The Last Healing Dragon

by Gearsmash King

Epilogue: Ten Years Later

In the years that followed after the battle for Canterlot and the death of Lazarus, Equestria experience many changes. Ponies went about their daily lives as usual. But, once in a while, they would be accompanied by a dragon that was often many times bigger than a pony. Or, by a colourful Changeling. Both were thanks to Dragon Lord Ember and King Thorax.

Ponyville and the Everfree Forest, in particular, had the most changes. The Diamond Dog mine had been opened again, but it was now owned by the ponies. However, Korg's chamber had been deemed a memorial and historical site. So, it was off limits to miners. But, ponies were welcome to explore the home of the Shadowpede that helped in the evacuation of Canterlot. As long as they didn't touch anything.

In town square, a flag waved in the wind. However, instead of a traditional Equestrian flag that displayed the princesses circling a half-sun and half moon. The flag showed a large red dragon and a spiked centipede circling a group of ponies, while on the outside of the circle, destruction and danger surrounded them. To many, it was a reminder that not all monsters are bad. But, to some, it was a reminder of those who weren't in the safety of the circle. And they became known as; The lost and remembered souls.

Throughout the Everfree, animals survived and thrived as if nothing had changed. Once in a while, ponies would venture into the forest, but they never dared to disturb the wildlife or plants that resided in it. However, that didn't stop anyone from trying to find the Cradle of the Everfree or look for Lazarus' cave to watch the memory gems. Everyone knew they existed, but only a few knew where they were. Only a few times, a pony was unfortunate enough to find the Boneyard. However, anyone who did, managed to escape with little to no injuries. The forest was still an unpredictable place, but ponies became less frightened of it in recent years.

As for the ones who knew Lazarus best, their lives changed over the years as well.

Fluttershy became a mother to a pegasus filly that was very similar to her mother in appearance. However, the filly was far braver and more social than Fluttershy was when she was a young filly. It made her so proud to watch her daughter play with Pyro, the now fully grown phoenix. Sometimes, she would watch as the two of them race around the cottage. But, every time she looked at Pyro, she'd remember when she found him as an abandoned egg. But, it hurt even more when she remembered that she was with Lazarus when they found the egg. And, even though she knew that Lazarus was always in her heart, she still felt a small emptiness in the deepest part of her soul. However, she always managed to push that feeling away whenever she saw her daughter smiling with pride.

Starlight was a godmother to Dream Chaser's third foal, who was a bat-pony colt. Starlight was very happy to find out that the foal wasn't a hybrid between a Changeling and a pony. But, in recent years, she watched as the two older foals turned into adults. Dark Chaser, the oldest, began his training as a Lunar Guard, just like his father before him. Star Chaser, the middle, spent most of her time as the royal librarian's assistant. And, since Starlight was friends with Twilight, it was easy to make Star's wish come true. As for the youngest, he earned the name; Shadow "Shade" Chaser Jr.. He never met his father, but Starlight knew that somewhere, Shadow Chaser Sr. was watching over them all. And every time she thought about him, Crawl, or Lazarus, she would shed a tear for each of them.

But, the one who hurt the most, since the battle, was Luna. After Lazarus died, Luna never changed her behavior. However, she wasn't as cheery as she used to be. Even on Nightmare Night, she didn't smile as often as she did. But, since Lazarus had taught her so much in the past, Luna was able to still feel some happiness and joy. It just hurt her to know that it took over six thousand years for him to earn his reward, even though he earned it multiple times. And, there were some moments when Luna would leave without telling anyone and without an escort. But, it wasn't very difficult to figure out where she went.

At the edge of Canterlot, there was a large pool of water that was shaped like a dragon. A quiet and peaceful place that allowed ponies to think clearly. Or, just enjoy each other's company. However, everyone knew what it actually was. And, on one side of the pool, a statue of a wingless dragon with a crested head and thick whip-like tail stood proudly on a stone base. A plaque had been placed on the base with a inscription that read;

In loving memory of
Lazarus
The last Healing Dragon
Father to Royalty
Hero and friend to Equestria
King of true courage

Author's Note:

Hey, everyone.

Okay, that's it, folks. This story has come to a close. And, it brought a few tears. I know some of you cried in some places as well. And, that's what happens when imagination and creativity come together.

When I started writing this story, I had no idea that I'd catch the attention of this many people. And, I never thought I'd see this story in the most featured box. But, it did get there, even though it was there for a short time. But, I don't write for popularity, I write so I can share the adventures I have in my head.

So, from me to you, thank you all for reading, and enjoying.

Comments

[Ardent Dusk]

It is nice to see a story where the main character ends up dying and it is done well, I saw this story and did not think much of it when it was still new, but it managed to impress me quite a bit, so I just stuck around.

[Gearsmash King]

7701075 Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I thought I'd put in a hero's death for dramatics. And, thanks for taking the time to read the story.

[Dimensional Librarian]

This was such an enjoyable read. I've honestly been so hooked I've slightly fallen behind in school . Anyways I was slightly disappointed and saddened at Crawl's death, I was starting to look forward to a sequel or even just more chapters about him living life in Ponyville with Starlight.

[Gearsmash King]

7731366 I was thinking about doing a sequel, but decided not to. Mostly because, I couldn't think of a proper idea that would work. Sorry, it's just hard to follow up on a story like this. But, I'm very glad that all of you liked it. Plus, in Crawl's mind, he was protecting his former master, since both Lazarus and Korg looked the same. Except their colours.

[Dimensional Librarian]

7734440 Oh I get why you had Crawl do what he did but the event still pulled my heart out of my chest and crushed it

[Gearsmash King]

7734793 At least it was a good story. Thanks for reading.

[Gearsmash King]

7847913 If that's what you see, then fine. I'm not going to force anyone to change their thoughts, but I'm not changing the story either. I appreciate that you took the time to at least look at the story.

[s07740970]

i liked that story the most,so far, i have read almost every mlp fanfiction on fimfiction. net and fanfiction archive

[Gearsmash King]

8066897 Thank you for taking the time to read and enjoy it.

[NicLove]

Before I read this, what is the Gore and Dark tag for ?
And how bad does it get ?

[Gearsmash King]

8192454 Gore is there for use of blood. (As said in the description.)
I can't tell you what the dark tag is for without spoiling.
And, it gets a little ugly in a couple places.
I hope you enjoy.

[Gearsmash King]

8202477 Keep reading. It's gets more interesting later on. Much more interesting.

[Mx]

How do you feel on displaced fanfiction and the idea.

[Gearsmash King]

8693826
In my opinion, I think it's okay. But, it's more for people who know how to make it work and fit together well. Out of curiosity, why do you ask?

P.S. I would've responded much sooner, but I'm often pretty busy and write whenever I have the time.

[Mx]

8697225
It was mainly because I was curious about what the fandom thought about the displaced fanfiction. Because it is somewhat of a controversy within the fandom so I wanted to find out what peolpe thought about it.

[Gearsmash King]

8699021
I see.

[Witchrblizzad]

Me: reads description, please not be dead.
Me: reads first chapter, I am so glad this is not dead

[Gearsmash King]

9072949
What made you think dead? I'm curious.

[Witchrblizzad]

9075305
a lot of the Dragon in Equestria stories never get off the ground and even less are completed, when I read the description it caught my interest but I try to avoid dead stories.

[Gearsmash King]

9075537
I see. Well, when I made this story, I had a full plan and layout of what I wanted to do. Thankfully, it worked out the way it did and it turned out to be the best one I've written. I'm always happy to see people still read, like, and comment on it. And, to be honest, I wasn't even doing it for popularity, I just did it because I could.

[Pleb_Trash]

Bro how dare you making me cry at 3 AM