XIX: Epilogue
The sun was warm. It was always warm. So glorious, so good, so clean upon his skin. The wizened man stood there to bask in the spotless sunshine, simply breathing in every inch of it. He had never known such a feeling could be so pure, so whole, so wonderful. Even now, after all these years, he found himself taking pause so the beams of light could soak deep into his weary bones. After all the years he had spent in slumber, there was no greater pleasure than to at last be alive.
“Grandpa, Grandpa!” the chorus of cries met his ears to wake him from his daydreams, and he looked down to see the crowd of children huddled around him, their faces flush with joy as they stared up at him with eagerness. “Come on, Grandpa, you promised!”
“Did I, now?” he asked pleasantly, laughing at their pouting faces that came in response. “Are you sure you do not wish to continue playing for a little longer?” He always gave them that chance. He wanted them to never take the light for granted.
“No, Grandpa! You promised you’d tell us when we were older!” said one of them, a lad hardly older than six. “We’re getting all grown up and you still haven’t told us the story!”
“Very well, if that’s what you want,” he said, his words met with a chorus of cheers. “Come, let’s go over to the garden, and find a place to sit down. Does that sound alright?”
“Yeah!” Two of them broke off from the group and raced into the trees, eager to scout ahead and find a suitable spot for storytelling. They always held such a vibrancy in their little bodies; he occasionally called them ‘little balls of energy’ when speaking with their parents, though not once did he mind. They were glorious to behold, so clear and fresh with skin kissed by the sunlight. As he walked along with the throng of babbling children, he regarded their features in comparison to his own. Though he had now spent many years in the sunlight, the paleness of his darkened days would never truly leave him. There would always be the nightmares in the back of his mind, all the sights and sounds he had once known as reality. When the days had not been so far gone, the thought would make him shiver and quail under the thought. But here, they did little more than make him be thankful for the now. The new age had come, and no darkness would break it.
“Here, Grandpa! Here, here!” The two children who had run ahead suddenly reappeared, pointing to a thick tree that lay beside a thin brook, the gentle flow of water a merry sound in their ears. “How does this look?”
“This looks wonderful!” he declared, taking a resting spot against the great tree as the whole crowd of eager faces settled about him, their gazes boring into him with the intensity only a child could bring. “Now, who is ready for the tale? Will anyone be scared?”
“Not me!” they all cried defiantly, though some faces of the younger ones showed the slightest hesitancy. “We’re not afraid, tell us, Grandpa!”
“Very well, then. Let me see…” Jairus closed his eyes, knowing that he was adding to the children’s wonder, and he felt them lean in on instinct. “Now, how to say it, how to say it… long, long ago, before any of you were ever born-”
“Before even you, Grandpa?” The youngest asked.
“Yes, even me!” Jairus added. “For as long as anyone had ever known, since perhaps even time had begun in our world, the entire land was covered in a great shadow, and in that shadow lay a Name.”
Some leaned back, as though the words themselves would bring great fear to their hearts.
“The Shadow held the name of Sombra: the Dark-Maker. A great lord of Darkness, and he commanded the Deep as though it were his own. Everywhere he went, Sombra would bring pain and suffering on all peoples. He blotted out the sun and covered the world in his shadows. He took people and animals and all life into his hands, turning them into evil monsters. People would be born into this world, only to be consumed by Sombra’s relentless power. It seemed that there was no hope to be found, and that the whole world would be made empty by his conquest!”
“But they stopped him, right, Grandpa?” called on the children. “The Lady and her Guardian!”
Jairus smiled, remembering how they had felt. Their presence in the midst of all that pain and suffering had been like the first taste of sunlight he had ever known, a breath of fresh air that came and pushed the smoke away. How long had it been since that fateful day, when all the world had seemed to end? They had been desperate to save he and his people, as though there was no other cause for which they wished. If only he had known it all, of the many lands through which they had traveled- of how much hope they had brought to so many.
“Yes, they did. The Lady and the Guardian, two great champions of a faraway place, who came here to stop Sombra and save the world.” Jairus smiled at the memory- so long ago, but so clear and fresh in his mind. “She a being of immense power, filled with the grace of an endless lifespan. More powerful and more beautiful than any who had ever been, or would ever be. And beside her was her loyal husband, stalwart and strong with wisdom. To whatever end, he had sworn to be there with her in the last days. And so, here in the heart of Infinity, they had come to make an end to Sombra.”
“Did they do it, Grandpa?” one piped up, eager to hear the end of the tale.
“At first, they wondered if they would even have the strength!” Jairus replied, gently shushing the child. “They came and tried to save us all, but Sombra took all your family, even the whole world, and turned it against them. Though the Lady and the Guardian resisted, they were taken to a wicked, wicked place and thrown into the depths of the darkness. Can you guess who was there waiting for them?”
“Sombra!” the children cried in unison.
Jairus nodded. “And so he was. He fought them both with all his might and wrath, all his anger and hatred, pushing the Lady and her Guardian to the very edge of desperation. But just when all hope seemed lost and Sombra would go on to rule the universe, the Lady and her Guardian did what no other being had ever done before.”
The children leaned in, eager for more. They saw the light in their grandfather’s eyes, that indelible spark that seemed to glimmer whenever his thoughts turned to that fateful moment.
“There, at the end of all hope, of all fear and pain, they together did something incredible… to our world, they brought Light.”
“And there they stand, now! The moment I heard that the waters were starting to recede, I began looking!” Brevan’s laughter still boomed across the ship as he spoke, even in his advanced age. “You see, when those two first came to me, I thought they were nothing but a pair of prattering madmen! But the more they talked of it, the more they convinced me. The idea that there was such a thing as ground beneath our feet beyond those meager islands, miserable pieces of rock they are. No, they spoke of continents! Lands filled with mountains and lakes, forests and such marvelous things as trees. Ever since they spoke of it, I kept an eye open- maybe, just maybe, if the waters ever began to fall, I might see one. And here we are! Look at what lies before you and say it’s name!”
“Green! My little ones, have you ever seen such a glorious sight in all your life?” Zareim spoke wildly, absolutely consumed by his delight. “All my days, all we have ever known is the lands of sand and dust and weathered rock. A fiery sun above us that was once guarded by a great and mighty beast, its wrath brought against us. But when the Lady and her Guardian came, so they brought so much more! The Roc was cast down and with it the great fires of heaven fell, allowing the heat to lessen. We even began to see rain- rain, of all things! But this… this, my little ones, this green place? This shall only grow and spread, the majesty of it all to be a home to many. You shall grow here, you shall thrive here! This will be a great and glorious future for all!”
“And what did we deserve, after all our many sins?” Gedeon asked of those about him. An ancient man now, he would have easily been indistinguishable from the darkened wood of the magnificently crafted cabin in which they dwelt. “I told them plainly that if they saw fit to do so, that I would be killed by their hand- so long as it meant my people prospered. But instead, they fought for us. Yes, they did! The Lady and her Guardian brought us all to safety as our broken Sun tore through the stars to eat away our land.
They nearly died to bring us here, you know. They were weary, tired and broken when we first entered into this land of rest. But when they had recovered and made their decisions, they led us! Yes, I knew them by name, knew their faces- still to this very moment, there is not a day that goes by where I do not wish to see them again. I think back to those years and only wish for that sort of glory to be seen in my eyes again. Ah, if you had only been there…”
“I wish you had been born in time, little one,” Tyrion said, holding his infant daughter oh so gently in his arms. “For you to have seen your grandparents would have been the greatest joy of my life. They ruled this land as king and queen for so long, there is little history that even speaks of a time in which they did not dwell with us. I was not their first child, nor even the first Crown Prince! But I was the last to see them, and every day my heart longs to see them again.”
Tyrion’s eyes misted over as he remembered that last haunting goodbye, as his mother and father had departed for lands unknown, so far flung from this peaceful haven. “You see, little one… they were known as the Lady and her Guardian Knight. Protectors and beings of great power that came to us from a faraway land. They had known battle and struggle, but had found themselves rejuvenated by this place. Here, in our home, they had thrived and become wondrous to behold. Never again will there be one like them, and there is not a day that goes by where those who remember them do not wish to see their faces again…”
“But they had their duty to uphold. A sacred promise: not just to the people they loved, but to one another. They had sworn that they would seek out the Void, no matter where it hid. They would chase Sombra to the ends of the earth, to the depths of the deepest Dark, to the most distant and empty of lands, across vastness and the expanse until they found him at last, and brought an end to his acts of cruelty once and for all. And so they went, all those many years ago.”
“Auntie, will they ever come back?” Starburst asked, piping up suddenly. It was not a normal thing for her to be so talkative, especially when a tale was told. “Mama says they will, but will they really?”
Luna paused to consider the question, knowing full well the great gap of time that had come to be. It had been so long since that farewell from so, so long ago, when Celestia and Saber Ford had departed from Equestria. They had been adamant: Find Sombra, find the Philosopher’s Stone, and bring an end to him once and for all. So much had changed in the century since that fateful day- so much good! Twilight’s rule as Queen had been glorious for the kingdom, and she right there to aid the young girl as best as she could. But here, after all this time, Luna’s heart still longed to see her beloved sister for one last time.
“I do not know, little one,” Luna whispered, holding the child across her lap. “It has been a very long time since Celestia and Ford left us behind- long before you were ever born. But of one thing I am certain: they did it because they looked out into the future and saw you, and they deeply loved you. They loved everyone, and so that is why they left to fight.”
“They sound very wonderful, Auntie,” Starburst remarked, her childish features now nodding solemnly. “They must have been very brave.”
Luna smiled, setting the diary aside on the nearby table before giving the young girl a tight hug. “Yes, they were. The bravest souls I have ever known. Come now, it’s time for bed. Your Auntie Luna has work to do for your mother now, OK?”
Starburst grumbled all the way to her bed, but complied nonetheless. As Luna flipped off the light (electricity, here in the castle! Twilight had been ingenious), she knew the little child would dream of a beautiful Princess of the Sun and her valiant Knight, all through the night.
Luna left her niece behind and ascended through the castle, heading to the upper towers where she would find peace. It was a late night already, and she knew she would be left alone. There, along the southern wall! It would high as she could manage, and an excellent place for solitude.
Or so she had thought. As she climbed the tower stairs, she heard the pattering of gentle footsteps from above, and a whispered voice speaking into the wind.
“I wish you could see it all, Princess,” the voice whispered. “How far your kingdom has come… how much it misses you. Not a day goes by that someone does not offer up a prayer for your sake. For both of you. When Luna told them the story of you and Ford, the whole kingdom wanted to go crawling off to find you. But as much as your sister and I wanted to do just that, we knew that wasn’t what you wanted. You had gone to protect everyone you’d loved, and as much as I wanted to fight that good fight alongside you, I think you’d made it clear: my place is here, with your sister… my husband… my children… my friends. Oh, Celestia, if you only knew how good it has been. And all of that because you once told a stubborn young girl she needed to make some friends.”
Luna knew the time had come to reveal herself, and she slowly, but deliberately, walked up the stone stairs, allowing each footstep to be as distinct from the other. “I hope I am not interrupting,” she said.
“Luna!” Twilight looked the slightest touch embarrassed but maintained her composure- so different from the neurotic girl Luna had first met. “I’m sorry, I thought I was alone.”
“I believe we both were searching for the same thing,” Luna replied, settling down beside the Queen. “Speaking to my sister, I am guessing?”
Twilight gave a small nod. “When I find myself overwhelmed by my duties, or just… lonely, I come up here. I pretend she is there beside me, yet still so far away. I miss her, Luna.”
“And so do I. Everyday,” Luna replied, holding her sister’s diary tightly in her hands. “There are so many things I wish I had done differently while she was still here. And Ford, both of them, really. I wish I had not been so foolhardy… and perhaps tried to know him.”
Twilight smiled, giving the immortal Alicorn a gentle squeeze of the hand. “We both came to know him. Through her, through her words she left for us. Perhaps that is all we can ask for now.”
“So you still believe?”
“They are out there,” Twilight replied firmly, her eyes searching the horizon. “You felt it as strongly as I did, that day. Like a veil had been torn away. They did it, Luna! Sombra is gone forever!”
Indeed he was, Luna remembering the exact moment as clearly as though it were yesterday. The whole world had paused and given it heed, knowing something had been changed forever. A brokenness had been fixed, a shadow filled with sunlight. The wrong had been made right.
But so long ago it had been, and still no sign of their return. Twilight had married, had children, and even begun to at last grow old, her powers beginning to fade. With Cadance gone and Flurry growing ever older, soon only Luna would remain. But still they tried, calling out into the distance just in case.
“I am getting old, Luna,” Twilight said sadly, rising to her feet. “I had hoped I would see her again before I died, but perhaps that was a fool’s hope. Wherever they went, it is indeed so far away.”
“We can try again, Twilight,” Luna replied. “Once more, one last time. We can make our call.”
A gentle face, once sharp and brimming with knowledge now turned motherly and soft, pondered the thought and smiled. “Perhaps we shall,” she said, taking Luna’s hand in her own. Together they closed their eyes and lifted their joined hand towards the skies, letting their breath fall away into nothingness as they gave one last great call out into the world…
And somewhere, out in the farthest reaches, came an answer. There was a great tug on their shoulders and the two women found themselves pulled away from that tower and beyond, racing faster and faster until it seemed they had traveled all the length of all space and time that would ever be. When at last the pressure lessened, and the world stopped spinning, Luna at last opened her eyes.
“Oh my…” She could not truly believe what she was seeing. Every color that came before her eyes was more vivid and bright and fresh than anything she had ever seen before. The grass beneath her feet was more green and crisp than what she had ever known, the air more clean and sweet than anything she had ever breathed. The sun shone with an infinite glory, the birds called out with the brightest of songs. All around them was a vast, endless beauty that spanned ever on in magnificent symphony, clear mountains far in the distance just below the coming sunrise, and not far away was a lake of water so pure that merely to look upon it would mean one was quenched. When she looked at herself and saw the paleness in comparison, she knew that she had come to a place for which she would forever long. But here she did not belong, not yet.
“Luna?” Twilight looked about in wonder, pressing her hand against the blades of grass below her. “What ever on earth is this place?”
The Princess of the Moon was not sure, but she was certain that it was not Earth at all. Here was someplace better, someplace good- the totality and sum of all existence and life and majesty was here, and somehow they had traveled to it.
The sound of laughter, faint but crystal clear, came to meet her ears. Luna’s knees trembled at the sound of it, recalling that voice from so long ago. “It can’t be…” The two women turned and there, coming up from the nearest hill, were two souls hand in hand as they walked, talking amongst themselves.
The woman’s hair was like the colors of the rainbow, yet more deep and bright than even Luna had remembered. The fairness of her skin was more wondrous than she could recall- without blemish or stain or scar to be found. In her eyes was a brightness of light that transcended and spoke of wisdom beyond. The man with her strode along with a purpose that was tempered by compassion, a kingly bearing upon him. His features no longer held the grim determination of a warfighter, but instead a peaceful happiness that comes to a soldier who has at last found home. In both of them was a glorious smile, and when they turned to look upon Luna and Twilight, the two raised a hand in welcome as though this meeting were indeed the most normal thing in the world.
“Celestia!” Luna’s cry came unbidden alongside Twilight's, and the two women rushed across the grass towards the wandering souls, rushing to them and holding them so tightly that Luna would never dare let them go.
“Luna! Twilight” Celestia cried, her voice as bright as the summer morning. “It is wonderful to see you again!”
And it was. Luna immediately began to weep, unable to hold in the years of longing she had buried so deep down.
“Come now, no need for tears!” Ford said, taking the weeping woman in his hands, an embrace so warm and welcoming that Luna knew all animosity she had ever dealt to him had been forgotten. He looked upon her with a gracious gaze, his smile kind and gentle. “It is alright, we are alright- you are alright. There is no need for tears in this place, not ever again.”
“It’s been so long!” Luna cried, now absolutely blubbering before her sister and her husband. “I kept waiting and waiting for you to come back, but it’s been so long!”
“We had almost given up hope that we would ever see you again- but here you are!” Twilight said, her own eyes glistening though she held her countenance firm. “You two… you are so different.”
“Yes, indeed we likely are,” Celestia said warmly. “Purified and becoming all the more so. It is a product of this place, given to us by its ruler. In time, you will find out yourself.”
“Come, there is a nice little tree nearby,” Ford remarked, taking the two guests by the hand and bringing them to their feet. “Tia and I are well on our way, but when we heard that you were looking for us… well, we knew we needed to at least say our goodbyes.”
The four souls wandered over into the gentle shade, Twilight and Luna simply drinking in the presence of their long-lost friends, still not quite able to believe it was true.
“So did you do it? Truly?” Twilight asked, the first to break the spell.
“Hmm? Oh. Sombra,” Celestia said, dismissing the name as though it were as important as yesterday’s weather. “Yes, it is done. The Umbra is gone, and with it fades away the last stain of Tavan upon the world. It is finished.”
“But- but why have you not returned?” Luna asked, unwilling to release her hands from their arms. “We are waiting for you, the whole world is waiting for you! Why will you not come home? What happened?”
Celestia and Ford both laughed at the suggestion. “Goodness, Luna, look about you!” Ford replied happily. “What in the world would ever be great enough to draw us away from here?”
“This is home, dear Luna. The home for which we have always longed," Celestia said, her voice brimming with an endless, timeless joy. "Everything we loved about Equestria, of even the greatest places we have ever known, were all merely a shadow of here. This is what we always truly desired.”
“And now, since our task is over, we were given entrance to this place, by the grace of its ruler,” Ford added. “And so we’ve traveled for a long time now, enjoying every fresh, clear second of it. Only one goal have we ever known: further and further in.”
Luna sniffled, at last able to control her tears. “So, this is to be a goodbye, then?”
Celestia smiled. “Only for a little while. But for now, until the time comes when we must wait for you to join us, we have been offered a chance to meet you and take rest from our travels. To give you heart and hope for the many years left ahead. After all, you still have much to see, and to know, and to do. I would not take that from you for the world.”
Luna smiled, at last coming to an understanding. “Then, in the time we have,” she said, “I want to know where you have been.”
Celestia smiled, settling down in a restful position as she faced her sister, her eyes alight with the many cherished memories. “I have all the time in the world,” she declared happily. “So let me tell you a story.”
The End
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And thus this story has come to it's conclusion. So many ups and downs, heartache and joy, it has been a ride for the ages. I hope that your future works are as glorious as this, because this was on par to the best stories I have read on this site.
May your imagination never fade, Maestro of The Word.
I'll See You Star side!
And so we have reach the end to another wondeful story.Hope you will make more stories like this cause I love some romance between the princess and her guard/bodyguard.👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
What an adventure! Some joy and bittersweet touches to that ending, but there's a lot of hope that everyone will be reunited. Seeing how far Ford has come is something else entirely. Be sure to tag this stuff in a blog when you manage to get around to the original fiction versions, or just original fiction in general, since I would love to read that too. You brought a unique style and interesting ideas to this story, and I'm glad to have seen the series through. Sometimes the whole good/evil dynamic was a little heavy-handed, and Sombra was badass, but not especially dynamic compared to other characters, but was still well-written. That does seem to be a carryover from Tolkien inspiration though, so it's quite understandable.
Ah this ended mildly better then I expected. This whole journey was something I never really expected but it was amazing to come along for it. I am glad it didnt 100% end in a tragedy that I expected but still kind of left me wanting to know more about where they ended up and more about what they left behind.
All in all still a great work of writing
10/10
~Reggie
10100094
Well Ford was 100% killed through a combination of blood loss and his soul getting ripped out of his body, and Sombra broke her neck. So...
10100763
Well yeah its aint perfect happy ending but didnt end in my predicted worse ending. Where they are technically still together and even saw Luna again kind of.
I just wanted to know more on how they were able to talk to her or even if things like that were real and other things a long that line.
10100936
My world-building is inspired by Tolkien and Jeff Smith's Bone. My philosophy and views of eternal, ethereal things comes from CS Lewis. I suggest you look at something Ford says to Luna to know where they head.
And of course it's real. More real than anything they've ever known.
10101516
Ah I must have missed something there sorry. That makes a bit more sense it was just a bit strange on the first read over and I may have missed a few bits after everything hat happens in the last 2 chapters.
It still is a great story so thank you for your writing.
10101566
Take your time. Look for familiar things.
This has brought many smiles upon my face and I am glad to say that this is THE BEST thing ever.
Just finished reading this, and it was great! Thank You!
I just do not have words to describe how beautiful this AU was. All three stories, scores of chapters. It made me weap it made me smile it made me laugh. This was truly a life story.
Thank you for this, actually brought out tears.
I couldn't stop reading.
I went through it too fast so I'll have to read it again.
Thank you for writing this.