tears streaming from her eyes. "Bill was on his way to play with the kids and he found the house in a raging fire!" Will put on an extra burst of speed when he saw the thick, black smoke over the horizon, and Luna fought to keep up. It was no use, though. Will nearly ran inside the inferno, and would have succeeded had Luna not held him back. "What are you doing?!" She screamed at him.

Struggling against her iron grip, he screamed at her to let him go. "I need to save them! I need to make sure they're okay!"

"Then help me put out these damned flames, man," Bill shouted behind him, trying to conjure enough water to douse the spreading flames. "The fact that this fire won't go out means an accelerant or magic was used! Luna, could you see if you can have any better luck finding out which one it is?!"

"I'll try!" She responded, then furrowed her eyebrows in concentration.

Will yelled at Bill, "Why haven't you gone inside to save them?! You can't die!"

His voice strained from the large amounts of magic he was literally pouring on the fire, he yelled back, "Because I need you alive to live!" Before Will could say anything, Bill continued. "It's called," he paused to suck in a breath. "It's called Sensory Overload, unrelated to the genetic condition. Your body receives so much pain that it literally just stops functioning. The heart stops, brain stops, stomach stops digesting, intestines stop movement, kidneys stop filtering waste. That's why I haven't jumped in." He sucked in another breath. "I wouldn't directly die, but you would. I would, then, die from that."

"I found it!" Luna shouted. She cast a spell, and suddenly Bill's efforts were working. "It was a water resistance spell, cast on the whole house!" She started adding her own powers to Bill's, which were almost nonexistent as he had drained himself up to now.

When Will decided enough of the flames were gone, he rushed inside, against protestations from Bill and Luna. He ducked under the collapsing doorway, then jumped over a beam that had fallen from the ceiling. Frantically searching side to side, he cleared each room of the home as he systematically went through them. Eventually he cleared the entire downstairs, which worried him. The stairs up had collapsed, so Will had to risk igniting his wings to get upstairs.

If his love and life were not upstairs, he would never have gone up. Smoke rises, and the smoke from the flames downstairs was rushing into the open door upstairs. The only reason Will knew it was open was that he could just barely make out the door frame through the thick black smoke. The flames were spreading, and were starting to find their way onto the staircase. He was coughing fairly uncontrollably by the time he coaxed his way into the upstairs bedroom. He got down on his hands and knees so much as to alleviate the pain from smoke inhalation as to look for his family.

No sounds from anypony scared the daylights out of Will. He desperately wished for some noise, a cough, a moan, anything to signify life. His eyes roaming around the floor, he found a small form in front of him, about six feet away. It took a couple seconds for him to crawl prone to the form, not that it would have done much.

The form, formerly a lovely sunshine yellow, was now a marred soot-grey shade. The white mane told Will it was his son Victor as opposed to his wife Fluttershy. Will gently placed his fingers around his child's throat to check for a carotid pulse...

And found none.

Will wanted to scream and flail in despair. This was his flesh and blood, one of the two apples that filled his two eyes. He barely contained himself. He did his best to make sure that no flames would reach the body, then continued his search. He knew that if he lingered over a lifeless body, he ran a greater risk of finding two more. Will took to circling the room at its boundaries, knowing that the other two might have tried escaping through a window or door. His strategy paid off.

He found a larger soot-stained yellow body on the ground in front of him and slightly to the left, towards the porch door. He crawled to it with the most speed he could muster. By now, the smoke was starting to make its way closer and closer to the ground, and Will was having a hard time crawling because he kept trying to lower himself further and further. He reached the body and checked for a pulse.

He was rewarded with a faint, barely existing pulse. His wife was still alive. "Fluttershy," he choked out. To someone else, they would not have been able to make out what he said because he was struggling to speak and breathe at the same time. Will knew this, so he tried again. "Fluttershy, come on, say something, love!"

Fluttershy's eyes slowly drifted partway open, and she said in a weak voice, "Will?" She erupted in a fit of coughs.

"I'm here, love, I'm here!" Will cried out desperately wishing Fluttershy to be okay. Were his eyes not scorched dry from the fire and smoke, Fluttershy's coat would have been cleaned from the tears Will would have been shedding. "Come on, get up, we need to get out of here!"

"Will..." she coughed some more. "Will, get the foals."

"Shy, I'm not going without you! Come on, I'll carry you!" His voice cracked. He knew what was coming.

Fluttershy stared as sternly and as coldly as she could at Will while being so weak as she was now. "Victor," she said. "Victor Power," she said with more force, using the surname Bill liked to tag Will with. "You will look after the foals."

"Fluttershy, love," Will began, but she interrupted him.

"Go."

"Love, stay with me, for the kids if not for me! Stay alive!"

"I'll wait for you, Will," she said in a weaker voice. She sighed, then rested her head on the ground.

"No, love come on! Don't go! Please don't go! We're supposed to be together forever!"

With her final vestiges of life, Fluttershy cocked one eye up at him, then said cryptically, "Then don't take long." With that, her eye lids closed and she let out one final, forced, raspy sigh. Fluttershy was dead. For the second time that day, Will was ready to become something he spent his whole life finding and killing: a raging monster. He got up, literally bordering insanity, and stumbled to where he thought he remembered the balcony door being.

He misjudged, and hit the right side of the door jam with his shoulder. Twisting in midair, he fell soundlessly to the ground, twenty five feet down. Pain erupted in him, through the wing he landed on, but he didn't care. His only drive was to find his last remaining filly. He stumbled to his feet and sucked in his first real fresh breath since entering the house. He turned around, ready to begin his search, but he almost wished he hadn't.

His search didn't take very long, for he didn't have to search far. His filly, white coat turned dark grey, pink mane ruined with smoke and ash, lay in front of him, seven feet laterally from the upstairs door. With little hope, he slowly made his way to the unmoving body. Moonshy was not breathing; he could tell that much as he walked to her. He knelt down to check for a pulse, and with cold apathy felt no reaction to find his daughter dead.

He removed his hand from her lifeless body, and stayed there, motionlessly staring at his late daughter. It is possible Will would have remained there for eternity had Bill and Luna not found their way to him. Bill was the first to speak, saying grimly, "Where are-"

Will's head snapped up to glare at Bill, who instantly shut his mouth in shock. "In there," Will growled with unhidden fury.

"Will," Luna tried, but was interrupted.

"I will find who did this," Will's voice changed. It was more guttural now. "I will not rest 'til I do. And when I do," he said, standing up fast as lightening. "And when I do," he repeated. "I'll kill him." Luna was about to protest, but Will cut her off. "And I'll kill anyone who gets in the way of me doing so." With that, Will bolted from the scene, his stride full of purpose. Bill followed.

---

Will shook his head. He recalled the rage and fury that coursed through his body during that time. Often times, Royal Guard ponies would be called to a scene to find Will surrounded by flaming flora. He would oft sit in the center of a field and torch his surroundings to vent his anger and frustration. Bill would stand nearby and prevent the fires from spreading too far.

---

It took several years for the arson to be found. It took at least a year for the summons to reach Will. To say the least, it did not take Will a year to arrive at the holding facility. Will was, at the time, searching Stalliongrad for any sign of an arson. Bill was assisting Will with the heavy objects and mind reading. Although Will desperately wanted to find his family's murderer, he was still a chivalrous man at heart, and refused to invade the mind of others. Bill, however, was under no such geas.

While he was crossing the street to another warehouse, Will was intercepted by a crashing mailmare. He recognized her as Ditzy Doo, and called out his greetings to her. She stopped to give him a letter of summons from Princesses Celestia and Luna, and also to give Will her condolences about Fluttershy and their foals. After a short thanks and a curt nod, Will took off towards Canterlot, where the letter said they had the arson in holding.

When he arrived, he was directed to the holding cells, but his path to the particular cell he sought was blocked by his aunt and mother. "Aside, please," he said calmly.

Celestia exited the hall via side door. Luna, however, remained where she was. It was because Will's voice was calm that she did not do as she was asked. "I want your promise that you will not harm the prisoner."

Will dodged the request. "Move aside mother." His tone had grown slightly hostile, and those who could pick up subtle clues about emotions and plans, as Luna could, would detect the change.

"I want your word."

To the surprise of everyone, Will drew his newly forged rapier. He forged it specifically for the purpose of hunting down the arson, but in Will's mind, Luna was a threat. His rage was causing him to think simply. Will pointed the rapier at his own mother's throat, saying, nearly growling, "I said, mother, to get out of the way."

"I can't."

Will stood silently for a moment, before saying, "I told you those years ago that I would get rid of anything that stood in my way to the arson. I see you as a threat right now."

"You wouldn't cut down your own mother," Luna told him with extreme confidence.

Will remained still for a moment longer before lowering his rapier. "You're right," he said, hanging his head. Only Bill could tell that Will was faking his defeated manner, but was powerless to stop Will's plan. Will turned, making to walk away, before he spun around and swung his arm at Luna.

Luna, who did not expect this, made no move to stop it. Will hit her on the side of the head with the basket guard of his rapier. She slumped to the floor, unconscious. "Bill," Will said. "Make sure she's okay. Then join me." Bill knelt beside his wife, disgusted with himself. He loved Luna, but also agreed with Will in the sense that Luna was getting in the way of something that had to be done. Will entered the cell that contained the arson, and his shock was evident.

Before him at the interrogation table sat Blueblood, former Prince of Equestria. The stallion looked up to see who had entered, and his disgust and hatred was also evident. "You," he spat.

Will, after recovering from his initial shock, sat down across from Blueblood and folded his hands on the table, glaring daggers at the murderer before him. "Me," he replied.

"What do you want, human? Come to assert your dominance?"

"Actually," Will said calmly. Before he could continue, Bill entered, causing Blueblood to leer in disgust. Bill moved to lean against the wall behind Will. When the commotion was over, Will continued. "Actually, I just want answers."

"Answers to what, human? Why ponies are superior to humans? That is a simple matter, I would think, trash."

Will's hands slammed onto the table so fast he stunned even Bill. "Dammit, you arrogant son of a whore! I WANT TO KNOW WHY YOU KILLED MY WIFE!"

Blueblood, clearly unsettled by Will's sudden ferocity, scoffed, albeit unconvincingly. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Will stood up so fast he knocked over the chair that he was, until recently, sitting in. "DON'T BULLSHIT ME, BITCH! I KNOW YOU DID IT! YOU BURNED MY HOUSE DOWN!"

Blueblood was clearly frightened out of his wits, and he broke down. "Alright, I admit. I burned down your house in the hopes to kill you, human. What of it?"

Will closed his eyes and breathed deeply for twenty seconds, trying to calm himself down. "Tell me how you knew I lived there."

"I watched it for several years, how do you think I knew it was yours, human? Are you all truly this stupid?"

"So you knew my wife stayed at home."

"I don't-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME! YOU WATCHED ME HOUSE, YOU SAID SO YOURSELF! YOU KNEW MY WIFE LIVED THERE, STAYED THERE!"

"That mare was your wife?!"

"DON'T TELL ME YOU DIDN'T KNOW! I KNOW YOU KNEW! IF YOU REALLY WATCHED MY HOME LIKE THE PATHETIC STALKER YOU ARE, YOU'D NOTICE THE PARTIES WE'D HAD!"

"I admit, I saw a few parties take place-"

"TELL ME, RIGHT NOW, WHY I SHOULDN'T KILL YOU, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!"

"Because... because that would be against the law?"

Will, to the horror of Blueblood and the surprise of Bill, laughed maniacally. "You are worthless to me, Blueblood," he spat between cackles. "And do you not think I am above the law?!"

"No..."

"You're right, of course," Will allowed. "It would be against the law." Will's face suddenly changed to look more like a psychotic killer. "Although, I'm pretty much finished with following rules. I'm not long for this world anyway, so why not have a little fun?" Will grinned manically. Blueblood gulped, and Bill simply stared in shock. He'd heard Will's statement, and while he hated to leave his wife behind, he completely supported Will in his notion. Will drew his rapier. "I made this myself, you know," Will told Blueblood as if he were explaining to an awestruck foal.

"What are you going to do to me?" Blueblood demanded in a panicked voice.

"Well. Since stone," Will began, indicating the stone floor and walls. "Doesn't burn, I can't burn you alive so that you could know what my wife and children felt while they burned to death in the fire you set for them." Blueblood's eyes widened; this insane human was talking of killing him! "I'll have to settle for... a slow death." Quick as lightning, the rapier snapped out and impaled one of Blueblood's manacled hooves.

He screamed in pain, but Will wasn't done. With deft precision, Will impaled the other. "There's an old story in human culture," Will said calmly. "A man named Jesus was impaled and left to die while being crucified on a cross." Will slashed both of Blueblood's cheeks. "I don't have a cross," Will continued, cutting the front ends of Blueblood's mane off. "I can't crucify you." Slashes across Blueblood's neck. "I guess I have to settle for impaling you."

"You're insane!" Blueblood shouted at the top of his lungs.

Will nodded. "Perhaps. If so, I'll be okay with it. Goodbye, murderer." Blueblood made to shout out frantically, desperate to call for help from anyone, even Bill, but before he could... Will thrust his rapier deep into Blueblood's torso. Will thrust so deep the rapier protruded out of Blueblood's back. Will unstuck his rapier and cleaned it with his cloth.

Bill, horrified at the gruesome sight before him, said nothing. Despite it being absolutely revolting, and the stench of oxidized blood was nauseating him, he was oddly alright with what had just transpired. Nevertheless, he followed Will out of the interrogation room. Will was about to head back down the hall before a voice cried out, "Will!"

It was Luna. Standing beside her was Celestia. Luna saw the blood on Will's cloth, and immediately figured out what had transpired while she was unconscious. "What did you do to Blueblood?!"

Instead of answering, Will bolted in the other direction. At the end of the hallway, opposite the conventional exit, was a large window. Bill made a break after Will. Will ran as fast as his legs would carry him, but it was still not enough. About halfway through, a magical aura surrounded Will, halting his motion. "Bill!" he cried out. Bill stopped to see the cause, and with a thrust of his hand the aura dissipated and Will resumed running.

"Will!" Luna shouted again, but neither Will nor Bill stopped.

Bill ran less than a foot in front of Will so that he could break the window and Will could carry him away. Bill covered his face with his arms and burst through the window. The glass stung his arms, but he thought it would be better to endure a few cuts than blind Will for an undetermined amount of time. Bill thought he could repair blindness, but he decided it was better not to take chances. Will had a slight problem adjusting for Bill's weight, but quickly corrected and flew away.

Luna and Celestia halted at the sill of the now broken window, staring after Will's retreating form. "Lulu," Celestia said urgently. "Get Twilight. I think I know where he's going."

"Where would that be, sister?" Luna asked as she turned to do as she was told.

Celestia didn't answer immediately. When she did, however, her voice was laden with grim certainty. "He's going to join Fluttershy." Luna automatically understood what her sister said, and a chill ran up her spine. "I'm afraid I may not be able to stop him in time. Now, go! Before I assuredly run out of that which we have none left!"

Luna hurried from the castle.

---

Will stood on the parapet of the twenty-story building. He thought it rather ironic: nine years ago he had almost blown his head off on a building much smaller than this. Now he skipped the pleasantries and was going to jump. Bill stood behind Will, on the roof, and to the right of him. He watched Will with anguished eyes. Bill did not want to leave his Luna, but he knew that this had to be done.

Will, looking outwards, said softly to Bill, "Well... probably shouldn't wait 'til Christmas." Bill simply nodded; his throat was too constricted for words. "I'm sorry I'm doing this to you, Bill," Will continued. "It's rather selfish of me."

Bill found words, though they were hoarse and weak. "Don't worry about it."

Will huffed. "Well..."

Before he could finish, though, a voice cried out, "Will!"

Will spun while keeping his balance, as did Bill, and they saw that Luna, Celestia, and Twilight had arrived. "What do you want?" Will called out.

Luna stepped forward. "Don't do it, Will!" She cried in a desperate tone.

"I have to; I have nothing!"

"Don't do it! You have us! Your mother, your aunt, your friends! Think about what you're going to do to them!"

Will sighed without taking his eyes off of the offending trio. "I have thought about it... and I'm sorry for them."

"Why are you doing this?!" Luna shrieked. "Why would you do this to me?!"

Will shouted hoarsely, "I don't have a wife or kids anymore! What better reason do I need?!"

"So you'd leave me without a husband or child?! Do you think I wasn't broken when Harry died?!"

"How stable were you before you met Dad, mother?" Will shot out a question. "Were you happy? Content?"

Luna answered cautiously, "I was alright..."

"Already," Will fired off. "You had it better than I!" He thrust a finger at Luna, and she flinched in anticipation of magic, but none came. "Since before I was even an adult in the eyes of humans, I've been through hell!" He sucked in a deep breath. "I've seen friends die beside me, over and over! I've seen soldiers gutted and hung by their feet, left to dry out by bleeding all over the ground beneath them!"

Twilight gasped in shock at the horrendous descriptions of the deaths. She'd never experienced death before, except for maybe Big Macintosh, and certainly not a death as gruesome as the ones Will was describing. Despite her constant and ever-lasting bitterness towards Will, she sympathized, thinking that no one should have to see their friends die... even her enemies. Will wasn't finished though. "I've been shot, blown up, stabbed, cut, burned, drowned, boiled! I've seen people who one moment would be perfectly fine, then to have their heads explode in a shower of blood and brains!"

Luna was taken aback, as was everybody there, except for Bill He'd experienced those events himself, and he knew Will was not lying. Luna's jaw worked up and down, but no sound came out. Finally, she found something to say. "So you'd let your poor old mother become not only a widow, but without a son?"

"I see no other way to make peace with myself," Will said, his demeanor becoming calm again.

"Death is permanent, Will." Luna's eyes were running with tears, and her voice wavered as she struggled not to fall to her knees and cry with impunity. "Please don't do this; we can get over this!" For a moment, Will hesitated. This was all Luna needed to step up her pleas. "I've survived thirty three years without my Harry, and I'm still fine! But with what you're going to do... I don't know if I can survive that. Please, Will, don't hurt me more."

Will stood silently for several minutes. No one said anything during that time, and the rooftop became more silent than space. Slowly, Will lifted his right leg in front of him, as if to step off the parapet. Luna's hopes soared, as did those of Celestia and Twilight. Despite her simmering hatred for Will, Twilight thought that killing himself would not be a good way to solve his problems. Bill suddenly stiffened in realization. In the years past, Will and Bill finally found a way to communicate through their minds, and Will and Bill had used that ability with abandon, especially during the search for Blueblood. Just then, Will told Bill something, and Bill didn't like it but followed his orders.

Without warning, with the exception of Bill, of course, Will thrust his leg behind him with as much force as he could muster. This action caused him to topple backwards, to the alarm of the trio of Equestrian residents. "Will!" Luna cried out in fear, and moved to stop him. Bill, however, keeping true to his word, intercepted her. He stood in front of her and gripped her arms in his hands. "Bill?!" Luna asked in shock. "What are you doing?! Stop him!"

Bill simply shook his head sadly. "I can't."

"But your duty is to keep him safe!"

"Not anymore more." At Luna's puzzled expression, he explained, "Now my duty is to make sure he dies."

"But you'll die with him!" Luna shouted in Bill's face. His ears rung, but he administered his painkillers.

"I know," he said. "I love you, Luna." With that, Bill pressed his lips against his wife's. Luna was resistant at first, but when she realized the situation was out of her hands, she sadly and reluctantly accepted her fate. Bill stuck his tongue inside Luna's mouth to grip hers. There, he held the kiss for several seconds. Luna never officially had the chance to break the kiss, though. Bill, instead, did so. Bill's body stiffened and tensed. Bill brought his head away from Luna's and looked directly into her eyes. "I love you, Luna," he said again. "More than anything in the universe." He was crying.

Luna had no words to say. Her own eyes were brimming with tears. Nevertheless, she saw what happened next. Bill stepped away from his wife, and in front of her very eyes disintegrated. From the feet up, his body reduced itself to dust. That dust flowed in the air and trailed over the parapet, down towards Will's still body. As the process reached his neck, Bill mouthed his love to Luna one last time.

And he was gone. Luna stood there, quivering for several minutes. Finally, she collapsed to her knees and let out an anguished wail. She fell forward onto her elbows and pounded the ground with her fists. While doing so, she continued to scream and shout. Listeners would not understand her, for her shouts were in a foreign language. "Quare?! Quare, Deus?!" She sobbed for a few moments, sucking in breaths, before continuing. "Quare dimittetis mihi, Will?! Et ego dilexi te, Will!"

Celestia slowly made her way to her sister. Kneeling beside her, she tried to comfort the crying Princess. "Erit bene, Luna. Erit bene."

Facing the ground, Luna responded in the, to Twilight, alien tongue. "Non erit ulla sorore! Iam perditum et duobus nupta unigeniti!" She resumed her attempt to flood the building, while Celestia absently rubbed her sister's back. Twilight simply stood dumbfounded, staring and wondering in shock as to what and why this had just happened.

---

And that was how Will came to be standing on the clifftop, overlooking Ponyville. His tears stained his cheeks and shirt from the memories that flooded his mind. He wiped them from his eyes when he felt the comforting touch of somebody to his right. Looking over his with his now-clear vision, he saw his wife laying her hoof on his shoulder. He took that hoof in his hand and absently rubbed it with his thumb.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and upon inspection, there stood Bill, providing his silent support. Looking down, Will found his children, sleeping soundly at his feet. His heart would have exploded for the third time, had it not been dead to begin with. He looked back over his former home in sadness. The five of them remained in that position until Will heard a gruff voice speak behind him.

"Hello, son."

Will turned slowly. The words used gave enough of a hint as to who it was, but he couldn't be sure. "Son" was used by old people addressing young ones, after all. There behind him, stood a man who was about six feet, four inches tall. His hair was unkempt, as was his facial hair. Around his neck he wore a keepsake in the shape of a pentagram, and in its center sat a brilliant ruby. The man wore a black leather duster, a black shirt, and blue jeans. Barely visible on his hip was a revolver, and a rod of wood was hanging loosely from a strap on the inside of the duster. In his right hand the man carried a staff which came up to about shoulder height on him, with runes carved into its surface.

"How're you, Victor?" The man asked.

Will couldn't answer. After a moment of regaining his thoughts, he stepped forward and threw his arms around the man.

"Hello, father."

Comments

[Lt_Voss]

Final chapter. Hope you like it.

I really do hope so. I'm sorry it had to be this way, but I couldn't keep lying to myself. I worked hard on this chapter, and I also fought my emotions while doing so, and to get it out and finish something makes me extremely happy. I just hope that everyone else will appreciate it as much as I do.

This is the end. No sequel will come out, as there can be no sequel. Good luck, and Godspeed. Omnes beatam vitam volo.

[Uidnthd7311]

.....good...god...man...my heart...just, ffff.....

[Sonicbrony66]

[Lucky Streak]

It was beautiful. Well done. Fortitudo, my friend. You gave us a wonderful ending, because you put so much of yourself into it. Thank you for this amazing journey. Aeternum vale, Will. Requiescat in pace.

[Lt_Voss]

445948 Wanna know the only difference between Will and me?

I haven't actually succeeded in killing myself.

Will is pretty much a carbon copy of me. Shy, awkward, gallant. I'm a little slow on the uptake most days, especially when I don't get a lot of sleep. I do hear voices in my head (despression medication does not aid schizophrenics, unfortunately), I'm good at swordplay (I have a little experience with staves, but not much), I can use many military-issue weapons, and I can speak Latin (to an extent, albeit Will can't speak it).

I actually hated to see him go.

[Lucky Streak]

I hate seeing him go, too. But, looking at it, it really was the only ending that brought closure to the given scenario, I think. It was a real bang up job, brother. You did great in my opinion.

[Lt_Voss]

446234 To be honest, I was terrified of the reception this ending would receive. I actually couldn't sleep most nights because I was scared everybody would hate it. Knowing at least you and a few others like it makes me feel better about myself.

So thanks for the pick-me-up.

[Lucky Streak]

No problem. Just here to tell the honest truth. If you ever need a proofreader or someone to bounce ideas off of, let me know, I'd be happy to help.

[Ignis Infinitus]

The story still says incomplete, I'm assuming that you forgot to mark complete

[Lt_Voss]

446659 Oh, right. I'll get that fixed.

[Almasy]

My god..this was so beautiful...I love it 11/10,an amazing journey,The ending has got to be perfect...Love it.

[RLYoshi]

...well, there goes any plans I had of today being good. I hate sad endings more than literally anything else story-related.

[TheBlackPanda]

Good ending! Wouldn't have this one any other way!

By the way, do you have the translations for what Luna was shouting after Will jumped? I know it's Latin, but Google Translate is a horrible program to work with.

[Captain Grim]

FUCK YOU, BLUEBLOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY!!!!!!