> But He Smiled
>  by Peekaboo
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> The Elderly Stallion
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	The elderly stallion was dying. But he smiled. His closest friends and family surrounded his bedside in what he knew were his final hours on earth. He’d lived a long life though, with numerous tales to tell of it, many of which he’d retold countless times over the years to his children and grandchildren.

The elderly stallion recounted the tales, some tugging at his heart. But he smiled. His family had learned from him his adventures in Canterlot as a castle engineer. They'd heard tales of his days apprenticing under the head architect in Phillydelphia, and of his rambunctious youth growing up in a small town near White Tail Woods. He was as beloved to them as they were to him.

The elderly stallion was running out of time though. But he smiled. He had told many stories over the years. He’d shared all but one particular tale, it seemed. A sore spot, as it were. It was a tale which above all others had likely been the largest influence over his life. It was time. He had just one last story to tell them… just one last one before he had to go.

The elderly stallion was strained to speak. But he smiled. The ponies gathered around to hear his words, breathing in his presence as long as they could. Each one worried and dreading what would soon enough come to pass. Some urged him to rest, but he gently declined and asked them to sit and listen.

The elderly stallion was in pain to sit up. But he smiled. “Just one more story. Just one last one. I want you, my friends and my family, to hear it… It’s the story about the first mare I’d ever loved.” He spoke softly. All ears in the room listened intently.

The elderly stallion cleared his old throat, it was sore. But he smiled. “She was beautiful... To me, neither the sun nor moon could compare to her grace. But her beauty ran deeper than the skin. Her soul was akin to a diamond amongst pebbles and her very presence was gentle and kind.” He began.

The elderly stallion fought against his breath. But he smiled. “But life called her elsewhere; she came and went like the subtle breeze of a summer night. Slipping in and out of the lives of anypony lucky enough to have met her... Where she ended up between then and when we met again, I cannot say. But I'd like to think she finally found what she was looking for.”

The elderly stallion blinked back tears. But he smiled. “When she had gone, the town felt darkened. Like the sun could no longer reach the soil. For me, it was more as if the sun had gone away completely… My mother had told me back then that my heart would heal someday… It did not.”

The elderly stallion reminisced wistfully. But he smiled. “I spent many days recounting our first meeting. I first crossed her path in the berry patch outside of her Uncle’s Orchard. I’d been working for him that summer to earn money for school.”

The elderly stallion gave a hoarse laugh. But he smiled. “Her presence soon graced me each day and in each passing hour my heart grew fond of her, until it rightfully belonged to her. I could no longer forget her elegant face, and the money for which I worked was the lesser of my reasons to stay.”

The elderly stallion trailed off dreamily. But he smiled. “We spent the days together, basking in the glow of summer. Each day spent was like an Eden gone by too quickly. And soon the summer began to close.”

The elderly stallion lay back sadly. But he smiled. “Her uncle did not want her around colts like me though, as her family name was a tall hedge to be maintained. So that autumn he sent her sent far away to school. He sent her away so I could not see her again… And so it was for many years.” His face fell as he remembered.

The elderly stallion coughed harshly. But he smiled. “Those years had passed so slowly before I saw her again. I had distracted myself in work and travel, but her memory still haunted the recesses of my heart.”

The elderly stallion seemed lost in his thoughts. But he smiled. “But love does not stay hushed for long, and soon it thundered out to the forefront of my mind when before my eyes she stood again… As glorious and gracious as ever she’d been.”

The elderly stallion trembled with his memory. But he smiled. “And time had made no marks upon her in the faraway land she’d made her home in. Nor did it change my love for her. For her beauty and kindness went unmarred by the injustices of her life.”

The elderly stallion had become gravelly in voice. But he smiled. “And how much more beautiful she was than the last I’d seen her… Her hair was long, and hung in curls the color of roses. Her eyes sparkled like water at sunset. The soft pink hue of her coat was as delicate as the scent of the flowers she grew for herself.”

The elderly stallion mustered his failing voice. But he smiled. “It was fate perhaps that brought us together again.”
The elderly stallion sighed wheezily. But he smiled. “She was due to marry another stallion when we met again. It was arranged by her parents so she would live well. But they had no love together. His eyes merely saw the mortal beauty that only petty lust strives for.”

The elderly stallion closed his eyes thoughtfully. But he smiled. “But I saw her for the beauty within her heart. I always did. Her sweet face was merely the mask over the most beautiful soul to grace the earth.”

The elderly stallion recalled the mare with a twinge of sorrow. But he smiled. “How I longed to call her my own. I could not withhold how I felt for her any longer, and I sought out her family to deliver the truth.”

The elderly stallion chuckled weakly despite his waning breath. “Her family was outraged with me for coming to them. So much so, they’d thrown me from their home. But she, she rejoiced in my coming.”

The elderly stallion gasped raspingly. But he smiled. “She came to me later with joy in her eyes and love in her heart. She had rejected her previous suitor, despite her family’s disapproval. The glow of summer love in her heart had not faded with time.”

The elderly stallion stopped briefly to keep his breath. But he smiled. “She went away from her family, and came to me again. I took her away to a home in the country, where she would be safe. Where she would be free to live and love as she chose.”

The elderly stallion swallowed a lump welling in his throat. But he smiled. “And she chose me. It was there that we were married all those years ago. The joy of those days lay bittersweet still on my old heart.”

The elderly stallion was shocked to hear his great-grandson suddenly chime in. But he smiled. “But Great Grandpapa! If you are married, where is she now?” The tearful family went to hush the foal, but the young colt climbed up to the old stallion’s lap.

The elderly stallion withheld a soft sob. But he smiled. “She has gone before us. She left bringing your Grandfather into the world… She has been gone for so long now.” He said as he limply hugged his grandchild close.

The elderly stallion lay stiffly back down. But he smiled. “But she is always with us as well. She brought me the greatest joys of my life. My children, and their children to follow. She lives on in all of you.”

The elderly stallion shed a single tear. But he smiled. "She was the first mare I ever loved... And the last."

The elderly stallion gently let his strength fade. But he smiled. “She never wanted to leave so soon. But when her time came, she simply smiled. Oh, how she smiled.” The stallion whispered.

The elderly stallion lay finally still. But he smiled…