Full Circle

by Sotharan

Part V: Daughter of the Sun || Chapter 44: Hail and Farewell

The royal graveyard was the most peaceful place in all Canterlot. It was immediately adjacent to the military graveyard, another place of great peace, where the heroes who had either fallen defending their country, or who had died after long years of faithful service, slept beneath the green earth.

The royal graveyard was reached at the end of a long walkway lined with the tombs of the Captains of the Royal Guard. A beautiful arch of carven stone, embraced by flowering vines, marked the entry. Sunset, Celestia, and Twilight passed beneath the arch. Twilight had never been here before. She looked at the various tombs and mausoleums in amazement. “Sweet Faust!” she exclaimed in a hushed voice. “That’s the tomb of Princess Platinum!”

Sunset had been to the royal graveyard before, several times. “Yes. Many of the great leaders of early Equestria are interred here. Their bones were moved when Canterlot was founded. See! There’s the tomb of Chancellor Puddinghead, for example. And the grave of Commander Hurricane. They’re next to each other and Princess Platinum, as they wished. Those three really did become best friends after the Windigo incident.”

Twilight shook her head in amazement. “Are their aides buried here too?”

“Of course. See the smaller gravestones next to the big ones? They are all here, as they asked.”

“Wow,” Twilight sighed.

They came to an avenue lined with yew trees. At the end of it were the royal tombs themselves, where Celestia and Luna’s progenitors were buried, or at least memorialized, if their bodies could not be found. There, on a small plot off to one side, next to the cenotaphs of Celestia and Luna’s parents, were two simple, but high quality, granite gravestones that stood side-by-side. They were inscribed as follows:

SUNRISE SHIMMER

Y.T.S. 966-985

LOVING HUSBAND
PROUD FATHER
HE LEFT US TOO SOON

And

GOLDEN STAR

Y.T.S. 966-985

LOVING WIFE
PROUD MOTHER
SHE LEFT US TOO SOON

Sunset was silent. She only stared at the two gravestones for several minutes. Celestia and Twilight stood with her in respectful silence. Finally, silent tears falling from her eyes, Sunset lifted the two bouquets of flowers she had brought with her and laid them on the graves of her parents, but not with magic. With her own hooves she laid them down. Then, she stepped back and was silent once more.

“In perpetuum, pater et mater, ave atque vale,” Sunset intoned quietly as last. Then, without looking back, she turned from the graves and went back down the yew-lined avenue. Celestia and Twilight followed silently.

---

The party of three had reached the royal quarters again.

“Sunset, I have a few matters to take care of before dinner,” said Celestia quietly. “Will you be all right? I can stay if you need me to.”

“Don’t worry Mom, I know you have stuff to do. Twilight, can you hang for a while?”

“Sure, Sunset. I’d love to.”

Sunset smiled at Celestia. “See. My cousin’s got it covered. No worries.”

Celestia returned her smile. “I’m glad she’ll be with you. I’ve had the things that could be salvaged from your parents’ cart put in your room. It might be nice to have a friend with you when you look at them.”

“I’m sure you’re right.”

“All right. I’m off then. See you at dinner, you two. Luna will be there too.” With a final nuzzle for both Sunset and Twilight, Celestia headed down the corridor toward the throne room.

Twilight looked at Sunset. “You sure about this? You’ve had a lot of news in the past 12 hours.”

“I can face it with you at my side, Twi,” Sunset said simply, and headed into her room. She found a large chest at the foot of her bed that had not been there before. “This must be it.” Carefully she opened the chest and began to look at the objects within. Twilight stood respectfully at her side. There was a pretty flannel blanket on top. Sunset removed it, hugged it shamelessly, and passed it to Twilight. Underneath there were various items, some more significant than others. One thing that moved Sunset particularly was a pretty comb, apparently made of mother-of-pearl.

“It must have been hers,” Twilight breathed.

“Yes,” said Sunset softly, with shining eyes.

“She’d be glad if she knew you were going to use it from now on,” Twilight pointed out carefully.

“And so I shall,” agreed Sunset.

There were other things – empty glass jars that had been cleaned, small carved wooden boxes, a few bits. Twilight gasped suddenly. “Sunset, look at this!” In her magic she held up a much smaller square blanket made of alternating white and yellow panels. It was unmistakably a foal’s blanket. “It must have been yours!” Twilight exclaimed.

Sunset took the blanket and looked at it closely. It did seem familiar somehow. She hugged it to herself. “Oh Twi. I feel like I can almost touch them.”

Twilight had been doing pretty well up until then, but this was her own breaking point. “I know, sweetie, I know,” she said with a sob. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks Twi. And thanks for being here with me. It would be hard to deal with this alone.” They embraced for a time. Then, Sunset went back to rummaging carefully through the chest.

After a few quiet minutes, Twilight found the courage to ask Sunset about something that had been bothering her since they had left the graveyard. “Sunset,” she asked tentatively. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“What…what was it that you said to them? You know, at the graveyard. It sounded like Roanan.”

Sunset didn’t respond right away.

Worried, Twilight hedged. “It’s ok if you don’t want to talk about it…”

“It was in Roanan,” Sunset answered. “It was an adaptation of the last line of an ancient poem by a Roanan author named Catullus. He was mourning the death of his brother. It meant…” Sunset had to pause for a moment to maintain her composure. “It meant, forever, father and mother, hail and farewell.” She looked away for a moment.

Twilight sniffled and wiped away more tears. “Wow,” she said quietly. “That’s beautiful. You’re an amazing pony, Sunset. Hail and farewell. Because you were meeting them and saying goodbye to them, both at the same time.”

Sunset nodded gratefully, not trusting herself to speak.

“But…forever?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t know that it will be forever, Twi. But it sure feels like it right now.”

Twilight couldn’t think of a worthwhile response. So, she just embraced her friend again. She held Sunset for a long time.

---

Dinner was relatively quiet and serious, though not exactly somber. Luna was brought up to speed, and the plans for tomorrow were discussed. Cadance had returned to the Crystal Empire the day before.

“Sunset, if you like, I’ve made arrangements for you to go to New Canterlot tomorrow, to meet your family. Do you want to do that? If you don’t, it’s ok – I can reschedule. No one would blame you. Today has been a hard day.”

Sunset appeared to be thinking about the prospect.

“I won’t be able to go with you – I’m sorry about that, but the delegation I have to meet tomorrow can’t be postponed,” Celestia continued.

“But I can come with you,” said Twilight supportively.

“Thanks, Twi. Yes, Mom, I’d like to go. After all, this isn’t just about me. You said they want to see me too.”

“They do,” Celestia reassured her. “Very, very much.”

Sunset managed a smile, though she did feel a bit nervous now.

Celestia anticipated her question. “I haven’t told them a lot – it wouldn’t be fair – they should learn about you from you, Sunset. All I’ve said is that you’re even more gifted than your parents, and that while you did go through a pretty rough patch the past few years, since then you’ve become a young mare of whom I am very, very proud. A young mare who does her parents great credit,” Celestia finished, with a meaningful look at Sunset.

Sunset smiled gratefully at her.

“I will ensure that your sleep is untroubled tonight, my niece,” said Luna kindly. “I wish for you to be well rested for tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Aunt Luna.”

The four ponies chatted for a bit longer, then began to retire to their various chambers for the evening.

“See you tomorrow, Twi!” said Sunset as Twilight started to head toward the guest wing.

“Oh! You’re not coming yet?” Twilight inquired.

Sunset looked at Celestia. “Not yet. I have a couple more things to talk with Mom about.”

“Ok! Don’t stay up too late! ”Twilight called over her shoulder as she continued on her way.

Next, Luna departed to watch over the night, leaving Celestia and Sunset alone in the hall. Celestia suddenly seemed a bit awkward and uncomfortable. She pre-empted whatever Sunset was going to ask her about with an apology. “I really am sorry I am not going with you tomorrow,” she began. “Although there isthe matter of the delegation, I also…well, I have found that wherever I go, I tend to, shall we say, overshadow the goings-on? I don’t want that for you, Sunset. Tomorrow is for you.”

“Thanks, Mom. I understand what you’re saying. I’d be glad to have you along anyway, though.”

Celestia smiled at her, but then became a bit awkward again. Sunset was surprised. She had rarely seen Celestia at a loss for words. After a moment she spoke again, almost embarrassed. “Sunset, there is one other thing,”

“Ok Mom. Don’t worry. What is it?”

“Well, I just thought – it’s been a tough day for you, and tomorrow will be fun but exhausting. Plus when you go back to your room, your parents’ things will be there. I was just thinking that…you might not want…”

“To be alone tonight?” Sunset finished for her. “But I won’t be alone. Twi will be there.”

“Yes. We have a lot to make up for, Sunset. I know you’re a grown mare, but I have to admit…I wish I could…well…hold you tonight,” Celestia finally admitted in a small voice, blushing.

Sunset gasped. “Of course! I…it would be a dream come true! Don’t be embarrassed, Mom. I think you’re right. We need some…snuggle time.”

Celestia was clearly relieved. “Good. I’ll see you in a few minutes, then?”

“Sure. I’ll be right there.”

---

Sunset could hardly contain her anticipation. This truly was a dream come true. She readied herself for bed as quickly as possible, taking care not to wake Twilight, then rushed back to her mother’s room and knocked softly on the door.

“Come in,” came Celestia’s voice.

Sunset pushed the door open with her hoof and peered in. The only light still remaining was the warm light of a fire in Celestia’s personal fireplace. Dimly, she could see her mother resting in her bed.

“Come here, my little sun,” said Celestia’s voice softly.

Sunset, feeling a bit shy in spite of herself, slowly cantered into the room until she could clearly see her mother’s face in the firelight. Celestia’s welcoming face was full of affection and joy. She lifted her wing. The implication was clear, and Sunset no longer hesitated. She jumped into the bed and snuggled up against her mother’s side. She felt Celestia’s soft wing come down and wrap itself around her. At the same time she saw her mother’s golden magic light pulling the blankets up over them both.

Sunset sighed with contentment. Celestia gently nuzzled her head and mane for a few moments, then she whispered. “Sleep now, my precious filly. I love you so much. Rest, safe under my wing.”

“I love you too, Mama,” said Sunset in a very small voice. Only once before in her life had she felt so warm and safe, and it had been in the arms of another Celestia in another world. Once again Sunset felt overwhelmed by gratitude. But she had little time to ponder the blessings of her life – soon sleep overcame her, and she slept long and well.

Author's Note:

It’s deliberate that the avenue to the royal tombs is lined with yew trees. Yew trees symbolize death, but also rebirth. They can simultaneously express the sorrow and grief that accompanies mortality, but also the hope of rebirth and resurrection.

Y.T.S. – Year of the Two Sisters.

Roanan is the Equestrian version of Latin. I’m pretty sure I’m not the first author to think of this.

“Hail and Farewell” – from the 101^st poem by Gaius Valerius Catullus. I’m not a big fan of Catullus in general – he’s quite ribald – but he hit this one out of the park. And it’s very appropriate in this setting – Catullus’s brother was away from Rome when he died, so Catullus had to travel overseas to bury him. So, he met his brother for the first time in (probably) years and said goodbye to him for life in the same moment.

The show steers clear of issues of religion, faith, and the afterlife (as is common for most cartoons for children and young adults). Rather than introduce a religious/faith system for my version of Equestria, I chose to interpret the show's silence in this way: Equestria is pre-revelatory. In my thought, Equestria does have a deity (and it's not the Two Sisters or "Faust", though they are pretty much demi-goddesses) but that deity has not chosen to reveal itself yet. That's why Sunset isn't sure that she will see her parents again. On the other hand, she's not sure she won't. The main purpose of her statement (“I don’t know that it will be forever, Twi. But it sure feels like it right now.”) is not to express a faith position, but to express that grief of this kind, even among people of faith, feels so intense as to seem insurmountable.

I do happen to be a person of faith. If you want to discuss, please send me a private message.

Ok, so the end of the chapter is fluffy. Too bad.

Comments

[Marauder15]

Beautiful.

[Scholarly-Cimmerian]

This was really good. I really liked the touch of poetry at the cemetery. Quite poignant when you know the story behind it...

[Sotharan]

8772543
It took me quite a while to get through writing this chapter (and every time I had to edit it). I made myself quite moved (not a boast, just the facts).

[Sotharan]

8772314
Thank you! I really wanted this one to be touching.

[Csquared08]

You say fluff, I say overwhelming cheese

[Pr1deM0rn1ngstar]

I for one think the ending was adorable and very sweet.

[Revanius]

Great chapter, liked the use of a Roman quote.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

Sunset smiled at Celestia. “See. My cousin’s got it covered. No worries.”

That's gonna take time to get used to hearing.